Valkyrie

by Lucas Marcum

  He leaned over and patted her arm gently. “Valkyries never die.”

  She put her hand on top of his momentarily and squeezed tightly for a moment, then replied, “No. They don’t.”

  The stars outside shifted as the Temperance jumped.

  Part Two: Paradise

  -12-

  “Briefing”

  PI URSA MINORIS SYSTEM; ABOARD THE UEAN ASSAULT TRANSPORT THOR’S HAMMER. CURRENTLY IN LOW ORBIT OVER PLANET K3254—“Paradise”

  OCTOBER 12, 2247

  Major Elizabeth Suarez stood in front of the briefing screen, checked her watch, and waved her arm for silence. The noncommissioned officers around the perimeter of the large room shouted, and the hubbub of casual conversation ceased. Elizabeth stepped forward and adjusted her collar microphone.

  “Thank you all for coming. This is the first combined mission briefing for Task Force Olympic, which is the 3rd Deployable Medical Support Element on Kilo 3254, better known as ‘Paradise’.” She paused to look around the room. The aviation wing, the field hospital, and the support element were all packed into the room, making the usually cavernous mess hall seem crowded. She glanced at her notes before continuing.

  “I am Major Elizabeth Suarez, the acting deputy chief of Clinical Services, and the chief nurse for the 348th Combat Search and Rescue wing. I’ll be briefing in the absence of Colonel Woodruff, the chief of Clinical Services, who is currently unavailable.” The lights dimmed slightly, and the screen on the wall lit softly with the briefing slides.

  Elizabeth continued, “Task Force Olympic will consist of the 3rd Deployable Medical Support Brigade, which consists of the following units: the 348th Combat Search/Support and Rescue Wing; the ‘Valkyries’, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Elise Moreno; Colonel Hakim Assad in overall command of the 48th Field Hospital; and supporting units, including the 223rd Naval Logistic Support Unit, lead by Commander Nancy Wells.”

  The commanders each stood briefly and nodded, then sat back down. Elizabeth clicked the slide forward.

  “We will be providing support for Operation Brushfire. We will be providing on-planet medical and surgical services in support of the 5th Marine Division. Their task on Paradise will be to find and clear the planet of the Elai forces that have been waging a guerilla-style conflict since the Navy blasted their warships out of the system. Apparently, the Navy is unhappy that the Elai are sitting down there in the jungle lobbing anti-ship missiles at our vessels in orbit.” She paused as the soldiers in the room chuckled, then continued, “In-orbit assets will be the UEAN assault transports Thor’s Hammer and the Shiva’s Wrath, with Odin’s Spear arriving in the next few months. The bulk of medical services will be provided the old-fashioned way—in the field hospital.”

  She continued speaking as she flicked the slide forward, displaying a list of units, “Friendly forces on the planet: the bulk of the combat troops will be from the Earth Alliance Marines; specifically, the First, Second and Third Battalion of the Fifth Marines. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 17th Spaceborne Division will be out system on the Odin’s Spear as an orbital reserve. They will be supported by UEA logistic and sustainment forces, and a variety of Army Special Forces and Marine Force Recon units. Air support will be provided by the Marines from the space/ground wings, both here on the Thor’s Hammer as well as on Shiva’s Wrath. Suffice it to say, there’s going to be a lot of firepower down there with us.”

  The slide changed, and a three-dimensional hologram appeared of an armored Elai soldier standing in front of the podium. There was a murmur from the crowd. Elizabeth waited a moment, then began to speak.

  “The Enemy: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the bad guy. This is an Elai infantryman, and don’t let his size deceive you. He’s one nasty little bastard. “

  The hologram stood perhaps five feet tall, clad in slick black armor, with a visored helmet and a rifle. Extra magazines were in waist pouches, and a stubby sidearm was on the left hip. Elizabeth flicked a switch, and the armor disappeared. There was another murmur from the crowd. After a moment to allow the soldiers to examine the hologram, she began to speak.

  “The average male Elai soldier is slightly smaller than a human. They stand about five feet tall, and weigh about fifty-five to sixty kilos. For you Americans, that’s about a hundred and twenty pounds.” There was a chuckle in the room. Elizabeth continued, “They’re descended from a land dwelling—probably reptilian—predator, hence the teeth and binocular eyes.” She pointed at the figure’s jaw and continued.

