by J G Cressey
“Sounds entirely feasible.”
“Another thing, sir, is the local wildlife.” Couter rested his rifle in the nook of his left arm and pointed toward one of the distant herds of deer-like creatures. “As far as I’ve observed, those herbivores never go near the woodland or the thicker shrubland. If the snakes can’t handle heat, it would make sense for them to reside in the shade during the day. Perhaps the deer avoid those areas due to fear of the snakes. I’ve seen them drinking at the lakes, but they seem jittery, so I’m not sure what the deal is there.”
Cal smiled.
“What do you think, sir?”
“I think, Couter, that you’re going to do very well in our team.”
The young man seemed to straighten up at that. “Thank you, sir. I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m just sorry I didn’t perform better in Orisho’s test. I should have defused the situation without losing my temper.”
“Trust me; you did just fine. The idea of the test is for Orisho not to listen to reason, no matter what’s said. Some enemies crave conflict, and you’ll never persuade them otherwise. Others simply have a darkness in them. You just have to hope that when you come up against such people, you end up being that bit stronger or at least that bit quicker.”
Couter nodded and remained silent for a time, seeming to muse over what had been said. Cal was pleased that his new recruit wasn’t just brawn. He was possibly a touch sensitive for the line of work, but if it didn’t break you in the process, the lifestyle had a way of hammering out excess sensitivity. Cal was confident that Couter wouldn’t break; he’d seen real steel in the young man during his faceoff with Orisho. In truth, he wouldn’t have expected any less from the son of Captain Maria Coutes. But there were always occasions when the apple fell far from the tree—Captain Decker being a case in point.
“Did you ever go through a test like that?” Couter asked him after a moment.
“As a matter of fact, I did…same as you when I first joined the team. Orisho picked the fight as always.”
“So what happened?”
Cal hesitated, unsure of whether or not he should elaborate on his experience. “It went… Well, it went a little differently for me.”
“In what way?” Couter persisted. “Did he pull the sword on you?”
Cal shook his head then shrugged. “I actually had a rather substantial advantage.”
“How so?”
“I had a strong suspicion it was coming,” Cal replied with a grin. “I’d heard rumors of the test during my time in the Academy. A friend of mine overheard a conversation between a couple of drill sergeants. We had no idea if the rumors were actually true, but when I joined the team, I was on the lookout and thought I better be prepared.”
“Prepared how?” Couter was staring at him, clearly intrigued.
“I decided to keep it simple,” Cal replied. “Orisho picked a fight with me in a similar way he did with you. Because of the rumor, I cottoned on fairly quick but continued to play my part.”
“So what happened? Did you call his bluff?”
Cal shook his head. “No, not exactly. Once Orisho got into his flow, I made sure that things became very heated. I did my best seem in a rage… made out that I’d completely lost it, shouting, cursing, throwing my arms about. I really laid it on thick to the point that they were sure I’d cracked.”
“What then? You attacked him?”
“No. It’s not wise to attack Orisho, prank or no prank.”
“So what then?”
Cal grinned. “I pulled out a live point grenade and dropped it at my feet.”
“You did what?”
Cal laughed at his young recruit’s expression. “It was a dud of course, but Orisho and the rest of the team didn’t know that. They all ran and dived for cover. It took a while before they realized I’d turned the tables on them. They were pretty pissed to say the least.”
Couter’s grin was wide. “Christ,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s brilliant. I wish I’d had a heads up. That must’ve been a blast.”
“It was,” Cal admitted. “In truth, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my life. I wasn’t too popular for a time. Took them a couple of weeks to see the funny side.”
After the chuckling died down, the two of them walked on in silence for a while. The terrain was still blessedly unchallenging, and they were making good time. Nevertheless, Cal kept the pace up. If there were any problems concerning pirates or scavengers, he’d rather have the matter dealt with before their pickup arrived. Malloy’s last message to the Starship detailing the engine malfunctions would have activated a rescue protocol. As long as Captain Decker didn’t screw things up again, help would arrive by dawn. He wanted the civilians gathered and for them all to be on that ship and out of the planet’s strange atmosphere without delay. Capsun 23 could be someone else’s puzzle, someone who was part of a team with an out of orbit research facility—the sort of facility that should have been sent in the first place.
