by Kevin Groh
Because he could no longer sleep safely in his dwelling, he had to go outside. Hopefully, the beetles would not follow him there. He limped to the fireplace and tied the rodent’s pieces of fur around his upper arm. He threw the broken jacket around his neck like a scarf and the rest over his head like a hood. He had lost the cap in the water the day before. Since he didn’t know how long it would take to get picked up, he had to take something to eat with him. He tied the beetle’s carcass together with climbing plants and dragged it after him. He lit the second torch on the weak coals and then walked through the jungle. In one hand the fire, in the other he pulled the dead animal behind him. He met some beetles, but all he had to do was wag the flames a little, and they sought out the distance. As the morning brightened and temperatures rose, the insects came back and stung him everywhere. It was a torment as he had no more clothes to prevent it. The ship landed a few hours later where it had unloaded him the previous morning. The image that the recruits and Banes had as Carter approached was unique. Shredded pants, topless, with dried blood everywhere and a tear in the chest, a scarf from the old jacket and fur on his arm, he came trudging towards them. With the knife in one hand and the rope with the dead beetle in the other, he stopped in front of them shortly afterward. Kelly stood next to Banes and looked at him in horror, looking only slightly savaged herself. Leena stared speechlessly and Rod was as new and laughed loudly as he saw Carter’s look. »Hahahaha! Only Carter Sanders manages to turn a night out into a massacre!«, he shouted amusedly.
Even the major looked speechless. To top off the whole performance, which of course he had planned so dramatically on purpose, he threw the dead beetle at Banes‹ feet and said: »Here! I still have breakfast left, if anyone wants.«
Then he just slipped past everyone into the ship. The drama was tangible and he enjoyed the ghostly looks of the others deeply. Onboard, he could take a shower, have his wounds treated and dress again. Then he returned the pieces of metal and the knife to Banes, on which the greenish blood of the beetle was still sticking. The major asked: »What happened to you, Sanders?«
He shrugged his shoulders: »I survived, that‹ s what happened. What am I supposed to say about that?«
Banes just nodded. Many soldiers never talked about their experiences. That made it easier to forget. It seemed as if Carter had had the worst luck. Kelly had also met one of those beetles, but she had run away and hid long enough for help to come. Rod had relaxed comfortably in the snow-covered mountains until the pick-up arrived. He had waited with a bottle of melted snow until the day was over. He had simply starved because the hunt was too dangerous for him. Leena hadn’t even started the exercise because she had always known that she didn’t want to do a job in the field. The others had also been dropped off in areas where there were hardly any animals and half of them had broken off. Nobody had encountered eels, beetles and scaled deer, had built a dwelling or had had to wander through the jungle during thunderstorms. Looking at Banes, Carter now had the feeling that there was some respect in his eyes. The others also looked at him with newly won awe.
The rest of the week was free to reward the strains of survival training. Carter didn’t feel excessively exhausted, but he was happy about the break. As chance would have it, his father contacted him shortly afterward. He had free tickets for the big Utopia semi-final in the shuttle race in New Hamburg and asked if he and some of his friends would like to fly there with him. Of course, he asked them immediately. Kelly was happy to come back from the base with Carter, even if races weren’t her thing. Leena wasn’t really interested in something like this, but she didn’t have anything better to do and one didn’t have to ask Rod twice when it came to cars. So they found themselves in New Hamburg two days after the call. The city was situated near a small mountain range and had a large lake. Both were good reasons for many people to settle there. Usually, it was rather quiet in such a small town because there was little industry there and it was on the border to the green side of the planet. On this day the traffic was, of course, significant because of the race. Magnus had the tickets from a friend at Waver Industries, a manufacturer of acoustic technology and sound systems. He was working on the effect of various sound waves on synthium-coated plastics and had a special device made for it that earned this friend millions. Since Magnus was already looking for opportunities to do something with Carter, the race was the obvious choice. Already during the flight there he had welcomed Leena and Kelly and introduced himself to Roderick.
»Roderick, yes? Aren’t you the one whose red speedster is in my garage? A very nice muscle car, without question. If the new zero filters that are being developed on Earth actually work, then vehicles with internal combustion engines could be registered on Utopia. That would be something, wouldn’t it?«
Kelly said: »For cars from the street era there aren’t enough usable tracks here.«
Rod added: »Moreover, the ban has never stopped me before. I was caught a few times, though. It cost me a small fortune to get the car back from the cops.«
Leena found the subject rather boring, she had never been interested in cars. Carter knew that and talked to her about something else for which she was visibly grateful. The race would start on the outskirts and the special shuttles were modified to float just above the ground so they couldn’t fly shortcuts. A modern and luxurious VIP lounge was located in a dome above the start and finish line. It stood on four metal supports that stretched in a slight arc along the track and were anchored to the floor at the foot of the stands. The normal spectators sat on the steps and cheered. Huge white screens were extended and high-performance projectors lit up the image of the race there. Dozens of cameras at the shuttles as well as drones and fixed track cameras filmed the event from several angles and perspectives.
