Spartan Valor

by Toby Neighbors

  “No!” I shouted.

  But my cry did nothing to stop the large tree. It fell and crashed onto the cargo section of the armored transport. Fortunately the armor held, but the truck was stopped. I heard the engine roar, and the tires spun for a second. Then it started to slowly make way. Unfortunately, a second tree was toppled on the opposite side of the road. It seemed to drop more quickly, and fell across the canopy of the first tree, pinning the transport in place.

  “I knew it,” Abe said. “We’re dead.”

  “Not yet,” I replied, as a flash of inspiration struck.

  I dashed to where the rail gun had fallen. It didn’t appear to be damaged, and I still had the satchel of ammunition. I set the weapon up on the road and loaded it with an explosive round. The automated aiming reticle came online, and I targeted the tree trunk.

  “Abe, if I could hit that tree with an explosive round, where is the best place to aim to free our transports?” I asked.

  “You’ll have to hit the top tree first, just below the canopy,” he said.

  “Roger that,” I replied.

  I adjusted my aim and pressed the trigger. My body was tense, expecting the jerking recoil of the sniper rifle. Instead, nothing happened. I looked at the weapon, but everything seemed to be in working order.

  “What are you waiting for?” Abe asked.

  “The rifle’s not working.”

  “I knew it,” he moaned. “We’re dead.”

  I didn’t know what else to do, so I popped off the battery pack and fished in my satchel for a replacement. My elbow was throbbing. Each beat of my heart sent a flash of fiery pain through my arm. Moving it wasn’t difficult, and I knew the wound hadn’t damaged anything permanently. But the pain was intense. I got the battery pack out and settled it into place. I had to close the latches and power the weapon on.

  Everything looked good, so I targeted the tree again and pressed the trigger. The gun lurched forward, sending a stab of pain up my arm. Fortunately, it also sent the explosive round straight into the tree trunk. The wood blew apart, and the shock wave rocked the heavy vehicle.

  “Sorry about that, Foxtrot Four,” I said over the command channel of my com-link. “One more shot on your right side, and you should be free.”

  I swiveled the rail gun and loaded another explosive round. Abe told me where to target the arbor, and I fired again. The tree was damaged, but it didn’t completely sever in two like the first one had. I loaded a third explosive round and took careful aim.

  “Incoming, Foxtrot Four,” I warned.

  The third shot blew the tree trunk to pieces and pulled part of the canopy off the vehicle. I heard the engine rev, and the transport was moving again. Relief flooded through me as I picked up the LRRG and hurried toward Abe, who was sitting up on the side of the road. We shouted and waved as the transport approached, but it didn’t slow down. I was shocked as it raced by.

  “What the hell?” Abe said angrily.

  “Foxtrot Three,” I said. “We have two Marines on the ground, requesting evac.”

  “Can’t stop,” said the driver. “Captain Rigel’s orders.”

  “That bastard,” I said, as the vehicle raced by us.

  I felt hatred rising up in me so strongly it took all my willpower not to raise my rifle and blast the transport. It wasn’t surprising that Captain Rigel cared more about his own safety than that of the people who had made his retreat possible, but it still angered me.

  “Foxtrot Two,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Two Marines are on the ground. Wounded personnel are requesting evac. Please stop.”

  There wasn’t even a reply as the final transport rumbled past. I felt fury that was stronger than my pain, and more bitter than anything I had ever experienced. I was about to curse when I saw someone leap from the transport.

  “Who was that?” Abe asked.

  I knew the answer before I heard the familiar voice of my Master Sergeant on the tactical channel.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here, Porter,” Money said as he ran toward him.

  “Time to move, Abe,” I said pulling my friend up onto his one good leg.

  “I can’t run, Orry. I’ll be lucky to hop on one foot,” Abe lamented.

  “We’ve got you, Private,” Money said, as he pulled one of Abe’s arms around his shoulders.

  I moved to Abe’s other side and let him hold onto my armor. I had to switch my rifle to my left hand. We started to get off the road.

  “Where are you going?” Abe said, the fear in his voice palpable.

