Dragon Team Seven

by Toby Neighbors

  “Our only hope is in getting to the escape pods,” Nick said. “If we can make it that far.”

  Ember and Jules were ahead of the group. They shuffled like drunks down the corridor. Nick could see the escape pods and felt a sense of hope when he saw that no one else was gathered near the safety devices.

  “Oh, no,” Jules said.

  “We’re too late,” Ember declared. “The pods are gone.”

  Nick saw the red lights over the escape pod hatches. He hadn’t realized they were different from the emergency lights, but he suddenly realized they meant that the pods had been launched.

  “Oh, man,” Ty declared. “What are we going to do now?”

  Jules bent over, clutching her stomach, then dropped down to one knee.

  “Jules!” Kal shouted. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” Jules replied. “I just feel like I need to puke.”

  “Don’t say that,” Nick said.

  Ember was bent down by her friend. “I think she was right—it might be gas. The air seems a little less noxious down here.”

  Nick, Ty, and Kal all went down on their hands and knees. Nick took a few breaths and felt slightly more stable. His stomach was hurting too, and waves of dizziness made him feel ill.

  “So what now?” Kal asked.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Nick said. “Follow me.”

  Chapter 27

  The escape pods weren’t far from the workshop where the Proxy technicians had worked on their BIO-suits. Nick had seen a row of helmets, and he remembered from the lecture that the new armor’s helmets filtered the air, making toxic atmospheres breathable.

  “Oh man, this is bad,” Ty said as he crawled along behind Nick. “I’m seeing double.”

  “Almost there,” Nick said.

  “Where are we going?” Ember wanted to know.

  “In here,” Nick told them, reaching up and hitting the hatch release.

  He crawled into the workshop and found it unoccupied. Nick had feared that he might find the Proxy technicians on the floor, but they had evacuated. It seemed almost like they were alone on the space station, but Nick knew that couldn’t be true. And even if were, they had to find a way to breathe or they would soon be incapacitated by whatever gas had been leaking in the Foundry.

  “What are we doing in here?” Kal demanded.

  “Nick, we’ve got to find a way off the ship,” Ember said.

  “Trust me,” Nick said.

  He crawled to the far end of the room, then took a breath and held it as he pulled himself up to a standing position.

  “What’s he doing?” Ty asked.

  “He’s lost his mind,” Kal replied. “Nick!”

  Nick ignored his friends and grabbed the nearest helmet. There was a possibility that the helmet wasn’t ready for service or that their BIO-suits wouldn’t connect to the helmet to make an airtight seal. But Nick knew they had no other options. If they were going to survive, the helmets had to work.

  He shoved the helmet over his head. It was loose at first, but then a light came on the panel in front of his eyes. A single word appeared. It was clear in his vision, even though he could see through it at the same time. It said: STAND BY.

  Nick didn’t really have a choice. He didn’t know how to do anything with the helmet other than put it on and hope something happened. Fortunately, he wasn’t disappointed. The padding around the helmet filled with air until the loose helmet felt snug and secure. He wasn’t positive, but he felt as if the bottom of the helmet had inflated to connect with his BIO-suit.

  With his lungs about to burst, he exhaled and then breathed in. There was no noticeable difference in the air; it didn’t taste or smell different, but the room ceased to rock and his mind cleared. Another deep breath in and Nick felt strength returning to his limbs. He grabbed two helmets and held them out to Ember and Ty.

  “Put them on,” he said loudly.

  The helmet seemed to muffle his voice. He wasn’t sure if they could hear him or not, but the gesture was unmistakable. Ember took the helmet and put it on. Ty fumbled with his. There was a chime, and words flashed across Nick’s field of vision: RECRUIT GRACIE, E, ONLINE. Nick wanted to marvel at the capabilities of the helmet, but instead he snatched up the last two. He had to walk away from the bench to hand them to Jules and Kal. He expected to feel weak and shaky, but instead his vision was clear, there was no dizziness at all, and his legs didn’t shake.

  “Wow, that’s so much better,” Ember said.

