by Frank Carey
"How did you stop them? We had to hold-up in a cave using a force-field generator."
Mersa shook her head. "We didn't. Something called them away. It was big, whatever it was."
"That was my mate," Crystal said with a toothsome smile.
"Right," the Alue said smiling back. "How big is your mate?"
"Big enough."
"All women talk the same way--to confuse us poor males." Trent said.
"Why not? You make it so easy!" Mersa replied.
"Hey, we have work to do. Murph, can you tie-in to their quantum computers and find a way to scan through this dust?"
"Working, Corporal..."
Their gauntlets lit-up as Murph accessed them. "I am getting a faint emergency beacon signal from 60 degrees true, distance two clicks. The beacon squawks as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Telemetry indicates she is hurt."
"Something meaner than Heartless Hartman exists in this sector of the galaxy? Damn!" Trent noted.
"Knock it off. Crystal..."
"The parent sees her. My beloveds pack is moving in."
"Can your parent do something?"
"It is forbidden. It is up to us," Crystal said. "When we get closer, I will engage my beloved and see if I can persuade him to move the ritual elsewhere. You three must save your friend."
"As it has been since time immortal," Mersa said as she looked to the sky and screamed fire.
"Amen, sister," Trent replied as he checked his weapon.
"Semper fi," Kalana said in a voice that would strike fear in a feral wombat. "Move out, people. Daylight is burning, and we have a Marine to bring home."
CHAPTER SEVEN
At a dive bar, somewhere north of the Arctic Circle...
Kalana watched the other members of her graduating class make use of a 24-hour pass to celebrate the end of one arduous journey and the start of another one. Kalana, on the other hand preferred to sit alone and nurse her drink until such time that they-who-ran-things decided to ship her out to wherever the Boneheads were currently doing whatever they did.
She looked around and wondered what it would be like to know where her life was taking her. Every person in this room--except her, of course--had been briefed on every nuance of the teams they were joining. She, on the other hand, only had a name--the Boneheads. She had checked very database in the League, including at least three that were felonies for her to even know existed, yet she could find nothing. It was as if a myth and an urban legend had gotten together and maybe produced a child.
The sound of something metal dropping in her glass brought her back to the now. She looked down and found a metal skull pendant sitting in her Bourbon. Using her tail, she carefully retrieved it and looked at it in the dim bar light.
"Eww! You don't know where that thing's been."
Kalana looked up and saw an Alturan wearing Master Sergeant chevrons standing next to her. "Actually, I do Gunny. Mama always told us kids to know where our tails are at all times. It's an elf thing." She grabbed an empty glass from behind the bar and poured the sergeant two-fingers of scotch. She slid it over. "Join me, Master Sergeant Zon?"
"Why thank you, Private Grenor." He took the glass and made it disappear under his nest of tentacles.
The elf looked at the charm. "A skull?"
"A bonehead. Welcome to the team." He returned the glass to the bar before making the rest of the bottle disappear.
"Thank you."
"Clip it on your dog tags. It can be used for special discounts at the arcade."
Kalana did as instructed. "Will there be the usual round of disdain, hazing, and initiation?"
"Of course. It builds camaraderie."
"Of course. You get the pendant, but now, you have to earn it."
"Ok, so when do I get to meet the inquisition, excuse me, my team?"
"In a minute, first, you have to deal with the two assassins your almost mother-in-law sent to fulfill that vengeance she swore on your fiancé’s grave." He leaned back as a knife flew past his head on its way to a point just behind Kalana's left temple. It never made it. Instead, she caught it with her tale, the threw it back at the assassin, pinning its hand to the wall.
Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Kalana breached protocol by reaching into Zon's tentacles, retrieving the now-empty bottle of Bourbon, and throwing it into the second assassin's head, sending its gun flying into a fish tank while sending it to the ground. She was on it before it could blink, grabbing a paring knife from behind the bar and pressing it into what she was sure was the creature's carotid artery, assuming it had a circulatory system.
