SWNOVELS Chapter 6
Shawna had been right about Vorra as she reprogrammed her holos for the next session. The clever Ezaran handed us patches to wear on my skinnies and the squad’s armour. “To simulate hand to hand fighting,” as she called it. I still don’t know how she did it but her additions worked and I still beat Bacare’s scores.
After a few false starts with Marsha we had settled down into a routine neither of us mentioning that drunken night each relying on the other as it should be between XO and captain. In a few short hours we would be exiting from hyperspace close to the edge of the system.
My squad was waiting for me in the briefing room. They all stood at attention as I entered.
“Officer on deck,” Tutor shouted
At least this time I wasn’t suffering from a hangover. “At ease,” I said with a smile taking the seat at the head of the table, “please be seated.” I sat and tapped the keyboard of the built in terminal. An image appeared above the table. “Our objective is the planet Anwa Padak,” as I told you in the first briefing, “we are to land and locate Elspeth Broaden an expert on the Rhosani. All that hasn’t changed.” I glanced at the planetary map seeing the 45degree axis of the planet and the patches of black that dotted the map.
“Are those what I think they are?” Tutor asked his eyes on the image.
“What are?”
“Those black almost circular patches in the surface.”
“If you think what you are thinking those are the impact craters of thermonuclear missiles fired from orbit.”
Tutor bent across the table reaching out almost touching the holo trying to measure the size of the craters. “How big is the planet?”
“Just a little over twelve thousand klicks in diameter.”
“God they pummelled the hell out of this place.”
“Each of those patches was once a city,” I told him as he sat back down. I tapped on the keyboard and the image expanded drawing close to the planet’s surface. “But they didn’t get them all,” the image expanded again showing tall spires jutting out of green foliage, “this city has been abandoned for over thirty thousand years.”
“I can’t see a landing point from this position,” Tutor remarked, “do you have a topographical survey map of the site?”
I tapped on the keyboard seeing the image change to a 3D map as seen from above. It made little sense.
“Is that the best we have?” Tutor said.
“We can’t land there anyway. It’s been deemed too dangerous. The structure of the buildings are unstable and the streets between each building too narrow.”
“So where are we landing?”
I tapped the keys on the terminal the image shifted. “Eighteen klicks away. The archaeologists’ camp is here it has a landing pad and they are quartered there.” The image shifted to show a number of metallic box like structures. “This is their main base. They have a ground car that transports them to and from the city.”
“Eighteen klicks that’s a long way to go, why didn’t they move closer?” Tutor remarked staring hard at the holo.
“According to reports it’s the only dry ground between there and the ruins.”
“That will make things interesting trekking through a swamp on foot.”
“I can’t see a track that leads to the city they do have one I assume?” Shawna asked.
“There is one but you can’t see it the trees cover it and for the record it’s an artificial causeway.”
“Radiation?” Tutor remarked his eyes on still on the holo.
“Minimal in the area we land in and that does include ultraviolet solar radiation so no need for sun blockers.”
“What flora and fauna are we going to encounter,” Sarah asked. I need to prepare a medi kit just in case?”
“Just prep for the standard and you’ve all had your immuno jabs have you?”
“All square on that major,” Lt Tutor replied looking at the rest of the squad.
“Good.”
“How come this world hasn’t been colonised before?” Sarah said her eyes staring at the holo.
“It’s too far off the trade lanes and the T’Arni won’t give the authorisation for it,” I nodded to the two T’Arni seated.
“No T’Arni will settle on a Rhosani world no matter how long ago it was,” Bacare remarked with a scowl, “and now if it’s true that the Rhosani have returned less likely. We are not going to become their slaves again.”
“I’ve prepared a mission summary for each of you,” I said changing the subject by passing along several dataslices, “we assemble in the hanger bay in three hours. I want an equipment and weapon check before we drop?”
“Drop?” Shawna asked.
“GF term.”
“Sorry major.”
“Accepted sergeant. I want you to draw an AR 32 and ammunition for me along a standard load bearing equipment and a set of intensifiers.”
“Aye major,” Shawna said then added sounding concerned, “do you think we’ll encounter anything dangerous?”
