The major looked at his hand as if it were a foreign object. “Stinky?”
“That’ll wash right off. Good night, major,” he said with a wave, joining his squads as they used the towels brought by the server bots as bedrolls. A pile of wet Wolfoids, the humans sleeping close, but not touching. Spence and Tobiah returned to their previous spot. Cain reclined against a tree where he could see the entirety of the platoon and most of the ‘cats.
“We are trying to make this world a better place,” Cain whispered to the stars. “For you, Aletha, and everyone else on Vii, we sacrifice so you don’t have to worry, can live free and safe.” He relaxed, thinking about that last day with her, a day that he would use to carry him through thick and thin, until he could see her again. He fell asleep smiling.
---
When next he roused, it was morning. The sun had started to rise and the lake was smooth, without a ripple. The two Lizard Men slept standing up, their heads barely above the water. Cain looked around, finding Sergeant Night Stalker standing with her lightning spear, watching over the sleepers. The major joined her.
Before he could ask, she told him. “The squad leaders and I stood watch, just to be sure. I hope that didn’t violate your orders.”
“Watching out for others can never be a violation of orders. If it is, then I’ve given a crappy order.” He scratched her behind her ear. “Everything is going to be hard from here on out. We’ll need you to carry a significant chunk of the load.” She nodded. “You are the alpha, after all and that’s what alphas do.” She didn’t acknowledge his statement as she felt more human than Wolfoid, but he intended it as a compliment, and she took it as such.
Cain kicked some haunches and slapped some heads until the group realized that it was morning. “Form up!” Stinky yelled, but the major held his finger to his lips.
“We’re in someone else’s house. No yelling, please,” he said conversationally. “Five laps, then chow, then introduction to hand-to-hand combat.”
Some were still rubbing sleep from their eyes as they unquestioningly broke into a run. They picked up the pace, finishing their fifth lap with a sprint. And that set the tone for the next six days. They trained right on the beach. Sometimes they had observers, most of the time not. The security bot always remained just outside the outer circle, always present, always vigilant.
Who controls you, Cain thought to himself as he looked at the shimmering mechanical creation.
They trained at hand-to-hand, hand-to-paw, hand-to-claw, and other iterations. It was slow going, much slower than Cain anticipated, but they soldiered forward, trying to decide what skills were optimal, then working to refine them. Cain finally came to the conclusion that Fickle and Starsgard were hopeless. They’d demonstrated an excellent ability to shoot during the live fire, but their ability to fight hand-to-hand was shaky at the best of times.
They also worked with the Rabbits in the fields, doing as they were directed. Stalker took to calling them the big-eared tyrants, which earned her a few laps around New Sanctuary, although after watching the Rabbit overlords, he had to agree with the sergeant’s assessment.
‘Holly, I have a question,’ Cain started, hoping the AI would give him something useful. ‘If we have to fight in close quarters aboard the ship, what weapon would be optimal? And then, if the same thing occurred on the planet, say Concordia, what weapon would serve us best there? Is there a hybrid non-powered weapon that would work in both places?’
‘I have a rather significant and disturbing list of weaponry in my database, but I think I can offer something that will be useful wherever you may find yourself. A kukri is a knife that is curved forward with a blade narrow near the handle, widening toward the point of about fourteen inches in length. If we provide it with a flattened spine, then it can be a non-lethal weapon. May I also recommend a flash-bang grenade and Taser?’
Once Holly described those, Cain asked that a few get fabricated for testing. A maintenance bot delivered them shortly to his current home on the beach of the lake. While his Marines were running a lap around New Sanctuary for an infraction of some sort, he spun the kukri around, enjoying the feel of it. He squared off against an unsuspecting palm tree and wailed on it. With three quick attacks, he’d hacked out a healthy chunk and looked around to see if anyone had been watching, anyone besides the security bot, that was.
