Jethro: First to Fight

by Hechtl, Chris

They ran through the decorations and commendations quickly. Each boots was called up by name, given their new Marine corps badge, any decorations they had earned, and then saluted the Major. It took nearly an hour to cycle through all three hundred and eighty seven recruits. Most of Charlie platoon received high marks in marksmanship and weapons training.

  “They say...” The Major looked out, pausing as his voice echoed over the parade grounds and base. “They say Marines are stupid. That we only know how to kill, to break things and blow stuff up. They are half right,” he said smiling ever so coldly. “We are good at that. We do kill, we do break things, we do blow things up. Destruction comes easy to us all, it's the easy way out. But here, here and now we did something different, we built something.”

  “We built this base from the ground up. From destruction comes rebirth. Rebirth of the commitment to duty, honor, sacrifice. The rebirth of the Federation, the rebuilding of a once great galactic civilization. They say that the past was the golden years. I don't buy that. I believe that our golden years are yet to come.”

  He paused, surveying the crowd for a long moment, letting those words sink in.

  “Today, you, ladies and gentlemen are making history. No you aren't the first boots, and you certainly won't be the last, but you are the first to graduate here on Agnosta. Be proud of that. I am. You've done your families proud. Your new Marine family is proud of you as well,” the Major said.

  “You're building something here, something new, a new future. Brick by brick, step by step we will build a new and better tomorrow for ourselves, and for our children, and our children's children,” he roared. The civilians clapped in a spattering of applause and cheers. A few Marines joined in until it was a torrent. After a moment they settled down to see what else he had to say.

  He looked out over the assembly of recruits standing at parade attention. They were in their duty uniforms, green BDU's with a hex pattern. They looked good, they looked ready.

  “You will go on to defend our homes, our families, your families from danger. Whether it is in space, on the ground, on a ship, or wherever, it doesn't matter. Marines are survivors, we'll kick ass anywhere, anytime.”

  “You'll be seen by millions of people soon, you are to be held to the highest esteems of honor, duty, commitment, and sacrifice. Remember, you aren't alone. You're a Marine. Keep our creed in your heart.”

  “Remember also, we're building a new future. We may stumble, we may make mistakes, but we damn well will keep moving forward. We won't give up. Don't ever forget that,” he thundered, eyes blazing.

  He looked out then over to the assembled Marines. “Some would tell you the easiest day was yesterday, tomorrow just gets harder. In some ways they're right, and some wrong. All of you are slated to go on from here to attend advanced training courses as well as new duty assignments. Remember to never give up on learning, there's always something new to learn.”

  He frowned. “I've gone a bit off script, but who cares, it's good to be the boss.” That earned the Major a chuckle. “I've been trying to impart these nuggets of wisdom to you. Tomorrow you may be here, on this side of the podium, and the responsibility of the future will be yours.”

  “But,” he smiled to the Captain. “Not today. Today, you get to celebrate. Enjoy. You've earned it.”

  He came to attention and saluted. The company came to attention with a slap of boots and hands and returned the salute.

  “Semper Fi Marines!”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Jethro and the other DI's celebrated later that evening in their new favorite watering hole. Like the recruits, they had two weeks off. Two weeks to wind down before some of them moved on to advanced instructor duties, while others trained the new junior DI's coming in to replace them. A week after that they settled into their new roles the next class would be decanted. Then orientation and the cycle would begin all over again.

  “To the Marines, forever may they march on,” Asazi slurred, waving a beer in the air.

  “To Chesty Puller, wherever he may be,” Fonz said, waving his beer.

  “To tomorrow.”

  “To the Gunny, for making us go through PT tomorrow bright and early, like the sadistic bastard he is,” Jethro said, waving his beer. That got a laugh.

  “To the Gunny for making us go through it,” Deja said from across the room. “So we'll survive and thrive.”

  “Semper FI!”

  “Oohrah!”

  “It's Hoorah you ignoramus!” Fonz snarled drunkenly to Asazi. She snorted.

