Abner Fortis, ISMC

Abner Fortis joined the International Space Marine Corps for two reasons: to escape a life of drudgery building biodomes for his father’s company and to pay off several billion credits in student loans, which the ISMC promised to do. Every Space Marine starts out as a cherry, though, and Abner is no different. When he makes his first combat drop, or cherry drop, he’s a know-nothing second lieutenant added to the mission roster as an afterthought.

Fresh from fighting bugs and clones on Pada-Pada, Second Lieutenant Abner Fortis and Third Platoon look forward to some well-deserved liberty on Eros-69, a plutoid colony built to provide all the earthly pleasures available in the far reaches of space. When Fortis’ nemesis reroutes Third Platoon to Eros-28 instead, though, the Space Marines discover they’ve been sent to an industrial colony with limited R&R opportunities and no way back to the flagship. Everything

After the United Nations of Terra (UNT) Fleet Frigate Nelson reported an encounter with an alien spaceship, she disappeared without a trace. An alien race called the Maltaani have made their presence known by landing a mass of troops on Balfan-48, a desert planet located far too close to Terra Earth for comfort. Tensions are rising and tempers are growing short. The UNT responds by deploying ISMC’s Ninth Division aboard the flagship Atlas to the scene to investigate the Maltaani aggression.

After a year-long war bond tour of Terra Earth while his battle wounds healed, Lieutenant Fortis is ready to get back to the ISMC infantry. When fleet medical refuses to clear him for full duty, he faces a bleak future behind a desk in personnel or logistics. Instead, his mentor from Ninth Division, Colonel Anders, recruits Fortis for the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance branch of the ISMC intelligence organization.

After human and Maltaani forces cooperated to rescue the hostages being held by slavers on the icy planet of Menard-Kev, leaders on both sides agreed that peace between the races was desirable. A treaty was signed, and embassies were established.

On Terra Earth, war fever grips the populace. Opportunistic politicians and war profiteers manipulate public opinion to demand the United Nations of Terra get involved. It’s a war everyone wants, and it’s a war everyone will get. Brevet Captain Abner Fortis takes command of Tango Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment—Tango 2/2—just in time to join the fight. Tango 2/2 is a reconnaissance company, and their mission is to lead the way for the invasion force.

The newly formed Military Assistance Command-Maltaan (MACM), led by General Ellis Boudreaux, is facing serious problems. The Maltaan rainy season has begun, and the unpredictable weather has significantly reduced flight operations. The east-west highway which connects the capital Daarben to Ulvaan, the only major city in the east, is choked with convoys. The increasingly vulnerable rail line is the sole means of moving supplies to support Space Marines deployed in the east. Thousands of PCS were abandoned by their mercenary handlers, and it’s up to the Space Marines to collect them.

A year ago, Captain Abner Fortis led a dangerous mission to kill the leader of the Maltaani insurgency, a mission that almost cost the life of his best friend, Gunnery Sergeant Petr Ystremski. Since then, he’s been assigned to a research and development project while Ystremski recovered from his wounds.

After the President declared the Maduro Sector off-limits, a peace craze swept the United Nations of Terra, and the government enacted the Budget Realignment Act to reap the dividends of the peace by shifting funds from the defense budget to public services. Thousands of Space Marines and Fleet personnel were summarily dismissed from the service, and their ships and weapons were mothballed.