As they continued on, Cal caught Couter glancing his way a couple of times in his peripheral vision. He had the distinct feeling the young man wanted to ask him something. “Anything else on your mind, Couter?”
“Actually, well yes… Orisho and Wilson, what’s their story? They been in the team long?”
Cal smiled at that. “Longer than I’ve been alive. They went through the Krail wars together when they weren’t much older than you…even survived the first wave during the battle of Chalice Zite. They’ve been like brothers ever since.”
“Really? Chalice Zite? I was under the impression that no one had survived the first wave.”
“Only a handful,” Cal replied. “Orisho and Wilson were among them, and trust me, it wasn’t just luck. I don’t usually believe in the concept of born survivors, but those two might just be the exception to the rule.”
“I’d love to hear more about the battle,” Couter said eagerly.
“You will. When you get to know them better, they’ll start telling you stories that will blow your mind and not just about the Krail wars. The two of them have survived missions and witnessed events that you could scarcely believe. Once you get them talking, you’ll start to realize just how strange our little slice of the universe can be, especially some of the worlds in the Krill strip.”
Cal almost laughed at the at the look on Couter’s face; he was a young man eager to hear these stories of adventure but even more eager to chalk up some of his own. Cal remembered the feeling well. In fact, just being around the young man was starting to rekindle a good deal of his own enthusiasm. They walked on a little further, and eventually, Couter’s expression changed back to one of curiosity.
“And Beck—Sergeant Becker? How long has she been on the team?”
Cal looked at him with a creased brow and hoped this conversation wasn’t about to head the way he thought it was. Couter had asked the question in a breezy manner but had completely overcooked it. “She joined as a private just over five years ago. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious about her.”
Ah crap, here we go. Cal had already dealt with Franco’s crush on Sergeant Becker a few years back. Fortunately, after realizing that the corporal also had a crush on Poots and Sinclair, it had become apparent that the man simply had a crush on women in general. But Cal suspected that Couter wasn’t the general crush type of person. “Curious about her in what way?” He put a purposeful edge to his voice.
“Oh, sorry, sir, I didn’t mean… Well, Sergeant Becker is very attractive, no one could deny that, but I would never disrespect a team member like that. Never, sir, I promise.”
Satisfied by the young man’s sincerity, Cal nodded with a little sigh of relief. “Good. So what are you curious about?”
Couter was beginning to look as though he wished he’d kept his mouth shut, but he continued anyway. “For her to be on a team like this… She just seems so… Well, she looks strong, but she’s… Well, she’s incredibly pretty�
�”
“Hold up, Private,” Cal said, his tone hard enough to stop the young man in his tracks. “Your reports from the Academy are exemplary, and they prove you have skills to be admired. You’ve also gone some way to proving that you have metal in you. But your real education starts now. Situations are going to get very real, very fast, and you’re going to find yourself facing dangers that you never even knew were coming at you.”
Couter suddenly looked downtrodden and frustrated that his mouth had betrayed him, but he looked Cal in the eye and nodded his understanding.
“Good. Now, I think that it’s best I do you a big favor and teach you a couple of lessons right here.” Cal paused to make sure his recruit was actually listening and not just silently berating himself. “Firstly, never show Sergeant Becker any less respect than you would the toughest of soldiers because, and trust me when I say this, she is the toughest of soldiers. Second, and I can’t stress this enough, under no circumstances should you ever call her pretty. She really doesn’t like it and rightly so.” Cal looked at the young man with an expression that left no room to doubt the sincerity of his words. “Understand that I’m telling you this now because I don’t want my new recruit’s career cut short by an injury that you might not recover from.”
