“What about Captain Nance?” Angel asked.
“Alpha Squad is meeting us at the rendezvous,” King replied.
The ship shook slightly as the crane took hold using a powerful electro-magnet to lift the Battle ARC from the hanger floor. There was a jolt as the ship was settled into the cradle that would move them into the air lock and hold them onto the hull of the ship. Luckily for Angel and her squad in their ARC suits, the impact absorbing fibers made it so that they hardly felt the jolt of the drop ship.
“Once more unto the breech,” Hays said.
“When the blast of war blows in our ears,” Vancini added.
“Then imitate the action of the tiger,” Bolton said.
“Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,” Cashman chanted.
“Disguise fair nature with a hard flavored rage,” Angel said.
“You know your Shakespeare,” the staff sergeant said.
“I think you’re all bloody mad,” Beemus said.
32
Drop ship Battle ARC, en route to Macintosh Station,
Belaire District, Neo Terra, Ceti Tau system
The Ramses’ artificial gravity well was large enough that as the drop ship was held on the bottom of the ship, the ARC platoon felt as though they were hanging upside down. Fortunately, they were only held in place a few seconds before a blast of compressed air separated the Battle ARC from the Ramses. Weightlessness was a relief. Angel was used to being upside down. She had spent hours learning to do handstands during her time as a gymnast. She could walk on her hands almost as well as she could on her feet, but she didn’t enjoy being strapped into a hard moulded seat and hanging helpless in a transport ship.
The platoon didn’t feel the ship rotate, but soon the gravity of Neo Terra pulled them down into their seats, making the blood drain from their heads.
“Here we go ladies and gentlemen,” Captain King said.
“Hold on to something,” Beemus told his squad.
Angel saw Petty Officer Nicole Daniels close her eyes just as the first round of turbulence shook the Battle ARC.
“It’s shake and bake!” Hays said. “And I helped.”
“Don’t throw up inside your helmet BJ,” Bolton said. “You don’t want that shit splashing around as we descend.”
The laid back Corporal grunted in reply.
“You have a rifle and ammunition for me?” Angel asked Cashman.
“Affirmative,” he replied. “And we packed some goodies of our own. You can take the man out of Spec Ops.”
“But only with a three-ton nuke,” Vancini said with a cackle.
“Man, you laugh just like a wicked ole witch,” Hays said.
The ship shook violently, and one of the technicians groaned.
“Hey, I though you air jockeys loved to fly,” Bolton said.
“This isn’t flying, it’s falling,” Beemus said.
“No argument there,” Cash said.
Angel could hear the roar of flames outside the ship as the vessel tore through the upper atmosphere of the planet. She understood that they were moving at speed, and the friction of the air was super heating the air frame of the drop ship. She could even imagine the billowing smoke and flames pouring off their ship. Knowledge didn’t make her discomfort ease. She trusted that she was safe in the drop ship, despite so many sensations to the contrary. And while her survival instincts were telling her to get to safety, her rational mind knew there was nowhere to go and nothing to do. She held on, trying not to let her discomfort show.
“ETA twenty-two minutes,” Captain King informed them on over the ship’s comm system.
“Damn, he’s flying this brick like a bat out of hell,” Hays said.
“What’s the sit rep on the ground, LT?” Cash asked.
“I don’t know,” Angel replied honestly. “All I know is that the Swarm has been spotted. I’m assuming Lieutenant Colonel Goldman has picked a battle ground and moved his Marines accordingly.”
“Any chance we’ll see action?” Billy Jones asked.
“There’s always a chance,” Cash said.
“What he means is are we going to be sidelined for the other squad again?” Hays said.
“What do you think, Corporal?” Bolton said.
“That’s bullshit,” Vancini said. “No offense to anyone present, but the Air Force squad isn’t ready. They’ve barely had any training time in the ARC suits.”
One of the Air Force techs spoke up in reply. “And yet I hear they’re better in them than you.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear, Airman,” Beemus said sternly.
