Bastards, he thought bitterly.
Not that he was surprised; it was standard practice after all, for all communications of this nature to be checked. But what was surprising was the time it was taking. He thought of contacting the commander of the station, but then decided against it. He’d already accumulated two black marks during his training, and trying to bypass the chain of command for a personal message would hardly do him much good.
That doesn’t stop me doing a little fiddling with the data myself though, does it?
He brought up a window containing a series of personal files and binary applications that he’d brought along with him. Wictred spotted the change in his body language as he combined the encrypted data file with two of his special tools.
“Jack…what are you up to?” asked his friend.
Wictred, being one of the younger Jötnar, had less patience than any of the group. In fact, Jack often considered his friend to be more of a juvenile than most human teenagers. Even so, he was smart, if a little unpredictable. He moved closer to Jack, his larger body easily dwarfing the shape of his friend. He and Hunn were nowhere as big as the fully-grown Jötnar, but they were still substantially bigger than any humans.
“Ah, running a few tools, are we?” he added in a hushed tone, as if implying mischief.
Jack threw him a quick glance.
“This message is important, just look at the stamp. My mother wanted me to see it immediately, and yet some pencil pusher is delaying it.”
“Maybe it is time related? Your mother is back in the Corps, so maybe she’s on a mission?”
Jack stopped and looked at him. He squashed his lips together as he concentrated. It didn’t take long though for him to turn back.
“She knows procedure. If it was that important to maintain secrecy, she wouldn’t have sent it.”
Plus she knows full well I won’t let it lie!
With a final button press, he started a series of powerful brute force attacks on the file.
“There, I should have access within the hour.”
“Hmm,” snarled Wictred, unimpressed, “maybe you can finish getting ready now?”
Jack nodded curtly and stood to adjust his uniform for the last time, making sure her shirt and tunic were tucked in correctly, and then did his best not to laugh at Wictred and Hunn. Whereas Jack was wearing his black Marine Corps cadet uniform with the belt on the outside the jacket, the two Jötnar were desperately trying to emulate his look without looking ridiculous. Their uniforms had been custom made, much to the annoyance of the quartermaster who had at first declined to modify clothing for them. In the end, they wore their traditional armor and clothing, but with a modified waistcoat that allowed them to move their oversized chest and arm muscles without tearing the fabric apart.
“What do you two look like?” asked Jack with laughter in his voice.
Footsteps from outside their quarters signaled the arrival of three more cadets. The first to enter through the open door was Thai Qiu-Li. She burst out laughing at seeing Wictred fumbling with his waistcoat, or what was the loosest approximation of one on his large frame.
“You need to hurry. We’re supposed to be out of here in the next seven minutes,” she explained with feigned urgency in her voice. Jack stopped and looked up at her.
“What’s the hurry? It’s only a party.”
“Only a party?” Thai Qiu-Li replied.
“He’s not wrong,” Wictred said. “We’re in the middle of something here.”
Thai Qiu-Li looked at them both with a coy expression.
“Aw, do you two need some more time alone?”
Jack grinned and made for the door before realizing he’d left his belt on his desk. He grabbed it and thrust the end through the loops on his jacket. With a firm tug, he pulled it around his Marine Corps jacket. He threw a sideways glance at his friends when finished, as though he’d been ready all along. Neither looked particularly ready, but in his experience that was as good as they tended to look. He nodded to himself and did his best to hide a grin. Hunn didn’t notice, but Wictred spotted the corner of his mouth moving.
“Hey, you think this is funny, Jack?” he asked bitterly.
Jack stood up straight and pulled at his jacket.
“Hell, yes. If you could see yourselves, right now!”
Wictred and Hunn looked at each other and then both laughed and nodded in agreement. Wictred moved first, made for the door, and stepped out into the corridor. Hunn moved to follow him, and in just a few seconds, the whole group was moving along the main corridor. It was wide and much better finished than the interior of the ships they’d spent time on over the last year. As they continued, the six marines reached a crossroads section that was also packed with lots of other uniformed marines. In the distance, the sound of loud music thumped through the thick walls of the station.
