by Lucas Marcum
****
Several hours later, Elizabeth was awoken by a gentle hand shaking her. “Ma’am. Time to go. The bird’s ready.” Blinking rapidly, Elizabeth rolled over and sat up. The soldier shaking her made sure she was up, then, with a nod, disappeared. Across from her in the hastily placed tent, Brian was also sitting up. Elizabeth looked at him. He shrugged and indicated their power armor, standing open at the door of the tent. While they had slept, someone had cleaned off the exterior of the bulky armored suits and placed them both on a portable charging unit. Sighing with disgust at the thought of climbing back into it, Elizabeth stood up, feeling her muscles screaming in protest.
Beside her, Brian said, “I feel like I got hit by a truck. I haven’t spent that long in a suit since I was in the infantry.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah. That sucked. We shouldn’t be in them as long today, though. Fast run over, fifty minutes or so. Once we get dropped, we can get out of them, hopefully.”
Brian responded sourly, “IF everything goes right. Which doesn’t seem to be the way things are going.”
Laughing, Elizabeth moved towards her suit. “Well, you’re unusually salty this afternoon, ‘Master Sergeant’.”
Shooting a dark look at her, Brian moved to his armor and, backing into it, activated the seals. Laughing, Elizabeth followed his lead and backed into her armor. She activated the seals and sighed with disgust as the suit folded closed around her. Feeling the familiar, subliminal whine as the suit powered up, she ran her eyes over the system indicators.
Satisfied with what she was seeing, she clicked on the comm. “Brian, you good?”
Brian’s calm tone came back, “Yes, Ma’am. Green across the board.” Turning to face him, she could see him carefully slinging the sword across his back.
Gesturing towards the sword, she asked, “Does that go with the knife?”
With a reproachful look he replied, “It’s a wakizashi, not a knife. And yes. It’s a set.”
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth replied, “Oh relax, will you? I’m teasing. Man, you’re grouchy!”
He grunted and responded, “Ma’am, I need a cup of coffee, a hot meal, and to be out of this fucking armor for a few hours.” He paused and checked his sidearm, then his rifle. He then grabbed his aid bag and slung it on his back. Elizabeth did the same.
Making sure her gear was all in place, she nodded firmly at him. “Ok. Let’s go.”
The two stood and left the tiny tent, crossed the twenty meters to the Valkyrie, and moved to the rear. The engines were already started, so they made their way to the rear ramp and climbed aboard.
The rear was as full of equipment as the ground crews could pack it, with hard-sided cases of medical equipment stacked as high as possible. Catching sight of them, Lieutenant Wilkowsky nodded cheerfully from his side seat and motioned them aboard. He then pointed at a thermos that had been carefully strapped into the pile of gear and said, “Help yourself. It was made over an honest-to-god campfire.” Elizabeth grinned and nodded thanks, and climbed into the aircraft.
Squeezing through, Elizabeth and Brian made their way to the jump seats against the forward bulkhead and strapped in. Checking her belts, she looked up at Wilkowsky. He was checking the function of the rotary lascannon folded in next to his seat. Looking up and seeing her watching, he shrugged. “Like you said, Ma’am. They’re unpredictable little bastards. Best to be ready.”
She grinned and glanced at Brian. His head was already back against the headrest, and he was fast asleep. She shook her head in amusement at her partner. He was nothing if not predictable. Smothering a yawn, she said, “Lieutenant, wake me up about five minutes before we get there. I want to see this place from the air.”
The young man nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. I will.” Elizabeth leaned her head back against the bulkhead and fell into a deep sleep as the Valkyrie lifted off.
About fifty minutes later, Elizabeth woke to Lieutenant Wilkowsky tapping her knee. He held up five fingers. Linking into the comm system, she could hear the pilots up front, cheerfully and intently arguing about…pasta sauce, apparently.
The pilot in command, Major Ross ‘Rocco’ Genova, was animatedly describing the spicing process for a particular style of pasta sauce. His co-pilot, Captain Jeremy ‘Icepick’ Moretti, apparently vehemently disagreed.
