So there I was, on an awkward first date with my secret crush, when the colonies went into revolt. They nuked the moon and hijacked half of Earthfleet—and that was just the opening salvo. Then I learned that my date was one of the terrorists (or patriots, depending on your political beliefs), and I had to make a choice: join her, or spend the next few days stuffed in an EVA suit locker. I chose the former, and that's the only reason I'm still here. The name's Rex Carter. On the day the Earth disappeared, the civil war had just broken out, and I didn't know which side I was on. All I knew was that my homeworld had been swallowed by an alien anomaly, and I had to get to Jane and Sam, my gunslinging sister and brother-in-law. Unfortunately, the Kletchkas are no longer with us. But that's part of my story, too.