Ice and Peace

by Clare Dargin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Ice and Peace

  Copyright © 2013 by Clare Dargin

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-547-5

  Cover art by LFD Designs

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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  www.decadentpublishing.com

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  Also by Clare Dargin

  Kybernatia

  Cold Warriors

  Ice and Peace

  The Cold Warriors Universe – Book Two

  By

  Clare Dargin

  ~DEDICATION~

  To God for giving me the inspiration for this story

  Glossary of Terms

  Battle Group/Group- is the shortened term for a Carrier Battle Group. Consists of an air/spacecraft carrier and its escorts, together comprising the group. The components of the group are usually one air/spacecraft carrier, deep space reconaissance cruiser, two destroyers, one Stealth Frigate, and two Amphibious Warfare Cruisers for the deployment of light infantry.

  Bridge- The area on the ship where the Commanding Officer or the Captain sits to oversee the navigation and welfare of the vessel as a whole. Also called the Conn.

  CIC- stands for Command in Control. The tactical center of the warship.

  CNO- acronym for Chief of Naval Operations. An administrative position in the Pentagon, the CNO is a Four-Star Admiral and is the most senior level officer assigned to the Department of the Navy. A military adviser to the President, the CNO is the highest ranking active duty officer in the U.S. Navy out ranked only by a navy officer who is the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  CS Departure- Curve Space Departure. Shortening the distance between two points by using gravity to bend space/time to place point a and point b in a direct line with each other and using a worm hole to travel from to the other.

  Chain of Command- is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders are passed within a and between different military units. Orders are transmitted down from a higher-ranked soldier, such as a commissioned officer, to a lower-ranked soldier such as a non-commissioned officer or enlisted personnel who either execute the order personally or transmit it down the chain as appropriate, until it is received by those expected to execute it.

  Chief of the Boat- is an enlisted sailor on board a naval vessel who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer and executive officer. The COB (as this person is sometimes called) assists with matters regarding the good order and discipline of the crew, and is the equivalent of a Command Master Chief or Command Senior Chief in shore and surface commands

  COB- see Chief of the Boat

  Command- (as in 'Command has ordered us to do thus and so...) the jurisdiction of a commander in a military unit or units regarding a specific area or function. Also responsible for planning the employment of, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling military forces for the accomplishment of assigned missions including the responsibility for health, welfare, morale, and discipline of its assigned personnel.

  Commanding Officer- A commissioned officer in command of a military unit, having ultimate authority over it and is given wide latitude to run it as he or she sees fit within accordance to military law.

  Commissioned Officer- A member of the military who holds a position of authority. He is or she receives a commission or given authority to be responsible for duties in a specific position or military unit. Typically he or she is able to act as a commanding officer of a military unit. In the U.S., the position requires a Bachelor's degree, though individuals without college degrees maybe commissioned under certain circumstances through Officers Candidate School but must earn a degree before being promoted to Lieutenant.

  Coms- Device for voice communicating over long distances.

  Conn- To direct the steering or course of a ship. Also refers to the station or post of the person who steers a vessel. Another term for the Bridge.

  Convector- an air conditioner, dehumidifier and heating unit. A temperature controlled device that circulates cold air by using an inverter or warm air by carrying and dispersing it throughout the room.

  Cryogenics- the act of chemically preserving someone using very low temperatures with the intentions of future revival.

  Direct Combat- Engaging the enemy with an individual or a team with weapons while being exposed to direct enemy fire.

  Implant- is a biochemical nano mechanism that can monitor a person's vital signs and track the movements of the individual. Generally given to diplomatic officials when assigned to hostile territories, it enables the wearer to be monitored for his or her own safety at all times. Depending on the sophistication, it can act as both sender and receiver of information allowing the wearer computerized access to a voice prompted system that is able to verbally and non-verbally communicate with the individual via neural and synaptic connections. Because it emits a minute electro-magnetic waves, the wearer may easily be detected by a tracking system.

  ImSensor Device- an electronic device that specifically tracks the location of individuals who have Implants. The device can also give the general health status of the wearer when directly applied to the body.

  Medipad- a device used to chart and record the medical status of a patient.

  NCO- Non-commissioned Officers or non-coms are individuals in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se; the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is often unofficial.

