by Jack Hunt
“Charley Ross, sir, but most call me Priest.” He spoke in a Texas accent.
“Right, of course they do.” He looked him up and down. His shoes were well-polished and he was holding a rosary in his hand. “Now, your profile says you are in here for disobeying orders. Let me guess, you didn’t want to kill anyone.”
“Oh no, Lieutenant, I love to strike down my adversary with the fury of God. I refused deployment into a peace-loving world.”
“Why?”
“Because they wanted us to strip the planet of resources, and the way I see it, if God gave it, who are we to take it?”
“Soldier, are you telling me you would strip a man of his life but not strip a planet of its life resources?”
“That’s right, Lieutenant.”
“Quite a predicament. So they are dismissing you from the UEDF and giving you a prison sentence of six months for disobeying an order.”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Reid pressed on to the next soldier unsure of what to make of that last one. He glanced down at the TX2. “Joe ‘Skinner’ Visser. It says that you killed fourteen civilians on the planet Eru after having a truck roll over your head, and that you pleaded insanity. Is that correct?”
Skinner was South African; his accent was thick, as if he had just stepped off the boat. There was a scar just to the right of his mouth that looked like someone had taken a knife to his face.
“Not exactly. That’s what I told them. Actually they are trying to get me kicked out for selling drugs.”
“You weren’t on any drugs when you killed the fourteen, were you?”
“I’ve dabbled from time to time with mushrooms but not that I recall. Now you mention it though, I’m not sure. After the truck rolled over my head, things got a little foggy.”
He grinned, and someone snickered further down the line.
Reid blew out his cheeks and shook his head. “I was going to ask about the skinner part but I think I know now.” He sniffed. “Moving on.”
The next one was a Hawaiian woman. It wasn’t uncommon to have women right alongside guys in the UEDF. She had her hair in cornrows and was wearing a sports bra, and military-issued bottoms. Down the side of her arms were tribal tattoos. At a glance she had one hell of a figure and a serious set of abs. She was a good-looking woman, it was surprising that no one in the troop had made a move on her, or perhaps they had.
“And then we come to,” he glanced down for just a second but she said it while he was looking.
“Ruby Potts. But you can call me Viper.”
“Or thief. I can call you a thief as that’s what they were going to charge you for, right?”
“If you say. I disagree.”
“Really? How so?”
“How much do you they pay you, Lt? Sixty grand, give or take?”
“How’s that relevant?”
“You know how much they pay us?”
“Get to the point?”
“There are people on Earth making twice, even three times what I do, and they don’t have to risk their neck.”
“And? You must have known that when you signed up.”
“I did.”
He stared at her and she didn’t need to explain any further what she was getting at. With countless resources being mined from other planets and the work being overseen by the military, the temptation to take a chunk here or there was high. In fact, it was one of the most common reasons soldiers ended up in the brig. They would steal a small amount and sell it on the black market.
“And the name Viper?”
She grinned and revealed her pearly whites. Two of them looked as though they had been filed down to resemble fangs.
“Charming.”
He moved on to the fifth soldier who went by the name of Tobias “Phantom” Morozov. He was from Russia, and his left eye drooped a little.
“A sniper. An exemplary track record, scored the highest in your class until you decided to go AWOL.” He looked at him and couldn’t help notice again the one droopy eye. “Want to explain why?”
“Sir, no sir, it should all be in there, sir.”
“Do you want to join Bulldog? As I’m sure he’s getting quite lonely.”
“Sir, no sir. I deserted to be with my sick father.”
“Come again?”
“I wanted to see my father one last time before he passed away.”
Reid glanced back down at the TX2 and flipped through a few times. There was no mention of the reason why he had deserted, only that he had taken a craft that his team had arrived on and left them stranded.
“You still good with a rifle, soldier?”
“I can shoot the wings off a fly from a thousand yards.”
Reid sucked in air between his teeth before he approached the final squad member. “And I saved the worst for last, that is, if we rule out murder which is pretty bad.”
Ty “Woodpecker” Jones was a beast of a man. An African American, he stood before Reid with the white towel draped around his waist. He was holding his toothbrush at his side and looking straight ahead.
“Sexual assault. Care to elaborate?”
“It was consensual.”
“You want to explain how you think assaulting someone is consensual?”
“Ah, that’s where you have it all wrong, Lt. I’m no rapist, I’m a lady killer, I mean, the ladies love me.”
A quick glance at the TX2 and Reid’s eyes widened. “The admiral’s daughter?”
“Yes sir. And a damn fine woman she is, if I don’t mind saying so again.”
“You assaulted her?”
“No sir. We were in the middle of having sex when her father walked in on us. The guy was determined to ensure that I got kicked out even though his daughter pleaded with him to go easy on me.”
“He tossed you out of his home?”
“Naked, sir, and then military guards took me to the brig.” He paused. “You have to believe me. I didn’t rape anyone.”
“Isn’t that what everyone says who’s thrown in the brig for assault?”
