Ballard stretched his neck. “Well damn, that puts this whole project in trouble,” he replied. “And it really answers a need of ours, is the other new panzerter looking any more promising?”
Chaney signaled, more or less. “It’s a new Martian variant, so it’s easier to test and get us in the development stage. Problem is we were relying on this new engine to help with some of the power plant issues caused by the Superlaser.” He switched the image before them to the other new panzerter about to enter frontline service.
Ballard frowned. “This one’s less my style,” he said. “But I recognize the need for it, especially if we can beat them at their own game.” Chaney shook his head.
“This is less about beating them at their own game, and more about leveling the playing field at long range,” he said. “Although I admit, it’s still not quite in our favor, the Black Knight for example can annotate them before they have a chance of coming into a range that can damage it.”
“Belive you me, I get that it’s scary looking, but what’s your fixation with it?” Ballard asked. “Kennedy I get, for him it’s personal, but as far as I’m aware it hasn’t killed anyone you know.”
Chaney uncorked his water bottle and took a long swig. “Before you ask, yes its water, I’m too dehydrated for that shit, and secondly, it aggravates me because they made a well balanced machine that we can’t match without breaking the bank.” He immediately pulled up an image of the Black knight. The circle that displayed speed. Protection and firepower flared to life, all three points reaching almost to the edges of the circle. “It’s protection isn’t particularly complex, it’s good on the surface, but our preferred weapons, lasers are practically useless against it and our panzerter firearms are barely better, it’s more agile than the Martian with enough firepower to take out a Jupiter clean.”
“If the Tharcians just built an amazing machine, why haven’t they built more of them?” Ballard asked. Chaney raised a finger.
“Because, it’s only weakness is its expensive and too heavy for most bridges,” he replied. “That being said, we can’t just build a better machine or we’ll wreck our own economy, but what if they refine the black knight, reduce the weight?” Chaney wagged his finger to punctuate his point. “Then my friend, they’ve won the war.”
20
After stirring from his sleep, Kennedy found himself in a hospital bed. This is becoming way too familiar. As he rose to take in his surroundings, he noticed he was in an actual hospital. His bed possessed guardrails so he wouldn’t roll off, and an IV dripped fluid into his arm. A soldier watched tv in the corner.
“About time you woke up, comrade,” he said. It took Kennedy a moment to realize it, but he was looking at Khan.
“Comrade Khan, where are we?” he asked. The Red Guard shrugged.
“Some hospital in the old capital, they have Snow down the hall,” Khan replied.
“And Knight?”
Khan shook his head. “KIA, keeping the pocket open so we could pullout of Ironton. Word is, he’s posthumously being awarded an Order of the Martian People, so there’s that.” He looked out the window to the snow filled city. “If his wife hadn’t been killed in an airline crash, he’d probably have some next of kin to receive it.”
With a sigh, Kennedy shook his head. “He was a good soldier, so it’s just you and Snow now?” Khan shrugged.
“The whole ‘Red Guards’ thing was a big propaganda push, if anything he’ll have a state funeral,” he said. “But I’m not really interested in that.”
“What are you interested in?” Kennedy asked.
Khan’s features darkened. “Punishing the Tharcians, they’ve killed our people and provoked us long enough.” He looked directly at Kennedy. “I don’t care about your struggle, comrade colonel, I don’t care about your birth, all I want is to kill as many Tharcians as possible, and if I can’t kill them, I want to hurt them.”
That’s absolutely psychotic, I guess it can’t be helped though. Better he kills a worthless Tharcian then stays in Union society and becomes a series killer or something. Besides, that kind of anger is pliable. Kennedy set himself on his elbows. “Khan, do you have your service pistol?”
“I do,” he replied. “Do you want to end someone’s life?” Kennedy shook his head.
“Not at the moment,” he replied. “But when I’m discharged from here, Meyer’s going to want a full AAR with all of her leaders, we’ve run ourselves with a lot of civility, but we’ve been leaving a good portion of our disciplinary options off the table, certain individuals need to be made examples and I’ll need to borrow your pistol for that.”
