Forged to Lead

by James David Victor

  “Sup, Marine?” the guard with the shoulder-slung baton called out to Jack.

  “What’s A Company doing down here?” Jack called back and continued to walk forward.

  “Following orders,” the boot-tapping Marine answered.

  Jack stepped up in front of the guards. They brought their batons forward in a swift and synchronized move. They pointed the polished tips forward toward Jack.

  “That’s far enough, Marine.”

  Jack held his hands up. “Just wanted to check in on my friend.”

  The boot tapper pushed his baton into Jack’s shoulder. “No visitors.”

  Jack looked past the Marines to the comatose Reyes. She was hooked up to a diagnostic machine, and her face was covered by a breathing mask. Her chest heaved in time with the beeping machine.

  “Let me in for a second, eh, guys?” Jack used his best diplomatic smile.

  The Marine guards turned stony cold and took a step forward, their batons pressed into Jack’s chest.

  “Walk away, Forge,” the boot-tapper said, “unless you want me to smack you on your turnip with this highly polished chunk of timber.”

  Jack hesitated for a second. He’d been called by name. “Do you know me?” Jack asked.

  “Jack Forge,” the guard said. “The whole battalion knows about you.” There was a hint of a smile. “You took down a Leviathan.”

  “Just being good Marine,” Jack said modestly. Then he leaned in as if to take the pair into his confidence. “Why not let me in for just a moment?”

  The pair pushed Jack away with their batons. “Orders are what they are, Forge. Now sling it or get cracked.” The guard brought his baton down against his palm and gripped it. “Hero or not, if my orders are to break your skull, I will.”

  Jack stepped back with a grin. “As you were, guys. No need to check if I’ve got more brains than guts.” Jack pointed toward Reyes. “If she wakes up, will you let me know?”

  “Leave now or I’ll tell Major Cruz you are trying to circumvent his orders.”

  Jack took another step back. He smiled and nodded. The guards stepped back to the entrance of Reyes’s compartment. The boot-tapper resumed his tapping, and the other swung his baton back over his shoulder. Jack looked past the guards at his comatose friend in her grimy little compartment.

  Jack needed to speak to Reyes before anyone else, especially the agent. He couldn’t see her taken from the hospital just to be executed.

  3

  The bunkhouse was quiet when Jack arrived. Some Marines were asleep in their coffin-sized bunks, while others quietly played cards under a small electric light. Jack slipped by and climbed into his bunk.

  Jack had been in the debrief room for hours. Sitting and talking had never been so exhausting. He knew he’d been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Agent Visser. She clearly suspected him of having had something to do with Finch’s disappearance, but she didn’t have any proof. The Marines recorded every moment of their operation on hundreds of sensors, scanners, and cameras, but the destruction of the Chitin Leviathan must have disabled the data collection somehow.

  Jack grabbed his small personal tablet. He accessed fleet channels and searched for reports on his mission to Kratos. The fleet transmitted all data on any victory they had over the Chitins. The destruction of the Leviathan would be big news.

  Jack found a story on the Battle of Kratos Fuel Station. The image on the headline was a computer graphic of a Leviathan being destroyed. The fleet should have a record of the actual destruction. The news channels would have been plastered wall to wall with movie and holograph data of the battle and in particular, the climactic destruction of the massive enemy craft.

  No matter how much Jack searched, he couldn’t find a single recording from the battle. The only reason why the fleet and the Gov news agency wouldn’t be casting the whole battle, Marine fatalities and all, would be because they didn’t have the data.

  Jack turned off his tablet and closed his eyes. The image of the Chit Leviathan being destroyed filled his sleepy mind. The energy from the blast must have knocked out the data recording from all the Marines and their landing craft.

  All Jack had to do was get to Reyes and make sure she didn’t give herself away. He closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him.

  The claxon alarm sounded and woke Jack from his light sleep. Sam Torent shouted into the bunkhouse.

  “On your feet, Sixth Squad.” Torent stood in the muster point outside the stack of bunks.

  Climbing down from his bunk, Jack was only vaguely aware. His actions were automatic and instinctive. He was a Marine and the call to action overcame all sleep and reluctance. He formed up with the depleted 6th squad in the muster point.

