Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour

by Mark E. Cooper

  “Dammit,” Gina hissed, and thumped the desk in frustration.

  CRUUNCH!

  “Oh shit.” She stared at the broken corner, and then guiltily at the door before trying to pull the padding over the damage.

  SHRRRTTT!

  “Damn,” she mumbled with a long length of padding dangling in her hand.

  * * *

  “Ha, ha, Haaaa!” Stone howled in laughter. “That was a classic. Did you see her face?”

  Flowers smiled, but there was a serious side to this. Up until now the recruits had used their systems in various ways, but they hadn’t lived with them every moment of every day. Before each session, the recruits would have the necessary system activated, and at the end, deactivated. It was a safety precaution, but now it was time to become vipers in full.

  “She doesn’t seem too upset,” he said.

  “Nah, Fuentez can handle it.”

  “I tell you, Ken, I’m worried.”

  “Why?” Stone said in surprise. “Everything has gone as smooth as can be.”

  “That’s what worries me. Only nineteen scrapped out of two hundred and twenty… I don’t like it.”

  “Pardon me, sir, but that’s good!”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be pleased if we don’t have any more washouts. What worries me is that we might have a bunch like Robbins here.”

  Stone went quiet at the mention of Robbins.

  Robbins had been the best of them, a natural leader and looked it. Everyone gravitated toward him and wanted to be in his squad. Then one day he ran off base at full speed. He had snapped. It took a full squad of ten units to track him down, and take him out.

  Flowers squeezed his eyes shut trying to shut out the memory, but his processor insisted on finding and displaying it.

  Robbins was down. One leg was shot away, but still his weapon hand came up holding his pulser.

  “Please don’t,” Flowers said to his friend. “Don’t do it. I don’t want to kill you.”

  Nothing he said made any difference. Robbins was no longer in there, instead, the machine his friend had feared he would become looked out of his eyes.

  Flowers snatched his pistol in a servo-assisted blur and blew his best friend’s head off.

  “Sir?” Stone said.

  “What is it?”

  Stone looked at him for a long moment, perhaps guessing what had been going through his mind. “She seems to have figured out her own method.”

  He turned his attention to the monitor and laughed. “Full bore. I like her style.”

  * * *

  Gina muttered to herself then cursed her stupidity. Her strength was so distracting, she had ignored her other abilities. Using her sensors and range finder, she noted the dimensions of the room. With her back near the wall she leapt…

  …and landed to slap the opposite wall with her outstretched palms. She did that a few times pushing off with less power each time. Gradually she learned how much was necessary for the desired effect. In the end she found a small hop forward took less than a tenth of the effort she would have used while unenhanced. Knowing how much stronger she was, she tried walking and found she could do it if she concentrated on keeping her movements small and economical. Wandering around the room gave her greater confidence, and perhaps twenty minutes later, she decided she was ready to leave.

  As she made her way carefully outside, she realised why vipers always looked like they were walking on air. The gliding movements were the best way to move for an enhanced person. She tried to copy the way Eric and the other veterans moved, and felt herself slowly relaxing.

  Gina was greeted with applause when she reached the barracks. She waved away the silly beggars, and the other squads moved off, but her own squadmates stayed to chat.

  “First squad is complete,” Richmond said in satisfaction. The entire squad was enhanced, the entire platoon for that matter.

  “You were quickest to come out,” Cragg said. “What’s your secret?”

  “Jumping,” Gina said and explained how she had figured out how much stronger she was by leaping about.

  “Wish I’d thought of that,” Richmond said ruefully. “I kept racing from one end of the room to the other until I figured it out. Not as quick, but it worked.”

  Gina nodded and decided not to mention the broken desk. “What’s next to do?”

  “Practice recruit, lots and lots of lovely practice,” Sergeant Rutledge said as he entered the barracks. “Roscoe tells me you lot are in need of a workout. I can see he was right. Flabby recruits we do not need. It’s First Platoon’s turn at the crusher. You have two minutes to fall in with full kit.”

