by Richard Fox
“Bet they’re giggling like schoolgirls about it,” Duke said. “Planning their next crew rest cycle and which nurse to hit up later tonight.”
“Hey,” Booker said, “at least we don’t have to walk back to base.”
“She thinks a Mule means no walking,” Garrison said. “Isn’t she adorable?”
“Feet hurt.” Opal shifted from side to side.
The ramp lowered and a man in pristine Strike Marine waved them aboard.
“You guys need a lift?” Max asked.
“He lives!” Garrison hugged Max and hurried into the cargo bay.
“Now he shows up,” Duke punched Max on the shoulder as he passed. “You missed all the fun.”
“More fun than a bunch of blood transfusions and a couple surgeries?” Max asked. “Next time, I’ll remember to duck. Where’s that sonofabitch that shot me?”
“That guy,” Garrison said. “He’s…somewhere. Somewhere on this planet, pretty sure of that.”
“What are you talking about?” Max traded nodes with Hoffman as the lieutenant came aboard last. The ramp closed and the Mule lifted into the air.
“They escaped,” Hoffman said. “But they should still be on Koen. I’ll tell the pilots to get us back to the space port. We can get them before they get off world.”
“Space port’s been open for almost a full day,” Max said. “Full traffic load. And this bird’s not going back to the city. We’ve been recalled to the Breitenfeld.”
Hoffman felt the Mule’s engines kick in and saw the planet fall away as the shuttle gained altitude.
“Then Masha and Medvedev are in the wind,” Hoffman said.
“Biggest fish always get away,” Duke said as he tucked a wad of chewing tobacco between his gums.
“They…” Max looked from Duke to Hoffman. “They what? You mean I got shot for nothing?”
“I’m sure there’s a Purple Heart in it for you,” Garrison said. “Or not. This mission was off the books.”
“Why are you even on your feet?” Booker asked. “You were at death’s door last time I saw you.”
“Docs took good care of me.” Max sat down and buckled himself in. “They said I was a friend of ‘Ice Claw’ and put me at the head of triage. I don’t know who the hell they’re talking about, but it meant getting out of the hospital faster and back in the field with you all, so I kept my damn mouth shut.”
“You sure it was ‘Ice Claw’ and not ‘Claws’?” Booker asked. “Plural?”
“Let it go,” Duke said. “We get back on the Breit and we’re all just jarheads again.”
“Now he’s modest.” Booker crossed her arms across her chest.
Booker was the first onboard the Mule. She hugged Max, driving him back a step. “Good to see you made it.”
“Jeez, Doc. Was I that bad?” Max asked.
“You still look like a can of hammered shit,” she said.
“Not sure how I feel about that.”
“Max,” Hoffman motioned for the commo specialist to sit next to him, “come help me draft a letter to your family explaining how you got hurt. You know what’ll upset them and what won’t.”
****
The first thing Hoffman saw when he stepped off the Mule was a formidable security force guarding a front loader and the cargo it was moving. The giant black Keystone that was part of the mobile Crucible gate carried a certain menace to it. It took up most of the cargo bay, leaving scant room for Mule transports and a few Eagle fighters towards the fore.
A Breitenfeld armsman led them to Valdar at the opposite side of the landing bay and Hoffman and his team saluted.
Valdar acknowledged with a quick nod. “At ease.”
Hoffman’s team stepped back and stood at parade rest behind him.
“It’s good to see you, Hoffman,” Valdar said. “Pleasant surprise to see your team listed among the defenders. Since we’re in a state of war with the Kesaht, I have local authority over all Terran Union forces. Which is why I pulled you off world to the Breitenfeld.”
“Our last assignment to capture Ibarran spies is still—” Hoffman stopped as Valdar raised a hand.
“The Ibarrans can wait. Traitors or not, whoever you were after aren’t an existential threat to innocent lives or the Union. The Kesaht are. I’m reassigning you from your clandestine status to my command,” the admiral said. “There aren’t any flag officers from the Strike Marines to override me and I need you and your team’s expertise.”
Hoffman looked back at his team.
Max wore his armor but was still gaunt in the face and limped when he walked. Booker and Duke had that ten-thousand-yard stare of warriors who’d been in battle too long. King carried an air of shame about him, and Garrison looked ready for a fight with anything that crossed his path. Opal…was Opal.
“We’re Strike Marines,” Hoffman said. “We fight where we’re sent and we win where we fight.”
“Good. Soon as I can pull the Dotari battle group away, we’re jumping to Syracuse. The colony’s under blockade from a Kesaht force a hell of a lot bigger than the one the Breitenfeld and the Dotari just wiped from space. And for the record, you are being volun-told. I need all the tools I can muster for this fight. Finding you here is a stroke of good luck. You ready to fight more Kesaht?”
A chill shot up Hoffman’s spine. He could feel the presence of his team behind him even though he could not see them.
