Earth Space Service Boxed Set: Books 1 - 3 (ESS Space Marines Omnibus)

by James David Victor

  “Of course, Captain,” Andy replied easily.

  While the captain moved through issuing orders for other departments, Andy felt like her brain was on fire.

  She certainly had her work cut out for her.

  Two days.

  CHAPTER 5

  “SO...” Dan said, crossing each arm over his chest in turn to stretch them out. “All we have to do is protect an entire planet. Totally easy. No problem. Kid stuff.”

  Andy chuckled. It was refreshing to see that despite the state of war they now existed in, Dan was still Dan. “No, we have to protect an entire city. It’s smaller, if nothing else. And it won’t just be us. There’ll be at least, hopefully, two other detachments.”

  “I hope they’ll play well with others,” Roxanna commented.

  She and Andy were circling each other with their hands up, each one in a defensive combat posture as their eyes—dark brown against purple—sought any signs of weaknesses, any little gesture that would broadcast an upcoming move or opening to take a shot. Jade was stalking a little around the outside, a potential new combatant who could go after either of them; it was an element of training to afford surprise.

  Roxanna took the first shot from the right, which Andy dodged by leaning back before ducking the second. She returned the swings, but was evaded as well. They were equally well-trained, after all.

  “Most of them do,” Andy said as they started circling again. Her eyes flicked to the outer ring, keeping track of Jade. “We are all Marines, after all.” She knew what they were thinking, but didn’t address it directly.

  “We’re just protective of you, boss,” Dan said from the sidelines. “We don’t want any of them to get dumb ideas in their heads and give you a hard time.” He obviously had no issue with addressing it, but she didn’t mind. She also appreciated the sentiment.

  “I appreciate that, Thomas, but I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” Dodge. Step. Swing. Block. “Remember, I’ve been shot by lightning, twice, and survived. I’m a pretty tough woman. No one’s unkind words are going to put me down.”

  That brought out a quiet chuckle from a couple of them. Anallin’s eyes just clicked.

  Andy broke into Roxanna’s guard and got a leg in, putting the Selerid down—flipping her over her hip to put the other woman on her back. Before either had a chance to do anything, Jade joined the fray and nearly tackled Andy from behind. The major just managed to dodge getting caught in the grapple, but she did lose her balance.

  She tossed herself forward, leaping over Roxanna and hitting the ground in a roll, coming back up and around on her feet. Andy had just barely sorted herself out to face the women when Jade was coming at her again. The girl, the youngest of their squad, had been picking up on her training quickly and was getting better by the day. Her confidence came in leaps and bounds too.

  The major had to scramble to get to her feet without being caught again, and by the time she was upright, she had to block one punch and dodge another. She hopped to the side to avoid a kick, but then had to jump back again when Roxanna was on her feet and coming at her from the other side.

  If she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up backed into a wall.

  Teamed up now, they came at her from the left and the right.

  “Remember that time when you took the last bowl of applesauce in the mess hall, Major?” Dan called from the side. “I think this is their revenge.”

  “Oh, come on,” Andy laughed, eyes swinging back and forth between them.

  Roxanna smiled. “It’s nothing personal.”

  TWO WOMEN WITH BRUISED RIBS, and three sets of sore knuckles, and one potentially broken toe, later...all five members of Alpha Squad called it a day in the training room and headed to the rec-room. Andy was moving perhaps the slowest of all, but she knew after a night’s rest, she’d be able to shake it off.

  “You told us not to take it easy on you, Major,” Roxanna said as she sat down at the table across from Andy.

  “I know, I know,” Andy chuckled as she also sat, holding her ribs. She should have moved faster.

  It was late in the evening now, although when in space, you just had to trust the clock on that one. Soon they would all be heading off to bed to get their night’s rest, because every day started early...and that was only if you were lucky enough to not get woken up by some kind of danger alert.

  “I feel like a planet-side battle is a little scarier,” Jade commented, both hands around her cup of coffee. “Although I can’t really say why. I mean...a fight is a fight, isn’t it?”

  “There are more variables on a planet,” Anallin said, sipping a warm beverage that wouldn’t throw her system into anaphylactic shock like coffee would since Hanaran were severely allergic to caffeine. “At least on the ship, we know everything about it. There is nowhere for the enemy to hide. If they are here, we can find them. If they are not, then they are not. And no civilians to worry about.”

  “There is that,” Andy agreed, thoughtfully twisting her cup around. “As many as possible will be evacuated from the city, but not all of them will be. And we don’t even know for sure how long we’ll have to do that.”

  Roxanna added, “Plus, we won’t be familiar with the terrain or buildings.”

  Jade looked around the table with her lips pursed, then she laughed a little and shook her head. “Thanks, guys. I feel so much better now.” Her emerald green eyes flashed over the rim of her cup with amusement, as well as fear, as she took a long drink.

