by Jack Hunt
“How the hell are we supposed to function?”
“Grab each other’s dicks, twist each other’s nipples. I don’t give a rat’s ass how you do it. Figure it out.”
“How would we know that?” Phantom muttered thinking that Reid hadn’t heard him but he had. Reid went over to him and looked him up and down. “You are paid by Uncle Sam to know your enemy, even those you have not fought. It is your responsibility to know. Whether you like it or not, your life could depend on it. Whether you fight them or not, you would be advised to become familiar with those that the UEDF has come in contact with, as you could be called upon at any time to help or kill them. Does that answer your question?”
“Aye, sir.”
“What is our mission, sir?” Woodpecker asked.
Reid got nose to nose with him. “Does this look like a fucking Q&A session, soldier?”
“I thought—”
“We don’t pay you to think, we pay you to listen, learn and do as you are told. When you are paid to think, you will be in my position. Christ, did not any of the training you received sink in?”
“It’s been a long time since we were recruits, sir,” Viper said eyeing him through narrowed eyes.
Reid smirked and then made a whistle sound.
“Viper, the way you are looking at me suggests you either want to fight me or fuck me, and being as I find hogs more attractive than you, fucking is out of the question. So what’s it going to be?”
She looked away.
“Now, listen up. I have less than seventy-two hours to bring you up to speed. Now you can either open your ears and shut your pie holes or I can send you back to the brig. Is my radio station clear?”
“Radio station, sir?” Bulldog asked.
Reid went over and grabbed a hold of his nut sack.
He grimaced. “Oh god, not the nuts again.”
“I know there isn’t a problem with your antenna, so I figure it has to be the frequency.” He began to twist. “Is the frequency becoming clear, Smith?”
“Crystal!” he yelled as his face contorted in agony.
“Good, as I was getting a little worried there for a moment.” Reid stepped back and looked at them. “We have a lot to cover today, so I thought what better way to kick this shit off than with some early morning PT.” He walked back and forth in front of them. “It gets the blood pumping, it clears the mind and it lets me see which of you sons of bitches are liable to slow us down and cost us a life. Right, face.” They shifted to the right. “Forward, march.”
As they marched out, he eyed each one looking to see how they functioned together. Everything he did in the teams was about working together. They were only as strong as their weakest link and there was always a weak link. In his mind, the next three days were not about training them to become marines; the military had already done that. It was all about making sure they knew that their survival would depend on each other. Teaching them about the species came second. What set apart one species from another was just fine print. Truth be told, it didn’t matter who they were up against, if they couldn’t work together, he figured they might as well shoot themselves. At least they would die on their own terms.
As the artificial lighting of the command center began to rise, giving the entire place a sense that the sun was coming up, the group was one hour into a heavy run. Sweat poured from them and Reid had already begun to notice the stragglers.
“Woodpecker, Priest, pick up the pace.”
“I’m trying, sir, but my thighs are killing me.”
He waited until they run past him before he pulled the plasma sidearm from its holster and began firing near their feet. They yelled, and zigzagged like they were running across hot coals.
“Lieutenant. What the hell you doing?”
“Giving you motivation. Now move your ass.”
It was amazing to see how quickly they caught up with the rest of the group.
Chapter Eight
One hour after they landed, the embassy had come under heavy fire. Ambassador Powers had been rushed to a safe room until they were able to get assistance from a nearby UEDF team. It had happened so suddenly. One moment the ambassador was in peaceful talks with Benja, a political representative for the Echobi people, the next gunfire peppered the walls.
The helitank that had brought them in was under a strict policy of leaving after they were dropped off. The UEDF had made it clear that they didn’t want any of Earth’s technology ending up in the hands of any species. After drop-off, aircraft would retreat to a nearby port, usually located off the planet.
Thompson remained with the ambassador inside the safe room and had managed to send out a distress signal before communication had failed. She knew it was only a matter of time before reinforcements came and extracted them. At the most, they would have to fight for a maximum of twenty-four hours.
“Castle, what have we got?” Sophie was on the ground floor near one of the shattered windows. There was no glass, only wood splinters everywhere. The embassy wasn’t a fortress. The only way the UEDF was allowed to build on Echobi land was if the building itself was made from trees. She soon learned there was a clever reason behind this. If relations between Earth and the Echobi broke down, they would be able to take the structure using little force. What they hadn’t figured into the equation was that Earth had built a safe room deep in the core using impenetrable material. Worst-case scenario they could lock themselves inside. Outside, Echobi police at the request of Benja had been trying to hold back protesters behind a plasma barrier. While in the past only a few hundred protesters showed up to make it known that they were against Earth having any involvement in their planet, now there was twice that number, most of which were Echobi militia.
The rules of engagement were clear. They were not to fire upon a species until fired upon. They were out there trying to win the hearts and minds, at least that was the shit they were spoon-feeding the military. It was all bullshit, just another way to get closer, learn about a new species, discover their weaknesses and ultimately use those weaknesses against them to establish ground on their planet.
