“It’s ‘cus Becks can shout further than this piece of shit—”
“Lee! Watch your fucking mouth!” Becky yelled at Lee from a hundred feet away.
“You watch yours!” he raised his voice, emboldened by physical distance.
“That’s an order! Not a word out of you until I say otherwise!”
“But—”
Becky fumbled for the item at her neck. Even separated by distance Lee could feel the ire radiating off her small form. It burned hotter than the suns above and threatened to turn him to ash. She gritted her teeth and asked, “What did I say?”
Lee gulped, then clicked his microphone and said, “Ma’am.” After which he said nothing else for a good two minutes.
“Ya ’all should just fuck and get that there tension resolved,” Bill said with the same infuriating calmness. “Maybe then you’d focus on something useful.”
Becky ignored Bill’s commentary. Johnson wisely kept his mouth shut. Lee beamed and thought the solution would help everyone—but only after they figured out what was left from his explosives. He believed a man should have priorities. He also believed that wingmen should be rewarded for helping.
Johnson, Becky, and Lee made it up the hill where the subjectively useless colony member stood waving. His face was green and the man’s throat kept gulping to swallow back bile. The colony member gestured at a pile of goo and gore.
Two people were unquestionably dead, along with the bodies of three large birds and a mass of formerly squirming worms. Scorch marks embedded the landscape from Lee’s sky mines. The soldier’s cheeks were rosy with a dizzying level of happiness. He clapped for himself while studying the dead enemies.
Becky glared at him then shook her head.
“Who put out these explosives?” Johnson asked.
“I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count,” Becky said without even looking at the mess. She glared at the skyline, searching for more of the giant birds. There were more, but far outside the colony’s safe zone. Becky worried that Lee might have been right.
“Bill, I need a scan of the area. Do you have anything?”
“Shore. Somewhere abouts here. Lemme see what the ol’ eye saw.”
Becky lifted her goggles and pinched the bridge of her nose. She resisted the urge to yell by recalling that her daughter Bell sat on the communications line. Never mind the rest of the colony that shouldn’t hear their leader lose her cool.
“It’s looking like those big old birds snatched up the two—”
“While they were bumpin’ uglies,” Lee muttered under his breath.
“Mid coitus.” Bill said.
Lee silently fist pumped and danced around. His body still coursed with energy from the large explosions and resulting wreckage below.
Bill continued the recap with mildly graphic detail. They had been flown away from where they’d been ‘bumping uglies’ by a giant bird raid. This time the creatures took away two more beefclops, as well as lesser prey. They flew high above Lee’s sky mines on the way in, but because of the heavy load they flew into the explosives while exiting.
Which, as Bill phrased it, is why they found the others “in a pile of dirty giblets dat my momma shore wouldn’t ‘priciate being left in the front room.”
The mess of guts covered a quarter mile of land. Pieces of the same bird’s wings were separated then cast to either side of the impact zone. Their two missing colonists were a pile of charred clothes and twisted flesh that made Johnson run over the hill to retch.
“Why attack us now?” Johnson asked over the communication channel. The sound of additional vomiting clicked off as he self muted.
“Why attack us at all?” Becky threw out her hands at the mess. “We studied the ecology of this planet before landing. It had everything, food, water, the right air. There was nothing about, whatever those are.”
“Parasites,” Lee said then spit on the ground. “Fought ‘em before.”
Becky tilted her head at the soldier as her eyes went wide. “I thought I ordered you to shut the hell up, soldier.” Her body shook with annoyance.
He shrugged then leveled his gun toward the wreckage. Becky moved slower to pull her weapon, and pointed it at Lee instead. The soldier fired, sending plasma spitting into a slowly moving tendril of alien creature. It died without sound and Lee shot a few more blasts into the bird’s side, frying more of the nasty creatures.
“You know what these are?”
Lee nodded, but remembered to shut the hell up.
“Can we stop them?”
He looked at the sky and tried to remember the last time there’d been an infestation. These creatures traveled in seed pods from planet to planet. In most cases they invaded local wide life and used them as hosts. If he had enough of his squad members and full regalia this planet could be cleared in a few days. Now, though, it would take too much.
He shook his head then fired again at the largest deceased bird. Its chest cavity stopped moving from the wiggles of worms inside.
“Iff’in you’ll have my humble opinion; we need to pull chalks and vacate right pronto. I seen these things before, like’un Lee says, they ain’t good. They infest everything. Protocol is to scoot and let the army solve dis one.” Bill laid out all the reasons Lee would have used with far more politeness.
The soldier threw both hands up. His gun slinked around on the shoulder strap. He mouthed words to himself that no one else tried to lip read. Had Becky or anyone else tried, they would hear a large amount of variations on “I told you so.”
“Great,” Becky said while sighing. Her body dipped and fingers pressed on throbbing temples.
Bill offered another suggestion, “We might be able to hunker down till they come but I ain’t gonna feel right until then. That’d be, wut, four months? I dun think we got four months. The radar is pinging more as we speak.”
She flicked the switch to her communication channel and linked the audio to every other speaker. “Alright. Everyone take a poll on the following. The planet has obviously become dangerous. We either stay and fight, or cut our losses and end up in the red. Pay will be docked accordingly but lives may be saved. Vote closes in four hours.”
