I pointed in the direction we had been moving. “We have mountains in that direction, about one hundred five klicks out. It’s going to be tough slogging in this mud. But I don’t see that we have any choice. I say we just keep moving, with a fifteen-minute break every four hours until we get there. Maybe something will pop up along the way. Or maybe your ships will drop into orbit before the sun sets.”
Meecha replied, “We may have difficulty with our ships, Mr. Grange. We no longer have a beacon to alert them to our location when they arrive. Targ is not a large planet, but neither is it small.”
York stepped forward. “Sirs, I was talking over this issue with Lieutenant Goddard yesterday. He had captured the Gonta beacon signal on his arm pad. He had interest in their transmit frequencies and such, something to keep him busy while we were resting. Anyway, he transferred that recording to me. He thought it might come in useful if we ever made it back to the Granger.”
Meecha spoke. “Can your gear be programmed to broadcast that signal?”
York replied, “I believe so, Sir. Give me a minute and I’ll check.”
The captain spoke. “Your people seem to plan outside of the command structure, Mr. Grange. I would very much like to have a crew who took those initiatives.”
I nodded. “As Humans, that is something we try to encourage. We are still to follow rules, but so long as we work within those rules, most commanders promote that type of initiative.”
Several minutes passed before York spoke up. “OK, Mr. Grange, check your sensors and see if you are picking up the broadcast.”
I replied, “Right there, York. Looks good. Hopefully your ships are sitting up there in orbit, Captain.”
Frost spoke. “Sir, we have trouble coming. I did a scan back towards the rocks, and we have movement all around them. Won’t be long before they are following our tracks.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. OK, let’s get a move on, then. We have eighty kilometers to cross before we hit those hills out there ahead of us. Let’s hope this mud lets up too, as it’s sucking the life out of me right now with each and every step.”
We continued to stomp through the mud on our way forward. Half an hour into our new journey, movement in our direction was detected.
Frost spoke. “Sir, I believe they are onto us. For the last ten minutes, we have not gained any distance on them, so they must be moving this way.”
I replied, “Are they on foot or in vehicles? Or can you tell?”
Frost punched the buttons on her arm pad. “Scan doesn’t detect any large metallic reflections, so I would say they are on foot. It’s too early to tell if they are gaining on us, Sir.”
The captain spoke. “I suggest we make every effort to pick up our pace. We are only twelve strong now. If they catch up to us, we will not be able to defend ourselves.”
In an effort to follow the captain’s advice, I began to high step. The mud sucked down on my combat boots on every attempt to pick up my feet. I set the gravity assist to maximum for a test.
I spoke. “I’m going to try using my suit to see what kind of pace I can set. We have a sort of gravity assist mode that we can set. If I can run with a foot plant every ten meters or so, I should be able to cover a lot of ground.”
The captain gave me a dubious look as I took my first springing step forward. The suit worked wonders, and I was soon bounding away at fifteen meters per step. After several hundred meters’ distance, I returned to the group.
York spoke. “You do realize, Sir, that you will drain the power on your suit at a rapid rate if you do that. You may run it dry before you reach those hills.”
I replied, “I am aware of that, Sergeant. I’m just trying to plan ahead for if the need arises.”
Meecha pointed forward. “So, your plan is to run off and leave us to the Targs?”
I shook my head. “Well, no. I promise we won’t run away until the last possible moment, Captain. If that makes you feel better.”
Meecha replied, “In the spirit of strengthening relations, I will take that as a sarcastic remark, Mr. Grange. Unless you intended otherwise?”
I gave a half smile. “I have no plans to abandon you and your men, Captain. After all, I am hoping to catch a ride out of here. I don’t think that ride would end up as a very pleasant one if you were not there to vouch for us. We are the invaders of your Federation’s territory, after all.”
The captain returned a half smile. “You are proving to be a wise Human, Mr. Grange. I will indeed attempt to put in a good word for you upon our rescue.”
As we continued to trek across the mud-covered prairie, Frost issued another report. “They are gaining on us, Sir. I would say we only have eight hours before they overtake us at the pace they are moving. We won’t make those hills in eight hours. We need to be working on a plan B.”
I turned to York. “Based on the suit power you have left, how long do you think we could manage to run with our gravity assist at maximum?”
York punched away at her arm pad. “Assuming worst case, which is that the mud does not let up, it looks like we might get five to six hours out of them, Sir. At the pace you showed, we might just be able to make the base of those hills.”
I replied, “OK, well, here is my plan. Captain, you and your men may have to shed your battle gear. If the Targs catch us, it won’t do you much good anyway. So, we need to ditch the extra weight.”
The captain spoke. “What are you proposing, Mr. Grange?”
I smiled. “We are going to take you and your men for some piggyback rides, Captain. Somebody can climb on my back, and I will sprint them out to a kilometer’s distance, and then walk back to get the next one without using the gravity assist.”
York spoke. “You do realize that we won’t get five or six hours out of these suits if we are carrying someone, don’t you, Sir? We are probably talking three hours tops.”
I replied, “Well, then three hours is what we get, Sergeant. At least that way, if the Targs catch us, they will catch all of us. How’s that sound for strengthening relations, Captain?”
