Ryan and Casey followed the platoon back down the mountain as their thoughts dwelled on the weeks of intensive training they'd been through. Both had been shot by stunners numerous times and felt the impact of RG rounds bouncing off their suits. They had learned to use caution and stealth to accomplish their objectives and come to realize that a marine in a Type Four battlesuit was far more dangerous than one in a Type Three.
Reaching the parade grounds, Ryan had his platoon line up in formation and then they stood waiting for Major Stevens. With surprise, he saw both Major Stevens and Major Winfrey walking toward them, followed by Captain Taylor and Sergeant Morris. The four weren’t wearing battlesuits but were dressed in their normal Space Marine uniforms.
“Congratulations,” Major Stevens’ voice rang out as he gazed at the assembled platoon. “You’re the first platoon to complete combat training in the Type Four battlesuits. We expect the other three platoons to finish their training over the next few days.”
“You will be deploying immediately,” Major Winfrey continued as his eyes swept over the platoon. “A new troop transport has been constructed for your deployment. Over a month ago, a mission was sent to the nonaligned worlds in an attempt to bring them into an Alliance our government is attempting to form. This Alliance is essential if we hope to successfully fight the Kleese. Your transport will be sent to assist in possible combat operations against Kleese ground forces, most likely their warrior caste the Zaltule.”
This announcement caused the marines to shift about uneasily at the prospect of fighting the legendary Zaltule they'd heard so much about. Several looked at each other and then their attention returned to Major Winfrey.
“You will not be going alone as four hundred other Space Marines in Type Three battlesuits have also been assigned to the transport,” he added. “This transport has been specifically constructed to take you into a hostile combat environment, go into orbit, and then land you at your target. It’s crucial we show these possible Alliance worlds that we have the capability to fight the Kleese on the ground and drive them from a world.”
“I knew it,” muttered Alexander, shaking his head. “We’re going to fight the Zaltule and we’re going to die.”
“No, we’re not,” answered Lauren. She was glad that Alexander was on their private frequency where the others couldn’t hear. “We’re going to kick their butts; that’s what we’ve been trained to do.”
“I hope you’re right,” replied Alexander, falling silent. Too often in the scenarios they'd fought on Charring Mountain he'd been one of the lead scouts and had been killed so often he had lost count.
“I am right!” Lauren said, loudly. “Now, listen to what the Major is saying.” She was hoping to hear more information as to what they might soon be facing.
Ryan listened to Major Stevens and Major Winfrey as they continued to talk. There was no doubt in his mind they were being deployed to where his brother had gone. Ryan suspected very shortly he would be seeing Wade again. He just hoped they both returned from this mission; it would devastate their parents if something happened to one or both of them. Ryan was determined to make sure that didn’t occur. He glanced over at Casey, glad she was at his side. Casey was his closest friend and he knew that as long as the two of them were together, they could get through anything the Kleese might throw at them.
Casey listened to Major Steven’s talk about their upcoming deployment. She felt nervous, knowing that they would shortly be going into combat. As a clone, she'd only known seven years of life. It had been a fantastic experience and she had no desire to see it end. She'd worked as hard as possible, even putting in extra time at the practice ranges making sure she could handle the Type Four suit.
Casey had passed up on several rec opportunities just so she could improve her combat skills. She wondered now if she should've taken advantage of one or two of those opportunities as she might not get anymore soon. There was still so much about being Human she wanted to learn, and she was depending on Wade to teach her. She knew that a few things were probably off limits, at least for now. A smile spread across her face as she thought about Wade and what she hoped for in the future. She felt her face flush and then forced herself to focus on Major Stevens. Some things could definitely wait until later.
Chapter Eleven
Ryan and Casey stepped out of the large lunar shuttle along with a number of other members of their platoon. They'd been given seventy-two hours leave and decided to spend it at Luna City.
“Have you ever been here before?” Casey asked, excited at the prospect of seeing something new. Other than Vesta and Centerpoint, she hadn’t traveled to any of the other habitats scattered across the system.
“A couple of times,” Ryan answered as they followed the crowd to the check in stations at the airlocks that led to the city proper. “Once with my parents and another time my brother brought me here to show me the fleet training facility.” Ryan knew that was Wade’s last attempt to direct him toward the fleet instead of the Space Marines.
“It’s like most other habitats,” Private Juan Rios commented from just behind them. Rios was from Luna City. “You have to be careful in Luna City, though. A lot of trade from all over the system comes through here, and there are some unscrupulous people who will buy and sell almost anything if there’s profit in it. Luna City has had to increase the size of its police force to keep the black market under control.”
“Why not eliminate it?” asked Casey, feeling confused. “If it’s a problem, why does it still exist?”
“It serves a purpose,” Juan answered with a frown on his face. “Sometimes there are things which can only be found on the black market; even the government occasionally procures items there.”
“Where does the stuff on the black market come from?” asked Casey, wondering who would sell anything to these profiteers.
