We Are The Wolf: Wolfpack Book 1

by Toby Neighbors

  Dean pulled his pack off his shoulder, sat in the passenger seat, and held the large duffel bag on his lap. The staff sergeant immediately pressed down on the accelerator and the vehicle hummed as it glided away from the intake facility on a cushion of air.

  "May I ask where we're going, sir?" Dean said, afraid of the answer.

  "You're going to the EsDef OTA."

  "Are the others already there?"

  "The others aren't going there," the sergeant said. "They've all been assigned to their various divisions. You're the only ensign in this group of recruits."

  "An ensign?" Dean asked.

  "That's right, Blaze, you're going to be an officer. If you pass the academy, at any rate. But don't think for a second that means you won't be working for a living. Recon lieutenants lead squads into the pits of hell. Work your ass off and you might have a chance of surviving and, better still, getting your troops out of harm’s way. Remember that, Blaze. No matter what else they teach you in the academy, know that every soldier wants their LT to get them home again. You do that, and I'll buy you a beer when you're back on good ole planet Earth."

  "Staff sergeant," Dean said. "Were you in combat off world?"

  The big man stared into the distance as he steered the glider between large hills. They were moving deeper into the mountains and Dean guessed he was about to be taken to the fabled underground base that was the home of EsDef, but his mind was buzzing with the realization that he wasn't going to simply be a soldier in the Recon Division, he was going to be an officer. His fear had risen dramatically at the very thought of being responsible for the lives of other soldiers.

  "Four years off world," the sergeant said. "Six combat missions. One fire fight and two bug hunts. Most of it's boring shit, but occasionally you do some good. The humans out there need us. The galaxy is a dangerous place."

  Dean wanted to point out that Staff Sergeant Dillon had survived. He had returned home and was safe enough, but there was a haunted look in the big man's eyes and Dean thought it best to stay silent.

  They rounded a bend past a thick grove of aspen trees and came to what looked like a giant hole in the side of a towering hill. There were dozens of vehicles inside, as if the hill were a gigantic garage. Staff Sergeant Dillon steered the glider over to a sleek-looking aircraft and brought the vehicle to a stop.

  "Good luck, Blaze," Sergeant Dillon said.

  Dean nodded and climbed off the glider. It hummed a little as it flew away and Dean looked in awe at the ship before him. It was a small, two-man craft, little more than a rocket with wings. There were boosters along the wings, smaller rockets that would get the ship up into the stratosphere, where the main engine would kick in to take them up into space.

  "I hope you don't get airsick," said a rugged-looking man in a thick jacket of brown leather. "I'm Captain Atwood, I'll be taking you up."

  "Up where?" Dean asked.

  "To the Academy," the pilot said with a lopsided grin. "That's where the action is."

  Dean tried to hide his nervousness as he donned a flight suit and climbed up into the cockpit. His mind was overwhelmed at the wide array of dials, gauges, and screens. Most of the switches were analog, which seemed odd to Dean since he was so used to touch screens and motion controls.

  It took them an hour before the ship was taxied out of the cavernous hangar and lifted into position on a launcher that would hurl the ship several hundred feet into the air.

  "Don't worry," the pilot said with a grin. "It's a little like being shot out of a cannon, but it's over before you know it."

  Dean was silent. His head was covered with a sturdy helmet that had large round lenses covering most of his face. An oxygen regulator was secured over his mouth and nose before being fastened to the helmet. When the pilot spoke again, his voice crackled through the comm system in the helmet.

  "Just stay relaxed," he said. "The G-forces are intense, but it only lasts a few seconds. You may see spots and find it hard to breathe, but you'll be fine. It'll be over before you know it."

  Dean could feel sweat trickling down his chest and back. He tried not to tense up, but the fear made it difficult. Everything seemed to be happening too quickly. He wanted more information and more time to process what was going on. He hadn't asked to be an officer. He didn't want to go to space, not yet at any rate. He wasn't ready, and the fear was raging like a warning klaxon in his mind.