  There was a long moment of silence before Andy smiled at the youngest Marine in her squad. “It’s perfectly natural to be afraid,” she said. “You’re human, and we humans are not devoid of emotions. No matter how hard we try, or how hard we try to pretend otherwise. So, feel afraid. What is important is that you don’t let it stop you.” She held Jade’s gaze for a long moment. “What are you going to do when we get down to the planet?”

  “We’re going to evacuate as many civilians as possible so we can keep them out of the line of fire,” Jade answered. “It’s our job to put our lives on the line so theirs aren’t.”

  Andy nodded once. “And what will we do next?”

  “We will fight the enemy, protect the city, and do our duty.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we are ESS Marines, Sir.”

  Andy smiled a little broader. “Because we’re ESS Marines. Oorah!”

  CHAPTER 6

  ANDY FELL BACK on her bed with a gushing exhale.

  It was “nighttime” now and she needed to be asleep, but she just didn’t feel sleepy. She felt fatigued, but that was something different. Her mind wouldn’t slow down, which was something it had been having a lot of trouble doing over the past few months.

  The Arkana were sweeping through the universe like locusts, coming from some unknown origin back to an even older origin. They didn’t just want Earth, but everything between them and Earth. Why? Was it just because they didn’t want anyone to get in their way, or did they actually want to conquer everything?

  In history, she had learned about leaders on ancient Earth that had tried to conquer the known world. Rome had seemingly gotten closer than most, but still had fallen in the end. Would the Arkana be so foolish as to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors’ ancestors? Or did they earnestly believe that they were more capable and thus would avoid repeating history?

  Or was there something else altogether?

  She just didn’t know, and she had no way of knowing. Her father might have been an Arkana, so that might sit in half of her genetics, but it didn’t give her any answers. Just questions... Questions that she wanted to ask, and questions that were asked of her.

  Andy tossed and turned for an hour before giving up. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face and staring at herself in the mirror.

  Nothing about her looked like the Arkana. There was no trace of them anywhere in her physical appearance. They were lean and pure white. As white as cl
ean snow. Their hair and eyebrows were the same shade, with only their eyes—startling blue—breaking the color scheme.

  Andy was dark. Her skin and eyes and hair were all dark. She had a...normal, human face and a body like a Marine. Not willowy, like most of her father’s race. His blood was in her, giving her their resistance to alien abilities, but there was nothing else. Not even a sense of...longing, like the first Arkana she met had described.

  They said there were others like her, half-breeds, and all of them had chosen to go with the Arkana. Was that true? Or were they lying? Hadn’t it been established they tended toward straightforward tactics?

  If they weren’t lying, why didn’t she feel the same way? She didn’t want to go with them, and leave behind the people and life she knew.

  Growling at the questions and uncertainties piling up in her head, she left her room. She was going pretty casual at this point in just a tank top and long pants, but she was hardly going to put on her uniform for a walk through her own ship. If the shit hit the fan, she’d have to hustle to the locker room for her armor either way.

  When she left her room, she didn’t have a plan...

  ...which somehow led her feet to the brig.

  She stopped at the door and contemplated why she was there, but her subconscious must have had a reason and so she walked in. There was an officer from the tactical department on guard duty, whom she nodded to.

  “Sir,” the guard greeted simply.

  Andy returned the nod although she didn’t say anything as she walked in front of the brig cell, where bars and an energy field doubled up to keep prisoners inside. She looked at the long bunk attached to the wall where the Arkana was stretched out.

  “You’re still alive,” Andy said flatly.

  “And you’ve returned,” came the equally flat reply. “You’re not the only one who can state the obvious.”

  Andy pursed her lips and arched a brow, but bit her tongue against saying anything more on that topic. Sarcasm did not always need to be met with sarcasm, at least if you were hoping for anything resembling a productive conversation. It was highly tempting, but she managed to resist and instead jumped to what she really wanted to talk about.

  “Why did you tell us about Baccem?”

  The prisoner sat up on his bunk, bending his knees and resting his long, slender arms over them. He stared at her through the bars and the shimmering energy field, piercing her with those blue eyes as he smirked. “So, you figured it out.”

  Andy folded her arms over her chest. “Why did you tell us?” After all, the answer to his question was obvious.

  “I have my reasons.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me what those reasons are?”

  He shook his head slowly. “You don’t need to know my reasons, just the information.”

  Her brows drew down slightly and her eyes narrowed. “Your motivations could have a dramatic, and possibly dangerous, effect on us utilizing that information.”

  The smirk faded. “I know,” he said soberly. “My motivations have nothing to do with hostility towards you, or the ESS. That much, I can tell you.”

  It was something, if she believed him...which she was willing to go a little way toward doing. She remained skeptical, but the information in front of them did seem to be correct. At least, it was close enough for them to act on.

  “I still want to know why,” she said, although this time, her voice was quieter.

  He stared at her for a long time without saying anything, then looked away and shook his head with a sigh both audible and visible, shoulder rising and falling. “I know you do,” he said. “I wish I could tell you. But I can’t, at least not yet.”