"Corporal! Stand fast!" Gunny ordered. Kalana stood there, listening to her heart pound. Then it dawned on her that Top just called her Corporal. She glanced up at the sergeant. "Was this the hazing or the initiation?"
"It's your final exam," a Basili private said as she took the knife from the corporal's hand. "We'll take care of these two."
"What are they?" Kalana asked.
"Not from around here. Lady Ventana is notorious for hiring hit men from outside the League. Zon explained. "The captain knows how to pick recruits, I give him that. Welcome to the team."
Two MPs took the second assassin into custody while two others freed the first one from the wall. Kalana sat down at a table while the rest of the bar went back to partying. The Basili, an Alue, and Zon joined her. "This is Private Mersa, our weapon's specialist."
"Hey," the Basili said as they shook hands.
"And I'm Private Trent, tactics specialist," the Alue said.
"The rest of the team is waiting outside. Kalana, how do you feel?" Zon asked.
"It didn't kill him. I've run through his death a thousand times. I didn't kill him," she said, as the last year threatened to come crashing down around her.
"We've seen the reports," Mersa said, "and we concur. Someone killed the colonel, but it wasn't you. The killer will be found. Until then, Marine, you will keep the League safe from all threats external."
She looked up at the Sergeant. "Roger that. Let's get started."
###
After a short trip, Kalana found herself sitting in a room aboard the Cube Center for Advance Research. "A name that finally stuck. I thought you'd have to keep track with a comm app."
"Director Devlin spent years trying to persuade the League Ruling Council to stop changing it. Kala, ever deal with an AI partner?" Mersa asked.
"Yes. I had an administrative assistant. She was positive she had been trapped in hell and was being forced to babysit a low-grade moron as penance for indiscretions in a past life. She was great at getting me a table at any restaurant in the city."
Mersa just stared her. "For real?"
"Only too real."
After a pause, Mersa continued. "Well, Murphy is different. As Corporal, you're in the chain of command, so you rate an AI. Murph has read your jacket and volunteered to be your AI assistant." She handed the elf a metal bracelet encrusted with several jewels.
"Does this mean we're dating?" Kalana asked as she put it on, then admired it. "Because if we are, I sleep on the left side of the bed."
Mersa smiled. "Murph, you with us?"
"Yes, Private Mersa. I am on-line."
"Murph, I would like to introduce you to Kalana Grenor, your new corporal. Kalana, this is Murphy. He prefers the pronoun 'He.'"
"Hello Murphy. I have a question: AIs don't have gender, so why the preference?"
"To keep corporeal beings on their toes."
His answer got a smile out of the ex-doctor. "I like you Murph."
"I have read your dossier, Corporal. You fit in with this group. It is an honor and pleasure to serve with you."
"He means he likes you," Mersa explained.
"I thought that was what I said."
"Murph, is the final physical test ready?"
"Yes, Private Mersa."
"Final physical test?" Kalana asked.
"Yes. The Space Marine Corps is putting together a new unit cal
led the Stryker Team. It is based on Gabriel..."
"Adon. Yes, I met DCI Adon at my sentencing. I've also studied his case. Being that I was once a trauma surgeon, I found Dr. Muntz's extension of nanorobotics to be both fascinating and heinous. On the other hand, DCI Adon is probably the most gentle, polite, and cordial person I have ever met."
"Did you see him in stryker mode?"
"Yes. The report mentioned high transformation speed, but that was like describing a Mach six flyby as being fast. I didn't think nanorobots could change material that fast."
"Which is why we test. Recently, the Cube came into possession of several dozen stryker units. These were studied at various research centers around the League..."
"They are sapient beings. Do we have the right to study them?"
"For the most part, they were sociopath super soldiers who owed allegiance to a racist, genius psychopath with dreams of turning the League into a Tralaskan empire. They were treated well. Those who didn't self-terminate are now living full productive lives. Gabe and several other strykers are genetically inclined to work with nanorobots on a level far beyond normal League species. It is as if their DNA was designed with nanorobotic interfacing in mind. This test will determine whether or not you possess that special something that nanos love."
