by Lucas Marcum
“So, I’ll have the AI translator recording everything. It’ll give us basic stuff for now; it was designed for medical types to do what you do. It might take a while to get it to ask other things.”
He looked down at the phone-sized box. “I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure if the damn thing works. Colonel Androvich just tossed at me, said ‘Here’, and walked away.”
Elizabeth shook her head and replied, “Seems dumb to come out here to a planet full of these things and not have a reliable piece of translation equipment, but whatever.” She stood up and rubbed her face again. “All right,” she looked at Tony, “let’s do this.”
Tony stood and, with the translator in hand, they moved out of the small storage area that was serving as a monitoring station towards the decommissioned and stripped operating room unit that was serving as detention cell/hospital room, and paused outside the door. The two sentries in combat armor with rifles stood about five feet from the door, facing it, their rifles slung at the low ready. Off to one side there were two men and a woman in scrubs watching the vitals monitors and the video feed, and quietly talking. Elizabeth recognized Dr. Chen, one of their surgeons, and First Lieutenant Jimenez, one of the nurses from the critical care division. The third was a man of average height with sandy blonde hair and an easygoing face whom she didn’t recognize.
Noticing the two officers approaching, the two men nodded. Elizabeth came over and spoke in a low voice, “Major Chen, how did it go?”
The stocky surgeon shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t pretty, but we managed. Couldn’t have done it without Mike.”
The other man grimaced and replied sourly, “Next time you need help with something like this, please forget I exist.”
Doctor Chen grinned and replied, “Major Suarez, Major Harris, this is Doctor Mike Hall. He’s the closest thing to an expert we had on hand.”
Mike shook his head emphatically. “Nuh-uh. You ain’t pinning that on me, Jack. I did what I did because I was asked nicely by Colonel Nwanka, and by asked, I really mean ordered.” He turned to Elizabeth and spoke, almost apologetically, “I’m Lieutenant Commander Mike Hall, 253rd Naval Expeditionary Sustainment Brigade.” He stretched out a hand in a friendly manner.
Elizabeth shook the proffered hand. “What’s your specialty, Dr. Hall? Why are you assigned to a sustainment brigade instead of a Naval Hospital Unit?”
The man sighed and shot a look at Major Chen, who was smirking. “Well, Ma’am, I’m not a people doctor. I’m a veterinarian. My primary job here is to take care of the Marine Corps War Dog detachment with the Force Recon units.” He shook his head and frowned at Major Chen, whose smirk had turned into a full blown grin. “I got the call last night that there was a…special job.”
Major Chen broke in, “Major Suarez, he did a fantastic job. We couldn’t have stabilized the prisoner without him.”
The naval veterinarian shook his head again. “The enlisted Marines are already calling me ‘The Lizard Doctor’ and coming to me asking advice about eating beetles. I’m telling you, I’m NEVER going to hear the end of this.”
Elizabeth grinned. “Well, Dr. Chen isn’t wrong. You probably are the closest thing we have to an Elai doctor.”
The man grimaced, then shook his head. “I did have a rotation in exotic animals in vet school, and I dug out some of my texts. Better than nothing, but that thing in there ain’t exactly an iguana.” He motioned at Lieutenant Jimenez. “By the way, hats off to Lieutenant Jimenez here. The LT is a fast study. She picked things up pretty quick, considering we’re pretty much making this up as we go.”
He turned to Major Chen. “Speaking of, didn’t we grab a ton of prisoners on Desolation? Why don’t you guys have a course on this?”
The stocky surgeon shrugged. “We do, and I took them. It doesn’t change the fact that they’re more lizard than anything else, and you know way more about that than I do.”
The monitors chirped, and the nurse watching them said, “Ok, he’s moving again. Probably as good a time as any. We’re going to give him more pain medication. Not really sure if it’ll help in questioning, but what the hell. We’re already so deep into uncharted territory, what’s one more variable?”
Elizabeth sighed and turned to the sentries. “Ok. Open it up.”
