She lingered for a moment more before turning and heading up the stairs to where her room was. She needed to pack for the journey and make food to sustain her on the road.
Tomorrow would be a day of destiny. And she had to be prepared.
Chapter 6
He clawed at the web belt tightening around his neck, wheezed as he heard the bones in his neck start to pop. The Va’Shen soldier’s knee was planted firmly in his back as he was strangled. The alien screamed at him from behind, but it was Ben’s own voice that he heard shouting “No! No!” over and over and over and…
Ben took another deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the hot water of the shower poor down over him. He swallowed back another sob and tried to focus on breathing. He’d been in the shower about twenty minutes now, meaning it was roughly half-past-one in the morning. His aborted effort to catch some sleep before the mission seemed like a waste of time, though he knew its value from hard-won experience at Ranger school. If you weren’t fighting, marching, or eating, you should be sleeping. Even if all you could get was ten minutes. Every bit helped.
He wondered if he’d ever be able to sleep peacefully again.
Leaning against the faucet knobs, he reached up and turned the water off, but he still made no move to get out. He stood there, dripping, looking down at the floor and trying to find some measure of stability.
Sometimes he killed the Va’Shen… Sometimes the Va’Shen killed him. It had happened so often in his dreams, he was no longer fully sure which it had actually been.
He turned his thoughts to the mission and turned to grab the yellow towel off the hook next to the shower. The scouts had come back reporting that the road led up to the foothills and was wide and sturdy enough for trucks. But past that it was foot paths. They could drive up there, leave a contingent of security with the trucks and then hump into the hills. Find the cave hideout, convince everyone to come back (with Alacea’s cooperation, hopefully) and then bring them back down. Then everyone could pile into the trucks and over the course of a few trips, bring everyone home.
Easy.
Super easy.
All he had to do was make sure none of his guys got twitchy and none of Alacea’s people got inspirations of martyrdom.
Easy.
Leave them up there, his mind whispered. If they want a fight, make them come to you where you have the defender’s advantage.
If he was facing Va’Shen soldiers, yeah, that would be the way to go. Va’Shen troops were like the old Boer commandos from the turn of the twentieth century. They could live off the land, disappear into the brush and strike from anywhere. Hunting them through the bush was almost always futile and fatal.
But these were civilians. Women, children, sick and elderly. It wasn’t accurate to assume the risks were equal. And it wasn’t fair to assume they represented the same level of threat.
The girl, Alacea, seemed to think they were no threat at all, but a people who needed protection. She had been willing to let him cut her throat to absolve them of their sins against humanity.
She could be leading us into a trap, he thought.
Maybe. But they, supposedly, weren’t at war anymore. They were supposed to be moving forward, rebuilding. That wasn’t going to happen without some measure of trust.
He finished drying off and threw on his uniform. It all came down to whether Alacea could be trusted.
Today would tell the story.
“TIMBER!”
Burgers ducked out of the way as a long piece of wood fell from the side of the deuce-and-a-half truck and tumbled to the ground near his feet. Looking up, he saw Ramirez back-lit by Va’Sh’s moons, with a hammer in one hand and a cordless screwdriver in the other, standing in the back of the truck.
“Hey! Ramirez!” Burgers yelled up at him. “What are you doing, man?!”
Ramirez answered by pushing his hand through the gap in the side of the truck left by the plank’s removal. It left an eight-inch gap the length of the back of the truck at about the point where the bench seats met the truck’s side.
“Just making some modifications,” he called down to his friend.
“Well, you almost done?” Burgers called up. “Mission brief’s about to start.”
“Yeah, this was the last one,” Ramirez called back, putting his tools down and throwing his uniform top back on. “Sure wish we had a few more of these trucks, though,” he said, pausing to hop down to the ground next to the other Ranger. “Gonna take three or four trips to bring them all back with just these.”
“Shoot, we’re lucky we got these,” Burgers told him, shifting the weight of his M-31 on his shoulder. “Moving stuff from the colonies ain’t cheap, you know. Contractors charge DoD by the ounce.”
Ramirez picked up the bolt-action sniper rifle he had propped up against the truck and slung it over his shoulder. “You see?” Ramirez told him. “This is why we need to build some space battleships like in the vids. Not bolting mining lasers and missile tubes onto colony transports.” The two started walking to the front of the line of trucks.
“That’d be badass,” Burgers agreed. “Some big laser cannons…”
“Name them after Japanese anime ships,” Ramirez agreed while they walked. “You know how hard it is to feel like a warrior badass when you’re hitching a ride on a ship named ‘Over the Rainbow?’”
“Or Planetary Dancer?” Burgers added. “I felt like a roadie for a ballet troupe.”
“Let’s go! Hustle up!”
The two started trotting at the source of the call, arriving to the group of assorted soldiers and sailors as Ben began speaking.
“Okay, let’s review,” he began. “We follow the route listed on your copies of the map. Everyone got a map?” He paused and waited for everyone to raise their crudely hand-drawn copy of Kasshas’s map. “Good! When we get to the muster point, we dismount. Group Saber stays with the trucks and holds down the fort while Group Lancer comes with me up into the hills. When we reach the target area, Lancer will send back a scout on the ATV to report and request assistance as needed. Questions so far?”