  “Suit up, arm up.” Torent walked quickly along the line of Marines. “Muster on the Marine deck. Double-time, Marines. Move it!”

  Jack pulled on his meat suit and grabbed his pulse rifle from the rack. He ran to the Marine deck without knowing what he was running to. But this was war and at any time, they could be called to action. He was expected to follow orders and perform his duty at a moment’s notice. He ran to the Marine deck, ready for anything, expecting anything.

  6th squad formed up in minutes. A moment later, the company commander entered the Marine deck with a clean uniform and an upright gait.

  “Commander on deck,” Torent called the Marines to attention.

  “At ease, Marines.” The commander walked down the squad’s line. “I haven’t had chance to meet you yet. You will get to know me in time. I’m Commander Griff, the new Commander of Cobra Company.”

  Griff walked back along the short line. “A fighter patrol squadron has disabled a Chitin Kraken. That Kraken has crash-landed on an asteroid. The Scorpio is the closest ship to the asteroid and you are the best squad in my company, so you are going to go down there and secure the Chit craft. Fleet want to get their hands on any Chit tech that survived. There may be some Chits that survived the crash. If they did survive, you will kill them. Questions?”

  Torent stepped forward. “Squad leader, sir. How many Chits can we expect?”

  “Kraken craft are thought to have a crew of up to ten Chitins. Our data is still a bit patchy since the Leviathan went down over Kratos.” Griff looked along the line of Marines until he spotted Jack. He stepped up to Jack.

  “Forge?” Griff asked.

  “Sir, yes, sir.”

  “Good work taking down that Leviathan, Marine. Glad you are on our side.”

  “Sir, thank you, sir.”

  “Listen up, Marines,” Griff shouted. “Stay alert, listen to your squad leader, and get the job done. Landing craft standing by.” Griff turned to Jack. “We are still a bit short of co-pilots. Can you assist?”

  “Sir, yes, sir,” Jack shouted, filling with pride and excitement. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Move out, Marines. I’ll see you when you get back.” With that, Griff turned on his heel and walked off the deck.

  “You heard the commander. To the landing craft. Move out.” Torent waved 6th squad toward the landing craft ramp.

  Jack stepped up alongside Torent. “Why didn’t they make you company commander?”

  “I’ll get there,” Torent said, pushing Jack forward. “Griff is a good officer. He was a commander in the Libra Battalion before she went down.”

  Jack stepped onto the ramp. “I heard he was a hero at the Battle of Hades Lava Lake. At least he goes in with the troops sometimes.”

  Torent followed Jack up the ramp. “They say he saved most of Birch Company. They say he’s good.”

  Jack pulled on his helmet and opened a channel to Torent. “We’ll see,” he said.

  “You sure you can fly this thing?” Torent asked, closing the landing craft ramp.

  “You know how to fire that pulse rifle?” Jack walked to the cockpit.

  “When I make commander, you will show me the proper amount of respect, Forge.” Torent stepped into his alcove and strappe
d himself in.

  “Yes, boss,” Jack replied and then listened to the pilot for instructions on the final pre-flight checks.

  4

  The landing craft touched down on the asteroid and Jack was sorry that the short flight was over so soon. Torent called 6th squad to form up outside the craft. Jack unclipped his restraints and grabbed the pulse rifle from its holder next to his seat. He was down the ramp and formed up with his squad in moments, the disappointment that the flight was over replaced by excitement at the job ahead.

  Torent was down on one knee and studying the horizon with his field scanner. Jack knelt next to him. A deep furrow had been gouged out of the asteroid surface where the Chitin Kraken had skidded across it, carving its way through ice and rock before reaching its final resting place.

  Terry stood behind Jack and Torent. “Where’s this kravin ship, eh?”

  “About two hundred meters that way.” Torent pointed along the deep furrow.

  “Why didn’t you put us down next to the kravin thing, Jack?” Terry nudged Jack in the back with his knee.

  Jack stood up and faced Terry. “What if there are Chit soldiers alive in that wreck? You want them to blast us out of the void before we land?”

