R.A.E.C.E. Genesis

by Geoffrey C Porter

  Jack destroyed tank after tank, cut through rows and rows of Lithor infantry, trying to just use his fifties. His pulse raced. He could barely keep his focus on the forward view screen and the tactical readout showing his target list. Kai spoke on the radio, "Need support, section 13. We're pinned down."

  Section 13 highlighted on Jack's tactical computer. It should have been that Josh kid's section, but Josh's tank showed a good kilometer away. Jack turned towards it and punched the accelerator down, ignoring his own targets. He destroyed two big tanks in front of the Kilken and dropped Gel-packs on the Lithor infantry. His shields took massive damage. Blast rifles fired at him from every direction.

  Jack spun back around, cutting into the Lithor and Human shields with his fifty's. His shield indicator started flashing 'zero shields'. Jack ignored the readout and blasted two more tanks and dropped three Gel-packs. Humans burned and thrashed around in his wake. A blast rifle hit his undercarriage right into a Gel-pack compartment underneath Jack's seat, and a twenty centimeter jet of flame shot into the cockpit. Jack felt the heat and saw the flame. 'Shit,' 'oh shit,' he thought. His left hand instinctively reached for the fire suppression pull lever. Luckily the fire died out on its own. There was now a hole in the hover tank where Jack could see the ground.

  He banked around and did another sweep of section 13. He cleared it of the last two tanks, and Kilken swarmed past their burning hulls to get to city center. He heard Kai radio, "Thanks, Sergeant."

  The Human forces fought on for an hour, then another. They lost four hover tanks so far, and Jack's shields rarely had time to recharge to 10%. A Lithor saw the gaping hole in Jack's undercarriage and aimed for it with his blast rifle. He got lucky, and the shot made it through the hole, up through Jack's seat, and burned a hole through Jack's right leg. It hurt more than any pain he had known, but the effects of shock did release some endorphins into Jack's brain. It hurt Jack to work the gas pedal. Still, he fought on with the others.

  Jack kept seeing Lexi's face on the Human shields he cut down by accident with his fifty's. He kept seeing little children in the lines of the Human shields that looked like what he thought his children would look like in a few years. Jack knew his grip with reality slipped away from him. His rage owned him now.

  Within two more hours they lost three more hover tanks but cleared the field of all the big tanks. Jack ordered the squadron to patrol the city, watching for infantry and gunning them down. None of the hovers had any Gel-packs left, and one by one, they ran out of fifty caliber ammo. The armored infantry did their job, and the sweep of the city wrapped up just before nightfall. Jack flew back to where their transport ship waited. Other hovers had made it back before him. Jack tried climbing out of his hover tank, but he fell to the ground. He tried to will the pain in his leg to go numb, but it didn't work. He rolled over onto his back and looked at the sunset…

  * * *

  Chewy and Snake saw him fall down and saw his leg. Chewy said, "Let's go get a stretcher and get him to Medical."

  Jack didn't say a word when they lifted him onto the stretcher and carried him to Medical. The doctor took one look at it and started applying ointment to it. He gave Jack two pills and a paper cup of water and said "Take these."

  The ointment made the burn feel better, and the painkillers worked fast. The doctor gave him a bottle of them. "Take two at a time. Try not to take more than ten a day. We'll regrow the lost tissue back at Orion."

  The doctor gave him a crutch.

  Jack limped his way up to his quarters and lay down on the bunk. His terminal beeped twice at him over and over. He returned Lexi's call.

  "Jack! You made it!" She said with a wide smile.

  "Yeah, Lexi, I made it…"

  "You look terrible. What happened…"

  Jack just buried his face in his hands. He felt like crying but couldn't seem to be able to summon tears…

  "Look at me, Jack," she said.

  Jack looked up at her.

  "Tell me what happened," she said.

  "Jesus, Lexi, they used Humans as shields, and they had blast rifles. We had to kill our own people. We used the incendiaries…"

  "Jack… How many people did you kill today?"

  Tears finally started to streak down Jack's face. "Hundreds, a lot…"

  "How many people did you rescue?" She asked.

  "We don't know yet, likely hundreds of thousands…"

  "You did the right thing. You did the right thing."

