Space Marine

by Merrell Michael

  The room was completely dark. I could see my squad in shades of green, through the night vision in my visor. Overhead my sensors picked up the enemy.

  They were moving through each structure. The dropships were searching overhead. Every so often the would unleash a barrage on a shelter, and the ground would quake. When the warriors were overhead, we could hear their screeching.

  To move was to die. To reveal ourselves would end in death. So we waited.

  Hours passed. Finally my comm chimed.

  "Battle company to Battle three." It said.

  "Go for Battle three."

  "We've got birds inbound."

  "Negative." I advised. "We've got twenty plus tangoes directly on our pause."

  "Solid copy." The first sergeant said. "We've got fast movers inbound first. Grab some cover. Were going to light up those tangoes, and then you can mop up whats left on the ground."

  Mcgovern did a little fist bump with Chief.

  In a few minutes the roar of the Viper jets filled the air above. The impact of air to air missiles echoed upwards, as our fast movers engaged the dropships. The warriors screamed above, and then there was a larger explosion and vibration, as the jets dropped ordnance on the ground troops.

  "Oscar Mike, third squad!" I barked. "Lets move!"

  I smashed open the cellar door. A warrior stood to greet me, his skin aflame from the bombs. I put a three round burst in his skull. The Chimera were stunned. I saw a half amputated Chimera on the ground, crawling with his arms and trailing entrails. We moved among them, killing the wounded. Bullseye rounds snapped past my head, as one of them regained a measure of control. I looked up, straining to hear the whirr of the Stormraven. At last I saw them. A marker popped on my HUD, designating a landing zone.

  "Hasty 360, third!" I said. "Hold the LZ!"

  We formed a perimeter and started to pour out fire. Some of the Chimera were starting to recover. We were outnumbered, and soon would be at a huge disadvantage. I laid down suppression, and resumed the killing. The Marines started to peel off, inside the back of the Stormraven. A warrior ran at me, berserk, and I drove my fist through his chest. Bullseye fire started to ricochet off the Stormraven. "Its getting hot!" The pilot said on the comm. "We've got to get the fuck out!"

  I looked around. I was the last one. I sprinted on board. The bird was already lifting. I vaulted in and crashed on the deck.

  The Stormraven is based on a VTOL Osprey- helicopter model. Vertical takeoff, but able to cruise like a plane. It gets up and goes fast, and can streak out of a hot LZ. I managed to look back. The Chimera were pouring out like ants, firing up at us. For some reason, I was laughing. Then I felt what I was laying next to, Gabberts dead armor, and stopped. The Stormraven gained altitude. We were going back to the FAB. I watched the yellow sand peel away, into the distance.

  There was a memorial service the next day. Stands were set up with old, defunct rifles and kevlar helmets. The practice went back to the Twentieth century, when a rifle would be stuck bayonet down in the ground to designate a combat grave.

  The actual bodies would be shipped back to whatever planet they were from. A messenger would go with them, in dress blues, and regret to inform the next of kin that the loved one had died for humanity. It would be over a month from now, for the body of Gabbert to travel back to Earth, and be escorted back to his father, who didn't even want the boy in the Marines. I listened to the service, then remained in the Chapel.

  The chaplain looked gruff in his ACU uniform. A gold cross decorated his collar, next to his officer rank. "You need some time to pray, son?" He asked.

  "Ive never done that." I told him. "Im not sure how to start."

  He sat on the pew next to me. "You just talk to God." He said. "And he listens. Thats pretty much it."

  "Are you a unitologist?" I asked.

  "Im a Christian." He said.

  "Whats that?" I asked.

  "A follower of Jesus Christ." He said. "A man who lived thousands of years ago, and taught us how to live today. The son of God."

  "Why would God need a son?" I said.

  The chaplain reached behind the podium and brought out a relic, an actual bound book. He handed it to me. The cover read THE MESSAGE//REMIX 2.0 EUGENE H. PETERSON

  "This should tell you everything you need to know." He said.

  "I don't get a lot of time to read." I said.

