Old Man's War

After spending almost a week on the surface of Coral, John is saved by members of the CDF special forces. He is then taken back to Phoenix, where he recovers on a ship just outside of the atmosphere. He is told that he nearly died, having lost most of his jaw and one leg while also having his gallbladder punctured and suffering severe internal bleeding.

Harry and Jesse visit John. Where John was on the only shuttle to make it to Coral’s surface, Harry and Jesse’s shuttle was the only one to survive the mission. Over 95,000 CDF soldiers died in the attack. John is also interviewed by investigators, who emphasize the fact that someone knew exactly where the CDF ships skipped to. They suspect that someone gave the information to the Rraey fleet, but John points out that no one—even the pilots—knew exactly where the CDF ships would skip to. However, the only alternative is that the Rraey figured out how to track skipping, which everyone agrees should be impossible.

John asks Harry about the Ghost Brigade and explains that he is certain he saw his wife. After spending a couple of days investigating the special forces—which very few people know anything about—Harry is only able to gather a little information.