  Readouts began to appear on the inside of the view lens of the helmet. Most of it seemed like gibberish to Dean, but he could make out their trajectory. He had studied trigonometry in school, but he couldn't remember any of it at that moment. He knew he needed to pee, and that he wanted to hold onto something, but there was nothing in the cockpit but gauges and buttons. He didn't dare take hold of the throttle, so he folded his hands in his lap.

  Dean's heart thundered in his chest as the air controller gave a countdown to their launch. It reminded Dean of being on a roller coaster that was clicking and clacking toward the top of the first big drop-off – only they weren't going down, they were going up.

  Instead of “zero” the controller said "contact." The small rocket shot down the runway and then angled steeply upward into the sky. Dean felt like an elephant had dropped suddenly onto his chest. He couldn't move, and he certainly couldn't breathe, but a puff of air in his oxygen regulator seemed to make the pressure ease a bit and the craft leveled off of its steep climb.

  "This is Onyx Seven Niner," the pilot said in a clear voice. "Engaging boosters."

  Dean couldn't see anything but blue sky, but he knew the ground was far below them. Gravity had just begun to pull at the aircraft when the pilot flipped a switch that ignited the booster rockets, causing the ship to sail forward again. The pressure was back, but not quite as bad as before, only this time it seemed like they were riding on a bottle rocket, racing toward the sky where they would explode in a burst of sparks.

  After a few minutes the pressure eased again, although the roar of the rockets could still be heard and felt in the aircraft. Dean opened and closed his hands, lifting them off his lap a little as he felt gravity ease its grip on them.

  "Boosters spent," the pilot announced.

  Dean was a little giddy as he felt the aircraft arc once again. He had gone from being crushed by the weight of the world to suddenly floating freely.

  "Ejecting rockets Alpha and Bravo."

  There was a thud that shook the aircraft, then it was drifting again.

  "Wanna say goodbye to Terra?" the pilot asked.

  Dean didn't respond but the pilot flipped the aircraft over and suddenly the earth filled Dean's vision. Only instead of looking down, he was looking up, through the clouds, toward the ground which was mostly ocean, but he could see the edge of a continent below them. He was just beginning to feel the pull of the world below when the pilot engaged the main engine. Earth shot away as the aircraft spun and suddenly there were stars everywhere, millions of them. Some were bright, others seemed to flicker and glimmer in the distance. There were satellites too, hundreds of them moving in unison, like a vast robot army marching in parade formation.

  "Are we…?" Dean asked.

  "Yep," the pilot said. "Welcome to space."

  Chapter 5

  The small aircraft flew into a hangar in a large, rotating space station. It was Dean's first experience with artificial gravity. After floating freely as the aircraft flew into what Dean could only imagine was an EsDef space base, he felt an unseen force pulling down at his body. It reminded him of the way he felt immediately after having the stomach flu. He felt weak, tired, and lethargic.

  "Top floor," the pilot said, unfastening his restraints. "Women's lingerie, perfume, the best protein bar in the solar system, and of course, the prestigious EsDef Officer Training Academy."

  "What is this place?" Dean asked.

  "Space Base 13, though most people call it Grooms Lake."

  Dean chuckled at the reference to the infamous military base that had b
een believed to hold the secrets to extraterrestrial life. Getting out of the aircraft was difficult, but Dean managed it without falling or embarrassing himself too badly. As soon as his feet hit the deck and he turned around he was greeted by a woman in a blue uniform. Her hair was cut short and the uniform hid her figure, but her eyes were bright and her high cheekbones were striking.

  "Ensign Blaze?" she asked.

  "Yes, ma'am," Dean said, catching his pack as the aircraft pilot tossed it to him.

  "Follow me," the woman said. She turned and walked quickly away, forcing Dean to hurry behind her.

  All around him were ships, mostly small craft that looked almost like insects. They were little more than pods for pilots attached to large rockets. Many had articulated arms for working on space stations or satellites in orbit. Others had supply canisters, and still more had an array of scanning devices with receiving dishes to collect data. There were thick hoses and maintenance crews in coveralls roving in small bands around the hangar. Dean looked around in awe at the space base, but his mind kept returning to what it meant to be an ensign. He couldn't fathom why he had been chosen to become an officer. Truth be told, he didn't even know what an officer in the Recon Division of EsDef did.