One soldier raised his hand. “Rules of engagement for Saber, Sir?” he asked.
“This is a rescue mission,” he told them. “Our only terp is coming with Lancer. Stay put. Fire in self defense only. Don’t go chasing anyone into the woods.”
At the troops’ nods, he continued. “Once we have the package secure, we bring them out the way we came in. Best estimate is that it’s a day’s hump in, so figure at least two to come out with packages, that means we could be on-site for three days or more. So, Saber, enjoy the camping. Lancer will enjoy the hike.”
A few chuckles at the lame joke, and Ben continued. “If you don’t hear anything from us in three days, take the trucks back to Leonard.”
No laughs this time. If it came to that it meant things had gone horribly wrong and no one from Lancer would ever be coming out of the woods.
“We roll in fifteen minutes,” Ben began to wrap up. “Get to your vehicles, check your gear one more time. Rangers lead the way!”
“ALL THE WAY!”
The group broke up, and Ben turned to his two most direct subordinates. Warren and Patricia stood there, waiting for further instructions. The petite officer looked like she was about to be swallowed by her own assault pack and gear.
“Here,” Ben said, taking the pack off. “Gimme this.”
“Thanks!” Patricia sighed.
Her gratitude turned sour as he opened the pack and started rooting through it, pulling items out of it one by one.
“Get rid of this,” he said, tossing pieces of gear aside. “And this… And this…” When he stopped, there was a small pile of miscellaneous gear on the ground next to her pack. “You don’t need it, and you’ll start feeling the weight an hour in. Go put that stuff back in your hooch and come back.”
“Yes, Sir,” she grumbled, bending over to gather up her tossed gear.
He turned to Warren
who smiled and offered a hand. “Good luck, Skipper. Any last orders?”
“There’s an envelope on my desk,” he said. “Reports and dispatches. Next convoy that comes through on the way to Jamieson, get them to take it with them. If we don’t come back, hunker down with your rifles pointed out and call for help.”
“Yes, Sir.” He bit his lip and shook Ben’s hand. “Good hunting.”
Warren turned to go, and Ben waited a second before turning. He nearly jumped when he found Alacea standing directly behind him. One day he was going to figure out the secret to how they moved so quietly. He nodded to her as he waited for his heartrate to come back down.
“Alacea,” he said. “Good morning.”
She bowed to him.
“Oh, yeah,” he said in mock agreement. “It’s a beautiful night.” He gave the fox girl a once-over to see if she was ready for the next three days. She was once again in the light monpei outfit and carried a leather bag over her shoulder. He gestured to it with his hand.
Alacea gave him a bewildered look, and then her ears dropped in irritation. she assured him, removing the bag and placing it on the ground. She opened it and stepped back so he could inspect it.
Looking inside, Ben found soft paper packages that smelled like food, another light monpei, a canister that sloshed with what he assumed to be water, and what looked like a towel or rag.
“Someone’s been reading the Hitchhiker’s Guide,” he told her with a smile. Finding nothing inside objectionable, he closed the bag and offered it back to her. She took it without a word and threw it onto her back. He pointed at her. “You… ride with me.” He pointed at himself and then at the LTV nearby.
Alacea saw the vehicle, and her tail drooped in dread. The infernal machine again…
She resigned herself to her fate and stepped toward it. As they got closer, Ramirez came around from the driver’s side and intercepted her. At about the same time, Patricia was coming back from her hooch with a much lighter assault pack on her shoulders.
“Just a sec,” Ramirez told Alacea, holding up a hand. The Va’Shen priestess stopped short in confusion, not sure what she had done. Ramirez waved Patricia over, and the Ranger sergeant opened the tactical vehicle’s back door. “If you want, Ma’am, you can ride in the turret,” he told Alacea.
The fox woman looked between the vehicle and Ramirez. The sergeant pleaded with Patricia, who stepped forward to translate.
Seeing the girl wasn’t getting it, Ramirez climbed in and put his butt in the wide leather strap that hung from the turret where the gunner usually sat. The standard light machine gun it usually had mounted had been removed. He waved at the empty space behind his rear end and addressed Alacea.
“See?” he said triumphantly. “Lots of space for your tail!”
Realization dawned on Alacea, and her eyes lit up. She bowed deeply to Ramirez.
Ramirez crawled out of the LTV while Patricia took Alacea’s bag. The lieutenant gave Ramirez a smile and a thumbs up. The staff sergeant pulled out a pair of tanker goggles and helped Alacea put them on over her ears. Taking her bag, he helped her inside and into the turret.
“Nice and comfy?” Ben asked from the front passenger seat while everyone else finally got in. Ramirez buckled into the driver’s seat and started the engine while Patricia and Jenkins took seats in the back.
Ramirez grinned. “Yes, Sir!” Ben heard Alacea chattering happily in the turret, and he smiled and shook his head in resignation.