  “The line on his jaw here is an electromechanical sensory system. UEA scientists suspect it might be vestigial, or maybe not. We don’t really know. Visual acuity is excellent, with the standard eyesight being 20/10 or better. Hearing is slightly poorer than ours, coming in at 30-45 thousand hertz. They have thick skin that’s comparable to a sturdy shoe leather, and can vary widely in coloration and pattern. Internal organs we’ll discuss in the medical briefing. Bottom line, up front they look small, but they’re extremely smart, fast as hell, and incredibly aggressive. We didn’t count on that in the first major ground actions, and it cost a lot of lives. I’ll animate the ‘gram now.” She activated the hologram.

  The holo began to breathe and move slightly, looking around alertly. The face was finely featured, with rough skin, slit nostrils like a snake, and black, shark-like eyes that looked everywhere and nowhere at once. The mouth was thin and lipless. As the assembled soldiers watched, the jaw opened slightly, and row upon row of sharp teeth could be seen. It cocked its head from side to side in quick, avian motions. She froze the hologram again.

  “Their overall tech is slightly less developed than our own by maybe fifty years or so, but don’t let that fool you. The Elai soldier is tough, smart, and damn adaptable. They can and will adopt tech found on the battlefield, at times even improving on it. They shoot, move, and communicate as well as any human infantry, same with their armor and suborbital fighter support. Their tactical adaptability is nothing short of astounding. Multiple times during the fighting on Desolation, Allied forces would use a tactic against them, only to turn around and have it executed perfectly against them days or even hours later.” Pausing, she then continued somberly, “Make no mistake. Mr. Elai here is a very capable opponent, and a dangerous enemy.” The room was silent at this.

  She paused a moment, looking around the room, then clicked the slide forward.

  “Time: We will be in system for eight months. One for arrival and setup, six months of operations, and one transitioning to the incoming unit when they arrive, plus or minus a few days. We’ll be relieved by the 18th Deployable Medical Support Element, if anyone is interested.”

  The slide clicked, showing a picture of the pristine blue and green world from obit. Elizabeth continued.

  “Terrain: Planet Kilo 3254, also known as ‘Paradise’, is eighty-five percent water, with two major landmasses; a big one near the equator, another, smaller one in the southern hemisphere, and many thousands of small islands. The colonies are on the one near the equator.” The slide changed, showing an aerial view of the colony.

  “The colony in total is about seven thousand people, and is self-sustaining; mostly farming and some hunting. The population is the combination of a pre-faster-than-light slowboat colony that got here first, and several jump-capable colony ships after, so there’s a pretty eclectic collection of people here. You’ll get a chance to meet them, as we’ll be providing medical assistance while we’re here, and most of the clinical and tech staff will be rotating through to assist the colonists at some point.” The screen changed to a page of numbers.

  “Gravity is eighty three percent of Earth normal, and oxygen is twenty six percent, slightly higher. You’ll feel and perform like a machine down there. With near-Earth conditions, it’s climatologically a really lovely place, that’s why the name ‘Paradise’!” There was a chuckle from the assembled troops.

  Elizabeth grinned and continued, “However.” There came a series of good
-natured complaints from the audience. She laughed. “You knew there was a ‘however’. The world has extensive rainy seasons, effectively lasting nine months out of the year. It apparently stops raining in September, through November.” The chuckles turned to groans. The slide clicked, showing a deep jungle.

  “The extensive rain has led to the first extrasolar rainforest that we know about. This jungle is deep, thick, wet, and has a ton of critters in it the UEA scientists haven’t classified yet. The colonists are here because, outside of Earth, this is the only place discovered in all the hundreds of planets surveyed by the UEA that coffee beans and tea bushes can grow outside of domes and laboratories. For once, we’ll have plenty of fresh coffee and tea.” There was applause and a few cheers.

  She clicked forward again. “Other considerations. Local flora and fauna is abundant. People, this is a rainforest, and it is teeming with life. There’s these big things that look like sloths with alligator teeth, these tiny birds that sing beautifully but are like flying piranhas, and bugs. So, so, so many types of bugs. This is basically an entire version of Earth’s rainforests, just one that’s never been mapped, categorized, or explored.”