The enlisted soldier guarding the door indicated her sidearm. “If you don’t mind, Ma’am, we’ll hold that for you.”
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment then, sighing again, handed over her weapon. Tony silently did the same. The soldier tapped a control console and the door popped open.
Elizabeth moved towards the door, with Tony behind her, and into the room. The door silently closed and sealed behind them. The Elai on the bed lay motionless but watched them as they approached. Tony and Elizabeth came to a halt about five feet from the bed and stood there for a moment, their hands at their sides. After a moment, Tony clicked the translator on and motioned Elizabeth to go ahead.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, “I am a medical provider. You were injured in the fighting and are under our care. You will be treated here for now, then transferred to another location with others of your kind until the war is over, in accordance with our laws of war. You will not be harmed.”
She paused, glancing at the translator, which sat silently. Tony tapped a single control, and the small box began to hiss, chirp, and click. Elizabeth looked back at the Elai, whose eyes had locked on the device.
The noises stopped, and Elizabeth spoke again, “I am one of the leaders here. Your government will be notified of your situation. What is your name?”
Again, the translator made a series of incomprehensible sounds. The Elai cocked its head at this, then looked directly at Elizabeth. Its head moved slightly, turning from side to side as it stared at her. The black eyes seemed to stare right through her. After a moment, the alien responded in its own language, hissing and clicking. After a moment the translator chirped, and on its small screen displayed a text transcript.
“Name Body Claw Stone Teeth
Elizabeth considered this for a moment, then said, “You were injured in the fighting. Our medical team had to repair damage to your body.” The Elai looked down at the bulky dressing on its abdomen, then back at the two officers. It chittered again, rapidly.
“Conflict over
Elizabeth looked at Tony, who just shrugged and said, “You’re the nurse, not me.” Elizabeth turned back to the Elai, who was watching her expectantly. She spoke slowly.
“No, the fighting is continuing, but your part in it is done. You were badly hurt, but will not die. I do not know where your fellow soldiers are. We will give you something for the pain.” The translator hissed and chirped. The Elai made a rapid circular motion with its jaw, then chittered again.
“
Elizabeth frowned at the line of text. Tony scrunched his face up, then spoke slowly, “I don’t know what to make of that. It sounds like they’re looking for something. Those ruins you saw when you got those Gurkhas out, maybe?”
Shrugging, Elizabeth replied, “No clue.” She looked at the translator in Tony’s hand, then continued, “I don’t know that that thing is sensitive enough to ask much more detailed questions, though. Maybe if we try again after the AI has had time t
o work on it…” The Elai prisoner was chittering and hissing again, with a seeming urgency.
“Facility body repair warning outside symbol
Elizabeth shot a look at Tony, who shrugged and replied, “No idea. I’ll run it by the intel cell on the Thor’s Hammer. Maybe that’ll clear it up.”
Elizabeth nodded, then turned and spoke to the Elai, “Please rest. You are safe here. We will speak soon.” The Elai made the circular motion with its jaw and closed its black eyes. Tony and Elizabeth left the small room and went out to the sentry post, where they retrieved their sidearms.
After they had retrieved their weapons, Tony turned to Elizabeth, “Liz, that sounded like a warning.”
She nodded slowly, and rubbed her face again wearily. “Yeah. It sure did. We need to talk to the colonel.”
Tony nodded wordlessly, and they turned and made their way towards the command center.
****
Several hours later, Elizabeth was in the ready quarters for the flight crew. She and the crew of Valkyrie One were on the ready rotation. She didn’t mind being on ready status; it gave her time to catch up on paperwork. She thought back to the briefing with Colonel Assad and his exec, Lieutenant Colonel Androvich. They hadn’t been happy at what they’d learned, but until the Thor’s Hammer intel cell got back to them with more information on the translation, there wasn’t a lot to do.
