Harris nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking. We flip on our signal stealth and they wouldn’t even know we were there.”
The colonel leaned back in his chair. “Might be as soon as tomorrow. You gonna be ready?”
Tawn grinned. “We’re ready right now. Any way to move this up?”
Harris cut in: “We could even be the ship that drops the team off. With our stealth, we move them in as close as five kilometers instead of fifty. Would leave the team a lot fresher when they arrived for the fight.”
The colonel replied, “We’ve passed midpoint of the day today. Let’s plan on tomorrow. And your offer of a ride out is a good alternative.”
The colonel stood. “I can give you a full briefing in the morning. Our own freighter should be in and out before noontime, so the escorts will be free. You two up for lunch?”
Tawn chuckled. “He’s the last one you have to ask about that, Colonel. Lunch is his game and he plays it to win.”
A short walk had the three Biomarines seated in the cafeteria with full plates in front of them.
Just before picking up a bogler rib, Harris asked, “Any good stories from the war, Colonel?”
Robert Thomas took in and let out a deep breath. “You’re right, Miss Freely, he plays this lunch game to win. Throws out a wide open question and then digs into his food.”
Harris gestured in a swirling motion with his hand. “Please, take a few bites before answering.”
The colonel said, “Have you ever been aboard an Earther cruiser?”
Harris shook his head. “A destroyer once. Turned out to be a trap. We barely escaped.”
Tawn shook her head. “Same here. Go on.”
The colonel took a sip of his beverage. “The main docking bay on the Earther ships is aft. We shot in on a transport. Our mission was to steal the computer core, which was a ruse that would allow the planting of a recorder and tracker. Command hoped to listen in on the bridge crew to get a better understanding of how they operated. They wanted to know the standard tactics used during a battle or an assault.
“Anyway, we stormed this boat, a hundred eighty-six crewmen to our thirty-two. We went right for their contingent of Marines, knocking them out before they had a chance to mount a defense. The remainder of the crew was a turkey shoot. We took out half before the captain and the rest surrendered. One team of four pulled the computer core while the other planted the recorder.”
“You got an actual core?” said Tawn. “Why would you need the recorder? The logs in that core should have told you everything you wanted to know.”
The colonel nodded. “It would have, but as we suspected, the moment it was pulled it scrubbed itself. After running a few tests to make it look like we were trying to copy the data, we left it sitting on the deck of the bay before leaving. They never knew or suspected the device we had planted.”
Harris said, “I thought messing with each other’s ships was banned.”
“It was, but this was sidestepping that issue. The rules were that we wouldn’t take over and capture each other’s ships. There was also a direct rule that once a ship had been damaged in battle we wouldn’t take parts. That had a seventy-two-hour time restriction. After that it was fair game.
“There was nothing in any agreement about stealing parts from a fully operational ship though. That changed after the raid on the Chouluta. Two months later, one of our spy ships shadowed her and retrieved the data using a secure broadcast.
They never knew it happened. That data changed the way we fought against their fleet for the last three years of the war. Just one of the many reasons we were winning there at the end.”
Tawn shoved Harris on his shoulder, causing a rib to slip from his hand and fall on the floor. “I told you we weren’t winning just because of you.”
Harris scowled. “Now that was uncalled for. You made me lose a perfectly good rib. Apologize.”
The colonel laughed. “More concerned with his food than his reputation I see.”
Tawn smirked. “He’d steal that ship tomorrow himself if you offered him a side of bogler beef.”
The colonel cautioned: “You’ll want to keep quiet on our plans in here. These walls have ears. We caught another Earther spy coming in with the latest load of recruits. That’s three this month.”
Tawn frowned. “Sorry, sir. Got caught up in the moment. Won’t happen again.”
Harris shook his head. “Knocked a good rib to the floor and tried to give away our plans. Which side are you on?”
Tawn sighed, taking a bite from a large roll, consuming half of its size.