Lee’s mouth gaped but said he nothing.
Becky shook her head at the mess. “Not a goddamn word from you until we get back to base. There you can run your mouth all you want. Until then, clean up this shit. Make sure none of those—things—can endanger us.”
He nodded. As Becky rode a bike back to base, Lee proceeded to torch everything in sight. Despite the severity of the situation, he wore a smile. The ember of his lit cigar paled next to the scorched remains.
Part VII
Lee wasn’t afraid. He believed Becky would soon cave and let him equip his gear. He knew once he got his armor the old feelings of simplicity and nigh invulnerability would return. All the best devices humankind could pack into an exoskeleton would keep him alive and firing until the enemy breathed no more.
That was what the United Planets had turned him into, a murder machine. His father would have argued, saying Lee was born with a soul of darkness like his mother. He would have been partially right. The army simply polished the rest until it worked like a guided missile of havoc and destruction.
He prayed to whatever gods his father swore by that he might get some real action soon. The farming and cattle watching had dulled his mind.
While Lee charred the remains and sought divine intervention against boredom, others made their peace with the upcoming changes. The vote had closed and the results were clear. The colony outpost would be folding up and returning to orbit.
Johnson rushed to his office and recorded a message to his family. Digital feeds would reach the core worlds faster than Johnson’s physical self.
“Hey, Elly. It’s your little brother! By the time you get this we’ll be almost home,” Johnson said while facing a camera. “We had to leave because of these Class A threats. Apparently thi
s backwater planet was infested, so everyone’s worried about the natives. Two people died and a good deal of our livestock is gone.” The heavyset man’s lips faltered and cheeks dropped.
He managed to regain a smile. “Anyway, I think we can get a ride after a few days in orbit. Then it’s interstellar travel, settling the bill, and customs. Uhhhh.” He stretched his arm then scratched behind his ear. “I really called to see if there’s a place for me to crash in about six months? This message might not reach you with enough time, but I don’t know how soon I can find a new job. I think we’re going to lose some investment.
“I know you said it was stupid, that a frontier would never be worthwhile, but I thought it was a chance to make something…” Johnson rambled. He struggled to stay calm, but the image of two dead people sat with him and he had to pause the video to throw up once more.
During the four hour vote, many around the colony made preparations. They talked, and the outcome had been clear from the get go. Their voting was only a formality. Some mechanically went about packing objects. A few took pictures of the landscape, creating final memories of a frontier that had been too much for them. One man sat on top of the southern building and stared out with an angry glare.
Bill was in his garage and broke down vehicles along with other devices. In most cases, they were simple and folded into box-like shapes for easy transport. Every machine he could fit into the building would be another dollar saved. Eventually, a huge freighter would fly in, grab onto the roof, and zoom off without ever touching ground. They’d have to collapse the two other buildings and mount the guns too. Their defenses were riskier, however, and hadn’t been designed to be air lifted without assistance.
The colonists had weight limits on their personal belongings. A lot of luggage wouldn’t go into orbit with the main building. People parsed through objects and crammed belongings into bunks. The amount of room they had to live in would be significantly reduced upon departure.
By the time Lee returned, people were unhappy. They’d grouped in a clear spot outside the main living quarters. The building itself showed signs of being dismantled. Portions of the walls and extra rooms were rolling back into their original positions. Eventually, the four main housing units would be compact and ready to lift off into orbit.
“What are we going to do?” Ed asked.
“What can we do?” Ted echoed.
Becky shook her head at the assembled gathering. “The next supply ship’s two months away. Even if we get back into orbit there’s no one to pick us up. I sent out a general distress signal but we could be grabbed by raiders just as easily as United Planets troops.”
“We can make it back to a port station under our own power. We’ve got the food and fuel,” someone in the crowd said. Lee thought the woman’s name wasn’t worth remembering, so he didn’t. She wore a meaner face than Becky and drank. Lee didn’t believe in drinking.
“You mean if we manage to keep a clear landing pad. How are we going to do that with those things outside?” another man said.
“I suggest we shoot them all,” Lee said. “Someone give me my gun! Give me my gun and I’ll solve all our woes!”
“No!” Becky jabbed a finger at the grumpy man.
“I’m tired of pussy footing around! I got the gear, why can’t I go shoot them?”
“Because! You all, I want this place ready to lift off in two hours!” Becky shouted at Johnson and the others. “Buckle down everything that moves, get everything we can safely grab inside, and prepare this ship to fly!”
“But buildings three and four can’t fly,” Johnson said.
“Our kitchen,” the redheads complained in unison.
The building rocked as something huge buzzed overhead. Automated defenses on top of the building fired a few rounds but hit nothing.
“Two hours. The satellites show these creatures coming from all over the planet, out of the goddamn woodwork, and we need to leave in two hours.”
“There’s that many?” Ted asked.
“That’s a lot,” Ed said.
“I assume it’s because we showed our willingness to fight back, but despite Lee’s provocation, it’s clear this would have ended the same way. He”—Becky closed her eyes tightly then spoke words that made her boil—“was right. Fighting back only sped up the inevitable.”
