Uncommon Loyalty

by Toby Neighbors

  “Fine, take whatever you need,” Blevins said. “We’ve already got all we can carry anyway.”

  Ember stood up, releasing Gorman. Kal and Ty let Donny Calloway go as well.

  “This isn’t over, Nichols,” the older man threatened.

  “You’re damn right it isn’t,” Nick said. “Once we get off this rock, I’m coming after you. And it won’t be to lock you in a closet.”

  “I’ll carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey,” he said, but there was no confidence in his voice.

  Nick started to turn away, but he had learned his lesson well in the Ready Room before they arrived in system. Donny Calloway was a backstabbing coward. He couldn’t resist coming after Nick as soon as the younger man turned his back. Donny drew his karambit and lunged at Nick, who spun out of the way.

  The older man might have fallen, but he just managed to regain his balance and slashed at Nick again. Backing away, Nick stayed calm and opted not to draw his weapons. Donny started to rush at Nick, then pulled up short, slashing weakly with the deadly blade. Nick slid sideways and brought his free leg up as high as it would go, before slamming it back down in a vicious kick that landed on the side of Donny’s knee. There was a pop, and the older man dropped his weapon as he fell to the ground, shrieking in pain.

  “I’d say he’s lucky to still be breathing,” Gunny Tveit said to Blevins.

  “He was attacked by your team,” the staff sergeant said. “Sergeant Calloway was just defending himself.”

  “Funny, it didn’t look that way to me,” Gunny Tveit said.

  “Then it will be my word against yours,” Blevins sneered. “Help him up!”

  Nick and his friends stood watching but did not help the whimpering Calloway. Gorman moved to help his friend, but Ariel Summers walked past him without stopping.

  “I’m with them,” she said. “And I think that might just have a bigger impact with the brass than your word, Staff Sergeant.”

  “You little traitor,” Blevins growled.

  “You’re the traitor,” Ember said. “We’re not your enemy. But you care more about yourself than anyone or anything else.”

  Gunny Tveit handed out full magazines of the soft slugs fired by the short-range eliminator sidearms. They each got three grenades too. Once everyone was ready, they set off toward the canyon. From the elevated position, the canyon was a little over a kilometer away.

  “Why didn’t you cut that little coward’s throat?” Kal asked once they were away from the rally point.

  “Yeah, Nick. You had every right to put that creep in the ground,” Ty said.

  “He didn’t do that, for two reasons,” Gunny Tveit said. “The first being the fact that Calloway was in armor.”

  “I’m betting that Donny knows all the chinks in our armor,” Jules said.

  “Maybe, but it would have been foolish to fight him,” Gunny said.

  “And the second reason is that no matter how justified,” Ember spoke up, “killing a fellow marine would guarantee that we failed our training. We’d probably be split up.”

  “Well, that’s a good point,” Jules said.

  “That’s the only reason I’m glad that jerk’s still breathing,” Kal said.

  “Actually,” Nick finally said, “the truth is, I didn’t want to kill him. I mean, I wanted to, but I didn’t want to live with that. He’ll get what he has coming soon enough, I suppose.”

  “I don’t,” Gunny Tveit said. “People like that have a knack for coming out on top. As slimy and disgusting as they are, they’re hard to pin down.”

  “But there’s no way they can justify their actions on this mission,” Ty said.

  “Not with Ariel backing us up,” Jules added.

  “If she survives,” Gunny Tveit said. “What she did was brave but not very smart. Never let a desperate man know what you plan to do.”

  “You think they’ll hurt her?” Ember said, looking back over her shoulder.

  “Yes,” Gunny Tveit said. “If they get a chance.”

  “We need to help her,” Jules said.

  “We have a job to do,” Gunny Tveit said.

  “But we can’t just ignore the fact that she’s in danger,” Ember argued. “Why not bring her along with us?”

  “Because her armor isn’t set up for gliding,” Nick said. “She doesn’t have a wingsuit.”

  “But there has to be something we can do,” Jules said.

  “We will do our job and hope she can handle herself,” Gunny Tveit said. “At least Calloway won’t be a threat to her.”