“Jack, you ready for this?” asked Thai Qiu-Li.
He looked at her, opening his mouth to speak but was stopped by the sight of a large group of almost a dozen Alliance Navy officers and cadets. They were all smartly dressed in their dark navy uniforms, long coats, and peaked caps. It was a very different look to that of the Marine Corps. It was the two black-haired individuals that caught his eye, however. Wictred saw the exchange of looks and put his hand out to stop Jack from moving forward.
“What is it?” asked Thai Qiu-Li.
“Matius and Ingo,” muttered Jack under his breath.
All of them were now looking at the Navy officers. It looked like they might leave, but one of them laughed, and in an instant were walking towards the marines. When they were close enough, the marines, Jack included, lifted their hands smartly and saluted at the young officers. The two black-haired lieutenants in the middle of the group snarled at Jack, their disgust immediately apparent. A young man with a dark, tanned face and dark eyes shook his head at him.
“Nice to see you again, brother,” said Jack calmly.
The man stood next to him with the same dark eyes and complexion took a step forward.
“What the hell are you doing on a Naval base?” he asked angrily.
Wictred lifted a hand in a passive gesture.
“My friend, you seem unburdened by intelligence. Can you not see his insignia? Jack has just completed his passing out ceremony. He is now a marine.”
The man looked to Wictred and shook his head.
“Friend?” he stuttered. “I’m not your friend. Nobody wants a Jötnar animal for a friend.”
Both Wictred and Hunn growled at this insult, and it took Thai Qiu-Li and her other two marine comrades interceding to stop a brawl. Jack, on the other hand, just stood by and gazed into the dark eyes of his half-brothers. They’d never been friends. At best they’d got along, but as he’d reached his teenage years, and his father Spartan had spent more time with them, they had become embittered.
“Matius and Ingo, I didn’t come here looking for a fight,” Jack said.
Wictred choked on his own laughter; he knew too well the tone in Jack’s voice.
Matius stepped forward and directly in front of Jack. He was just a few centimeters shorter than Jack but held himself as straight and tall as he could manage. His face was tight and his cheek muscles tense. He looked at both sides of Jack’s face, sniffing as though identifying the trace of something foul.
“What is that?” he asked sarcastically.
Jack closed his eyes and breathed in a slow, single breath.
“Funny. Like I said, I’m not looking for trouble.”
Matius smirked at his half-brother.
“I don’t see what our mother sees in your father. You’re just as simple and vulgar as he is. No wonder you all joined the Corps.”
Jack had stayed calm for long enough, but the insult to his father, himself, and now his friends was more than he could stand. Every muscle in his body wanted to strike, and it took all his self-control to stand his ground. He may have succeeded until Matius, now confident he had Jack und
er his control, took it a step further. He reached out and grabbed Jack’s collar with his right hand.
“Good lad, you know your place. You’ll always be the runt in our family. A pathetic little…”
That’s it! Jack thought; his anger now unleashed.
Jack thrust his left hand over Matius’ arm and brought his hand and forearm back under his, locking Matius’ arm. With a quick wrench, the arm creaked, and Jack had him under his control. It wasn’t enough, and try as he might, he couldn’t stop his right hand from forming a fist. He struck Matius hard in the jaw with a swift uppercut that almost knocked him out cold. Still Jack held onto his broken arm.
“You insult me, my father, my friends, and now the Corps? You bastard!”
With that, he released his half-brother’s arm and delivered a powerful kick to his groin, sending Matius staggering back two meters and into his group of friends before falling to the ground in pain.
“Did you see that?” snapped Ingo with her hand pointed directly at Jack, “He just struck an Alliance officer. That’s a court martial offense!”
Jack turned to Wictred who just grinned back at him. Thai Qiu-Li and her two friends looked as though they were going to join in, but Jack waved them off.