  He laughed. "Before I earned my commission, I was a grunt, same as you." He pressed a panel on my Armor, it hissed and a compartment opened up. "You can stow the Message here, and it will keep until you get some downtime."

  "Im having trouble right now." I said.

  "What is it?"

  "One of the men in my squad. Lance Corporal Gabbert."

  The chaplain lowered his eyes. "There was a Gabbert in the service tonight."

  "That was him."

  "Was this the first time, losing someone you know?"

  I shook my head. "This is my second deployment. But I never had it happen like this."

  "How was this different?"

  "Gabbert was....he was just a kid. Eighteen years old. He didn't belong here."

  "That can be pretty tough." The Chaplain said. "But how old are you, Corporal?"

  "Twenty-six." I said.

  "Twenty-six. I have a son nearly your age, maybe two years younger. From my perspective, all of you might as well be babies. This is the way of war, and it always has been. Old men send young men off to die."

  I laughed. "Yeah. I get it."

  "Maybe you dont." He took the glasses off his head and wiped them with his sleeve. "You ever hear of King Arthur?"

  "I think Ive seen the movie."

  "Movie. Right." He adjusted the glasses to the bridge of his nose. "I read a lot. Id like to think its my only vice. If you asked God, Im sure he'd say differently, but not the point. When I was younger, near to your age, I read a book by a man named T.H. White, about King Arthur. It was a a great book. And anyway, in the first half of this book, Merlin- the wizard, right? Merlin is teaching King Arthur by turning him into animals. And the lesson he's trying to teach him, is how terrible violence is. War is. How man is the only animal, besides the ant, that goes to war. And Arthurs kind of thick, but, y'know, he gets it in the end. And he comes up with an epiphany: Might does not make right. But might can serve right. And anyway, Arthur gets all big and grows up, but that, ah, revelation, thats why he does what he does. Unite Britian and Chivalry and all that."

  "Sounds good." I said. "But were on Chimera."

  "Thats right. Different situation." The Chaplain coughed slightly. "But Chimera was a Christian planet. That is to say, the settlers on here were primarily Christian."

  "I didnt know that."

  "Not a lot of people do. The corporation doesnt advertise the fact, mostly to appease the Unitologists. What that means, what you have to understand, is that people were here first. Men and women. The virus killed them, then corrupted them into those monsters you face. That killed your friend Gabbert. Thats why you fight. You fight for humanity."

  "What if theyre wrong, chaplain?" I asked. "What if they virus wont spread? What if we can just leave this planet, and, I dont know, quarantine it? Doesnt that make it all for nothing?"

  The chaplain shook his head. "Its never all for nothing." He said. "It took me four tours in the grunts to figure that out. Its always for the man next to you."

  I got up to leave, thanking him. The chaplain pulled out a data pad. "Theres one other thing, about being a Christian." He said. "You always stick up for the little guy. What we did to the Pandorans was shameful."

  I nodded. "I know ensign Sabi." He said. "She got in contact with me, and told me to give you this frequency." The data uploaded to my suit.

  "Thank you." I said. I shook his hand.

  "The name's Matthais." He said. "And if you need anything else, I'm right here."

  That night I tried the frequency. It went through, crystal clear, and Shayiza's face filled my HU
D. She was smiling.

  "I see you, Ryan." She said.

  "I see you, Shayiza." I told her. "Im sorry, for everything."

  "It is much better here than on Mars." She said. "I am allowed to walk around freely. You said you would free me, and you have. No apology is neccesary."

  "Still." I said. "We need to get out of here."

  "Sabi has told me much about you."

  "What sort of things?"

  "What you have done for your men. I did not know you were a great warrior, beloved."

  "I dont know how great I am." I said. "Right now, Im trying to get through this."

  "On my world, we called them the flood."

  A jolt went through me. "Called what?"

  "The enemy you are fighting. They are known to us as the flood. Fighting them you will need all your strength." She looked around. "I have to go, beloved." The HUD returned to normal.

  I drifted to sleep, after that. It was enough, knowing that she was safe, and that she did not blame me for failing her.

  TWELVE

  In the morning the First Sergeant summoned all the squad leaders into the CO's tent. It still had most of the dead officers things. Looking around I could see that Colenol Landis had been something of a nature lover. Framed pictures of deer were everywhere.