  She tilted her head. “Why not? You know you’re not going to be going home any time soon.” He was a prisoner of war and could not be released until that war was over. Who knew how long that might be?

  “I won’t be going home ever again,” he returned. “Even if you turn me loose, I can’t go back. I am still alive and they will know. So, I can’t go home again.”

  “So why not tell me?” she asked, forcing the frustration out of her voice. She didn’t want him to know how upset this made her, even if she was sure he already had a pretty decent idea without her making it obvious.

  “I’m sorry,” was all he would say before laying back down.

  Andy stood a while longer, but didn’t say anything else. Eventually, she walked out without another word. She knew this wasn’t going to help her sleep any better.

  CHAPTER 7

  ANDY WAS on the bridge when the navigation officer announced they had arrived at Baccem. As the ship came out of light speed, the planet appeared large on the screen. It was a pretty sight, a lot of green and brown with the white swirling through the atmosphere. It looked a lot like Earth, though with a bit less blue. Not a watery place, then.

  “Report,” Captain Wallace announced.

  “We are the first ESS ship to arrive, Sir,” the sensor officer replied. “The Nebula will arrive in approximately six hours, and the Star Runner will arrive in just over nine hours.”

  Then the captain asked the more pertinent question. “How long until the Arkana arrive? Are they still heading in this direction?”

  The sensor officer didn’t reply right away. “Our sensors are interfacing with the Baccem satellites,” he announced. “Yes. Two Arkana vessels are still on a direct route for Baccem. They are estimated to arrive in ten hours at present speed.”

  “So, the 21st will be arriving maybe an hour before the Arkana,” Andy said thoughtfully. “That’s not a lot of time to get three detachments in sync.” It would have to be done of course, and they would do it. At least she’d have a little more time to make sure the 33rd and the 15th were all on target. As the first to arrive at the planet, Andy knew she’d be running the tactics.

  “Keep your eyes on those Arkana ships, and closely. If it looks like they are changing speed, alert me immediately.” He waited for that order to be acknowledged before he turned toward the communications officer. “Contact the planet.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  A few moments later, the screen came alive with a video feed from the planet. Andy stood like a shadow behind the captain’s chair, watching and listening but feeling no need to weigh in on the matter just yet. She doubted her counsel would be needed during this conversation anyway, but as the commander of the 33rd, she was there just in case.

  “I am Captain Wallace, commanding officer of the ESS Star Chaser,” he introduced himself, getting to his feet and inclining his head.

  The pair on the screen were a woman and a man; the woman appeared to be human, while the man was Ronnor. In her research, she had learned that Baccem had been unpopulated when a colony ship bearing humans and Ronnor found it and settled it. Later archaeological efforts had found there was once a population that had died out, so now it was predominantly humans and Ronnor, but as part of the ESS, there were other species there as well.

  “Captain Wallace,” the woman said, polite but solemn. “I am Regent Theodora and this is Regent Hiram. We thank you for coming. We have been alerted to the incoming Arkana threat and have, quite frankly, been expecting it.”

  Wallace smiled thinly. “Good foresight.”

  Hiram shook his head. “It didn’t take much of that to make an educated guess about the target painted on our planet. Any war-making force coming through space would be smart to want a base to produce more ships, and our factories are some of the best in the ESS for being able to utilize a wide variety of techniques, materials, and ship forms.”

  Andy wondered if this was really the time for a sales pitch, but she’d give him some leeway. It had to be a very stressful time.

  “How far along are your planetary defense systems?” Shailain interjected politely.

  “As you can imagine, we have been pushing it as hard as we can,” Theodora said. “I am afraid that we have only managed to push it up a few days and that’s at full capacity. If we have
to evacuate the entire city, we’ll have to stop those efforts.”

  Wallace looked at Andy.

  Apparently, she was going to be talking in this conversation after all. She straightened up slightly and nodded respectfully to the regents. “I’m Major Dolan,” she introduced herself, then went on. “We would obviously find it ideal to evacuate all civilians. We will do our best to keep the Arkana out of your city, but I can’t make any promises. Any who remain will be at risk. However, it is your planet and your people. I cannot give you orders.”

  Theodora and Hiram exchanged a look, while Wallace gave Andy a nod of approval.

  The regents looked back to the captain. “A few of our engineers are going to remain in the innermost buildings of the city. If the Arkana get that far, it will all be over anyway so they might as well keep working on our defense system,” Hiram said.

  “Do we have a read on any other Arkana vessels?” Shailain asked.

  “The two vessels en route now are the only ones within five days of the planet,” the sensor officer said.

  “Did you hear that, Regents?” Wallace asked and they nodded.

  “I’m not sure our defense system will be done by five days, but it will be close,” Theodora said with a nod.

  “First things first, Sir,” Andy said. “We have to get rid of the ones who are coming on us now. If we make it past that, then we can worry about any others. If we are successful,” she went on, nodding to the regents as she said, “and I have every intention that we will be, hopefully we will have bought just enough time for your system to come online before any others make the same attempt.”