The second crisis of the day had been averted. The first was not dying in an inopportune shuttle accident. Cain had kept those concerns to himself, still being torn as to who was messing with Holly’s internals and how far would they go to stop him. He hoped it was limited to the attempt to make them miss catching The Olive Branch.
As the pod slowed, the sigh of relief was universal. When the door opened to the receiving platform, Stinky and Stalker fell out backwards as others pushed toward freedom. The lieutenant and sergeant were picked up as the bodies flowed past. Once on the platform, the platoon returned to formation. All accounted for. Twenty-one ‘cats sauntered toward the door that led to Deck 10. They stood there, waiting. None of them were wearing collars that would give them access throughout the space station.
Cain didn’t ask. For the time being, he or one of his people would cater to their needs. Cain worked his way through the herd of ‘cats to get to the door. They were wedged against it in such a way that he wasn’t able to pull it open. “Are you seeing this, Bee? They’ll need to move back and then I’ll appreciate not getting run over,” Cain asked his friend, who, despite his size, wielded considerable influence over the others. “None of you kill anything until we get approval from the Aurochs!” he yelled. The meowing got louder. Luthie suggested the delay was again putting his life at risk. He gave up trying to exert any kind of control over the ‘cats and opened the door, keeping it between him and the ‘cats’ freedom.
They piled through with some snarling and hissing, bolting down the catwalk in both directions and looking for the nearest stairs to take down to the plains of the Livestock Level. “Show us the way, Ascenti!” Cain yelled, waving at the Hawkoid. He launched himself from Bull’s shoulder and headed for the doorway, angling sideways as he tried to compensate for the ship’s spin. He hit the door and bounced into the doorframe, continued through and crashed into the catwalk. Cain winced at the sound of the impact. He leaned toward the private. “Are you okay?” he asked the heap of feathers.
“There appears to be a problem with the simple act of flying. If it’s okay, I’ll just lay here for a while,” Ascenti mumbled. Bull appeared, completely filling the doorway. He gently picked up his friend and cradled him.
“What’s that smell?” Bull said, wrinkling his nose.
Cain waved the rest of the platoon through, pointing to the nearest stairs. The ‘cats were nowhere to be seen, but an Aurochs was running toward the steps where Cain’s Marines were headed. He expected that Lutheann probably contacted the shepherds directly. “Stinky, see to it,” Cain directed. His lieutenant was already at the front, but dropped to all fours and bolted across the grassland. The major reveled in watching him run, covering the distance with powerful strides. He slowed and came upright as he approached the Aurochs. They stopped and talked.
‘Lutheann had already gotten it approved before you opened the door,’ Lieutenant Leaper said matter-of-factly in his thought voice.
‘What would my life be without my daily comeuppance?’ Cain asked no one in particular.
‘Dull and boring. That’s what your life would be if you would have survived without us. You’d probably be dead, how many times over?’
‘You are such a gentle soul, Bee. I’m happy to have you by my side, except you’re somewhere down there, trying to show up the other ‘cats in some way, I expect,’ Cain retorted.
Brutus didn’t dignify the point with a response since he was doing just that. He raced toward a small herd of pigs. Although they were mostly domesticated, twenty-one hungry ‘cats bearing down drove them into a frenzy. The Aurochs had only offered one or two. He started yelling at Lieutenant Black Leaper when he realized the dire circumstances he’d subjected his herd to. The Wolfoid bolted toward the herd but he was far behind the ‘cats. Bull launched Ascenti into the air. He flew hard, angling against the rotation of the deck. He swooped low in front of the ‘cats, then a second time, dragging his talons through the tall grass.
Lutheann’s bloodlust was broken long enough for her to start yelling at the ‘cats. Brutus jumped off the back of one of the lead Hillcats and onto a terrified pig. The others joined him. Then a second pig went down, and finally, a third. Lutheann was exhausted from the effort of trying to control the unleashed fury of her mob.
For a brief moment in time, she sympathized with Cain, but then thought better of it and joined the others as they feasted on the choice bits of the fresh kill.
Cain was far enough away that he didn’t have to see the particulars of the feeding frenzy. He felt Brutus’s intense satisfaction, and he was happy that the ‘cat had come through.
The Aurochs calmed down once the Hillcats were under control. He could live with three of his herd, but told Stinky in no uncertain terms that no more were to be culled. That was when Stinky suggested they’d be submitting a request for ten water buffalo to be slaughtered and vacuum sealed for delivery to the shipyard.
The Aurochs could deal with that, surprisingly. A normal request through formal channels was the usual way.
The rest of the platoon joined Stinky where he introduced them to the shepherd, and the great creature shared the rules of the deck. Stinky assured him that he would have no problems with the Cygnus Marines. A stern look saw them all nod in reply.
No more problems anyway. A glance toward the ‘cats confirmed that for the present, they were completely engaged. The rest of the pigs had run off, so the Aurochs excused himself to run after them. His ulterior motive was to stay between them and the Hillcats, although with the fresh feast, the ‘cats would be harmless for the next couple days.