“This isn’t a competition,” Angel said. “We’re not just on the same team, we’re in the same platoon. My first priority is the safety of every member. But my second is the success of every member.”
“The Lieutenant is right,” Cashman said. “Our job is to be ready, not to decide if we fight. We’ve got a stake in this skirmish even if we aren’t on the front line, and we’ll make damn sure whatever duty we have that we carry it out with excellence.”
“All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t be sidelined,” Hays argued.
“Don’t worry about things above your pay grade, Corporal,” Bolton said.
“Odds are, none of us will see action,” Angel said. “I don’t think the Swarm wants a straight up fight.”
“They’re finally getting some sense,” Vancini said.
“What do you mean?” Cash asked. “You don’t think what we managed to do in the mountains turned the tide in the war, do you?”
Angel couldn’t tell if the staff sergeant was asking honestly, or mocking her. But she trusted Cashman, and she certainly felt he deserved the benefit of the doubt. Her rank gave her authority over him, but his experience made his wisdom a valuable asset that she hoped to mine and use, not discard.
“I think they realize we’ve got superior firepower,” Angel said. “And for the moment, they have an edge in mobility.”
“They do know how to turn tail and run,” Hays said.
“For the moment, it’s more expedient to alter course than try to fight us on our terms,” Angel went on.
“You think the Colonel’s strategy is wrong?” Cash asked.
“Not wrong,” Angel said. “For a decisive victory we’re going to have to bring overwhelming force against the Swarm. The difficulty is getting the Swarm to engage. I think they want us to chase after them.”
“Just like at Port Gantry,” Bolton said.
“It worked once,” Vancini said.
“And if we get frustrated and impatient it’s likely to work for them again,” Angel said.
“Goldman’s not going to want to waste a lot of time and resources chasing the bugs,” Cash said. “It won’t look good on his reports.”
“Hopefully he’ll see that just placing his battalion in the path of the Swarm isn’t going to bring him the decisive victory that he wants,” Angel said.
“They never stopped before,” Cash said. “I’ve read most of the reports. Before everything was classified. Every other battle took place near valuable resources and our forces were overrun in every battle. The Swarm never turned away before Port Gantry.”
“And that was a trap,” Bolton said.
“Set and sprung,” Vancini said. “We ran right into it.”
“And in the mountains, they ran into ours,” Hays added.
“What’s more important,” Angel said. “Is they learned from that mistake.”
The shaking finally stopped and the roar outside turned from flames, to the controlled whine of the engines. Angel ran a fast check on her suit. Everything checked out, but the inseam of her left leg worried her. She had no idea if the suit would hold together. And it wouldn’t be long until they were in action. If she was wrong about the Swarm, they might be in a difficult fight. What if her suit failed? She couldn’t focus on that. The time for worry had passed. Her responsibility was to be fully present, leading her platoon, or at leas
t her squad of Marines. But the fear of pain and death was like a sticky substance she couldn’t get off her hands. As hard as she tried to ignore it, the fear remained, lurking just inside the corners of her mind.
33
Battle site B, Belaire District,
Neo Terra, Tau Ceti system
“Touch down in two minutes,” Captain King informed the passengers.
“Priority one is weapons,” Angel ordered. “Staff Sergeant, I want everyone ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
“You got it, LT,” Cash said.
“And make sure you have weapons and ammo for Alpha squad,” she said. “If our timeline is tight, they’ll be in a pinch just to get into their suits.”
“Roger that,” Cash replied. “We’ll be ready. Just point us in the right direction.”
The Battle ARC sat down gently and the rear hatch immediately popped open. Angel released her harness and bounded quickly down the stairs. They were in what looked like a corn field, with green stalks waist-high rustling all around them. She saw other transports, and started moving toward the largest. She was halfway to the command tent, which she could see in the sea of corn, when Nance and his squad appeared from the far side of a transport shuttle.