  “Depends on where you are from and what species you are. Doesn't matter, we get the job done and the point across anyway. So peace,” Jethro said, waving the two humans down. Fonz didn't really understand what he was up against, Asazi would tie him into a pretzel.

  “Hoorah to that,” Fonz said, eying Asazi as he wobbled. He took another pull of beer.

  Chapter 26

  While in low planetary orbit Captain Mayweather turned her crew to one of their minor rolls, surveying the planet. It was an incredibly tedious and boring job, but necessary.

  They did an orange peel as they deployed satellites, slowly scanning the surface below. The survey would serve multiple purposes, it would give them an accurate, down to the meter map of the planet, it would give them a look at the population centers on the planet, and it would be a baseline for a comparison review the next time some poor crew was stuck doing the deed. The bored tech zoomed in and was shocked by what she found.

  The Captain smiled, looking over her paperwork. Boring, but necessary, sometimes the mantra of the navy it seemed. She noticed a bit of activity near the sensors, ratings were muttering and clustered together. Since they had just passed the northern arctic, that was unusual.

  “Something I should be aware of sensors?” she asked idly.

  The sensor readings looked up. Petty officer Qui'r clacked his mandibles. “Captain, a moment of your time if you're not busy.”

  “Sure,” she said, “It's not like I've got anything better to be doing,” she said mildly. Janice winced. She frowned, crossing her arms and coming closer as well.

  “We were doing a survey when we ran into people who shouldn't be there,” the rating said.

  “Ran as in found on the surface,” the Captain said, cocking her head. “And that impresses me how?”

  “It is puzzling Captain, there are sizable villages in the north arctic, each roughly a hundred people.”

  “Ah,” Mayweather replied. “Perhaps in the interest of saving me a lot of asking you should show me,” she said.

  “They are here,” the rating said, using a truehand to point to a cluster of dots. He zoomed in and then moved to the side slightly. It didn't matter, her implants brought the screen image to her retina anyway.

  “What am I, oh, there they are. Okay, people living along the coast, or a few kilometers inland. They do stand out from the snow around them don't they? Nice heat signatures for some. For others, hmmm...”

  “That was my first concern, they should be a lot brighter. But, then there's this,” the rating said, zooming in to the feed, then switching to the camera image. She could see what looked like someone, in fact several someone's getting into the water. They were there, ghosts, but frustratingly strange looking. “Is this the best... oh, wait, I think I know what we're looking at.”

  “To swim in that water at those temperatures would be suicide,” another rating said. “So, is it a mirage?”

  “No, and now I know why your thermals are wonky. Or why you think they don't match up. Blubber,” the Captain murmured.

  Janice came up behind her. “Blubber Captain?” she asked.

  “Yes indeedy, blubber. Blubber as in insulation. On a Neo. A Neo who can stand the cold arctic temperatures in the air or water. Which is why we can't see them well.”

  “Oh,” the rating said quietly. He clicked his mandibles.

  “Oh indeed. Fascinating. I've never seen a Neo like this from space,” the sensor offic
er said, coming over to look closer.

  “I'm betting a Selkie. From the looks of it, more than one tribe,” Janice said after pulling up the feed and doing a little looking into the Neo database. “Selkies though? Damn I wish I had the genes,” she said shaking her head.

  “Cheater,” the Captain teased, shooting a half smile her way. “I bet this would be right up Corporal Deja's alley,” she said.

  “It would indeed Captain. Do you want to let him in on the good news? Or should I?” Janice asked. She checked the parasite craft board. “According to my board he's dirt side right now cap.”

  “I'd say, considering the nature of the good news we should give him a ring. And maybe shoot Major Forth an update too. He might be interested in this as well.”

  “I thought we were going to call dibs on them Captain?” Janice asked, pursing her lips.

  The Captain eyed her navigational officer. “You really want the competition Janice? Selkie's are good.”

  “I know. I'm the one wishing for Selkie or dolphin genes remember? Or at least their ears,” Janice said, shaking her head. “In the interest of the service, yes,” she said with a shrug.

