by Andrew Beery
“I’m game,” she said. “But… and this is a big but… You,” she poked a finger at my suit’s chest plate, “owe me a drink and a steak on our first joint leave. Deal?”
Who am I to say no to an offer like that?
***
Tommy and Hansen were a good two hundred meters behind me when I ran into my first obstacle in the tunnels formed by the lava tube we were traveling through. The roof had caved in. The resulting pile of rubble was too close to the ceiling to crawl over. We would need to move the fallen rock… which did not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling given the risk of a secondary collapse… or come up with something else to get around this bottleneck.
I waved the two men in the rear forward to join JJ and me. We needed to have a discussion about the best way to proceed. I had learned that there were times when you led by executive fiat, and there were other times when a consensus approach made better sense.
“Looks like you found yourself a big pile of rocks,” Sergeant Cochran said as he and Hansen approached our position.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “The question is ‘what do we do about it?’”
“I vote we NOT move them,” JJ commented dryly while looking at the ceiling.
“The risk of starting another cave-in would be too great,” I agreed while trying to shine my helmet light into the hole in the ceiling where the roof had collapsed.
“It almost seems like another lava tube formed,” Tommy said. “I wonder if we can just jump up there and follow it to a vent near the caldera.”
“Anybody got a different idea or should we go with what Sergeant Cochran is suggesting?”
There were no better ideas so I instructed the AI in my Stark suit to increase the strength in my legs by 300% and jumped the two meters to the hole in the ceiling. Unfortunately the second lava tube was considerably shorter. The result was I hit my helmet against the ceiling of the second tunnel. My visor cracked and I started to hear a sound no one in a near vacuum environment wants to hear… the sound of air escaping.
I quickly pulled a tube of construction nanites from a forward pouch on the Stark suit and squeezed a small amount of the metallic gel on the crack in my visor. My suit’s AI immediately took control of the nanites and instructed them to mechanically fuse the shattered sapphire glass that formed my visor. In a few seconds the hissing stopped. I checked my air reserves. I was lucky. The mishap had cost me less than a tenth of a percent of my air. It could have been much worse.
“Be careful on the jump up,” I signaled the others. “The roof is a bit low up here and I had to patch my visor when I hit the ceiling.”
“You OK big guy?” JJ asked.
“Sorry JJ, no field expediency promotion for you yet,” I answered.
“Bollocks”
The next few kilometers were uneventful. The ceiling got quite low at times and at other times we had plenty of headroom. At several points the ceiling gave way to open sky. I had Hansen pop up several times and share his 360 video feed with the rest of the team. The last time, we stopped to take an extended look at the recordings he captured. We were closer to the caldera then my AI had led me to believe. There were several reasons why this might happen. Bad initial data or a change in the environment since the data was collected.
A caldera is formed when the magma chamber associated with a volcanic dome collapses forming a bowl of sorts. The edges of the caldera are made of fractured and stressed stone. Over time these edges will give way and the sides of the caldera will slide down into the bowl. On Mars this process is slower for a number of reasons. First, the surface gravity is much lower so there is not as much potential energy to initiate a slide. Second, the atmosphere is much thinner so the effects of weathering are greatly diminished. The one area where Martian conditions are more extreme than their Terrain equivalents is in the size of thermal swings. Because the atmosphere is so thin, the surface temperature of Mars is primarily a function of solar heating and infrared cooling. Without a thick atmosphere to act as a thermal blanket, the temperature extremes are greater and take place quicker.
I suspected a thermally induced fracturing of the rock around the lip of the caldera had caused some of the rim to break free and slide down the slope. I had no idea how old the survey data was that my AI was using. I made a mental note to myself to update it from direct GCP Puller orbital observations as soon as I could. This would not be a mistake I would make again.
“Ok, it looks like we have spelunked about as far as we are going to be able to,” I announced to the group. “If we venture too much closer towards the caldera there is a real possibility that we are going to be involved in a rock slide. I’m prefer not to be underground if that happens.”
We made our way carefully to the surface. I checked in on Jay. She was having a great time running the defenders in circles. She had even gone so far as to setup a fake duck-blind site with camo netting and discarded candy wrappers.
She set a pinger off several hundred yards behind the blind a couple of times to get their attention and to draw a sentry to where the blind could be discovered. The result was a single Stark-clad investigator came forward and found the duck-blind. Apparently he radioed back to his buddies because a few minutes later three more recruits joined him and they rapidly searched the area in vain for opposition forces that weren’t there.
Apparently the loyal opposition was guarding their AO with only six troops. We knew this because Ensign Highmark had just sent a headcount based on the number of troops they were seeing in the other locations. The count was confirmed by what we were seeing.
By drawing off four of the locals, Jay had made our job that much easier. With six men to watch the perimeter from high points on the lip of the caldera surrounding their camp the Delta/Echoes had complete coverage of any conceivable approach to their little piece of Mars. That said, pulling men off their posts in order to investigate a mysterious duck-blind meant that holes were opened up in their defenses. Automated active sensor sweeps could help mitigate those holes but nothing worked as well as good old-fashioned Mark One Human Eyeballs.