“Lieutenant,” Nance said. “Glad you could join us.”
“We got back down as fast as we could,” Angel said.
“Are the suits ready?”
“Yes sir, each one is checked and charged. Staff Sergeant Cashman is seeing to your weapons. We brought the rest of the platoon so each of you can work with a technician to get suited up.”
“Excellent, lead the way,” he ordered.
“Sir, the Battle ARC is back that way. You can’t miss it. I have to see Colonel Goldman.”
“I’m sure the Colonel is busy preparing for battle. I’ve already spoken to him and we have our orders. Now lead us back to the drop ship, Lieutenant.”
“I have a message to deliv—“
He cut her off. “It can wait. Move you ass!”
She felt the color rise in her cheeks and was glad that he couldn’t see her face under the helmet she wore.
“This way, Captain,” she said, ignoring the laughter from the other Air Force pilots.
She turned and started walking back the way she had come. Using facial gestures, she linked her helmet into the LAN and reported in. She could switch off the helmet’s speakers and talk without anyone around her hearing what she said, but she was afraid that Nance would catch her. He seemed strangely paranoid.
They got back to the drop ship and found Cashman’s team waiting. They were guarding the rear of the ship and had a neatly packed cargo container with Tasker 51 rifles inside. Nance waved the rest of his squad into the drop ship to get into their ARC suits, while he pulled out one of the rifles.
“What does this shoot?”
“That’s a Tasker 51 sir,” Cashman said. “We’ve got them loaded with explosive penetrating rounds. They’re a little larger than the usual ammo but each magazine holds forty rounds.”
“Explosive,” he said, slurring the word a little as he said it.
“That’s the official category for this type of ammunition,” Cash explained. “It doesn’t explode per say. It’s a two-stage round. The first fires the projectile out of the weapon, the second fires on contact and drives the hardened steel bullet into the target. It’s a close range weapon, sir. Good for about fifty meters, and excellent at taking a target down. The Swarm has large cranial shields of tough bone. These rounds can blast through and take the creatures out with a single shot.”
Nance grunted, almost like he was bored. He handed the rifle to Angel and walked up the ramp into the back of the drop ship.
“What an asshat,” Cash said to Angel on a private channel between their two helmets. “Has he even fired a weapon since basic training.”
“Probably not,” Angel said. “Was it just me or did he sound a little tipsy.”
“I thought so,” Cash said.
Several of the Air Force pilots came out, and Cash got busy showing them how to tether their rifles to their ARC suits. Angel went into the drop ship and found Nance sitting on a cargo container while Petty Officer Daniels fastened the bindings on his suit. He was frowning, his helmet in his hands, and Angel noticed that his eyes were blood shot.
“What are our orders, sir?” she asked.
“To kill aliens,” he growled.
“Excellent Captain. Do we have a specific battle plan?”
“Alpha team will take the field. Same as the last time before the storm hit.”
“The same battle plan?”
“Yes, damn it! Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Absolutely, Captain, I was just clarifying. What about Bravo team?”
“You’re in reserve,” he said.
“Sir, if I may be so bold, my squad is ready for action. We could take the lead on this operation for you. There’s no sense in you going out if you aren’t ready.”
Nance lurched up suddenly. Angel stepped back, but there was nowhere to go inside the drop ship. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the bulkhead. The suit absorbed the impact and Angel wasn’t hurt, but she was shocked.
“Listen to me,” he shouted, his face close to her helmet.
Spit flew from his lips and landed like drizzle on the small camera lens. Angel’s first impulse was to drive her knee into his groin, or punch him hard in the throat, but she restrained herself. She knew the ARC suit would dampen her blows, making them ineffectual, and she was smart enough to know better than to strike a superior officer, even if he was out of line.