“The surviving life forms on the planet are insectoid no bigger than my hand, most are harmless but there are a few that are venomous. It’s all in the dataslice.”
“But you don’t need an AR 32 to stomp bugs ma’am,” Bacare said looking oddly at Shawna.
“That’s true corporal. I think we should be prepared for anything.” With my mind on Anoxi I suppressed the cold feeling in my gut. No amount of preparation could have prepared us for the horrors of Anoxi. I might not wake up screaming but I still have trouble sleeping at times.
“Aye ma’am message received.”
“You do realise that you’ll be the one without armour?” Shawna pointed out.
“Noted sergeant. I’ll be extra careful out there.”
“I’ll volunteer to be you shadow ma’am.”
“Ok sergeant, well if that’s all make sure you study your data. And we’ll meet again in the shuttle bay in three hours. Dismissed.”
The squad rose and exited Shawna lingered by the door. “I’ll be by your side major.”
“Sergeant, Shawna thanks for everything.”
“Sure major any time.”
I left the briefing room and headed back to the bridge.
Marsha smiled at me as I entered the bridge there was a human male next to her. “You remember Flight Lieutenant Magus Ross he’ll will be your pilot on this mission.”
“Top scores at the academy ma’am,” Ross remarked.
“Which academy?”
“Rosewood.”
“You were at Rosewood when?”
“Before you became principal. I heard good things about you from those that followed me out of there.”
“Good to have a fellow internee as my pilot. Better than Vorra’s machine.”
He frowned at that. “I shouldn’t have let the Ezaran talk me into that.”
“That’s in the past and that’s where I’d leave it,” I stated.
“Yes ma’am.” He turned to Marsha. “With your permission ma’am. I need to prep the shuttle.”
“Head out Ross,” Marsha remarked. She stepped across and stood by my side almost touching, “you will be ok down there?”
“As ok as I can going into an unknown situation.”
“But you will be careful?”
“Damn it I‘ll be ok, the next one I hear asking that is going to get punched,” I put my hand to my mouth my face flushed red, “I’m terribly sorry captain I don’t where that came from?” I put it down to the stress I was feeling about the mission. I wanted it to succeed and finally put my demons to rest.
“Apology accepted major. You want this mission to succeed but we seem to be dropping obstacles in your way.”
Her hand reached out to touch me then suddenly she withdrew it just like in the mess hall. She took a deep breath her voice almost a whisper. “Please come back safe for all our sakes.”
“I will Marsha,” I replied, “too many people are counting on me.”
I turned and exited the bridge walking with all the dignity I could aware of her eyes on me.
I was the first to arrive in the shuttle bay. Lieutenant Ross was busy fussing around with the shuttle I knew I’d be no help there. Shawna was the next to arrive kitted out in her armour and nearly bent double by the gear she was carrying.
“Here sergeant let me help you,” I said as I strode over to her.
“Thanks!” she gasped, “should have asked for assistance earlier.”
I took one of the olive green cloth carryalls my hand covering hers. Suddenly she looked at me and smiled.
“Pardon major.”
“That’s ok,” I replied. Adding when she hadn’t let go of the carryall, “in your own time sergeant.”
She blushed and fluttered her eyes. “Sorry major,” and released her hold of the carryall.
The weight almost pulled me to the floor. “What have you got in here Harms?”
“Vorra’s comms gear and our weapons.” She had placed a second carryall on the floor and was routing through it. “I do have something for you. Ah I did put it in this bag.” She pulled out a helmet not one that went with combat armour. A domed helmet roughly semi-circular in shape with a flexible flap at the back to protect the neck and a targeting eye piece and comms unit all in grey.
“I haven’t seem one of these since basic,” I said putting it on my head to check the fit. I took it off again and made a few adjustments. “Thanks Shawna.” I buckled up the chinstraps to get used to the fit and helped Shawna empty the second carryall.
Pulling out one the AR 32’s I noticed a logo had been painted on the side of the stock. The image of a naked woman.
“Not strictly standard issue,” I remarked handing the weapon to Shawna. I’ve never seen a woman go as red as she did her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry major that’s Betsy and she’s mine.”
