Gott Mit Uns (Terran Strike Marines Book 5)

by Richard Fox

  “You look alarmed, Gor,” Duke said, taking a sip. Once he finished, he’d have something to spit in. “What’d you do, father some little Dotties whose mothers want to discuss child support?”

  Gor’al shook his head, causing his quills to dance. “No, no, no. Nothing like that. Why would you ask such a question? I’m not even joined. All of these messages are demanding to know where the hell I am. I have to go home before we even have a chance to celebrate properly. I was looking forward to going to this place of strip, the city of sin—whatever that is—that you keep talking about.”

  Duke felt a lot sadder than he thought he would when he realized his friend was actually heading back to Dotari so soon. “You wouldn’t have liked it. Maybe I’ll come visit you on your farm.”

  Gor’al laughed excitedly then sobered. He reached into one of his leg patches and pulled out an unopened can of tobacco. “I’ve been saving this for a time when I could ‘help a brother out.’”

  Duke laughed and caught the can when Gor’al tossed it to him. “You’re all right, Gor. Thanks.”

  “I’m also returning to my home world,” Steuben said. “I need to show them that the Toth are gone forever.”

  Duke nodded then stood and crossed the room to shake the Karigole’s hand. “It’s been an honor to serve with you, Steuben.”

  “Likewise. But let’s never do it again,” Steuben said.

  “I don’t know, maybe you could show me how Karigole hunt sometime,” Duke said.

  “I’m not sure you want to know, but anything could happen. How do you feel about wearing a leather loincloth?” Steuben asked. “For now, let’s not dwell on the goodbye of longing.”

  “Long goodbyes,” Duke said. “But we know what you mean.”

  ****

  Makarov walked briskly to the flight deck, purposely avoiding meeting the gaze of her people. None of them blamed her for her decision, and she did not want to hear them profess their loyalty. That made it worse somehow. She’d flinched and saved all their lives…and she’d failed.

  A search-and-rescue team leader saluted. “We pulled her in about half an hour ago, but I think she’s able to talk now.”

  Makarov looked at the woman shivering in a towel and drinking coffee. “Corporal Adams, formerly of the Terran Strike Marines?”

  The tall redhead stood, letting the foil blanket over her shoulders fall away as she abruptly handed off the coffee and saluted. “Ma’am.”

  “I understand that you encountered your former commanding officer,” Makarov said, her face hard.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What do I do with you now?”

  “I serve the Lady. Everything I do is for the Lady and for the Nation,” Adams said, trembling from her void exposure. Even in her suit, she’d come very close to dying.

  “I believe you,” Makarov said. She faced the team of medics that were standing by. “Get her to sick bay and check her out.”

  She turned away from the speaker, who had become an excellent legionnaire since being called back to the Nation, and approached a shuttle. As Masha and Medvedev stepped out, Makarov said nothing, not being overly fond of the spy or her brutish bodyguard. The pair were bloody and bruised.

  The small blonde woman and the big legionnaire saluted.

  “Strike Marines on Liberty I take it?” Makarov asked.

  They nodded slowly.

  “I have failed the Lady,” Medvedev said.

  “As…have I,” Masha added.

  “You will come with me back to Navarre,” Makarov said. “We will answer to the Lady.”

  “Permission to speak freely?” Masha asked.

  “Granted.”

  “You…you could’ve stopped them. This battleship had more than enough firepower to—”

  “And I could not bring myself to destroy that ship and kill Valdar,” Makarov said. “There is a storm coming, spy. A storm that our Nation cannot fight by itself. We will need the Terran Union at our side. A mercy now…may well save lives in the future. I know what I will say to Lady Ibarra. I own my decision. How have you ended up on my deck looking like you were in a shuttle wreck?”

  “A Karigole beat me.” Medvedev hung his head.

  “Steuben…his quality is known to the Lady,” Makarov said. “Could any legionnaire have beaten him?”

  “There is no excuse for failure.”

  “There is a fault in the microcosm’s population.” Masha waved behind her to Liberty. “If they’d only—”

  Medvedev silenced her with a glance.

  “There were three Strike Marines.” Masha raised her chin slightly. “They ambushed me. From behind. Like cowards.”

  Medvedev turned his head slowly and stared down at the spy, his head shaking slowly.

  “You shut up.” Masha crossed her arms and looked away.

