The Rabbits hopped from one plant to the next, until they saw Mixial and Carnesto. The black ‘cat walked into the main walkway, tail held high. He stood there, sideways, and looked from one Rabbit to the next. Allard nodded to Beauchene, who took two steps forward and to the side. Allard produced a shovel and with one great hop came down almost on top of the ‘cat. Carnesto darted underneath, leaping onto the Rabbit’s back when he landed. Allard stopped his swing and poked the shovel backward to get the ‘cat off him. Carnesto wrapped himself around the shovel.
Allard swung the shovel over his head, building momentum. Carnesto realized the error of his maneuver quickly, but was already committed. Mixial dashed between the plants and dove head first into the Rabbit’s midsection. With a great expulsion of air, Allard lost his grip on the shovel. It and Carnesto went flying toward the bulkhead. The ‘cat landed on all four paws and pushed off, sailing back into the plants where he was running as he hit. Mixial was hunched and hissing when Beauchene ran up behind her, aiming to boot the small calico into next week.
Carnesto veered and pounced. Beauchene saw him coming and tried to twist, sending part of his body one way and the top half the other. Carnesto sailed through the empty space where Beauchene’s chest had been. The Rabbit howled in pain as he rolled into a berry bush.
“Med bot to garden level, please,” Allard said as his friend lay grimacing, trying to hold his knee. Carnesto slunk away while Mixial rubbed her head against his round belly. He started to push her away, but gave up and petted her head with one hand, holding his knee with the other.
“What the hell?” the captain exclaimed. “Don’t tell me it’s already started!” He jumped from his seat and bolted from the command deck, his feet barely touching as he accelerated through the hatch and down the corridor.
“What was that all about?” Kalinda asked Lieutenant Pace.
He chuckled before answering. “We have Hillcats on this ship and two Rabbits who are very protective of their garden. The ‘cats decided that they were going to live in the garden, and that’s when the fun started. At least we didn’t get the warning like last time that laser fire had been detected. It appears that the ceasefire is no longer in effect.” Pace went back to what he was doing, setting course for the first waypoint during their shakedown cruise.
They’d spend a week flying between navigational beacons set within the Cygnus system as they tested the engines against various orientations to the gravity well. If they needed major repairs, they’d return to space dock, but usually, any repairs or corrections to the system were done internally. Then the ship would deploy on its mission. The captain had not yet shared the mission, but Pace wanted to go back to Concordia. He had a bad taste in his mouth from the previous trip and wanted the opportunity to make things right, in his own mind, if not for all of Cygnus.
Daksha watched the activity briefly before announcing that he’d be in his quarters. He asked Pace to send the captain that way, if he had time, once he returned.
Training Continues
The platoon left the scorched and damaged transit pod behind as they entered Deck 2, the aviary and forest level. They were assaulted by the sounds of a million birds trying to talk over each other. The Wolfoids and Hillcats winced, having more sensitive hearing than their human counterparts.
“How can we operate in an environment like this?” Cain asked rhetorically, before yelling. “Tactical formation, now!” Fickle had his hands up. The major waved him close. Fickle didn’t bother speaking. He looked confused and pointed to the wound on his arm.
“What, Fickle?” Cain asked innocently.
“But, sir, I’m injured!” Fickle cried.
“You’re injured because you didn’t keep your ass down! Maybe next time you’ll do things differently,” Cain retorted, but then saw his opportunity.
He had expected something like this since training started. He’d been preparing himself mentally and now was the time to unleash. “What!” Cain screamed, holding his head as if trying to keep it from exploding. “Pain lets you know you’re alive! We fight through the pain, don’t we, Marines!” the major screamed almost maniacally. Some shouts supported him. Others looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“What better time to train than when we’re in pain. Whip out your kukris, my lovelies, we have a war to fight. Firewood, neatly chopped, pile it right here. Now go!” He held up his hands and waved everyone away from him, acting as if he was completely disgusted.
Stinky and Pickles stayed behind. Cain opened one eye to look at them. “Too much?” he asked.
Pickles looked at him without blinking for so long, Cain thought the Lizard Man had had an aneurysm. Stinky poked him with his spear.
“Hey, what was that?” Cain asked, rubbing the spot under his arm where his ballistic vest hadn’t protected him.
“I’m sorry, I must not have heard you correctly. You said that if we’re in pain, we train, and you didn’t look to be in pain. I think you’re ready to train now,” the Wolfoid said as he waved his lightning spear in the air and brought the butt down hard on the ground.
“What was that back there, Major?” Pickles finally asked.
“An act, to keep the Marines honest,” Cain replied. Pickles continued to look at the major, then shook his head.
“The transit pods and the Androids,” he clarified, his vocalization device reflecting the words as barely above a whisper.