To augment their somewhat depleted defenses, the remaining Delta/Echoes launched a series of three hover drones which circled the area looking for things like… well… us. Obviously it was not in my best interest to have them in the air like that, so I signaled Hansen and pointed to the three drones. “When I give the word, you take those three out as fast as you can.”
Next I turned to JJ and Sergeant Cochran. “The guys flying those drones are at my two o’clock and my six o’clock. Draw a bead on them and let me know when you think you can take them down. I want all three drones and the two controllers taken down as close to simultaneously as possible. We good?”
Cochran and Hammond both gave me a thumbs up. Sadly no plan ever survives contact with the enemy and today would be no different.
Chapter 14: Boot Camp – Stone Cold on the North Spot…
“Go!” I yelled. Instantly Hansen started taking out the drones. They were programmed to react just like our Stark suits in that once they were hit they froze mechanically. In the case of a floating surveillance drone, this meant they fell like rocks. Their internal navigation computers were smart enough to keep them from hitting the ground… instead they soft-landed. He hit the first two in a smooth series of rapid fire bursts. The third and final drone was nailed just a few seconds later. The man was an impressive shot.
At the same time Hansen started taking out the drones, the rest of us tried taking down the two remaining camp sentries that were not chasing Jay’s phantasms. JJ missed his shot and needed to try three more times to nail the bugger. Unfortunately he was firing back at our position. Sergeant Cochran tagged his guy on the first go but fell victim to the return fire from JJ’s screw-up.
I had stayed back and to the left a few feet under my camo net watching for any surprises that might pop up. My father had always taught me that a problem anticipated was a problem avoided. Turned out that was good advice
more times than not.
Apparently we were not the only team to use the camo net trick. Suddenly JJ and Private Hansen were tagged by three separate rifles from different directions. Both their Stark suits locked up in mid stride and they toppled over… JJ had one foot held high in the air by the rigidity of his Combat Armor. I learned later that the enemy had gotten creative with their own pingers in order to fool our efforts to head count. Three of the attackers Ensign Highmark’s team had identified were in fact bogus.
I stayed absolutely still. The shots had come from three directions. I was outnumbered and effectively alone. I knew that Jay would see the status for JJ and Tommy change to KIA on her HUD. What she would do about it was anybody’s guess. I didn’t want to signal her directly because even encrypted the enemy would be able to pinpoint me from my radio transmission. Normally this was not a concern because of the difficulty in triangulating and because our comms used short duration microbursts. The problem was I was too close to targets they had already identified and eliminated. If I was their NCO I would have every passive radio scanner in camp aimed at our position. In short, if I tried to use my radio they would be on me like ticks on a dog.
My best strategy would be to wait and see if they would come to me and bunch up enough for me to attempt to take them out at once. It was a good plan. It could have worked… in fact it almost did. Close, unfortunately, only really counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
After about twenty minutes I began to see some movement. It was about time. Did you ever try to stay absolutely still for an extended period of time? Everything starts to itch… and the more you try not to think about it… the worse it gets. I have a big toe on my left foot that I swear before all that is holy in this universe I will cut off and throw into the fires of perdition! It started itching five minutes into my vigil and persisted to get worse with every passing second.
The enemy was wary but eventually two men started to make their way forward. I thought about trying to take them out quickly and hoping for the best with the third.
Too risky I thought. I decided to wait. I told my suit to shut off its thermal heaters. The sun was well up in the sky now and in case they got the bright idea to adjust their thermal scanners to compensate for the camo net I didn’t want to make things easier for them than necessary.
My patience was finally rewarded as two things happened almost at once. The two that were approaching my down and out comrades had finally moved close enough together it was reasonable to try to take them out once I got a clean line of sight. Second, the third defender finally began to move and I got a fix on his position. He was about to pass behind a rock that would shield me from his view. As he moved by it I took my shot at the other two.
“Phew Phew,” I said as I fired at them. Understand, in the near vacuum of Mars at this altitude, there is no noise when you fire your weapon… therefore the consummate soldier has to add their own sound-effects.
My targets fell over as my shots hit each of them square in the chest. Unfortunately the third soldier had decided to jog down to his buddies right as I was firing. He caught sight of my position and immediately began to fire in my general direction. I would never have been able to swing my rifle around to take out this third guy before he nailed me. I did the only thing I could. I told my suit to jump and then freeze in place.
As expected my locked up suit began a slow tumble down the slope. It must have been quite a sight. Eventually I stopped rolling and was propped up at a thirty degree angle against a rock. With any luck the third defender would assume he managed to hit me and come to investigate his ‘kill’.
I didn’t have to wait long… it was a good thing too because that big toe was still bucking for a tour of hell. My field of view was somewhat restricted by the odd angle in which I was lying but my final nemesis came walking right up to me and rapped his gauntleted hand on my visor… it was nice of him to stop by to say hello. It gave me a chance to see the look in his eyes as I unfroze my suit and fired at his chest from point blank range.