  "How are the kids?" He asked in a feeble, cracked voice.

  "The new boy is coming along just fine. Jack Jr, has started crawling, and has learned to climb out of his crib. He's a handful. Ruth is well behaved. She is crawling places too, just not out of her crib."

  "Good… I need to lay down. My leg was hurt badly. I need to take some more painkillers too. Call me when the new one is born, would you?"

  "Yes, Jack, and I love you. You did the right thing today--you did what you had to do."

  "I love you, goodbye."

  * * *

  The second message on Jack's terminal was from Colonel Henderson. He deleted the message and sat down on his bunk. There was a knock on his door. Jack said, "Enter," and the door swished open.

  Kevin stepped inside. "Wilson's turning the galley into a pub for tonight. He's got Scotch, Bourbon, and real beer from Earth. He requests your presence…"

  "I'm not in a drinking mood, Kevin. Tell him I said thank you."

  "Ok, your loss, bossman."

  Jack just wanted to sleep. Come morning his terminal beeped at him again, again Colonel Henderson called. Jack stayed in his cabin and took the painkillers. They made him lose his appetite.

  The next day he actually listened to Colonel Henderson's message, "You're officially relieved from active duty, Sergeant Grean, technically it's because of your leg. You'll be coming to see me upon your return to Orion, even if I have to send Fleet police to your residence and escort you in shackles to my office."

  * * *

  Around lunchtime Jack heard another knock. He sighed and said, "Enter."

  Kevin stepped into the room. "You wouldn't believe how good some of the native food here is, Jack. You have to try the Maylar…"

  "I'm not really interested. If you wanted to, you could drop off some food-bars for me."

  "Come on, Jack. The squad misses you. Come and eat with us."

  "No."

  "We're missing so many from the squad, so many died, and you want to play dead?" Kevin asked.

  "Piss off," Jack said with a growl.

  "We all pulled the trigger. We wouldn't be Fleet, if we hadn't. We wouldn't have won, if we hadn't pulled the trigger."

  Kevin looked at the terminal. Colonel Henderson's picture still flashed on it in her white uniform

  "Yeah, we all pulled the trigger…" Jack said. "Was there anything else, Corporal?"

  "You gotta snap out of it. You gotta put it behind you." Kevin paused. "All of us got calls from shrinks since the battle. You're not special."

  "I never said I was special," Jack said.

  "Then come have lunch with the boys. They need to see you're alright."

  Jack whispered, "I'm not alright."

  "Jesus, Jack, what makes you so god-damn special?"

  "Get out before I throw you out!"

  "I'd like to see you try with that leg of yours!"

  Jack sat up with this look in his eye…

  Kevin started backing up. "I'll leave!"

  * * *

  Kevin left, and Jack realized he could use a bite to eat. He grabbed his crutch and hobbled down to the galley. He went over to the trays and reached for one with his left hand. Chewy snuck up behind him. "I'll get your tray, bossman. You gotta try the Maylar and the orange berries. They're just like strawberries but are orange instead of red, and they're sweeter."

  "Ok, Chewy."

  They walked down the line. Chewy asked for two Maylar slices, and a bunch of other things Jack had never heard of. Ja
ck sat down with the squad, minus Kevin for some reason, and tried all the so-called delicacies. They owned up to their reputation: the Maylar tasted like good New York strip steak, but so tender you could eat it with just a fork.

  The Josh kid, who lost his hover in the battle but survived, commented, "We're shipping a lot of these new plants and animals back to Orion to start farming them."

  Wilson joined them and sat down next to Jack. "How's the leg? It looks bad."

  "Yeah, it's pretty bad, sir."

  "I see you've made it out of your cabin at least. After we're done with lunch, I need to see you in my office."

  Jack finished first and waited for Wilson to finish, and then they went up to Wilson's office. "Jack, I have a disturbing message from Colonel Henderson, that you haven't returned her calls…"

  "I don't feel up to talking to her, Major."

  "Talking with her is supposed to make you feel better, Sergeant."

  "I don't think it will," Jack said.

  Wilson paused then looked Jack square in the eyes. "She can send Fleet police to fetch you. Understand she has that kind of power within Fleet."