  “Can’t stay on the road,” Money said. “We’re an easy target out in the open.”

  “Especially with you slowing us down,” I teased.

  “You don’t have to do this, Orry,” Abe said. “Just leave me here.”

  “Don’t be lame,” I said. “We don’t leave people behind.”

  “Besides,” Money added. “You just saved the entire task force. There’s no way we’d leave you after you saved so many lives.”

  “Just keep moving,” I said. “We’ll get back to the BC and make Rigel look us in the eye when he explains why he ordered two Marines left behind.”

  Chapter 36

  We hadn’t gone far before a horde of Fae raced past us. I had no doubt they saw us, but they didn’t slow down. There were too many of the simian aliens to count, all mounted on their flying insects.

  “I wonder why they didn’t bother to kill us,” I said.

  “Bigger fish to fry, I suppose,” Money said.

  “You Recon guys are a little crazy,” Abe said.

  “Besides, there are probably plenty of hostiles left to deal with us,” Money said.

  As if to accent his ominous warning, thunder boomed overhead. The light in the jungle was growing dim as thick clouds rolled in overhead. We stopped to give Abe a break. Money had some medical supplies, but not enough for both of us. He looked at me and held up small roll of quick-clot gauze. I shook my head and gestured to Abe.

  “He needs it more than me,” I said.

  “Roger that,” Money replied.

  I watched the jungle while Money stuffed as much of the gauze as he could in the shredded flesh of Abraham Ben Judah’s lower leg.

  “Looks like your tibia’s broken,” Money said.

  “Hurts like hell,” Abe complained.

  “Keep your weight off of it,” Money said. “Odds are they can fix it in the med bay on the Attila as long as it doesn’t get any worse.”

  “If we survive to make it back to the ship,” Abe said. “What are the chances of that?”

  “About fifty-fifty, I’d say,” Money replied. “This jungle is crawling with hostiles.”

  “I’ve got movement,” I said.

  It was a group of Grex warriors. Their large, leathery bodies were unmistakeable. Unlike the Vena or even the Prog, the Grex made no attempt to move quietly through the jungle.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Money said. “We’ll have to move fast, but if we can duck in behind those creatures, we might have a better chance of going unnoticed.”

  “You up for that?” I asked Abe.

  “If you guys don’t mind helping me.”

  “Alright, here we go,” Money said.

  The Grex had trundled past us. Money pulled Abe to his feet. We half carried, half dragged the wounded engineer along behind the Grex. I was afraid they might hear us, but they made so much noise that even our clumsy march wasn’t heard. The radio was busy with calls about the attack. The transports had returned to the BC without incident. Captain Rigel was ordering the Marines to prepare for an attack and calling for reinforcements from the ship overhead. The bombers were being scrambled, but soon rain was falling. And I knew that until the weather cleared, there would be no help.

  The rain was miserably cold, despite the heat of the jungle. My arm hurt so bad, it was all I could think about. Shock set in on Abe, and he was soon mumbling incoherently. I knew that if Money hadn’t jumped from the transport
to help us, Abe and I would most likely have died in the jungle.

  We couldn’t keep up with the Grex. They were strong creatures with what seemed like endless stamina. I wasn’t much help with Abe, but Money didn’t complain. The rain made visibility in the jungle even worse. We stumbled upon a Vena hunter without even realizing it. The hunter was just as surprised. Money shoved Abe onto me, and we fell in the mud. My arm hurt so bad I cried out, but the Master Sergeant had already sprung into action.

  The Vena hunter raised his arm to fire its weapon at us, but Money spun behind a tree. The hunter fired at me, or possibly Abe. It was impossible to say for certain. But we were already falling to the ground. The shot went over us, and as the hunter tried to reload its weapon, Money jumped on the alien. I could see that it was a female. She dropped into the mud, rolling to keep Money from pinning her down. He had his combat knife out and would have slit her throat, but the hunter drew what looked like the claw from a large animal. It was as long as my index finger, and curved. She tried to stab the claw into Money’s side, but his armor stopped the weapon from penetrating.

