Mark said, a bit uncomfortable with the situation, “Er, shouldn’t you get some clothes on Mike. You’ll need to see Sally soon.”
Mike grinned at Mark. “Come on Mark, there are no other reptiles here. Just a mammal and whatever Orange is. If it’s embarrassing you, I’ll get dressed when I’ve finished my drink. Give me a minute to relax.”
After a few moments of silence while they all sat sipping their hot drinks, Mike spoke again. “If we get time Mark, I’d like to spend some time with you on hand to hand training. If we are going down there again, and I’m pretty sure we are, you will need to be able to survive a hand to hand attack.”
“I’d like to do a bit more than survive. If I have another Krendor running at me I’d like to be able to take it on.”
“Let’s not try to run before we can walk, eh?” Mike said.
“You didn’t seem to have much a problem with the one you killed. You made it look easy.” Orange chipped in.
“That was pure luck. That and a bit of help from my AI.” Mark responded.
“What, he was lucky you didn’t beat him to death?” Orange said with a laugh.
Simon walked in, saying: “I feel better for that. I’m going to sleep for a week now. Or until Sally wants me.”
“I guess I’ll go and shower.” Mark said. He ordered a fresh jumpsuit, shoes, socks and pants and got them out of the synthesiser. He took off his body armour and boots and put them into the synthesiser for recycling. He kept his jumpsuit on, though now that his body armour was off, it became clear that it was far from fresh, and went for a shower.
When Mark came out of the bathroom fully dressed, freshly showered and shaved, he felt much refreshed. Ti’rrk was laying on her platform and appeared to be asleep. Orange was still sitting at the table, eating something hot that had an aroma reminiscent of the roman baths that Mark had visited on a school trip to Bath - wet and sulphurous. Mark thought he could do with a hot meal and asked his AI to order a pizza and coke for him.
Mark sat down with Orange and stood up again almost immediately when his AI told him that his meal was ready.
“Is Mike with Sally?” Mark asked Orange.
“Yeah. I’m up next.” He answered. “Tell me Mark, does your culture have a thing about nudity?”
“Yes.” Mark answered, blushing. He had never been naked in front of a woman since he was a small child, and that was only with his mother. There had been that time with his friend Martin’s sister. He shuddered and tried not to think about it.
“You’ll have to get used to it.” Orange told him. “You’ll find that in the privacy of their quarters, most soldiers don’t wear clothes and in larger units you’re bound to have species like yours of both genders. At least in here you haven’t got any other humanoid mammals.”
“I’m not asleep yet you know. I can hear what you’re saying. I’m a bloody humanoid mammal.” Simon said from his bed.
“I know you’re not asleep. If you were you’d be snoring like a chainsaw. And you don’t count, you’re too strange.” Orange answered.
“Bastard.” Simon replied.
“I suppose I’ve got used to worse.” Mark said. “You know, being shot at, fucking great lizards trying to gut me, killing people. I guess I can get used to a bit of nudity from other species.”
“That’s the spirit.” Orange said, finishing his meal. “It’s only been a few days this time, but it’s always good to get real food again. How’s yours?”
“Pretty good now that my AI’s ordering it.”
“Mike should be back soon. I won’t be long with Sally, we’ll be going over the strategy plan and tactics later on so she won’t need much from me right now. If we get time I’d like to spend time with you showing you how to use explosives and grenades.”
Simon’s voice came sleepily from his bed. “I want to spend a bit of time with you on the obstacle course.”
Mark wondered when he would find time to sleep.
Mike bounced through the door. “You’re up Orange.” She said with a grin.
Mark was pleased to see she was wearing a jumpsuit now. Orange stood up and left.
“Mmm. Hot food. Just what I need.” Mike said. She paused a moment, went to the synthesiser and pulled out a plate piled high with what looked like noodles and vegetables. It looked like the teppanyaki Mark had eaten on the two occasions that he had treated himself to an after work meal at Wagamama’s in Jewry street.
“That looks, and smells, like noodles and vegetables that we have on Earth.” Mark said to Mike.
“According to my AI, it probably is.” Mike replied. “Check your AI!”
Mark asked his AI, and Kate Baraheri's voice told him that it wasn’t much different, although the noodles weren’t made from wheat flour and he wouldn’t recognise the vegetables. If he wanted to try it, it was safe for him to eat and should be palatable.
“My AI tells me it is, and it’s safe for me to eat. I’ll try it sometime.”
“Get yourself a fork and try some of mine.” Mike said.
Mark got a fork from the synthesiser and sat next to Mike. He reached for a forkful and put it into his mouth. The noodles had more texture than the ones that he was used to but tasted good and the vegetables, although unusual, tasted good too.
“This is great Mike, can you ask your AI to send the pattern to my AI please?”
“Done.” Said Mike. “Help yourself, we can share this.”
“I’ve never shared a meal off the same plate with a woman before.” Confessed Mark.
“So you see me as a woman now, not a reptile?”
“Yes, I always have. Well, since I found out you weren’t a man.”
“That’s different. Sally and Ti’rrk just see me as a soldier, Orange and Simon call me the skinny lizard. So, you see me as a person?”
