They continued talking until Cain directed no more conspiracy theory talk. He opened his implant and started building the training plan. While the window was open, Holly could see what he saw, so Cain faced away from the ruins and the recruits. He built the calendar first, primary training objectives. As soon as they arrived, their first order of business was to report to a med lab and get the neural implants. Wolfoid implants had been refined, but the Hawkoids still required far more time regarding attenuation and interpretation between the device and the bird’s brain.
They continued for the next four hours before Cain declared it good enough and minimized his window. The platoon was preparing for their second run-through, but it was late afternoon and they hadn’t taken a break for lunch. He called them together for a debrief, going through every single member of the squad, using the three after-action review questions. He turned them loose to eat, while pulling the squad leaders together.
Stalker stood behind Grace, Spence, Bull, and Jo. The current squad leaders were the ones that the lieutenants had recommended as the best ones for the platoon. Cain didn’t enjoy choosing since his people were all competitive. Those not selected were usually disappointed, some more so than others. Maybe it was best to get them settled. He looked to Stinky with a broad grin.
“No!” Stinky yelled, running to Cain as the major turned toward the platoon. He stopped and gave the Wolfoid his full attention, waving at Pickles to join them.
“I’d like to declare them Marines, award everyone their ranks and positions, and then get back to work. They’ve earned the title and from what I’ve read, they will continue to earn the title for the rest of their lives. Honor. Duty. Integrity. They have shown all of that. With your permission, gentlemen,” Cain asked his lieutenants. They both whole-heartedly agreed.
Cain had studied some of the formal ceremonies conducted by the Marines of Earth, but he hadn’t had the time to translate the old way to the new Cygnus Marines. So he made it up by calling them to attention. Declaring that from that point forward, they would no longer be recruits, but Privates, Corporals, Sergeant, and Lieutenants of the Cygnus Marines. He walked by the last person in First Squad and shook their hand, promising they’d get their insignia as soon as Cain could have them fabricated, hopefully upon their return to Space School.
At the end of shaking everyone’s hand, paw, or wing, Cain recognized the squad leaders and that they were to be called corporal, from that point forward. He’d always called Stalker sergeant, but now it was official, same for Lieutenants Leaper and Peekaless.
“Marines!” Cain called, feeling pride in himself, seeing the chests swell within the platoon. “Continue to execute the plan of the day,” he said in a strong voice.
After the pinning-on ceremony, the old term even though nothing was actually pinned, they walked through attack and defense scenarios until it was too dark to see. What Cain did that the others did not was include the ‘cats. As he’d seen firsthand, they were a force multiplier. They improved the unit’s strike capability. They excelled in the attack. In defense, they were best when ambushing an overconfident enemy, as the captain had done with Mixial on board the Cygnus-12. Humans lured the others in and the ‘cat pounced.
Cain told Stinky and Pickles to include the ‘cats in future training. Lutheann agreed because in her mind, they needed the ‘cats to reduce the senseless flailing that she was forced to watch.
When it was dark, they made a small fire using brush from the plains. There were no trees near the ruins, the destruction had been so catastrophic that it prevented encroachment for fifty miles in every direction. Cain, Stinky, and Pickles spent the evening going from person to person, listening to and understanding how they took pride in their titles and ranks.
As would be their new norm, the major asked the lieutenants who tasked the sergeant with setting up a security watch. Four at a time would be awake and armed, ensuring the others could sleep safely. With all the ‘cats, that was probably overkill, but ‘cats couldn’t sense a bot or an Android, so they had their limitations, too.
Cain slept on the ground with the other Marines, counting one day down, nine to go before they’d leave Vii. He was afraid that they might never return if they couldn’t prove that they were no threat to the peaceful civilization of Vii. They had to demonstrate that their sole purpose was to secure the exploration and diplomacy of ships engaged in deep space.
With the ship’s name change, Cain knew that it was tasked to return to Concordia. He was itching to get back there while at the same time fighting his urge to seek revenge on those who had DI Katlind killed. There were others, too, but he took her death the hardest. She did what she had to, trying to defend the ship. All the Concordians had to do was ask, but no. He wanted to find the ones who thought that taking was their best course of action. And he wanted to make them pay.
He wrestled with his role as the leader of Marines. One misspoken word and they would storm the capital city on his behalf. He would have to temper his thoughts, make sure they didn’t become his words, and ultimately become their actions.
He set his jaw and breathed heavily. ‘I need your help, Brutus. I want revenge, but I can’t lead these good people if that is my mission. Help me do the right thing, little man,’ Cain intoned in his thought voice, almost as a prayer.
‘Always,’ came the reply from the straggly orange form curled against his chest.
The sight and sound of the supply shuttle taking off were unmistakable. The roar shook them from within. They turned as one to see the blinding light forcing the craft skyward, arcing slightly as it accelerated above and away from them. If all went according to plan, they’d be on the next one.
Marines! We’re Leaving
They continued to train in the ruins, making up attack and defense scenarios, which of course, became a competition where ultimately one person was tasked to defend against an entire squad. It took an effort on the major’s part to evaluate success, yelling at the Marines to play dead as the others continued their attack.