“The usual, Pickles, but the Androids are no match for well-armed Marines. I think we’ll be fine, but whenever we move, it has to be in tactical formation. We aren’t safe anywhere on this ship, but then again, neither are they. If that’s how they want it, we’ll go deck to deck, hunting Androids. That would eliminate the problem, but I don’t think we have time for that, so we’ll just kill them whenever we come across one of the original models,” Cain said, sneering at the thought of Androids hounding his every step. “We continue to train until we hear some kind of word about our ride. As a matter of fact, I better make contact.”
Cain sat with his back against a tree and opened his neural implant, trusting Brutus and Lutheann, who both sat close and faced away to watch for enemies of any shape. The Marines trickled back, one by one with arm loads of small sticks. Stinky and Pickles chased them away to get something bigger. Ascenti disappeared into the trees, flying free with millions of his avian brothers.
Cain opened his neural implant. ‘Holly, open our secure space,’ he said without preamble.
The AI was there instantly. ‘Cain, great to hear from you…’ Holly started, but then switched into their private space. ‘Cain. The Olive Branch has departed space dock. I don’t know if your message has gotten to them. I have no way of checking without alerting the other Holly or the shipborne AI.’
‘That puts a damper on things. We were just attacked by five Androids while we were using the transit pods. That was a big mistake. They are nothing but smoking hulks right now, which makes me feel better. The Androids cannot stand against a squad of Marines. My plan is to always have one or two squads by my side. But then what, Holly?’ Cain asked.
‘If Ellie did not convey your message to the captain, then I fear that the ship will leave without you. Currently, you are scheduled to return to Cygnus VII by shuttle, in three weeks’ time. I have no other movements scheduled for you,’ Holly admitted.
‘Three weeks. The ship will be long gone by then. When did they start the shakedown cruise?’ Cain was trying to build a calendar in his mind and it wasn’t coming up in his favor.
‘Today, Master Cain. They are en route the first waypoint,’
‘Can I send a point-to-point message from the bridge? Or from anywhere for that matter?’ Cain didn’t want the ship to leave without him.
‘Yes. From the bridge. You had zero-g exercises planned. I would encourage you to navigate to the forward bulkhead of this deck, take the radial elevator to the bridge, then request permission to use the comm system. Capital idea, Major Cain!’ Holly sou
nded pleased.
‘Why didn’t you think of that, Holly? Am I in my secure place? Which Holly am I talking with?’ Cain accused the AI of not being forthcoming.
‘It is me, Master Cain, the one who understands that my programming has been altered and that you have been cut off from the rest of the universe. You are getting the full support of everyone who matters, but a conspiracy stays within the shadows and is pulling the strings of the SES. I think it is critical that you get on board The Olive Branch because the personnel replacements that they sent? Of the nine, five were kicked off the ship personally by Captain Rand. The rest are substandard personnel and one of those is a spy,’ Holly revealed.
‘Which one, Holly? When I make contact I can let them know.’
‘I don’t know. That information is buried too deeply for even me to find,’ Holly said, surprisingly. Cain didn’t believe there was anything that the AI didn’t know. He remained skeptical of Holly’s claim, but accepted that he wouldn’t get a name.
‘We’ll spend the night on this deck, then I’ll take one squad to the bridge where we will hopefully be able to contact Captain Rand or Master Daksha,’ Cain told Holly, although he was more talking out loud than carrying on a conversation. ‘Holly, what would be an indicator that they received my message?’
‘I believe that they would bring the ship here. We will know that as soon as they turn from the standard waypoints and travel in the direction of the Space Station Traveler.’
‘Let me know if you see that. I don’t want to stand on the bridge and request a ride, if you know what I mean. Too many ears to overhear, if you get my drift. I’ll have to be cryptic, but we also can’t be so cryptic that they don’t understand they need to come pick us up!’ Cain laughed, trying to think how he’d couch his words. Maybe he would try to contact Ellie on a personal call. Would they allow that? He was, after all, Major Cain who answered directly to the commander of the SES.
The Marines came back again, this time with armloads of logs. The major waited until Night Stalker reported that all were present. He then thanked them for their work and informed them that the plan had changed and they needed to cross the entirety of the level in one march. They’d rest on the other side. They formed in two columns with Cain at the head of one and Sergeant Stalker at the head of the other. The lieutenants brought up the rear, until Stinky came running forward.
“Major, the Androids aren’t after any of us. They’re after you. I must insist that you put yourself in the middle of the formation,” Stinky forcefully advised. The sergeant nodded vigorously.
“That’s crazy! I lead from the front,” Cain said dismissively.
“Crazy? Who was with you when we watched the Android kill Hendricks? Who got pancaked into the bulkhead for his troubles, while you were fiddling with the DC gear?” Cain admitted that Stinky had a point.
“It wasn’t after me then and it’s not after me now. Let us do our jobs,” the Wolfoid insisted.
“On your command, Lieutenant,” Cain said as he took the spot in front of Spence and Tobiah. Brutus and Lutheann walked on either side of the major. The other ‘cats were scattered on branches and in the brush ahead. He knew that some of them had dined on fowl already. The sound of a ‘cat making a kill had been unmistakable.
He’d turn them loose on the other side, or rather, he’d ask Lutheann if they could stay together until they reached the other side, then they would be free to hunt.