Sergeant Night Stalker collected the platoon and ran them, in formation, toward the far end of the deck where they’d continue into the area between the core and engineering decks where they’d find the med lab. They’d be there for quite some time while the bots installed the neural implants.
Cain ordered them to return to the livestock level when they were done and able to move without getting disoriented. He put the full burden of determining when the platoon could return on Private Starsgard, also known as Doctor Starsgard, who Cain had taken to calling ‘Doc.’
Lieutenant Peekaless joined the major in the field, not far from where they entered the deck, while Black Leaper ran after the platoon, to escort them to the med lab. Cain took a deep breath and basked in the artificial sunshine. He felt like he was in the middle of nowhere, but knew that he was inside one of the most complex machines that man had ever conceived.
He didn’t feel like talking. Pickles must have known, and didn’t attempt to fill the dead space. The major started walking toward the ‘cats and their kills, hoping that some of the meat was salvageable to cook over a small fire. For a brief period of time, he wanted the inane, something that wasn’t life or death.
Cain found a small area that hadn’t been slobbered on or shredded by ‘cat fangs. He cut it into slices and started a small fire using the prairie grasses. He cut the meat nice and thin and used his knife to hold it over the smoky flames. He closed his eyes as he chewed, while Pickles watched him closely. Cain took the time to enjoy the meat, then he stamped out the fire, scrubbed the blade in the dirt, wiped it on his pants, and laid down.
The next thing he knew the entire platoon was standing there, waiting patiently.
“How long?” he asked, stretching, and feeling greatly refreshed.
“Three hours,” Pickles said, his vocalization device sounding flat.
“I’ve coordinated an exercise with the Aurochs. Shall we proceed?” Stinky asked. Cain saw a small herd of the great creatures not far away.
“Carry on,” Cain said, trying to sound grandiose, but he knew better. The entire platoon and a herd of Aurochs had walked up on him while he slept.
‘Damn, Bee, you could have warned me,’ Cain told his friend.
‘Why?’ Brutus replied, confused by Cain’s statement.
‘They all snuck up on me while I was asleep, while I was vulnerable,’ the hu
man replied.
‘When a threat approaches, I’ll wake you, otherwise, you sleep. That’s how it works. Either you trust me or you don’t, dumbass,’ Brutus said sharply, adopting Lutheann’s name for her pet human.
‘Of course I trust you. I just don’t want to look weak before the platoon,’ Cain countered meekly.
‘Stupid human. How many people have you killed? Trust me when I tell you that none of them think you are weak. They think of you as some kind of superhuman, which I absolutely don’t understand, but there it is,’ Brutus finished. Cain looked around but couldn’t see the scruffy orange ‘cat.
‘Thanks, Bee. You are the best, and I admit that I slept well because I knew you were nearby.’
‘Good. Now that we have that settled, I want you to know that I peed on your boot,’ Brutus added. Cain didn’t even bother to look.
He climbed the catwalk so he could see what Stinky had planned.
The platoon moved in two lines as four Aurochs approached from the side. They spread out as they stormed forward. The closest squad turned to face their mock enemy. The squad in the back split in two. Half stood over the first two squads, adding their firepower to that of their comrades. The other squad took off, running as fast as they could to get to the side of the Aurochs. As they cleared the ranks and turned, the Aurochs changed direction and headed for the single squad. The three squads that had set up a base of fire stormed forward, attacking the exposed flanks of the nearest Aurochs.
Cain cheered from the catwalk, cupping his hands so his howling could be heard.
The two groups met in the middle, there was much back slapping of the great creatures, then they tried one more iteration where the Aurochs ran at them from the front. The squads fanned out to bring as much firepower to bear as possible. Cain liked that Pickles kept one squad behind the others to use as a reserve, to deploy when an opportunity presented itself.
Cain looked forward to the after-action review. He wondered about some of the other weapons Holly had shown. Small mortars, shoulder-fired missiles, weapons that could reach out and touch an enemy at great distances. He stopped himself before he went any further. It was the slippery slope where one step down could lead him to the last place he wanted to go: pushing a button and fighting the battle that way.
He wanted to look his enemies in the eye, give them a chance to talk and find mutual ground. The farther away he was when he fired, the less likely it would be that he could find another way. Once people died, the dynamic changed and talking became a whole lot harder. When the Concordians had threatened Master Daksha, he saw red and was more than gratified watching Lutheann tear that man apart. With those feelings, conversation was impossible. As Dr. Johns had challenged him, find a way to talk and use the Marines to defend the explorers.
Cain had to be the foundation of the Cygnus Marines, unperturbable. He needed to never lose control if he wanted his people to exercise discipline. That was what leading from the front looked like.
They slept on the plains that night, which was easy with the Aurochs donating a full-size hog, already butchered, in celebration of the reestablishment of the Marines. The Aurochs had no idea what that meant, but they were sufficiently impressed by the platoon’s actions during the exercises. They saw the wisdom in having such a force as humanity pressed deeper into the galactic void.