He reviewed the procedure for the flash-bang. He pulled the pin and tossed it close to the security bot who instantly hit it with laser, causing it to detonate prematurely. With one hellish bang, a blinding light, and a blast that was doubled when reflected from the bot’s energy shield, Cain was thrown through the air and landed flat on his back. When he came to his senses, he’d been blown ten feet away. He checked to see if his boots were on, expecting to see them where he’d been standing. He couldn’t imagine what one of those would do in the corridors of the spaceship. All concussion and light, no shrapnel.
‘Dumbass,’ he heard in his mind clearly despite the ringing in his ears. He saw two ‘cats on the ground, shaking themselves and trying to clear their heads. The blast treated everyone within its radius equally as Cain had just discovered. A maintenance bot showed up and cleaned up the debris that the grenade left behind. A med bot appeared and looked Cain over. The ‘cats staggered off into the brush, the major apologizing profusely as they disappeared.
Brutus appeared next to him. ‘Don’t ever do that again,’ the ‘cat growled, making his voice vibrate within Cain’s head.
The Wolfoids from the platoon sprinted past the security bot and onto the beach, arraying themselves into a defensive screen around the major. Stinky tried to get past the med bot, but it blocked access. “Major Cain, are you okay?” he yelled.
“Sorry, that was me testing out a new weapon that Holly recreated for us. It’s called a flash-bang. Big flash, even bigger bang. We will load up on those. Two per person. And this knife is for close quarters combat. When I watched Fickle and Starsgard try to fight, I realized that not everyone is meant to fight with their hands. I think even the Wolfoids will be able to use these.”
He ordered twenty-three more of the combat knives, sixty flash-bangs, and eight Tasers. These weapons were more in line with Dr. Johns’ expectations of defense only.
Within thirty minutes, the entire platoon was playing with their new kukris, which resulted in stitches for two Wolfoids and Fickle.
Cain left it to the lieutenants to sort out the personal safety issues. They needed to add a sheath to the Wolfoids’ harness and one to the belts the humans and Lizard Men wore, along with pouches for the flash-bangs. Tasers would be carried two per squad.
The training picked up with the added weaponry. As their trip to the Traveler grew closer, the sense of urgency increased. Everyone got to throw a flash-bang after an early warning to make sure no ‘cats were anywhere near. Holly happily provided more of the grenades to replace the ones used in training.
Cain wondered why everything seemed right. He started thinking that maybe it was the director, acting alone within the confines of Space School. Since they’d left, things had been smoother, like they should have been all along.
Cain stopped wondering and started spending more time reading the plethora of manuals that Holly supplied. From strategic battles with tens of thousands on each side to small unit actions, from weaponry that could be fired accurately at targets one hundred kilometers away to hand-carried mortars and rockets. All of that was too much for their mission to defend the exploration teams and the spaceship. Unless something changed, they didn’t need firepower to overwhelm a determined enemy. The answer in that case would be to move on to the next planet.
Last time, they not only looked weak, they acted weak. Cain was convinced that was why the Concordians had come after them. Without spacesuits, even the most rudimentary system outside the airlocks would have been able to protect the Cygnus-12. Briz was able to accomplish that with thirty minutes and one maintenance bot. Would everyone be so backwa
rd? It would be foolish to think so, but they could still look strong enough to convince a first contact that a conversation was in their best interest.
He read one essay that suggested the senior military leadership used the last battle as the paradigm for the next, because they conducted in-depth studies. They found it easier to fill the gaps in a fact-laden study than address speculation by guessing what the next battle would look like. Cain had to do both. He was expected to outthink, out-plan, and out-execute the Condordians. This caused Cain to lose the most sleep.
He wished he could talk with Commander Daksha, but he wasn’t able to call anyone. The major hoped that the situation would change once they were aboard the Traveler.
