A thousand of us landed on Mars.Only a quarter of us survived. More than half of us died without even seeing war. They died of Infection, the medici called it the red death. I remember holding on to the toilet bowls as I shat my bowels out. The stuff that came out was so devoid of food material it was almost entirely blood and I am sure some intestine lining. It was then I met Aurora. Perhaps it was the delirium of sickness perhaps it was not; She looked like an angel to me.I remember her having those smoky eyes always almost drifting close as she spoke. Her white latex hands were always pressing for tenderness in my side. And most of all her lips, a smile was always dancing on her lips and it was always teasing a grin. When I was healthy I longed to be sick again so that I could see that smile blossom on her lips.

Rat said she doesn't even think of me, that I must be mad to think she likes me. Perhaps I am.But on Mars, if a man must be mad let him be mad for love.

I remember in my youth eating from the engineered fruit gardens of Mars and thinking how much sweeter than Earth's it was. I always dreamt of living on Mars. Perhaps I would be so rich I could get a ranch on Phobos. But I never thought I would be a soldier defending Mars from the onslaught of The Accord. But today I stand in the harsh Martian desert, 15 mph winds blow sand in my face. The sun glares down menacingly on my skin, I am red all over like a true Martian. Yesterday Rat told me he has kept some Mars soil in a glass bottle. We are nearing the end of our service. He said he would like to remember Mars.I don't need to take any sand about. I will always remember Mars. The sands of Mars are in my Dna, my bowels where the doomsday biological weapon racked my body. When I get on Earth various scientists will vie over my body to get the chance to study how I survived a pathogen with a fatality rate of 99 percent.

Every time I remember that I feel superhuman. My immune system has always been strong,but I never thought it was that strong enough to survive an Accord designer Bio weapon. That's the difference between Rat and I. I have the sand in me.

It will be unjust to not say how fortuitous it is that Rat and I became friends and are also one of the only survivors of the red planet. Rat isn't much to look at. He is a Weasely little man and this I mean in the most generous manner.

The groundsmen always said he was more feat for the assassin adept than the rifle troops. And truth be told most of his confirm kills of the enemies have happened by him sneaking in on the enemy and getting stabby. Honestly he scares me sometimes, but I have discovered he has the mind of a sociopathic baby and he fancies me so I keep him around. Also he is the only of my friends to survive Mars. Every other one died in the plague or in battle.