“No, this is between us. Don’t get involved.”
Thai Qiu-Li looked to her left and her right, but neither of her friends seemed very keen on staying back. Both were female and in their twenties. Like all the marines, they were physically fit, strong willed, and ever eager for the fight.
“No chance,” spat Thai Qiu-Li as she unbuttoned her brand new Marine Corps jacket.
“You attack one of us, you attack all of us,” said her tall blonde friend with surprising ferocity.
Matius lifted himself to his feet and spat blood to the floor. He spoke to his brother, and an angry exchange broke out between them and the other cadets. One of the older officers stepped back with their hands raised, as if suggesting he was backing off. Matius swung at the man, but he ducked to avoid the impact and then walked away shaking his head. Jack looked at the group carefully and checked the stance and position of each. He counted nine remaining, and every one of them appeared keen. Matius was definitely the ringleader, but there was one other, a taller man with broad shoulders and a scarred face. He must have been in his early thirties, yet was still a cadet.
“Matius, don’t be a fool. I do not want to fight with officers,” Jack called out so that anybody nearby could hear.
There were now a good number of marines and navy cadets, plus a smattering of junior officers. The music from the hall just twenty meters away increased in volume, and it seemed to pump up the adrenalin of all those present.
“Then you shouldn’t have come!” Matius shouted back.
With that last statement, the nine rushed toward the marines. Jack, Hunn, and Wictred lowered their stances and waited for the rush. Thai Qiu-Li and her two friends moved off to the right as if not taking part, leaving the three on their own and exposed. The largest of the navy cadets reached Jack first and attempted to smash the smaller man to the ground. Jack sidestepped and moved a step ahead to jam his knee into the man following. The attack caught the man completely by surprise, and he dropped to the ground with a groan. Wictred grabbed two men around the chest and bear-hugged them, his massive arms stopping them from moving and forcing the air from their lungs; that left Matius and five others for Hunn to deal with.
“Jack!” Matius shouted as he spun around.
Instead of facing him, the young marine moved his back foot to the right and twisted so that he could land another strike on the next man before they reached Hunn. His attack was fast and violent, sending yet another man to the floor. Four more leapt at Hunn, and either through skill or luck, they managed to force him to the floor. Jack tried to help, but Ingo grabbed him and held him back. He looked at him and shook his head.
“Not today, brother!”
With an open palm, he struck him shoulder and sent him flying backward. It wasn’t enough to take him out of the fight, but it did move him back far enough to allow Jack to leap on the nearest man pulling at Hunn. At the same time, Ingo crashed into a group of onlookers and managed to bring them into the brawl. A fist struck his face, and he was knocked down, just in time for his brother to arrive on the scene.
“Who did this?” he said.
Ingo rubbed his forehead and wiped the sweat from his face. He reached out and pointed to the rolling melee on the ground.
“Our bastard brother.”
Matius’ face seemed to contort even further than it had at the onset of the fight. Months, perhaps years of frustration at their unwanted sibling boiled up to the surface, as he rushed back into the fray. He threw himself at Jack, and the two rolled to the floor while the two Jötnar flailed about in the middle of an increasing group of fighters. They looked like a pair of bears surrounded by yapping dogs, yet neither seemed concerned. In fact, as Jack rolled on the floor, he was convinced the two were having the time of their lives as they threw marines and navy cadets about. His vision blurred, and he spotted Matius lifting his hand for yet another strike. He could feel pain in his forehead.
That asshole must have landed one! he realized incredulously.
As the strike approached him again, he batted it to the side so that Matius struck the ground with all his force. His fist made a sickening sound, much like the sound that had occurred when Jack had fractured his right arm. He screamed out in pain, and Jack took that as an opportunity to flick up and kick his leg out from under him. Matius collapsed to his side and left Jack standing alone with a smirk on his face. Ingo rushed back in, a chair lifted over his head and followed by three men, each wearing navy crew uniforms. Jack didn’t realize what was happening until they were on him. Thai Qiu-Li and her two friends jumped in front of him, blocking the path and grabbed, punched, or grappled with the new arrivals. Jack looked about and nodded with amusement.