She set down the personnel form she’d been considering, yawned, and rubbed her face. She looked over at the ready room couch, where Brian lay sprawled, fast asleep. She shook her head. The man had the professional soldier’s talent of being able to sleep anywhere, at any time. Yawning again, Elizabeth picked up the form again, then signed and set it down. She needed sleep. Pushing the paperwork aside, she stood and stretched, then reached for her comm sitting on the desk. As she did, it went off. A text appeared on the screen.
“FLIGHT REQ//FLIGHT REQ//FLIGHT REQ-//SITUATION: SPECOPS unit requests assistance with SAR, Possible MEDEVAC.//URGENCY: IMMEDIATE//THREATCON: YELLOW//HOSTILES: None identified.//FRIENDLIES: UEAMC Long Range Recon, UEAA SPEC OPS, Local Militia.//Coordinates: Pinged.///NOTHINGFOLLOWS”
Elizabeth sighed. So much for a nap. She looked up. Brian was, naturally, already wide awake and moving towards his power armor, which stood open and ready by the door next to hers. She could hear banging and muttered swearing from the closed door to the pilot’s sleep room, indicating that Elise was getting ready as well.
Her comm unit rang. She thumbed the activation switch. “Major Suarez.”
Tony’s voice came from the comm unit, “Hey Liz, I’m sure you just got that dispatch. Listen, the colonel’s pretty worried about whatever it was that sharkhead told us. He says not to take any risks.”
Elizabeth frowned and replied as she moved towards her armor, “What the hell does that mean?”
The Marine officer’s voice sounded worried. “I don’t know, but he doesn’t like any of it. He says not to land unless you have to. He doesn’t want any of his crews on the ground until the Thor’s Hammer gets us their analysis. Maybe he’s just being paranoid, but I can’t say I disagree with him. Elai hit and run activity is up all over the sector, and while the area the Recon unit is in is supposedly quiet, you know that doesn’t mean anything. Where there’s special ops, there’s usually trouble.”
Elizabeth stopped in front of her armor and considered this for a second before responding, “Ok. Thanks, Tony.”
There was a pause, then he continued, “Liz. Be careful, ok?”
Smiling, Elizabeth teasingly replied, “You’re not being very Marine again, Major. But just for you, I’ll be careful. See you soon, Tony.” She snapped off the comm unit, stripped off her sidearm, emptied her pockets, and carefully backed into the suit, which stood open like a clamshell. Triggering the closure switch, the suit folded slowly shut around her like a soft fist, enclosing her in the dark.
In the pitch black inside the suit, Elizabeth took a deep breath, momentarily enjoying the comfortable, dark silence, then activated the suit. The display came to life, and the suit which had held her immobile suddenly became flexible, feeling like a part of her. The display in her helmet powered up, a dozen indicators coming to life.
Elizabeth spoke firmly, “Activate suit diagnostics.” The suit computer responded promptly, reciting the internal systems status in a flat, mechanical voice.
“POWER RESERVE: 100%. ARMOR INTEGRITY: 100%. TRAUMA SYSTEM: READY. ACTIVE CAMOUFLAGE SYSTEM: READY. IMPACT PROTECTION SYSTEM: READY. SERVOS: 100%. ATMOSPHERIC SEALS: GREEN. COMMUNICATIONS UPLINK: ONLINE. OXYGEN GENERATOR: READY. WATER RECLAMATION SYSTEM: ACTIVE. SUIT STATUS: FULLY OPERATIONAL.”
In the helmet display, each indicator highlighted slightly as the onboard systems reviewed them. Satisfied with her suit checks, Elizabeth slid her helmet visor up, picked up her sidearm, checked the load, and attached it to her right leg plate. She then turned to the cubby behind her armor, retrieved her M45 carbine and a bandoleer of energy magazines, and rapidly loaded them into her waist pouches.
Picking up her rifle in one hand, she looked up. Brian was in his armor and waiting patiently by the door, which stood open. He had attached a slender dagger, about twelve inches long, to his hip. The hilt was made of finely-woven cords, with a small brown tassel hanging from the end; the sheath was rigid, and dark green. It looked old, but well cared for. Interested, Elizabeth made a mental note to ask him about it.
