“Tyra! Hold them back! Cassandra give me a hand!” Brent shouted as an idea hit him.
Brent grabbed the corpse of a Slasher and started dragging it back to Humphrey. It was impossibly heavy, and he could barely move it. Cassandra grabbed the battered sphere at the center and helped drag it along. She moved it with such speed that Brent just let go, as he was hindering more than helping. He ran back into the drop ship and exchanged the broken remains of his rifle for a new one.
“What are we supposed to do with this thing?” Cassandra shouted as Humphrey launched another chair.
“Never mind that, go grab another one!” Brent started blasting the connecting joint between one of the blades and the torso.
Marie dropped the chair she was lugging and took a welder to the joint. Together the two carved off the blade and gingerly loaded it into Humphrey’s launcher. Mahoney kissed a grenade as he dropped it into a chamber behind the loaded blade.
“I was going to call it the chair cannon,” Humphrey mumbled jokingly. “So much for that idea.”
“Everyone hit the ground!” Marie shouted before she started on the second blade.
The squad fell to a prone position, not holding their fire for an instant. Humphrey lined up his target and hit the switch on the improvised cannon. Mahoney’s grenade exploded in the now sealed chamber, channeling the explosive force forward and launching the Slasher blade with tremendous power. It carved a long line down the center of the advancing horde. The struck tripods slid cleanly into two parts.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Humphrey mumbled excitedly.
Cassandra dropped off another tripod corpse and quickly ran back to fetch another. Marie and Brent loaded another blade and got to work on the next fallen tripod.
Between Humphrey’s cannon slicing the tripods and the rest of the squad disabling the survivors, they managed to force the advancing horde back a ways.
“Twenty minutes! Keep it up! We’ve got to hold them back for another three minutes!” Tyra shouted.
The ground started to shake; a deep guttural roar could be heard in the distance. Surprisingly, it didn’t come from the direction of the Slashers. Brent shot a glance behind them; a large trail of blistering fire was etching a path through the heavens.
“They are evacuating the field hospital!” Brent yelled as the ball of fire escaped the atmosphere.
The number of Slashers pouring into the canyon was growing larger; they didn’t like the idea of losing. Even with Humphrey’s new weapon, the Slashers were closing in fast. Every thirty seconds another guttural roar let the squad know another hospital ship had escaped. Brent worked feverishly to keep Humphrey supplied with ammo. He couldn’t help but be amazed at how many grenades Mahoney had on his person. As another guttural roar echoed through the canyon, he realized he had lost count of the hospital ships.
Massive mounds of dead Slashers formed huge walls almost as tall as the canyon itself. Like a massive flood, the Slashers continued to pour down on the troopers. As another roar sounded through the canyon, a Slasher dodged one of Humphrey’s attacks. The defensive line of troopers was taken by surprise as it dived under the deadly spinning blade. They opened fire on the tripod, but it was too late. The Slasher began its dance of death striking out at the troopers. As the tripod’s blade was about to rip into Dante’s chest it grinded to a halt, as if all life had been drained from it in a single moment. The rest of the active Slashers all fell to a dead halt along with it. Cain stood up and scratched his head.
“Did we lose?” Cain asked.
Rhea started laughing and twisted Cain around. Together the entire squad watched as a brilliant steak of flame burnt its path to safety.
“We might have lost the battle, but they made it out.” Rhea patted Cain’s shoulder. “I think that counts as a victory.”
“Did anyone count how many ships got away? I hate to admit it, but I lost count.” Sanderson massaged his aching trigger finger.
Cain quickly pulled out his pad. After reading it for a moment, he started cheering wildly and dancing poorly.
“Someone’s happy,” Angela said exhaustedly.
“We did it! I can’t believe it!” Cain ruffled Angela’s hair.
Instead of anger, Angela’s face took on a look of supreme satisfaction.
“Well? How long did we last?” Erin asked.
Without answering, Cain started running back to the drop ship. As he disappeared inside, a tremendous roar erupted from the hatches. It was the sound of thousands of troopers cheering. The squad hesitantly followed Cain into the drop ship. Cain had opened the door leading back to the anteroom outside the examination room. Waiting for them were countless troopers whooping and hollering. They filled the anteroom to capacity and spilled out into the corridors. As far as could be seen were celebrating troopers.
“Okay, what did you do?” Cassandra asked Cain.
“You thought I was figuring out how long we had to go.” He grinned victoriously. “I was really sending a message to every bookie on the station. I doubt there was a single trooper who missed our performance.”
Brent moved to Angela’s side, noticing her content expression.
“Feels good to work with people rather than against them, doesn’t it?” he whispered.
“I think I can see why you defend them so strongly,” she said with obvious satisfaction as she surveyed the squad. “Even the annoying ones have their . . . good traits.”
As Cain left the examination room, a break in the troopers formed. Cain was living up the moment, blowing kisses to the female troopers, and flexing his muscles to the male ones. The squad followed after him, mostly embarrassed beyond words at his behavior. As they left the anteroom they found the corridors crammed with troopers. Cain was right; it looked like the entire academy was here. A large swath of black and red troopers stood in neat rows to their right. Cain quickly led the squad to their division.
