Necalli had been holding the flier in his hand for well over an hour, glancing at it now and then. 'Serve the State and the State will serve you.' On the paper was a soldier who's arm was shooting into the air in a Roman salute. The Republican Army was being reformed, Mekkal had deemed it too corrupt and ineffective. Instead, the new State Military had replaced it. Necalli looked over the voluntary application form with eager eyes, to serve the new countries military at its founding would be something else. He was already on his way home to tell his girlfriend. She'll be so impressed, he thought.
He walked up the set of stairs into the housing complex, regular houses were uncommon in Xyrael, the crowded forest caused cities to build upwards not outwards. Coza was waiting for him on the couch, dressed in a loose shirt and skirt, a devious smile flashing at him. For a moment he lost track of his thoughts as his mind wandered elsewhere, and he sat down on the couch where her hand had patted.
"Hey, um..." Necalli muttered while Coza stroked his leg. He began to shake and decided he'd tell her after she got what she wanted.
~
Several hours later Necalli was feeling rather sore. Coza lay curled against him under the sheets of their bed, her azure eyes radiating affection and satisfaction.
Necalli, not being the brightest man alive, decided to bring up his idea. When Coza heard it, she didn't give him the reaction he had expected. Within moments Necalli was trying to coax her out of the chair on the far side of the room, "Come back to bed, let's talk about this," he said.
"Damnit Necalli, why can't you just stay here with me? State Military Volunteer?! I'd never see you!"
"Yeah you would, it's not like I serve forever."
"Necalli," she pleaded, "the State Military requires 6 years of service! 6 YEARS!! That's a long time!"
"They let me have leave, I can see you once in a while!"
Necalli's stubbornness did not combine well with the reactionary attitude women throughout the world often shared. Selfish and jealous, Coza decided to stop talking.
"Why can't I do what I want? It'll help me get a job when I get home. We can have kids and I can give them money for college, State service looks so good on your record."
Coza was silent.
"Coza, talk to me darling."
"Do what you want, I'll try to wait. If I can't, it's your own fault."
"Try?" Necalli was puzzled.
"Necalli, I'll be twenty-six by the time you're done with the military. We'll have been apart longer than we'll have been together, and I'm not sure I can handle that."
Necalli frowned, "Darlin', you know I love you. You know I'll come back, I just want to do this for our future."
"I told you, do what you want. I'm not going to control you."
Necalli knew he wouldn't win this fight as Coza came back to bed and pushed him off. "You're not sleeping in this bed tonight, though." Defeated, Necalli moved to the living room and crashed on the small sofa, turning the television set on. He sighed, it was an advertisement for the State Military. Since the new economic policies of the government slowly introduced the country to the free market, commercials became legal. The men on the television looked so proud, so handsome and brave in their uniforms. He slipped away into a dreamland filled with thoughts of bravery, camaraderie, and explosions.