  “Wow, magnanimous of you,” the Captain murmured.

  “Well, I would have them by date of rank Skipper,” Janice teased.

  The Captain snorted.“Right, she drawled.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Deja was sitting in his shuttle running the thirty day maintenance with the rest of his crew. Or most of his crew, he thought sourly, noting the absence of their Chief pilot. This was the second time the pilot had dumped the duty on his crew and then taken off to shack up with his lover. Deja didn't mind doing work, but he did mind doing someone else's work when they were supposed to be doing it themselves. Covering for a buddy once and a while was one thing, getting saddled with a major headache like this was a pain in the ass he didn't need.

  When Captain Mayweather finished explaining to him the situation she sent him the sensor logs. He frowned, scanning them. He'd thought he was alone, his parents had died, his only sibling had gone missing when her ship had disappeared... he stroked his bald head. “I'm thinking you are right Captain, anything is possible. But we won't know for certain until someone actually goes there and gets a mark one eyeball on the situation to know for sure.”

  “That's the spirit Corporal. I'm glad you're willing to satisfy a lady's curiosity,” the Captain quipped.

  “I might, but I'm not certain of the Major. I'll have to clear it with my chain of command of course,” he replied cautiously.

  “I just sent the Major a copy of the file as well. If he's not asleep or buried in something he should be looking at it sometime soon.”

  “Thank you ma'am. I'll give my Lieutenant and then the Major a call,” Deja replied.

  “Good luck Corporal, let me know how it turns out. I really am keenly interested in how it goes.”

  “Bored out of your mind ma'am?” Deja asked, noting her tone.

  The Captain chuckled. “Don't you know it,” she said with a sigh.

  “I'll try to find some entertainment for you ma'am. Just as long as it's not too entertaining,” he said.

  “Point. Firefly out.”

  “Roger, Shuttle four niner out here.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Deja kicked the request up channels to his commanding officer. He received permission to take a team of Neo wolves and Eskimo dogs and headed over to check it out. The wolves would be on a side mission to show the flag. PFC Tikaani, an arctic wolf Eskimo dog cross breed was nominally in charge of her party of five. Two of the wolves were green, rookies on their first duty assignment. They seemed eager but cautious.

  The Prejudice shuttle did an orbital hop, popping up to orbit and then dropping down over the suspected village site. Deja was enthralled by the view, he fed the view from the bow camera to the team in the back. He didn't envy them, stuck without a view.

  They landed a kilometer away from the largest settlement. It was next to a bay, with a nice rocky cove sheltering it from the worst of the elements. A pier was there, with a couple fishing vessels. Other boats and a few large animal carcasses were on the shore. Sea gulls hovered in the area, or dotted the rocky shore. “Damn rats with wings,” a wolf growled. Deja nodded. He'd learned to hate the things too, and not just because of the potential of a bird strike on his aircraft. Their shit was a pain in the ass to get off, and it could eat paint.

  The wolves jumped out of the bird, securing the area warily.

  “We're going to do this easy, I'm headed into town,” Deja said pulling out his winter jacket and shrugging it on. He plugged his implants into a radio and did a radio check. “Five by five?” he asked.

  Tikaani gave him a thumbs up. He looked into the cockpit. “Five by five?” he asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, hurry up and get this over with,” Young grumbled, waving a dismissive hand. “And don't expect me to go running to your rescue if you get into trouble. Too damn cold out,” the human grumbled, shaking his head.

  “Gee, you're all heart Ensign,” the Selkie said, shaking his head. The cargo master came over, face already red. His hands were firmly in his armpits. “Get inside Karl, I'll be around.”

  “What about them?” Karl asked, nodding a chin to the Neocanines.