“From Earth,” Ryan said as they reached one of the lines of people waiting to be cleared for entry into Luna City. “There are still small ships sneaking down to Earth in search of anything that could be traded or sold on the black market. I’ve heard there are several prospecting ships that routinely make illicit runs down to the surface.”
After passing through the check in station, the group stepped out into Luna City. The city itself was covered with a transparent dome, which stretched ten kilometers across with a center height of two kilometers. A light energy screen protected the dome from meteor impacts. Even if the dome were compromised, the energy screen would ensure the protective atmosphere stayed in place while repairs were made. The landscape was covered with tall skyscrapers and green parks reaching from one edge of the dome to the other.
“How many people live here?” asked Casey her eyes filled with wonder. Some of the buildings she was looking at must be fifty or sixty stories tall. They were the highest she'd ever seen. Not even Vesta had buildings this tall.
Juan grinned, noticing how excited Casey was at seeing his home. “There are dozens of habitats that make up Luna City,” he said in explanation. “Nearly seven million people live here on the Moon. This habitat we’re in comprises the original one, which was greatly expanded when the new dome was added by the Kiveans.”
“I want to do some shopping,” Lauren announced as she looked around at the others. “I have several months’ pay that needs to be spent. I could use some new shoes and a few other things.”
“Shopping sounds interesting,” Casey said, curious to see the Luna City shops. Being closer to Earth and the ongoing salvage operations, there were products available here that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
“I wouldn’t mind doing some shopping,” commented Private Mary Hatterson, wanting to be included. Mary was another clone and this was also her first trip to Luna City.
“Okay,” Lauren replied, pleased she wouldn’t be going alone. She'd been to Luna City before and knew where the best clothing shops were located. “Why don’t we split up and meet later at a restaurant?”
�
��The Chinese Luna Express might be a good one,” Juan suggested. “It has really good Chinese food and my cousin knows the owner.” Juan had been fortunate that when he had been evacuated to Luna City to find that he had an older first cousin that had survived.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lauren said in agreement.
“Let’s do it,” Ryan said. “What say we meet at the restaurant in five hours? That should give everyone time to do what they want.”
He wanted to go astro gliding to see if it was as exciting as everyone said it was. It had originally been one of the main tourist draws to Luna City prior to the original Kleese attack. There was a large park with a high cliff where one could be equipped with artificial wings and leap off into the open air. The area was kept at Luna normal gravity to allow one to experience what it felt like to fly.
The group split up, with Lauren leading the women toward the shopping district while Juan led the men toward the Astro Park. Around them, the city seemed to buzz with the muted voices of excited people and the sounds of a busy city.
-
Lauren was trying on her tenth pair of shoes with Casey and Mary watching with interest. She currently had on a pair of black high-heeled boots that came up nearly to her knees.
“I don’t understand,” Casey said in confusion. “As high as those heels are, those boots are going to be very difficult to walk in. They don’t seem very practical.”
Lauren giggled and looked at Casey knowingly. “It’s the look,” she explained. “Men like women in high heels and these will really catch their eyes.”
“Sex!” Mary blurted out in sudden understanding. “It’s all about getting men to want to take you to bed.”
“Sort of,” Lauren responded with a grin as she slid down the zippers on the boots so she could take them off. “Sometimes men need to be enticed and sometimes it’s just fun to do some harmless flirting. Plus, I look really good in these boots. I think I'll buy this pair.”
“I guess I just don’t understand,” Casey said, feeling confused. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at Lauren. All her clothes were pretty simple; she either wore her military uniforms or when off duty a pair of pants and a colorful blouse. The emphasis that normal Humans put on sex still bewildered her.
“Excuse me, ladies,” a male voice spoke from just behind them.
Looking up, they saw the store clerk that had been helping Lauren. He had a concerned look upon his face.
“I couldn’t help noticing that two of you are clones. It might be wise if you stayed inside the store for awhile.”
“Stay in the store?” Lauren repeated her eyes focusing sharply on the clerk. “Why?”
“I’m afraid you picked a bad time to come to the downtown shops,” he began, sounding embarrassed. “There’s a demonstration going on down the street at one of the government buildings. While it’s supposed to be a peaceful demonstration, for your own safety I would recommend staying inside.”
“What type of demonstration?” asked Casey, feeling curious.
The clerk let out a deep breath and then spoke again. “It’s a demonstration against clones,” he said. “There are a lot of people in Luna City that feel too many clones are being created and that the process should either be slowed down or eliminated. They also feel that clones shouldn’t have the same rights as a regular Human. Some of the people are very vocal in their views, and I wouldn’t want to see any of you get caught up in it.”
The three women walked over to the large window at the front of the store and looked out. They could see a large crowd had assembled at a building several blocks away. Many of the people in the crowd were holding signs and others were chanting. “NO MORE CLONES! NO MORE CLONES!”
“Does this happen very often?” asked Lauren, turning back toward the clerk who had followed them to the window.
“Several times a week,” he replied with a long sigh. “Whenever it does my business generally comes to a stop. It makes people afraid to come downtown to the shops.”
