The Expanding Universe

by Craig Martelle

  Coming even with his point person, Dreyer slowly and carefully looked over the rise of the hill. It looked down on the final approach to the camp. When they had left, it had been a fairly narrow deserted pathway, wide enough for a land vehicle, but too narrow to allow two of them to pass each other. The scene that met his eyes was entirely different, so different that it took him few seconds to let them process what he was actually seeing.

  The road was buried under random piles of Centrax bodies. They lay in random piles and grotesque positions that often accompany battle. There were obvious wounds from projectiles and a significant amount of burn damage. The stunned gaze of the Sgt. was not capable of counting the number of corpses. The only thing that kept pounding in his brain was that there were many times the number of enemy soldiers here that had been in the small force that had lured them from camp.

  Looking over at the major, Sgt. Dreyer asked, “Sir, I am not sure what to do. I was uncomfortable with leaving our base unsupported, but I don’t have the battle experience to order what we do next. Would you please take over?”

  “Sgt. Ted Dreyer, my orders are to support you but that you are in command. I can offer suggestions, but the decisions are yours.” With that statement, the major stood up and beckoned to several of his men to join them on the rise. When they had come up and looked over the hill, Ted could hear the sound of low whistles over his implant. Apparently, he was not the only one that had not expected this result.

  A short discussion to solidify approaches ensued with suggestions and opinions being offered by the EG force. They come to a general agreement when Alaric let a tremendous shout and tackled Sgt. Dreyer and Maj. Burns to the ground. Before either of the officers could react, the crackle of sniper fire was heard twice.

  Crouching in a defensive position, the major and noncom stared at the newly dead bodies of two Centrax. The corpses were sprawled less than 2 yards away from where the men had been discussing strategy. The enemy soldiers had hidden in the pile of bodies, waiting for the opportune moment to spring an ambush. Dreyer immediately told the major about the strange behavior of the other enemy soldiers and the destruction of the emblem on the chest of their powered armor.

  “That is very important, Sgt. I think you better inform the admiral.”

  Dreyer gaped in astonishment briefly before realizing he had been told to communicate directly with the admiral. Clicking his implant in the correct sequence he was immediately connected to the admiral. Ted provided a succinct summary of the situation and the effective capture of the undamaged armor.

  The admiral included the Marine commander on the circuit and they briefly questioned both Sgt. Dreyer and Maj. Burns. It was evident that the two senior officers were very unhappy. When asked as to the relief forces plans, the Sgt. very calmly informed the command group that they were going to continue to the base and attempt to relieve it. It surprised him to no end when his actions and plans were approved.

  Feeling an obligation to his commanding officer, Sgt. Dreyer commed Lt. Marcos. Marcos answered abruptly and before the noncom could finish his report interrupted him to say that he did not have time for unimportant issues and that surely a senior platoon sergeant was capable of handling minor problems. Again, the sergeant attempted to provide his lieutenant with an update only to have the circuit abruptly terminated.

  Dreyer looked over at Burns, who shrugged and said, “At least you tried. And even more importantly, I heard you try.”

  The group continued to approach the camp, moving cautiously and carefully. Bodies were everywhere. Once the initial shock passed, the Marines could start to tally the number of dead Centrax. There were thousands of them. The stacks of bodies and the scope of damage increased as they got closer to the base camp. When they reached the actual camp enclosure, the evidence of violence was overwhelming. The blended force of Marines, wounded, volunteers, and elite, stood and stared around themselves in amazement.

  Movement from the buildings caused instantaneous weapons positioning. At the sight of the logistics group and the walking wounded coming toward them the readied weapons were relaxed, and vigilant focus was redirected toward the surrounding areas. Without conscious control or direction, Sgt. Dreyer and his relief party of four hurried over to the base defenders. Ted was astounded to see that they looked unharmed. His attention was drawn to Corda. Grabbing her by her upper arms, he gave her a little shake and said, “Are you all right?”

  She smiled at him and nodded before he realized what he had done. Blushing furiously, he released her arms and stepped back. He was not the only one who was expressing concern for a teammate.

  Alaric had Irene, the cook and medic, wrapped in a bear hug, murmuring incoherently to the top of her head. Jonas was huddled with the Marines that had been left with the camp, talking intensely and looking surprised. He was listening to the men’s commentary, and throwing astonished glances toward the logistics group, before staring at his Marine buddies.

  Sgt. Dreyer made a mental note to ask Jonas what was so surprising but in the happy chaos of reconnecting, following up on strange looks was not a high priority.

  There was a subtle change in the dynamics of the group that had been left to defend the base. Ted couldn’t put his finger on it for a while, but realized to his surprise, that the seven people that had been left to defend the base had become a team. They acted toward each other the way that a well-integrated squad did, supporting each other and with a constant awareness of where the other people were.

  It was amazing that it had developed over the span of fewer than two days. It normally took Marines weeks or longer to develop the same sense of camaraderie and joint purpose. What happened while we were away? he asked himself. There was no answer.

  One of the EG Marines approached the major, saluted and said, “Sir, the initial count of enemy dead is 3,143. No appreciable damage or injury to base structures. Basis secured, overlapping watch set up.”

