Chapter Seventeen
May 18, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Municipal Tower Two, Neo Southern California Headquarters Level
Erik drummed his fingers on the control yoke of the MX 60.
The vehicle rested on the far end of one of the parking platforms connected to Headquarters. Decades in the Army had conditioned him to associate changes of command with pain-in-the-butt ceremonies that had to look good for the outside world but required ridiculous attention to detail from the grunts.
Everything he’d heard from Captain Ragnar and the swarm of news drones flying in the area reflected that as well.
Reporters and well-dressed guests—police, political, and business contacts—streamed from their vehicles through the multi-layer security cordon. Militia soldiers in full uniform patrolled