  “Yeah,” Kal said. “Thanks to Kung Fu Nick.”

  They all laughed. Soon they were at the canyon, and Nick was the first one off the ledge. He jumped out, spreading his arms and legs as he activated his wingsuit. There was a momentary stab of fear as he fell, then the blustery wind lifted him so high, so fast, he felt almost like a rocket. He rode the air currents until the wind was too thin to lift him any higher, and far below, the fighting started.

  Chapter 43

  Nick and his friends watched as they glided on air currents high above the ground. They were too far up to even hear the reports of the gunfire, but the action on both sides was abundantly clear. Master Sergeant Spielman had made the decision to fight from inside the massive buckets of the dump trucks. The vehicles gave them cover and kept them off the ground. Nick couldn’t be certain, but he was fairly sure the hill the marines fought from was formed by a section of bedrock jutting up. He hoped it would keep the Isopterans from burrowing under the marines’ position.

  Somehow it seemed that the Isopterans had increased their numbers overnight. When Nick had seen them from the air in the murky green of his helmet’s night vision, he had calculated their number to be two or three thousand. But as they closed in on the humans making a valiant last stand, they had tripled the size of their army. The humans had much better weapons, but it was clear that eventually they would run out of ammunition.

  “Maybe we should do something,” Kal said over the platoon channel.

  “We are doing something,” Jules said. “We have to protect the transport.”

  “It’s not even in atmo yet,” Kal argued.

  “He’s right,” Gunny Tveit said. “Let’s use the grenades and make a bombing run. Follow me.”

  They swooped down, one after another, popping the pins from their grenades and letting the small explosives fall. Nick was the last to swoop down. He saw the carnage inflicted by the grenades and the response of the infantry platoon. They were cheering loud enough to be heard over the wind and the ceaseless chattering of the Isopterans, but Nick knew their efforts weren’t enough. He dropped his three grenades. Each killed and wounded over a dozen of the aliens. Better yet, the explosion scrambled the surrounding crawlers’ minds, causing them to panic. But it wasn’t enough. Without the transport, the marines and hostages on the ground would be overrun.

  “Man,” Ty exclaimed, “I thought we’d do more damage.”

  “There are too many of them,” Ember replied.

  “We bought some time,” Gunny Tveit said. “Let’s get as high as we can and make sure that transport lands safely.”

  They didn’t have to wait long for the troop carrier to appear. It was accompanied by a high-altitude gunship. The transport slowly descended, and Gunny kept the team flying around it. The gunship maintained altitude while firing strategic laser strikes on the horde of aliens. It didn’t take long for the ground attack to fall apart, but that didn’t mean the danger was over. The Isopterans on the ground went crazy. Some ran in circles, others attacked each other, and some fled the conflict outright, but most stayed in the area. Unlike the tightly packed formations they normally attacked in, the panicked Isopterans became erratic. Some charged toward the vehicles, others began to circle the massive hill.

  Nick couldn’t worry about the chaos on the ground. As the transport descended, hundreds of the aliens took to the air. Nick and Ember managed to cling to the transport’s starb
oard side. Kal and Ty were on the port, while Jules and Gunny Tveit continued circling from above as a reserve.

  “You ready for this?” Ember said.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Nick replied. “Target the aliens closest to the engines.”

  “And try not to die,” Kal said. “That sucked the last time, bro.”

  “Yeah, I’ll do my best,” Nick said.

  With one hand holding him steady on the transport, Nick began to target the flying aliens. Their heavy bodies were lifted by fluttering wings that looked much too thin and fragile to be of use, yet somehow they flew. The strong winds knocked the Isopterans off course, some even crashed into one another and fell. Shooting them wasn’t difficult, but the numbers were high and Nick feared that his team would run out of ammunition before they were able to get to the ground.

  “It’s chaos on the ground,” the pilot said. “We’ll have to set down clear of your position, Whiskey Platoon.”

  “Roger that,” Master Sergeant Speilman said. “We’ve got a little juice left in these transports. We’re going to lead the aliens away from you, then circle back. It should buy us enough distance from the enemy to get everyone safely aboard.”

  “I copy, Master Sergeant. Be careful out there,” the pilot said.