  No one moved.

  “One minute fifty seconds,” Rutledge said, and everyone dashed to get his or her kit. “One minute forty,” he said as he went out the door.

  Everyone moved—viper fast.

  Gina’s armour was stored in her locker in the order she needed to put it on, but it still took almost a full minute to don. She buckled her belt with its holster for her pistol, making sure to strap it securely to her thigh. She checked the pistol was loaded with training rounds—it was. She settled her webbing over her shoulders, and anchored it in place on her armour using the cleats. The loops on her webbing contained flares, extra magazines, her knife, and a dozen training grenades that everyone called whiz-bangs for the sound they made when they went off. The case on her belt contained extra energy cells for her rifle. She didn’t need to check that, she had filled it that morning. Her beret went into her locker, and her helmet went onto her head. Her pack was always ready, and her rifle was near to hand, she snatched them both up and joined the rush to the door.

  By the time she reached the parade ground, her pack was on her back as it should be, and her rifle was by her side.

  “Attennnnnn-hut!” Rutledge barked, and everyone snapped to attention as Captain Penleigh came to inspect the platoon.

  It was a simple inspection. He murmured the occasional question in an effort to get a feel for what they knew, and what they didn’t, but finally he moved back to a position central to the platoon and turned to face them.

  “Sergeant Rutledge,” Penleigh said in a loud voice.

  “Sir?”

  “Is your platoon of recruits fully online?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Have they been fully prepared and trained in the use of their enhancements?”

  “Yes, sir.” Rutledge said. “First Platoon, Alpha Company is ready for war, sir.”

  Penleigh smiled crookedly and Gina tensed. She had seen him smile that way before. Most notably, just before he shot dead a prisoner. Whatever he had in mind today, it was likely to push them all hard.

  “In that case,” Penleigh said and looked directly at Gina in the front rank. “I think we should give them a little assignment. First Platoon will make its way to field firing range Bravo by foot, and will reach there no later than fourteen hundred today.”

  That was less than an hour to travel a hundred klicks. Gina frowned; it was a hundred by road, but cross-country it was more like seventy.

  “Upon reaching the objective, you will take out the enemy by any means you deem suitable. Use of natural cover, and weapons captured on site, is permissible. If you’re successful, a second target will become apparent and so on. Sergeant Rutledge and I will be along as observers only, and Master Sergeant Stone will join us at the range. At no time will you look to us for help or advice. As far as you’re concerned, we are not here.”

  Penleigh nodded to Rutledge.

  “You heard the Captain. Your time starts now.”

  There was no sudden rush to leave. Gina and her squadmates joined the huddle created by the other three squads to decide their best course of action. Penleigh and Rutledge looked on in silence, and listened to the discussion.

  “We need to go through Petruso then cross-country bearing east. Agreed?” Gina said.

  “It’s the only way,” Gwen Wevers of Second Squad said.
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  “It’s not the only way, but it’s the best,” Roberto Callendri added for Third Squad.

  “Okay, let’s do it,” Gina said and dashed toward the city.

  The others fell into formation by squads, and ran with her in the lead position. A few minutes into the run, Cragg increased speed and joined Gina. He suggested they increase the pace to forty klicks an hour, but she said not until after they were through the city. She didn’t want to hurt anyone.

  “Okay, but we’ll have to make up the time,” Cragg said, as he ran by her side.

  Gina grinned. She was looking forward to it. “It’s not a problem. The first section is open country.

  They entered the city running along wide roads and avenues. People stopped and waved, some even cheered to see the black uniform on so many new vipers. The city was well laid out. They made it through in excellent time. When the moment came to leave the road, everyone did that without fuss or bother not missing a step. Down the embankment they went and into open fields.

  Gina accelerated until her legs were a pumping blur. “Let’s make up some time, people!”

  With a coded thought, she accessed her processor and gave her commands.