As soon as the starting shot was fired, they watched as the colorfully painted cars with massive advertising messages on them shot off and turned around a bend a few kilometers further. From then on you had to watch the action on the monitors. In the lounge, there were several screens, an all-inclusive bar, and a restaurant. Of course, they didn’t follow the race all the time. It served more as a backdrop to spend some time together.
Magnus was very curious what had happened to them in the past weeks because he had been on Dao Prime for business and hadn’t noticed anything. They first told him again about the miserable field exercise they had failed completely. Magnus already knew this story from Carter.
»Well, I already told you that no master has fallen from the sky yet. Even all weapons training doesn’t help if you’re not well-rehearsed as a team. That’s what your grandfather used to say.«
Afterward, they told him about the mission on Nirvana and their joint performance. Magnus was very excited.
»There you go! But an exercise for Special Forces? That’s pretty awful to expect you to do that. I mean, I’m proud of you and everything, but it’s still not okay. You were almost being torn to shreds by a kravan? They can’t tell me they would have been in that tunnel in time to get you out. You would have died if you weren’t such a fighter!«
Magnus got even more upset when Carter lifted his shirt to show him the scar. He also saw the not quite healed tear on his chest.
»And what is that?«
Carter told them what had happened to him on Punikah. The others did not yet know the story and listened spellbound. Of course, he reported it soberly as if it was nothing special. It was true that he had been very fortunate, but all were aware of the fact that none of them would have survived. Magnus got upset again because he was convinced that the rescue would have been necessary by the time he had escaped into the creek at the latest.
»You’re so strong, Carter ...«, Kelly said proudly and kissed him on the cheek. He didn’t really know how to react to her behavior. For him, it was just training. Magnus suspected: »You must have this strength from your grandfather. I never heard much about his missions, but his comrades sometimes came to visit and I saw the respec
t in their eyes. I was never particularly strong, which is why I was never in the military. I’ve always been an egghead who loved research.«
He laughed and explained to the questioning faces that Carter’s grandfather Richard was a member of a special mission team. »You’ve always been strong, Dad. After Mother’s death, you pursued your goals because you knew how important your work was. And yet you took as much time as you could to be with me and Zoe. That was certainly not easy for you and you also got this inner strength from grandfather.«, Carter said appreciatively and looked at him.
Magnus didn’t know what to say. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, but he smiled. »I’m pretty worried that at some point you won’t come home from one of those so-called ›field exercises‹. I didn’t realize how hard the recruits were trained. That’s crazy.«
Carter wrinkled his nose as he felt the aching pull in his calf that was still coming from the wound. The experiences had hardened him and he felt stronger and more experienced, somehow more manly than before.
»I am thinking of committing myself after the training. Not because I want to emulate grandfather or because I can’t find anything better. I have noticed that most of the areas in which we are trained are very interesting and fun. And it’s cool to be out and about with all this equipment. The danger ... I’ve never felt so awake and alive. I’m also fascinated by the idea of discovering new unknown worlds with a reconnaissance team. I think that’s the right thing for me.«
Magnus sighed and nodded slowly. »I had already thought that this would happen. You know, secretly I was always a little sad that my way led me to a lab and then to an office. Don’t get me wrong, kids, I like my life and I’m proud of my achievements. I have helped many people with that. But a part of me would also like to be out there. See what my father saw. Feel what he felt when he left us at home to go on an adventure trip. I wanted to understand him. But this life was never meant for me. So I am very proud of you despite all my worries, my son. If you want to do what I could not, I will support you in whatever way I can.«
Kelly listened to them smiling, but Leena and Rod looked away and thought of other things, for this conversation reminded them that they had lost their families.
»What’s bothering you?«, Carter asked them.
Rod shrugged his shoulders: »My parents were never this open or compassionate. And when they died, it was more of a concept for me. Family. I never really had it and at some point, I didn’t need it anymore.«
Magnus contradicted: »Nonsense! Every boy needs a father. And what yours could no longer do, you are missing now. Someone who tells you how stupid it is to run an illegal garage in such a dangerous part of New Denver and how risky driving illegal cars is. You would not have listened, moaned or ignored it, but inside you would have known that there is someone who cares about you. This feeling is priceless and absolutely important.«
Leena stared at the empty plate in front of her. »With me, it was a little different. I had already told you that my parents were still alive. They are simple workers and were never really interested in me. I think I was merely the result of tax consideration. There wasn’t much love. My mother is not too maternal and the kind of affection that my father gave me I don’t wish for anyone.«
Kelly looked at her questioningly and Leena said: »I was abused if the innuendos were just not clear enough. For several years. My father invested his wages in alcohol, and my mother hated him. Since she often didn’t come home at all but stayed with her new boyfriend, whom we all knew she had, I had to serve as a replacement. This is why I ran away.«
Everyone at the table was quiet and looked around uncomfortably.