“Ok sergeant I’m not a stickler for the regs. As long as you do your duty it matters not to me if you put a personal mark on your equipment. As long as it doesn’t effect the working of your weapon I assume it’s the only one?”
“Yes major,” Some of her original colouring was returning. She pulled out another weapon and handed it to me. “I checked this one out personal like I saved it just for you.”
“Oh thank you Shawna and there’s me thinking you’d brought me as bunch of flowers,” I laughed meaning it as a joke.
“You like flowers?” Shawna sounded serious too serious.
I had enough trouble with Marsha. My mind went back to a conversation I had with her during an inventory check a week ago, one of my duties as Marsha’s XO. It had started innocently enough.
“You have some waiting for you at home?” she had asked me.
“No not really there was someone but they were called away,” I replied but now I had the time to think about it, I should have made it sound less ambiguous.
“Oh I’d thought some like you would have been married by now?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it. I suppose one day but duty always gets in the way.”
“You are looking for the right someone?”
“I suppose so but I haven’t really be paying attention, too much to do.”
“So if someone where to approach you, you’d be interested?”
“That depends on the someone,” I replied, at the time I hadn’t thought that she had been angling for me.
I should have paid more attention but I was still worrying over Marsha and the night to take enough notice of what I had said. Before I could open my mouth and say something to Shawna, Sarah and Vorra walked in each carrying heavy carryalls. I thought better of it not wanting to compromise the mission.
“Major, sergeant,” Sarah saluted me, “we have the rest of the gear.”
“Weapon and gear check when everyone is here. Stow the rest on the shuttle.”
“Yes major.”
Shawna clearly still giving me her eye walked across and helped Sarah and Vorra with their carryalls. Quickly they removed the gear from the carryalls and spread it across the floor of the shuttle bay.
“Major,” Sarah asked as she squatted down next to a set of load bearing harness, “this is for you. I know what it’s like humping kilos of gear around without the help of the servos in our armour.” She pulled it off the floor and handed to me.
Taking the harness I checked the fit noting the numerous pouches and tools. “Thanks Vanwasshova,” I replied taking it off again as I kneeled on the cold hard metallic surface of the shuttle bay and spread the items in the pouches on the ground.
“No problem major,” she said placing the contents on her own harness on the floor and doing the same.
“Sorry we’re late,” Tutor apologised as he walked in Kriaeusus and Bacare in tow. “Major?” he saluted on seeing me.
I returned his salute a difficult task to do properly from the position I was in. “Weapons and equipment check LT.”
“Right guys let’s do the by the regs,” Tutor barked. He said taking his harness and doing the same arranging the items into a neat line laying his AR 32 at the end. “You call it out major!”
I checked my gear, taking note of the items thoughtfully provided by Sarah. “One battlefield medical pack,” I called out holding the item above my head.
Tutor and the other members of our team responded by repeating my call and each holding up the item in question. Slowly item by item we worked through our gear. I relished the routine I was back in action.
“Armour Liners!” Tutor called out without a quiver in his voice.
Normally someone would start laughing when that was called out. Despite what was shown in vids and often neglected in the media was that a soldier no matter how disciplined had to pee at some time. The Liners were there to stop any leaks the last thing you wanted was a boot full of pee or worse. They worked on the same principle as baby diapers and were viewed as a fact of life for the GF and Marines. If you spent hours and often days in armour, you needed something to take care of your personal waste without having to do the time consuming removal and donning of armour. Waste recycling units would have made the armour too bulky.
I moved on to the next item. I wasn’t in armour so I passed over that I would have to make other arrangements.
“Field ration packs!” I called out holding a silvery package with others piled neatly beside it. Field ration packs or as called by the GF ‘a bag of surprises’ a highly nutritional self-heating food package that many complained of as tasting like trash heap. I replaced the bag and saw the rest of the squad do the same. “Tag and bag it!” I shouted picking up the items and placing them back in their pouches.
“I hate this part!” Sarah muttered, “why doesn’t it ever go back the way it came out?”
I ignored the comment having heard it before many times before.