Casey was trying to read some of the signs. She could see several that read, “CLONES ARE NOT HUMAN!” and others that said, “NO RIGHTS FOR CLONES!”
“Do people really feel that badly toward us?” Casey asked the clerk, feeling stunned at what she was seeing. She couldn’t help but think about the incident in the Chinese restaurant on Centerpoint a while back.
“Some do and others don’t,” he answered. “I think many are afraid that someday the clones will replace regular Humans.”
“What do you think?” Mary asked her eyes focusing on the clerk.
“People are people,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “To me it doesn’t matter if they’re born from Human parents or come from a cloning tank. Now if you ladies wouldn’t mind stepping away from the window, I have some more shoes you might be interested in.”
-
Ryan had just leaped off the tall lunar cliff for the third time. The feeling of flying was exhilarating. Gliding high up in the air, feeling the warm air in his face as he made gentle sweeping circles in the light lunar gravity was fantastic. The pair of wings he was wearing were ten feet across and gave him just enough lift to allow him to glide in the gentle air currents. He wore a control belt that ensured he stayed in control of the wings. If he became unbalanced, the control belt would quickly take over control of the wings until he was in stable flight again. So far, that had only happened once when he descended too fast.
“This is great!” yelled Alexander as he swooped by, catching the wind currents with his wings.
Ryan had to agree. He thought flying in the battlesuits had been fun, once he had gotten the hang of it. However, nothing compared to what he was now experiencing. He wished he and Wade had come here when they came to Luna City. From this height, he could look out over the park and into part of the city itself. The scurrying people looked like ants, and in the distance, he could see what looked like some kind of disturbance. He could see police vehicles rushing toward one section of the city with their lights flashing and now he could hear their sirens. He wondered if there had been an accident.
A few minutes later, they were all safely back down on the ground. Checking the time, they noticed it was nearly time to go meet the girls. Reaching the edge of the park, Juan flagged down a cab and gave directions to the restaurant. The electric powered vehicle quickly moved off, turning onto a main street and headed into the city.
“What were all the sirens about earlier?” Ryan asked the driver.
“Clone riot,” the man replied stone faced. “There was a demonstration at one of the government buildings where a number of clones work. It got a little violent and the police had to move in to break it up.”
“Does that happen often?” asked Ryan, wondering how close the riot was to the shops the girls had gone off to.
“It doesn’t turn violent often,” the cab driver answered. “But recently, the demonstrations have been getting larger and more out of control. If something isn’t done soon, this whole clone thing is going to get out of hand and people are going to start getting hurt.”
“What do you think about the clones?” Alexander asked.
“They’re grown in tanks so they’re not Human,” the cab driver answered definitively. “They may have their place in the military to save Human lives, but they shouldn’t be allowed to take jobs regular Humans can do.”
Alexander started to reply, but Ryan caught his eyes and shook his head. He decided it was best if they remained silent. No point in getting the cab driver aggravated. Ryan leaned back in his seat and thought over what the cab driver had said. It was becoming more obvious to him every day that the public’s feeling against the clones was getting worse. The problem was he didn’t see what could be done to change their minds.
-
Xatul stood in front of the Kleese Council of Overlords listening to the current dispute. The warrior caste was demanding more resources be allocated to their ship building program and that continge
nts of Zaltule warriors be placed on all of the trading stations.
“The trading stations will remain under our control,” spoke Raluth in a cold and hard voice.
“I operate three stations,” Syndat spoke in a loud voice. “I will not turn over control of the stations to the Zaltule!”
“Control is inconsequential as long as there are members of the warrior caste on board for security reasons,” Creedal responded.
“Those trading stations represent massive investments by some of us here on this council,” Martule spoke his eyes focusing on the four Zaltule Overlords. “They will not be turned over to the warrior caste.”
“We do not wish control,” Darthu responded in an impassionate voice. “As we strike more of the nonaligned worlds there is a danger that the trading stations may be targeted. We only wish to ensure their safety.”
“We will agree to a small security force of the warrior caste,” Xatul spoke in a commanding voice, reaching a decision. “Our own security forces on the stations should be sufficient to resist any attack by the nonaligned worlds, though I doubt if any such attack will take place.”
Bixutl remained silent. So far, no one had mentioned to the Zaltule that such an attack had taken place years ago when the Humans managed to take control of a trading station and fly it through Fold Space to their star system where it still remained. Two days previously, he had received a report from the exploration ship he'd sent to check on the Humans. An assault ship had managed to slip into the extreme outer reaches of the system and take sensor scans. The Humans were still there and stronger than ever.
The question now was how Bixutl could use that information to his advantage. At some point in time, the Zaltule were bound to learn of the Humans and what they'd done. He wondered what their reaction would be to that information. So far, the other council Overlords had remained silent about the Humans either believing their threat had faded away or fearful of what the Zaltule response would be if they learned a trading station had been lost to an inferior race.
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) Page 16