Poor Man's Fight by Elliott Kay

good number would likely remain in the city of Geronimo.
    Tanner hadn’t planned on staying. He loved the desert and the heat, but he grew up feeling that adulthood meant moving away from home. Both of his parents had done that. Now he had no way to stay, and only one way to leave.
    “Hey! Tanner!” a voice shouted as he passed the open doors to the balcony. He turned to see Allison playfully pushing through a swarm of young men, clad in a form-hugging green silk dress that threatened to stop his heart. For all he knew, she had gone straight from the Test to a salon.
    She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and then letting go to take a look at him. “Nice burn. Life any better?”
    “I’m not really sure how to answer that,” he admitted.
    “C’mon.” She gestured to a free portion of the wide balcony. “Let’s talk.”
    “Hey, Allison!” called a voice. “Gymnastics team photo!”
    “Five minutes,” she answered back over her shoulder, waving them off but still flashing a grin. She tugged Tanner over to the balcony edge. “So what happened?”
    “I got on my holocom and did some research after the Test while I waited for Nathan to finish. He thinks I’m crazy for even considering this,” Tanner added. “But it’s just like you said. System militia fleet is the better option for enlisting. I read up on the credit-matching payoff program they offer for educational debt. Seems like a worthwhile thing financially.”
    “How did things go with the recruiter?”
    “I’m definitely qualified, at least. We talked, filled out the paperwork, he went over my records and his eyes lit up like it was Christmas bonus time or something. I get the feeling they reject a lot of applicants.” Nothing in his tone conveyed excitement. “I didn’t commit to anything. He put all my stuff on file and said he’d hold a place for me that could have me ship out next week. Then I went home to think about it and talk to my parents.”
    “How’d that go?”
    “Sharon flipped out, just like we both knew she would.”
    “Yeah. What about your dad?”
    “He didn’t know which way to go. Mom hardly ever had anything bad to say about her time in the service, but he kinda feels the same way as Sharon. Mostly I just think he doesn’t see me as soldier material. But he didn’t say a lot. Seemed like it was only just then hitting home how screwed up my situation is and he felt guilty about it.
    “I dunno, thing is… Sharon wasn’t wrong,” Tanner frowned, looking out over the balcony as he spoke. “She said the military preys on people in bad financial situations like mine. Said they take advantage of the whole system. Said they’d work to change me and make me more callous and comfortable with hurting people. And she said that virtually all wars are just the young and poor like me dying for the lies of old rich people. And she’s right.”
    Whatever Allison’s first response might have been, she bit it back. “Yeah,” she sighed. “Yeah, I can’t entirely argue all that. Still. Sometimes the lies are all on one side.”
    “No, I get that,” he nodded. “But it’s a lot to think about. She asked me if I wanted to be a tool for someone else’s political agenda, and… well, I don’t.”
    “It’s not always like that.”
    “You don’t get much say in things when it is , though. I’m not worried about Archangel going on some imperialist rampage or something, but it’s still a lot to think about.” He turned to face her. “I’m not trying to talk you out of anything.”
    “I’ve thought all this through for myself,” Allison shrugged. “I’ve got faith in how all this works. I know how far I’ll go and what I won’t do. If you’re gonna enlist, you have to have that in mind, too. You don’t get to quit if you don’t like the job.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “You seem like she talked you out of it.”
    “I’m still thinking. There are reasons to go. There are reasons not to