Castle and Michaels were on the top of the building while Heart and Stansfield were on the ground with her. The local police were informed that if a riot broke out they were to pull back and assist from within the grounds of the embassy. But that was a ridiculous request. Sophie was pretty sure it was one of the police that had brought down the barrier as they were no longer anywhere to be seen. The fact was, it was easier to take payment and walk away with their lives than it was to stand ground against their own.
Castle spoke over the comms unit. They were on the roof to provide a visual on the escape routes that were in place in the event that the helitank didn’t return.
“All access routes are blocked off, commander.”
“Shit!”
Thompson’s voice came through loud and clear. “You need to hold your ground. Stay on the roof. Castle, Michaels, watch those trees. We’re not going to be able to hold them off for long but until those assholes decide to charge, you are to hold your position, do you hear me?”
“Aye, sir.”
Thompson turned to Powers. “Listen up, Ambassador. I’m going out there.”
“But—”
“You’ll be safe in there. I need to help my men.”
The Echobi were known for brute force and yet they weren’t suicidal. It was very possible they would launch a full-scale attack but they wouldn’t be the first to charge. Like police might use dogs to attack or disable a criminal, the Echobi had their own creature. It was called the Taurgon. It was a six-limbed creature that moved like a spider, but was the size of a rhino. Sophie had seen them on her first trek into the hostile planet. At that time, they kept them locked up like cattle. Benja had told them that the Echobi only released them in dire times when they came under attack. Its ability to move fast, and spit acidic venom was what had saved many Echobi lives in previous wars. In essence, they were like Japan
ese suicide bombers in Pearl Harbor, sent ahead of troops to cause the worst damage. Except these were covered in black hair, had eight eyes, and fangs that looked like a spider’s. They were the reason why few species dared to attack their planet. They had gained a reputation of being savage in war.
“They are going to send them in, aren’t they? That’s why they took out the shutters. Bastards knew when they let us build this place how they could take us out. Nothing was left to chance. They have been in complete control the whole time,” Stansfield said puffing away on a cigarette that hung from the corner of his mouth, while he crouched near a window with his InfusionX heavy assault rifle.
“Come on, you bastards!” he yelled. “What are you waiting for?”
“Stansfield.”
“What? You know they are coming in here. This is all part of their mind games.”
Sophie looked out and saw Benja’s body on the ground outside. He had gone out to calm the militia as he had done many times before except this time it failed. His body was riddled with holes, and black blood had oozed out and formed around a small puddle around him.
So far none of the team had fired a weapon. Their duty was to protect the ambassador. Hold back any attack, and wait it out. The last team that had been assigned to the embassy had managed to escape but not before losing two of their own. Back then, the attackers were just a handful of Echobis, now they were up against a small army.
“Where the hell is that support?” Heart shouted as Thompson appeared in the room and went over to a third window that only a few minutes before had been blown in by a plasma shot.
“We are like sitting ducks.”
Thompson peered over the lip of the window, then stared down at the small computer on his forearm.
“They are ten minutes away.”
“Well, tell them to hurry the hell up.”
Thompson sent through another message. As he was doing that an ugly-looking bastard stepped forward out of the group.
“I am Commander Draskan. Send out the ambassador and I will let the rest of you live.”
“What the hell does he want with her?” Stansfield muttered.
“You have broken the treaty,” Thompson yelled back.
“You speak of a treaty written by the hands of your kind, not ours.”
“An attack on the embassy is an attack on Earth itself. I advise you to lay down your weapons. We are not here to cause harm, we are here to support.”
He let out a laugh. “Support? You are taking our people off the planet.”
“Refugees, those who seek asylum from the war.”
“This is not up for discussion. Send out your ambassador now. This is the last time I will ask.”
Sophie shot a sideways glance at Thompson. He was in command of their squad. She could see the look of concern on his face. There was no easy way out of this. If they handed over the ambassador, they would die anyway. Killing Benja had already made that clear.
“Time is up,” Draskan motioned to his soldiers behind him. They cleared out of the way and a vehicle came into view. On the back of it were four black steel crates.
“Release the Taurgons.”
Chapter Nine
Later that afternoon, he had the team convene in a large auditorium that could seat over two thousand recruits. The six of them took up a few seats in the front row while Reid went off to make sure that the video that he was about to show wasn’t fucked up. He couldn’t count the number of times he had entered auditorium A and sat there for a quarter of an hour while some tech-head tried to figure out why the video was playing upside down, or at a speed that was too fast to comprehend.
When he returned, they were joking around, and tossing a hacky sack back and forth like they were on some camping trip.
“Hey Lt. Where’s the popcorn?”
“Yeah, yeah, settle down and pay attention, it could save your life.”