“Now this is a fight I think Spartan would be proud of.”
His moment of smug self-satisfaction was stopped by a firm punch delivered from an angry looking sergeant. The man’s face looked like a weathered rock, and his bark was louder than any, shouting in the open space that was now filled with fighting Alliance personnel.
“Enough!”
Jack rolled to the ground, a searing pain spreading through his head. It joined the other sharp aching pains that seemed to be coming from all around his body. His instinct told him to move, and he rolled to the side in time to avoid a black leather boot from striking his chest. With all his remaining strength, he lifted himself back up, shook his head, and swung his fist.
“I said, enough!” shouted the Sergeant who pushed the punch aside with his left forearm and then delivered three swift punches into Jack’s stomach. He doubled over and dropped to his knees, gasping for air. A loud thud from five meters away indicated the end of the fight with the Jötnar. Wictred turned to look at Jack with a grin the width of his face. He spotted Jack wheezing and made to approach the marine that had struck him. A look of recognition appeared instantly on his muscled face, and instead of advancing, he stood his ground.
“Better,” said the Sergeant in a calm yet assertive tone.
Over a dozen people lay injured or knocked out on the ground, including one of Thai Qiu-Li friends who kept rolling about on the floor groaning. The Sergeant ignored her and turned to face what were now nearly hundred people. He shook his head angrily.
“You people are an embarrassment. Half of you have only just graduated the Navy or Marine Corps academies, and now you’re brawling like common thugs or even worse, pit fighters.”
He spat at the floor in disgust.
“Hell, at least pit fighters do it for a living.”
He looked at them all and soaked in the details. There was some blood, but he was pleased to see that there didn’t appear to be any major injuries other than the odd broken bone.
Wounded pride, more like.
“Th
is incident will be investigated, and the facts will come out, mark my words.”
He straightened up, his back as level as a piece of wood and lifted his chin.
“I’m Sergeant Stone, and I’m here to tell you that today is your lucky day. All leave is cancelled. Your little soirée is over. You can get yourselves back to your quarters and into your combat gear.”
The atmosphere in the room changed completely. Instead of facing off against enemies, the cadets and officers each turned their attention to the veteran Sergeant standing before them. He watched them, pleased to see that at least this news seem to get their attention. A few started to run for the door, but a loud cough from the Sergeant stopped them cold.
Here it goes.
“As of thirty minutes ago, all Alliance military units were activated. That includes the 8th Battalion. Every vessel and tactical unit stationed aboard this base will be leaving in the next hour. Get your gear and wait for your next orders.”
There was a stunned silence until a female Navy officer called out.
“What’s happening, Sergeant?”
“We’re going to war, that’s what’s happening. Thirty minutes ago an exploratory mission was attacked on the distant edges of T’Karan. There is no more information, but trust me, it will come. All you need to know is that the fleet is assembling, and all Marine units from Prometheus and Prime through to Terra Nova have been activated. Now, jump to it, people!”
The room quickly emptied, and even the wounded vanished, but they must have been carried or helped. Jack and his comrades didn’t notice, and they approached the Sergeant.
“Sergeant…I…” started Jack.
The Sergeant looked at Jack, starting with his feet and then moving up until reaching the young man’s bruised face.
“Son, you need to sort out this rage. You’re Spartan’s son, aren’t you?”
Jack nodded.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Yeah, I thought as much. I never met him, but I know him by reputation. He was a hot head like you, but he learned the value of discipline and self-control early on. If you want to be half the marine he was, you need to bottle it. Save it for the enemy, and believe me, there are plenty of them.”
Machine Gods (Star Crusades Nexus, Book 2) Page 19