  Access satellite Alpha one-niner. Locate and display current location.

  An aerial view of the city, and the open ground to the east, appeared on her display. A blinking icon showed her location.

  Increase magnification factor two… factor three. Plot fastest course from current location to field firing range Bravo, and display in green.

  A line appeared. Gina adjusted her course, until her icon followed it. Time elapsed was twenty minutes, but that was not a concern. Following the course plotted by her processor, they would reach the range in another half hour.

  The run was pleasant, and the speed exhilarating. Gina grinned into the wind as she led her squad to the designated target. According to sensors, the other three squads were following her lead. The observers were to her right, and a hundred metres back.

  Richmond increased her speed to come alongside. “The stream is coming up. Jump or swim?”

  “Jump I think. It’s not wide. It shouldn’t prove a problem.”

  “Good enough.” Richmond dropped aback slightly.

  “When we get there,” Cragg said. “I think one or two of us should scout the place. Stone being involved makes me nervous.”

  Stone had a way of doing that to people. Gina glanced at Richmond. “Kate, you know him best. What’s he likely to do?”

  “Frag our arses. On his own, he would probably set mines and traps. With friends, he might set the mines to herd us to a prepared position and ambush us.”

  “Which is it?”

  “Could be either, but the second is more fun from his point of view. I vote the second.”

  “Me too,” Cragg added.

  Gina agreed. “It’s unanimous. Kate, you’re our best scout. Take Takeri and recon the place, but report back before engaging.”

  “Right.”

  “Once we have decent information, we can try for an encirclement. The other squads might not follow my lead, but if they do that’s what I want to try.”

  “Sounds good,” Cragg said.

  It did, but Gina was well aware that nothing goes exactly to plan. Stone was bound to have something sneaky up his sleeve.

  The stream came into sight. She targeted the banks and computed that it was only twelve metres wide. Gauging her steps, she slowed a little and jumped as her left foot hit the edge. Behind her, the other squads yelled in excitement as they flew over the water, but she was pleased when her own squadmates remained silent. It was fun, but they had an assignment to complete. This was no time for clowning around.

  Gina hit the ground and shoulder rolled back to her feet with no wasted motions. She heard one or two splashes, and quite a lot of cursing, as Second Squad hit the bank and not the ground beyond it. She watched her sensors ready to turn back, but they were on their feet and chasing her within moments. When she judged they were close enough to the firing range, she slowed the pace to allow Richmond and Takeri to pull ahead and scout the area. As soon as Richmond was out of sight, Gina ordered everyone to stop and rest. Wevers and Callendri began to muddy the waters almost as soon as they stopped.

  “Who said you should lead?” Callendri said. “I don’t have to take your orders…”

  Kamarl Dolinski, Callendri’s best friend, shifted as if about to intervene, but then he relaxed and contented himself with watching his friend. There was something about the way he watched, that sent warning tingles down Gina’s spine.

  “…I was an LT before this; I should lead.”

  Gina sighed. “Cragg was a leuey too. Takeri was a staff sergeant, and Gordon was a captain… so was Hiller. It doesn’t mean anything. We’re vipers now.”

  “In that case, seeing as it don’t mean nothing, I’ll take over,” Wevers said sweetly.

  Callendri and Wevers squared off arguing over which of them was more qualified to lead. Gina sighed and stepped away shaking her head. It took a word from Cragg to shut them up.

  Cragg shouldered between the two, but saved his glare for Callendri. “Neither of you is fit to lead. We’re on a mission for God’s sake. It doesn’t matter if it’s a training op, and it doesn’t matter who gives the orders as long as they’re the right ones. This platoon is going to ace this mission—get me?” He glared even harder at Callendri, but he saved some for Wevers too.

  When Wevers realised how angry Cragg was, the smirk she had been wearing drained away. She backed off, and rejoined her squad where she sullenly refused to answer questions. Without warning, Callendri took a swing at Cragg. The power behind the blow might have killed him, but Cragg was a viper too. He blocked and grappled with Callendri.