  "So be it, Major. I don't feel compelled to return her calls right now."

  "Something to keep in mind is they're planning a hero's welcome for you back on Orion, whether you like it or not," Wilson said. "You scored twice the kills of the average of the other hovers. You fought like a true warrior."

  "Is that all, sir?"

  "Yes, Sergeant, dismissed."

  * * *

  They left within a week for Orion with seven hundred thousand Humans on board. Jack quit taking the painkillers after about two weeks. He could hobble around fairly well without the crutch, and it hurt him, but he just dealt with the pain. He went to the gym three days out of the week, ran even.

  In time, Lexi called, showing off a new baby boy. "I named him Bart."

  "He's adorable," Jack said.

  "Well, they're all you get. We're not having any more."

  "Three is enough for me. Almost too many really…"

  "Oh, it's not too many, but it is a lot," Lexi said. "I'm lucky Meghan helps with them, or I'd lose my mind."

  "I'll see you in a few months. Maybe my layover will be for longer this time."

  * * *

  A few weeks passed. Kai came to Jack's door and presented him another stuffed bear with the sharp claws and teeth. Jack asked, "How did they know?"

  "Women have their ways, Sergeant. Come along, have lunch with me…"

  They went to the galley and got food, still subsiding off delicacies from Delta. Kai seemed to want to have a serious talk. "Something I wanted to share with you, Sergeant Jack. In Kilken tradition, it would have been a very honorable death for the Humans that were used as shields on Delta."

  "Is that supposed to make me feel better, Kai? That they met an honorable death?"

  "Yes, I thought it might."

  "It doesn't, Kai. It doesn't."

  "I'm sorry for you, Sergeant. When we get to Orion, one of the women wants to meet your babies. Do you think that would be ok?"

  "I'll have Lexi cook dinner for us," Jack said.

  "Excellent."

  * * *

  They made it home to Orion. Medical ordered Jack to report directly to the hospital for tissue regrowth treatment to repair the rather large hole in his leg. It took the better part of an afternoon. Jack made it home in time for dinner with Lexi, Meghan, and Johnathon. Colonel Henderson had left another message, come to her office tomorrow in the AM hours or expect the Fleet police to pick him up in the PM hours. Jack just sighed and ate dinner. After dinner he crawled around on the floor with the babies. Jack Jr. had a strong grip, and it made Jack smile. Meghan and Lexi made Jack change diapers.

  Jack went down to the Medical building before 9 a.m., thinking maybe he could still make it to the practice grounds that day. He knocked on Colonel Henderson's door. It opened, and he stepped inside.

  "Well, if it isn't Jack Grean, have a seat, Mr. Grean," she said.

  Jack sat in the big fluffy chair.

  Colonel Henderson turned and filled a glass with the red liquid Jack remembered and took out a packet of white pills which Jack also remembered. Jack shook his head no, and said, "No, thank you, ma'am."

  "Take the medicine," she said. "Things will go so much easier for you, if you take the medicine."

  "No, ma'am."

  The colonel pushed a button on her desk. "Send in two orderlies. Nurse, prepare an injection of 10mg of Theolican and 5mg of Retorepam."

  A voice came back, "10mg of Theolican?"

  "Yes, you heard me right, and 5mg of Retorepam."

  Jack spoke, "You're not giving me a shot, ma'am."

  "Correct, nurses give shots, Mr. Grean."

  Two orderlies entered the room and stood behind Jack on each side. They both put a hand on one of Jack's shoulders. A cold rage erupted in Jack. He stood up. The orderlies tried to push down on him and grabbed his arms with their hands. Jack jerked his right arm free and grabbed the orderly on his left's hand. He twisted the hand until he had the arm extended with the elbow straight as an arrow and the shoulder stretched to its limit. Then he threw his left hand straight at that elbow, breaking bones in the orderly's arm. The man cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

  The other orderly put his hands out in front of him to grapple with Jack. He raised his knee as if to knee the man in the groin, and the orderly dropped his hands to protect his genitalia, and Jack slammed his right elbow into the man's face right around the jaw line and cheek. The orderly's head bounced back, and the man fell to the ground, not moving.

