Am I turning into Major Misere?
“Yes sir.”
Jethro had so many questions for Maddy but now was not the time.
He took the first watch and let Gunny sleep for the first half of the night. But when it was his turn to sleep he slept a troubled sleep. For years he had imagined what it might be like to meet aliens. He had dreamed and read comics and played digital games about aliens but nothing had prepared him for what he had seen on the film.
The aliens looked weak and cuddly, as cuddly as a piece of Squid could be. But they were monsters. They ate Maddy’s parents and possibly her dog, Snoopy. Monster aliens weren’t supposed to look like that. They were supposed to look like monsters, horrible and evil and disgusting, not like cuddly little jellied Squids. He always imagined that aliens might want friendship and trade and protection.
Jethro woke early and got up. He told Gunny to get another hour’s sleep if he could. Jethro never took the pills they were given to help them sleep. He tried to avoid taking any pills at all, believing that if he couldn’t eat it in his food then it wasn’t supposed to be consumed. However if he had any more troubled nights he would have to start taking the sleeping pills because he knew he wasn’t going to be able to perform on only an hour or two sleep.
He toured the guard points and asked if anything had been seen at night. There was a report of a small creature seen through the infra-red goggles but it wasn’t very big and quickly disappeared probably because of the cold. It had got down to minus seventy five degrees centigrade but as soon as the sun popped its head above the horizon the temperature climbed rapidly.
There was a plan to terraform Mars to try and create an atmosphere but scientists and governments had been arguing about it for years with no decision made.
Jethro assembled the team after breakfast. Maddy looked better this morning. She had washed and brushed and scrubbed up quite good as Jethro could tell by some of the glances the male members of his team were giving her.
“We’re heading back to the ship today. We’ll keep a zone defence with point, two flanks, a rear guard and the drone. I don’t want any surprises. Operational state Orange. Weapons to hand with safety off. Set to kill. Shoot to protect yourself or the team. No warning necessary. Everyone clear?”
Orange was one level down from Red. Red was expect enemy fire at any moment and respond as necessary.
They packed up camp, Maddy retrieved a couple of things from her bunker and used a remote to lower the lift. Jethro told the team to fill the hole back in and make the ground look undisturbed as they had found it. The lift could still be operated by the remote and a tube would push clear of the earth packed on top of the bunker so as not to let any earth fall into the bunker. Jethro didn’t want to leave much sign of humans in case a robot patrol came upon it and tried to track them.
Progress was slow because they were more cautious than when travelling out from the ship to the farm. There were a couple of alarms with rear guard saying she believed they were being followed.
Then rear guard who was Trooper Peck, reported.
“Sir. I’ve caught what was following us. Alive.”
“Is it safe to bring in?”
“Yes sir.”
“I’ll send a replacement then bring it in.” Jethro stopped the team and settled down, a couple playing with their hoverbike engines which needed constant attention to keep them going. Jethro needed to do something about these hoverbikes, whether the Major liked it or not.
Peck appeared and approached the temporary camp carrying a box with something inside it making a lot of muffled noise.
“What’s in there? Is it dangerous?”
“Could be sir.” Peck smiled. “I figure we could barbecue it tonight. Might make a change.”
Maddy joined them.
She had already guessed what was in the box.
“You barbecue my dog and I’ll rip your arms off and eat them raw. Let him go.”
Peck put the box down and opened the lid. A small four legged spacesuit leapt out of the box and straight for Maddy then leapt up into her arms.
“Snoopy. You’re alive.”
She was crying but happy.
Jethro had rehearsed a whole list of questions for Maddy whilst trying to sleep but he had no time to ask them now, only a couple.
“Maddy can you answer me some questions?”
“Yes.”
“Which way did those space craft come from?”
Maddy pointed South.
“And is there anything else around here?”
“There’s a Junkyard to the West. Sometimes dad… we… used to go there for spares for our farm machines.”
“Thanks Maddy.”
That was enough. Back to the Blackbird.
chapter 17
The News
Ted: “…and that’s the last of the news for today. By the way Alice how was the Humboldt Squid steak?”
Alice: “It was yummy Ted. I could eat one every week. You should try it.”
Ted: “I will Alice, I will.”
Alice: “Thanks Ted. So that was the World News for today. Remember people, unlike other news channels we deal in facts. We don’t make this up.”
chapter 18
As they neared the ship Point reported back.
“Sir. The ship is under attack. I can hear shooting.”
Jethro called his team together.
“I want three forward recces. Centre right and left. Operational Red but do not engage. Observe and report only. We will be right behind you. Questions?”
There were none.
“Right go.”
“Maddy. We’re going into battle. You need to stay back. Brains will look after you OK?”
“OK Jethro.”
Good that was one trouble out of his mind.
“Sir? You OK?” asked Gunny.
No Jethro was not OK.
This is no longer a game. This is for real. People might get killed because of decisions I make and orders I give.
Jethro nodded because he didn’t want to chance his voice giving away how scared he was.
“Remember your training sir.”