As Elizabeth listened, Rocco proclaimed loudly, “So you see that’s why you use the three tablespoons of paprika and a tablespoon of crushed red pepper…”
Jeremy interrupted him, “No. No, no, no. Seriously? What are you, a savage? Who in their right mind uses three tablespoons? Are you trying to give people heartburn? That’s way too much, it’s all about finesse…”
Grinning, Elizabeth keyed her mic and spoke, “Major Genova, I hate to interrupt this scintillating conversation, but I have a request.”
With a glower at his co-pilot, Rocco responded, “Sure thing, Ma’am. What can we do for you?” He mouthed at his co-pilot silently, “This isn’t over.” The other man just grinned at him.
Sitting up straighter in her seat, Elizabeth requested, “You mind making a couple circuits around the operating base, so Master Sergeant Agawa and I can get a look at the place from the air?”
Rocco replied cheerfully, “Sure, Ma’am. Not a problem at all. I bet it’ll be nice to get out of the thick of that jungle for a bit, eh?”
Grimacing, the nurse replied, “Sir, you don’t know the half of it.”
The Valkyrie started a gentle bank to the right. Elizabeth could see the area they were calling ‘The Box’.
From the air, it wasn’t too impressive. In the vast sea of green that comprised the jungle, the Box stood out as a patch of bare earth. Located on a small, north-south oriented plateau, the ground gently sloped up and poked out of the jungle. The slope was just steep enough to make it visibly higher than the surrounding terrain. The plateau was about three quarters of a mile long, half a mile wide, and was broken up by several small, but noticeable, hills, one on each end of the plateau. Elizabeth noted the small hills, the northern being steeper and much more rugged, with boulders scattered around the slopes and crest of the hill. In between the hills, in the middle of the plateau, there was another, almost perfectly rounded hill. All around the plateau, the ground gently sloped into the jungle as the undergrowth got taller, until it merged into the trees. Elizabeth could see where the Marines had cleared the undergrowth out a couple hundred yards from the plateau, making a clear demarcation between the cleared areas and the jungle.
Elizabeth could hear Rocco explaining what she was looking at.
“So, Ma’am, that there big one on the north is Hill 302, and the one on the south is Hill 220. That round thingamabob in the middle is technically Hill 185, but everyone’s calling it the Knob.” He moved the big aircraft lower, started another orbit, and continued speaking.
“The aid station is next to the Knob, and so are the landing pads. The far side of the Knob is the primary supply depot. The Jarheads got defensive lines, wire and plas-crete retaining walls in place on the long sides of the plateau, and are dug in like termites on those hills, despite the fact that there’s no line units here, just support units. The Marine colonel in charge of this dump is one paranoid son of a bitch. There hasn’t been any Elai activity in this area for six months, but whatever. His circus, his monkeys.”
Elizabeth said, “Ok. Seen enough, Brian?” The stolid NCO nodded. Elizabeth continued, “Thanks, Rocco. You can take us down.”
The big aircraft came around again. Elizabeth could now make out details of the base. Tents here, lines of plas-crete barriers there, and the landing pads. A Valkyrie was visible rising from the pad. Elizabeth could hear the air to air radio in her headset.
“One, this is Two. I’m on short final, approaching from your nine ‘o clock, heading for Pad One.”
Fury’s voice came back clear and calm, “Copy Two. We have you in sight. You’d better be nice to my crew, Rocco, or I’m gonna bust your ass.”
/> The two pilots in the front of Valkyrie Two exchanged an amused glance, then Rocco keyed his radio again, “You know we are, Ma’am.” With an evil smirk at his co-pilot, he spoke again, “In fact, Icepick was thinking of asking the major on a date.” Elizabeth laughed, as she could hear the captain in the co-pilot’s seat spluttering an incoherent denial.
Elise’s calm voice came back over the radio, “Roger that, Two. I recommend proceeding with extreme caution. If Major Suarez is hurt, I can promise you the Elai will be the least of the captain’s worries.”
There was a momentary pause, and Elizabeth could hear Rocco laughing as Fury continued, “Now if you’re done screwing around, I’m making another run, and then will set down at Olympic Station for the night. You stay on station here. Fly safe. Valkyrie One, out.”