“This is Lee’s fault,” the redheads complained.
Bill, who’d been listening remotely, clicked onto the intercom then said, “A righteous man might blame god, but for mah part, I’m blaming the United Planets for not keepin’ their scans up ta date.”
“Mister Custard, I expect a status update and assessment on how much time we have left. You’re the soldier, and this is why you’re paid. Afterward, you will report to my chambers.”
As ordered, he went to inspect the guns. He agreed with her and believed a man needed to have his priorities straight. When the enemy was at the gate, bickering could be saved for later. He raised a hand to block out sunlight. A swarm of creatures sat far in the distance, perched on every surface available. Lee calmly scanned the radar feeds and the sheer number of attractive red dots to be shot down made him grin gleefully. The colony’s defensive turrets were focused and ready to fire.
His sound judgement to the colonists amounted to the following, “We’re fucked. Make use of the last few hours to put your collective heads between your legs and kiss your asses good-bye.”
The colonists worked faster instead.
Part VIII
Lee stomped down the narrowed hallways of the building. The most recent in a chain of endless cigars sat between his lips. He swished it around—aching to light up the stogie and puff through the local Armageddon in relative happiness. Nicotine didn’t provide the same release firing a gun did, but it helped kill time until someone caved and approved his request for real guns.
People shuffled by carrying cargo to the other building. They gave the soldier as much space as the hallway allowed. Belongings were boxed up then put into thin closets. Weight balances mattered when leaving orbit. Once the ship lifted off everything not bolted down would risk sliding around.
The soldier pressed the buzzer for Becky’s room. The door opened and only showed one light. Lee sniffed the air. A different smell to normal, one that he couldn’t place, wafted out of the room. He pulled at the cigar and checked to see if it had lit, or if he had picked a brand that gave off a vanilla scent.
“Becks? What did you want?”
“Come in,” she said with a firm voice.
He stepped inside, then froze at the sight. She had heels on. Tall, black platforms that added three inches of height. Solid latex hugged foot to thigh on an otherwise naked leg. The cigar fell as his mouth gaped. His gaze leisurely traveled up her body.
“Someone’s being a bad soldier,” Becky said. Her hands unclasped a bra, and it dropped to the floor along with the rest of her garments. Lee hadn’t made it to her face yet, but he could hear the smirk. “If you won’t listen to orders, then I’ll just have to make you listen.”
Lee paused at her trimmed bush and tried to get his mind working right. He asked the first stupid question to register, “Does this have to do with my gun—”
“Kneel!”
Lee’s mouth attempted to work as his knees buckled. Orders from a superior officer, however tiny in stature, were to be obeyed. It was conditioned in him after decades of war. His arms stayed listless as the gears in his brain caught on to the situation.
“Stay,” she ordered while walking around him.
The door behind Lee closed.
He turned his head.
“You want your gun?” Becky asked.
Lee figured out what the scent was and started to react. His mind still hadn’t caught up, but he was smart enough to nod.
She stepped in front, presenting Lee a very clear picture of her current state of undress. Her legs spread slightly. Becky said, “Then I expect you to work for it.”
His gaze mad
e it further up. From their close angle, he could see the edge of patches just below her shoulder. Three markings for different types of stimulus. One of them, The Chair, was a patch like the Happy Patch, only it helped keep a person driven and focused. The patch often provided clarity and a strong desire to order people around.
The combination often made her emotions a hot mess. Adding a Heart Throb would unbalance her until everything inside burned out from pleasurable exhaustion. However none of them were active, most patches only needed one additional element before they kicked in; saliva.
Lee gulped. Becky grabbed one of his fingers and lifted it to her mouth. The journey was short due to their height difference. The entire time she stared right at him, and Lee stared back in awe as all his wildest dreams were forgotten in a fog. She slipped his finger into her mouth, teasing him with her tongue.
“Becks?” he asked from miles away.
Becky grabbed Lee’s jaw with her other hand. His stubble laden cheeks lightly scraped against her thumb while she got purchase. Her foot planted straight on his muscled thigh and she drove it down making him wince.
“No more talking,” she ordered him.
He knew the difference. Lee’s eyes widened as he nodded in agreement. A few inches to the left and that little stunt would have caused him anguish, but instead he found himself harder than ever.
Becky placed his wet finger on the patches. Saliva activated the markings. A rainbow of colors flared to life. She gasped and the smell from earlier flourished. The contact high hit him too. Because of his conditioning as a soldier, patches were often effective.
“We’ve no time for foreplay. Get undressed,” she ordered him.
Becky paid no attention to his struggles at figuring out how to get pants off while kneeling. He managed to disrobe in record time. She commanded him to the small bed where she moved to lie back. He did, while his brain continued to process the effects of her patches.
“Good boy. Now do as you’re told, now you may enter me. Move slowly,” Becky ordered. She knew what worked for her and frantic was not it. Steady, well controlled, and at the right angle from a man who followed orders to the letter. Lee did as commanded. Becky smiled and tilted her head back then heaved her chest. The soldier watched her motion which caused his hips to falter slightly.
Ember of War Page 3