The Fifth Column Boxed Set

by J. N. Chaney

  “Morning,” I returned, coming to terms with the fact that my not-so-alone time was over. “How was your visit?”

  Sophie didn’t answer immediately, and I swore her cheeks went pink. I narrowed my eyes and studied her.

  “What?” she asked, smoothing her shirt down in a nervous motion. Something was definitely up.

  “What happened?” I asked sharply, getting out of bed and going to her.

  “Nothing. Just a normal leave. My parents say hi, by the way.” She looked away evasively and I crossed my arms, not giving an inch. Sophie was a talented medic, but she couldn’t lie for shit.

  I raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

  “Oh, alright,” she said, fiddling with her luggage. “I didn’t go home. Or I didn’t stay there, exactly.”

  “What are you talking about?” Now I was genuinely confused.

  “Well, I went home, I just didn’t stay the night last night,” she clarified. “I met up with a guy I met on the gal-net.”

  My mouth almost hit the floor. “Corporal-Singh, are you telling me you went on a date?” I placed a hand on my chest in mock dismay.

  Sophie groaned and slumped into the desk chair, mumbling something.

  “What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” I complained.

  “I slept with him,” she said, louder this time, her face going red. “Twice.”

  Both of our wrist units beeped then, saving her from more of my teasing. I read the message, noting that it came from the commander.

  All team members prepare to ship out. Report to the Dreadnight in 30 minutes.

  I acknowledged the order, as did Sophie.

  “This conversation isn’t done,” I told her, flashing a grin.

  She sighed and began to prep her gear. “I was afraid of that.”

  “I’m taking a quick shower. You gonna need one?”

  When she shook her head, I grabbed my towel and went into the bathroom. “I slept with Mat,” I said over my shoulder.

  “What?!” she squealed, only to be cut off by the door closing.

  Less than an hour later, the entire team had boarded the Dreadnight and we were headed for the nearest S.G. Point.

  Commander-Navari sat at her usual position in the captain’s chair on the bridge. She tapped her pad, bringing up the mission data on the main holodisplay, as well as all of our pads.

  “Sarkon has discovered intel regarding a weapon that the Union has in their control,” she said, swiping to a grainy picture.

  The object appeared to be no bigger than the palm of my hand, but I couldn't be sure from the photo. Shaped like a pyramid and made of some kind of metal, it didn’t look like much, but looks could be deceiving.

  “Our information indicates that military resources at the research station have been diverted elsewhere. Reinforcements are expected to arrive in twenty-four standard hours.”

  “That’s convenient,” said Mateo, sounding suspicious. “Do we have data on the station itself?”

  I couldn’t help but agree. Something about the intel felt wrong, but it was just a feeling.

  “Yes.” Navari nodded, swiping at her pad again. Nothing happened and she swiped again, more slowly this time, then a few more times.

  Still, the holo didn’t change.

  “Computer, holo is malfunctioning,” she barked.

  All at once, the display skipped several pages ahead, causing Navari to curse and swipe back the other way.

  The laugh slipped out before I could stop it, but I disguised it as a cough.

  Navari glared at me and I could tell she hadn’t bought the cough, then she continued going over the mission.

  Sophie shot me a warning look, which I took to mean get my shit together.

  I nodded ever so slightly to say that I understood.

  With the holo working correctly again, Navari started her review of the operation.

  The station was named Harah and located on a small, formerly inhospitable moon. According to the data, the Union had built the station there in hopes of disguising their work as a mining colony.

  “ETA is twelve standard hours. I suggest you use that time to rest”—Navari paused at the end of her briefing to look at each of us in a sweeping gaze—“and prep your gear. This weapon cannot stay in Union hands. There is no room for failure.”

  I could have sworn when she mentioned “rest” that Navari’s piercing eyes lingered on me an instant too long. Did she know that Mateo and I had slept together?

  The thought that our commanding officer, who disliked me intensely, might have that information unsettled me more than I wanted to admit. I’d broken my own rule. Don’t care about anything, because when you care, they could take it away. And like it or not, I cared about Mateo.

  “Preparing to open the tear on your order, Commander-Navari,” announced Z9 in a clipped voice, interrupting my thoughts.

  As we strapped in for entry to slipspace, I found myself wondering about the A.I. again, but chalked it up to the tinny quality of her voice and a malfunction. I made a mental note to look through the manual and see if that could be changed at all.

  “Proceed,” directed Navari from the captain’s chair.

  Z9 complied without another malfunction, confirming that I’d been overthinking her capabilities.

  The Dreadnight’s slipdrive powered on and I watched with a mixture of awe and fascination as the rift split open.

  5

  I inspected my tacsuit again, circling around its display stand in the armory and checking for any damage that might have been missed during the repair. Off-color patches covered the new holes, adding to the assortment of previous mends.

  Every fix, every scratch and dent on my gear were known to me. One might see the quilt-like appearance and think it looked second-hand, but I didn’t. I considered each patch a battle scar, a mark of survival.