The captain replied, “While I don’t relish the thought of shedding my battle suit, I believe that it is the best option we have. Perhaps that will put enough distance between us and the Targ until a rescue ship arrives. It would also speak of Humans as being creatures of honor and integrity.”
I tilted my head as I responded, “Well, I can’t say that I like being called creatures, but I will accept that in the spirit that it was no doubt intended.”
The captain was the first to shed his suit and hop onto my back. The Gonta were of a slighter build than Humans and as a result were an easy carry. The gravity assist, along with the auto-balancing circuits built into the suit, made for a stable jaunt across the muddy plains. Each passenger was taken out a kilometer’s distance ahead and dropped off. The bounder then walked back to the remaining others with the gravity assist turned off. Frost’s suit was the first to run low on power.
Frost spoke as I dropped off a Gonta soldier beside her. “That’s it for me, Mr. Grange. I’m down to 1 percent, which I would prefer to keep for my arm pad.”
I looked at my power indicator. “I think I have four or five more runs in me. I like the idea of maintaining enough juice to run the arm pad, though. I will have to keep an eye on my own so that I can do the same.”
Three trips followed, bringing the last of the Gonta soldiers up to the group. York arrived and let her passenger to the ground.
I spoke. “How much suit power do you have left, York?”
York replied, “I have 3 percent, Sir. If you want, though, I can still carry someone with these legs. The power cell in them is probably good for another three or four days of carrying if I do.”
I replied, “Save it, York. We may need it later. And if you run out of power in those legs, well, I don’t want to have to be dragging your torso all over this planet. That just wouldn’t look right.”
York chuckled. “If I lose power, you can
just plant me in the mud with a blaster and enough rounds to keep them off of me for a while, Sir. Might give you a few extra steps towards those hills.”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t give you the pleasure or the glory, York. If there is going to be a firefight, then we are all going to be in it!”
York gave a half frown. “Aw, now what fun is that, Sir? Who is going to be left to tell of my ultimate sacrifice? You know that’s how we Marines are wound, Sir.”
I replied, “You will have to be satisfied with knowing that we all knew what you did, York. On this one, we are all sticking together.”
Our sprints had placed us an extra three hours’ distance from what appeared to be an oncoming horde of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Targ pursuers. The Targ sun set and then rose again as our run continued. My legs were again feeling fatigued from the constantly sucking mud that we had to trudge through.
As I stepped and pulled, then stuck, then stepped, then pulled, my mind began to wander. I was back on the high ridge on Jarhead with Ashley by my side. It was always a good reminder of what I had to live for. I would push through this, however difficult it would become, if only to return to see my wife for one last time.
Chapter 11
The dawn brought with it a drier stretch of land with only patchy mud. The hills loomed larger in the distance, now only sixteen kilometers from our location. Our paces quickened, only to be slowed again as the scorching hot Targ sun beat down upon the captain and the other Gontas. I wondered how long my suit environmentals would hold out before I was in the same situation.
Frost spoke. “Crap! I’m down to just my arm pad, Sir. It’s gonna get hot in this thing real quick.”
I replied, “We are going to be in those hills in a couple hours, Frost. Try to hold out if you can.”
Frost looked at her arm pad. “We are going to be covered in Targ about that same time, Mr. Grange.”
I looked back at Frost to reply. “Thanks for the good… what are you doing, Frost?”
Frost replied, “Sorry, Sir. This suit is burning me up. It has to go. And, Sir?”
I turned back towards the hills. “What is it, Frost?”
Frost spoke. “I just want you to know that I’m not even doing this on purpose, Sir. As much as I might enjoy it, I’m doing it because I have to. And if you have to join me, Sir, well, I promise to not enjoy that too much, Sir.”
I glanced down at my power level and cringed as I thought of possibly having to do the same should the time come. I could order Frost to walk out in front of me instead of behind, but I decided she would probably enjoy that even more. Going naked in front of others was one of her bad habits. I glanced over at the already naked captain and again cringed at the thought of our entire party being in the raw. It was not a pleasant thought.
An hour into our continued walk, my suit warbled as the environmental controller shut down. Within a minute I began to sweat.
Frost looked at me and smiled. “It’s not going to do you any good to fight it, Sir! Strip ‘em down and let Mama see what she has been wishing for. Hahahahaha!”
I stopped and looked at the ground below my boots. “How’s the dirt on your feet, Frost?”
The sergeant replied, “Surprisingly, it’s not that bad, Sir. I have a few calluses anyway, so my feet are probably a bit tougher than yours are. Other than being a bit warm, I think you will do OK. You should be more worried about that milky-white flesh, Sir. This Targ sun might be a little rough on you. I was blessed with this naturally dark tone. At some point in the distant past, I would guess my people were sun people.”
I spoke as I pulled my suit from my shoulders. “Sun people, huh. I wonder what that would make mine.”
York spoke as she looked over at Frost. “Probably cave dwellers, Sir. Hahahaha!”
The captain cut into the conversation. “I take it that cave dwellers were not the elites of Human society?”
I replied, “In our archives it talks of them in our early history, and no, they were not considered as high up on the Human evolutionary scale. Not at the bottom, but… oh, never mind.”