Charley “Priest” Ross rose to his feet and stood to attention. “Sir, permission to speak.”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, if the Echobi are as dangerous as you have said, why are there only six of us preparing for this op?”
“That’s right. You marines are used to holding each other’s hands when you go into battle.”
“Battle?”
He groaned wondering again why he agreed to this. He would have rather spent a few nights in the brig and retired with a dishonorable record than have to spend his time providing answers to these limp dicks.
“Who here is familiar with the SOSR?”
Bulldog was the only one who raised his hand.
“Really? One of you. Okay, Bulldog, fire away.”
“Well, I don’t know too much about the teams. Most of it’s what I’ve been told from other marines who tried out. They say it’s brutal.”
There was a mystique to the SOSR much like there was to the SAS, the Navy Seals, Green Berets, Rangers and Delta Force. Very little information was put out there about what went on and for good reason. The recruitment details to become an SOSR were general at best. It wasn’t something a marine could choose to join, they had to be selected and they only took on the best of the best. Even soldiers who demonstrated teamwork, leadership and courage weren’t guaranteed a spot. Commanders in every platoon observed and reported quarterly on those who had shown potential. From there, unbeknownst to them, their progress was tracked over a period of twelve months to see if what had been reported was accurate and not the concoction of a commander doing someone a favor. If everything measured up, they were brought in for a series of initial tests. If they passed that, they would be considered for the SOSR training program. It was intensive. Broken down into four phases, basic training lasted twenty-eight weeks. If soldiers made it through that without suffering an injury or quitting, they went on for another twenty-nine weeks of qualification training. At completion of that, they would be assigned to a team and then every day they had to earn the right to be called an SOSR. Once in their assigned team they would receive training for another twelve to eighteen months in the field.
It was a daunting task for many and for most it was like attempting to climb a mountain — few could manage it. Those who did make it to the top knew that it wasn’t a right but a privilege.
Reid took a seat just down from the rest of them and tapped a small minicomputer on the console of the seat. A video on a wide screen was ready to play.
“Four years ago, a brigade of men went into Lawanda, a war-torn planet in Territory 42, to provide support to the people after they were attacked by the Echobi. What you are about to witness is the aggression and capabilities of the Echobi. Watch carefully. Pay attention to how they attack, how they defend themselves in combat.”
He pressed play and the video began to stream before them on a big screen. Over the course of an hour they sat wide-eyed watching footage of a massacre on an unprecedented level. The war raged for thirty-two days on that planet before troops on both sides pulled back. There was no victory to be had, only lives destroyed. It was the first time humanity had faced the Echobi in battle, and even with the help of the Lawanda people, the loss of life was huge.
After the screen went blank, the six of them sat there staring, their mouths agape. It was the quickest and best way for them to become familiar with the style of fighting that the Echobi used.
“Brutal, fast, and the toughest adversary that the UEDF has come up against. Don’t for one minute underestimate them.”
Reid got up and was preparing to head out when Viper asked him how many survived. “One hundred and forty-two out of three thousand.”
“You were part of the battalion that survived, weren’t you?”
He hesitated a second before nodding then continuing on his way. All that could be heard was the echo of his boots against the ground as he walked out of the room.
Vicious Taurgons scampered out of their enclosure and let out bloodcurdling screams before barreling towards the embassy.
“Castle
. Michaels. You better have your ass on the north side,” Thompson yelled as they unleashed a flurry of plasma in the direction of the six-legged beasts. The sight of them was enough to cause even the strongest soldier to break. Sophie tossed two antigravity grenades out, pulled back as they exploded in a flash and then spun around almost directly into the jaws of one of the beasts. Before it spat its acidic venom, she fired two rounds into its mouth and out the back. As two more came crashing in, they pulverized the beasts with as much firepower as they could unload.
For a few brief seconds they thought they had them whipped, and then another vehicle came into view with another load. That was exactly how they operated. They weakened defenses, forced an army to use up its ammo before they moved in.
A scream from across the room startled her as she tried to hold back the next wave of Taurgons. Turning to see what happened, she noticed venom had covered Heart’s entire head and was burning its way through his armor. He was trying to get the helmet off but the Taurgon had unloaded so much of the acidic goo, that the second he lifted the helmet, it seeped in and began burning away his neck. Depending on the level of threat, they were trained to continue firing. Stopping to assist an injured soldier didn’t just endanger their life but it meant an entire team could be wiped out. They usually had medics who rushed to the aid of the afflicted but Stansfield was the only one they had, and his hands were full.
Michaels and Castle tossed cluster grenades and they exploded in a series of small blasts. The screams of the Taurgon were only matched by angry cries of the militia who were now engaged in return fire.
Outside, dust and metal shot in various directions making it hard to see. Sophie scooted over to a new position and tossed a senses grenade outside. When it erupted, the ground shook violently. Five seconds, that’s all it gave them but for those valuable seconds, the enemy within a thirty-foot diameter would experience vision and hearing loss.