  “Think you are so smart, don’t you, Forge?”

  “Stop your spat, you two.” Torent stood and pocketed his field scanner. “Jack, take Osho and Gas. Advance toward the Kraken on the right of this furrow. I’ll take Terry and Bubble and advance down the left. Noise and light discipline, Marines. Keep quiet and hidden. Go.”

  Jack led the way. His suit’s enhanced data overlay showed him the position of Torent and his team. The position of the Chit craft was highlighted, although it was currently out of sight, its position having been identified by the orbiting Scorpio.

  The Chit ship suddenly came into view. Torent called to Jack. “Hold position. Can you see any movement?”

  Jack brought his field scanner to his helmet. The distant dark image of the crashed Kraken came clearly into view. The edges of the craft stood out from the dark background. Jack could see a breach in the hull of the craft. He focused his field scanner and zoomed in on the breach. The scanner and his helmet’s image enhancers did little to penetrate the darkness inside.

  “I can see a breach in the hull.” Jack looked over to Torent on the other side of the furrow.

  “It looks intact from this side,” Torent said. “Move up. Watch that breach.”

  Jack advanced cautiously, keeping Osho and Gas behind him. His suit’s scanners watched the breach for any movement. He kept his pulse rifle up and aimed at the breach.

  “Hold,” Torent hissed.

  Jack went down on one knee and checked the horizon with his rifle sights. The area looked clear.

  “Chit movement to my left,” Torent said. “I count two, maybe three, holding up behind that small ridge there.”

  Jack looked to his left and past Torent. There was a small ridge on the surface of the asteroid. The ridge’s right side was obscured from Jack’s view by the crashed Kraken. “Can’t see them from here, boss.” The location appeared on the enhanced data overlay on Jack’s helmet. “Okay, boss,” Jack said. “Got their location now.”

  “Listen up, squad,” Torent said. “Jack, take your team around the Kraken and take a flanking position on those Chits about fifty meters out from their right. Once you are in position, we will advance hard and fast and take them down. What do you say, Jacky?”

  Jack scanned the area. He could move across the uneven surface of the asteroid with ease. His team were skilled veterans and they would keep up. The breach in that Chitin Kraken looked threatening. He would keep a close watch on that breach in case any Chit decided to emerge. They wouldn’t last long if they did. It was a risk to split the squad, but if they could outflank the Chits that Torent had spotted and fix them in a cross-fire, they would overcome their enemy rapidly. It was a good plan, not without its dangers, but that was part of life in the Marines.

  “It’s a good plan, boss. I’ll be in position in five.” Jack looked over to Torent on the other side of the furrow.

  “Copy, that,” Torent said, looking over to Jack. “Stay sharp, Jack. Go.”

  Using hand signals, Jack instructed Osho and Gas that he wanted silence as they advanced. He signaled for Gas to stay close behind on his left, Osho on his right. He indicated he would watch the breach in the Chitin craft. He received the thumbs up from Osho and Gas and then he advanced, staying low and moving fast.

  “Moving now, boss,” Jack messaged to Torent.

  The darkness inside the downed Kraken was impossible to ignore as they advanced, moving around the craft to set up a cross-fire on the Chits hiding behind the small ridge. Jack expected a Chit to burst out at any moment, plasma spears flashing toward him. He was ready for anything.

  The interior of the Chitin craft was suddenly illuminated in a bright white light as a plasma spear was fired from within. The spear flashed past Jack. A near-miss.

  “Gas is down. Oh, krav. They got Gas,” Osho babbled.

  Jack’s pulse rifle was spitting return fire into the breach before Osho finished her frenzied report.

  “Contact, contact,” Jack called out. “Chits in the Kraken.”

  “Contact,” Torent reported. “Chits on the ridge. Open fire, krav it. Open fire.”

  “Oh, krav it. Gas is dead.” Osho was lying in the loose icy rock surface and firing wildly. “The Chits got him in the helmet.”

  The change from silent advance to noisy, frenetic firefight was sudden, but for Jack, it was all to be expected. His focus switched immediately from stealthy advance to combat without hesitation. He targeted the breach in the Chitin craft and poured fire into the darkness within.