The day came and Cain opted to take the Marines on the subway for the sole reason that he didn’t want to get trapped on the shuttle for an extended period of time where everyone smelled like sweat. Blasters were still carried in packs, but the Wolfoids and Lizard Men carried their lightning spears, while they all carried the kukri knives somewhere on their person. Most carried for a right-hand draw, but there were a few lefties in the platoon that rigged their harness or their belt the opposite way. Cain longed for the feel of a blaster on his hip. He’d put it there the second they boarded the Space Station Traveler. He would never trust the Androids, and there were far too many of them on the space station for his comfort.
The platoon arrived at the space center early, so they waited until given clearance to climb the stairs to the top of the gantry and work their way into the ship. The ‘cats were uncomfortable for the entire evolution, yowling and darting to and fro. A ladder was involved so the Wolfoids were at a distinct disadvantage getting on board, although they were better off than the ‘cats. In the end, the humans were strategically placed throughout to help everyone into a seat. One ‘cat per lap except in Spence’s case because Tobiah was so large. The ‘cat was given his own seat next to his bonded.
When Cain was satisfied that they were as strapped in as they were going to get, he joined them, sitting in the first seat up front. He contacted Holly to let him know that all was well. A human pilot appeared in the cockpit hatch and looked down at them. Cain waved.
The pilot accessed the ship’s speakers and walked them through the safety briefing. The Marines tried to pay attention, but with the incessant noise from the ‘cats, the pilot finally quit. He gave them the thumbs up, assured them of a safe flight, and sealed the hatch behind himself. The outer door closed and cycled.
Cain covered his ears. He looked around. Not a single one of them was wearing a spacesuit. And he had the gall to call the Concordians backwards. He remembered the grief over getting Lutheann into her spacesuit. ‘No more, Luthie. I think this next transfer will be quick, straight through the airlock, no suits.’
‘Yes, I still owe you for that,’ the white ‘cat with the big green eyes said tartly. She was riding with Stinky while Brutus occupied the place of honor with the Major of Marines.
Blast off was exciting as they were buffeted by a light breeze until they reached a respectable velocity. They were pressed back into their seats, which caused more ‘cat dismay. After a few minutes, they achieved weightlessness. The ‘cats remained out of sorts. After scratching many of their seatmates, some of them were launched through the air. Cain watched a small calico fly past, spinning. ‘Cats always land on their feet, except in zero-g where they tend to splatter against things like a mudball.
Cain freed himself from his seat, telling the rest to remain buckled in. Brutus hooked four claws into Cain’s uniform, hanging on as the major pulled himself from seat to seat. He looked every individual in the eye, making sure they were okay. Starsgard looked frightened.
“Don’t tell me, doc, but you’ve never been on a shuttle before?” Cain asked.
“I’ve never been in space before,” Private Starsgard replied.
“Astrophysics?” Cain wondered.
“Many astrophysicists have not been in space. My work was mostly theoretical. You should read my doctoral thesis on inertial compensation,” the private offered.
“But that doesn’t work,” Cain rebutted.
“Of course it doesn’t work, but I explain in great detail why!” Starsgard said confidently.
Space Station Traveler
With one gentle bump, the shuttle linked to the airlock extension located in the midsection between the two core modules of the vast ship. This part of the structure didn’t spin, which made docking easy. Once inside, they’d be able to transition to the area of artificial gravity, then access the ship’s transit system to move to one core or the other.
Cain and his Marines remained weightless. The ‘cats each found a body they could attach themselves to. Bull looked odd with two ‘cats hanging off him. He probably didn’t even notice.
The Wolfoids dog-paddled as they flew from one handhold to the next. The humans and Lizard Men pulled themselves along. Backpacks, spears, and harnesses got caught on anything close to the bulkheads. Floating seatbelts and chest restraints acted as fishing lures in the small sea of Marines.
They traveled through the airlock and into a space beyond where the Marines gripped wires that led to a hatch. Once out of the shuttle, Cain yelled at them to bunch up.