  Major Burns responded, “Thank you, Janos. Is there anything else?”

  “Respectively, sir, I would like to ask the armorer to look at several of our suits, sir. This is the first opportunity we have had to resolve the issues that we reported previously.”

  “Approved, subject to agreement by the master armorer. Remember that she is now a civilian.”

  “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Seeking into his communications implant, the Marine made a beeline toward the large motor pool support person, Dorothy Coleman. With a remote sense of bemusement, Sgt. Dreyer watched as an immediate swarm of the EG commandos entered the room and hurried toward the large woman.

  Talking excitedly, the commandos surrounded the woman, showing her readouts of their armor, pointing to diagnostics on the display and asking for her advice. Respect for her threaded through all of their interactions. It was obvious that they both knew her and held her in high regard. Major Burns took pity on Sgt. Dreyer to explain, “Technical Expert Specialist Coleman was the highest ranked battle armor and tank specialist in the entire EG force until her retirement last year. This is the first availability that we have had to consult with her in that time.”

  The sergeant nodded in agreement although he must have still looked bemused. Major Burns took pity on the confused noncom and said, “Perhaps you have not been formally introduced to your outstanding logistics and support group. Let me have the honor.” Performing a short bow in the direction of the slight man with the leg brace and cane, the senior officer continued, “Lieutenant Commander (ret.) George Havelock, most recently in charge of EG Force JAG, a head forensic accountant for the force for over twenty years.”

  Turning next to the small woman standing on Corda’s right hand, Major Burns said, “Next is the instructor whose classes all of us wanted to be in, but very few have the skills or dedication to be awarded that honor. This is Sniper Expert instructor Alana Myers. She left the service after her beginning class and team survived the engagement on Rabican.” Sgt. Dreyer winced in sympathy thinking of all he had hear
d about the devastation that had occurred on Rabican. It had become part of the history of ImpMEC, where a vastly outnumbered force of Marines, including the beginning sniper class and a hospital of convalescing warriors, had held against an invading force of mercenaries, bent on a coup d’état. When the smoke of battle had cleared, there were only 35 survivors among the defenders. But the bodies of over 16,000 mercenaries littered the ground. It was a legend that would continue to grow in the years to come, but the survivors had all left the service within two years.

  Ted thought back to how he felt when hearing about the battle and the few scarred and weary survivors. Even though it was now incorporated into the mystique and history of the Elite, his empathy for the desperation and pain of the survivors raised teary heat behind his eyes. He remembered the sympathy that he felt toward the leader of the group, one of two battlemages that served the Imperium, the powerful mage… His thoughts stumbled to a crashing halt as he spun and stared at Corda Devlin. Gaping at her in confused amazement, he realized that he had not connected the comfortable -looking, older women with the fearsome battle mage of legend. He felt like an idiot.

  Housekeeping

  The level of activity at the camp ratcheted up to an almost frantic level. Lt. Marcos received orders to return to base, after retrieving the Centrax corpses for examination. He was advised that command had been shifted to Major Burns and that the special duty squad under Sgt. Dreyer had been seconded to that command.

  The lieutenant’s confusion was evident even over the communications channel. His offer to return to the camp in advance of the rest of his men was shut down quickly by Capt. Bennet. Ordered to supervise his men and bring them back in good order, along with the enemy casualties and equipment, the junior officer had no choice but to comply.

  Sgt. Dreyer and his men were kept busy. Providing the liaison functions for the hastily summoned local personnel, they directed equipment and people in the massive effort of battle cleanup. Einsville’s Council sent a force of 20 to assist in the aftermath. Irene coordinated the medical staff that arrived from the ship, commandeering one of the buildings as a combination autopsy and research center.

  If he had not been pulled in so many directions by the demands of the situation, Ted Dreyer would have been amused by the actions of the EG Force Marines. Watching them reminded him of the behavior of a puppy following its owner, and expecting a treat. Dorothy Coleman was a constant center of the fearsome Marines, all of them importuning her to adjust or repair their battle armor. Her ability to effortlessly lift and manipulate the half ton armor by herself was both frightening and amazing.

  Each and every one of the Marines had paid their respects to Alana Myers. She greeted each of them with a small smile and a short personal comment, showing that she both remembered them and was fond of them. She could not manage even to open doors without Marines jostling each other in an attempt to demonstrate their respect. When she agreed to a small shooting session, a series of intense arguments was kicked off by soldiers trying to be off duty during the session. Eventually, Major Burns had requested that she hold three sessions so that he could manage his duty schedule.

  Ted also knew that when the Marines still on the orbiting ship heard that Alana was holding sniper sessions that transfer requests to the ground force assignment were received from every single one of the EG contingent on the ship.

  None of the 3rd Platoon Marines had thought that they were eligible to attend the sessions. However, Alana made a point of including the two soldiers that helped defend the base in each of her sessions. She had furthermore invited Alaric and Jonas to the first class and introduced them to each of the EG Marines. As Major Burns later mentioned to the sergeant, “A recommendation from the top sniper instructor in the entire Imperium is a big career booster.”