“I see you deserve your reputation,” Valerie said in congratulations. “Nine ships escaped; a new record. You all lasted twenty-four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. That’s forty-nine seconds longer than anyone in the entire Commonwealth has ever lasted in that situation. Nice work, Brent.”
Tyra’s shoulders sank a little, despite her attempts to conceal the motion.
“I thank you for the compliments, but you’ve got the wrong person.” Brent pushed Tyra to the front of the squad. “Tyra is the one to be praised; her leadership got us through that.”
The gathered troopers all let out a massive cheer. Tyra was overwhelmed and started to fall to the ground. Ronald quickly rushed to her side and steadied her. She turned to face Brent. Her mouth moved, but she couldn’t form words.
“You were the one who told us to focus on their third limb,” he said proudly. “You were the one who told Humphrey to make his weapon. Without you we wouldn’t have lasted half as long as we did,” Brent said with a smile.
He took a step back and gracefully bowed to Tyra like the tripods. Marie, Liz, and Doug quickly followed suit. The rest of the squad saluted. Even Angela proudly saluted, probably for the first time in her life. Most of the gathered troopers mirrored Brent’s bow; the rest saluted. With a single graceful movement, the SW division saluted in unison. A tear rolled down Tyra’s cheek as she struggled to keep her composure.
“That’s more than enough seriousness,” Cain shouted as he ended his salute. “Let’s party!”
The troopers cheered in agreement and quickly ushered the entire division down the hallways.
“Where are they taking us?” Angela asked, rubbing her temples.
“The observation deck would be my guess; the only place to house a party this big.” Cain cackled.
As the huge mass of troopers made their way down the corridors, a single man in gray headed in the opposite direction. This was something the Administer would definitely want to know about as soon as possible.
“Of all people. I can’t believe he’d protect a Murdock,” J
ack said bitterly.
“You still upset about that? Isn’t this a good thing? Isn’t our goal to protect the Commonwealth?”
“You make it sound like I’m over-reacting! Our goal is to train him, not eliminate him. She tried to kill him, Nathan!”
“Just like the Weavers did. And the assassin. I hate to say it, but I think the boy is getting used to that sort of thing.”
“But a Murdock? Does the boy even know what he’s getting into?”
“You should hear yourself.” Nathan chuckled to himself.
“What’s so funny?”
“You sound like a father who doesn’t approve of his daughter’s choice in boyfriends.”
“Nathan!”
“Oh relax, you know I’m just having fun. I don’t know why you are getting so worked up about this. He survived, didn’t he?”
“Barely.”
“And he assured you it wouldn’t happen again?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t know the Murdocks like I do. If she is after him, this will only be the tip of the spear.”
“And if you are wrong, you are getting worked up over nothing. I took the liberty of talking to Miss Murdock myself short after the incident, and I’m convinced she isn’t the stone cold killer you seem to think she is. She was practically in tears when I first told her the boy would make a full recovery.”
“Probably upset her plan failed.”
“I might not be a Weaver, but even I can tell that wasn’t the case. Maybe she did try to kill Brent, but he forgave her. Can’t you at least give her the benefit of the doubt?”
“I suppose you are right. It’s just that . . .”
“Weaver Davis!” A man in gray burst into the room panting.
“Report.”
“Brent passed . . . classes abandoned . . . bookies transmitting.” The man panted more than spoke.
“Slow down man,” Nathan said calmingly. “Take a breath. Relax and tell us slowly.”
The man in gray bent over and panted heavily until he caught his breath.
“The instructors are in a panic. Every trooper got up and left training.”
“What possessed them to do that?” Nathan asked. He knew he should have been shocked, but somehow he was starting to expect the worst.
“The bookies sent a message to everyone. Brent ran the Gauntlet.”
“The what?” Nathan asked.
“How did he do?” Jack interrupted.
“Beat the record, plus forty-nine. The bookies are transmitting the whole thing to central.”
“See if you can slow them down. Dismissed.”
The man in gray saluted and quickly ran out of the room.
“Back up. The what?” Nathan asked again.
“Hour thirteen of operation ‘deep strike,’” Jack said, deep in thought.
“I still don’t follow.”
“You were on a core world while working on Lazarus and don’t know about the Gauntlet?” Jack asked incredulously. “It’s one of the biggest events of the year!”
“You mean that horrible canyon thing? I watched it my first year. Horribly gruesome thing. Every year the younger scientists would get all worked up about it. I never saw the appeal.”
“That ‘horrible canyon thing,’ as you call it, is one of the proudest moments in our history. Every year we celebrate the supreme sacrifice of those brave women and men. The feed is sent throughout the entire Commonwealth. Everyone pays tribute to the ones who lost their lives during the Great War.”
“So it’s important. That explains why the troopers decided to leave their training. Although, the instructors are still going to blame me. I’m the popular whipping boy around here it seems. But what’s all this got to do with Brent?”