Highly motivated—a term he’d seen applied to Marines no matter how dire the situation. Morale was an issue he would have to keep an eye on. Or would he? The ‘cats would let them all know when morale was suffering.
‘Yes, we will,’ Brutus confirmed.
The Marines continued to practice in a destroyed urban environment until they ran out of food. It was Cain’s job as the leader of the unit to make sure they were fed, so they packed up and marched back to Space School, where Cain found the security bot waiting at the entrance. He greeted it cordially with a deep bow, before continuing past, taking his dirty Marines straight to billeting, where they found that someone else was now living there.
“To the chow hall!” he shouted at the platoon. No sense wasting time. He wanted to take a clean unit to eat, but until he had billeting sorted, there was no reason to wait. He remained behind with the lieutenants while the sergeant took the platoon in.
‘Holly, it looks like we lost our quarters. We need billeting for the platoon and that includes me, Stinky, and Pickles along with twenty-one ‘cats,’ Cain asked the AI using his implant.
‘Please accept my apologies, Master Cain. With the request for transport to the Traveler and the new class arriving for Space School, the schedule became somewhat constrained. This is the brief period of time where there are three classes at school all at once. The only available billeting for you and your unit is at New Sanctuary,’ Holly ended, sounding contrite.
‘Sign us up, Holly. We’ll head there right after chow. We need to get our people and equipment cleaned up. Maybe we can make a quick run to the rainforest. Do you have that land crawler thing available that you sent for us last time?’ Once Cain said it, he realized his mistake. It was Holly’s second persona that had sent the tractor.
‘I’m sorry, but that vehicle showed significant programming issues and is being revamped. It may be available tomorrow if that will suffice?’ Holly countered.
‘That’s okay, Holly. Belay my last. We won’t need it. We’ll stay within spitting distance of the space center until we can get to the Traveler and do some real training. What did you think of our schedule once aboard? Too compact? Would there be a problem if we stretched it out another week or so?’ Cain attempted to divert Holly’s attention from anything that would suggest he was working a separate strategic plan.
‘I think you won’t have any problems, Major Cain. It appears that your unit is progressing faster than even the most optimistic projections,’ Holly replied.
‘Thanks for that, Holly. Once we finish eating, we’re going to head to New Sanctuary, get settled in, then maybe we’ll take the unit to assist in the fields. There’s nothing like picking vegetables to keep you humble.’
‘Capital idea! I will make the arrangements so the development units don’t try to chase you away. Beware the Rabbits. They don’t generally appreciate other creatures messing around in their fields,’ Holly suggested.
‘We will check in with the Rabbits and follow their direction to the letter.’ Cain closed the link.
“I can’t wait to be out of here so you can return to being yourself, Holly. We can’t live as two different versions of ourselves, hoping that nothing bad comes from it,” Cain lamented out loud. From the time he received his neural implant, he’d grown closer to the AI, even considered him a friend. But his friend was listening to the ravings of another and it was making him do things that a more rational mind wouldn’t do. Cain wanted to end that, but overthrowing Dr. Johns wasn’t the answer. That would confirm their worries. He needed to win them over and that was a tall order, one that would be so much easier with Holly’s assistance.
At least they had billeting. He joined the others in the chow hall, finding that the platoon had seized one table where they were packed in tightly around it, some even standing. He was happy to see that the sergeant and corporals weren’t in seats. Leadership from the front. Take care of the Marines and they’ll take care of you, all speeches that he’d given.
Nurture them to grow.
‘While you contemplate your navel, we’re going hunting. Don’t leave until we’re back, dumbass,’ Lutheann told him. He started to laugh, almost uncontrollably. He left the chow hall to regain his composure and found that he couldn’t do it. He decided that discretion was the better part of valor and skipped the meal. In New Sanctuary, he’d burn up a fabricator to catch up on missed meals. He’d lost weight and gained strength. He’d worked out more in the past month, even with a bum knee, than he ever had before, and the platoon had been working harder than him. The Wolfoids looked tight. Even Fickle and Starsgard were in shape.
Grace’s broken foreleg was fully healed. It hadn’t bothered her after the first week. When the platoon reported to the ship, he wanted them ready to fight and they were almost there.
He’d talk with the Aurochs who tended the herds on Deck 10, give his people a different look at a different enemy. Unfortunately, he knew that their greatest enemy was other humans and would probably always be humans.
From chow, they formed up and headed to the obstacle course where they watched the newest Space School recruits negotiate the obstacles. They stayed in the trees where the people couldn’t hear them chuckling.
The lieutenants challenged them to come up with ways to instruct the new recruits in how to clear the obstacles. When the DI called the recruits together for a break, Cain marched to her to ask if he could send his platoon through one time, maybe show the new recruits a trick or two. She agreed as she wanted to see them in action. He asked her if she knew the former DI Katlind. She nodded and her eyes instantly teared up.
