by Jay Allan
Mason watched them for several minutes, almost wishing he had a family of his own. Perhaps someday, when things settled back down, he would have to consider it.
CHAPTER 6
Wade was out of breath. The training room had been modified and they had been divided into four squads of twelve each. The room now contained numerous obstacles of various shapes and heights, which they had to maneuver around or could hide behind if they so chose. They had been provided with what looked like a large assault rifle with a thicker than normal barrel. The weapon fired a beam of blue light, and when it hit an opponent, it disabled the part of the battle suit it struck. If the beam struck an arm or leg, that limb instantly became disabled. If it struck the chest or the head, the entire battle suit became immobile. The bad thing was when you fired off a shot it allowed your opponent to instantly spot your location and return fire.
Wade was currently standing behind a large metal obstruction with Corporal Stern and Private Dawson at his side. Glancing at the HUD in his helmet, he saw that four of his squad were already down, and several others were partially immobilized. Immobilized squad members showed as red and partially immobilized ones showed as amber. The war game had been going on for nearly four hours.
“What now, Sir?” Private Dawson asked as he looked around the obstruction, only to quickly jerk his head back as a blue beam narrowly missed him. “They seem to have us pinned down.”
Wade nodded; it had taken them a while to work their way through the obstacles to this position, dodging enemy fire the entire way. Two of the other squads had been completely immobilized and were out of the game. The other remaining squad was behind a series of low mounds fifty yards away and had so far refused to move from their protected position. The other two squads had been wiped out when they had attempted to rush them across an open area. Wade had played it more cautiously, preferring to snipe at the other squad whenever one of them made a mistake and allowed themselves to be exposed. He figured there were still six or seven effective members of the other squad left.
“Sir,” spoke Corporal Stern as she leaned back against the metal obstacle and looked up. “This thing’s nearly twenty feet high, if I could jump to the top of it I could see over the mounds the enemy are hiding behind and pick them off rather easily.”
Wade looked up and thought over Stern’s suggestion. She was right about being able to see over the enemy’s position, but she would be exposed and would quickly be immobilized. However, he had an idea how to make her suggestion work. She had already demonstrated that she was the best shot in the squad; she just needed a few precious seconds.
“Okay,” Wade said after a moment. “But here is what we’ll do.” Wade quickly communicated his plan to the rest of his squad who were waiting behind other protective barriers. No one was going to die in this scenario, but Wade did have an idea as to how they could win.
Moments later, Wade and Dawson both stepped around the metal obstacle and began laying down a heavy covering fire for Corporal Stern. She backed up and then took a short run, bending her legs, and then jumped her ten-foot battle suit to the top of the obstacle. The rest of Wade’s squad also began firing trying to pin down the enemy. Blue beams crisscrossed the open space, and occasionally Wade could hear one of his marines swear as they were hit.
On his HUD, he saw two more of his squad fall to the enemy’s weapons, and then the firing stopped. He started to move forward and saw with surprise that both of his legs and one of his arms was immobilized. He glanced over at Private Dawson and saw him laying face down next to the metal obstacle. His entire suit had been shut down. He heard a loud thump and, looking to his side, saw where Corporal Stern had jumped to the floor. Through the shield on her helmet, he could see her grinning.
“They never knew what hit them,” she bragged with a laugh.
“You’re a damn good shot, Corporal,” Wade commented in acknowledgement.
“Training simulation is over,” Marken’s voice announced over the suit’s com system.
Wade thought he could detect a trace of satisfaction in Marken’s normally calm and cold voice.
“All suits are now reactivated,” Marken added.
Wade felt his limbs unfreeze, so he walked over to Private Dawson to help him up.
“They got me as soon as I stepped around the corner,” complained Dawson, shaking his head in frustration. “I only got a few shots off.”
“But it was enough to distract them and allow me to take them out,” Corporal Stern said. “They weren’t expecting to be fired upon from above. At the height I was at they were all exposed.”
“Good job, Lieutenant Nelson,” Marken spoke as the red-skinned alien made a sudden appearance. “You have learned that the suits give you mobility to take advantage of your enemy’s weaknesses. It was a brilliant move to jump one of your squad’s battle suits to a higher level to give you the tactical advantage. No one else on the other squads thought about using the strength the battle suits give you to take advantage of that.”
Wade nodded but didn’t say anything in reply.
“Tomorrow our ship will be rendezvousing with our main training and trade station for this section of space. All Humans will be transferred to the facility and finish your training there.”
“What about you?” asked Dawson, looking down at Marken. The battle suit allowed him to tower over the tall alien.
“I and my people will be transferring also,” Marken replied with an unpleasant look upon his face. “The Kleese have decided that we will be responsible for completing your training and supervising you during your first few deployments. Don’t disappoint me.”
Marken turned and left leaving Wade and the others behind. He knew that they were expected to spend another hour working out in their battle suits and then remove them. They were then required to go to the supply room, pick up what they needed, and return to their quarters. Looking at the large hatch to the training room, he saw that the alien in the ever-present battle suit was still there watching them.