  “We’re jumping to Navarre as soon as possible,” the Ibarran admiral said. “Get to sick bay and get patched up. We will face the Lady together.”

  “My only regret is that I’ll never get away from Medvedev,” Masha complained.

  Medvedev grumbled under his breath. “And this is why I hate spies.”

  Chapter 26

  Six months later

  Duke, Booker, Garrison and Max strode through the wide corridor of the Oahu Space Port. Their Strike Marine Armor stuck out from the ground crews and naval ratings going about their duties. Men and women cleared a path for the Marines, eyes lingering on the Breitenfeld patch stenciled on the Hammers’ shoulders.

  “Are you kidding me? We can ask for another liberty chit. The weather’s perfect,” Max said, his lack of a helmet revealing his newly acquired tan.

  “For surfing,” Garrison said. “Not deploying back to the fleet.”

  “You’re a terrible surfer,” Booker said.

  “But I look great,” Garrison said, turning as he walked to survey the young female enlisted personnel, searching for one who might appreciate meeting a real-life hero.

  “I’ve burned all my good will,” Duke huffed. “Best to get back into space and away from dirt side duty.”

  “You owe the locals money or your girlfriends find out about each other?” Booker asked.

  “Bit of both,” Duke looked over a shoulder.

  They walked to the spaceport, passing a lounge area with video screens. Hundreds of people came and went. It was easy to forget how many support personnel made up the haft of the spear, with the Strike Marines at the sharp end. None of the team felt entirely comfortable here, but it was good to be home after so long at war.

  “Everyone looks soft,” Booker observed.

  The team went silent.

  “They haven’t had the benefit of nearly being eaten,” Max said.

  “Or frozen to death,” Booker chimed in.

  “Or lost on a void ship in the middle of literal nowhere. Or hunted by a mechanical super predator in a swamp,” Garrison added.

  They all laughed.

  “God, I love being alive,” Duke said.

  “Anyone heard from Gor’al?” Booker asked.

  “He’s back on Dotari prime. Keeps bugging me to get more contacts for his tobacco import business,” Duke said.

  “You’re not really going to get the Dotari hooked on dip, are you?” Max shook his head. “We save them from the phage and extinction only to get them hooked on that crap.”

  “I kind of need the money,” Duke said. “And the Dotari don’t exactly fiend out like I do when the dip gets short. It’s like caffeine withdrawal for us. What would you do if the Dotari had all the coffee beans in the galaxy and decided they didn’t want to share?”

  “War,” Booker nodded. “It would be war.”

  “You’re not helping me feel better about myself, corpsman,” Duke said.

  “Go ask Standish of Standish Liquors for a loan,” Garrison said. “He’s got a soft spot for Marines with marketable ideas.”

  “Hey…what happened to that bottle of booze we found on the Breitenfeld?”
Max asked.

  Garrison stammered.

  Booker looked at her gauntlet screen.

  “It’s time,” she said and her face fell.

  “Still don’t feel right,” Garrison said. “I mean, I get it, but—”

  “No crying,” Duke said.

  The team turned a corner and headed for the main gate to the space port, where a power armored King stood next to Hoffman.

  Hoffman wore civilian clothes, a sea bag over one shoulder.

  “Sir,” Duke saluted Hoffman.

  Hoffman returned the courtesy, his head shaking.

  “Stop it. I’m retired,” Hoffman said.

  “You may be a former Marine,” Garrison said, “but you’ll always be a Hammer.”

  “Not too late,” Max jerked a thumb over his shoulder back to the base. “We can sneak you onto our flight back up to the Breitenfeld. We’re getting good at the secret squirrel stuff. I bet you’d make major before anyone notices you aren’t technically on the rolls anymore. People keep talking about fighting something called the Geist. Some new monsters to shoot, yeah?”

  “You all are the best part of being a leader of Marines,” Hoffman said. “But after Opal…it’s time for me to move on with my life. He and I were together for so long. Every day in uniform after I lost him just…just hurts. Nothing against you all.”

  “We get it, sir,” Max said. “My old lady’s got a countdown clock running to the minute I can retire.”

  “Our new lieutenant’s got some serious boots to fill,” King said.

  “Don’t go too hard on him,” Hoffman said.

