Carthage Prime

by Toby Neighbors

  When she got back to her console, she gave the planet on her screens one last look before switching over to simulators. There was no way to know which simulator in the row of Titan training stations Alex would utilize. She would have to wait for her operator to sync to one of the simulators, and then she could join him. As she slowly ate her snacks, alternating one bite of sweet cookie with one bite of salty cracker, she wondered if he would know when she talked to him. The thought of their mutual disappointment made her want to see him more than ever. Just knowing they were on the same ship but separated from one other was grueling. Everything she wanted was postponed and put off for a later time. She couldn’t help but wonder, as she waited, if their time would ever come.

  Chapter 11

  “You want to run that by me again?” Ash demanded.

  They were gathered in Alex’s room while the rest of the squad got the good news that they were leaving the ship. The room was soundproof, probably so that the officers could get plenty of rest even if their squads were being loud in the common area just outside. Alex couldn’t hear Master Sergeant Gellar’s orders to the rest of Echo Company, and thankfully, no one could hear Ash’s string of curses when Alex gave the other Titan operators the bad news.

  Alex had just come from Master Sergeant Gellar’s room, where Chief Landry had been waiting. He’d felt strange being in the master sergeant’s private space, but it was exactly like his own and just as spartan. Gellar hadn’t bothered to make herself at home. It was a place to sleep and change clothes, nothing else.

  The news that his team wasn’t deploying with the others felt like a knife in his guts. Master Sergeant Gellar was taking Echo Company down with the other squads, but Alex and his Titan operators were ordered to remain on the ship and continue training.

  “This isn’t fair,” Newt said.

  “Chief Landry is staying with us,” Alex said, trying to keep his friends calm.

  “Oh, joy,” Sly said. “The chief is going to babysit.”

  “Did they at least give you a reason?” Ash demanded.

  “No,” Alex said. “The orders are from higher up, and all I know is what they told me.”

  “Is it because we’re not ready?” Newt asked.

  “Screw that, I’m ready,” Sly snapped.

  “We’re more prepared than the rest of Echo Company,” Ash said. “This blows.”

  “We must have done something wrong,” Newt continued. “They wouldn’t single us out otherwise.”

  “Titan training is longer than the other MBS’s,” Alex said. “Maybe that’s all it is.”

  The door to the room opened without warning, and Chief Landry stepped inside. The four privates all snapped to attention.

  “At ease,” he said in a calm voice.

  Alex looked past the handsome officer and saw Oggy laughing at him and pointing from the common room.

  “Sir, this isn’t right,” Ash said.

  “Yeah, we should be going too,” Sly agreed.

  “Perhaps, but orders are orders,” Landry said. “We’ve all got our orders, and whether we like them or not, we will obey. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Chief,” they all said in unison.

  “Good, because you’ve got a training sim to get to. Remember, you’re still Echo Company, and I expect you to represent us well. Don’t let anyone goad you into doing something that you’ll regret.”

  Alex immediately thought of Oggy and his friends, but he pushed the thought from his mind as Chief Landry left. He glanced at his PIL. They had two minutes to reach the simulator bay.

  “He’s right. Let’s go,” Alex said.

  “Stupid orders,” Sly replied, but he was following Alex out of the small room.

  “I’m sick of the simulators,” Ash said. “I want to fly, not play games all day.”

  “Our time is coming,” Alex said, but there wasn’t much enthusiasm in his voice.

  The corridor was busy, and Alex could hear the excitement in the voices of the other operators. It made his own disappointment sting even more. All he had wanted was to find a place where he fit in, and once he thought he’d found it, he felt like an outsider again. His only comfort was that he wasn’t alone, and yet he felt horrible for even thinking that. His team deserved to be involved in the mission. They were the best operators in Echo Company. Alex knew it was true, so he couldn’t comprehend why they were being left behind.

  The corridor was full of people, but the simulator bay was completely empty. They walked down the narrow aisle between the machines, feeling more bitter with every step.

