"What does it say?"
Maria was four and had to ask her brother to read the flier for her.
"It says that the Confederacy has a program that offers cheap rides on military spaceships to Hera and Loki. It says the ride is free for anyone who signs up to serve three years in the Territorial Guard on either planet. It also says that time spent in a national military counts for pay and retirement in the Territorial Guard."
Carlos paid special attention to this last part because he had spent six years in the Mexican army. He had already been to Loki and returned. He wasn't impressed with the planet then, but when he returned to Michoacan there wasn't any work anywhere it seemed.
He remembered before he left that the Confederacy was giving land to anyone who would plant it or build on it. They were also offering free rides to anyone willing to join the Territorial Guard. He would also get paid more because of his service in the army. That seemed like a great deal right now.
"Are you going to leave again?"
"I might, Maria."
"But when would we see you again?"
"Let's worry about that if I actually go."
He said that Maria in spite of his intent. He had made up his mind to go back, but there was no point in upsetting his little sister.

Territorial Guard

"JOIN THE TERRITORIAL GUARD AND DEFEND YOUR FREEDOM!"
That flier had appeared overnight everywhere in town. It seemed like you could walk 10 meters without seeing one of them plastered on a wall in front of you.
"Its ironic." Francois thought. "As all all sorts of goods are starting to come in from Earth, all the Earth militaries are leaving."
He was far from the only one thinking it. Seeds for crops from Earth, along with sudoku and the latest issue of National Geographic among other things were showing up everywhere. Immigrants from Earth were also beginning to trickle in. However, only Canada and India made any commitment to remain and defend Humanity's newest colonies.
Most governments on Earth were committed to defending their part of Earth. It was generally felt that Loki and Hera were convenient buffers and should be responsible for their own defense. Francois despised them for what he felt to be cowardice. They had not defended him and the others when they were taken and they refused to defend them now.
"I'll take our defense into my own hands.", he muttered aloud.
The flier in front of him gave directions to a recruiting station which happened to be about 100 meters down the street.
Without thinking about it, his feet started moving him toward the recruiting station. His mind was made up that we was going to join the territorial guard. He was never going to rely on others to defend his home.
As came near he saw the sign. He couldn't yet read it but he knew that was the sign for the station.
Something funny happened at that moment he first saw that sign. The realization of what he intended to do set in. Despite his anger at perceived cowardice and his determination to be brave and defend his planet he paused in the street for just a second. It came to him that he may have to die fighting and this life would certainly not be one of comfort.
He made up his mind again that he would join anyways and marched on towards the recruiting station.
As he came close enough to read the sign, he paused again. True, someone needed to step forward to defend the planet. "But does it have to be me?", he thought.
"If not me then who else?" He realized that this rhetorical question from his internal dialogue was said aloud.
He marched again toward his objective.
As he approached, he noticed the recruiter in the doorway.
He paused again to reflect on the gravity of joining. By now he was desperately trying to convince himself to actually go in and join. His once burning desire to enlist was losing out.
He made eye contact with the recruiter.
Francois didn't hear the recruiter call out to him as he hurried away to return to his comfortable job and his comfortable home. Someone else would have to bear the burden.

Trip to the Market

It was amazing how normal life had become on Loki. Very often Jon had forgotten that he was forced to come here and that he had spent six years as a slave here. Fatherhood and marriage had really taken all of his time. The present had become so much like life on Earth that he would forget that he was not there until he saw something around town that would remind him, like the temple or the part of town with their ruined houses.
He had only rarely seen them before the invasion. He was sent here to work in mine and seldom saw daylight, let alone his masters' houses and temple.
The ruins weren't caused by fighting between Confederate forces and the Krellians. They wouldn't have been nearly so destructive. There was a slave revolt when the humans realized that human victory was inevitable. Destroying the buildings wasn't something done because it had to be done to win the battle. Like the citizens of Paris tearing down the Bastille, it was intensely personal. Everyone had left these shambles as a reminder, lest they forget the past. They were a monument of victory and a memorial of those since gone.
But it was easy to forget the past. He had a job that kept him busy through the week. His daughter, Jasmine, and his wife, Fatima, kept his mind in the present when he wasn't at work. He went to church every Sunday. He even read the Sunday comics online, like everyone else. His life was mostly indistinguishable from any on Earth.
Like anyone else on Earth he also had to go the market every now and then for food and other items. The fruits, vegetables and meat here were worlds apart, but he had become so used to it that he didn't notice anymore.
For no good reason, he decided to take his daughter with him. Well, there was a reason. He loved to see her wide-eyed wonderment at all the shops and the wares they sold.
Jasmine's little brown eyes lit up when he told her. She rushed to put on her sandals and ran to the door waiting to go.
Jasmine held her father's hand as they walked down the street past the ruins of the Krellian temple and the shells that remained of the Krellian homes to the market. Jasmine was only three and was born after the raids and the war. She simply accepted that the ruins must have always been there. None of it mattered to her. All that mattered was that her father was taking her to the market and she knew he would buy her some fruit to enjoy.