  Instinctively Jack looked around for his next opponent--he faced Colonel Henderson, who had a device in her hands that shot two electronic conductors into Jack's chest, and high voltage coursed through the wires, incapacitating Jack. The nurse stepped in and said, "Oh!"

  "Give the Sergeant the shot, in the neck." She pushed a button on her desk again, "Send in two more orderlies and call Fleet police, have them send two men."

  The nurse gave Jack the shot.

  Colonel Henderson said, "Check his pulse."

  "His pulse is fine, Colonel."

  The orderlies stepped into the room. "Put the sergeant on the couch." They moved Jack to the couch. "Help the other two orderlies to the emergency room."

  The nurse stood their acting confused. The Colonel said, "You can wait outside."

  The nurse made a hasty retreat.

  Colonel Henderson went over to Jack and knelt down next to him. She whispered in his ear. "You can hear me, Jack?" She slapped him across the face, hard. "You can hear me?"

  "Yes."

  She leaned in close and whispered, "You will return my calls. You will come to appointments I set for you. Am I making myself clear?"

  "Crystal."

  "If I give you medicine, you will act as if I am offering you water from the very Holy Grail itself. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Henderson moved back to behind her desk and started reeling in the taser's wires. The Fleet police knocked on her door. She said, "Come in, gentlemen. Please take the Sergeant to the stockade."

  "What's the charge?" One of the police asked.

  "Two counts of assault. I'll file the report shortly."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "He'll be unconscious for at least two more hours," Henderson said. "Take him in a wheelchair."

  "OK."

  * * *

  Jack woke up in the stockade with a splitting headache. He lay there and waited. Not much to do but wait. Nothing in his cell really. After a few hours he saw Wilson stepping down the hallway headed towards him. Jack stood at attention and saluted him, "Major."

  "Hello, Jack, in a bit of a pickle, are we?" Wilson asked

  "I don't know, sir. They haven't even told me what I've been charged with."

  "Two counts of assault."

  "Do I get a lawyer?" Jack asked.

  "Your pre-trial is in
the morning. If they decide that there needs to be a trial, you'll get a lawyer, yes."

  Jack paused--he didn't know what to say.

  "Look, Jack, I brought you a couple of food-bars," Wilson said. "When you taste the food they'll try and give you in here, you'll thank me for them."

  Wilson started sliding food-bars through the bars of the cell. Jack pocketed them.

  "Nothing to do but wait," Wilson said. "I talked to Lexi, and she's very upset--she doesn't want to see you in a pen. I'm sure if they keep you for a while she'll come around."

  "Thank you, for coming to see me."

  Wilson smiled. "It's no problem, kid. The video of what happened got leaked to the civilian media, and I've seen it. I think those orderlies shouldn't have put their hands on you. They touched you first. I don't think they can make assault stick."

  "Thanks, I hope you're right," Jack said.

  "We'll see. I'll be at the pre-trial tomorrow, rooting for you."

  On that note, Wilson turned to leave, and Jack didn't stop him.

  A few hours later they brought Jack dinner. He took one bite and ate a food-bar instead. Jack tried to sleep but couldn't. The next morning they brought him breakfast, and again, he opted for the food-bar. They put shackles on Jack's wrists and walked him to the courthouse. Jack arrived before the judges, and it looked like there would be three judges.

  A guard said, "All rise, court is now in session."

  Three Generals in black robes stepped into the courtroom and took their places. A man dressed in Fleet uniform on Jack's right spoke into a mic. "Case 001-0033423 Fleet vs. Sergeant Jack Grean."

  The center judge spoke, "Sergeant Grean, is there anything you'd like to say?"

  "I haven't spoken with a lawyer yet, your honor."

  "That's fine, Sergeant. We have been reviewing your case most of yesterday afternoon. For one thing, you have the right to refuse medication. Sometimes our psychiatric staff are a bit overzealous in that regard. That's not what is being tried here though. What is being tried is the assault on the two orderlies. We feel that they overstepped their bounds. They put their hands on you before you displayed any violent or threatening behavior. Your service record in Fleet is being taken into account in this matter. And, although it may be unfair of this court, we're putting a black mark on that record because of this incident. Case dismissed."