  "That bastard loved to hunt." Post said. "No damn good in the field, but I guess on Tycho Four he was a decent shot. Kept telling me that deer on his planet grew to the size of moose. Some sort of extra proteign in the grass they ate. I haven't found the time to throw all his shit away yet."

  "Anyway, listen up." He said. "Were about to start Operation Phantom Fury. Before you ask about the name, higher dug it up out of a history book. A great victory for Marines in the early twenty-first century. They thought it would stick here. Thats that. Whats going on, is, were attacking the capitol."

  Murmers spread between us. "Thats a big objective." Lieutenant Mellas from first squad noted. "More than one company."

  "Youre right, lieutenant." Post said. "Thats why were throwing a regiment at it. Plus a battalion of uns."

  More murmurs. The uns were unarmored infantry, which on this planet equaled nothing much more than a bullet sponge. Most of them were reservist or Planetary Guardsmen. They weren't anything special in way of talent and training.

  "Can the uns handle that?" Staff Sergeant Jordan from second squad asked.

  "Were going to help them handle it." Post said. "Our orders are to disperse with the uns. Were going to take Warthogs and Rhino tanks, all the way up to the city."

  "What about when we get in the city?" Mellas asked. "Most of those buildings are too narrow to drive a vehicle through."

  "Its house to house, when we get there." Post said. "We clear every building."

  No one said anything to that. We were too stunned. Post told us to brief the Marines, and dismissed us. I got back to my hanger, and told Third Squad.

  "So thats whats up." Mcgovern said. "We go from POG's being stuffed into Power Armor, to being reinforced with straight uns. This shit gets crazier every day."

  To everyones suprise, Chief said, "It might work."

  "How you figure?" Griswold asked.

  "The Chimera do this shit. They don't send out a squad of brutes. They send one brute out with a pack of warriors, a leadership thing. Putting the uns in with us might help us both out."

  "All thats going to happen is, the uns are going to die or scatter when the Bullseye's start ripping into them." Mcgovern said. Thats going to leave one, maybe two Marines, against a full pack of Chimera, probably with a brute. Everyone ending up dead."

  "What would you suggest?" Chief said. "What were doing isn't working. Sending out a squad means they just keep pouring warriors at it until they overwhelm. Higher had to do something new."

  "Something new would be pulling out of this hunk of rock and nuking it from orbit." Mcgovern said.

  I didn't know what to tell any of them. I hated it as much as they did. The capitol had been lost at the very start of the war, and never retaken. I didn't see how we would do it. If I had been a better squad leader, a lieutenant maybe, with real leadership training, I would have said the right words to motivate them. Instead I told the squad that we leave in two days, and that they needed to clean their weapons before we departed.

  The uns arrived the next morning. A female un trooper caught me at the chow hall, scarfing down a platter of rehydrated eggs.

  "Commander Sawyer?" She said.

  "Urm." I muttered.

  She saluted. "Lieutenant Codi Byers, 84th Gaian reserves. Im your guard liason."

  "Corporal." I muttered.

  "What was that?"

  "Its Corporal Sawyer. You dont salute me."

  She stood at a very stiff parade rest. "There must be a mix-up."

  "What is that?"

  "Im supposed to report to Commander Sawyer, third squad leader."

  I stuffed the plate in a waste bin. "The only mix up is my rank." I said. "Im third squad leader."

  She blinked quickly, proccessing the information. "My platoon is waiting outside." She said. "The men are ready for your inspection." She did a quick about face, and marched out.

  "I was wrong." Mcgovern said.

  "About what?" I asked.

  "They sent us Gabbert with tits. That is an improvement."

  Against my better judgement, I went out to see the platoon.

  Byers called them to attention when I stepped out. I half-heartedly looked at the first soldier in line. The were shorter than I was by default, not being in Power Armor. The soldier was covered in heavy looking packs.

  "Whats in these?" I asked, poking the largest pack on the back.

  "Were a jump-capable unit." Byers said.

  "So your telling me? These are freakin ' chutes?"