Khan smiled. “I’ve always read that line, but it thought it was all talk.”
“You’ve never experienced an officer fail spectacularly enough to warrant it,” Kennedy said before looking up at him. “I need you and Snow to augment my battalion, to crush any opponent in our path, I know it’s not good for your career, but I need to spend more time in the planning seat and less in the pilot’s seat, do you understand.”
The other soldier held up a hand. “Just point me at Tharcians, I’ll take care of the rest along with Snow.”
“I’m counting on you two,” he said. “And I expect results. By the end of all of this you both should have killed a whole division’s worth of Tharcians.” As Kennedy expected, the younger man practically salivated.
“You’re speaking my language, comrade,” he said. Kennedy nodded.
“Of course, this will probably involve actions against partisans, terrorists,” he said. “Do you have any qualms about attacking them?” Khan shook his head. “Excellent, I’ll have to talk to Chaney about refitting your machines with anti-infantry weapons.”
The other pilot raised an eyebrow. “You can just ‘talk’ to the head of R&D?”
Kennedy nodded. “I do, in fact it’s how I got my Jupiter to begin with,” he said. “Even now I know he’s hard at work making new weapons. Maybe we’ll get something else new when we refit.”
With a smile, Khan stood up. “Well, new ways to kill Tharcians will always excite me.” Easing himself back into bed, Kennedy smiled.
“Before you leave, I need to ask you something, other than to change the channel,” he said. After the younger pilot switched on a music channel showcasing an orchestra, he looked down at Kennedy.
“What’s your question, Comrade?” he asked. Well, here goes nothing.
“What motivates you to kill people?” Kennedy asked. “I was born for this, but I’m curious what a normal like yourself thinks.”
Khan shrugged. “I don’t really kill people, just Tharcians. And Olympians. And Rooseveltians.”
“And why aren’t they people?” Kennedy asked.
“If you’re wondering if I’d turn on you and kill you, the answer’s no,” Khan said. “Tubers are always people, because they don’t have institutional power as a class, Tharcians and Olympians on the other hand brutally press their own people by denying them critical services and enabling others to oppress people.”
Good, perfect actually. If things don’t go completely our way, I can count on Khan to champion my cause. Kennedy nodded. “Thank you comrade Khan, you know I’m glad your lot got assigned to us, in a sense we’re not that different at all.” He smiled. “Because I know you were born for this too.”
Khan smiled, then saluted. “Thank you comrade colonel, you’ll have my positive thoughts for a swift recovery and my service pistol is here when you need it,” he said before leaving.
With an exasperated sigh, Kennedy sank into his pillow as the orchestra played. What a weird saying, you have my positive thoughts, I’d be surprised if he had many positive thoughts to begin with. As the music flowed over him, he listened. I’ve known about this music, like I recognize the instruments that go in an orchestra, but I never realized it sounded so sweet. Violins danced in his ears while cello and bass belted their own tunes. A piano augmented the other sounds.
Such a sweet song, I
wonder what the tune is? He angled his head. A subtitle read Song #251-Winter Collection. If only the title was as sweet as the music. A nurse entered his room.
“Need anything, sir? Food? Drink?” she asked. Sir? Then he noticed the collar strapped to her neck. Ah, she’s Tharcian. That would explain the compliance collar. Can’t have her poisoning my food, can we?
He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take it.” As she set a warm box in his lap and set a box of juice on his nightstand, she began humming along with the song. “Have you heard this song?” he asked.
She nodded. “We used to sing it in church this time of year,” she said. “It’s called ‘I heard the Bells on Christmas day,’ though I don’t think your people call it that.” Kennedy shook his head. No, we don’t, but I have to admit: the name is prettier.
