The sensation swept through the swarm. The orderly social structure of the swarm stretched to breaking point. The swarm raced forward, the nest asteroid at its center. The whole swarm buzzed with excitement and fury.
Skoldra snatched another frozen body. It also had a strange taste. It was not entirely human. This body had been corrupted, tainted by some strange substance that she could not identify, and it drove her wild. She accepted the taste and wanted more. Now.
She was wild. She was crazed. She was determined to capture and kill all humans immediately.
15
Maintenance craft from across the fleet swept in toward the Scorpio as they came back into formation. Jack Forge watched the ships race toward the destroyer, and he couldn’t help the smile of joy and relief that crept over his face as he realized the Scorpio would be brought back to fighting condition.
And soon, Jack would be there himself. One ship from the fleet raced to the civilian transport, bringing the relief crew, with a new captain ready to take command of the ship. Another medical ship brought med drones and doctors to administer to the civilians suffering from the effects of the corrupted Dox vapor.
“So I guess you’ll be getting back to your battalion, Major,” Special Agent Kitt said. She stood in front of the command chair looking up at Jack, her enforcers at her side with Lou Beretta in custody.
“I don’t think there’s very much left of the Scorpio Battalion. I think we are down to about two squads, if my math is right.”
“Well, let’s see if we can’t get you some new recruits,” Kitt said, smiling up at Jack. “But something tells me you’re getting used to the command chair. I don’t know if you want to go back to being a frontline Marine.”
Jack finished his operation, opening the docking bay for the new command crew and the medical ship to land, and then he climbed down from the command chair. He adjusted his jacket.
“Not afraid of the big chair,” Jack said, looking back up at the command chair of the civilian transport, “but I’d much rather have my boots on the ground, alongside a squad of well-trained Marines.”
“And I can’t think of anyone better to train those Marines,” the agent said. She gave Jack crisp salute and a smile. “See you soon, I hope, Major Forge.”
Jack looked down at Kitt. She was so much shorter than any Marine, but she was a powerful individual, and Jack was sure she was going to be an important member of the Fleet Intelligence Service. At last, Fleet Intelligence would have some agents with real-world experience in their ranks.
Jack returned Kitt’s salute. “Look forward to working with you again, Special Agent Kitt.”
“And if you’re not too busy training your new recruits, maybe we could meet socially. Special agents do occasionally have some off-duty moments.”
Jack was surprised, but pleasantly so, and nodded sharply. “Yes, Special Agent, I’m sure that would be enjoyable.”
Jack watched as Kitt marched off ahead of the enforcers and their prisoner, taking him to the tac boat waiting on one of the landing pads.
Sam stepped up next to Jack and gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs. “Are you getting fresh with intel?” he jabbed.
“Get your Marines in order, Commander,” Jack said. “Get ready to disembark. They are heading back to the Scorpio immediately.”
“Did you hear what I said, Jack? Are you avoiding the question?”
Jack looked at Sam and nodded. “I guess it would be nice to get to know someone socially.”
“So it’s not enough for me to get you tickets to the game anymore, is it, Jack?” Sam said.
Footsteps in the command deck corridor caught Jack’s attention. He looked up to see a new civilian captain and crew walking towards him. Jack stepped aside from the command chair and saluted the new captain as he stepped up.
“Captain Maslin relieving you of command, Major Forge.”
“I stand relieved,” Jack said.
Jack and Sam left the command deck and made their way to their waiting tac boat.
Racing from the civilian transport to the Scorpio, Jack could see the damage over the Scorpio’s outer hull. One laser assembly had a broken emitter, bent halfway along its length, putting it out of action for some time. Marks all across the hull composite showed where the Skalidion green fire had smashed through the stability field.
“She’s a great ship,” Jack said.
“She sure is, just like her battalion major,” Sam said. He patted Jack firmly on the shoulder.