We repacked the items and placed the equipment on the shuttle stowing it the gear locker situated behind the seats. Kneeling back on the floor I turned my attention to the weapon I had been issued with. A weapon I could strip down and put back together in my sleep. Quickly I stripped the weapon down placing the components around my knees. I checked each piece carefully noting the rest of the squad do the same. I took a breath and reassembled the weapon sliding in each piece back into place. The wonderful thing about the components was that they were universal and were interchangeable with heavier weapons. I clipped my rifle to my chest.
“I see you don’t have any Light Support Weapons sergeant?”
“No major, an inventory oversight. You know how it is we put in requisition forms and they get lost in the system.”
“Next time you put in a requisition call me I’ll put it through to the 43rd quartermasters and get you anything you want.” I paused and added. “Within reason sergeant and nothing too exotic.”
“Message received and understood major.”
“Ammo Check!” I shouted picking up the combination of ammunition magazine and power pack. The magazine consisted of thirty rounds of 6mm ceramic armour-piecing rounds in an aluminium jacket and a small booster power pack for the AR 32.
I stood and removed my helmet brushing back my hair. “Armour check LT,” I couldn’t participate in that watching as the squad checked each other’s armour fit.
“All clear!” Tutor shouted holding up his hand. He turned to me and saluted. “All equipment checked and present.”
“Ok LT. Everyone take a leak before we board you know the drill by now.” The side of my head buzzed I couldn’t ignore it. I pressed my fingers to my head and to my neck. “Yes Lottie?”
“Sandra, the captain wants you on the bridge.”
“Ok Lottie,” I removed my fingers to the see the squad looking at me. “I had an implant installed,” I remarked feeling suddenly self-conscious.
“Implant?” Vorra gave me an admiring stare, “what model?”
“Cyberworks 227,” I lied unsure why I lying but Vorra’s extremely interested expression unnerved me. I felt as if she wanted to take me apart and examine my insides. “Got to get going the captain wants me on the bridge. You have command LT.”
“Yes major. Right you heard the lady take a leak or whatever else you need to do. Back here in thirty minutes.”
I handed my helmet and weapon to Shawna. “Could you stow my gear on the shuttle.”
“Yes major I’ll guard as I would my own,” she said with a wink at me.
I left the shuttle bay certain that Shawna had feelings for me feelings I couldn’t reciprocate.
Marsha was waiting for me on the bridge seated in the captain’s chair looking towards the unrelenting grey vista of hyperspace through the windows in front of her. Used to the quiet of the last three weeks I noticed how busy the bridge was.
“Ah there you are Major Locke you’re cutting it fine. We’re about to exit hyperspace.”
“Captain Yanik,” I responded with a salute as I stood beside her wondering why she wanted me there.
“Time to exit Lieutenant Orpacicly!” she called to a T’Arni male seated at the helm station.
“Four minutes captain!” the T’Arni replied.
“I wanted you to see this,” Marsha said to me, further explaining, “normally we have the blast shutters closed when we exit but I’ve deemed it safe enough not to.”
“If you’re certain?” I queried. On seeing her frown I thought I’d put my foot in it again.
“No you are correct pull me up on that XO but we aren’t exiting on the edge of the system.”
“Oh?”
She smiled. “We’ll see. Time, Orpacicly?”
“Two minutes.”
“Full alert!” Marsha barked.
I began counting down under my breath my eyes on the view in front of me. Suddenly an inky black hole appeared in the greyness and the lights flickered. We slid through the hole and entered normal space.
“Close blast shutters!” Marsha barked, “accelerate to FTL and rig for stealth!”
“Rig for stealth?” I had to ask the question.
“No ship yet designed can go totally undetected. Our aim is to mask our EMS.”
“EMS?”
“Electro Magnetic Signature. All ships produce an EMS, heat from the engines, the speed we travel at and any active sensors we have in operation. Our aim is to reduce our EMS so it is harder to locate us on sensors.”
I wasn’t sure what Marsha was on about but I had to admit I never really took a lot of interest in ship technology.
“We achieve this how?”
“We accelerate to FTL speed then cut the power to the engines and allow them to cool. Once in the system we’ll deploy decoy buoys to mask our actual location.”
“Decoy buoys?”