“What about you?” the colonel asked. “I’m familiar with the Helm Engagement. You have any other unusual fights?”
Harris thought for a moment. “I was in a team of three—I believe it may have been on Jebwa actually. Anyway, we got dropped in to surveil an Earther outpost. They managed to spot us and then got the drop on us. We held them off, but our time was limited as we had no incoming supplies.”
Tawn chuckled, “How’d they spot you? You drop a rib?”
Harris scowled. “No.”
“Well, what then?”
Harris hesitated. “Well, just as we all have to do daily, duty called. I selected a rock outcropping about fifty meters from our position and got down to business. Imagine my unease when I was just finishing up and heard footsteps. I managed to slip away, but not before leaving a steaming pile of evidence behind.
“Ordinarily it probably wouldn’t have been noticed. We bury it or kick dirt over it as we’ve been trained to do. This time I didn’t have time to. Anyway, the scout who wandered across my position was wearing infrared gear. So my deposit stuck out as a bright spot on an otherwise cool day.”
Tawn busted out laughing. “No way! You have to be making that up.”
Harris shook his head. “Nope. And they figured it out after the scout called his lieutenant. Jebwa has the super-tall, ultrathin trees. They poked at it with a stick from one of those trees for few minutes before deciding it was definitely human. After that, they flooded the hills around us with soldiers and we ended up in a fierce firefight, a fight that went on for several hours. We were way outnumbered, but with our location they had no way to get to us without fully exposing themselves.”
Harris scratched one of his eyebrows. “They had us if they would have just waited us out, but their lieutenant decided he wanted to make sport of it instead. They had a sergeant—the guy was just over two meters in height and weighed in at about a hundred forty kilograms. He was all muscle. His forearms looked almost as big around as my neck.
“Anyway, the Earther lieutenant made us an offer. If any one of us could take Gregor in a fistfight, they would back off and let us walk.”
“How’d you know it wasn’t a trap?” Tawn asked.
Harris shook his head. “I was certain when Gregor walked out from behind a boulder. He was a monster.”
Tawn looked on with interest. “And…?”
Harris sat back, setting the partly eaten rib in his hand carefully on his plate. “I accepted. I was seventeen. Thought I was invincible. What stump would back down from such an offer? Not that I really had a choice.”
Tawn chuckled. “So you had this brawl with an Earther on the surface of Jebwa. You’re here, so you kicked his ass?”
Harris rubbed his chin with a grimace. “I wouldn’t call it that. I first stepped out in the open to face him down. When I got close it turned out he was bigger than I thought. I’d guess he had a thirty-five centimeter height advantage. His reach had me from halfway down his forearm to the end of his fist. Being a stump in this instance wasn’t an advantage.
“I nodded, he grinned, then the beating began. I got in the first two blows—did I mention he was quick as well as insanely strong? Those first two punches landed solid. At least they felt solid. I was expecting him to fall back. He hardly moved. Instead he spat a little blood and gave me another grin.
“I got in the next three blow
s before he caught me with a roundhouse to the jaw. I wobbled to one side before doing a face-plant on the ground. Stars were swirling in my eyes for a few seconds. He was kind enough to wait for me to get up.
“I was bleeding—split lip, couple loose teeth, dirt all over my face. So I got serious. I worked over his ribs and midsection as I bobbed, weaved and dodged, ducking his massive hammer-fists.
“This lasted for a good fifteen minutes before I could tell he was getting tired. I could tell because my energy level was dropping off the charts. But the big mook just kept grinning and kept coming. His face was bloodied with several splits of his own, but he was loving it. Probably the first time in his life he had been challenged, and he still liked his odds.”
Tawn asked, “This where you made the comeback?”
Harris shook his head as he chuckled. “Hardly. He nailed me with an uppercut that picked me off my feet. I’m sure my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. I fell back hard on the ground in a daze. I was finished. That’s when my partners opened up on the celebrating Earthers. Took out fifteen of their thirty, including their lieutenant. The others retreated, leaving their hero standing there weaponless to defend himself.”