Ben clicked the mic on his helmet. “Saber, Saber, Lancer Six, radio check.” He was rewarded with the crackling of static and frowned. It had been a little much to hope for…
In the back seat, Patricia and Jenkins had to move their heads quickly to avoid the jerking, excited movements of Alacea’s tail, realizing too late the cost of Ramirez’s generosity.
“Staff sergeant,” Patricia called forward.
“Yes, Ma’am?” Ramirez answered as he put the vehicle into gear.
Patricia closed her eyes and the fox girl’s tail hit her in the side of the face again. “You did a nice thing,” she told him.
“Thank you, Ma’am!”
The terp raised her chin to avoid getting a mouthful of tail and continued.
“Just never do it again!”
Ben smiled at the byplay. He had to admit Ramirez had come up with a real winner. Alacea sounded happy to be in the open air.
Exposed to the world.
Where anyone on the side of the road could see her…
He turned slowly to look at Ramirez as a very dark thought entered his head. The staff sergeant was smiling at his win, and Ben wondered if what he was now thinking had even occurred to Ramirez.
Because if it had, if he had done it thinking that Va’Shen partisans might see her up there and then decide to not attack their convoy, then he had basically turned her into a human… Va’Shen… shield.
Ramirez saw him staring and turned his gaze to him. “Something wrong, Sir?” he asked.
Ben thought for a hard moment and then shook his head. “No, Ramirez,” he said. “You’re good.”
He didn’t want to think that kind of thing about Ramirez. It took a real cynic to come to a conclusion like that. To think the happy-go-lucky sergeant had come up with such a blatantly twisted idea.
But if he had…
Would I have approved?
Alacea took Ben’s hand as she climbed down from the turret, her tail wagging behind her like an enthusiastic puppy’s. She pulled the tanker goggles off her head and turned, holding them out with both hands to Ramirez and giving the sergeant a deep bow.
Ramirez took the goggles and, though not having heard a translation, responded with “No problem!”
The muster point was a small glade just off the main road covered in red and light purple grass. Trees lined the sides of the hill, and a short wooden fence separated the glade from them. A break in the fence put the beginnings of a trail on display. Ben pointed up into the hills as Patricia made her way to them. “Is this where you came down from the hills?” he asked.
Upon Patricia’s translation, Alacea pointed in the same direction.
The Ranger captain listened to Patricia translate her words and nodded. “Okay, Lancer saddle up!”
Doors slammed shut and engines revved as the trucks backed into more defensible positions. The rest of Ben’s group of fifteen gathered around him. Along with himself, Patricia and Alacea were seven Rangers, including Ramirez and Burgers, plus five of Warren’s SeaBees nervously adjusting the straps on their pistol holsters.
One of the Rangers was checking the straps that secured several bags to the front and back of their four-wheeled ATV. Ben felt lucky to have it. It could carry most of their gear and, if necessary, be used to move an injured person back to the muster point.
He took a last look at the map and nodded in approval. “Baird, up front,” he said, folding the map and stuffing it in his cargo pocket. “Jenkins, watch our rear.”
Burgers gave Ramirez a fist-bump and trotted to the front of the line, starting up into the tree-lined path. After giving the Ranger a moment to get a good lead, Ben waved the rest to follow.
“Good luck, guys!” one of the soldiers staying behind called. Jenkins gave him a wave before following the main group being swallowed into the trees.
Alacea had been right. The path was narrow but looked to have seen heavy use. The trees’ dark leaves blocked out most of the morning sunlight, even making it difficult at times to see tree roots that threatened to trip them. It reminded Ben of some of the canopy jungles he had seen in training, but thankfully it was no
t nearly as hot. In fact, it was quite cool today.
The SeaBees talked amongst themselves, but Ranger discipline kept the others quiet. Ben walked just in front of Alacea and Patricia, his eyes on Burgers’ back or the trees around them. The grade wasn’t yet steep enough to cause problems, nevertheless he turned to check on Alacea to make sure the fox woman was keeping up. He was pleasantly surprised to see she was keeping up with them easily.
“Less trees the further we go,” she huffed, reshouldering her pack.
“You know this area well?” he asked.
The priestess’s ears twitched.
“It’s an important place,” Patricia told him.
“Why?”
Alacea thought hard before deciding how much to say.
“During the fighting, their people hid here,” Patricia explained.
Ben nodded. That made sense. A hiding spot away from the main village, covered by a mountain… Probably the best refuge they could hope for.
They walked in silence for another hour, only the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional unknown animal sound intruding on their thoughts.
Patricia looked up with a start as she heard a shriek to her right. Turning, she saw… something… hanging down from a tree branch, staring at her. It had white scales and a snake’s body, but two pairs of bat-like wings protruded from its back. It hung upside down, but its head was turned right side up to stare at her with blood-red eyes. It opened its mouth and hissed at her.
The terp’s hand fell to her holstered side-arm as she swallowed nervously, not willing to break the creature’s gaze.
The Vixen War Bride Page 11