“They mimic our EMS so a ship will hopefully detect that and not us.”
“So what happens when a ship homes in on your decoy?”
“Each decoy is fitted with a proximity fused thermo nuke and will detonate if a ship comes within range.”
“What happens if a commercial ship comes in contact with your decoys?”
“They won’t we only deploy them in hostile situations.”
“You reckon this is a hostile situation?
“It is an unknown, what we do know there are no civilian ships in the area.”
“This is your field captain I’m the amateur here.”
She waved her hand towards a Fandaren at the navigation console. “Ensign Willmass check our position and course.”
“Aye captain.”
“Orpacicly time to system penetration.”
“Forty-five minutes.”
“You have the conn Orpacicly.”
“Aye captain.”
Marsha rose for her seat. “Come major I’ll walk you down to the shuttle.”
Together we walked down to the shuttle she was unusually silent on the way down.
As we reached the door into the shuttle bay I halted. “Something troubling you Marsha?”
She turned and put her hand on my arm. “You are?”
“Me?”
“I been trying to ignore it but I really can’t.”
“Ignore what?” I didn’t like the sound of what she was trying to say.
I am Valkyrie I shouldn’t have feelings like these but I’m getting to the point where I have to ask otherwise I can’t be easy with myself.”
“Go ahead Marsha?” I said an uneasy feeling crawled up my spine I really didn’t need the complication with the upcoming mission.
“I need to know if...” She paused hurt in her eyes. “You have feelings for me?”
I had to be honest. “I like you as a friend and mentor but other than that, I’m sorry I can’t feel that way about you. That’s not who I am.”
Marsha looked relieved and a little sad. “I suppose I couldn’t ask anything more of you?”
“You need a companion,” I told her directly, “I know the loneliness of command. On a ship it’s hard to find a companion that you gel with.” I thought of Shawna. “Shawna,” I remarked. “Actually that might work.”
“Shawna?”
“Master Sergeant Shawna Harms.”
“The human Marine Sergeant on your squad?”
“Yes.”
“What makes you think she’s the companion I might be looking for?”
“I do know she’s looking for that type of friend.”
“Do you want to be her type of friend?”
“No.”
“And you think she’s the companion for me? I am a Valkyrie?”
“There’s no mistaking that,” I replied, “but you are also a woman, a lonely woman in need of a companion.”
“And you, are you lonely?”
“Loneliness is my constant companion. I’ve learned to live with it,” I tried hard to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
Marsha nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Thank you allowing me to talk to you like this I wanted to know where I stood with you. I see the truth now I was making up for Thomas. I understand that I was trying to make you into something that was not in your nature. Forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive Marsha,” I replied, “I best get going the squad will be waiting.”
“Good luck Sandra” her hand gripped my arm hard and then released it, “be careful and come back to me.” She took a deep breath. “And as to Shawna Harms I’ll think on it.”
“That’s all I can ask of you Marsha,” adding, “just keep yourself safe.”
“I will Sandra I will.”
Taking my leave I entered the shuttle bay. The squad was waiting.
“Ready LT?”
“Aye major.”
Vorra pushed forward. “Major I’d like to talk about your implant.”
“Plenty of time on the shuttle specialist. Now get you butt on the shuttle pronto!”
“Major.” Vorra moaned.
“Shuttle now!” I pointed at the shuttle, “or do I need to take this further?”
“Yes major!” Vorra saluted, finally getting the point.
“Apologies major,” Tutor said to me, “I’ll keep Vorra in check.”
I was the last to enter the shuttle glad to see the door between us and the pilot’s compartment was open and Lieutenant Ross was at the controls. I found myself seated next to Shawna she smiled at me. Checking my gun was strapped in I settled back in my seat with Tutor and Vorra taking the seats opposite facing the back of the compartment. I remembered my conversation with Marsha I’d have to find a quiet moment and talk to Shawna unsure how she would take my rejection but until the mission was completed I would hold my tongue and remain silent.
“Major we have a go light,” Ross called from his compartment.
“Head out Lieutenant Ross.”
I saw the door slam shut and felt the shuttle shudder as the docking clamps were released, the hatch opened and we dropped into space. We were on our way.