“Deal with me?” Cain scowled. “Starsgard. Call me when you are back at the weapons console, and Jolly, figure out why the system isn’t able to fire my missiles!”
Cain stormed away, almost running over Ensign Tandry. Her ‘cat, Mixial was strolling along the far side of the corridor, well away from the sickbay hatch.
“Sorry,” he told her, coming to a stop. “How’s Mixi coming along?”
She glared at him, pointing a finger at his face. “You and that mongrel of yours!” she accused him.
“He’s not mine…” Cain said weakly, looking for an escape, but Tandry had him trapped against the bulkhead.
“He’s yours alright, a chip off the old block. You stay away from us!” Tandry looked like she wanted to take a swing at Cain. He would have let her, because he didn’t know what else to do. She was angry from the second Mixi went into heat. The ‘cat didn’t seem put out by the event.
Cain was proud of Brutus in his fight for dominance with ‘cats twice his size, but he could never say that out loud.
Mixi’s belly bulged with Brutus’s kittens, swaying as she waddled after her human. Cain remained where he was. Lieutenant Pace appeared from the direction of the mess deck. He recognized the shellshock on Cain’s face.
“I see Tandry’s been here. Word of warning, my friend. You don’t want to be on the same ship with her right now.” Pace laughed at his own joke as he continued to the stairs and headed up toward the command deck.
“If it wasn’t Brutus, it would have been one of the others. Someone would have taken care of business,” Cain told the empty corridor. “Good job, buddy. At least we saved the rest of the crew from her wrath.”
Cain could hear Brutus chuckling, but the ‘cat had the decency not to say anything.
***
Captain Rand and Major Cain waited patiently as Commander Daksha floated over the hot sand of his quarters. The Tortoid checked his monitors one last time, blinking slowly as he absorbed the information.
There was nothing new, but it was what he did.
“EL475, gentlemen,” Daksha said slowly in a soft voice, as his vocalization device relayed his thoughts. “A heavy-gravity planet colonized some three-hundred, fifty years ago. There is no information newer than that. What do you think we’ll find?”
Cain deferred to the older captain to speak his mind first.
“An AI running the show?” Rand offered.
“That is something we need to plan for. From Holly to Graham, what would any of us be without our AI? I think they probably followed a similar route as the rest of the colonies,” Master Daksha replied, looking at Rand without blinking.
The senior command team had gotten used to the Tortoid’s mannerisms. He stared when he was deep in thought. Cain and Rand knew to wait to speak until Daksha started to blink again.
It was a while.
“Jolly was magnificent in reaching out to Graham. With Briz’s help, I hope that we can replicate that feat at Heimdall, assuming there is an AI we can communicate with.”
“If there isn’t, that’s where me and my Marines come in,” Cain answered, standing tall and proud.
“Oh?” Daksha said, barely above a whisper.
That one word deflated Cain’s ego. Daksha only wanted to talk, but he’d been bitten twice by the Concordians. The Cygnus Marines had wreaked more havoc than he liked, but the Tortoid hadn’t seen any other way past the barrier of the hostiles in charge.
Daksha saw how he’d crushed the major. “You have done well for all of Cygnus, Major Cain, don’t get me wrong, but I prefer as many non-violent options as possible before we unleash the Marines on the unsuspecting.”
“We’re a force for peace, Master Daksha,” Cain said with a wry smile. Captain Rand cocked his head and looked at him.
“You and your small force have taken over an entire planet because they made you angry,” Rand stated, before shaking his head and crossing his arms. “Let’s just say that I’m happy that we’re on the same side.”
“Correction, I wasn’t angry the whole time. On occasion, I was furious, and then there were the times when I was hungry.” Cain waved Rand off. Cain’s smile vanished, and he grimaced.
“In combat, I see everything clearly. Time seems to slow down. I feel almost superhuman. And every enemy who died at my hands, I wonder, was there a way we could have saved his life. Being good at war doesn’t mean that I like it.”
Cain hung his head, eyes closed so he didn’t have to look at his shipmates.
‘I know, Cain. My father and your great-great-grandfather waged war like no one before or since. They both detested the killing and wondered why people insisted on fighting against society, against fair trade. Your great-great-grandmother, on the other hand, tolerated no malcontents and delivered more than her fair share of beat-downs. What an interesting woman she was,’ Daksha said over the mindlink with the other two before disappearing into his memories from long ago.
The major had heard all the stories, some tempered over time and some exaggerated in the retelling. Braden and Micah had been larger than life, single-handedly responsible for the return of society, if the stories were to be believed.
Cain and Rand shifted uncomfortably in the heat of Master Daksha’s quarters. They always stood because there weren’t any chairs. It helped to keep the meetings short.
“I understand, Cain. When those Concordians tried to take the ship, you can’t imagine the rage. Well, maybe you can. I hated them for what they did to my people.” Rand looked at his artificial arm, flexing the fingers expertly as he’d learned to do since the injury. “Maybe you should check on Bull, see how he’s doing. Come up with some options for dealing with an unknown populace.”
