She doesn’t look happy, Jim thought.

“You’re going to have to give your mother and me some time to think about this, okay, Jim?”

“Yeah, Dad,” Jim replied, wondering whether he was doing the right thing, or if this was all a big mistake. He got up and cleared the table, then quietly left the room. His father, for the first time in Jim’s memory, offered no words of guidance and Jim felt utterly alone.

The better part of three days passed with arguments back and forth, but on the third night there was a knock on Jim’s bedroom door. He turned away from his computer. “Yeah?”

“Come on, your mom and I want to talk to you,” Trace called out. He smiled warmly as Jim opened the door, and the two made their way down the hall.

As he sat back down at the table, Jim could sense that his mother had been crying. It was the worst feeling in the universe, and he suddenly wanted to take it all back. Every last bit of it. But then his father began to speak.

“Jim, your mother and I have never put pressure on you to follow in our footsteps, but up until now, you’ve had no say in the matter. We needed you here, so we just figured you’d stay, and that’s unfair to you.”

Karol, a sad smile on her face, reached over and clutched her son’s hand in both of hers. Jim’s heart was racing. Were they actually going to let him go? He looked back at his dad, whose expression had softened.

“If you want to enlist, Son,” Trace continued, “that’s your choice. Because in this life, you are who you choose to be. And it doesn’t surprise us one bit that our son wants to be a hero.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Recent changes in the Confederate military hierarchy’s structure have left several wings of the armed forces struggling to adapt. Charged with keeping lawlessness in check among the troops, the Internal Security Division has reported a lack of military police to deal with the growing recruit population. Analysts worry that these gaps in security may open vulnerable sections of the military to criminal abuse.”