Cain asked Holly to fabricate a number of the Marine logos so he could give them out to people who helped them. Good relations and allies were the hard lessons that his family had passed down for generations. The little things could have the greatest impact. He instructed Holly that only he, Black Leaper, and Peekaless were authorized to order the logos. He didn’t want them given out like candy.
As they wound down, Cain asked how the implants were working. He received his answer when no one would look him in the eye. “Hey, Doc! Give them a class on the implant. Stalker, pick something for everyone to read before they rack out tonight.”
At least they had the decency not to grumble in front of Cain. He would let them sleep, but the next day, they’d venture upwards to Deck 9, the rainforest level, then Deck 8, the garden level, and so on. Each day, they would explore a new deck and conduct exercises in a different environment.
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It took all Cain had not to gag with the constant smell of wet Wolfoids and monkey droppings. He was always on alert, fingering the blaster at his side, his eyes drawn to every movement. The monkeys had caused his great-great-grandfather plenty of grief, and Cain wondered if they harbored any multi-generational grudges. Just what he needed, another enemy. He was told not to shoot them as it only made them more violent. They didn’t tell him what he was supposed to do, just what not to do. He vowed never to give an order that way.
In the rainforest, the Marines practiced against the challenges of limited visibility and harsh conditions. The ‘cats were none too pleased after they stayed a second day, then a third day, practicing against the two Lizard Men who could disappear against the trees, a genetic trait unique to those from the rainforest.
Pickles and Zisk loved every minute of their time in the rainforest. They were the only ones. The rest of the platoon was miserable, but performed well in attack after attack, defense after defense. They practiced in the daylight and in the brief periods of darkness that the ship created, to maintain some semblance of a circadian rhythm. Pickles and Zisk met many Lizard Men native to the deck and invited them to participate, but they politely declined.
And the hand-to-hand combat training was incessant. Before, during, and after each evolution, they’d pair off and spar using the Cain-designated technique of the moment.
Deck 8, the garden level provided more unique challenges in that movement was significantly hindered. They could see over the bushes and plants, but not under them. The Rabbit and Bee inhabitants of the deck greatly enjoyed the opportunity to play with the Marines. And this was the first time the platoon exercised against a nonstandard enemy. The Bees brought the hive mind into play. Removing a few of them didn’t impact their overall effectiveness. Sergeant Stalker determined the best method of defeating the Bees was to not engage them at all, negotiate instead.
The Wolfoids and humans enjoyed the fresh vegetables. There was always surplus as the Rabbits grew far more than the ship currently used. They filled transports with refined vegetable product to send to the shipyard, and they still had more than enough. Cain made sure he told the Rabbits repeatedly how amazing they were. They were very kind, but wary of the Hillcats, always keeping small Rabbit hands close to their laser pistols.
Deck 7 was the desert level. More misery. Different misery. Even with the skin suits, the two Lizard Men dried out. They found their way into the automated factory where they were able to escape most of the heat. Then they decided to conduct training within the factory, but after setting off the sprinklers, a maintenance bot chased them back into the desert. They took the ramp up to Deck 6, also called Oceanus. The winding ramp opened to an island lashed unmercifully by a raging salt sea. The Marines hunkered down, but there was no shelter. The ‘cats refused to leave the ramp.
Cain called for a hasty defense against an enemy coming from the sea. They scattered, set up interlocking fields of fire, protected their flanks and dug in. Even a little sand was more cover than no sand. Wolfoids could walk upright like a human, but they could dig like a dog. The humans were jealous of how quickly they could dig a foxhole. Bull had problems simply because of his size, but he took the time to dig holes for the humans first. When he started digging a crater for himself, Cain called an end to the exercise and ordered everyone back down the ramp.
The entire platoon stopped and watched as Ascenti performed amazing aerobatics, twisting, turning, flipping, and stopping mid-air, without flapping his wings. He’d tuck and dive and float back upward effortlessly. The middle of this deck was at zero-g. When Ascenti rose, he left the artificial gravity behind.
They returned to Deck 7, then quick-marched across the desertscape t
o the forward bulkhead, where they passed through a hatch and onto a transit platform. They waited for a pod and with enough prodding, the lieutenants were able to convince Cain to split the platoon, leaving Stinky and his two squads behind. Sergeant Stalker remained as well. The major asked Lutheann to keep half the ‘cats behind, but when the pod arrived, only two who were bonded with humans stayed. All the rest piled on board. Cain could only shake his head.
The pod started normally, then accelerated rapidly, throwing them roughly against the rear bulkhead. It jerked and tilted wildly, throwing them about the cabin. It came to an abrupt halt, throwing most of them to the floor. Cain pulled himself up immediately, blaster in hand as he looked around.
“A mechanical malfunction?” Spence suggested.
“No way, these have been here forever, and I suspect there’s never been a documented failure. All eyes outboard. Look for Androids!” he ordered as he inspected the pod. They were fully automated, so there was no way to manually override the pod and get it going again. He looked for the nearest platform where they could get off, but couldn’t see one.
The first laser beam appeared against the wall with the door.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 22