“Sometimes, the threat of force, from ones who have demonstrated that they are willing to use it, is good enough. We have plenty of video of combat from Concordia. Probably too much. I’ll work with Jolly to put together an impressive mix of death and destruction. We’ll end it with the handshakes and the Marines flying away triumphantly, or the shuttle carrying our wounded.”
Cain looked at Rand and smiled grimly, before gripping the other man’s shoulder as a comrade-in-arms. The major departed the Tortoid’s quarters and headed to see Bull.
Shipboard Training
“Run faster!” Stinky yelled, trying to be encouraging as the entire platoon struggled to catch him. Stinky was at the edge of his own endurance and strength. He was amazed that the humans were able to move at all, let alone keep up.
At Cain’s request, the captain had increased the ship’s spin, driving artificial gravity to one point five that of Vii, which approximated what they would run into on the habitable planet of Heimdall in the EL475 system.
The rest of the crew stayed in their acceleration couches during the Marine’s heavy-gravity training time.
During the session’s run on the garden deck, they could hear the Rabbits crying miserably.
Cain thought he could hear Mixial yowling from one deck away and felt Tandry wishing him great harm.
They powered through fifty laps of the garden deck before stopping for pushups, side twists, and jumping exercises. The Wolfoids panted, the humans were soaked with sweat, and the Lizard Men looked miserable, while the Hawkoid seemed completely unaffected. He flew around the garden deck freely, dipping and soaring as much as he could with the low ceiling.
The Hillcats had run two laps at Brutus’s insistence before they declared themselves fit enough and resumed their perches in and around the garden deck’s trees.
“Tactical formation!” Cain yelled. “First squad, room clearing, here!”
He pointed to the hatch leading to the stairwell. Bull was still out, so Lightning Flash was the acting squad leader. He formed the five remaining members of the squad into the roles of assault, security, and breach. Abhaya, a human private, made believe he had a small battering ram.
His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath and will his muscles to obey his
commands.
Cain used his neural implant to contact Jolly to open the hatch. As soon as it started to slide to the side, Cain ordered the men through. “Go, go, go!”
The two closest dashed through, side by side, followed closely by the security pair. The breacher was last through after simulating ditching the ram and bringing his weapon to bear.
“Second squad!” Cain had Jolly close the door as Spence moved his squad into position. Tobiah was at the small man’s side as usual, ready to protect his bonded.
‘Do you see that, Brutus? That’s how it’s done!’ Cain told his friend.
‘When it matters, I’ll be there. Otherwise, I’ll be napping,’ the ‘cat replied.
‘You’re getting soft, little man.’
Cain, Stinky, Pickles, and Stalker watched the squad move into position. “Third squad, you go with them!” Cain ordered.
Jo moved herself and her six Marines into position. Her hands clenched, empty of her blaster. She was the platoon’s sharpshooter and was always more comfortable with a weapon at the ready.
Cain wondered if he should detail her to independent duty as a scout-sniper, the type that was considered a force multiplier. An effective sniper could pin down an entire enemy unit, allowing the rest of the force to conduct operations while the enemy feared the silent, long-range death that snipers were known for.
The two squads waited while Cain contemplated the future. “Corporal Jo, front and center!” he ordered. Her squad watched as she ran, shakily, to where the Marine leadership waited.
“Sir, Corporal Jo reporting as ordered,” she huffed as her head bobbed with her efforts to get more air.
“Who can take over your squad?” Cain asked. Stinky’s ears perked up.
“Grace, of course,” she replied without hesitation. Jo looked from one face to the next, unsure of where the questions were heading.
“I’m thinking of making you an independent actor, a scout-sniper to operate in support. I’m thinking you and Ascenti would make an unstoppable team to be our eyes and ears, that you two act as a complete combat unit, take on enemies orders of magnitude greater in size, to help the main force accomplish the mission. You interested in that?” Cain asked.
The squads continued to wait at the hatch. On the other side, first squad was sitting on the stairs. They were planning on returning to the garden deck, but the hatch closed in their face and wouldn’t open for them.
“Sounds like fun,” Jo replied, grinning.
“No, it won’t be, but you’ll get to do what you’re best at and that will help the whole unit. Send Grace over here and then take your squad through.”
‘Jolly, open the hatch please,’ Cain asked over the neural implant. Jo hadn’t made it back to the squad yet.
“Go, go, go!” she yelled in unison with Spence as the Marines stormed through the open hatch. They had more energy after the respite gave them a chance to catch their breaths.
Jo followed the last of them through, and almost immediately, Grace reappeared in the doorway and headed for Cain.
The Wolfoid reported smartly and stood at attention.
“You’re the squad leader,” Cain said without preamble. He waited for a few moments. “Go.”
She ran off without asking any questions. “That’s it? No explanation?” Stinky wondered.
“No need. She’s already been the squad leader. She knows what to do, and Jo will help her if she gets stuck,” Cain told them, eyes drooping as he fought the effects of the faster spin. “I think I’ve had about enough heavy gravity. Jolly, normal spin please. Help us take a load off, my friend!”