"Mersa, how do you know all this?"
"Expertise hath its privileges. Command figured they'd brief me since I would hack into the system and retrieve the data on my own. Every one of the Boneheads have a past, some that make yours look like a bedtime story."
"Yours included?"
"Mine is definitely included."
They walked down the corridor to the Med Bay where they found a tech waiting. She drew some blood and placed it in an analyzer. After a short wait, the device spit-out a receipt which the tech handed to Kalana. "We'll get the results in a month or so. If you are a candidate, you will be called." She walked out the door.
"Is that it?"
"Yep. We've all been tested, but no one has been called. Maybe you'll break that streak."
"And what, get the chance to see the League through cybernetic eyes grown from my very flesh?"
"Yep. I knew you'd like it here. Come on, I need to get you geared up and ready to meet the rest of the team."
"I need to gear up to meet the rest of the team?"
"Yep."
Kalana gave the Basili a long look as she led her out into the corridor.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The merc leader walked into Lady Ventana's sitting room and stood near the fireplace as she waited for the good lady to arrive. She looked around the room and noted the ostentatious decoration and statues of Tyens born to the Ventana family through the ages. It was a known fact that a Ventana Tyen currently sat on the Tralaskan council. "So much for demigods," the leader said with disdain. "Keep your people safe by letting this mad woman remain loose. Great, plarking idea."
A door opened followed by two male servants who took up flanking positions on either side of the door. The merc gave them a once-over, then unclipped her weapon. Both men looked well-trained--not the usual familial riff-raff that filled security positions in Tralaskan houses.
"Nerita!" Lady Ventana said gushingly as she strode into the room. She gave Nerita a quick hug before turning to the guards and barking, "Leave us!" Once alone, the lady offered the merc a drink.
"Scotch, neat."
"You've always struck me as a vodka drinker."
"You always struck me as someone who would never allow an Earth liquor to pass over her lips."
"Times change. So, what do you have for me?"
"Corporal Grenor disappeared soon after the incident in Antarctica. One of my informants in the Space Marines tells me that she her ship and team have been diverted to Meltor to help in rescue operations. We can easily get to her when she finishes..."
"NO! You will go to this Meltor and execute the vengeance against her."
"Milady, you need serious help. Meltor is a Consortium planet. Kalana is headed to something called Maelstrom which is a forbidden area populated by sapient dragons--big, sapient dragons, the kind that juggle space frigates. Oh, and did I mention it's a forbidden zone which warrants death penalties for trespassers?"
"I don't care. She must die."
"She will die, but not on Mel..."
Lady Ventana reached under the bar and pulled out a satchel with built-in antigravity lifters. She opened it so that Nerita could see inside. "Those are gold-plated osmium 1,000,000 credit coins, a total of 100 of them. "Agree to my request and you keep this satchel. Complete and survive the mission, and you get another one."
Nerita reached over and took a coin out of the satchel. First, she visually examined it, then she ran a pocket scanner over it. "Damn, milady, you know the way to a girl's heart. When do we leave?"
"The ship is waiting for you at these coordinates," the lady replied as she handed the mercenary a slip of paper. "It has enough room for about a baker's dozen passengers."
"Against a Space Marine team? Got anything bigger?"
"Afraid, Nerita?"
"Practical. I used to be a Space Marine. Trust me, they are mean."
"I have someone embedded who has taken care of the team problem. Their suits will malfunction and spread them across the area. Kalana will be completely isolated from help. You just need to draw her to you. You get to choose the place and time. One more thing." She walked over to a table and picked up a photo which she showed to the mercenary. "This is a picture of a ring Dr. Grenor is wearing. I want it back."
"Sentimental value?"