  A shiver of fear ran down his back as he considered the possibility that by becoming an officer he might not be given a chance to serve in Recon. He knew that service in the elite fighting division was nothing like the movies he'd seen, but he still longed to be the tip of the spear, to travel through space and protect mankind's interests on the frontier of the galaxy. What if he was being sent to an administrative post? It took all of Dean’s fortitude to keep from drowning in despair.

  The woman led the young ensign through arching corridors and into what looked like a standard classroom, but instead of a podium or vid screen at the front of the room, there was a transparent wall. He could see the earth through the window looking exactly the way it did in videos of outer space, but real. He could feel the swirl of the clouds, and the deep blue of the ocean made him long to return to Earth. It was like homesickness, but for his world.

  There were other people in the room, most were looking longingly at Earth just as Dean was. The woman that had led him to the room took a seat in a small booth at the rear of the class, and after a few moments a tall black man in the uniform of the Space Navy entered and walked confidently to the front of the room.

  "My name," he said in a strong accent that Dean guessed was African although he couldn't narrow down the specific country or region, "is Major Obbdoo. Space Base 13 is my station. Everything that happens on this base is my business. The EsDef Academy is just one of the many important functions of this station. You will not interfere with the others. Nor will you compromise the top secret nature of this facility.

  "On Earth you were from different countries. You spoke different languages, and adhered to different beliefs. Now you are aspiring officers in the Extra Solar Defense Force. You are no longer Spanish, Russian, South African, or American. You are human."

  The last word was spoken with such conviction that it seared into Dean's mind. He was a human, a member of a space-faring species that was overcoming the natural barriers that had for millennia divided the world they called home. The other recruits in the classroom were his brothers and sisters in humanity, and he felt an immediate connection to the otherwise perfect strangers sitting nearby. Earth sliding slowly to the right side of the transparent wall made the feeling all the more real.

  "But you are not yet officers in the most prestigious military force ever assembled. You are ensigns, officers in training. To make rank you will first complete your training in this academy. Then you'll be sent into the field for hands-on experience. If at any point you fail, you will be sent home in disgrace. There are no second chances in space. You will excel at every task you are given, because EsDef officers are the best of the very best.

  "On your tablets you will see a schematic of this facility. This room will be your home point on this base. From it you may go left or right, but you may not under any circumstances leave this corridor of the base. Your assigned berths are highlighted on your tablet. Outside this conference room to your right is the PT facility. You will stay in top shape during your training here. Outside this conference room to your left is the mess hall. In between, on either side of this room, are your quarters, and that is all you need to know about this base. Am I clear?"

  “Yes, sir!” everyone in the room said loudly and in unison.

  "Good, that is all for today," Major Obbdoo said. "Captain Vanessa Parker will be your liaison and orientation officer. She is a combat veteran, so please afford her every courtesy as she is here to help you. Is that clear?"

  “Yes, sir!” the company answered once more.

  "Good. You are dismissed."

  Dean swiped a finger across his tablet and looked at the schematic. Most of the circular base was shaded in gray, but the corridor outside the classroom was bright green. There were a dozen berths spread evenly on either side of the classroom, with bathroom facilities nestled neatly in the center of each row of six rooms. The training facility looked large and Dean was anxious to see what equipment was available to him. He had taken to the weight training during his two weeks of intake and hoped he would have time to continue working out, but first he needed to visit the room he was assigned to.

  The group of ensigns, twenty-three in all, filed out of the classroom and went to find their assigned quarters. Dean's was at the end of the hall, nearest the training room. It was a tiny cabin for two, with a bed that folded down out of either side wall. The rear wall was almost entirely transparent, and for a moment Dean just stood in the doorway looking out into the vastness of space. There were stars that he'd never seen before, glowing clouds of nebulas, and swirling galaxies.