Gunny and a couple of the others in the team had been in combat before. They were involved in the war against Mars when they rebelled against Earth rule. But this was different. This time the enemy were aliens and they might have far superior technology than Earth. It could be a slaughter. Jethro had a job to do but he was going to be cautious.
“Thank you, Gunny. Operational Red. Can you check everyone is OK, Gunny? Thanks.”
Jethro wanted to do it himself but he was scared and he didn’t want to show the men and women under his command that he was scared.
They advanced slowly until they too could hear the battle. They stopped at a ridge overlooking the valley where the ship had landed. Jethro and the Gunny crawled to the top of the ridge to see what was going on.
“What do you think Gunny?”
They could see that the ship was surrounded by eight of the spiderbots they had seen earlier. Two of them were out of action, but it appeared all the gun turrets on the ship were out of action too. There were some bodies scattered and the entire defence was taking place from inside the ship. It was getting a battering from the guns on the spiderbots but the hull seemed to be holding for now.
There was sporadic fire from the ship towards the spiderbots but as soon as it happened the spiderbots turned their guns on the source and the firing from the ship stopped immediately as the hatch or port was shut and secured.
“Full frontal should do it. Those spiderbots don’t look as though they can survive our weapons.”
“I’m inclined to agree but…”
“Sir?”
“Something is wrong. I can feel it.”
Snoopy was barking like mad in the background.
“I wish that dog would shut up sir. He’ll alert the aliens.”
“It’s not that. It’s something else. Get a report from the three recces. I want
to know what they’ve seen.”
“Sir. An early attack whilst the ship is still standing is advised.”
“Agreed Gunny but I want that report first.”
“Aye aye sir.”
Gunny contacted the three recces. Jethro looked at his team. Like him they were nervous and the waiting he had created wasn’t helping.
“Sir. Recce Left and Centre OK but recce Centre says she watched recce Right fighting thin air then go calm and then sir…”
“Yes Gunny?”
“And then recce right shot himself.”
What the hell is going on?
“Gunny. Get your binos on those stationary spiderbots.”
“Sir?”
“Tell me if they’re damaged or just empty.”
“Gunny had a look. “They’re empty sir. What does it mean?”
“It means there are one or two Squids up here.”
“Where. I can’t see them.”
“Go infra red now. Tell the team. Shoot to kill.”
Jethro switched his goggles to infra red just in time to see a Squid about to attack Maddy. He raised his gun and fired at the Squid. It didn’t have a chance. He heard another shot. Recce Centre had killed the other one.
“Right Gunny. Split into three teams. One under Walker remains here to protect our assets. I’ll lead my team straight down the middle. You take your team and remain behind the ridge until my team is engaged by the enemy then you attack them from the sides. Switch goggles to seventy thirty, white infra red. Got it?”
“Sir? Shall I lead the frontal assault?”
“Not this time Gunny. Not your pay grade.”
Gunny looked at Jethro and managed a kind of a smile then nodded. “Yes sir.”
Gunny looked much happier now they were taking an active role in the battle.
Jethro led his team over the ridge. Some were firing instantly but Jethro held his fire until he got closer and could aim properly. Their full frontal had the desired effect of drawing the attention of the spiderbots away from the ship. Three of them turned towards his team and started firing.
Jethro heard one of his men go down and he fired at one of the spiderbots and hit it front and centre but the spiderbot didn’t go down. He tried a head shot and missed then another head shot at the spiderbot and was certain he hit it but that appeared to have no effect. He cranked up his gun to maximum power and fired at the same spiderbot again and again, but it still didn’t go down.
He was less than a hundred metres from it now and saw it turn to face him.
Shit.
He thought of Mum and Dad at home on the farm. Suddenly being a Soy Bean farmer seemed like a good career. The spiderbot raised its arm until it was pointing at him.
Jethro was running and swerving now and only fifty metres from the spiderbot. If he could get up close and personal, he might find a vulnerable point in the spiderbot’s armour but he knew he wasn’t going to make it. He heard Gunny shouting into the intercom in his ear but he couldn’t make out what was being said.
I love you Mum and Dad. And I love you Bronte. And you Maddy. And the team. And anyone else who knows me. Yes even you Major Misere, oh and not forgetting you Conrad.
Then as he was almost at the spiderbot it started to totter then it leaned forward and fell right at his feet. He had done it. He had shot one of the spiderbot.
No he hadn’t. It was a shot from behind the spiderbot. From the ship. The shot had hit the spiderbot in the upper back area. They were vulnerable in the upper back.
Jethro switched his intercom to all. He took a couple of quick breaths.
“Code red message. The spiderbots can be stopped from the rear in the upper back area. I say again the spiderbots can be stopped from the rear in the upper back. Out.”
He looked up to see Gunny moving his team to the left so they could get behind the spiderbots. He turned to a spiderbot near him and ran behind it and fired. It fell forward. He saw a couple of others in his team do the same and the spiderbots where Gunny’s team were had all been stopped.
The battle lasted only a couple more minutes and all the spiderbots were stopped.