  Fingering an old repair on the shoulder took me back to one of my first missions with the unit. I’d been so desperate to prove myself that I’d taken on a ravager almost twice my size. He’d almost got the better of me, but in the end I managed to take him. I smiled at the memory then finished my examination.

  Finding nothing out of sorts, I turned to a wall on my right that held my weapons options. The mission dossier appeared on the armory’s large monitor—yet another luxury, courtesy of the Union. It included a list of suggested gear, but I only gave that a cursory glance.

  Similar to the op on Abatis, a full environmental suit wouldn’t be needed since the dwarf planet had been terraformed by the Union and had a breathable atmosphere. We needed to get in and out quietly, so I went with the same setup as last time, with a few exceptions.

  For my primary weapon I stuck with the rifle. The Union guard had taken me by surprise last time, causing me to drop it. That couldn’t happen again. Two handguns, one a small energy blaster and the other a pistol, completed my firearm assortment.

  Next, I selected a short blade and tucked it into the slot of the suit’s left wrist. A quick release knife was next, slipped inside the chest rig, followed by two EMPs and extra magazines.

  Satisfied, I moved to the exit. It slid open and I almost ran into Mateo. We both stopped short and moved to give the other space, but we moved in the same direction. A charged silence hung between us for a moment.

  “Lieutenant-Kamal,” I said in greeting, dipping my chin in a curt nod.

  “Sergeant,” he replied, mimicking my gesture. “Your gear mission ready?”

  He waved a hand behind me.

  “Yes,” I answered. “All finished in here so I’m going to take a few hours down to be fresh.” The words sounded lame, even to my own ears, and I cringed internally.

  “Good idea. I’ll be doing the same.” The slightest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth as he moved into the room and my heartbeat quickened. “Rest well, Delgado.”

  “You as well,” I replied, keeping my tone politely distant.

  I returned to my quarters to find Soph
ie waiting for me, holding a med dispenser.

  “Come to bribe me so I won’t question you about this mysterious lover?” I teased, setting my pad on the desk.

  “Ha ha. No, I’ve come to give you your approved sleep aid,” she said, holding out a small capsule. “Unless you’d rather stay awake and take an upper?”

  The Sarkonian Empire dished out certain medications to ensure that its soldiers performed as expected. I wasn’t a fan of unnecessary dosing, but it was either rest now or a shot of adrenaline right before the op.

  “Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “They make me jittery.”

  “I figured as much,” she said with a knowing nod. “We’ve got about ten standard hours until we reach our destination…” She paused to work the pad. “Okay, minimum rest is four, max is eight.”

  I considered for a moment. The two hours gave the team time for last-minute checks and operation planning, but I liked to limber up beforehand.

  “Gimme six,” I decided.

  Sophie tapped the screen again, sending a command to the dispenser. An indicator flashed yellow and a slight hum emitted from the box before the light turned green. Then a small tray slid out and she removed the single capsule.

  Per protocol, she watched me swallow it down before pressing a thumb to her pad confirming she’d witnessed that the dosage had been administered. Even though the government supplied the pharmaceuticals, they were sticklers for tracking who took what.

  I repeated the action, acknowledging my acceptance and verifying the procedure was complete.

  “Okay, you know the drill. Give it about five minutes and you’ll be in la-la land,” Sophie said cheerfully. “Oh, before I forget.” She rummaged in her pocket for a second then produced a small, square box measuring perhaps five centimeters. “Sorry, with all the commotion, I forgot to give it to you when I got back,” she said, holding it out.

  Whenever Sophie went anywhere, she always made a point to bring me something back. The action never ceased to touch me, and I had a small collection of her little gifts hidden away in my gear trunk.

  “Thanks,” I said, fettered emotion making my tone a little gruff.

  A metal disc lay inside the box, engraved with a creature I didn’t recognize. There was something familiar about it, like maybe I’d seen it somewhere before, but I couldn’t place it.

  “It’s a dragon,” Sophie supplied. “The merchant said they were fierce, ancient beings of protection that stood for longevity and wisdom.”

  I studied the image again, noting the long snout and a mouth full of dangerous-looking teeth.

  “Very badass. I like it,” I said with a grin. She’d probably overpaid for the trinket I but didn’t say so.

  “You were the first thing I thought of when he told me. It’s supposed to be a token of luck and protection.”

  “I need all of that I can get, especially now that I’m sleeping with Mat again.” Where the hell had that come from? A feeling of ease came over me and I grinned sloppily at Sophie.

  “Wow, I didn’t expect that reaction,” she said with a laugh.

  “It’s jus’ the meds,” I tried to explain, slurring my words and fighting to keep my eyes open.

  “Oh, I know.” She grinned at me. “Alright, into bed with you.”

  I obeyed, crawling under the covers. Sophie ordered the lights off and turned to the door.

  “Soph,” I said, already drifting off.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re going to make a great mom one day,” I murmured, cracking one eye open.

  She swallowed hard before replying, “That is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.”

  I wanted to respond but sleep pulled me under and I floated into a dreamless slumber.

  Thanks to the Dreadnight’s updated cloak, we landed on the tiny planet without setting off any alarms. I still had reservations about using the Union’s own tech against them, especially after we’d so recently attacked them, but Navari brushed me off.