“Not everyone, sir,” Viper shouted, admitting to her crime with a smirk on her face. Reid walked up and down them a few times shaking his head. Before he was about to address them, Bulldog came stumbling in panting and sweating like a pig.
“Fall in line, soldier.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Now listen up. I don’t want to be here any more than you do, but shit rolls downhill and if I’ve got to eat it, you’re eating it too. I have seventy-two hours to bring you up to speed on these assholes called the Echobi. They are a nasty bunch of motherfuckers that will tear you a new hole and hoist you up in their air like a flag on Independence Day. So I demand your full attention and I will need you all to meet me outside at 0600 hours. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” they all said.
“You want to put a little gusto into that?”
“Yes, sir!” they hollered.
“Oohrah,” he said.
As he went to walk away, Priest asked him a question.
“Sir, you know why we are here, do you mind me asking, why you are?”
Reid turned and looked at them.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because this is the closest thing you can get to cleaning the urinals.”
Reid chuckled. “I’m still trying to figure that out. Maybe because they think I’m a fuck-up like the rest of you.” He smiled and turned away. Priest chuckled as Reid made his way out of the barracks.
Chapter Six
There were lots of bars to go to on UEDCC Six, but only one that served up the best chicken wings and beer outside of Earth itself. Of course the wings weren’t like the kind found on Earth, they were bioengineered but at least it wasn’t the shit that was served up in the mess. That crap would slip right through you.
As he stood outside the tavern called The Clinic, the name of it was lit up using bioluminescence. It pulsated with a yellow glow and brought b
ack fond memories of when he was teaching at the academy.
The aroma of beer, the clatter of drinks and the sight of the old man stooped over behind the bar made him smile as he entered.
“You think I can run a tab?” he hollered knowing it would rile him up.
The old man didn’t even look his way. He shouted over his shoulder, “You have five seconds to get out before I pull out my assault rifle and fill you with plasma.” The man turned and broke into a smile. “Alex Reid. Well, you are a sight for sore eyes, and I mean it literally, my eyes aren’t what they used to be.”
“How you doing, you old coot?” Reid said moving towards the bar and clasping hands with Harold Whetherby. He patted him on the back and Harold stared at him for a moment from over the top of his round glasses.
“When are you going to age, Reid?”
“In the last ten years of my life.”
“I hear that might be quite soon. You are up for retirement, I hear?”
“Who told you that?”
“Oh a little bird.”
“Katherine.”
“She’s still looking as great as ever,” he said shifting to the right to serve a customer. Beer was typically flat in space because there were no carbonated beverages. In the past, people had experimented with microgravity devices but the gas bubbles wouldn’t rush to the top of the drink and escape. They would stay within the liquid so it would just taste foamy and create wet burps. That’s what happened in the early days before they found a way to create an artificial gravity inside the command centers. Now that the days of microgravity and feeling weightless were behind them, the option for regular carbonated drinks was now available, beer included. Harold pressed a button and a container came out, he cracked the top and poured out beer that he’d produced himself. He handed it off to an officer further down the bar.
“You know she comes in here a lot.”
Reid’s brow furrowed. “A lot? She’s living on Earth.”
“No, not anymore. At least, she hasn’t been back there in over a year. She doesn’t live too far from here with…” Harold trailed off realizing what he was about to say.
“Don’t worry, Harold. I already know.”
“Such a shame. You two made a great couple. Reminded me of Edna and myself.”
“You were never in the military.”
“I know but I understand what it’s like to be consumed by work, paying bills and trying to carve out something. Of course she never saw it like that.”
“They never do. Can I get a beer?”
“Sure thing.”
He returned a minute later with a cold one and then began to wipe down the counter.
“So what are you doing back here?”
“I know, right. To be honest I was thinking I wouldn’t see this place again. No offense.”
“None taken.”
“They have me training a bunch of asswipes for an op on Drozleon.”
“Drozleon? Oh shit, better you than me. That place has been nothing but trouble. I don’t know why the UEDF is so adamant about colonizing that planet. The species obviously aren’t happy about it. But oh no, that doesn’t seem to factor into the equation. We have to divide and conquer. I just think they have bitten off more than they can chew this time.”
“You heard anything?”
Harold had always been a source for titillating information. It was amazing what drunk confessions officers made at the last call.
“Honestly, I’ve not heard jack shit except the usual derogative remarks towards the Echobi. No wonder they want to kill us.”
“It’s got that bad?” Reid asked.
“You really are out of the loop, aren’t you?”
“Back-to-back missions for the past two years will do that to you. The UEDF’s idea of time off is a reconnaissance mission, observing and taking snapshots of some freak with three heads.”