  I was on my knees, drawing my pistol after having lost my grip on my assault rifle. I had to switch the sidearm to my left hand to use it properly. I heard the hunter wail in pain, as Money stabbed her in the shoulder with his combat knife. He was rising up, presumably to finish his grisly work, when the hunter plunged the claw up under the edge of Money’s helmet. He flipped back and fear flooded my heart. The hunter sat up, and I shot her in the face. She dropped back into the mud.

  I turned toward Money, who was on his hands and knees.

  “Are you okay?” I said.

  He pulled the claw loose, and blood dripped from the savage object. Money had to remove his helmet. He moved carefully, and more blood dripped from the armor onto the muddy ground.

  “She missed my throat,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice sounding strange. There was a ragged gash across his cheek and chin. “Stabbed right into the main component of my helmet though. It’s trashed.”

  I moved over to the dead hunter and pulled open her small supply pouch.

  “What are you doing, Porter?”

  “Looking for this,” I said, holding up a bundle of the Vena healing paste.

  I moved back to Money, and we huddled over the precious goo as I unwrapped the soft leaves around it. I waited while Money scooped some with his fingers and speared it into the gash on his cheek.

  “Wish I had something to cover it with,” Money said.

  “Use the leaf,” I said, pulling one from the bundle and handing it to him.

  “Good idea,” he said as he pressed the leaf to the side of his face.

  I stuffed the rest of the healing balm into the wound in my arm. Pain flared so strongly it brought tears to my eyes. I pressed the remaining leaves over my own wound and nodded to Money. The wound had sapped my strength, not just physically, but mentally too. I was tired of fighting and just ready for it to be over. I would have been happy lying down in the mud to rest, even if that meant dying. Getting to my feet was brutal. A wave of dizziness forced me to lean against a tree for support. I didn’t see the Fae that fired the arrow. It hit my shoulder armor hard enough to spin me around.

  Money’s rifle barked. There was no use trying to maintain stealth. We were deep in the jungle and still several kilometers from the Base Camp. There was no one to call on for help. Whatever was going to happen in the jungle, live or die, was up to us. And for the first time in my life, I doubted if I was up for the challenge.

  Chapter 37

  “Down!” Money yelled.

  I collapsed into the mud.

  “Get that log! Move, Private! You aren’t finished yet!”

  Where Master Sergeant Eubanks drew the strength from, I had no idea. But like any good Marine, my body responded to my superior’s orders. I crawled through the muck as more arrows flashed by overhead. I didn’t know what Money was doing, or if he was still alive. I just made my way to the log, ignoring the pain that wracked my body and the mental fog that threatened to overwhelm me. When I got to cover, I could see a troop of Fae armed with bows and arrows on a slight rise. They were gray shadows in the mist and rain of the gloomy jungle. I didn’t dare lift my head above the protection of the log, but with my left hand I propped my assault rifle on the fallen arbor and emptied an entire magazine toward the natives.

  The arrows stopped and I looked back to see Money crawling toward me. The Master Sergeant was dragging Abe, who was unconscious. There was chatters and shouts from the Fae. I hadn’t taken them all out as I had hoped. Money slithered to the log and pulled Abe between us.

  “They’re on that rise,” I said, pointing beyond the log.

  “More are trying to flank us,” Money said. “Stay down, but keep your eyes open. How much ammo do you have left?”

  I checked my belt. There were three more magazines and four clips for my side arm. I pulled one and grimaced in pain as I shoved the magazine into place. Pulling the charging lever to load a round into the breech was even more difficult, but I managed it.

  “Two more,” I said. “And four pistol reloads.”

  “What’s in that satchel?”

  “Ammo for the LRRG,” I said.

  “Give it to me,” he ordered.

  More arrows thumped into the log and flashed by overhead. The rain seemed to be slacking. I swiped at my helmet so I could see more clearly.

  “These explosive rounds can be rigged as grenades,” Money said. “You remove the penetrator and feed the battery leads into the casings. It takes the battery about two seconds to ignite the explosives. If we keep it all in this satchel, the first explosion will set off the others.”

  “That would be pretty significant,” I said.