  Scrivs- a self contained computer that can access, record, calculate, receive and send data. Used by both by civilians and the military. Scrivs are used extensively in the military because of its ease and portability in the dissemination of information. Once it was able to encoded for the use by key personnel, it became standard across all services.

  Superior officer- is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior.

  Thermal Optics- A visual aid such as viewer in a camera or one mounted on rifle scope
that produce y visual displays of the amount of infrared energy emitted, transmitted, and reflected by an object. When viewed through am optic such as a scope, warm objects such as humans and other warm-blooded animals become easily visible against a cooler environment during the day or night.

  The Tac Officer- The tactical action officer (TAO) is responsible for the weapons, sensors, offensive and defensive craft, and propulsion of a ship in the absence of the captain.

  Please Note: Some terms included in this glossary refer to people or things found in the first novel Cold Warriors.

  Chapter One

  Naval Special Warfare Advanced Cold Weather Training Facility - Detachment Kodiak.

  Chief Warrant Officer Caitlin Keegan opened her eyes, senses on high alert. Something was not right. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the cot and glanced around the barracks. Moonlight streamed into the room, allowing her to see. She wiped a bead of perspiration from her brow. An icy wind from an open window hit her skin, lending relief to the stifling heat. No matter how many times she told them she didn’t need the convector, they never listened.

  She walked toward the window and surveyed the landscape. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck, sending a chill down her spine. Outside the window, a single lamppost lit the area nearby. A large Sitka Spruce missing its lower branches cast a long, black shadow over the ray of light emanating from the lamp.

  Though her brain told her nothing was there, her gut screamed she was being watched. She tried to tear her gaze away from the dark area under the tree but could not. A breeze rustled the scrubby brush surrounding the base of the lamppost. Glancing at it, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of light come from underneath the tree.

  She dove toward the floor. Bracing, she wondered if she was paranoid or going crazy. But then the window shattered into a thousand pieces, sprinkling shards of glass on and around her. Her mind raced as she wrapped her arms around her head to take cover.

  “Shit,” she whispered. “Who was that?”

  Adrenaline poured into her veins, and she forced herself to focus.

  My weapon.

  Calculating the distance to her locker, she knew she had to go for it.

  She listened, waiting. Nothing. She tensed her muscles and sprinted. Fire burst through the busted window. She threw her back against the wall beside the small, thin locker.

  They must be using line of sight. If they were using thermal optics, her heat signature would read through the wall and, with the proper ammo, they could kill her instantly.

  God, please don’t let them switch to thermal.

  Standing in her T-shirt and shorts, she felt vulnerable and exposed. The idea of never seeing Keegan graced her mind, and panic started to set in. They’d come a long way to be together, fighting through the early days of her waking from her frozen state and finally finding each other again after she’d gone through the perilous missions it took to be a cryo.

  Okay, calm down and think.

  She closed her eyes and listened. Nothing. The wind picked up outside, filling the room with cold air, dropping the temperature even more. The change gave her strength.

  “Dammit,” she swore, frustrated.

  She forced herself out of the corner and stood in front of the locker. The metal door opened with a rusty whine as more shots rang out. She quickly reached in and pulled out her weapon. The small pistol wasn’t much but it was all she had. Caitlin ran toward the window and fired.

  ***

  Two Hours Later

  Caitlin crouched, an invisible figure lost in the thick brushwood on the outskirts of the base. Better armed and prepared, she had thrown on her uniform and Arctic weather gear. It protected her against the chill somewhat but then again, as a cryo, cold was never her biggest concern.

  She knew from years of experience it would take an extreme amount of freezing to throw her into hibernation, otherwise it made her stronger. Though cold weather caused the human body to burn more calories than normal, it primarily kept her body from overheating and her from dying.

  She held her rifle steady though the tension built up in her neck and shoulders. She moved her head from side to side to release the kinks that wound up at its base.

  Steadying her breathing, she peered through the night scope.

  All clear.

  The midnight incursion she and the rest of the base had just experienced was a sneak attack of the worst sort, causing the death of many. Who it could be, she did not know. The Verneans? Though Earth’s sworn enemies knew better than to try an invasion, it was common knowledge humanity would rather destroy the planet than be enslaved by the likes of them. Perhaps it was a new adversary, or maybe even traitors, humans siding with Vernean Alliance for profit.