“Of course. Don’t you see the rest of the team as people.”
“No. So, will you eat this again?”
“Er, yes. That’s why I asked for the pattern.”
“Just checking.” Mike said. “I thought you were just being polite.”
“You are a strange woman.” Mark said.
The door slid open and Orange came in. “You’re up now Mark. I’m going to get a couple of hours sleep.”
Mark put his fork down and stood up to leave.
“Guess I’ll get to finish my own meal by myself now.” Mike said without looking up.
Embrace The Fear
Mark felt a bit nervous as he walked the few metres to Sally’s quarters. As he walked towards the door he was wondering whether he should knock or just stand outside waiting to be called in. As he walked up to the door, it slid open.
“Hi Mark. Thanks for coming. Come in and take a seat.” Sally said.
Mark walked into a spacious well-furnished room. He noticed that everything was the uniform grey that pervaded the whole of Mother with its bland monotony. Sally was sitting in a large comfortable armchair with her legs tucked underneath her. There was another identical chair facing her, so Mark sat on it.
“Would you a like a drink - tea, coffee, beer?” Sally asked him.
“Tea would be good thanks.”
Sally got up and collected a mug of tea and a glass of what Mark knew was vodka. She passed the tea to Mark and sat down again.
“Er, should you be drinking alcohol right now?” Mark asked.
Sally laughed and said “Don’t worry Mark, I’ve got my filters activated, no alcohol will reach my brain.”
Mark had no idea what she was talking about but let it pass. “You’ve got some explaining to do!”
Mark thought about this for a moment wondering which particular cock up she was referring to.
“Look, I said I wasn’t a soldier, and you said when we were down there that I haven’t had enough training so you can’t expect me to get it right all the time.” Mark said defensively.
“Mmm.” Sally said with a slight frown. “I think we may have a slight communication problem
here. Where shall we start? First, I was hoping to get some insight into how you took down a charging Krendor so easily - according to the report I have had, when even Orange or Simon would have struggled against one of them. Second, about you leading the assault into the target building with the synthesiser, flinging yourself down for cover like a seasoned soldier while identifying the main group of enemy soldiers and throwing a grenade into the middle of them. Then taking them down with your pulse weapon. Third, about you running to a comrade whose armour had collapsed to draw fire from them when your own armour was critically low. And then you stood there, still firing after your own armour had collapsed, while taking hits. Fourth, about you disobeying an order to stay put because your field armour was down, exposing yourself to enemy fire and taking out a soldier throwing grenades at your unit and probably saving everyone’s lives. We’ll skip over the bit where you fell off a wall into a heap at Orange’s feet.” Sally finished with a grin. “Oh, there is one more thing, why was it necessary for you to lay on top of Mike while shooting at the grenade thrower?”
“It’s not what it seems like, I can explain it all.” Mark answered.
“This should be interesting.” Sally said settling herself back into her chair. “It would be good to learn how we can turn a completely untrained, unwilling and inexperienced rookie into an elite, fearless soldier in just a few days.”
Mark felt that he should be flattered, amused even, by this. But he just felt like he was standing on a precipice and had an empty feeling in his stomach. He leant forward in his chair and pressed his forehead into his hands.
“You’re doing it again Sally. Everyone keeps doing it. Why can’t you see it. I’m no good at this. The Krendor? I’m not sure, I was too frightened to check, but I think I might have shit myself when he came at me. I thought I was going to be dead. It was only by pure luck that I managed to stop him. The assault on the target building? I got angry about the Krendor attacking me like that, like it was personal, and I guess I just wanted to kick someone for it, but I cocked that up by tripping over as soon as I got inside. The grenade fell out of my hand and bounced across the floor and just happened to roll into the group of soldiers. So, you see, not clever, not brave, not an elite soldier, just a frightened guy trying to say alive.”
“For fucks sake Mark. If I wasn’t so tired I’d come across there and slap your face. Hard. I might knock some sense into you. Do you really think that you are the only one in step in the whole universe and that everyone else is out of step? I got to having the most respected army in the galaxy by being able to spot potential and see people for what they really were. There is only one person I know of who is anywhere near as good as me being able to judge people. It’s that bastard Alan - and he made you a Friend of the People!”
“But…” Mark started to speak.
“Don’t give me any but’s Mark. Do you know what people thought about you at IFG?”
“I doubt anyone thought anything about me. Nobody seemed to notice me unless there was a shitty job to be done and then I was the first person they thought of.”
“You’re partly right. You were the first person they thought of to give the shitty jobs to do because although you were recognised as one of the brightest and hardest working people in the building. You were also recognised as the person least likely to complain or make a fuss about getting the shitty jobs that no one else would do. You never complained - and I’m not talking about the occasional whinge to people who didn’t care. And you never pushed for promotion or a pay rise which is why you are at the bottom of your pay scale and still graded as an analyst when you’ve been there for seventeen years.”