  “Oh, King will be a big ol’ softy on the butter bar,” Garrison said. “I mean, Gunnery Sergeant King will uphold the highest standards of the Strike Marines as he—”

  “‘Softy’?” King’s eye twitched.

  “Ah…shit,” Garrison bit his bottom lip.

  “What are you going to do now, boss?” Booker asked.

  “Head to a colony world. Start a new life. Keep it simple,” he said. The team gathered closer and Hoffman shook their hands, not saying much but expressing with a look more than words could say.

  “The team won’t be the same without you, sir,” King said.

  “Be better,” Hoffman rapped a knuckle against each Marine’s armor. “Tougher. Smarter. You’re Valdar’s Hammers. Build the legacy that outlives you as individuals. I don’t need to say this, but take care of each other.”

  “Team!” King snapped to attention and the rest of the Marines followed suit. “Present…arms!”

  They saluted Hoffman, who dropped his sea bag and snapped his hand to his temple for one last time. He chopped his salute down and tossed the bag over a shoulder. He looked away, then walked out the gate.

  Valdar’s Hammers watched in silence as Hoffman marched off to a new life.

  THE END

  The Ember War Universe continues with The Ibarra Crusade, coming 2020!

  From the Authors

  Thank you for finishing the Terran Strike Marine series. Scott and I appreciate you coming on this journey with us and Valdar’s Hammers.

  Is this all for Hoffman and his Strike Marines? For Stueben and Gor’al? What happens next? Fear not! The Ember War universe will continue with The Ibarra Crusade, and you’ll see many familiar faces in that series.

  This last Terran Strike Marine novel is a companion to the sixth and last Terran Armors Corps sotry, Ferrum Corde. Once you’ve read both, you’ll have a much fuller picture of the Battle for Kesaht’ka and the battle between the Armor on the deck of the Breitenfeld. We hope you give both series a read (suggested order is below, keep going).

  And as always, do leave a review to let us writers know how we’re doing. They help immensely.

  Gott Mit Uns!

  -Richard Fox

  About Scott Moon

  Scott Moon has been writing fantasy and science fiction for over thirty-six years. When not reading, writing, or spending time with his awesome family, he enjoys playing the guitar, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and watching movies. Dog guy. Fan of the military. A career law enforcement officer, he served on the SWAT team, Gang Unit, Exploited Missing Child Unit, and helped catch a serial killer. He is also a co-host of the popular Keystroke Medium show (www.KeyStrokeMedium.com)

  More Books and Stories by Scott Moon

  The Chronicles of Kin Roland

  Enemy of Man

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  Weapons of Earth

  Read the entire Chronicles of Kin Roland trilogy on Kindle Unlimited!

  SMC Marauders

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  The Fall of Promisdale

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  Proof of Death

  Blood Royal

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  Darklanding

  Episode 1: Assignment Darklanding

  Episode 2: Ike Shot the Sheriff

  Episode 3: Outlaws

  Episode 4: Runaway

  (A new episode of Darklanding will be published every 18 days!)

  Please visit http://www.ScottMoonWriter.com for more information.

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  IRON HEARTS

  Elias, soldier of the Iron Hearts and pilots of a mechanized suit of armor, lies comatose in a hospital. His mind trapped within the prison of his failing body. With no other option but to watch their friend wither away, his fellow Iron Hearts concoct a dangerous plan to save him.

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rigole set aside their hatred to catch the infiltrator alive?

  SCHISM

  When the Terran Union signs a treaty against Marc and Stacey Ibarra's wishes, the two immortals decide to abandon Earth.

  THE IRON WITHIN

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  The Ember War Saga: Volume 1

  The Ember War

  Iron Hearts-Short Story (BookHip.com/FCAZPA)

  The Ruins of Anthalas

  Vent Rats-Short Story (BookHip.com/FCAZPA)

  Blood of Heroes

  Earth Defiant

  The Gardens of Nibiru

  The Battle of the Void

  The Siege of Earth

  The Crucible

  The Xaros Reckoning*

  The Anvil-Short Story (https://www.scifireads.com/exclusivecontent)

  The Ember War Saga Volume 2: Terran Armor Corps

  Going Dark-Short Story (https://amzn.to/2DLV5gf)

  Schism-Short Story (BookHip.com/FCAZPA)

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  Iron Dragoons

  The Dotari Salvation