Rocco keyed his mic. “Roger, Valkyrie One. You be safe, too, Ma’am. Valkyrie Two, clear.” Keying the intercom, he spoke to the crew. “Ok, short final. Here we go.”
Pulling the big aircraft into a tight spiral, he made his way to the pad, corkscrewing down, then jauntily flaring the aircraft before gently setting it down. Feeling the slight bump, then hearing the whining of the engines powering down, Elizabeth released her belts and looked at Brian.
“Well, Brian. Ready for this shitshow?”
He shrugged and answered nonchalantly, “No, but when has the Army ever had us do anything we were really ready for?”
Elizabeth laughed merrily. “That’s the truth! Ok, let’s go.” Standing up, she moved to the side door, squeezed past Lieutenant Wilkowsky, who was securing his mounted weapon in its storage locker and putting on his aid bag. Dropping out the side door, she stepped forward a few feet, and turned to see Rocco and Icepick climbing out behind her. Rocco was smirking at his co-pilot, who was turning beet red at the sight of Elizabeth.
Seeing her there, the young man spluttered, “Ma’am, I’m really sorry, I was only…”
Elizabeth stepped close to him and planted a kiss in his cheek, letting her lips linger for a few seconds. She then whispered in his ear, “You’re cute. No to the date, but you’re cute. Now play along.” She stepped back and spoke in a voice that carried to the men standing nearby, “And don’t you forget it, Captain.” She gave him mock glare, turned, and sauntered away, leaving the stunned young man standing by the nose of aircraft, while Rocco stood with his mouth hanging open at what he’d just seen.
Walking towards a Marine lance corporal in light combat armor waiting patiently by the edge of the pad, Brian said, “You know, Ma’am, you can never give me shit about tormenting lieutenants again. What I do is positively wholesome compared to that. That was just evil.”
Elizabeth laughed and replied, “Brian! You have daughters! This is just a preview!”
The older man grimaced. “Ma’am, they’re three, seven, and nine. They don’t do that yet, but god help me when they do.” He nodded at the young enlisted marine waiting for them. “Lance.”
The young Marine grinned. “Welcome to the Box, Valkyries. The command post is this way, and Colonel Piasecki is waiting. He’s got you an area set up for your ops center and wants to make sure you have what you need. Follow me, Ma’am, Master Sergeant.”
The two followed the young Marine for several minutes, taking in the organized chaos of the area. Massive data uplinks were nearby, as was a small medium tactical reactor, which was capable of producing a tremendous amount of power. Crates were stacked everywhere, containing everything from emergency rations, to ammunition, to spare parts. Marines hustled back and forth, driving small tractors, carrying equipment, or opening and inventorying boxes.
They could see the base was organized roughly into four quadrants, with a clear road running north-south and east-west, bisecting the base in both directions, the roads intersecting at the Knob. Plas-crete blast barriers stood, outlining the perimeter of the installation, with a broad step on the inside for fire teams. Watch towers were spaced every hundred yards or so, with alert Marines walking the walls, their eyes trained out. Heavy Mark 30 lascannons were visible in the towers, and cases of loiter drones were ready to open and launch at a moment’s notice.
Brian nodded at the walls and guards. “They weren’t kidding. For an administrative and logistic base that’s supposed to be in a secure area, this place is a fortress.”
Elizabeth considered this as she eyed the defensive works. Suddenly she spoke up, declaring, “I don’t like this. Not at all. It reminds me of Desolation.”
Brian frowned slightly and asked, “How so?”
She made a noncommittal gesture. “I can’t articulate it. It just feels…tense. Like something’s going to happen.” Brian nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t reply.
The young Marine leading them came to a standard UEA command post—a chest-deep pit dug into the ground, plas-crete reinforced walls, and nanofiber camouflage tenting over the top of it. He gestured towards the ramp sloping down and said, “Master Sergeant, Ma’am. Colonel Piasecki is inside.”
Entering the pit, they could hear a soft, raspy voice speaking in a commanding tone, “Frankly, Major, I don’t give a shit. I’m short officers, as well as not having any line troops. You went to Recon school, and that makes you the most experienced Marine officer here, save myself and that head-injured lieutenant in the aid station. Now, you have your orders. Carry them out.”