“There’s more to it than just a tribute to the fallen. Every year the best commanders in the military run the scenario to prove their mettle. Think of it as a right of passage. Most don’t last as long as our ancestors did, but every once in a while a truly great commander comes along who manages to match the original time. Over time, it wasn’t enough to just run the scenario; commanders started to get competitive.”
“Typical. But don’t we have a few more months until their ‘right of passage’?”
“Certainly, but that’s not the issue. Long before either of us was born, a brilliant commander managed to last longer than the original run. She set a new, all time record. Ever since she broke the old record, it’s tradition to record every attempt, no matter when or who is running the scenario. Brent managed to beat the last great commander’s time. That score had held for the last four hundred years.”
“Four hundred years! Wait, recorded? Does that mean . . .”
“The entire Commonwealth is about to know about Brent. It’s likely he and the rest of the squad are about to become instant celebrities in the military. The Lazarus commission isn’t going to like this one bit.”
“Forget the commission! The ITU is going to know exactly where Brent is!”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. The ITU isn’t interested in Brent.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“The ITU is everywhere, even sectors that don’t have an academy. I checked with some of my friends higher up in the military. The ITU claims it is just a promotional stunt.”
“A stunt?”
“Apparently they are unveiling some new product or service. Their liaisons have been tight lipped about the exact details, but they say the ships are part of the unveiling ceremony.”
“A likely story.”
“The fact they are so insistent is making everyone suspicious. I told them about your friend’s findings.”
“And?”
“It worried them, that’s for sure. They are looking into the matter, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
“The boundless efficiency of the military. Wonderful. I wonder what the ITU is really up to . . .”
“I wouldn’t worry too much. After all they are just businessmen, not soldiers.”
“I suppose, but what if . . .”
“Administer Bloom!” a shrill voice clawed at their ears.
Nathan’s head dropped, and he let out a low sigh.
“Miss Fields, what do you want?”
“Don’t you ‘Miss Fields’ me! I’ve been searching the entire academy looking for you!”
“Let me guess. The instructors want my head on a pike?”
“Your office is filled with irate instructors clamoring for you.”
“Poor thing, couldn’t read with all the racket?”
“Not a word, and this week’s . . . that’s not the point!”
“Don’t worry. I’m aware of the situation and plan on taking a decisive course of action.”
“Hiding out with your drinking buddy isn’t exactly what I’d call decisive,” she said in her shrillI voice as she eyed Jack in contempt. “There is one other thing.”
“Oh?”
“Governor Lucchesi has been demanding to speak with you again. He has been quite insistent. I’m going to take my break early. If you need anything, please hesitate to ask.”
Nathan’s secretary left the room in a huff, no doubt running off to rat out the Administer’s current location to the waiting mob of instructors in his office.
“Drinking buddy?” Jack asked with a grin. “Just who does she think I am?”
“You are a friend of mine; it’s hate through association. Although, inadvertently she can be useful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Governor Lucchesi. I knew I’d heard the name before. Poor girl.”
“Tyra’s father is a Governor?” Jack asked in mild surprise. The military and political wings of the Commonwealth rarely commingled.
“Not just any Governor, he’s in charge of this very region. This is perfect!”
“Okay, now it’s my turn to play the dunce. What are you getting at?”
“Governor Lucchesi has never been supportive of his only daughter’s decision to join
the military. He constantly pesters me, practically begging me to find some way to send her home. He’s even tried to bribe me a couple of times.”
“An over protective father with political power. How does that help us?”
“We need a place to hide Brent until this business with the ITU and that horrible canyon thing blows over. Where better than with a Governor whose region is free of any ITU influence?”
“I thought the ITU had a hand in everything.”
“Normally yes, but this region is downright worthless. The academy was put here in the first place as a way to bolster the local economy before it collapsed completely. About the only thing of any value is an unmanned mining platform on one of the smaller worlds in a nearby solar system, and that thing is an unclaimed wreck.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea . . .”
“Well, you can think about it at the party.”
“Party? What party?”
“The ones the troopers are having in the observation deck. Only place a crowd that large could fit.”
“How do you know there’s a party?”
“I know my troopers. There is no way they are going back to training. Plus, we need to get out of here. My secretary has no doubt told the instructors where I am by now; they are probably on their way here right now.”
“Charming woman.” Jack let out a laugh.
“I’ve seen vipers with a gentler bite.”
Chapter 19: The Calm
The observation room was near full capacity. Troopers were celebrating in every fashion they could think of. Humphrey and Cain were holding an impromptu contest to see who could dance the worst. Rhea was the only judge, and she cast her vote as a long unending flow of laughter. Tyra and Ronald were in the lounge, Tyra still overwhelmed by the whole thing. The rest of the squad mingled with the massive crowd. Save for Mr. Springate who leaned against an out of the way wall and watched silently. Brent had taken a table in the lounge where he could keep an eye on Tyra.
“You had this planned, didn’t you?” Cassandra asked as she took a seat across from him.
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