“I understand, sir.”
“Good.”
They continued on. Couter busied himself by surveying the surrounding hills. Occasionally, he would turn to look back at the rest of the team. His attempts to mask the fact he was looking specifically at Becker as she observed a ravine a little distance behind were unsuccessful.
“You know, Sergeant Becker also underwent Orisho’s test,” Cal said after a while in a ploy to recapture the recruit’s attention. “Just like you. Soon after she joined the team.”
“Really?” Couter asked, his eyebrows raised a little. “What happened?”
“She knocked him flat on his back.”
Couter laughed. Then abruptly stopped upon seeing that Cal’s expression lacked anything resembling sarcasm. Then his eyebrows shot all the way up. “You’re messing with me?”
“I speak the truth,” Cal replied sincerely. “It was one hell of a surprise to all of us, not least Orisho. I don’t think he ever quite got over it.”
Couter turned again and this time took no pains in trying to hide the fact that he was staring at Becker. Only after almost tripping on a thick shrub did he turn back around. “Holy shit.”
Cal nodded in agreement. “Just remember; don’t call her pretty.”
Their trek eventually brought them to another lake, which was every bit as serene as the first. Cal instructed Franco to lead them around its banks. The lake wasn’t particularly large, but Cal had the distinct impression that it was deep. The breeze was practically nonexistent now, and the surface of the water was as smooth as glass.
“You think there’s something in there, sir?”
Cal glanced up to see that Franco had slowed his pace a short distance ahead and was looking back at him.
“Undoubtedly,” Cal replied as he caught up with him. “The dry land’s certainly abundant with life, so I don’t see that the water should be any different.” Despite believing this, he hadn’t actually spotted one fish in the crystal clear shallows or any other forms of life for that matter. And it wasn’t for lack of looking. “I’ll admit it’s not readily presenting itself, but I’ve a hunch there’s plenty of life in there. Why do you ask?”
Franco shrugged. “I don’t know, just the way you keep glancing at it as if something’s going to leap out and try to bite one of us in half. If I’m honest, sir, you’re not looking your usual calm self. More than a little tense for a man who—”
Cal slapped his hand hard on the Franco’s shoulder, breaking him off midsentence. “You mention those bravery awards, Corporal, and I’ll be testing the buoyancy of your armor in the center of the lake.”
Franco raised a hand and shot him a placating grin. “Sorry, Lieutenant. Guess I’m just a little jealous of those shiny medals.”
“You’re welcome to them,” Cal mumbled in reply as the two of them walked on.
“All joking aside,” Franco continued after a moment. “You really don’t seem to have a lot of trust in this planet. I’ll admit that those snakes last night were a little strange. Had quite a bite on them too,” he said, shifting awkwardly. “But they weren’t exactly man eaters.”
“Perhaps not, but they were highly aggressive,” Cal replied. “And don’t forget that the eight of us are well-armed and have a big combat robot backing us up.”
“You’re concerned for the civilians?”
Cal nodded. “With good reason, I think.”
“Maybe,” Franco replied. “But it could just be that they’re experiencing a technical fault…simply a hitch with their communications.”
“Perhaps,” Cal admitted as he glanced out over the lake. “I hope you’re right. But there seems to be a hell of a lot of technical hitches going on. Far too many, and that’s what’s concerning me… And if a research team of scientists can’t rectify the malfunctions…”
“I see your point,” Franco conceded.
The two men continued to skirt the bank of the lake for a time in silent thought. Eventually, the silence was disturbed by Poots, who was mumbling a growing number of curses behind them.
“Poots is getting tetchy. I guess it’s lunchtime,” Franco said as he glanced back at the private.
In agreement with his corporal, Cal ordered a pit stop and had Forester hand out their nutri-packs. Snacking on one of the high energy packs often made Poots complain even more—usually about the taste—but once the calories got into her system, she always calmed down.