Elizabeth could hear a familiar voice respond, “Yes, Sir. Should I tell Colonel Assad I’ve been reassigned?”
The raspy voice responded, “Son, it was his idea. Now get your ass up there and get busy. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Her eyes adjusting to the dim light, she could see Tony as he faced a figure in a Marine battle uniform in the light, unpowered armor everyone was wearing. The figure was standing at a small table with his back to them, with Tony across from him. Tony nodded at the colonel, then heading for the door, gave Elizabeth a wry smile. “Major Suarez.”
With a return smile, she responded, “Major Harris.” Moving up to the table, Elizabeth and Brian saw the figure turn, and paused.
In the dim light of the command post, the man’s face looked like a nightmare. Half of his face looked normal; calm, strong, and everything you’d expect in a Marine officer. The other half was a mass of glinting steel—skeletal and grinning, with a single sensor lens where his eye used to be, that stared unblinking at them. The man regarded them for a moment, unsmiling, then gestured to the other side of the table. He spoke in a gentle, raspy voice that belied his fearsome visage.
“Welcome to the Box. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Piasecki, current commander of the 5th Marine Division Administrative Support Base. You must be Major Suarez and Sergeant Agawa. Come on in, I’ll get you up to speed.” He paused and offered a hand to shake. “Glad to meet you. Don’t mind the face. It’s a souvenir from an energy grenade tossed by one of our friends out there back on Ceti IV. I find it’s a hell of a conversation starter.”
The senior officer chuckled at his own joke, then gestured towards the tactical display on the table. Stabbing a finger into the holo display, he spoke in a low, intense voice, “Major General Holmes thinks I’m crazy, but I think we’re in a hell of a jam. Look.”
Indicating a spot on the map, he said, “See this? That was Support Base Olympic. This here was Athens, and that was Hammerfall. All of ‘em now smashed to shit and unusable due to the soil liquefaction from the earthquake.”
Tapping the map, the Marine officer continued, “That leaves us here, with the nearest reinforcements two hundred clicks away at Spearpoint, and that’s just a detachment of engineers.” He paused, then continued, indicating another area, “This here is the First Battalion area, and they’re five hundred clicks away.”
He looked up at them, the lens of his artificial eye glinting, and the skeletal steel of his face flashing, “Now, I’m just a half-broken, paranoid old Marine, but that leaves a whole hell of a lot of jungle holding who knows what out there, and if we lose our air connection to these other
guys, we could be in deep shit here in a hurry.”
Stepping forward and looking at the display, Brian said, “Where do you need us, Sir?”
Colonel Piasecki tapped a key, and the display zoomed in on the installation. Poking a finger at an area, he replied, “Right here. That enough space? Assuming we can get one of your operating rooms out of the mud, that area’s flat, got power, and is sheltered from direct fire.”
He paused and grinned, the prosthetic half haunting and skeletal in contrast with the impish grin on the flesh half of his face. “In any case, it’s where you’re gonna be, because that’s all the space I have. Your supplies are heading there now. It’s the Charlie Med; you do what you need to beef it up.”
He regarded them for a moment, then asked suddenly, “You two eat yet?” Brian and Elizabeth shook their heads. The colonel turned and spoke to a nearby Marine, “Major Mecham.” A stone-faced officer looked up from his console. The colonel continued, “Get these two a meal and a place to rack, then get them over to the Charlie Med. Make sure they have what they need.” He turned back to the two Valkyrie crewman. “Unless there’s anything else, get to work.”
In unison, Elizabeth and Brian replied, “No, sir.”
Major Mecham stood and said, “Ma’am, Master Sergeant. Follow me.”
As they left the command post, they could hear Colonel Piasecki speaking to the young radio operator nearby, “Now, tell me again about this interference we’re having” There was an inaudible reply, then the colonel responded, “Increasing, huh? Well, do we still have comms to the Shiva? Interesting…”
The three stepped outside. The sun was low in the western sky, and the air was very still. The base bustled around them as they made their way towards the tents that made up the dining facility.
-20-