***
Jay and I setup the ‘captured flag’ beacon near the center of the enemy’s camp. We dragged JJ, Hansen and Sergeant Cochran over to the beacon and stood them up as best we could… JJ was in an awkward position and we had to use one of the fallen Delta/Echo defenders laid flat on his back to place under JJ’s raised foot to stabilize my friend. All three of our ‘fallen” comrades now stood facing outward around our Alpha/Beta conquest flag. It reminded me a little of Stonehenge in England… I’m sure JJ, who was English, would appreciate the gesture.
Jay and I spent some time going through the enemy’s B-TOC. People really should change their default passwords. I took photographs of their encryption codes and using the data stick that JJ had shown me earlier, I left a few of JJ’s surprises in their computer files. I wasn’t sure how I would use the ability to piggyback a message off their transmitters but you never knew what could or would become useful in war.
It turned out we were the first team to capture a target… but not the only team. Our home AO was the next to fall. Corporal Dimmit tried to go on an ill-advised scouting expedition to discover where the enemy forces were located. He found them and then very carelessly led them back to camp. Rather than deploy his forces on highpoints facing outward… he kept them in camp where they could play cards in the pressurized B-TOC. Whoever lost the last hand had to walk the tight parameter of the base camp itself. It was a pointless task and a complete waste of time... but these types of details were of little concern to the brevet corporal.
On one of his walk arounds he decided to stray a little further… just to stretch his legs. He wasn’t really looking for the enemy. Why would they be foolish enough to attack a defended camp? And so apparently he never saw his opponents as he walked right by them.
The enemy simply followed him back to the camp. They were wearing camo netting just like we were. Since I had already changed all the default passwords… pissing Ensign Anderson off in the process… the enemy could not get into the B-TOC without cutting the Kevlar fabric that made up its skin. Unfortunately for our team that is exactly what they did.
Had our troops been in their Stark suits this would have been no more serious than having some nanites repair the B-TOC. Sadly, Brevet Corporal Dimmit went ahead and ordered his men out of their Starks… as the card game would be more fun without the suits in the way.
The word was, only one of the soldiers from Alpha had managed to get his helmet on. That bought him a few more seconds of agony as the blood in his veins boiled. The Beta troops had removed only their helmets and gauntlets. As the air exploded out of the B-TOC they were in much better shape. Unfortunately it took them precious minutes to help the three Alphas, including Dimmit, that were overcome but the sudden loss of atmosphere.
Eventually everyone was in a sealed Stark suit and pumped full of medical nanites. The commander of the Delta/Echo force, a Sergeant Paglio, probably saved everyone’s life. He immediately called for an emergency medical evac. The Puller had a medical team on site within ten minutes.
Sixty seconds after the Puller’s shuttle landed, the Drill Sergeants came running up the slope. They had Mark Three Stark suits that were much faster than a Mark Two. All of this I heard second hand from people who were on site.
In the hours and days that followed, Recruit Dimmit was drummed out of boot camp and barred from further military service. Ensign Anderson, who had given Dimmit the brevet promotion against the advice of his senior NCO received a note of reprimand in his permanent service jacket.
The entire exercise was placed on hold and we were returned to our camps in the Valles Marineris while the Drill Sergeants underwent a mandatory safety review. None of us was foolish enough to believe that this safety review would improve the general disposition of the Drill Sergeants.
The only instructions Ensign Highmark and I received was an order to keep the recruits busy and to stay out of trouble. We took this to mean, keep up our physic
al training schedule and online class work. With Ensign Highmark’s approval I organized a rotating sentry.
It was during one of these sentry duty cycles that JJ and I got to talking. I would learn later in life that this type of activity often leads to trouble but I was young and still foolish.
“You know what we haven’t done?” JJ asked as we moved to our sentry positions.
“The list of things we haven’t done… shouldn’t do… and will probably never do is extensive,” I answered as I saluted the guard I was replacing.
“I’m not talking about that lassy Jay from Alpha… I’m talking about something you, I and Gretchen were talking about just the other day.”
I remembered the conversation. I’d had a thought that we might find some debris from Elon City or the surrounding area in one of the gullies that made up the Valles Marineris. Orbital scans had indeed located a likely candidate only about fifteen klicks from our camp. In a Stark suit that was less than a hop-skip-and-jump away.
“What do ya say we grab the Ensign and check it out after our rotation?” JJ asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” I answered. I had no idea what we would find or why I would want to visit a site that would undoubtedly give me nightmares for days to come… all I knew was that scattered in and amongst the dust of this barren and stripped clean planet were the remains of my sister and parents. I didn’t want to visit this debris field to pillage and plunder… I just wanted a small token, a cup, a teddy bear, a book… anything that existed and was buried at the same time my family was. It sounded morbid even to me but it was where my mind was. I didn’t think I would know peace until I was able to do this.
When our guard shift was done we approached Ensign Highmark. Gretchen for her part was game for what we were planning. She knew it was important to me and she knew that there would be few if any other opportunities to visit this site.