  Byers nodded.

  "You are aware.....you are aware that we aren't dropping in? That were taking Warthogs?"

  Byers shifted nervously. "We werent briefed on that." She said.

  Behind the visor, I rolled my eyes. "Were taking Warthogs." I said. "Ditch the chutes. Ditch all the extra packs, and gear."

  "What about.....supplies?"

  "Its a full mechanized movement. The Warthogs can carry rations, and whatever else. When we get to the capitol, we cant have to much weighing us down. What kind of armor do you have?"

  She shifted again. "Sergeant Volsted?" She asked. A fat soldier in a grey moustache ran up.

  "Yes maam."

  "What kind of body armor do we have?"

  "Plasteel vests, mostly. A couple of the older flak jackets."

  "You still have flak jackets?"

  "The supply depot ran out." the Sergeant said. "Turns out we didn't have enough for a full mobilization."

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten. "Alright." I said. I went down to the next man in line, and took his rifle. "Wheres your ammo?" I said.

  "They didn't send us any." Byers said.

  This time I couldn't hold myself back. "They sent you to fucking Chimera without any bullets?"

  Byers cheeks were turning red. "They said we would get supplied when we got here."

  I shook my head. "The FAB was attacked last night." I told her. "Look, let me talk to your squad leaders."

  "Squad leaders?" She said.

  "Your non-commissioned officers. Your NCO's."

  "Im afraid I'm it." The Sarge Volsted said, and laughed. I wondered what his insides would look like, when the Chimera were through with him. I told him we would set up training that afternoon.

  An hour later in the hanger, three of the uns came up to me.

  "Corporal Sawyer?" The tall one asked. "Thats an E-4, right?"

  "It sure is."

  "Specialist Davee." He said. "This is Tims and Huerta." Tims was a stocky, black soldier, and Huerta was wiry and hispanic. "The Sarge was telling me you wanted to talk to squad leaders."

  "Are you guys it?"

  "More or less." Tims said.

  "Look,
" Davee said, "Im sorry about the Lt. What you have to understand, is that Gaia has never had to deploy its Planetary Guard before. She's green as grass."

  "Yeah, I can tell." I told him. "What about you guys?"

  "The three of us were all active Terran Army." Davee said. "Me and Tims were in the same unit, and Huerta was a Ranger. We all know our shit okay."

  "The problem with these reservist." Huerta says. "Is they got no kinda small unit leadership. I mean, they all buddy buddy and shit, call everybody by the first name. But nobody knows to keep everyone else in check."

  "Thats real bad." I said. "Chimera is no joke."

  "Real talk, though." Tims said. "How bads this shit been?"

  "Im not going to lie to you." I said. "Its been tough. We had one guy buy it yesterday. Another guy lost his hand."

  "Fuck." Davee said.

  "We need you to talk to the Lieutenant." Huerta said. "Tell her to split the platoon into squads."

  "We tried to tell her before we shipped out." Davee said. "She wont listen to us, cause our collars light. Only enlisted she'll listen to is fatass Sarge Volsted, and that dude knows diddly shit. Back in his day, a booze cruise to Rigel was counted as a deployment."

  "But she'll listen to a Space Marine." Tims grinned. "She's a big fan of armored infantry."

  "Sounds good." I told them. And it was good, to see that someone with experience was in the uns. But we only had two days.

  I told Byers like Davee had suggested. She took it well enough. It was the fat little Sergeant that proved to be a problem. He wheedled and whined about having his authority stepped on. Nothing came of it, of course. I had ammunition distributed throughout the platoon. We did a walkthrough of the mission, and some room clearing.

  That evening, Mcgovern and I walked around the FAB.

  "Thats where the data vendor used to be." Mcgovern pointed out.

  "Whatever happened to that guy?" I asked.

  "They closed him down. Found out he was pirating movies."

  "All his stuff was pirated. Everyone knew that."

  "Right, everyone except this one POG officer who finally found out, and reported it to the corporation."

  "So no one can watch any movies?"

  "No. Theres a guy that sells data streams on the station. You just have to wait until your rotated out for some R and R."