  Nick heard her voice clearly and realized the helmet was transmitting what she said to him. Another chime alerted Nick that Ty’s helmet was online. Kal fell over trying to get his helmet on, and Nick bent down to help him as Jules’ helmet pinged that it too was online.

  “Can everyone hear me?” Nick said, once Kal’s helmet had pinged that it was on.

  “Yeah, I hear you,” Ty said.

  “Good thinking about these helmets,” Jules said. “I forgot that they filter the air to make it breathable.”

  “Me too,” Ember said. “Sorry I doubted you, Nick.”

  He waved a hand at her as if to say forget about it. Unfortunately, Kal was taking more time to come around than the others. He lay on his side, just breathing.

  “Is he okay?” Ember asked.

  “I think so,” Nick said.

  “Man, this helmet is amazing,” Ty said. “It syncs with my armor. I can see my vital signs.”

  Nick noticed a row of data displayed to the left of his field of vision. When he glanced over, the information rose up and expanded, making it easily readable. The text and icons looked opaque, yet Nick could see his surroundings through the words.

  “Pretty cool,” he said.

  “Better than cool,” Ember replied. “This thing is badass.”

  “What happened?” Kal asked.

  “We almost didn’t make it,” Nick said. “But your helmet is filtering the air. You should be feeling better soon.”

  “I do feel better,” Kal said. “Help me up.”

  Nick pulled his friend to an upright position. Jules took Kal’s other hand, and they pulled him to his feet.

  “Wow, the helmet did that?” Kal asked, reaching up and touching his head.

  “Yes,” Nick said. “Don’t you remember that from the lecture?”

  “Sort of,” Kal replied.

  “He never listens,” Jules joked.

  Suddenly, the red lights turned off and the regular station lights came back on. The group was looking around in surprise when Gunny Tveit walked in. She had her helmet on just like the others, and Nick’s display showed her name when he looked at her: GUNNERY SGT TVEIT, B, ONLINE.

  “Good work, team,” she said. “You all passed.”

  “This was a test?” Kal asked. “Are you kidding me? I almost died!”

  “It’s all part of your training,” Tveit said.

  “What did we pass?” Nick asked.

  “The orientation period of recon training,” Gunny Tveit said. “From now on, we do everything as a team. And Nichols, you are now the squad leader. You’ve all been promoted to privates. Tomorrow we ship out for ground training. Who’s up for a drink?”

  Chapter 28

  Everything changed after the test. Gunnery Sergeant Tveit explained that they were officially part of the recon program and that the entire two weeks since arriving at the Foundry had been tests of their character, motivation, team cohesion, and endurance.

  “Not that things get easier, necessarily,” Tveit explained as they sat around a table in a part of the station the group had never visited before. “But everything we do from here on out is to prepare for being on a mission. No more games and no more challenges to see if you’ll quit.”

  “That’s good to know,” Ember said.

  “So everything we did up to this point has been about seeing if we have what it takes?” Nick asked.

  “Precisely,” Tveit replied.

  “And you’re a recon vet?” Jules asked
. “As in, you’ve done all this before?”

  “Yes,” Tveit said. “Although in most cases, the recruits don’t know each other beforehand. You five were offered recon mainly because you have a history together, and so we dropped you into the deep end with no prep work. Recon missions require trust among team members, unity, mission focus, and unbreakable loyalty. You five have it, and that sets you ahead of most recruits—but we still have a lot to learn.”

  The room was clearly a recreation center. It reminded Nick of an old-fashioned tavern. There was a view screen on the back wall, with a camera feed that showed the Delphi system beyond the towers and pods of the Foundry space station. The tables were all made of some exotic wood, and there was artwork from Earth on the walls. An old-fashioned bar filled one side of the room, and there were games such as pool, darts, and even shuffleboard. Most of the patrons were humans, but there were a few Proxy at some of the tables. Music played from hidden speakers, and Nick thought it almost felt like being on Earth again.