  “There has to be a reason,” Newt said.

  “Whatever it is,” Ash said, “I hate it.”

  “At least we won’t have to see Oggy’s ugly mug much longer,” Sly said. “This place will be much more comfortable without everyone crowding us all the time.”

  Alex climbed into his simulator without saying anything. He wanted to get through the exercise and be done. Maybe he could take out his aggression on the wrestling mat during hand-to-hand combat training. He hit the button to activate the simulator and waited while the device closed up around him. It smelled like sweat inside, and for a moment it was completely dark. He waited to sync his INC to the simulator, relishing the darkness. For a moment he imagined he had simply disappeared and his problems couldn’t find him. But he knew he couldn’t hide—in fact, he didn’t want to. He wanted to overcome them. He let the INC connect with the simulator with a satisfying snap. The EM waves began a low, soothing song that played in the background of his mind as the simulator came to life around him. He flexed his arms and legs while the program loaded.

  How are you, Alex?

  “You heard?”

  Yes.

  “It sucks. No one can tell us why we aren’t going down with the others.”

  I questioned my CO and got no answers. I’m sorry.

  “Me too,” Alex said. “I know this isn’t what you were hoping for. What’s the exercise today?”

  Planetary insertion from hard vacuum.

  “Sounds exciting,” Alex lied.

  The simulation was boring. Alex and the rest of his team flew from a ship in orbit, across space, and into the atmosphere of a simulated planet. There were no enemies, no combat—just the boring lessons of transitioning from space to atmosphere. Alex learned a few things, but most of the work was on the controller side of things. They had to plot the correct trajectory, make the changes to the battle suit once they entered atmosphere, and help the operator reach the designated zone to complete each run.

  When they finished, Alex was more discouraged than ever. They went to lunch and ate cold sandwiches and pasta salad. They were halfway finished with the meal when Oggy, Nuk, and Tig sat down beside them at the long, rectangular table.

  “Well, well, how the mighty have fallen,” Oggy said with a smirk.

  “Can it, Og, we’re not in the mood,” Ash snarled.

  “There’s no law against speaking your mind,” Tig said.

  “Don’t get so wound up, Ash,” Nuk said. “You wouldn’t want people to see you cry.”

  “All this time people were thinking you were the chosen one, Ace,” Oggy said. “But you’re actually not even good enough to deploy with the rest of the squad.”

  The three Minotaur operators burst out laughing, and Alex could feel his anger rising. He wanted to leap across the table and smash Oggy’s face, but fighting outside of the combat training sessions was strictly forbidden. No matter what Oggy said, Alex had to keep his cool if he wanted to keep flying.

  “You’ll be crying for our help if you aren’t careful,” Newt said.

  “That’ll be the day,” Oggy growled.

  “Yeah, man, combat’s no joke,” Sly said. “Better watch your six out there, some people are known for shooting in the back.”

  A hush fell over the table. It was all too clear that everyone was itching for a fight, but Alex couldn’t let that happen. Oggy hated them because of Alex and because the
y had earned the right to be Titan operators. If they threw it all away over a fistfight, he would never forgive himself. He dropped the bland sandwich on his tray and stood up. Oggy tensed, ready to react to an attack, but Alex calmly stepped away from the table.

  “Run back to your simulators, Ace,” Oggy called out. “That’s the only action you’re going to see.”

  Alex didn’t turn back. His hand gripped the plastic food tray so hard they shook, but he kept walking. When he reached the trash receptacle, he dumped his half-eaten lunch and fed the tray into the automated washing bin.

  “That guy is such a jerk,” Newt said.

  “Someone needs to teach him a lesson,” Sly said.

  “I wouldn’t mind volunteering,” Ash said.

  Alex stared across the chow hall to where Oggy and his friends were laughing. “He’s going to regret being so flippant. I don’t know when, but he’ll lead people into trouble and then he’ll have to face the consequences.”

  “My mom said some people have to learn the hard way,” Newt added.