  There was now a full company of EG Marines on the base. Ted was positive that Lt. Marcos would have difficulty recognizing his former command when he returned. All of Dreyer’s men spent time briefing the arriving officers on the situation and the planet. After reflection, the noncom presented Major Burns with the Intel he had been provided when he and the lieutenant had spoken to the Einsville Council. His terse explanation had the senior officer nodding in understanding. Thanking the noncom, Burns carefully noted the source of the briefing material and promised to follow up with those council members. Feeling that he had finally been able to do his duty, Sgt. Ted Dreyer was content.

  The base had been warned that there were several shuttles en route from the orbiting battleship. Additional forces and a bevy of very senior officers were included in the passenger manifest. Sgt. Dreyer could see the remaining platoon troops approaching the base. They were heavily laden and straining to move quickly. A small group of three had separated from the platoon and was headed directly for what had been the command building. Leading the way was Lt. Marcos, uniform spotless and body posture confident.

  He arrived moments before the first shuttle touchdown. Spying Dreyer, the young officer demanded, “What the hell is going on and why did you not inform me of the need for my attendance sooner?”

  Before the noncom could respond, Maj. Burns intervened, “As I am sure that you remember, lieutenant, Sgt. Dreyer and his men have been seconded to my command. It would have been inappropriate for him to continue to report to you. Both your expectation and your demand are unacceptable.” He continued, “I also find it interesting that you apparently have forgotten how to salute a senior officer.”

  The flustered young man immediately snapped to rigid attention and saluted. Forcing the junior officer to hold the salute until he responded, the major stared briefly into his face before responding with his own salute. Having made his point, Major Burns turned to Sgt. Dreyer and said, “The Admiral has specifically asked for your presence at his briefing session, Dreyer. Why don’t you accompany me, while we leave the lieutenant to settle his men.”

  Walking into the briefing room at the restructured command center, Ted was surprised to see a packed room of senior officers. It appeared to the overwhelmed man that the chamber was stuffed with high-ranking officials from every one of the Imperium military forces. ImpMEC had representatives of the Navy, the Explorer group, and the Marines. While they were impressive enough, there was a black uniformed general from IMPIntel as well as a heavily decorated woman in the garb of the diplomatic corp.

  The next two hours was a blur of questions and answers, requests for his thoughts and demands for map locations and justification for the previous action. He would have possibly folded under the intense scrutiny and questioning, but only moments after he had entered the room an unexpected ally appeared.

  He would not have been aware of her presence behind him, but for the respectful silence that greeted her entrance into the chamber. The Admiral was the first to speak, “BattleMage Devlin, you do us much honor in your attendance.” Welcoming comments tumbled out of the mouths of the other men, like pearls offered in worship, accompanied by the looks of profound honor and respect. The woman in diplomat’s garb walked over and pulled Corda into a bear hug. Ted could barely hear the words of greeting and personal pleasure that were exchanged but was left with an understanding of both the depth of the two women’s friendship and the long time that the friendship had endured.

  Corda - no, Imperial BattleMage Devlin - glanced around the room commandingly. She laid a proprietary hand on Ted’s shoulder, saying, “I knew that the capable Sgt. Dreyer would answer your questions, but I thought I might fill in some of the pieces that he was missing if needed.”

  The looks directed at the sergeant changed, going from an acceptance of his presence as a source of information to acknowledgment of him as an individual and someone considered worthy of sponsorship by one of the top Imperium players. It was a thrilling, yet frightening, experience for the noncom. And totally unexpected.

  The session was draining. Ted had been able to answer most of the requests and felt that he had represented the actions accurately. Major Burns
had contributed his input as to the situation and actions during the time that his EG troops had been on the planet. The noncom was amazed to hear how the base had detected the emergence of the enemy assault force, relying on the monitoring setup by Alana and Dorothy. He cringed as the battlemage recounted the waves of attack, detailing the desperate efforts of the skeleton group of defenders to repulse the hordes of Centrax.

  Only the unexpected firepower of a mage capable of throwing mass spells of destruction, coupled with the technology and skill of the sniper and armor specialist, kept the camp from being overrun. Ted now understood the change in dynamics that he saw among the defenders when his small group had finally reached them. In the heat of shared battle, in an almost hopeless situation, they had become a team. He hoped that he and the few men in the special duty squad had made progress toward that integration also.

  Almost in passing, Sgt. Dreyer heard that Lt. Marcos had been sent off to a new station. It was a cold world, newly settled. The officer would be in charge of the small base there but would be required to work carefully and closely with the civilian settlement personnel. Different duties, different responsibilities, perhaps different ways of thinking.

  As Ted hurried off to brief his men on their new duties in support of the special logistics group, he thought to himself, There is a lot of attitude adjustment going on around here.

  More About Taki Drake

  Taki Drake is a long-time reader that was convinced to make her initial attempt at writing fiction in this anthology. Intrigued by the concept and challenge of Inanna’s Circle Game, her efforts found their shape in a story reflective of the complexity of life. She currently lives in the Midwest of the US, happily ensconced in the midst of her cats, dogs, and husband. She can be reached at taki@technologymage.com or by signing up for her newsletter at www.technologymage.com.