Along with most of the others, Cal took a moment to sit back and relax against the ridge that lined the entirety of the lake like a solid, grassy wave. Max stood further back on higher ground, diligently keeping watch over their surroundings. Other than Max, the only one to remain on his feet was Forester, who had leisurely approached the water’s edge. Looking lost in thought as he chewed on his nutri-pack, the medic casually kicked a loose tuft of grass into the lake, causing its smooth surface to ripple. Cal watched as the bright, warm rays from twin suns seemed to surf the disturbed water, the ripples expanding out in neat, golden circles.
“Mind if I collect some plants and flowers, sir?” Forester asked. The medic had knelt down and was examining some of the myriad of plant life that was dotted around the water’s edge. “My wife would never forgive me if I returned from a planet like this without something to show for it.”
Cal nodded with a quick smile. The flower collecting wasn’t a romantic gesture but an act of scientific research. Forester’s wife was a well-respected botanist who worked within the ecology department on their Starship. She was a lovely woman, but Cal could attest to the fact that she’d be furious if her husband failed to collect samples from an abundant planet such as this. “Just a few small cuttings,” Cal ordered. “I don’t want you doubling the weight of your pack like you did on that Taylon drop. We need to keep the pace up.”
Forester unsheathed a small pair of clippers from his pack and raised them in a gesture of thanks.
“And make sure they go through the proper quarantine procedures,” Cal added. “I don’t want to be responsible for some weird pest causing mayhem in the starship’s eco-deck.”
“Of course, sir,” Forester replied as he pulled up a small plant to expose the roots. “Mary wouldn’t have it any other way,” he assured him. Clipping off a single root, the medic tossed the rest of the plant into the shallows, sending out another set of ever expanding ripples.
Satisfied, Cal relaxed back. Taking a bite of his nutri-pack, he once again gazed out over the water. Reflected on the lake’s mirror-like surface, the huge neighboring planet sat low in the blue sky and made for a stunning view. As he chewed on the semi-appetizing food, he couldn’t deny that the calm vista was dissolving a good deal of his tension. Lying back under the pla
net’s lazy warmth with just the soft buzzing of insects and the occasional call from an overhead bird reminded him of some of his quieter moments as a boy on Mars. Of course, that landscape had been mostly jungle, but it had been beautiful and peaceful in its own way.
Unfortunately, the moment of calm didn’t last. Max’s loud, synthesized voice suddenly barked out a warning, which split the peace like an unexpected thunderclap. Something was moving—something in the lake. The whole team surged to their feet, pulse rifles quickly raised.
“Head gear up,” Cal shouted while activating his own. The head-gear’s multiple layers speedily ejected from the neck of his armor, covering his head in an instant. Then, his visor shot down to shield his eyes from the glare of the suns. Peering toward the center of the lake, he pinpointed the movement that Max had warned against: a smooth swell of water that gave the impression that something was moving beneath the surface—something fast and most definitely large.
“Forester, back up,” Cal ordered. “Quickly.”
The medic didn’t hesitate. Spitting out a mouthful of food, he snatched up his pack and rifle.
Cal moved a couple of steps forward. “Set pulse rifles to maximum; I want a staggered defensive position.”
As the team arranged their defense, Cal continued to track the movement of the swell. It had shifted slightly, angling toward them, and he had the distinct feeling that it was speeding up.
“It’s coming straight at us,” Forester confirmed after a moment.
“Yep,” Franco agreed. The corporal was kneeling in a forward position, his rifle pressed hard into his shoulder. “And whatever it is, it’s big.”
“No frickin’ shit, Sherlock,” Poots said in quick reply.
The swell continued to move toward them, escalating in speed and size the closer in got. Cal felt a strange excitement. His heart began thudding increasingly harder, each beat seeming to vibrate through his armor and right down to the muzzle of his rifle. In his peripheral vision, he could see Max standing slightly apart from the rest of the team, ready to move forward in a kinetic burst of cybernetic power should it be needed.