“I wonder just what they’re training us for?” Lieutenant Jeffries from one of the other three squads asked as he strode up in his battle suit. It had been Jeffry’s squad that had taken refuge behind the low mounds, which had caused all the others so much trouble.
“I don’t know,” replied Wade, glancing over at the other lieutenant. “The only thing I am sure of is that we will probably not like it.”
Corporal Stern was listening to the exchange and agreed with Lieutenant Nelson. They were in a bad situation, and at the moment, she saw no way out.
-o0o-
Marken returned to his quarters where his mate was waiting. “Do you think they’re the ones?” she asked as he sat down across from her.
“They show promise,” replied Marken, thinking about the recently completed drill. “They are a very aggressive race and probably the most warlike we have ever come across. I am almost certain that is why the Kleese elected to destroy the Human home world.”
“Do they know?” asked Harnett, looking at Marken and wondering what it would feel like to know that your world and all of its people were gone.
“Some of their officers may suspect, but they haven’t been told.”
Harnett nodded. It was the way of the Kleese; they treated all the subordinate races as if they were insects. All three of the dominant races were like that. She just hoped that someday another race would put them in their places.
“This Lieutenant Nelson shows much promise, along with a few others. Their training is already far ahead of many of the other groups. Once we reach the training facility, some of the Humans will be shuffled around. Those that fit into our plan will be placed together and given advanced training.”
“Advanced training?” Harnett exclaimed in astonishment, her narrow eyes growing wider. “That will be the Type Two battle suits. Is that wise? What if the Kleese suspect?”
“The Kleese will never know,” replied Marken, confidently. “The training is lef
t up to us, and the only time a Kleese makes an appearance is when it is necessary to hand out discipline.”
“I have seen their discipline,” Harnett said with obvious disgust in her voice. She worked in the ship’s medical facility and too often, she had to treat alien races who had suffered from the Kleese’s obvious contempt for the welfare of others.
“I like these Humans,” Marken continued with a thoughtful look upon his face. “They remind me much of our own race, except they are much more aggressive. If the situation were different their people and ours would have been friends.”
“If things work out as you hope, perhaps we still can be.” Harnett stood to go and prepare their evening meal.
“Perhaps, but I don’t know if they will ever forgive us for what we are about to do to them.” Marken leaned back and closed his eyes. He dreaded what he was about to put the Humans through, but if their plan was to succeed and if these Humans were indeed the ones they needed, he had no other choice.
-o0o—
Wade was surprised the next morning when Marken put in an appearance and informed them that training for the day was canceled. He then requested that Wade and Jamie come with him.
“I wonder what’s up?” Corporal Stern asked as they followed Marken through several long corridors. For once not even their ever-present guard in the battle suit was with them.
“I’m taking you to one of the ship’s observation decks so you can see us dock with the training facility,” Marken replied, having overheard the question. “I think you will be quite impressed.”
As they continued through the ship, Wade was surprised to see just how many different alien races were on board. He estimated that just since leaving their quarters he had counted over ten. All were humanoid in appearance.
“Marken, may I ask a question?”
Marken stopped and looked inquiringly at Wade. “Yes, but make it quick. We need to get to the observation deck shortly.”
“Why are all of the races on this ship except the Kleese so humanoid in form?”
Marken was silent for a moment, and then gestured for them to continue to follow him as he talked. “Various species seem to dominate specific regions of our galaxy,” he explained as he turned down another long corridor.
He noticed a few of the humanoids they were passing were frowning upon seeing the Humans that Marken had with him. Most of the humanoid races on the ship were very submissive to the Kleese and never questioned the wisdom of the older galactic race.
“The Kleese may know the reason for that, and if they do they have never mentioned it to any members of my race. There are six species that seem to dominate most of the inhabitable worlds of our galaxy; the Kleese and the other two dominate galactic powers, the humanoid races which may be the most numerous of all species, a dominate insect species toward the outer edge of our galaxy, and then there are the cold-blooded, or in your language the reptile species, scattered throughout. One thing we have found is that all the primary species have many similar traits.”
Wade nodded; this didn’t seem to surprise him too much after what he had seen on the ship.
“Are there other races besides those six?” Jamie asked curiously.
“Yes. On some worlds, evolution has taken strange paths, and there are races that you would find frightening to look upon. There are others that it’s hard to believe they ever found intelligence. These species are not numerous, but they can be found in isolated solar systems across the galaxy.”
They reached their destination and Marken entered a special code on a control panel next to a metal hatch. Once entered, the hatch swung smoothly open and the three stepped inside.
Jamie gasped in amazement at the sight in front of her. One entire wall seemed to be open to space. She stepped over closer and reaching her hand out, encountered a hard, transparent substance that served as a window. It was so clear that it was nearly invisible.
“When the ship is in combat or an unknown situation, large metal blast plates come down to shield the observation windows,” Marken explained. “The ship is protected by a low level energy shield, which can protect it from most space hazards and is also quite effective against energy weapons.”