Harris went back to eating his rib.
Tawn dropped her jaw. “You can’t tell a story and then just leave it like that! That’s just not right. What happened? How’d it end?”
Harris took a sip from his beverage, washing down the half-chewed chunk of meat he had just stripped from a rib bone.
“So my teammates had their weapons on him but they didn’t fire. I slowly stood, spat out a wad of blood and dirt, gave him a nod and then gestured for him to leave. He returned the nod and walked off into the rock-covered Jebwa landscape. I picked that story to tell because it was a bizarre, somewhat civilized encounter during an otherwise ruthless and brutal war.”
Tawn huffed. “Civilized? Your team mowed down half the enemy while they were standing in the open.”
“It was civilized up until that point. Anyway, I thought I’d tell that one because you’d find it entertaining.”
Tawn chuckled as she shook her head. “You let some Earther beat the crap out of you. That’s not entertaining, that’s embarrassing.”
Harris looked at the colonel. “See what I have to put up with every day?”
The colonel returned a half smile. “Your partner is a slug. Were you expecting sympathy?”
The three Biomarines began to laugh, hardy laughs that lasted all of thirty seconds before they again tore into the food on the plates in front of them.
Chapter 16
_______________________
The colonel glanced over at Tawn. “Stories from the war?”
Tawn frowned. “Nothing that tops that. Best I got is getting in a brawl back on Domicile at a bar. I was in a platoon of slugs that had been dropped on Pleda II. There were two Earther colonies there with a mountain pass being the way to travel between them. We were dropped in that pass and told to hold it. All the ships and fliers on that planet had been shot down, so our mission was on the ground.
“We set up our perimeters and turned back numerous assaults for a good three months. The Earthers didn’t get anyone through that pass while we were there. After a particularly nasty skirmish, a transport landed and took us back to Domicile. We never knew why we were there or if our efforts accomplished anything.
“Once back on Domicile, we were given a week’s leave to go unwind. Two of my slug sisters and I picked out this local bar. It had a tropical theme and everyone was walking around in flowery shirts and shorts. The bar was loaded with a bunch of jock regulars.
“My crew found a nice secluded corner where we could watch the locals and get plastered in peace. Two of the regulars decided they were going to arm-wrestle. One of my girls, Mikanda, decided to join the fun. She had just put down her fourth jock when the brawl started.
“For a good ten minutes, bodies flew in the air or were slammed to the ground. It was us three against a crowd of about twenty. We mopped the floor with them of course. Black eyes, busted noses, knocked out teeth, even a couple dislocated jaws. By the time the cops arrived we were sitting at the bar trying to enjoy another beer or two.
“Unfortunately, the locals and the management didn’t see the fun in what we had done. They weren’t much for sport. Instead we went to jail and then to the brig. Cost us just over a thousand credits each for damages. No charges were filed because we were soldiers and the war was still going on. Even had a couple of the brawlers catch us as we were being transferred from the jail to the brig. They thanked us for our service. Was humbling.”
Harris stopped mid-chew. “So three slugs walked into a bar… I think I’ve heard that one before.”
Tawn shrugged. “I told you I didn’t have anything to compare.”
The meal was finished and preparations were made for the day that would follow. In the morning Tawn and Harris made a quick flight back to the warehouse on Domicile to inform the twins of what was coming. Upon their return, the colonel was standing in the docking bay with ten neatly dressed slugs and stumps.
Harris said, “Couple hours early?”
The colonel nodded. “We moved up the timeline. You two ready to do this?”
Tawn replied, “We are. We have the easy part. You sending them out like that? Looks like they’re going to dinner.”
The colonel passed Harris a data file over a comm link. “This has the coordinates for the drop and a channel for their comm. Do whatever it takes to not be discovered. Surprise is our key strategy here today.