Under a lazy afternoon sun, Mo sat on a crate while salvage crews picked apart Knight’s fatman. Any parts that could be repurposed for their own machines would be pulled off and all the data from its computers would be sent to R&D along with what they couldn’t salvage. A massive rent under the head marked the point where Reiter’s weapon had pierced the cockpit. Mo hadn’t tried to look inside. He didn’t have the heart.
As he sat in silence, Steel and Wesser joined him. “Are you alright Mo?” Steele asked. He shrugged.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” he replied. The two women took a seat next to him.
Wesser set a hand on his shoulder. “Have you been resting like you’re supposed to?” she asked. “Because I’ll need you at 100% when we leave to rebuild.” For now, their regiment sat in reserve for the rest of the division, but soon another would take up their position so the division could rebuild.
“I have been, light activity, nothing strenuous, just like Doc ordered,” he replied. “It’s just, I knew him.”
“You knew him?” Wesser asked.
Then Steele’s eyes widened. “He came to observe the truce didn’t he?”
Mo nodded. “I’ve seen his face, and I have to admit, it made it a lot harder for me to kill him.”
“Mo, he nearly killed you,” Wesser said furrowing her brow. Mo shook his head.
“But he didn’t, he very easily could have crushed the cockpit, denied Tharsis not one, but two experienced pilots,” he replied. “But he didn’t, he just tore out my machine-gun and left, the fuel leak that could have killed me and Magyar wasn’t something he intended to do.”
Wesser stood and stiffened her back. “Do you think he extended the same courtesy to the other pilots out here? Do you think he would have hesitated to kill Wes? Remember the level of oxygen deprivation he suffered could lead to permanent brain damage, he’ll never be right for his kids ever again.”
“Damn it Wesser, I know,” he replied with a grimace. “It’s just different.”
Wesser put a hand on her hips. “Would it have been different if you’d seen Blake’s face first? Or Kennedy’s?” Mo shook his head.
“No, They both introduced themselves while threatening or trying to kill someone I cared about,” he said. “It’s just between him, Ballard, and Fletcher, I can’t hate them.”
Steele gently took one of his hands. “Javi, no one’s asking you to hate them,” she said. Mo reflected back to his duel with Blake, how the old man had threatened his sisters if he didn’t surrender to Kennedy stabbing Bartonova as she ran to save Steele.
“Don’t get me wrong, ma’am,” he said. “There are some real monsters out there on the other side, but Ballard and Fletcher, they didn’t ask for any of this, hell Knight didn’t sound like he wanted to fight much when I got to him.”
After sharing a look with Steele, Wesser took her hand off of her hip and set a hand on his shoulder. “We’re fighting people Mo, not monsters, we can’t forget that,” she said. “The second we do, we’re no better than they are.”
She paused for a moment before looking away and adjusting her glasses. “And I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
Mo waved his hand. As he watched the machine before him being broken apart to be rebuilt, his thoughts turned to his own future after the war. “Hey Amy, me and LT got some platoon business to go over, do you mind giving us five?”
Steele let go of his hand and stood up slowly. “Sure, whatever you need.” As she trotted off, Wesser shook her head.
“She’s too kind,” she said before looking at Mo. “Our platoon, is us and Smith, don’t insult her intelligence, now what did you want to talk about without Steele around?”
Mo barely took his eyes off the panzerter in front of him. “I want to marry her.”
Blinking back her surprise, Wesser stepped away. “Wha? What?” She gestured to the fallen panzerter in front of them. “Did you forget we’re in the middle of a war?” Mo just kept staring.
“I want us to have something to look forward to, after all of this.” He finally looked up at Wesser. “If I’m going to fight for something, it’s going to be a better tomorrow.”
As Wesser relaxed slightly, she smiled. “Well, I admit I’m excited at the thought, but maybe you should hold off until we have a home to go back to.” Mo raised an eyebrow.
“You’re from Gallacia too?” he asked. She nodded.
“Why else would I be in the Gallacian Provincial Watch?” she asked. “But yeah, I just didn’t get the chance to actually defend my home.”