Magnus spoke: »I will not ask you for details, nor will I try to sugarcoat it. I don’t want to know his name either, because even if he were arrested and condemned, it would ultimately bring you more pain than satisfaction. I respect your strength. You’ve become harder, but it doesn’t seem to have broken you as much as it would have done to others. Your parents both failed to be there for you. But you need a role model, just like all of us. A person who cares about you and tells you when you do something stupid. I suppose you don’t value it yourself and maybe don’t want it either, but there’s a hole deep inside you. I am glad that you both have found friends.
Carter has told me a lot about you and I think his opinion of you is very high. I am not your father, but if you ever need an open ear ... I will listen. I know how painful it is not to have a father and if I can be even a little help to make you feel less lost, then I will do it. That is important to me. Just think about it, that’s all I’m asking for.«
Carter looked at his father in astonishment. Rod and Leena looked agitated and several times it seemed as if they wanted to say something, but they did not. Kelly was quiet and had her hand on Carter’s leg where she stroked him. Magnus cleared his throat and said:
»Well, I think we’ve had enough serious topics for today. What do you think of a load of big, juicy burgers with a mountain of fries?«
This woke them from their trance because they had gotten quite hungry and when the promised plate came full of burgers, they threw themselves at it like a horde of wolves. Rod and Leena became more talkative again and they chatted about all sorts of topics. Carter noticed Magnus asking them questions about their preferences and interests. He tried to get to know them and build a base. The two didn’t notice his intentions but raved about their hobbies and you could see how they liked him more and more. He was an excellent businessman and mastered rhetoric and many negotiations and persuasion techniques. If you didn’t know how to use it, you often didn’t notice. Carter had read books on the subject and similar techniques when he was in puberty.
His father liked to use it on him to get him to do something. In order to recognize such tricks and to escape them, he had taught himself the whole thing. For this reason, he noticed the small keywords in Magnus‹ statements. He appreciated that his father did this because both Rod and Leena urgently needed positive experiences. In the meantime, they watched the racing shuttles roar through the narrow canyons of the bedrock, performing daring overtaking maneuvers. The cheering of the crowd kept coming up to them.
Carter had the impression that everything in his education and private life was gradually improving. The relationship with his father was constantly good, the romance with Kelly became more and more intimate, the friendship with Leena and Rod also became stronger and stronger and the lessons became more demanding day by day. This made it harder for some of them, but for him, it felt as if the exciting times were just beginning. The training accelerated.
Consequences
Although they had regular field exercises and Carter and his group mastered them better every time, there was still much to learn. They repeatedly lost to other teams and made mistakes, but in the meantime, they learned their lesson. The classes also did not become less, but there were constantly new topics and increasingly complex requirements. They were no longer the pathetic beginners Banes had called a failure on their first day. Overall, the major’s behavior had improved in the past weeks. He was still an asshole, no question, but he insulted them less and seemed to have developed a minimum of respect. They could repeatedly prove to him that they had learned and he seemed to approve of that.
But that didn’t save them from his paintball bullets on the hell trail. However, there were fewer of them because they were improving all the time. Since Billy’s imprisonment, they were an even number and there were no more lone fighters, so they could train more effectively in teams of two. This also affected their morale and despite the tougher demands of the instructors, the mood was good.
Major Dunn and Kwax introduced them together to the world of heavy weapons used in particularly extreme situations. From rocket launchers to fire- and cold-based guns to a cannon that fired miniaturized nuclear bombs.
Leena said: »I find it absolutely unthinkable that the government would misuse beneficial technologies like this cryog
enics to extinguish fires as weapons.«
»But it was expectable, wasn’t it? The military looks at every technology with the question in mind of how to use it for war.«, Urma responded. Tim said: »At least the good guys have these weapons.«
»The good guys? Do you really believe that? They only let us believe that we are fighting for the good. The lies of the government do not exactly testify to morality and ethical reflection. We are only used to satisfy the disagreements and greed of others. Slaves, that’s all we are.«, she snorted frustratedly.
Carter and Rod raised their eyebrows and went out for dinner with Kelly because when Leena started her tirades against the government, it took a while and they wanted enough time for dessert. When they were back at the table, Kelly pondered: »Imagine that ... you hold a weapon in your hands that has the power to destroy an entire small town. Influencing life and death on such a devastating scale should be impossible for any person.«
»I don’t know if I could pull the trigger when I’m ordered to. There really would have to be a lot at stake.«, Carter thought out loud.
Rod said: »Oh, you know, I think I’d like to fire a mini-nuke on an uninhabited world. It must be a unique feeling to exercise so much power ...«
So they continued to philosophize until they had eaten and had to go back to the shooting range. Kwax was no longer present, but Dunn still seemed to be in a good mood.
»There’s nothing like a big, long, thick weapon in your hands that fires a decent load when touched properly.«, she laughed ambiguously. »The day is not over yet, we have another great topic to discuss before the weekend approaches. One word: explosives. You’ve practiced with grenades and heard of several ways to blow things up, but today there are more details.«