  “They do indeed, Newt,” Alex said.

  Chapter 12

  The drop ships were launching from bays on either side of the massive carrier ship. Nyx was watching from her controller station. Most of her peers had turned up to see the mass exodus. Cameras were capturing the ships as they maneuvered past the carrier and toward the glistening planet below. Nyx was trying to hold back the bitterness that was threatening to overwhelm her. Alex’s disappointment at being left behind was palpable, and she wanted more than anything to make him feel better. Unfortunately, she was powerless—just another spectator as the large security force made their spectacular entry to a new world.

  The first sign of trouble came from one of the drop ships near the Republic’s bow. Light suddenly flared from the engine, and the drop ship began to drift sideways.

  “D-S-2-9er-7, what is your status?” came the calm inquiry from the carrier’s officers.

  “Mayday, mayday, mayday, a frightened voice replied. Our starboard engine has suffered a catastrophic failure. We have...a breech...”

  The report ended in an ominous silence. Nyx was standing at her station. She could see over the short dividers to where the other controllers were watching the descent from their own station.

  “D-S-2-9er-7, can you maneuver? Bring your vessel to coordinates one, one, four, and wait for rescue.”

  The only response was a section of the drop ship’s hull exploding out from the vessel, with a gush of visible gas. It was obvious from the way the ship was drifting toward the planet that it had no control left, and the breech in the hull was visible even from a distance.

  Nyx’s console beeped, and her Flex PIL vibrated. She dropped into her seat and clicked on the message.

  Emergency Action Message: Prepare for recovery maneuvers. Operators are being mobilized. Stand by for orders.

  There was an icon that would link her to a mechanized battle suit, but to her surprise it wasn’t an FA Titan, but rather an AR Valkyrie. Alex didn’t have experience in a Valkyrie, and Nyx hadn’t run sims in the asset recovery vehicle in a long time. She knew that the Valkyries were large, powerful battle suits, designed to recover other MBS’s that were disabled on the battlefield. They were slow with heavy armor and almost no weapons. Instead, they had electromagnetic lines on either side that could connect to a machine, anything made of metal, and tow it back across enemy lines. The propulsion was similar to the Titan, but the mass of the suit was greater. The Titan was sleek, while the Valkyrie was bulky with more powerful engines. Fortunately, they wouldn’t need the engines in zero-gravity; thrusters would be enough to maneuver with, but if they weren’t careful, they could crash into one another and double the number of casualties.

  Her computer beeped again, and she opened her orders.

  Emergency Action Message: Crew of DS297 is lost. Operators may be alive in their mechanized battle suits. Echo Company will cross from the Republic to DS297, locate and retrieve the MBS’s in the drop ship’s cargo compartment, and retrieve all CDF assets.

  It was a rescue mission…if there was anyone left alive on board, Nyx thought. Otherwise it was merely a salvage mission. She hoped that the operators were in their battle suits, but even so, the ground units weren’t made for prolonged hard vacuum. Their oxygen levels wouldn’t last long, and if the operators ran out of air to breathe, their heavily armored battle suits would be nothing more than coffins.

  She ran a quick systems check on the Valkyrie. It was all she could do other than hope for the best and wait for Alex to arrive. Alarms began to sound through the ship, and a sense of fear filled Nyx as she waited. It appeared they would see action, of a sort, after all. It might not be combat, but it was just as deadly, and the stakes were beginning to weigh on her. Lives were on the line. No more simulations. If they failed, people would die—maybe even Alex. That outcome scared Nyx, but it also steeled her resolve. They would be on a dangerous mission in unfamiliar gear, and that meant her job was even more important. She was determined not to let her partner down.

  Chapter 13

  Alex was thankful the corridors were empty. He and his team were being rushed through the ship that felt deserted after the four squads had left for deployment on Carthage Prime. From the looks of things, there were even more squads on the enormous carrier, but all had been shut down. Chief Landry was leading the way, weaving through the corridors and making Alex feel lost.