“Never question my abilities, you little bitch,” he screamed. “I’m a Captain. I’ve flown aircraft that would make your head spin. There’s nothing this leisure suit can do that would surprise me. And I swear to god if you question me again, I’ll have those cute little bars on your collar, and you’ll be scrubbing toilets in a backwater space station that’s older than you are. Is that clear?”
“Sir, take you hands off of me,” Angel said. “You’ve been drinking.”
“You little —“
He raised his fist, but Zilla and Raven grabbed him. Each one took hold of an arm and rushed him out of the drop ship and down the ramp. Angel looked out and saw the entire platoon watching. Cashman and the rest of her squad had their weapons in hand, but she raised a palm and they lowered their weapons without a word.
“He’s a surly drunk,” Daniels said as she walked past Angel with Captain Nance’s helmet.
Angel wasn’t sure what to do. One the hand Nance was her superior officer, but he was drunk. Maybe not falling down drunk, but past the legal limit. Angel had seen her father much the same way. He could never gauge how inebriated he was, and it was obvious that Nance couldn’t either. The correct thing to do would have been to relieve himself of duty, but Nance was too proud for that.
If she went to the colonel about Nance, it would rip the platoon apart. The Air Force officers would never forgive her, and certainly never trust her again. Yet, she didn’t know how many of them were drunk like their captain. Angel stepped to the edge of the drop ship.
“You’re putting your life on the line,” she said. “You, the rest of your squad, and every Marine that’s counting on you out there — over a thousand souls.”
“Is the monkey-suit bullet proof?” Nance screamed.
He shook off Raven and Zilla, then snatched up one of the Tasker’s from the cargo case. Angel didn’t move, but Cashman’s fire team did. They jumped onto the ramp of the drop ship, forming up shoulder to shoulder in front of their lieutenant, their own rifles raised.
“Alex,” Zilla growled, her voice sounded even colder coming from the helmet of her ARC suit. “She’s not worth it.”
“Put your weapons down, Staff Sergeant,” Angel said.
The special forces veterans obeyed instantly, even though their lives were in danger. Angel knew the ARC suit wasn’t made to repel weapo
ns fire, especially not explosive penetrating rounds from point blank range.
“I’ve got an adrenaline patch,” Raven said, holding it up for Angel to see. “He’ll be sober and ready to fly within minutes.”
Angel wanted to reply but there was nothing more to say.
“Just a little platoon dust up, nothing to worry about,” Zilla said. “His party got cut short, that’s all.”
Raven slapped the patch onto Nance’s neck and he scowled at Angel one last time. Then he pulled the helmet down over his head and waved to his squad.
“Let’s move,” he said.
They bounded away and Angel felt herself sag a little. She felt angry, and sad, but most of all frightened. If Nance insisted that his squad engage the Swarm some of them wouldn’t survive.
34
Battle site B, Belaire District,
Neo Terra, Tau Ceti system
“What the hell was that?” Hays said.
“Nothing,” Angel said. “We won’t talk about it, ever.”
“Pardon me, Lieutenant,” Bolton said, “but that wasn’t acceptable for anyone, especially not a superior officer.”
“But it’s done,” Cash said. “And we’re in the middle of war, here. There are lives on the line. If the LT says it was nothing, then we drop it.”
“He’s right,” Angel added. “Bringing it up again will only create division in our platoon.”
“Far as I’m concerned, those air jockeys aren’t part of it,” Vancini said.
“That was not cool, him slamming you into the wall like that,” BJ said.
“But the suit absorbed the impact,” Angel said. “I’m not hurt. So, we drop it. Is that clear?”
They all nodded, even the Air Force technicians who looked ashamed when Angel glanced at them. Beemus stepped forward, his face red.
“I apologize, Lieutenant. Drunk or not, that isn’t the Air Force way,” he explained.
“I understand I appreciate your apology, Chief. Now, we have work to do. Get your terminals up. Make sure that you have each of the pilots covered. Staff Sergeant, we have to be ready to move. If one of them goes down in the Swarm, they’ll be torn apart in a matter of seconds.”
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