  No one else seemed worried, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I also didn’t want to attract any more of the commander’s attention because she would likely see my concern as questioning her leadership.

  “Computer, are there any signs of movement?” asked Navari.

  “Scanning,” replied Z9. “No activity detected. You are clear to proceed, Commander.”

  “Move out,” Navari ordered, lowering the ramp.

  It closed behind us after the entire unit hit the ground. We’d all studied the route and moved in a tight formation under the cover of darkness. Two crescent moons hung in the sky casting a dim glow over the area.

  We’d set the ship down a little over three kilometers from our target coordinates to be safe. A ghost town, remnants from its mining days, lay between us and our objective.

  According to our data, the Union had extracted all useful substances from the planet before turning it into a secret research station, but had kept up appearances, at least for a little while. I figured they had wanted to avoid unwanted attention for being active on a mined-out world but decided it wasn’t worth the cost after a while.

  Rundown, empty structures remained in what had likely been the residential part of the colony. Some equipment, either too broken or useless to bother with, had been left behind. Nothing stirred, giving the whole place an eerie feel. I didn’t mind saying the whole place gave me an unsettled feeling.

  The research facility became visible almost as soon as we entered the empty town, its bright glow contrasting starkly against the gloom. If we took the main street through the empty town we could have been there in minutes, but it was far too open. Instead we wove between buildings and through deserted back alleys littered with junk and discarded remnants of the people who had occupied the place before.

  Moon dust coated everything, and our boots left an obvious trail for anyone that might care to follow us.

  We steered clear of any road that looked like it had been used recently and moved quietly through a maze of the empty shells of old structures. I caught occasional glimpses of the facility and smaller buildings around it through breaks in the buildings we passed. It seemed unlikely that the Union would bother to set proximity traps, but it paid to be cautious.

  As we closed the distance, the smaller structures became clearer. I noticed that they were military-grade tents, the kind used in long-term encampments.

  Still, nothing moved, and the silence made my neck hair stand on end. We came to the last of the buildings in the town and Navari held up a hand then pointed at Haas.

  “Do one last scan.”

  Breaking position, I moved to her side. “Commander, something’s off. It’s too quiet,” I whispered. “Even with reduced personnel, we should be seeing some kind of activity.”

  “It’s more likely that they’ve moved everyone inside,” she said, a tense expression on her face.

  “All clear,” said Haas.

  “See?” Navari said. “Form up, we’re going in.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense,” I insisted. “It’s the middle of the night. Ensign-Haas should at least be picking up sleepers.”

  “They must be inside, awaiting reinforcements,” she snapped, exasperated.

  “But—” I started to say.

  “Fall in, soldier.” Navari’s tone had turned to ice. “That’s an order.”

  “Yes, Commander.” I stepped back into position, silently fuming.

  At her signal, we moved away from cover and out into the open. I forced away my anger and cleared my mind. Now was not the time to be distracted.

  Every one of my senses told me the situation was all wrong, but there was nothing I could do about it now except hope I was off the mark.

  Just under a hundred meters of open space spanned before us. No soldier liked seeing that and I could feel the tension from the team as we crossed the expanse completely exposed.

  It stayed calm as we converged on the first tent, its entrance flaps unsecured. Mateo checked it, shaki
ng his head when he came out.

  “Empty,” he mouthed, the lines of his forehead tightening with confusion.

  I entered the next one and immediately understood Mateo’s uncertainty. When he’d said empty, he didn’t just mean no one occupied the tent, he meant that there was nothing inside. No cots, no furniture, nothing but four walls and the ground.

  It was the same for each one we checked. Even Navari began to look suspicious, hesitating at the door leading inside the facility.

  “Drop your weapons!” boomed a voice echoing all around us.

  A platoon’s worth of Union soldiers advanced down one side of the main building.

  “Around the other side,” ordered Navari.

  “It’s a dead end,” said Mateo. “We’ll be trapped.”

  She cursed in response.

  “The tents,” I hissed. “It’s our only chance. I can drop a charge and give us a few seconds.” They’d be piss poor protection, but it beat the alternative of facing that many Unis.

  “Do it,” she agreed.

  I set a timer for five seconds, then lobbed one of the explosives around the corner.

  It only took another second before a warning yell erupted from the other group.

  “Grenade!”

  “Take cover!”

  “Move!” hissed Navari, surging forward.

  We’d nearly made it to the first row of empty tents before one of the Union soldiers got trigger happy. The first shots fired erupted around us, ripping through the cheap material like butter.

  “Pair off and rendezvous back at the ship. They’ll have to split up,” Navari’s voice sounded over the comm. “Singh with Delgado, Haas with me. Kamal, you’re the best shot.” She didn’t finish the sentence, but we all knew what Navari meant.

  Mateo was going to stay behind and make sure we all made it out.

  “I’ll cover you, then circle back around once it’s clear,” he responded. “Just try not to leave without me.”

  His tone might have been light, but my heart clenched at the thought of him staying behind.