[ WP ] A young student is drafted off to fight in a bloody foreign war . He quickly finds that war is the most enjoyable thing he has ever experienced .

Basic training had been hell, with hours of heavy work every day, screaming sergeants, crawling through mud under barbed wire and bullets whistling over my head. A bit old school, I guess, but it sure as hell got me in shape. Before that I was just some dork that enjoyed playing Magic, that could talk for hours about talk for hours about the applications of game theory in video games. Officer Training and Spec Ops training was more... civilised, but still rather straining. Now the Pareto frontier applications in League of Legends has been exchanged for an actual frontier in the War. So, here I am in these trenches, alarms sounding in the distance and a flare suddenly lighting up the dark clouds above. Would n't be so bad if I was n't alone at this outpost. 
 
 `` Come in Pi Solo, this is base. Do you copy?'' I suddenly hear in my earpiece. 
 `` Pi Solo here. Copying loud and clear.'' I respond. 
 `` You've got a squad of hostile greens coming in from the west. ETA 5 minutes. Gamma squad is already overrun and Alpha squad has requested evac. Beta is covering your south, but we suggest you fall back to the evac zone. HQ is pulling us out of here. Over.'' 
 `` Think Beta can make it out of there if I buy them some time?'' Beta was a full squad, after all. Sacrifice one... 
 `` Your call, Pi Solo, but you need to make it now.'' 
 `` Roger that. Call Beta to evac. I'll fall back and hold the bunker. Over.'' 
 `` Roger that. Oh, and Barry? It's been an honour serving with you. As always.'' 
 `` Heh. Pleasure is mine, Terrance. Let the guys know I love them. Pi Solo, moving out.'' 
 
 A quick check over the ridge confirmed base intel, as several enemy soldiers were already encroaching on my position. Still outside effective range, but I fired some shots at them down the hill to get their attention before I sprinted across the field behind my outpost. Another flare and I saw several aircraft up in the sky and the deceptively soft blinks of bombardment in the horizon as I started making my way up the next slope. Several shots landed around me as I rolled over the ridge. Shit, the enemy was faster than I anticipated. I took the risk of peeking, spotting a couple of enemy soldiers already out on the field I had just crossed. They were spreading out. So they were already aware that we were in full retreat and were recklessly rushing forward. I could n't help but chuckle to myself. That they outnumbered me would n't be much of an advantage if they were this spread out. If they were eager for combat I'd be happy to oblige. I grabbed remote satchel trigger and my gun and left the rest of my equipment there. It should pack a decent bang and would just slow me down. I took off toward the bunker. I still needed to cover for Beta. 
 
 As soon as shots fired behind me I pressed the remote, grinning to myself as I felt the shock-wave catch up with me. Glancing back I saw a smoking crater and two enemies on the ground next to it. Finally reaching the bunker I saw beta squad some click away, having made enough distance from the enemy to make it to evac. Guess my sacrifice would pay off. Their pursuers would still have to take my position before being able to chase them further as I aimed the auto turret down the hill behind Beta Squad and activated it. 
 `` Pi Solo here. I've reached the bunker and set up the auto defences aiming south.'' 
 `` Base here. Jesus, you're fast Barry. Beta should reach evac in a few minutes and Alpha are already loading up. Base over and out.'' Guess Terrance already knew I was too far out to make it now. I fell back to the bunker entrance, knowing that the enemy would come for me soon. I picked one off and fell back into the bunker, urging them to chase me. No matter how many they were I could still take some of them down in the narrow corridors of the bunker, but I knew it was only a matter of how many before they got me. It did n't take long before I was holed up in a room, stacking any furniture I could find in front of the door. 
 
 I listened as they set up the charges to blow the door open. I weighted my options for a second before I decided to throw my weapon to the ground and raise my arms above my head. I'd done my duty and surrendering at this point seemed reasonable. Moments later the enemy stormed in. `` Barry Boston, you're now a prisoner of war under the Postmortality Warfare act.'' a tough looking officer explained as he aimed his colouring gun at me. 
 
 Just a few hours later I was enjoying my stay at the military prison camp with a couple of guys from Beta and Alpha Squads and all of Gamma Squad. Most of them had gotten severely coloured and probably would n't be allowed back on the field for several months even if they were released. We were all enjoying the pancakes in the prison camp when Terrance entered the room on some crutches and his leg in a cast. He had some green paint on the left half of his face. 
 `` What the fuck happened to you, Base?'' I wondered, shocked and appalled that they'd do that to a radio operator. 
 `` Gee, calm down, Boston. They have n't laid a finger on me, ok? We both know that'd be illegal. Just fell down some stairs during evac. Guess people still get hurt in war, huh?'' he explained with an embarrassed chuckle. 
 `` Whatever.'' I dismissed, perhaps a bit embarrassed at having accused the enemy, if only for a second, of hurting someone `` Anyway, I hear they have a casino here. How about some poker, buddy?'' 
 
 War is pretty great. Being a prisoner of war is awesome.