Jethro knelt on the floor next to the spiderbot that almost killed him and he switched his helmet visor to dark and then he let himself go and shed some tears for his first real firefight.
chapter 19
“Gunny report.”
Jethro was in the ship. They recovered two spiderbots and two Squids for analysis.
“Sir. Two dead from the team, Smith and Reilly. Three injuries but they are all repairable. And the ship. Four Marines dead from the defence team and four crew dead with the Pilot dead and the co-pilot injured.”
“The Pilot?”
“Yes sir. Captain Buckminster Rogers. He was out with the guard when the attack started.”
“And the co-pilot?”
“Lieutenant Conrad Lytton. Injured trying to retrieve the captain’s body. He’s in sickbay.”
“Thanks Gunny. Get the ship’s radio to contact the Major. Make sure the area is secured. Recover all bodies and prep them for return to Earth. Brief all Space Marines what we know. Try and get the ship’s guns working again. I’m going to sickbay, then I’ll be on the bridge.”
“Sir?”
“Yes Gunny.”
“You did good out there sir. Real good.”
Thanks Gunny that means a lot to me.
“Thanks.”
Jethro went to the sickbay. Conrad was lying on one of the slabs they called a bed.
“Jethro. You saved the ship. Good on you.”
“How are you sir.”
“Conrad. And I’m fine. Hopefully they can patch me up to fly this crate back home.”
Jethro looked at him and saw the lower half of one of his legs was missing. Thankfully that shouldn’t prevent him from continuing his career as a Space Pilot.
So what’s next?” Conrad asked.
“We’ll try and get in touch with the Major. This old crate’s being patched up. When the Major returns we’ll fly back to Earth and report in.”
“Still no comms with Earth?”
“No. We think they’ve downed the rebro centres and the satellites, so we’ll have to wait until we get to Earth or maybe Moonbase. The ship hasn’t the equipment to communicate that far without bouncing off Mars.”
“Bloody defence cuts eh?” said Conrad.
“Yeah, bloody defence cuts. I need to go. I’ll be back.”
“I hear you found your friend and rescued her.”
“Yes. That was lucky.”
“Can you send her down? I’d like to chat.”
“Are you sure. She can be a lot to handle.”
Conrad nodded.
“I’ll send her down.”
“Thanks mate.”
That was the first time Conrad had ever called him mate.
The engineers had got a couple of the ship’s guns working which was good. Jethro told them to build up the shields on all the guns if they could. They had appeared to be weak against the alien guns so any improvements might help.
He went to the bridge, where for once he was the senior officer and was treated as such when he entered.
“At ease. Carry on with maintenance and whatever.”
Jethro didn’t sit in the Captain’s chair. That would be presumptuous because he wasn’t a Pilot. He had wanted to be a Space Pilot when he was younger but he had too many accidents and near misses on his hoverbikes and although he still loved speed, he had outgrown his early desire to become a Space Pilot. He was happy about that choice now but he would love to learn to pilot a space craft one day. Not this old heap, but one of the brand new Super Starships like the one that Bronte was on.
The Earth had three Super Starships. One would always be on station in space ready to be deployed at an instant if required. Of the two spare from Earth, one would be in refit and the other on standby. Mars also had two, recently built after the war ended but Jethro didn’t know where they
were at the moment.
The problem was that Earth couldn’t supply enough highly trained crews to keep even two of them in space at any one time because each Super Starship required a fleet of protection and supply ships to keep it going when on duty. So when one went into refit often a large part of the crew transferred to the one taking up the space duties. They each took a full complement of five thousand which included a Marine force of one thousand and a hundred attack Space Pilots for the various attack craft held on board.
“Permission to come on deck sir?”
Jethro had seen the Gunny. He looked around and noted the bridge were looking at him.
“Sorry. Granted Gunny.” Jethro was still the senior officer on the bridge.
He could feel the bridge crew visibly relax again.
“No communication with the Major.”
“None at all?”
“No sir.”
“When was the last communication?”
“Early this morning. The Major was just about to enter the city.”
“Thanks Gunny.”
Shit, shit, shit. Now what?
Jethro needed to think.
“I’m going to tour the defences.”
“Would you like me to come with you sir?”
“Yes. Thank you, Gunny. I would.”
They left the bridge and the ship. The first point they reached was the ridge over which they had attacked. A defence point was established using armour from the robots.
“Good idea Gunny.”
“Walker’s idea sir. We think he was nicking the metal to sell it back on Earth and then he told us he was using it for defence.”
Jethro laughed. Walker always had an angle on things. “Either way the result is a good idea.” Jethro wasn’t worried about Walker’s shady deals because he wasn’t malicious and Gunny told him he could be useful at times to get things the military couldn’t supply.
“So Gunny. Which is most important? Get the evidence and knowledge we have back to Earth or search out the Major?”
“Beyond my pay grade sir.”
“Mine too Gunny, so that doesn’t help.”
“How long have we got before the seventy two hours is up?”
“Twelve hours Gunny.”
“Is that enough time to get into the city and back?”
Red Dust of Mars Page 8