  “That’s enough!” Rutledge roared. “Recruit Callendri, you’re on notice. One more like this and we’ll deactivate you, permanently.”

  Everyone stiffened at the threat; they knew what it meant. To be deactivated was to be scrapped. What you called it didn’t matter. It was death either way.

  “Get back to work all of you.”

  Captain Penleigh looked on in silence.

  * * *

  Field Firing Range Bravo, Snakeholme

  Kate shook her head at what they had found. She was disappointed in Stone. If this was all he could come up with, they wouldn’t learn a damn thing. She wouldn’t have been fooled by this before enhancement let alone after. Stone’s setup here was a joke. The traps were glaringly obvious to a viper’s systems.

  “Really damn sloppy,” she whispered to Takeri, but then she frowned. It was too sloppy. “Too sloppy to be real.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I’m sure,” she said uncomfortably. “I know Stone, he’s better than this.”

  Kate studied the ambush site and shook her head. It was too easy. One thing she knew, Stone wouldn’t make it this easy. Keeping low, they moved to a new vantage and found the surprise. An automatic grenade launcher was dug in, and aimed to hit anyone sneaking through the so-obvious hole in Stone’s defensive perimeter.

  “You were right,” Takeri whispered with respect. “Where to now?”

  “If we work our way around, we should see what he’s got. I hope Gina waits for us to find it all.”

  “If not for the time limit she would.”

  Kate frowned. Takeri should know Gina better by now. “She won’t care about that. Winning the battle is more important.”

  “But the Captain said—”

  “He said what he had to, Selin. He wants us under pressure.”

  “Maybe,” Takeri said, sounding unconvinced.

  Kate decided to risk going active on her sensors.

  Takeri gasped and started to protest when Kate began another sweep—an active sweep—of the area, but then she realised what was done could not be undone. She settled down to wait. Gina had given Kate this part of the mission for a reason. She was good at this kind of thing, and Gina tr
usted her to do the job right. The ground cover didn’t give her licence to be blatant about what she was doing, but it did allow her to do the job—as long as she was very careful.

  Kate was careful, and Takeri was careful of Kate.

  Slowly, painstakingly, she found the launchers and mines. Stone had used every trick in the book to hide his trip wires. He chose to place mines in positions where tripping would cause intruders to fall on them. The wires were made of some kind of synthetic, almost invisible to her sensors. Sneaky bastard.

  “I have something else,” Kate whispered and Takeri nodded. She had gone active now as well. “It’s faint, it’s almost as if…” she frowned. “Let’s go back, I have what we need.”

  Takeri didn’t argue.

  Kate scooted back carefully, and retraced her path back into the hills. Once she was far enough away, she trotted keeping low, but gradually picked up speed until she ran like the wind. She loved the feeling of flying that came upon her as she topped out at seventy-eight klicks an hour, but it was soon over. Her sensors detected the others waiting in a hollow for her return.

  “It’s about damn time,” Gordon said testily. “You do know we should have been there a quarter of an hour ago?”

  “Shadaaap,” Kate drawled. “Better late than dead.”

  “What did you find?” Gina said eagerly.

  “Synthetic trip wires that don’t show on sensors. You trip and fall right onto his mines. He has auto grenade launchers dug in and hidden from sight. They’re zeroed to cover the only open corridor in.”

  “The only one?”

  “Yeah,” Kate said. “It was so obvious, we looked further and found the launchers. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to find the tunnel so quick.”

  “A tunnel?”

  Takeri nodded. “We picked up a faint trace on sensors. The only reason for that I can think of is a tunnel.”

  Gina frowned. “Can we take out the defences?”

  “Easy,” Kate said. “Nothing to it.”

  “That’s good, because that’s what we’re going to do.” Gina went to talk with the others. “I need one squad to take out the grenade launchers for me. Who wants it?”