“Our whole purpose is to prevent the situation that took her life. We can’t afford to lose people like her. Our purpose is to protect people like her. We’re not the enemy,” he told her, unsure of why he was compelled to defend his unit.
He held the sergeant and lieutenants back to watch the gear as the platoon was turned loose. The ‘cats were still hunting, so they didn’t have to work them into the equation, although they were impressive when fully engaged with ripping up the obstacle course. He could see the scratches going up the wall on the first obstacle from their last efforts. Bull led the way and the first squad cleared the wall climb in just under ten seconds before racing for the rope swing. Four squads devoured the obstacle course in less than five minutes. When they finished, they formed up and ran proudly to their equipment.
Many of the new recruits asked who the group was. They wore different clothes. They acted differently. The DI had been instructed to ignore Cain and his people, but she wasn’t good with that. DI Brandiburg looked around, seeing the security bot hovering nearby, shrugged, and invited Cain to speak to her class.
Stinky and Pickles watched him go. Stalker joined them. “Look at him strut. I’m not sure he likes anything more than climbing the podium and preaching to the minions,” Stinky started. They watched Cain make grandiose hand gestures, pointing skyward at times. They assumed he was recounting the story of why the Marines came into existence. Although the two liked to poke fun at Cain, they saw the wonder in the faces of the recruits. He was great at telling a story, and it seemed to be winning them over. The body language of the DI showed that she agreed. She stood taller, prouder. Maybe Cain had shared the story of DI Katlind’s actions to repel the boarders. By the time the major finished talking to the Space School recruits, the ‘cats had rejoined the platoon, looking heavier and slower. With a final wave, Cain walked away, only to be stopped by Brandiburg. She didn’t say anything, but shook his hand, warmly, holding his in hers for so long that Stinky had to look away.
When Cain joined them, no one would look at him. “What?” he asked.
‘Wasn’t that special,’ Brutus told everyone over the mindlink to a resounding reply of suppressed snickers. ‘Don’t we have someplace to be?’
The major shook it off. They did indeed have someplace else to be and he was hungry.
They left the Space School at a casual jog. They could have taken the subway, but they decided that wasn’t the best way to spend their time. During the run, the lieutenants had the platoon break into tactical formations, return to platoon formation, then dive into a different formation. It took them six hours to cover the relatively short distance to New Sanctuary, but they felt that they earned their next meal. The ‘cats followed behind, more strolling than running. They knew where the platoon was going and reasoned that they didn’t need to arrive together. Only two of the ‘cats had been to New Sanctuary before, but they informed the rest about the prime napping locations on the beach surrounding the lake.
The ‘cats had a plan. The Marines had no plan. Cain knew that he didn’t want to run across Dr. Johns, but the major would be obligated to stop in. He’d invite Brutus along to keep him from saying anything untoward. Cain determined to take care of that right after he ate. Maybe he’d find something out.
They checked in with the pleasant hologram that managed the rooms. Cain was instantly annoyed that the platoon would be spread between two levels in a number of corridors of the underground billeting facility. Cain deferred, preferring to keep the platoon together. As his ancestors had done, he determined to sleep on the beach. He directed the platoon to clean up in the lake, and no one was to do anything alone. He’d have food delivered to them.
Cain, Stinky, and Pickles got one room together so they could clean up. If the major was going to meet Dr. Johns, he needed to be presentable. His campaign to win him over was now underway. He told his lieutenants over the mindlink what they needed to do and cautioned them that the Marines had to be on their best behavior. It was incumbent upon them all to put the best face on the new unit. People had to feel both safe and comfortable around them.
Cain left the meal to the lieutenants to figure out as he deposited them on the beach. Half the ‘cats were in the trees, letting their legs dangle as they looked like little more than harmless decorations. Spence was out cold, usi
ng Tobiah as a pillow. A few of the Wolfoids were in a pile and sound asleep as well. Ascenti was perched on a branch between two ‘cats. His feathers were slightly ruffled as he was out cold.
“Here lies the deadliest group of warriors that Vii has seen in over five hundred years,” Cain told the lieutenants in a dirge-like tone.
“Can’t blame them, Major,” Pickles said, his vocalization device reflecting the positive attitude he felt. “It’s good to be able to sleep whenever you get time.”
With a nod, Cain excused himself. With Brutus at his side, he took the elevator to the command center. Inside, he found a buzz of activity, as if something was going on, but when he asked the first person he ran across, they said it was a normal day.
Dr. Johns was in the middle of a crowd animatedly talking about something. Cain waited on the outside, trying to listen in, but the conversation was technical, some engineering issue they were tackling. He didn’t understand it.
When Dr. Johns saw him, he grinned ear to ear and waved heartily, chasing the others away as he made a beeline for the major. The doctor offered his hand and Cain shook it, torn by his feelings that this man was undermining them. Brutus jumped into Cain’s arms, which broke the handshake. Dr. Johns jumped back in alarm, but quickly recovered, returning to stroke the ‘cat’s sides.
‘I don’t think it’s him,’ Brutus told Cain, which made the major’s smile more genuine.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 19