Outside through the open door, she could see the Valkyrie pad through the steady rain. The ground crews were busily disconnecting the power umbilical and removing the safety flags from the engine fan covers. Elise burst out of her room, clad in her light flight armor, followed by Mitch from his.
Elizabeth and Elise traded a glance, and Elise grinned. “Let’s do this. I was getting tired of sitting around, anyway.” The fiery pilot disappeared out the door, headed for the aircraft, immediately trailed by her co-pilot.
Glancing around for Brian, Elizabeth saw him. He had picked up both of their aid bags and was patiently waiting by the door. He motioned towards the exit. “After you, Ma’am.”
Elizabeth moved past him, careful not to hit the doorframe in her power armor, knowing that the thin wood frame would not withstand the impact, and headed towards the Valkyrie.
****
Several minutes later, the Valkyrie was in the air and moving rapidly through the misty sky towards the rendezvous coordinates. The jungle flashed below, green and inscrutable. Elizabeth again marveled for a moment at how much life there was on this world. The Valkyrie hit another pocket of turbulence, and the entire aircraft lurched and bucked precipitously.
Studiously attempting to ignore the fact that the airspeed indicator on her tiny panel showed they were moving at nearly 300 kilometers per hour, and Elise was visible through the small hatch, animatedly describing something using wide waves of both of her arms, Elizabeth turned to Brian. Sliding her helmet visor up, she tapped his armored knee. He popped his up and raised his eyebrows.
She pointed at the knife. “What’s that?”
The inscrutable noncommissioned officer actually looked slightly embarrassed. “It’s a wakizashi—a traditional Japanese short sword that’s been in my family for a very long time. My grandmother insisted I bring it with me. I figured a good blade is always helpful in the jungle.”
Considering this for a moment, Elizabeth responded, “But we were issued combat knives. Why not that?” Brian regarded her for a moment, then sighed.
“I knew you were going to ask about this. Listen, this is part of a set that’s been in my family for a really long time. Every one of us that’s carried it into battle has come home. The fighting in Italy in the Second World War, through Vietnam, the Brushfire Wars, th
e Chinese Front in the Third World War, the Martian Uprisings, all of them. Every Agawa that’s carried it has come home.” He looked down at the hilt, then back up, sheepishly. “Can’t hurt.”
Elizabeth grinned and replied, “Hey, I’m not one to talk. My mother gave me my great-grandmother’s watch before I left. She said it got my grandmother through the Troubles back in the old US. I have it with me, too. There’s nothing wrong with luck. We can all use that.” She sat back, smiling.
There was a hissing though their headsets, then they could hear the aircraft radio come to life. Major Harris’s voice came through the radios. “Valkyrie One, Olympic Station.”
In the front, Captain Winters toggled the radio and responded, “Olympic Station, Valkyrie One.”
“One, I have ground contact for you. Your contact will be ‘Raider Three Five’, on three seven two point five. They will be marking the LZ with a purple smoke rocket. Raider Three Five is requesting search and rescue assets on the ground in hard-shell armor. Per Olympic Actual, you have one-time authorization to operate on the ground. Also, be advised, ground standby is prohibited due to the threat level on the ground. Insert the crew and maintain aerial standby.”
Brian and Elizabeth exchanged a look. Up front, Captain Winters responded, “One, copy that. Insert crew, aerial standby. We’ll be on scene in two minutes. Will advise when the crew is on ground. Valkyrie One out.
Major Harris’s voice came back, “Copy, One. Tell your crew to be safe. We’ll be waiting. Olympic Station out.” From the front, they could hear Elise speaking, “There. At our ten.”
Off to the front left of the aircraft, a purple smoke trail reached into the sky from the jungle. As the aircraft approached, the clearing became apparent. It was bigger than the previous landing zone, but not by much. Captain Winters was on the radio again.