  “Man, changing clips is a pain,” Ty said.

  “Just don’t lose your grip,” Kal said.

  Nick didn’t want to land, not until the threat to the transport was gone. He and Ember jumped from their positions as the ship started to land. Nick felt a sense of exhilaration as a gust of wind filled the membranes of his wingsuit and sent him shooting high into the air. Ember was right behind him, while the rest of the team landed with the big ship.

  “We’re down,” the pilot announced. “What are the aliens doing?”

  “We’ve got a few stragglers moving this way,” Gunny Tveit said. “We’ll keep them off you.”

  “Thank you, Dragon Team,” the pilot said.

  Nick dove toward a group of aliens scurrying toward the transport. He had to tilt his entire body to bring his pistol to bear, but when he fired three quick shots, the lead alien and another went down, the rest scattered.

  “I don’t know how he does it,” Kal said. “I think he’s a better shot in the air than he is on the ground.”

  “It’s luck,” Ty teased. “Nick can’t make that shot twice.”

  “Here come the transports,” Gunny Tveit said. “Private Gracie, get some altitude and assess the enemy.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Ember replied.

  Nick caught sight of one of the few flying aliens still in the air as it moved to intercept Ember.

  “Em, you’ve got a bogey,” he said.

  “Where? I don’t see anything,” she said.

  “It’s right behind you,” Jules said.

  Nick circled around. He didn’t want to shoot until he was certain that he wouldn’t hit Ember. A thermal updraft lifted him closer to the alien. Nick was just lining up his shot when a gust of wind flung the alien straight toward him. The impact sent them careening toward the ground. Nick had just enough time to shoot the alien and push it away, then he stretched his arms and legs wide to catch the wind. His body raced ahead, just a meter off the ground. Nick’s heart was pounding, and he knew he’d come close to being badly injured, or worse, killed by the fall. But when the wind lifted him back into the air, he felt a thrill he couldn’t deny.

  “Nichols, that’s too close,” Gunny Tveit said.

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Nick said. “I agree.”

  “The aliens are dispersing, Sarge,” Ember reported. “That gunship did the trick.”

  “I can see the vehicles,” Gunny Tveit said. “Let’s form up around the rear hatch. We’ll serve as guard while the others get on board.”

  Ember and Nick were spiraling down, preparing to land, when a roar sounded like a rocket taking off.

  “What’s that?” Kal asked.

  The roar continued, too long to be made by any living thing. Nick wasn’t sure what to do, he was turning and twisting, trying to find the source of the noise.

  “Look!” Ember said. “The ground is opening up.”

  Nick looked down and saw waves in the rocky soil, like ripples in a pond whipped up by a strong wind. Just behind the transports, a huge rent was opening up. Dust flew into the air.

  “The ground isn’t stable,” Gunny Tveit said. “Get on board!”

  “We’re lifting off,” the Proxy piloting the troop transport vessel said. The alien’s voice sounded calm via the universal translator, but Nick heard a squeak of fear in its natural voice.

  “More cracks,” Ember said.

  “Those transports aren’t going to make it,” Ty said.

  Nick saw the huge earthmovers getting tossed up by the rolling ground. Fortunately, the transport was several meters in the air and wasn’t damaged by the shifting ground.

  “How can we get those people out of here?” Nick said.

  “It’s impossible,” Jules said.

  “Maybe not,” Gunny Tveit said. “Pilot, can you hover in that canyon?”

  “I could,” the pilot said. “What’s on your mind, Dragon Team Leader?”

  “This vessel has an inflatable egress ramp,” Gunny Tveit said. “If we deploy it and hover just below the surface level, the marines and captives could slide down that ramp and into the ship.”

  “We’d have to stay on board and catch them,” Kal said. “But it might work.”

  “Nick,” Gunny Tveit said. “We need something to anchor that side of the ramp.”

  “I’m on it,” Nick said.

  The transports were heavy enough to ride out the waves as the ground undulated beneath them. They were charging toward the transport, which was moving away toward the canyon.

  “Transport, do not leave us here,” Master Sergeant Spielman said. “I repeat, we are inbound.”