  “It’s our one play out of here,” Money said. “The longer we wait, the more fighters move against us. Eventually we’ll be overrun, even if our ammo holds out.”

  Almost as if to prove his point, a troop of Prog lumbered toward us from out of the gloom. The rain had ended, and although we couldn’t see it through the canopy, the afternoon sun had returned. The temperature was rising quickly, causing a thick mist to spring up from the jungle floor. I could tell instantly that the Progs attacking were older. Their humps were large, and running was a struggle for the tall aliens. It wasn’t an attack, so much as a test of our defensive capabilities.

  “Conserve your ammo,” Money said as we both raised our rifles.

  I flicked the shot indicator from burst to semi-auto. The depleted uranium rounds were more than enough to take out the Prog. One shot each, was all it took to bring the creatures down, and they didn’t even try to evade our fire. Once the attack ended I looked at Abe, who was still unconscious.

  “I can’t leave him, Master Sergeant,” I said.

  “I never dreamed you would. We all go together. Live or die.”

  “Roger that,” I said.

  I won’t lie, the thought of dying scared me. And I certainly wasn’t anxious for the Fae to rip me to pieces. Still, I thought I would rather die than get captured again. I was too tired and too discouraged to keep fighting. I had bested the natives time and again, against all odds, even when my own CO threw me to the wolves. I would give my all in one final push. We would either live or die, and I was fine with either outcome.

  “Can you get Judah on his feet?” Money asked.

  “Not without getting filled with enough arrows to look like a pin cushion,” I replied.

  “I’ll give you cover fire, then throw the satchel. You’ve got to get up and moving as quickly as possible. I’ll help once I throw the bomb.”

  I removed the half-spent magazine from my rifle and slipped it back into my ammo belt. The new mag slid smoothly into place. My wound just above my elbow burned horribly, but I could tell that I had more control of my arm. The Vena healing paste was working. In my mind, it was worth far more than the IX gas, but no one asked for my opinion. Once my rifle was charged and ready,
I got to my knees and took hold of Abe’s armor.

  “I’m ready, Master Sergeant.”

  “I’ve served with a lot of good Marines,” Money said. “But you may just be the most instinctive fighter I’ve ever known. Let’s give these bastards something to remember us by.”

  “Oorah!” I said loudly.

  Money popped up over the log and began firing his assault rifle in bursts. The chattering of the Fae ceased, or else I couldn’t hear it over the reports from Money’s weapon. I immediately heaved Abe up and over my shoulder. I was moving before I realized it.

  “Bombs away!” Money shouted.

  I felt like my body was in a muddy bog. Each step was more difficult than the last, but I didn’t stop. The mist surrounded me, and I careened between the massive trees. I wanted to call for Money, but I didn’t think he could hear me. The explosion rocked the jungle. Trees fell, and water rained down from the canopy. I was almost knocked off my feet, but managed to crash into a tree. All I knew was pain and fatigue, but the desire to overcome drove me forward. I kept moving. At one point, a Vena hunter rose up out the mist. It was turning toward me as I fired my rifle. I saw the pain and fear in the alien’s large eyes as my shot blew a massive hole in its chest. Then it was gone in the mist, and I was moving on.

  The road appeared like magic as I staggered forward with Abe over one shoulder. I knew it was dangerous to stay on the road with no cover, but the mist was thickening. And I had to chance it. I felt as if I were in the longest, most grueling race ever invented. I was wheezing and gasping for breath. Every inch of me burned with pain and fatigue. I thought I was in hell. Then something hit my foot. I stumbled to the ground, letting go of Abe and rolling so that my rifle wasn’t pinned under me.

  A fearless Fae warrior sprinted out of the mist, screaming in a high-pitched battle cry. It snatched up the spear that had tripped me and jumped into the air. I saw the point. It was cold, deadly steel. It didn’t flash in the light, or streak through the air. It just moved toward my chest with violent intent. I raised my rifle in both hands, holding it sideways to block the spear. It slammed down, catching on the round, air-cooled, barrel shroud. The soft metal of the shroud gave way, and the spear was stopped even though I wasn’t strong enough to keep the alien from slamming the rifle down into my chest.