***
Rand stood up as soon as the ship returned to its usual rotational rate and normal apparent gravity.
“I understand why, but I don’t have to like it,” Rand told no one in particular. The others joined him, standing and stretching. Only Pace and Kalinda were on deck. The others had attended to their Marine training.
The hatch opened and Foucault and Peekaless staggered through.
“What happened to you two?” the captain blurted out, even though he knew.
“Marine training, Skipper,” Pickles said over his vocalization device. He sat in his chair, shoulders hunched and chin hanging to his chest. “I hope to all the water in the Amazon Rainforest that we don’t have to land on that planet. I feel like I’m going to die.”
Rand stifled a chuckle at the Lizard Man’s deadpan delivery, although the captain suspected Pickles was being serious.
The Lizard Man produced a water bottle and drank the entire thing, then activated his console and sent his claws dancing across the screens. To anyone who didn’t know Pickles, they would not have seen the cues. He usually didn’t show anything through facial expressions or body language, but this once, it was clear that the heavy gravity training had taken its toll.
Fickle looked worse. He was ashen, his expression dull, and his fingers twitched erratically. When he sat down, he melted into his chair as if a blubbering mass of boneless flesh.
“Maybe you should go to your bunk?” Rand suggested. The bridge crew stopped what they were doing as they wanted to watch something with the potential to be more interesting.
The heavily slouched Fickle pulled himself upright, bracing himself on his monitors.
“Major Cain to the bridge, please,” Captain Rand said toward the ceiling, expecting Jolly to relay the command.
Fickle continued his struggle to pull himself to his feet.
The hatch opened and Cain walked through. He walked, stilted, as if his legs were made of wood. “Captain?” he asked.
Rand pointed at Fickle.
Cain helped the private to his feet. The major lifted the man’s head so he could see Fickle’s eyes. “You’ve looked better.”
“I’ve felt better,” Fickle replied, letting the major support his full weight. Cain wrapped two arms around the private to keep them both from falling.
“You look like two drunks on a Saturday night,” Pace suggested.
“I think we’ll rest our people for a couple hours after training,” Cain explained, turning Fickle away from his console. The two men stumbled toward the hatch. “Training was more difficult than I expected. If you’ll excuse us.”
“By all means,” the captain said, watching, fascinated at how the Marines on board had abused their bodies to the point of failure. “Maybe next time you don’t train so hard?”
Cain stopped in the middle of the open hatch and turned his head. “We train harder so we can be better. We’re always going to be outnumbered, but we will be the most professional unit on the ground. That’s the only thing I can promise for certain,” Cain said tiredly.
Cain and Fickle continued shuffling into the corridor, and the hatch closed behind them.
Payback
Briz giggled, wrinkling his nose and flicking his whiskers. “Did you see that?” he asked for the tenth time.
Ellie heard it and saw it the first time. The med bot called Cain the big bad major. Briz manipulated the video to zoom in on Cain’s face. The major narrowed his eyes and looked at the med bot as if he wanted to fight it.
“Priceless. That is just priceless.” Briz continued to giggle.
“He knows you did it,” Jolly said, suddenly appearing next to Briz. His instantaneous insertion into their conversations always startled Ellie, but the Rabbit seemed immune.
“Well then, there’s no reason to hold back!” Briz exclaimed as he made some adjustments, pulled up a subroutine, inserted a short piece of code, and executed the program.
Throughout The Olive Branch, every monitor played the med bot’s statement, with the patient’s identity blurred, and then the slow motion replay of Cain’s face afterwards. The six-second video was set to loop for the next five minutes.
Two minutes later, Captain Rand spoke over the ship-wide broadcast. “He’s coming for you, Lieutenant Brisbois.”
Briz looked up from his computers, then at the hatch as it popped
open. The Rabbit bunched his leg muscles and leapt, in an effort to get to the top of a nearby system enclosure, but he didn’t make it, bouncing off halfway to the top and dropping back to the deck.
“Close the hatch, Jolly!” Briz demanded.
“No can do,” Jolly replied happily, crossing his holographic arms as he watched the panicking Rabbit.
“What? I gave you an order!” Briz clarified.
“The captain ordered all hatches open as the Marines conduct a house-to-house exercise that they are calling Find the Rabbit,” Jolly carefully explained.
“I thought you were my friend. Can’t you close just this hatch, in case we get a coolant leak or something?” Briz whined.
“I’m hurt that you would think I’m no longer your friend. As such, sometimes friends require tough love, to show how much they really care. That’s what this is, my very dear friend.” Jolly put his hand over his heart and bowed his head as Briz looked back and forth between the holographic projection and the open hatch.
“But-but, you’re going to throw me to the Wolfoids…” Briz stammered as a shadow cut across the hatch.
Briz’s eyes shot wide as the major stepped through with Black Leaper and Night Stalker following closely.
Cygnus Arrives: Humanity Returns Home (Cygnus Space Opera Book 3) Page 3