  They each had a Trangan in large, frosty mugs. Unlike on the Exchange, the Trangans in the Foundry bar could be flavored. Nick’s tasted almost like a chocolate milkshake, with just a hint of heat on the back side. It felt strange for a cold beverage to send waves of warmth through his body as he sipped it.

  “So what’s a recon mission like?” Ember asked Gunny Tveit.

  “Most missions are simply intelligence-gathering operations. I was on Vulcan Prime when something attacked the Proxy advanced team. Turns out, it was just some native flora that happened to be carnivores. It wasn’t a direct threat, but the Proxy didn’t know that until our team went down to investigate. Stealth is the name of the game. We go where we’re needed, watch the locals until we get a feel for what’s going on, and then report back in.”

  “Isn’t it dangerous?” Jules asked.

  “Any time we go on a mission, it’s dangerous,” Tveit explained. “We don’t get called in to safe zones. Our job is to go where it’s dangerous, but not necessarily to seek that danger out. If we can go in, get what’s needed, and get out without being seen or leaving a clue that we’ve been there, so much the better.”

  “You had to re-enlist to make gunnery sergeant,” Kal said. “Why not just go to Elysium when your tour was up?”

  “I could have,” she replied. “Elysium has its pros and cons just like everything else. It’s a peaceful place. Lots of space and opportunities. And it will be there when I retire one of these days, but there’s nothing like the adventure and camaraderie of being on a Dragon team. You’ll see what I mean. It’s not for everyone, but I wasn’t ready to settle down.”

  “I have to admit, Gunny. I didn’t see you as a team player,” Kal said. “You seemed a bit aloof.”

  “I had to be,” Tveit replied. “Don’t get me wrong—when we’re in the field, I’ll be in charge and I’ll expect you to follow every order I give with enthusiasm and efficiency. But these last two weeks I didn’t know if you’d make it. Most recruits don’t; I think the ratio is 2:1. For every recruit that makes it through orientation, two don’t. Either they fail to make the grade or they give up.”

  “It would be harder if you didn’t know your squad mates,” Ember said.

  “That’s right. In some ways, it’s the luck of the draw. I’ve seen recruits that essentially run others off, but what people don’t know is that if one person fails or quits, the entire squad is reassigned. You get one shot at recon,” Tveit explained. “Only the best of the best make it.”

  They sipped their drinks, shot some pool, and played darts. After a few hours, they went back to their quarters and slept a solid eight hours before being roused and given supplies.

  “What’s this?” Kal asked, looking at the backpack he’d been handed as he got out of bed.

  “That’s all the supplies you’ll have for the next two weeks,” Tveit informed him.

  “Where are we going?” Nick asked.

  “Delphi Green,” the gunnery sergeant explained. “We’ll take an escape pod down to the planet’s surface for survival training.”

  “Survival training?” Jules asked. “You mean, we might not survive?”

  “Just stick with me and do what you’re told,” Tveit said. “Nichols, get everyone moving. We leave in just under an hour.”

  “Roger that,” Nick said. “Should we pack up?”

  “No, this will be our quarters until the end of our training program. All you need is what is in those backpacks.”

  They got cleaned up and carried their packs down to the tech lab. The Proxy made a few final adjustments to their BIO-suits and helmets, then sent them on their way.

  “Don’t we need weapons?” Ty asked as they gathered in one of the Foundry’s launch bays.

  “All you need is in that pack,” Tveit said again. “We’re going in like survivors on a hostile world with only what’s in our emergency supplies. Once we hit the dirt, we’ll have to assess where we are, locate the nearest evac point, and get there alive.”

  “Sounds like a vacation,” Kal said. “Do we have hammocks in these packs?”

  “Don’t be a wiseacre,” Tveit said as they boarded a simple-looking launch ship. “It won’t be a walk in the park. You’ve never been in the jungle, have you?”

  “No, Sergeant,” Nick said. “We had never even been outside of Seattle until we enlisted.”

  “Well then, you’re in for a treat,” Tveit replied. “The critters are going to love you down there.”

  “Critters?” Ember asked.

  “You’ll see,” Tveit replied. “Let’s get strapped in.”