Wade looked out and his eyes grew wide in disbelief. Everywhere he looked there were stars, but the most amazing thing of all was the huge structure they were approaching. It had dozens of massive domes upon it and there were several ships similar to the one they were on docked to it. Other small ships could be seen moving around with some in formations and others singly.
“What’s the main purpose of the station? I can’t believe it’s just for military training.”
“It’s the training and trading center for this sector of the galaxy,” Marken explained as he came to stand next to Wade. “Some of those domes are training facilities and range in size from ten to twenty of your kilometers across. There are smaller domes that are home to some of the humanoid races that serve the Kleese on their ships. The entire station is one hundred and twenty kilometers across and twenty-four kilometers thick. The Kleese maintain fifteen of these in their section of the galaxy to help control their Empire.”
Wade was awestruck as he realized the power the Kleese must wield. It made him wonder just what they needed with Humans.
“You said trading center,” spoke Jamie, looking thoughtful. “Do other races come here to trade products made on their home planets?”
“Some do,” Marken replied as he watched a flight of six deadly assault ships pass close by. “The Kleese furnish each planet that is part of their Empire a list of what is acceptable for trade. A number of nonaligned worlds also send trading ships to the stations.”
“Nonaligned?” spoke Wade, glancing curiously over at Marken. “I thought all space traveling races were part of one of the three Galactic Empires you speak of.”
“No,” replied Marken, shaking his head. “A few of the more civilized ones have managed to remain free of being controlled by any of the three galactic powers.”
Wade nodded as he filed this information in his head. What was so special about those races that the Kleese were willing to leave them alone?
Marken turned his gaze to a group of five assault ships passing close by between the ship and the station. The assault ships were two hundred meters long, one hundred and fifty meters wide and forty meters thick. They were the main fighting ships deployed by conscripts in the Kleese Empire. They normally carried a flight crew of one hundred, plus four drop groups of twenty battle suits each. Marken had served on one for several years before being reassigned to this training detail.
“What exactly are we going to be used for?” ventured Wade, seeing that Marken seemed to be in a talkative mood and wanting to take advantage of it.
“The galaxy has billions of star systems in it, and every day new civilizations are being discovered,” Marken explained as he watched a large freighter maneuvering itself toward a docking port on the station. “Contact is normally made after they develop space travel within their solar system. At that point, a ship from one of the three galactic powers makes contact and offers them the choice of joining their Empire.”
“What if they refuse?” Jaime asked, already suspecting the answer.
“They are not allowed to refuse,” Marken replied, his eyes focusing on Jaime. If they do, then force is used to bring them into the Empire. That’s where you Humans will come in. The Kleese will arrange for you to be dropped upon planets that refuse in order to demonstrate to them the wisdom of joining the Kleese Empire. The superior firepower from the battle suits normally encourages most planets to change their minds and agree to join rather quickly.”
“What if more than one of the Galactic Empires wants the same planet?” asked Wade, seeing where there could be a major conflict.
“It does happen, probably more than the Kleese are willing to admit,” Marken answered as he continued to watch the station they were approaching. “When it does, the fighting is intense and there a
re more casualties.”
Jamie nodded to herself as she listened. What would actual combat between two opposing armies wearing battle suits be like? She shuddered just thinking about how dangerous such a battle would be for both sides.
“Do the three Galactic Empires ever actually fight one another?” Wade asked. It was hard to imagine ships of this size fighting.
“No,” replied Marken, shaking his head. “The war between the empires is more of a proxy war being fought on planets that two, or occasionally all three, of the empires want. The battles are fought on the ground upon the planets in question.”
Wade turned his attention back to the massive structure the ship was approaching, marveling at the technology it had taken to build something like this in space. It was years ahead of anything that Earth possessed. Thinking about Earth, he eyed all the small spacecraft that were flying around or docked to the station, his eyes studying several of the nearer ones. If someday they could find a way to safely remove the collars and if they could grab one of the small ships, they might just be able to fly it back to Earth.
Wade knew that any hope of ever escaping and going back home depended upon them learning as much about the alien’s technology as possible. He had a vague plan in the back of his mind, but he needed to learn a lot more before he seriously contemplated enacting such a dangerous idea.
They stood at the large windows for several more minutes before Marken indicated that they needed to return. There were a number of other humanoids in the room, including some from Marken’s own race. Wade and Jamie were the only Humans present.
As they walked out, Marken smiled to himself. He had noticed the intense looks that Lieutenant Nelson had given the smaller ships. It was not difficult to guess what he was thinking. All in good time, Lieutenant, Marken thought.
-o0o-
Several hours later, Lieutenant Nelson and his squad stood with other marines in one of the large domes. Looking around, Wade guessed it was a good twelve or fifteen kilometers across. The inside of the dome was amazing. There were rolling hills, small forests, and even what looked like a small mountain that rose several thousand meters above the floor of the dome. Directly in front of them was a flat training area with buildings off to one side.