  She paused and looked around. “Let me be very clear. This place is very, very dangerous. We are very much the aliens here. The jungle here is as dangerous as the Elai, perhaps more so. The colonists have shared what they know, but even with their accumulated knowledge, there’s still discoveries happening every day. We have to stay alert. This is a very dangerous place, for a lot of reasons.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Ok. That’s it for me. Team leaders, break into your section briefings. Medical crew, your briefing is in this room right now. Dismissed.” She left the front of the room as the senior NCOs began herding the soldiers towards their respective briefing areas.

  Moving to the side of the large room, she moved towards a short man with Asian features wearing the chevrons and rocker of a UEA sergeant first class.

  Elizabeth grinned at him. “Hi, Brian! How was it?”

  He smiled nodded amiably. “Hey, Ma’am. Are those sloth things real?”

  She nodded. “You should see some of the pictures in the intel packet. It’s like a teenage boy started throwing parts of animals together to make the most badass, toothy monsters he could. You don’t even WANT to see what’s in the oceans.”

  Brian frowned slightly and asked, “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head, remembering he grew up on Mars. “Just huge, scary things. The colony reported one…something, they call it a ‘Dragonfish’, that they estimated at three hundred meters long.”

  Brian’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s…wow. That’s quite a fish.” Elizabeth nodded.

  “Yep. The Thor’s Hammer is only four hundred feet long, so it’s almost the size of a starship. Looks like no barbeques on the beach this rotation.”

  Brian shook his head again in wonder. “Three hundred meters…Jesus.” They made their way out of the crowded briefing hall and headed aft towards the common areas.

  As they passed the recreation areas, a hatch flew open, and a short, dark-haired woman clad in exercise clothing stepped out, turned, and hurled a torrent of verbal abuse through the hatch.

  “Yeah, you! Pendejo. If you touch me again, I’m going to rip your fucking balls off. Oh, and another thing, you mother…” There was a pause as whomever was inside responded, “Oh, sure you didn’t. You Vesuvian piece of shit. I got your name. Next time, I’ll have your ass.” She slammed the hatch, muttering under her breath. She then turned and saw Brian and Elizabeth starting at her and flashed a dazzling smile at them, “Oh, Hi guys! How was the briefing?”

  Elizabeth and Brian traded an amused glance, and Elizabeth spoke, “Hey Elise. Is…Err…everything ok?”

  Lieutenant Colonel Elise ‘Fury’ Moreno looked puzzled and responded, “Yeah. Why?”

  She then glanced at the hatch and laughed, “Oh, THAT. One of the Specter pilots from the Shiva’s Wrath thought he could take me in zero gravity racquetball.” She grinned cockily, “Naturally, I whipped his ass, and then he had the goddamn balls to slap my ass and tell me he LET me win!”

  Her face darkened and she glowered towards the hatch. “Arrogant little piece of shit. He’s sort of cute, but he’s not as good a pilot as he thinks he is. ‘Space superiority fighter pilot’, my ass. He doesn’t have to deal with ground fire, hot LZs, weather, and obstacles. Bring his cocky ass down on the deck. I’ll show HIM who’s the best pilot in the sector.” She used a towel draped over her shoulder to wipe her face and joined them as they continued heading aft.

  She spoke as they moved, “So Colonel Woodruff is out, Liz?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yep. She’s picked up some bug somewhere, something nasty. She’s being evac’d to FleetCom to the Station Hospital. Looks like I’m going to be the acting director of clinical services as well as the lead flight nurse.”

  Elise nodded. “Good. I mean, not about Colonel Woodruff, that sucks, but I’m glad you’re on my bird. I don’t trust these new nurses.”

  Brian looked over at this and asked with a slight smile, “Why’s that, Ma’am?”

  The small woman shrugged. “Just ‘cause. I don’t like them. They’re too new and think they know things. They don’t know anything.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t have to like them, and they don’t have to like me. I have you guys, a Skyhawk Valkyrie B with the upgrade package, and a new pair of legs. What else do I need?” She stretched out a perfectly tanned leg in front of herself and looked at it admiringly.