‘That’s more like it, dumbass,’ the all-white ‘cat said.
‘Will I ever be able to live that down?’ Cain asked, hoping he was “talking” only with Lutheann.
She looked at him, then looked ahead, appropriately ignoring his human chatter.
“I guess that answers that,” Cain said with a smile. He twirled his finger in the air and the two columns began to make their way forward. Most of the Marines had their kukri knives in hand. The Wolfoids and Lizard Men carried their spears in the other hand, using it as a walking stick and something to hold the brush back as they passed. The Marines naturally spread out in order to give themselves space to swing their weapons. They hacked through brush and chased away birds that got too close as they plodded forward.
Cain thought the pace was too slow, but let Stinky lead the platoon. He tried to think through the conversation he would have during the point-to-point call. He knew that the second he started speaking, everything would change, so he left it until later. He felt secure with the good people around him, but still wanted to stay alert and aware of his surroundings. Cain could have worried about something, but not then. It had been a good day where his Marines acquitted themselves honorably while under fire. There was nothing he needed to bother himself with.
He daydreamed about Aletha instead.
No One Knows What’s Going On
Heading toward the first waypoint, the captain saw the lull in activity as his opportunity to talk with the commander. He excused himself with a knowing look at Pace, one that said not to leave the new crew member alone on the bridge.
Rand found Daksha’s quarters to be very calming. It was warmer and the serenity of the desertscape carried through. It was minimally furnished, just enough that a human didn’t feel out of place, but not too much where it took away from the Tortoid’s love of open spaces.
“Jolly, secure the room, please. Turn off all pickups,” Master Daksha ordered. A red light flashed on the commander’s terminal, showing him that the monitoring systems had been disabled.
“Your report was lacking the detail that you are so careful to always include,” Master Daksha started, leaving it open ended.
“They sent us the refuse. We carried two of them off the ship. I didn’t know there were such people serving in the SES. Criminals, scumbags, no technical knowledge. What is the SES playing at?” Rand walked as he talked, waving his arms about wildly. Thinking about it made him angry, but talking about it drove him into a rage.
“I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on. Personally, I think there is a major upheaval under way. People are afraid now that we’ve contacted others elsewhere in the galaxy. I’m surprised, because it’s not like they’re three-headed aliens. They’re human!” Daksha said with uncharacteristic sarcasm, his vocalization device getting the intonations right.
“But they let us put on the new section, complete with weapons,” the captain started slowly, trying to form his thoughts into a logical sequence. “But then, they made us leave early and we found out that they hadn’t informed Cain. We back-doored the process. Ellie was able to get in touch and let him know, but she told him a month early and here we are, underway at five weeks ahead of schedule. Cain is supposed to have his platoon on the Traveler right now. All we have to do is go there and pick him and his people up. We need Leaper and Peekaless as much as we need Cain. We’re too shorthanded. I can’t believe they sent us out like this,” Rand lamented.
“The Traveler is a big ship. How will we know where to dock?” Daksha asked, hopeful that he’d be getting Leaper back. The day was starting to look up.
“I don’t know, but we have a bunch smart people. I’m sure we can figure it out. The ‘cats will be able to talk with each other well before we dock. I don’t know if the mindlink will work between us and the Traveler, but I suspect Ellie and Cain are probably able to sense each other’s presence. They’re both gifted that way,” Rand said.
“Twelve new Marines! I am curious to see them, see what all of that means. Hopefully they’ll have the skills to fill the positions that we need as well. Is that how we’re supposed to use them? Integrate them with the crew when we’re not making first contact? Don’t tell anyone that I don’t have these answers. You’d think I would. I think I should!” He emphasized his point by bobbing his head and blinking rapidly.
“Forty-five,” the captain said. Daksha didn’t have eyebrows to raise, otherwise Rand would have been treated to such a display of disbelief.
“Twenty-one ‘cats, and twenty-four Marines. Two
thirds Wolfoids, then humans, a couple Lizard Men, and one Hawkoid, or so I’m led to believe.” The captain waited for Daksha to process the information.
“If we can’t fill our gaps in the crew with that many to choose from, then we’re doing something wrong. That’s more than what the SES gave us and I expect if there are twenty-one Hillcats with them, then they don’t have any criminals or scumbags. I doubt Cain would tolerate that for very long. Oh boy! The Rabbits are going to have a coronary!” Daksha said delightedly.
“When I checked on them, Allard’s knee was screwed up, that was all. They were in some kind of scuffle with the ‘cats, but they resolved their differences. The med bots put Allard under the knife to fix his ACL. He’s in recovery now. He’ll be wearing a brace for the next week or so, but should make a full recovery,” Rand informed the commander.
“It’s like cheap entertainment,” the Tortoid said, looking to his monitor.
The captain did not agree. He hated conflict of all sorts. Maybe that was why he was always on the lookout for it. He’d been right about Concordia, but he wasn’t happy about that. Too many names were added to the plaque that day.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 24