“Their dress is because we are being watched. You see the trunks the workers are loading on, those are personal trunks. Makes it look like you’re transferring them home to Domicile. They’ll gear up once you lift off.”
Tawn nodded. “Prudent. I guess that’s it, then. Will hopefully see you shortly.”
The colonel grabbed her forearm. “Thank you both for doing this. Taking that load of ore will keep a half-dozen Earther warships from being built.”
Harris laughed. “No need to thank us, Colonel. We’d have done this just for the fun of it. I just wish I could see Baxter Rumford’s face when her first load of ore goes missing. Getting some revenge for all she’s done will be sweet.”
The gear was stowed and the personnel stepped aboard. As soon as the Bangor went into a hover, the trunks were opened and the ten-Biomarine team got to work on gearing-up. A slow ride south through the desert and then west toward the Rumford Mine had the shuttle settling on the sand at the designated location, fifty minutes later.
The squad leader of the slugs and stumps stood ready at the hatch. “Mr. Gruberg, we should be back this way in about thirty-five minutes. We won’t be stopping for you, so do what you need to as we pass by.”
Harris nodded. “We’ll be here and ready. And we’ll be listening, so if you need help, don’t hesitate to call out.”
The squad leader again thanked Harris and Tawn before hopping out onto the brilliant white sand of Eden. His team quickly disappeared into the roiling eddies of heat rising up from the surface. The hatch was closed.
Tawn said, “This is exciting. You excited?”
Harris chuckled. “Just another day at the office for me. I’ll get excited when I see that freighter coming this way.”
As the team moved within visual range, the three guards given duty on the exterior of the freighter each saw their lives terminated. The ten member squad moved in quickly. The freighter was boarded through an open docking bay hatch, followed by moving through a main hatch into a hallway leading forward.
Another guard was dispatched before the corner was turned into the room where a dozen Earther Marines lounged about. Controlled chaos ensued for the next twelve seconds as the freighter guard was silenced. The team hustled back into the hall, moving their way toward the bridge.
The squad leader whispered, “Marine deck has been cleared. Proceeding on schedule.”
Six other crewmen we
re silenced before the ship was declared clean. The assigned pilot got to work entering the coordinates for the trek across the desert to the Bangor’s location. The drives were powered on, brought up to level, and the big freighter began to move. Seconds later, the local controller called in to ask what they were doing. No response was returned.
Tawn said, “Here they come.”
“Now we can get excited,” said Harris.
The Bangor lifted from the sand as the freighter passed overhead. A port docking collar was selected as the landing site and the transfer tube was extended. A hatch on the side of the freighter opened and the Biomarine team came through.
Harris nodded as he congratulated their efforts. “Nice work. No casualties?”
The squad leader replied, “Everything has gone as planned. We should be heading skyward any second. This show now belongs to you.”
Tawn said, “We’re positioned to take on either of those Earther ships that are in orbit, if needed. Neither has made a move our way.”
Tawn glanced at her display. “Heading up now. They don’t move in the next two minutes, we may be out of here free and clear.”
Harris grinned. “Wish I could see the look on Baxter’s face right now. Her first freighter load and we have it.”
Tawn winced. “You want to talk to her? She’s hailing you on the general comm.”
Harris nodded. “Oh, I have to take this.”
Turning back toward the Biomarines in the cabin, Harris asked for quiet. The comm camera focused in on his face.
Baxter Rumford’s image appeared on the display. “Bad move, goober. Just give it back and I may let this go.”
Harris offered his best confused look. “Please tell me what you’re referring to. I’d hate to think it was something we’ve done.”
“My ore. Return it or pay the price.”
“Are you talking about that freighter we’re watching that’s moving up through the atmosphere? Looks to be alone. Some criminal element take that from you?”
Baxter leaned into the camera. “You’ve been warned.”
ARMS Harris' Revenge Page 15