With a single move, I swirled my lightweight battle suit around my waist and tied it in a knot. My privates were fully concealed.
Frost spoke up with a soured tone. “Aw, Chief! Now that’s not fair! Throw it over your shoulder like me. It will keep that sun from burning you.”
I replied, “Sorry, Frost, Chief doesn’t want his privates burning from that sun, or from your gaze for that matter.”
As we continued to walk, Frost spoke. “All right, Sir. Throw that suit over your shoulders. I promise I won’t look.”
I smirked and shook my head at her efforts. “Not happening, Frost. You are just going to have to keep your eyes on the prize in front of us. We need to make it to those hills.”
I reached down to the next mud spot and picked up a glob in my hands. The mud was rubbed onto my shoulders in an attempt to partially block the Targ sun. Frost again scowled at my efforts.
Several minutes after my mud bath, York spoke. “The Targs have picked up their pace, Sir. We aren’t going to make those hills unless we pick up ours.”
I replied, “Well, we are going to have to move faster, then. Let’s take it up to a jog and see where that gets us. And York, what is your power level sitting at now?”
York looked. “I have 27 percent left, Sir.”
I replied in shock, “You have 27 percent? How did that happen?”
York replied, “When I used the gravity assist, it was from the power cells in my legs. I guess I could have mentioned that earlier, Sir.”
I shook my head. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. Any chance of you piggybacking us forward one at a time?”
York punched the buttons on her arm pad. “If I did, these legs would run dry before I got us all there, Sir. If you want, I can give it a try.”
I replied, “No, not necessary. We need you mobile when we get there. What we need is a bre—”
My arm pad comm warbled. Prior to that moment, I had dared not answer due to the risk of an infection. This time, however, the incoming call was from Frig.
I pressed the comm button and spoke. “Frig! Tell me you are in orbit!”
Frig replied, “Sir, I am glad I was able to find you. I used prior information from the Grid to locate the Targ planet, and I have been searching for a signal from the Granger. I only tried this location out of curiosity over the beacon signal emanating from your position. Are you well, Sir?”
I smiled and replied, “I am fine now. Better than fine. Open us a wormhole and get us out of here!”
Frig was silent for several seconds. “I am sorry, Sir. I am still too distant to do that. We do not have the power here on the Suppressor to maintain the size of a connection that would allow you to pass through.”
I stopped. “So, you are saying we are stuck here. Well, that’s just great. What am I paying you for, anyway?”
Frig was silent and then replied, “Paying me for, Sir? I don’t understand.”
I looked into my arm pad as I spoke. “Just a sarcastic expression. We are in a tight spot here. Our suit batteries have failed, we are in a somewhat hostile climate, and we have several million little furry aliens who want to kill us bearing down on our position. Please tell me you have something there that you can do.”
Frig replied, “One moment, Sir.”
We continued to walk forward as several minutes of silence passed.
Frig spoke. “I will have to bring the Suppressor to a halt, Sir. I will then need to divert all power to the RF field generator on our antennae. I should be able to manage a three-second burst with a twelve-centimeter window, theoretically. We could attempt to pass through a power pack for your suit.”
I replied, “Well, let’s get on it. A couple power packs would really help us out right now.”
Frig continued, “There is one problem, Sir. If the window should close on the pack before it is fully through, it might be irr
eparably damaged or possibly even explode.”
I looked around at the others. “That is a chance we are willing to take, my friend. Fire that thing up and send a couple packs through.”
Frig was silent as he worked another calculation. “If the latter should happen, Sir, an explosion, it would potentially kill anything that is unprotected out to half a kilometer. I will select a spot double that distance and try to drop it through.”
I spoke. “We are heading in a direction away from those who pursue us. I will send the coordinates and our pace. Pick a spot out in front of us for the drop. We can scan for its final location.”
Frig replied, “I will wait for the coordinates, Sir.”
Meecha spoke. “Mr. Grange? You have communications with a ship?”
I replied, “Yes, but they are too far away to rescue us. We do have a method to possibly transfer a power pack or two down here, though. We’ll see if we can make it happen.”
I was full of energy; we were getting our suits back and a renewed chance at escape from the Targ. The first drop was made, and I ordered Frost to get back into her suit. She scowled and made minor fidgeting noises, but complied. Her next move was to begin sprinting Gonta soldiers forward several kilometers. I awaited a new power pack of my own.
Frig came over the comm. “I am sorry, Sir. The surge from the power resupply has blown several of our feed junctions. I cannot establish a new wormhole until they have been repaired.”
I nodded my head. “Well, can I at least get an ETA on those repairs?”
Frig replied, “Two hours minimum, Sir. I’m sorry, but that is the best we can do.”
Frost picked up the Gonta captain and began to sprint forward in an attempt to keep a maximum distance from the Targ. I continued to jog. When my comm once again warbled, I was breathing heavily.
I spoke. “Tell me some good news, Frig. I need some good news!”
Frig replied, “I’m sorry, Sir. I have none. I just thought you might want to chat. I am hearing that you are breathing at an accelerated rate, Sir. Is everything OK?”
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