Harold let out a chuckle and went off to fill someone else’s order. Reid glanced up at the TV and read the ticker along the bottom of the screen. The volume was down so he couldn’t hear what was happening. It was giving updates on the state of affairs on Earth. With all the natural disasters that had occurred throughout history, steps had been taken by the rich to ensure that people wishing to not remain on the ground could live in communities high above the cities. The most common form of travel was flight. Driving in a car or using railway systems or buses was a thing of the past. Those were mainly used in tours, to give people a taste of what life was like in the twentieth century. There were no countries anymore on Earth, only one nation, and one group of people who worked together for the betterment of humanity. Social classes existed, even though the latest chancellor had been looking for ways to improve the conditions of those born into poverty. No matter how long humanity existed, Reid imagined that was one thing that might never change. And yet progress had been made over the past hundred years. One thing was good. There was no one without a home, or a means of transportation. These were essentials. People still had to work to eat though. A few pockets of society had been petitioning to have it so that food and water was added to the list of essentials and yet they weren’t having much luck pushing that through.
“You want something to eat?”
“You still have the wing special?”
“It’s still on the menu, I’m not sure anyone thinks it’s special, now that I’ve raised my prices but it’s there if you want it.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Reid sat there drinking and watching TV. On the left side of the bar was a pool table surrounded by a few officers, a couple of them were laying down bets and acting all macho. Some things never changed. Six women danced around provocatively on the small dance floor, while some of the aged majors looked on wishing they could still keep it up without a pill.
Half an hour passed before he noticed in a mirror the bar door open and Katherine walk in. After all these years she was still looking good, and even better now that he had a few drinks in him. She wore a short black dress and had her hair back. He was about to turn and say something when Logan Kane came in behind her with another couple. Right about then he would have been happy to have the command center open up and be sucked out into space but it was too late. Kane spotted him and smirked. He ambled over and patted Reid on the back as if they were still friends.
“Can I get you a beer, Reid?”
“No, I think I’ve had my fill for one night. I was just about to leave.”
“Ah, too bad. How did you get on with the troops?”
Reid swiveled in his seat and that’s when Katherine caught sight of him. She had this “I wish I was anywhere else but here” look on her face She muttered something to Kane and he replied that he would be right there. He watched her walk over to a booth with the other couple.
“They’re quite a motley crew,” Reid answered.
“Indeed. You anticipate any problems?”
Reid’s lip curled up at the corner. “With them or with you?”
“You know, Reid, you don’t look that torn up about the fact that Sophie is on some war-torn planet.”
“Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.”
He narrowed his eyes and then leaned against the bar. “You know what, Reid? The most impressionable years of a kid’s life are between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. I was there for them. Where were you?”
“You bastard.” Reid rose to his feet and squared off.
“Go on. Do it. I can’t wait to see the MP’s throw your ass in the brig.”
“If you guys are going to fight, take it outside, otherwise sit your asses down and spend some money. I won’t put up with your shit,” Harold said.
Reid and Kane eyed each other with contempt before Reid spoke. “I was just leaving.” He dabbed the corner of his mouth and tossed a few gold clonars on the counter. The clonar was Earth’s currency. He brushed past Kane and headed for the door.
“See you again, Harold. Thanks for the beer.”
/> “Anytime.”
With a hand on the door, he glanced over at Katherine; she was staring back at him as he left. Outside he breathed in deeply and walked over to Kane’s E5. He took out his knife and carved a big line down the side.
“Anticipate any problems?” he muttered, smirking to himself as he walked off into the night.
Chapter Seven
At exactly 0400 hours Reid twisted the top of the antigravity grenade and tossed it into the barracks. A second later, there was a tremendous blast and he watched in amusement as all six of them shot upwards and became weightless for three seconds before falling to the ground. Their cries filled the air. There was shock, bewilderment and confusion as Reid entered the barracks and began shouting at them.
“Rise and shine, dickwads.”
“It’s only four o’clock,” Morozov mumbled picking his sorry ass off the cold steel.
“Exactly, and you are all dead. From now on you will learn to sleep with your eyes open.”
“What the hell? This dude is crazy,” Woodpecker said struggling to get his boots on.
“Fall out,” Reid yelled as he exited, leaving the place in a shambles. He was dressed in a black T-shirt with a white logo of Earth on the right chest with the lettering UEDF below it. He wore military khaki cargo pants and black boots. He stood outside for a few minutes before returning to the doorway and screaming at them to get their asses in gear.
“God dammit, this is not a sleepover. Move it. Move it.”
One by one they came rushing out and began forming a disorganized line. Priest wiped at the corner of his eyes. Reid glanced over the sorry excuse for marines.
“Where is Skinner?”
“He’s brushing his teeth.”
“And you left him inside?”
“You told us to fall out.”
“And you left behind one of your own? Get back in there and get him out.”
They rushed inside, colliding with one another as they squeezed through the narrow door. Bulldog was yelling for Skinner to hurry the fuck up or he was going to break one of his limbs. When they finally emerged, Reid eyed Skinner with a look of contempt.
“The enemy you are about to face, does not sleep. I repeat. They do not sleep. They have no need for it. Which means, you do not sleep.”