“But…”
“I haven’t finished yet. Anyone who didn’t crap themselves when being attacked by a Krendor has no place in my army. Do you think you were the only one frightened? Mike holds herself together well but when she came in here she started shaking and most of the time in here, she was crying. She and Ti’rrk were ambushed when they went to the traffic control centre and were lucky not to have been killed. Simon, well, Simon has issues and the only thing that really keeps his demons at bay is the adrenalin of being frightened all the time and the feeling that he might be doing some good. That’s why he seems as normal as he is going to get when we are fighting. Orange is, different. I’m still not too sure what he is. I’ve never come across his species before and I don’t know anyone who has. His emotions aren’t like anything I understand, except, a long time ago when I was talking to him, he told me he is frightened all the time, not just when we are fighting. He wouldn’t say why or what of. And let’s look at Ti’rrk. Born to be a warrior and trained from the moment she hatched. A fearless fighter and the best person to have at your side in a battle. Not really fearless though. Ants face the prospect of death with equanimity, but they are frightened of what might happen to them in a battle. And finally, your fearless leader, me. I get frightened of everything. I fear failure. I fear getting it wrong and getting my soldiers killed. I fear letting people down. I’m frightened of getting injured in battle. I’m not frightened of death, but I am terrified at the thought of getting killed part way through a war and leaving my army leaderless.”
“Oh.” Mark said.
“So you were frightened, but you still did it?”
“Yes, but, er, I don’t know.” Mark said with a sigh.
“Get a grip. You’re doing what a soldier is supposed to do, and you’re doing it damned well. Drink your tea.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes while Mark sipped his tea and Sally swallowed her vodka.
“Here’s the plan Mark. Orange and I are going to stay up here for a while. I think I know what’s going on with the enemy and I need to keep Alan here. We need to have a winning strategy and the tactical plan to make it happen. Parts of that are already set out. Mike is going to take charge of a unit with the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Simon wants to support one of the Ant spearhead units. Ti’rrk is going to embed with the main Ant task force. You aren’t a part of this army and the team is temporarily split up. You can’t add anything to what Orange and I have to do - you just don’t have the background and experience yet. You can hang around here and wait until it’s over or you can go and spend time with Alan, after all that’s what you left Earth for. You don’t have to decide in a hurry, take your time.”
“Those are my two options?” Mark asked. “Well, they sound like the two shitty jobs. So, I’m going to complain to the boss. I don’t want to do either of those, so I’m not going to.”
Sally looked puzzled. “I don’t have a third option. Do you?”
“Only the blatantly obvious one. I’m going down to the ground and get into the front line to do something useful.” Mark leant back into the cushions of his chair.
Sally’s mouth dropped open. “You what! You want to go on the front line with none of your team to support you?“
“Yeah. If what you say is true, it’s where I should be. Can you arrange it?”
“Yes, of course I can arrange it. It’s my bloody army. But you do realise I can’t give you any kind of command.”
“Come on Sally, I know as well as you do that I couldn’t command anything in an army. I want to be a front line grunt. You seem to think I have a talent for it.”
“Mark, I think you are beginning to see the light. Consider it done. Look, I’d love to spend some time with you, but we’ll have to do that some other time. I’m going to let Orange sleep but I’m going to keep going on suppressors, I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Afterwards then.” Mark said with a smile. “If we are both alive afterwards.”
“You’re beginning to get it.” Sally said and stood up. “The human sleep cycle is seven to eight hours. Get some sleep and come back in nine hours ready to go.”
Sally stepped over to him and reached around to hug him. Mark held her close to him for a long moment.
“I’m really not good at this sort of thing.” Mark whispered to he
r.
“Nor am I.” Sally said out loud. “We’ll get some practise in when this is all over.”
Mark didn’t know much about romance, but he was beginning to suspect that Sally was unfamiliar with the concept.
They let go of each other and stepped back, holding hands. Mark leant forward and kissed Sally awkwardly.
“I think we need to practise that too.” Sally said with a serious look on her face. “Go on, go and get some sleep.”
Mark reluctantly walked to the door which slid open as he walked towards it. He paused as he walked through the doorway and turned to look at Sally. She was sitting down with a look of concentration on her face, moving her hands in the air in front of her.
“Shit, she’s stunningly good looking.” Mark thought as he gave her a half wave before walking back to the team’s quarters.
Back To The Front
Mark’s AI woke him after eight hours sleep. Half asleep, he rolled out of bed legs first to plant his feet on the floor. He remembered just too late that he was on the top bunk. As he got up off the floor, now fully awake and slightly bruised, he noticed Mike sitting at the table. She was cradling a mug in her hands and watching him. Nobody else was there.
“You have a novel way of getting up.” She said.
“Yeah. I thought you were going down to join the fighting?”
“I’m taking a lander full of Mark Eights. They’re being loaded now.”
“Congratulations on your promotion, even if it is temporary.”
“Thanks. So, you’re going to be on the front line? This was your idea?” Mike asked.
“Yes. It’ll keep me out of trouble.” Mark answered.
“You know, even for a mammal, you’re a bit weird.”
“I’m going to have a tea before I get ready to go. Why don’t you try one?”
“I did when you were asleep. I thought if you like my food, I might like your drink.”
“Would you like another one now?” Mark asked.
Unwilling From Earth Page 27