“Semper fi, Admiral.”
Chapter 26
“Because you are a terrible pilot,” Masha said as she steered the stolen ship through a congested space lane on the way to the Crucible. Civilian and noncombat military ships clustered around the jump gate as a wormhole opened and a squadron of Terran destroyers flew into the system.
“I’m rated on this class of cargo ships,” Medvedev said.
“You almost knocked off the antennae array of a Dotari frigate,” Masha said. “Damn good thing we’re flagged as a medevac flight. That Dotari captain was pissed.”
“I almost knocked off the antennae array.”
Masha looked over her shoulder to the empty racks of stretchers in the cargo hold. The Koen police loyal to the Ibarras sat strapped on benches, looking nervous.
“We are too close to success to let your crap piloting skills ruin it,” she said.
“You call what happened down there a success?” the bodyguard asked.
“We got what we came for…despite a few setbacks.”
“‘Setbacks,’ she says.” Medvedev shook his head.
Masha touched a blinking screen and tapped instructions into the navigation controls.
“We’re clear for the next jump to Sasebo Station,” she said. “They’re directing traffic away from the Earth Crucible—lots of moving pieces out there—which is fine. We can slip away to Ibarra space a lot easier from Sasebo. We’re on autopilot. You think you can handle this part while I encrypt a message to control?”
“Yes,” Medvedev deadpanned. “I can handle this.”
She removed a small case from inside her jacket and opened it. The artifact within glowed with lime-colored light that washed over her face. She took the two discs out and held them gently between her fingertips.
“My my,” she said, “what do you have for us?”
“That Lady Ibarra wants it is all that matters,” Medvedev said, his brow furrowing as an alert message came through. “Our flight pattern’s been locked…priority transport coming through. The Breitenfeld.”
He looked up as the strike carrier lumbered across the sky, flying straight for the center of the Crucible, followed by Dotari navy ships.
“I never thought I’d see that ship with my own eyes,” Medvedev said. “Saint Kallen served aboard her.” He touched his fist to his heart.
“Lady Ibarra wants that ship.” Masha nibbled on her bottom lip. “We need to find out where it’s going.”
“We do not have a source on the Crucible,” Medvedev said. “Not a single agent.”
&n
bsp; “They’ll keep jump records.” Masha checked one final time to be sure the capture device was secure. “I believe it’s time to develop engine trouble and stop for repairs. You up for a quick smash and grab?”
“Anything for Lady Ibarra,” Medvedev said.
THE END
Hoffman’s Strike Marines return in Valdar’s Hammer, coming Summer 2018!
FROM THE AUTHORS
Hello Dear and Gentle Reader,
Thank you for reading The Dotari Salvation. We hope you enjoyed Lieutenant Hoffman and his team’s adventure, much more on the way!
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Also By Richard Fox:
The Ember War Saga:
1. The Ember War
2. The Ruins of Anthalas
3. Blood of Heroes
4. Earth Defiant
5. The Gardens of Nibiru
6. The Battle of the Void
7. The Siege of Earth
8. The Crucible
9. The Xaros Reckoning
Terran Armor Corps:
1. Iron Dragoons
2. The Ibarra Sanction
3. The True Measure
4. A House Divided (Coming Spring 2018!)
The Exiled Fleet Series:
1. Albion Lost
2. The Long March
3. Their Finest Hour (Coming 2018!)
About Scott Moon
Scott Moon has been writing fantasy and science fiction for over thirty-six years. When not reading, writing, or spending time with his awesome family, he enjoys playing the guitar, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and watching movies. Dog guy. Fan of the military. A career law enforcement officer, he served on the SWAT team, Gang Unit, Exploited Missing Child Unit, and helped catch a serial killer. He is also a co-host of the popular Keystroke Medium show (www.KeyStrokeMedium.com)
More Books and Stories by Scott Moon
The Chronicles of Kin Roland
Enemy of Man
Son of Orlan
Weapons of Earth
Read the entire Chronicles of Kin Roland trilogy on Kindle Unlimited!
SMC Marauders
Bayonet Dawn
Burning Sun
Son of a Dragonslayer
Dragon Badge
Dragon Attack
Dragon Land
The Fall of Promisdale
Death by Werewolf
Grendel Uprising
Proof of Death
Blood Royal
Grendel
Darklanding
Episode 1: Assignment Darklanding
Episode 2: Ike Shot the Sheriff
Episode 3: Outlaws
Episode 4: Runaway
(A new episode of Darklanding will be published every 18 days!)
Please visit http://www.ScottMoonWriter.com for more information.
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In the near future, an alien probe arrives on Earth with a pivotal mission—determine if humanity has what it takes to survive the impending invasion by a merciless armada.
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Earth will need a fleet. One with a hidden purpose. One strong enough to fight a battle against annihilation.
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