Entering the Marine deck, Jack tapped the control panel on the inside of the boat boarding hatch and walked onto the familiar deck. Walking toward him came the familiar sight of his old friend Sarah Reyes, now a member of the Fleet Intelligence Sci Division. She had become more serious since taking on her duties as an agent. She had a stern look on her face now. Jack was suddenly concerned.
“Agent?” Jack said with concern. “What is it, Sarah?”
“Did you see Special Agent Kitt take Beretta to the intel boat?”
Jack shook his head. “No, she left on her own with her enforcers. She was taking Beretta to the Scepter’s brig. Is everything okay?”
Sarah Reyes shook her head.
“No, Jack. Beretta is gone. He never made it to the Scepter’s brig. He didn’t even make it to the Scepter.”
“Has he stolen the tac boat? Give me the boat’s ident code and I’ll get after him right away,” Jack said.
Sarah shook her head ahead. “No, Jack, the tac boat arrived on the Scepter, but Beretta was not on board.”
“I know Special Agent Kitt left the civilian transport with him. I don’t think she would let him get away. Ask her. What does she say?”
Agent Reyes turned to walk away.
“Sarah, tell me, what is it?”
Agent Sarah Reyes paused and turned slowly to face Jack. “Special Agent Kitt arrived on the Scepter. She’s dead. So are the two enforcers. We are trying to locate Beretta now.”
“I’ll find him,” Jack said.
“I’m with you, Jack,” Sam said, folding his arms across his chest and stepping up next to Jack.
Agent Reyes shook her head again. “Negative, Major. The last message we received from Special Agent Kitt was that you should be put in charge of training Marines. Fleet Intelligence will handle Beretta. You can handle the Marines.”
Jack stood on the Marine deck and watched his former friend now agent walk away.
Sam turned to Jack. “If you want to go after Beretta, I’m with you,” he said.
Jack looked at his boots and shook his head. “No, Sam, our duty is clear. We have to rebuild the Fleet Marine Service. Who knows what we are getting into on the other side of the stellar void? We will need a good force of disciplined, dedicated Marines. That’s our duty. That’s what we have to do. But if the intelligence service needs me to capture or kill Beretta, I’ll be ready.”
Jack sat at his desk and looked through the holofiles for the Marine recruits. Some were too young, some were too old, but all were enthusiastic, dedicated, and committed to becoming the best Marine they could be. Jack allocated the training squads to the training commanders. Central arenas on three civilian transports had been kitted out to provide a full training simulator. He hoped he could at least have the basis of the new reinforced Fleet Marine Service before the fleet reached the other side of the void.
A message on his desk holostage drew his attention away from the stack of holofiles he was still looking through. He tapped the holostage without thinking.
“Hey there, Jacky.”
Jack felt a shiver of cold hate run down his spine.
“Lou Beretta, you—”
“Yes, I’m fine. How about you?”
“I’m going to find you, Lou.” Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He felt his fist clench and tighten.
“I hope so, Jack. I think I have some unfinished business with you. No need to go hunting around for me. I’m not that far away. And anyway…�
�� Beretta leaned forward, his face filling the image on Jack’s holostage. “I’ll be coming for you soon enough.”
The image of Beretta faded away as the old pirate ended the call. Jack continued to stare at the blank holostage for some time. Finally, he looked back to his work, making a huge effort to focus on selecting the new Marine recruits rather than selecting the method by which he would make Beretta pay for everything.
Jack had been a professional for such a long time that he’d almost forgotten what it was like to be a private individual. But now, he had a strong feeling that this was more than just professional. This was personal.
For the first time since he could remember, Jack was truly angry.
Thank You For Reading
Thanks for reading this installment of the Jack Forge, Lost Marine saga. Jack is doing everything he can to save humanity but there’s still a lot of work to do (and fighting) if they are going to find a safe haven for the human race.
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Enemy Within (Jack Forge, Lost Marine Book 7) Page 10
