Battlefield 2042

Chapter 1

James overlooked the rising sun over the sea. This was his favorite moment of the day, a moment of peace before the busy life aboard the Exodus got back into full motion.

A slight, warm breeze brushed over his skin. It was almost too hot out here for a man in uniform and gear but he was used to it by now. Looking down to the deck, he saw the children playing with some of the crew members and soldiers. It was nice seeing people in hope. He had no children of his own but he promised himself that the next generation would have a better world to inherit. One of the refugee children looked up to him while he played with the others. He waved up to him and James waved back with a smile.

"Lieutenant Taylor? James Taylor?" he heard a female voice next to him. He turned around and looked at a woman he hadn't see before, extending her hand to him. She was about his height as him and he spotted the red cross on her medic pouches, clearly identifying her as a medic. Her age was hard to guess though. She seemed to be in good health but her hair had already turned white. "I'm Doctor Maria Falck. Captain Graves said I would find you here."

He shook her hand. He knew that she was one of the specialists that had answered Commander Graves call to fight. "Greetings. But technically I am no longer Lieutenant. And I suppose you are one of the Specialists that are due to arrive?"

"Aye. The meeting is about to happen, they are all here." She spoke in a thick accent that reminded James of his grandparents.

"Better get to it then. Hey, are you Scottish or German?" he asked her on the way to the meeting.

"German, born in Cologne."

"Oh I visited the city a few years ago. The old town is very beautiful, and the cathedral. Amazing."

"Hope you didn't try the local beer there. It's shitty." she smirked and opened one of the hatched doors. "Why did you think I was Scottish?"

"The thick accent. Reminds me of my grandparents from Glasgow." he explained.

She laughed a little. "Do Scots really sound like that?"

"You'd be surprised." They both had a good laugh at that.

"And you?" She asked. "British?"

"Aye, from London."

She suddenly stopped and turned around. "Wasn't this the last stop of this ship?"

James sighed. He didn't really want to talk about it but if they were going to be on the same team together. Might as well tell her then. "Yeah... it was hard seeing my childhood home 3 feet underwater. Just another failed state." He had served in the Royal Navy for many years, ever since he turned 26. When the UK fell apart, he and his mother left the country for France.

"Well... I guess we two can relate to that then." she offered him her sympathy. He thanked her and they moved on to the meeting. The room was just a large table with several seats and a giant TV on the wall. All of the seats, except two, were occupied by a bunch of different soldiers. The two sat down after greeting everyone. Commander Graves stood in front of the TV, next to him were two civilians that James did not recognize.

"Welcome. I guess you already know why you are here. I called you in because you are probably the best soldiers we have." Irish started.

"Out of 1,2 Billion people? You flatter us." said a tall and muscular Latino with tattoos on his arms, clearly joking.

"It's not flattery, it is a fact. One that you should keep in mind for the future. All of you have military experience and/or possess great abilities that will be useful in your mission." He started to point at each of the Specialists and introduced them, said what their experience or specialty were.