  The alarm blaring throughout the ship was enough to make Alex feel on the verge of panic. He forced his mind to focus on following Chief Landry. That was all he had to do—just keep up. They had no idea what was happening or where Landry was taking them. Something was wrong—that much was obvious—but he had no idea if it was an attack or simply just a drill.

  They turned from the narrow corridor they had been racing down into a large room that reminded Alex of the security hangar on NP8261. There were battle suits hanging in harnesses and technicians working around four bulky AR Valkyries.

  “Okay, listen to me,” Chief Landry said as he turned to face Alex’s team. He had to shout to be heard over the alarm. “One of the drop ships had a malfunction. The engine blew, the hull is compromised, and it’s drifting into a decaying orbit.”

  “What about the operators on board?” Ash asked.

  “They should still be alive,” Landry said. “Their battle suits can survive hard vacuum, but we need to get them off the ship and back onto the carrier.”

  “We?” Sly asked.

  “That’s right. The four of you are going after them in these Valkyries.”

  “We haven’t trained on Valkyries,” Newt said.

  “There’s no time to worry about that now,” the chief said. “You’ll be in zero-G using thrusters, so it won’t be that different from the Titans you’ve been training in. Listen to your controllers—they’ll help. You get to the drop ship, pull the survivors out, and come straight back here. I’ll be on the command channel walking you through the entire process.”

  “We can do it,” Alex said, although he felt terrified.

  “That’s the right attitude, Evans. Work this as a team and stay cool,” Landry ordered. “You’ll be just fine.”

  He left them standing in the hangar, and Alex stepped toward the technicians.

  “We’re your operators,” Alex said.

  The technician, a burly man with a bushy beard streaked with gray whiskers, nodded. “The Valkyries are ready for you.”

  A short ladder was set up, and Alex climbed into the Valkyrie. It was like putting on a coat that was several sizes too large. He hit the button to power up the suit, and it began to close around him. Syncing his INC was simple enough, and as soon as he did, Nyx’s voice filled his mind.

  Alex, I’m here. Don’t worry.

  “King of hard not to,” Alex said. “How far out is the drop ship?”

  About eighty klicks.

  “What do I need to know about the Valkyrie?”


  That it’s built for this type of mission is the first thing. Secondly, it uses electromagnets to secure whatever assets you’re trying to recover. You’ll use one to secure your MBS to the drop ship and the other to pull out the survivors.

  “Sounds simple enough,” Alex said.

  In truth, it didn’t sound simple, and he was anything but calm. He used the mental exercises Master Sergeant Grossman had taught him, setting his fears aside and focusing on what he knew to be true. His team wasn’t trained in the Valkyries, but they were all trained fliers. It wasn’t a combat mission—just a rescue—and whoever was in command of the CDF operation had enough faith in them to send them out. That had to mean he, or she, had enough confidence that they would make it back, as well.

  “All right, team, let’s check comms,” Alex said.

  “I’m ready,” Ash said.

  “Locked and loaded,” Sly added.

  “All systems are ready, team leader,” Newt said.

  “Good,” Alex said. “Here’s how we’re doing this. Ash and I will make contact with the drop ship. From there, we’ll assess and begin the recovery. If you have an idea, share it. We only get one shot to save those operators, and I don’t want to blow it.”

  Good pep talk, Nyx said. Her voice was in his mind; sometimes he couldn’t even tell the difference between his own thoughts and hers.

  The harnesses holding up the Valkyries began to move. Alex resisted the urge to move around. Instead, he relaxed his hands on the controls and worked to keep his mind calm. The Valkyrie was essentially a big engine. He could feel the power vibrating through the seat he was on. His legs were to either side, as if he were sitting astride the motor. He could feel the power through his INC as well—a deep, thrumming sense of great energy just waiting to be harnessed and applied.

  The suits were moved through an opening in the wall from the hangar to what appeared to be a launch area. They were set down on the deck, and then the harnesses disengaged.