"It's been in the family since Ventana left the caves at the base of Mt. Sulfurous. He gave it to her when he asked her to marry him. I want it back."
"What if she doesn't want to take it off?"
"Bring back her hand."
"Nice." Nerita reached over, took the lady's hand, and kissed the back of it. "Au revoir, Mademoiselle," Nerita said. "Until we meet again." She turned and walked off while Lady Ventana watched in amazement.
###
"All right, people, listen up!" Nerita said to her team of 12 mercs. "We've picked an ambush point and have relayed the coordinates to our mole in the Space Marines. Dr. Grenor will crash here in eight hours," she said while pointing at a spot on the map well inside the Maelstrom's dust wall. "The area is a large flat cliff overlooking a dry ravine. The only way in is either a narrow path through the rocks or a vertical-landing-capable shuttle. We will land outside the area and hike-in using the trail. If we plan this right, she should arrive shortly after we do.
"What about the rest of the Gyrenes?"
"They will be rerouted to landing sites all over the area. They won't find the body until we are long gone. One more thing..." She held up the picture of the ring. "This will be on her left hand, fourth finger. Our client wants it."
"What if the mark won’t give it up?"
"Get the hand. We'll remove the ring later. Rosco! Harriet! Front and center!"
Two mercs walked up to stand at attention in front of Nerita--one male human and one female, both body builders. "Ma'am!" They said in unison.
"Are you two ready for this mission?"
They transformed into large, hulking versions of strykers, only bristling with more weapons than anything Zoe Muntz, the stryker's creator, ever fielded. "Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!"
"Excellent. You two with me while the rest of you will secure the landing site. This area of the Maelstrom is inhabited by a number of rather nasty creatures, and I don't want to be disturbed. Understand?"
"Aye, aye, ma'am!" They returned to human form before rejoining their team.
"We make planet fall, then wait for our mark to arrive. Questions?"
There were none.
"Excellent. Make preparations."
###
Still cloaked in a stealth field, the ship landed outside the area where Nerita and her mercs were going to ambush Kalana. Wearing personal cloaking fields, the thirteen members quickly
made their way into the rocks where they found the trail leading to the cliff. Once inside, they dropped their fields.
"Are you sure we can't be seen?" Nerita asked the merc in charge of counter-detection.
"Yes, ma'am. The sats in orbit above us are as blind as bats due to the dust."
"What about dragons?" she asked with a glance upward. Overhead, a dark silhouette flew past, barely visible even to their scanners and enhanced optics.
"Nah. Anyway, we're too small to be of interest to them."
"I hope you're right," she replied as the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. She kept thinking it was watching them.
Once inside, the mercs took up positions surrounding the landing area. "Incoming!" Nerita yelled an hour later. Above them, a parachute opened as a power suit broke apart and exploded. In minutes, the occupant landed. When they got to their feet, they were met by Nerita and her two strykers who took the dazed Space Marine by the arms and held her while Nerita stripped her of her weapons. Finished, she removed the Marine's cover. "Hartman? Where the hell is Grenor?"
"Nerita! What the hell are you doing on Meltor?"
"I'm asking the questions, Gunny. Where's Kalana Grenor?"
"Kalana...? She's probably at the LZ. What the hell have you done?"
"Nothing yet. Now, shut the hell up while I think... Rosco, get on the horn and see if the ship can find our wayward Marine. I think I know what to do." She tapped her earcomm. "Memphis, this is Nerita. Pop a stealth drone and have it run a search for any Space Marines on foot within 20-clicks of our location. Let me know if you find anything."
"Copy that, Nerita. Memphis out."
"Harriet, transform Gunny's beacon so that she appears injured." She took a folded piece of paper from her vest. "I think Gunny and Kalana got switched on the landing order, which means Kalana will approach this location on her way to the LZ. If I'm right, we can lure her in."
"Unless she was killed in the crash," Rosco noted.
"Let's hope not, otherwise we have to do a body recovery."
"Nerita, this is Memphis. I found her."