  They were seated in an escape pod with their backpacks held across their chests. The launch ship left the space station and made orbit around Delphi Green, then launched the escape pod. The entry was rough. The pod shook violently, and they could hear the flames roaring outside the bulkhead as the pod dropped through the planet’s thick atmosphere. When the parachutes finally deployed, everything grew quiet.

  “Alright,” Tveit said, her voice reaching each of them via their armored helmets. “We’re cut off from the fleet above. Open your packs and find your combat knives. Each of you should have a D-Gar and a karambit. Those are our primary tools and weapons. Keep them handy. Atmo on Delphi Green is heavy CO2, so don’t take your helmet off. Listen to me, and stay together. There are things on this world that would love to make a tasty meal out of you. Let’s not let that happen.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” they all said in unison.

  “Time for some fun,” Tveit declared.

  “If you say so,” Kal replied.

  “Fifteen seconds to touchdown,” the normally stoic gunnery sergeant declared. “Survival training is a go!”

  Chapter 29

  The escape pod hit the ground with a deep thump that Nick felt vibrate up through his seat into his body. It was the kind of solid resonance that only came from solid ground. The doors to the pod opened, and sunlight from Delphi’s star poured in. Until that very moment, Nick hadn’t realized just how much he missed sunshine. Outside the pod was a field of tall, waving grass.

  “Man, can you believe it?” Ty asked.

  “It’s beautiful,” Jules replied.

  “Alright team, listen up,” Tveit ordered. “We’ve got two weeks to get off this rock. Stop going ga-ga over the beauty of this planet and let’s figure out where we are.”

  “How do we do that?” Ember said.

  “We’re cut off from the fleet, so we have no satellite feed nor GPS. But we do have terrain maps for this world. And our helmets have directional controls,” Tveit explained. “Ty, get Nichols up on top of the pod. Once you’re up there, Nick, activate your helmet’s location services and get synced with this planet’s gravitational north. The rest of us will start stripping this escape pod of anything we might need to help us escape.”

  Nick and Ty stepped out onto the ground. It felt solid beneath their feet, but the thick grass was soft and springy. Nick wanted to look around an
d take in the sights, but he knew better than to disobey a direct order. Ty turned his back to the escape pod and laced his fingers together to make a step for Nick.

  “I’ll boost you up,” Ty said. “Then you can step on my shoulders to get to the top.”

  “Thanks, man,” Nick said.

  “Just don’t linger,” Ty replied.

  Nick put his foot in his friend’s hands and stepped upward. At the same time Ty lifted to boost Nick up the side of the round escape pod. It was three meters tall, and Nick had to step up on his friend’s shoulder to reach the top. He began to scramble, and Ty turned, reached up, and pushed Nick’s lower foot.

  “Get your scrawny butt up there,” Ty said.

  “Working on it,” Nick replied.

  He finally got up the side of the dome-shaped pod. A small transmitting antenna was the only handhold. His helmet had several small icons that he could only see by looking down with his eyes. One looked like a compass, and he stared at it for a second until words flashed across the view screen of his helmet.

  DIRECTIONAL PROGRAM ACTIVATED

  Numbers flashed across his eyes, then reversed before finally slowing to a stop. He could see an opaque “S” that indicated that he was facing south. He turned until he saw an “E,” then an “N” for north. To the north he could see a gap in the trees.

  “Got it,” he said.

  “Good work, Nick,” Gunny Tveit said, her voice as clear as if she were right beside him. “Now get back down here and we’ll figure out where we’re going.”

  Ty helped Nick back down, and they went inside the escape pod. Everyone had their backpacks on but also carried an armful of things scavenged from the escape pod.

  “Normally, a pod has survival supplies,” Tveit explained. “But they’ve all been removed for our mission. We each have a week’s worth of food, a change of clothes, water purification tablets, and our knives. That means shelter will have to be forged from the terrain. I want everyone to sync their directional programming with Nick’s. He’ll be our pathfinder.”

  “What’s a pathfinder?” Kal asked.

  “It means he’s going to lead us out of here,” Tveit said.