  “This is going to be close,” Ty said.

  “Nick, watch yourself,” Jules said.

  The transport moved over the edge of the canyon, and the inflatable was tossed out just as Nick swooped in for a landing. The air currents were strong, but manageable. When Nick’s feet touched the ground, he felt it trembling beneath him and almost fell.

  “I’ve got it,” Nick said as he took the end of the unfurling ramp. It was made of heavy plastic with chambers that filled automatically with air to give the ramp some cushion so that if people were forced to slide down it, they wouldn’t be hurt.

  “It’s secure on our end,” Gunny Tveit said. “But you’ll have to do more than just hold it, Nichols. You need something that will pin it to the ground.”

  “One of the dump trucks,” Nick said. “It’s the only thing strong enough.”

  Ember landed beside him and took the corner of the ramp across from Nick, who was waving in the Proxy pilot driving the closest earthmover, toward his position.

  The vehicle slowed, and Nick realized he would have to go underneath to get one of the massive tires to pin down the edge of the ramp.

  “Gunny, can you cut it loose on your end?” Nick asked.

  “Roger that, Nichols,” Tveit said.

  “Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s do this.”

  Ember and Nick waved the transport forward and lined up the end of the ramp so that the front passenger wheel rolled toward it. Nick was forced to lay down as the big vehicle moved forward over him. The ground was shaking, and the sounds of the vehicle combined with falling rocks in the canyon made him feel like the world was ending.

  “That’s it!” Ember shouted. “Get everyone across. Move!”

  “Ground forces, be advised,” the pilot of the gunship announced over the command channel of their com-links. “Native forces are converging on your position. I repeat, you have natives approaching.”

  “We have to get the wounded across,” Master Sergeant Spielman declared.

  Nick came scrambling out from under the transport as the marines in back jumped from t
he dump truck’s massive bucket.

  “Go! Go!” Ember said pointing. “Just slide across.”

  The Proxy were helped onto the ramp first, then followed by the infantry platoon as the second earthmover stopped a few meters away. Nick jumped up to the cab and flung open the door. The ammunition was nearly all gone, but he found a crate with a few grenades still inside. He snatched them up and dashed back to the edge of the canyon.

  “Nick? What are you doing?” Ember said.

  “Buying some time,” he said.

  Nick saw Donny Calloway limping toward the ramp just before he dove into the canyon.

  Chapter 44

  The transport blocked the wind, and Nick fell farther than he had planned, but it only took a few seconds for the wind to boost him back up. He angled his way through the canyon and shot back up into the air.

  Above them, the gunship was firing lasers that vaporized the Isopterans and turned the ground into smoking pits, but there were so many of the aliens that they ignored their casualties and charged forward toward the retreating marines. Nick swooped toward the front line and dropped his grenades. They went off with weak-sounding pops, and while each killed several aliens, it did nothing to stem the tide.

  “We can’t stop them,” Nick said.

  “We just need a few more seconds,” Ember said. “We’re almost done.”

  “Nick,” Gunny Tveit said. “Shoot the fuel cell in the second earthmover.”

  “Roger that,” Nick said. “Fire in the hole.”

  He had to turn his body, and his pistol only had seven rounds left. He flew past the big dump truck and fired straight into the engine section. The soft slugs punched through the thin metal covering the fuel cells, and a high-pitched careening sound was heard. Nick dropped his weapon and spread his wings, catching a current of air that sent him shooting from the maintenance vehicle just as the leading edge of the aliens converged on it.

  The fuel cells were nearly depleted, but there was just enough energy left to combust from the hot metal that punched into them. A chain reaction was started in the chemical makeup of the fuel cells and a sudden, violent combustion was initiated. The large vehicle blew apart. Fortunately, the other earthmover shielded the last few marines waiting their turn to slide across the ramp to safety. The Isopterans weren’t as lucky. The grenades could kill and maim a few, the laser fire from the gunship took out a dozen of the aliens with each shot, but the exploding earthmover killed hundreds of the insectlike creatures. And more were injured or thrown into a panic. The suvivors began to feast on the dead, and Nick felt a wave of relief as he watched Ember slide across the ramp.