“The room on the other side is locked with us now, but will start rotating as soon as we’re all inside. So, stay together. Sergeant, you’re last and give me a thumbs up when we have everyone. Then we’ll make the transition to artificial gravity.” Zero-g was hard on the body, especially if one had never experienced it before. Once through the flight, when moving about, the nausea came.
A Wolfoid started heaving, then two more joined. Fickle power-puked all over another. ‘Cats swam free as they attempted to steer clear of the floating debris.
“Grab them!” Cain yelled as he opened the hatch and raced through. The only cure he knew of was gravity. He’d been sick plenty of times on the Cygnus-12, so he understood and didn’t think less of any of his people.
A Hawkoid swooped into the room barely missing the major’s head. He pushed forward as the others rolled in right behind him. They kept it tight as he pulled himself to the other side of the spacious transition chamber. He let his hand hover over the access panel, waiting for a thumbs up from Stalker. She waved a paw at him as she blocked the door with her body. With the activation, the hatch behind her closed and the room started to move. The platoon was gently deposited on one wall as it became the floor. Then the spin became more intense until the hatch behind Cain opened. He walked through before the smell of puke got to him. Sometimes it was good to lead from the front.
The others followed him through. They were on a platform that resembled the subway station under the Space School. Once there, the platoon formed to account for everyone one more time. Lutheann confirmed that all the ‘cats had made it through, but she was more than slightly miffed about Wolfoid puke getting on some of her people.
“The plan for the remainder of the day is as follows,” Cain said in the curiously quiet environment. “We will take a transit pod to the livestock level. We’ll cross the area en route to a med lab where all of you will get your neural implants installed. This will vastly improve our individual capabilities. That’s right, people, after you have one of those, you will study something in every minute of your free time. You will have instant access to more information than you ever imagined existed. We will outthink the enemy and if that fails, we’ll turn Bull loose on them!” The platoon barked and shouted. Bull thrust his spear in the air.
Starsgard raised his hand. “I already have an implant,” he said timidly.
“How did I not know this?” Cain said, then shook his head. “That’s good. Doc, you stay with Leaper and oversee the process, help everyone through the transition. We can’t have anyone freaking out. As a matter of fact, no weapons go into the med lab. Secure them with guards in the hallway.”
A transit pod arrived, and the platoon squeezed in. It took some yelling to get everyone on.
Stinky and Pickles ran from the platform, body blocking those in the doorway to create room. The ‘cats were mostly on the floor of the pod, but some were able to climb onto shoulders. Cain thought about how his original number of twelve would have been so much more convenient. Forty-five bodies were about to do him in. The transit to Deck 10 took longer than any of them found comfortable. The Hawkoid seemed unperturbed, but he perched on Bull’s shoulder, well above the rest of the press of humanity. Bull’s head nearly reached the ceiling, and when Cain lifted his arm over his head, he was still well short. Spence was flattened against the wall with Tobiah standing, paws on the human’s shoulders to create as much room as possible. The ‘cat glared at Cain as their eyes locked.
‘Brutus, am I going to die a hideous death in my sleep?’ Cain asked while stroking him with his fingers since he couldn’t move his arm.
‘No. You won’t be asleep,’ Brutus answered quickly.
‘Stinky, Pickles, maybe we can get permission from the Aurochs to let the ‘cats hunt on the livestock level. My life depends on making this happen,’ Cain told them over the mindlink. The chuckles and snorts told him that he’d broadcast his thoughts to everyone.
‘That would probably extend your life by at least one day,’ Lutheann replied.
‘I’ll take care of it, boss,’ Stinky replied. The Wolfoid’s affinity towards old earth videos gave him certain unique expressions. Vii had not yet replicated that form of entertainment, although technologically, they were well advanced of Earth. Cain liked watching some of the old videos too, but he hadn’t had the luxury of free time in just about forever. The major nodded to his lieutenant, confident that Stinky would take care of it.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 21