  “Here they come,” Torent shouted into the squad channel. “I count eight coming over the ridge. Focus fire on the lead Chit.”

  Jack looked across the deep gouge of the Kraken’s crash trail and saw the Chitin soldiers coming into view. He took careful aim and fired into the lead Chit. It fell, tentacles thrashing the ground, throwing up a spray of dust and ice. The following Chits trampled it under their own writhing tentacles and continued their advance on Torent and his small team.

  “Light up your EBs,” Torent called. “Stand and fight.”

  Jack saw the electron bayonets burst to life, their piercing glow lighting up the dark. He saw the remaining Chits illuminated, the glow of the EBs flickering off their smooth shells.

  “Sam. Boss,” Jack called out. “Employ combat retreat. If you fall back, I can hit them with flanking fire.”

  “Copy that, Jacky. Falling back. Keep up the fire.”

  Jack saw the three pulse rifles delivering a punishing volley as the three Marines moved backwards. Jack and Osho poured their own fire into the flanking Chit. A plasma spear slashed across the ground in front of Jack, melting the icy soil and throwing up a burst of steam. Plasma spears from the group of Chit soldiers advancing on the retreating Torent slashed through the darkness, glinting off the shells of Chits and the meat suits of Torent’s team.

  Another Chit fell to Jack and Osho’s fire, and then another went down under sustained fire from Torent and his team. Jack targeted the next closest and rained a vicious, well-aimed stream of fire. The rounds slammed into the Chit, throwing up fragments of shells and guts.

  The small group of Chits had been cut down quickly and only three remained, their plasma spears slashing out toward Torent, Terry, and Bubble.

  “Keep up the fire. Take them down.” Jack stood up. He kicked Osho to urge her to her feet. She looked up at Jack and shook her head. Jack transferred his pulse rifle to his left hand and tugged Osho to her feet with his right. “On your feet. We’ve got to close in. On your feet, Marine.”

  Pulling at Osho and firing simultaneously, Jack moved slowly and he lost accuracy. He shouted and kicked at Osho again. “On your feet, Marine.” Osho finally clambered up. “Fire your weapon, Marine,” Jack shouted and pulled Osho to
ward the slope down into the gully that separated them from the rest of the squad. A plasma spear leaped out of the downed Kraken and slammed into the ground where Osho had been laying just a moment before. The rock glowed red and the ice turned to steam in a fraction of a second, sending a jet of vapor blasting into space.

  “Fire at the Chits.” Jack advanced more quickly and his aim was more accurate now that Osho was on her feet and moving without being pulled.

  As Jack reached the slope on the other side of the gully, the Chitin soldiers were hidden from view. He could see the flashes of light from their plasma spears and the flickering of the Fleet Marine pulse rifles laying down a sustained fire. Jack began to scramble up the slope.

  Another plasma spear from the Kraken slammed into the slope just above his head. Jack and Osho scrambled up undeterred. Finally reaching the top, Jack saw there were only two Chits still active. They were moving toward the retreating Torent, slowed only by the many pulse rifle rounds that slammed into them.

  Jack had the targets at close range. A few seconds more and the fight would be over. He opened fire at the nearest Chit, and after having already taken a beating from Torent’s team, it fell almost instantly. The last went down, tentacles thrashing wildly. A final plasma spear fired, but it was un-aimed and fizzed away safely overhead.

  Jack climbed out of the gully, and a plasma spear slammed into the side of the gully moments after Jack had climbed up. He lay on the ground and looked back to the crashed Kraken. Osho lay next to him on her back and checked her weapon.

  “Still one more in the Kraken,” Jack reported. “Sam, we need to dig out that Chit.”

  “The boss is hit,” Bubble’s voice came over Jack’s helmet speaker. Jack could hear the emotion in the big man’s voice. “He’s alive, but he needs to get back to the Scorpio.”

  “We can’t bug out yet, Bubble. We have to secure that Kraken.” Jack pulled up his field scanner and studied the breach in the craft. It was dark and quiet again. Jack couldn’t detect any movement. He was sure if he stood up, he would receive a plasma spear.