  “Them?” the Selkie glanced at them. One wagged his tail briefly, scenting the air. The wind ruffled their exposed fur. “They're in their element. As am I,” the Selkie replied. “Or at least, I soon will be. Hold down the fort, I'll check in hourly,” he said as he picked up his rifle and checked it. He grabbed a ruck with trade and gift items and then set out at a trot.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  He explored the area and met the local mayor and local tribal peace officer. Both were human, big men covered in roughly sewn furs. Both had long black hair and native American blood. Their faces were craggy with wrinkles, a clear sign of sun expose and age. Both had crude leather boots and mittens on. Both were also agitated, looking around. The tribal peace officer had a necklace of teeth around his neck. A tight collar of bone and precious stones was wrapped around his neck.

  “I don't mean to cut this visit short son, but we've got a bit of a crisis on our hands,” the peace officer said, making his way past Deja and off to the outskirts of town. He was carrying an old but serviceable hunting rifle in one hand. “I told that boy not to go out alone!” he snarled, moving fast.

  “Oh?” Deja asked. He'd noted the buildings were yurts, cylinder tents on top of wooden platforms to stay above the snow. Some buildings were rough outhouses, others were a mix of brick and wood. The central meeting house had an extremely sloped roof with rafters that stuck out the sides and front. Animal heads had been carved into the tips. A totem pole leaned nearby. It had an eagle on top but was splattered by birdshit.

  “I've got some stuff here,” Deja said, shifting the bag off his shoulder. He pulled out the gifts that the Major had asked him to bring. He gave them a case of MRE's, a radio, water filters, a medical kit, a solar blanket, a small hand generator, a pair of tablets, a small computer, more medical supplies, and printed maps of the area on rolled plastic sheets.

  “The Major also had us locate herds nearby. I can give you directions to caribou. We also saw some polar bears,” the Selkie said.

  The mayor was interested and amused by the caribou sightings, as well as the polar bears. They were a bit distracted, they were missing a village member. They were looking for a teenager, a boy hunter out to feed his family. The village was mostly deserted, everyone was out looking, hunters were precious. Their gear even more so. The boy was somewhere south, that was where he had said he was headed hunting when he had set out. “Hopefully he didn't get eaten by a bear.”

  “Lost you think?”

  “Or any number of things. Could have twisted his angle, gotten caught in a fur trap, got run up a tree by a bear, it goes on and on. Living here is hard son, real hard.”

  “I see.”

&nb
sp; “But every minute we're looking for him we're not out hunting or fishing. And people spread out, which makes them liable to get hurt or lost as well. Which is a problem. I've got to look after the good of the community.”

  “I know. The good of the whole or the individual.”

  “It sucks.”

  “You said south?” Deja asked.

  “Yes but you're not from around here. And forgive me, but you're a Selkie. Ground searches aren't your thing. I wish I had some dogs. Or another Neocanine. But we don't, none but your Tix, and he's the one lost. The wolves, they tend to go in packs.” He scowled but stopped saying anything else.

  “Oh?” Deja said. “As it happens, I know a few standing around nearby. Hang on a sec.” he called it in. The wolves howled in response, then went off.

  The Neo wolves worked to help the mayor and villagers find the missing cub as well as hunt for the fast approaching winter. They returned with Tix with them. Three of the wolves and the cub were towing carcasses behind them. Tikaani was quite happy, ears forward, smiling and wagging her tail. “Damn that was fun,” she panted over the communications link. As they returned they were joined by the searchers. Some patted them on the back, some were a bit more wary of the newcomers. All however were quite grateful for the bounty of meat.

  “Caribou. Three of them. We could have gotten more but I figured we should stop while we're ahead. No sense getting bogged down like the cub here,” Tikaani reported. She indicated the splint on the cub's ankle. “Just a twist, but it'll heal if he stays off it. He probably aggravated it a bit dragging his kill back, but he insisted on doing the last leg himself.”

  “I see,” Deja murmured.

  “Damn that was fun!” Tikaani said, shaking herself. “Nice work out. Worth the effort to help these people.”

  The mayor broke off from the people congratulating and patting the native. He came over, nodding to the Marines. “My people thank you for the services you have done here. We are in your debt.”

  “It's not a problem. We enjoyed it,” Tikaani replied. “Besides, we're here to help if we can,” she said.