  Either way, they have to pay for this.

  She fumed. Her hands trembled. In order for her shots to be accurate, she needed a steady hand. She cleared her mind. So far, she and the other soldiers on base made some advances against their unknown foes by pushing them back to the facility’s outskirts. But considering the sporadic gunfire in the distance, it was obvious they were not in the clear yet.

  “En-com’s in the Hole. Tango Line Ahead. Cross the Tee.” Her commander’s voice sounded cool and confident. No matter what was going on around him, he never lost his composure in battle. She liked that. It was reassuring. The com unit nestled in her ear crackled with static before falling silent.

  She stood and cautiously walked over to a rugged old spruce tree and settled into position behind it. With a clear view of a large section of brush, she rubbed her nose, wiping away a bit of moisture at its tip.

  “Eyes up,” her squad leader whispered over the com.

  She spotted the shadowy images in the light of the distant moon. Raising her rifle’s night vision scope to her eyes, she checked for signs of the enemy. She saw nothing. The salt air rolled in off the sea and mixed with the scent of the Sitka Spruces around her, sweeping away the smell of ammo and carbine.

  Something rustled the brush to her left. She trained her night vision scope on the suspect section of woods. A figure moved into the thicket. She adjusted the vision to get a closer look. A heat signature registered. Her right index finger squeezed the trigger slowly when she heard a clicking sound in front of her. It was a signal from her team member, alerting her he was with her team. She released the trigger, lowered her rifle, and waited.

  Static from her radio broke the silence once again.

  She pressed the tiny ear bud deeper into her ear. “Elvis,” the man’s voice said.

  Caitlin let out a relieved breath. The barracks had been safely cleared and there were no more unfriendlies on base. The only thing left to do was “kick or kill,” meaning kick their asses out of the surrounding area or kill them all, whichever came first.

  She licked her dry lips. Her body was beginning to overheat. Though Alaska in late autumn was cold, it was still not cold enough for her kind. Freeing one hand, she slipped it underneath her thin white coat and pressed the button of a tiny pump attached to her left hip. She gritted her teeth as the cool liquid rushed into her veins. The effects were immediate. Her body temperature lowered, making the air around her seem warm. Taut muscles in her back and neck loosened.

  She inhaled deeply and relaxed then checked her surroundings again. Everything was deathly silent. No movement, no gunfire, and no engagement with the enemy. Had they ended the battle and forgotten to tell her? The wind shifted once again. She caught the faint scent of perspiration in the distance. She slowed her breathing and held her rifle up in firing position. Little by little she stepped toward it.

  The snowy ground crunched beneath its feet. Caitlin concentrated and listened more intently. One step and then another. Each followed by a violent crunching of the ground.

  Whatever it is, it’s bipedal, and it isn’t a bear.

  The footsteps stopped. She readied herself to fight. Using the trunk of a tree as cover, she eased toward her target.
<
br />   She lowered her night vision goggles. The creature’s heat signature on the other side registered before her eyes. It was tall. Much taller than she. But it was the enemy and had to go. She holstered her rifle across her chest and pulled out her K-bar. The large knife was much better at dispatching something during close-quarters combat.

  Her mind went blank as she reached up and grabbed it by the arm with all her strength, pulling it off balance. She glanced at the alien’s face. It seemed almost human except its skin was the color of a faded pink flamingo, its eyes like saucers. The knife cut through its muscled neck, causing it to shrill loudly and leap away from her. It spurted a pinkish fluid, which stained Caitlin’s white camouflage. Pushing away, it managed to run. Caitlin chased after it and peeled off several shots into its back, causing it to shrill again. But the thing disappeared in a grove of trees.

  She heard only heavy breathing and panting. When she circled around, she saw no one then realized the sounds were coming from her. She looked down at the pink fluid staining her clothes. Repulsed by the milky pink blood, Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut. She’d give anything to be home with Keegan, but she still had to clear the area.

  “Steel Sweep. Repeat Steel Sweep. Enemy in retreat. All personnel mobilize….” The voice crackled on the com unit just as a burst of bright light filled her field of vision, blinding her.

  “Keep your eyes peeled until the area is completely cleared,” her squad leader said over the com.