Mo stood up and stretched his back. “Well, you can help liberate it,” he said. “And you’re right, I shouldn’t ask Amy right now. Besides, I don’t even have a ring.”
“All of that will get figured out,” Wesser replied. They watched salvage crews begin pulling apart the armor plating around the cockpit.
As they worked, Mo stood up. “Alright, sitting here mopping isn’t doing us any good,” he said One of the mechanics poured kerosene into the open cockpit.. “I suppose this’ll be the closest the man gets to an actual funeral.” He saluted before leaving with Wesser.
“I wish we had more of a service for Kozma and the others,” she said as they passed a row of helmets propped up on entreating tools. Mo nodded as they walked.
“I forgot to ask, have you seen Captain Reiter anywhere?” he asked. Wesser shrugged.
“Last I heard, he was still in a meeting with Hawke,” she replied. An armored Mercedes truck sat with its hatch open in the light snow. Smith and Merlin got out and approached them.
“No word on when we’re going back,” Smith said. “But the Merc here is our ride.” Steele emerged from the back with her arms folded.
“Did you take care of your platoon business?” She asked. Mo winced as he approached her.
“Yeah, mainly admin stuff, promotions, awards, etc,” he said before leaning in closer. “Sorry, I can’t talk to you about it, but you’ll love it when it happens.”
Steele blinked as she stepped back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mo replied as he laid down in the open hatch. “But if we got a ride, it probably means we’re getting ready to roll soon.” Half laying, half sitting, he closed his eyes as Steele curled up next to him. And before they knew it, both of them were snoring in the back of the truck.
“We’ll be here for the foreseeable future,” Meyer said as she sat next to Kennedy’s hospital bed. “It’ll take some time to mobilize the personnel and material to be fighting fit again.” Kennedy nodded slowly. I was kinda hoping to be out of the hospital for this talk, but I guess now’s as good a time as any.
“So first thing’s first, we need to do something about partisans,” he said. “It’s going to get more difficult to continue operations if we have random civilians blowing up train tracks and ambushing convoys.”
Meyer nodded. “Well they said IRS agents are being trained to police battalions and theatre’s fr partisans,” she said. “So we won’t need to burn as many resources hunting down partisans or rounding up civilians.” Kennedy shook his head.
“They should have already accounted for that,” he said. “The Tharcian
s were arming subversive elements on Phobos before the war. They fight dirty and dishonestly.” He relaxed and set his head on his pillow. “We’ll need to be more ruthless.”
“We need to be careful,” Meyer said. “There're lines we’d be better off not crossing.”
“Are we better off though?” Kennedy asked. “Aren’t you tired of supplies going missing or being destroyed? Of the enemy knowing what we’re about to do?” The look on her face betrayed her surprise. “Yeah, Khan told me about the leaks, and guys like him and Wake have a point, we have to crush them.”
After regaining her composure, Meyer looked out the window. “If we let our most destructive desires drive us, we’ll lose our ability to build things.”
“I mean, that’s great for your kind maybe,” Kennedy said. “But I never had the ability to build, so let me give you a warrior’s perspective, the Tharcians will never accept that we beat them, that damn Marshall said it in his speech, if we allow ourselves to be ruthless, it will save lives in the long run.”
“There’s more at stake then just our nation and Tharsis,” Meyer replied. “If the enemy blows our actions out of proportion, what will the international community do? Vinland’s already pressuring our economy, The First Nation isn’t far behind, and who’d help us if any of the settlements in the belt join them, or stars forbid the nations of Earth.”
Kennedy snorted. “They haven’t fought a war in years, for all intents and purposes their military is largely ceremonial,” he said. “besides the settlements don’t pose a military threat, I’m sure we can make them comply.”
With a sigh, Meyer shook her head and sat down. “If you’re thinking about the founder’s dream, it’ll never happen by violent means,” she said.
“We’ll it sure won’t happen another way,” Kennedy replied. “Do you think any of the countries you listed would willingly join the Union?”
Armored Warrior Panzerter: Eve of Battle Page 27
