Theirs been a feud brewing amongst the ranks of the SOG between jager and two other soldiers Malcom and Harvey who despise jager for being a straight arrow amongst the rank of the SOG and see him as a weak link so they try to “Frag” him but it fails thanks to the help of Liz who rescues jager and they later confront the evil duo

Chapter 1: Introduction

The heat bore down on the military base like a palpable being, its unyielding presence a stark reminder that you can't escape the sun's glare even if you wanted to. The mosquitos We’re buzzing about in the tropic environment that was the jungle Jager found himself standing in the mess line, sweat building on his brow as he listened to the surrounding chatter of other S.O.G. soldiers readying for their meal. The scent of chow wafted through the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation. He adjusted his patrol cap and scratched at the back of his neck, thinking about Liz. The one female SOG slider that saved his life not to long ago he also met her again during a patrol this time she was accompanied by two other female SOG soldiers Molle and Alice who referred to her as teacher and leader of their trio. They did speculate that he had a crush on Liz as he always stared at her in admiration. But he always thought of her as a partner first and someone he looked up to.

He was brought back to reality when jager was nocked of his feet into the muddy ground as malcolm shoved him out of line. "Whoopsie, sorry about that.

Didn't see you there, rookie." Malcolm sneered, laughing snidely as he towered over Jager. The sunlight danced off of his short-cropped blonde hair, casting an eerie glow as his cruel eyes stared Jager down.

Jager pushed himself up, anger roiling in his gut. He never took kindly to being disrespected, but in the military, you didn't always have the freedom to act immediately on the impulse.

“Scusse me but we’re lined up here” stated jager “ya, well, we’re linin’ up, to” said Harvey , a sly smirk crossing his face before joining Malcolm in snickering at Jager. ”would you mind waiting your turn?” Said jager keeping calm which pissed then off even more

Malcom grabbed jager by the collar of his uniform “Listen up, rookie! How bout you shut your mouth and let us veterans go ahead of you?!” Malcom shouted, his fingers digging into the fabric of Jager's uniform, his hot breath reeking of alcohol and stale cigarettes.

Jager’s eyes narrowed, anger by the turn of events. “Being a vet has nothing to do with it . We’re all in line here,” he retorted, his voice steady and firm “ha. Look it kid you sure do talk a big game but you haven’t been here as long as we have” Malcolm sneered, his grip tightening as Jager frowned at the unwanted attention.

“Tell us kid how long you been in country? Said Harvey , a cruel grin crossing his face as he taunted Jager. His dark eyes gleamed with an almost predatory hunger, making Jager's gut roil.

Jager bristled but held his ground. “5 weeks” he said tersely, his cold blue eyes meeting Malcolm’s taunting ones without flinching. He didn’t like showing any signs of weakness in front of them, especially considering how much they already looked down on him.

Malcolm let out a bitter laugh. “shit no kidding ? You're still fresh off the boat, kid. Out here, things are different, and if you wanna survive, you need to learn the rules quick out here in the scrub”

Jager swallowed hard, tension building between them as he stared Malcolm down. “Whether you have experience or not doesn’t matter even the best struggle out here in the scrub” said a familiar voice

A figure in an all OD green uniformed all kitted up appeared from the crowd. Liz’s hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her cold blue eyes were narrowed as she glared at Malcolm and Harvey.

The tension in Jager's shoulders melted away as he took in her presence, relief washing over him at the idea of back up. Liz had always been a welcome sight—strong, capable, and self-assured, everything he wasn’t but wanted to be.

Liz stepped between Jager and Malcolm, her tall frame radiating authority.

“Pardon me sweet heart but this is a private conversation between two grown men” malcolm sneered as he eyed her body up and down

“One doesn’t have to be a man to take offense at rude behavior” she said keeping a neutral tone but her eyes glacial “and if you’d kindly let go of Jager right now, that would be great.” She said for Malcolm to take his hands off Jager’s collar.

Harvey took a step back, a dark look crossing his thin lips as he glanced between Liz and Jager, his cunning eyes betraying his annoyance.

Malcolm sneered, his grip tightening momentarily before he finally dropped his hold on Jager with a scoff. "Whatever. It's just a fucking line."

Jager straightened his collar with a curt nod in Liz’s direction. He didn’t need Liz to fight his battles but he found himself grateful for her intervention nonetheless.

“You alright ?” Liz asked, her cool gaze sweeping over Jager.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for the help,” Jager replied, feeling the tension leave his body like a weight lifted from his shoulders.

“Come on let’s go eat ,” Liz said with a smile before she led Jager down the line again, her fingers brushing his arm reassuringly.

“Hay it’s the rookie again” said another familiar voice “hay troop how’s it been ?” the voice belonged to Molle one of the trio he met during a patrol with Liz.

Jager nodded in her direction, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Good, Corporal. How about you?”

Molle shrugged. “Can’t complain too much,” she said with a grin. Her gaze flickered to Liz and Jager’s interlinked arms before settling back on Jager. “You two look chummy,” she said, her eyebrow arched.

Jager felt a blush creep up his cheeks, but Liz just laughed.

“Don’t be silly,” she said, squeezing his arm reassuringly. “We’re just friends.”

Jager knew that wasn’t entirely true, but he didn’t bother correcting her. He liked the idea of being more than just friends with Liz, but he also knew that the timing wasn’t right. They were in the middle of a war, and their focus needed to be on their mission and staying alive.

the trio got their meal and made they way to a secluded part of their base to have their meals in peace . Jager unwrapped his rations and set them on a makeshift table.

“Pork loin and powdered eggs for me,” Liz said, tearing into her own meal with enthusiasm.

Alice later showed up and join them in their meal . The trio of female S.O.G soldiers always move together like cogs in a well-oiled machine, with Liz at the helm.

Jager watched them with a mixture of admiration how they worked together so well, their movements synchronized, and how they always seem to have each other’s backs in every situation. It was a quality that he strived to emulate, but he knew that he still had a long way to go.

“So jager got a girl back home ?” Molle asked during the course of the meal Liz giving her a side eye as she asked.

Jager shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of powdered eggs before answering. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend back home. Why do you ask?”

Molle shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all. You two seem to be getting along pretty well,” she said, exchanging a knowing look with Alice.

Jager felt his cheeks heat up. He wasn’t sure how to answer Molle’s question. He and Liz had been spending a lot of time together lately, but it was mostly because they were on patrol together, and there was a certain level of trust and understanding that came with their partnership.

“Were just friends,” Jager repeated, feeling a little defensive.

“Just friends.” Liz echoed, her expression unreadable.

Alice leaned in, her dark hair falling in a curtain around her face as she asked, “But what about after the war? Do you think things would change between you two?”