  Pulling himself away from the window, he examined his room. There was a small locker beside the door and in it were several simple uniforms of mottled gray. They weren't quite camouflage but the pattern was close. He unpacked his single bag and sat on the bed. Folded into the wall by his locker was a table with an attached stool. He lifted the bed, which was built on a hinge allowing it to fold into the wall. Then he pulled on the tab to lower the desk. It had a monitor that flickered to life as the desk and stool lowered. Dean sat on the stool and watched as the monitor linked to his tablet and watch.

  "You've found your workstation," Captain Parker said from Dean's open doorway.

  "Yes, ma'am," he said, getting quickly to his feet.

  "You've got the only private room. The others are bunking with someone from their branch of service. You're the only Recon ensign at the Academy this rotation."

  "I didn't know that," Dean said.

  "Now you do. If you're settled I'll show you the training facility. Most of the others will be joining us."

  "Yes, ma'am," Dean said again as he folded up the desk, marveling at how well it moved back into position so that it was flush with the wall.

  He followed the captain out of his small room. The other trainees were moving down the hall toward them. Once all twenty-three were assembled, Captain Vanessa Parker spoke to the group.

  "We have state-of-the-art weight training machines but no free weights. The last thing you want in space is a dumbbell getting dropped through the floor or busting out the view ports. There are also a number of cardio machines. I suggest you develop a training plan," she explained. "You are officers and you will not be coddled. PT is up to you, but I suggest you get to know the equipment and put it to use."

  She stood just inside the doorway, waiting patiently while the group of ensigns inspected the PT facility. Dean was fascinated by the equipment. Some of it was standard universal weight machines, but others were completely new. Dean had ideas for his training regimen, his only concern was time. He had no idea what the Academy would expect of him. He wasn’t the best student and had worked hard to maintain his grades. He hoped whatever the EsDef Academy consisted of, it came e
asier to him than school.

  After the tour of the PT facility, they all went down to the mess hall for their dinner. Meals on the space base would take getting used to. He’d been fed well at the intake facility. The space base mess hall offered soy burgers on buns that tasted odd to say the least. They weren’t bread in the traditional sense, but carefully formed carbohydrate wafers. Everyone drank the same fruit flavored beverage that Dean had been given during his intake training, which he found oddly reassuring.

  The ensigns from other branches of service seemed to make friends quickly, but Dean was quiet, watching the others. There were thirteen ensigns in the O&A branch of the EsDef, all of them older than Dean. Nine more were recruits from the Space Navy. Dean was the only Recon ensign and the youngest person in the group, which made him feel even more out of place.

  After dinner they returned to their cabins. On Dean’s tablet was a message with the schedule for the next day. At 0500 Zulu time they were encouraged to work on their physical fitness before cleaning up and heading off to breakfast at 0700. At 0745 they were to be in the classroom, wearing the assigned division uniforms, to begin the group portion of their academy training. After lunch the training was divided into division-specific sessions.

  Dean looked at his chrono and realized that he only had six hours until 0500. He was still operating on earth time, and although so much had changed, he wasn't really tired. He looked out at the world spinning past his window and thought about how much his perspective had changed. The world wasn't moving past him, it was the spinning motion of the space base that made the earth seem to slip past his window every half hour like clockwork. And yet, when he thought about it, the earth was moving, the entire solar system was rotating around the center of the galaxy, but it was too vast for his mind to comprehend.

  Laying on his bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, he marveled at where he was. Man had been in space for over a century, colonizing worlds and building complex space stations, yet no one in Dean's family had ever gone to space. As far as he knew, none had even left the country. They were content living their lives, going to work, taking the occasional vacation, and fussing about the economy or weather. It seemed both idyllic and moronic to Dean. As the space base rotated around so that it faced away from the earth and moon he could see the vastness of outer space stretching to infinity. There were untold dangers waiting for the human race in that vast black void, he could feel them. Humanity needed protection. No matter what they found, or what found them, the EsDef would be there to protect and shield the earth from any threat. And he would be the point of the spear.