  Elizabeth looked at it and shook her head, “Those are incredible. You can’t even tell!”

  Elise grinned broadly and replied, “Yep! They surprise the HELL out of people when we kick box. Plus I don’t have to shave them, which is actually a very neat hidden benefit of prosthetics.” Elizabeth laughed and Brian just shook his head, rolling his eyes.

  Elise stopped at a junction in the passageway. “Hey, I gotta get some stuff done. The birds are dropping separately from the shuttles tomorrow. You guys want to come down with us? Get you out of those flying dump trucks they call shuttles, plus it’s one hell of a ride!”

  Elizabeth and Brian traded a glance, then Elizabeth said, “Sure, that sounds better than the shuttles. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Elise grinned evilly. “Eat light. It’s gonna be bumpy.” With a casual wave, she turned and disappeared down the hallway.

  Brian and Elizabeth traded another glance and headed towards their quarters to make their final preparations for the drop in the morning.

  -13-

  “LANDFALL”

  ABOARD THE UEAN ASSAULT TRANSPORT THOR’S HAMMER

  0535 hours, OCTOBER 13, 2247

  The massive hangar deck of the UEAN Thor’s Hammer was a buzz of activity. Flight and deck crews swarmed over the hanger bay, fueling the many aircraft and finishing last minute preflight checks. Sailors in brightly-colored uniforms performed different tasks under the direction of order-barking petty officers.

  Elizabeth and Brian, clad in their power armor with a small kit bag over their shoulders, stood in one of the personnel access hatches and waited for the enlisted sailor who would guide them to their ‘Hawk. While they waited, they stood and took in the sight of the flight deck.

  The cavernous hangar was packed with aircraft. Closest to them were the fighters; Specters and Banshees. The Specters were sleek, slate-grey vessels with massive engines and looked fast even while sitting still. The Specter closest to Brian and Elizabeth sported a skeletal figure wrapped in a cloak with a scythe painted on the tail. The lettering under the figure read, ‘VMFA 317 Grim Reapers’.

  Further down the line, the Banshees sat in stark contrast to the sleek Specters. Squat and solid, green and black, with a massive air intake that looked for all the world like the open mouth of a predator, an effect that was reinforced by the rows of sharp teeth painted on the nose by the crews. The massive multi-barrel lascannon could be seen projecting fro
m the nose of the Banshees. The tail logo read ‘VMFA S/G 221 Voodoo’. The tail logo was a grinning skull in a top hat, with an outstretched hand holding a pair of dice showing snake eyes. Underneath the skeletal hand was the unit’s motto: ‘Roll ‘em!’.

  Further down and closest to the massive hangar doors, they could see the squat outlines of their Skyhawks—the stout search and rescue aircraft that had come to be known as ‘Valkyries’—sitting on top of the shallow, disposable, dish-shaped re-entry shields.

  Staring at the Marine aircraft, Brian nudged Elizabeth. “That’s a lotta firepower. That’s two Marine space/ground wings, and that’s just here on the Thor’s Hammer. There’s probably another two in the Shiva.”

  She looked at him for a second, then back at the fighters. “So?”

  “So, that means they think we’re going to need close air support.” He paused significantly before adding, “Again.”

  Elizabeth regarded the rows of strike aircraft and considered this, thinking about their time on Desolation, and sighed. “Oh. Jeeze.”

  Nodding grimly, Brian continued, ”Yep. Well, at least they’re planning for it this time and not sending us in without an escort.” He paused again. “Theoretically.”

  Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth responded, “Yeah. Theoretically. At least we’re in B-Mod Valks now. That’ll help.” Brian didn’t reply, just shrugged slightly, and kept watching the activity in the massive hangar.

  Behind them, they heard a young sounding voice say, “Major Suarez? First Sergeant Agawa?” Simultaneously they turned and looked at the source of the question. Behind them stood a young man with a pair of gold second lieutenant’s bars on the collar of his duty uniform. He had a small satchel with him and looked nervous.

  The young officer came to attention and saluted. “Ma’am! Second Lieutenant Jonathan Wilkowsky, reporting as ordered!”