Martian Nightmare

"Martian Nightmare" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction story about three Earth soldiers—Danton, Keith, and Van Ness—who wake up on Mars with amnesia, only to find themselves in a fight against the immortal Oligarchs. The story looks at what makes us who we are, how memories shape us, and how violence keeps happening over and over in a world trying to create peace through changing people's minds. The soldiers return to a Mars scarred by war and question who they were as fighters in a past battle against the Oligarchs. They struggle with big life questions, what it means to be a real hero, and the unease of knowing what they've become after peace was forced on them for a century. They soon learn that the Oligarchs, who are back and threatening Earth, are even more dangerous than they thought. The mission becomes a deeply personal fight, pushing the men to face who they are as humans amid war and oppression.