“Thanks, Staff Sergeant,” he answered.
He looked up, scanning the line of spectators before he spotted his target.
“Excuse me; I need to go take care of something.”
“First formation for standing by to stand by is in an hour. Make sure you’re there,” the staff sergeant said.
“Roger that.”
JJ passed through the milling Marines, finally reaching Jasper, who was standing in the transport bullpen.
“So, you’re ready to leave, too, Gyver,” he said, holding out a hand.
“Aye-yah. Not much use for me here with you boys gone.”
“I told you, you don’t have to leave. I’ve talked with the first sergeant, then with the sergeant major. The CO--the battalion CO, not the company—will approve the age waiver for enlistment. You can be a real Marine.”
“And I appreciate it. I can’t say I’m not tempted, too. But there’s an age limit for a reason, and I’m old and slow now. Being a Marine is a young man’s game.”
“Old and slow, yeah, right. You forget, I humped all over behind merc lines with you. You’re tougher than 90% of all the Marines I know. And you are bes-bes in a fight.”
“‘Bes-bes?’ I’m guessing that’s good, but that just goes to show that I’m in the generation that’s passing. Our time for making a statement has gone and past.”
“You’re wrong, and you know it. I’ve watched you, and you’re living large here, enjoying life.”
Jasper looked up at the sky for a moment, then back at JJ, saying, “I won’t deny it. But I’ve got my wife back at home. We’ve got the grandkids, too, and then there’s the farm. It’ll take a lot of work to get it back on its feet again.”
“You don’t have to leave now. Go home, see your wife, spend some time decompressing. But your waiver is on record, so when you want, you head down to the capital and the Federation building, and they’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks, JJ. I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask,” JJ said, before changing the subject to, “So you’re heading to Lassen now?”
“Aye-yah. They’re taking all of us there, then giving us tickets for our follow-on destinations.”
“A ticket to Donkerbroek?”
“That’s the plan. I told them we’re out in the boonies, and there’s no public transportation yet, but they say they’ll find something.”
“And you believe them?” JJ asked.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Ha! See you do know the Big Suck, after all. You’re already one of us.”
“Alpha Stick, load up,” a civilian contractor yelled out.
“That’s me. We liaisons got priority, don’t you know,” Jasper said.
“Yeah, and I need to get back. Staff Sergeant Inca’s getting paranoid that some of us will miss the lift.”
“Well, that’s it, I guess. You’ve got my connector. Don’t be a stranger, and give me a call sometime, let me know how you’re doing.”
“And you’ve got mine. You know where to reach me,” JJ said.
“Well . . .”
“Shit, Gyver. No reason to be shy now,” JJ said, pulling the older man into a back-breaking embrace. “I’m going to miss you, brother.”
“Alpha Stick. That means now, unless you want to walk to Lassen,” the contractor shouted out.
“Take care, JJ,” Jasper said as he broke the embrace.
“You, too. Horatius forever, Jasper!”
JJ watched as Jasper got in line and climbed into the transport van. He didn’t see where his friend took a seat, but he waited until the van pulled out and onto the road.
“Go with God, Gyver,” he said before turning around and heading for his own assembly area.
**********
“Thanks for the ride,” Jasper said, hopping out of the cab.
“Sure thing. And thanks for your service,” Gerrick, the truck driver said. “Take care.”
He watched the big blue Sinotruk rise on its blowers, then smoothly head off, Gerrick waving through the driver’s window. Jasper didn’t know if there had been any hovertrucks on the planet before the war—the unimproved roads made the cheaper wheeled and half-tracked trucks more practical, but all the latest and greatest equipment and machinery had been brought in along with the invasion of contractors, both private and those hired by the government. Thirty percent of the populated areas of the planet had been devastated, and that meant a lot of corporations were going to make a lot of money in the reconstruction.
Jasper wasn’t sure what he thought of the gold rush. It felt almost obscene in some ways, like piranhas swarming a dead cow that had fallen into a stream. On the other hand, he knew the planet needed help if it was going to get back on its feet. Besides, he’d been able to hitch a ride from Lassen, saving him time and effort in getting back to Donkerbroek.
He was surprised at how much progress had been done since he’d last seen his hometown. Most of the buildings were gone, but the debris had been removed, and he could count at least eight new buildings in the center of town alone, with bright and clean wall panels, untouched by the elements, screaming out their newness.
On the other hand, that was sobering. A simple HD home could be erected in a day once the panels were delivered. The fact that there were only eight was a reflection of how few people had returned.
Of the 28 men on Koltan’s Hill during the fight, only four were still alive. Three other men had survived the battle, to escape and hide out in the nearby forest. Lyon Helsing had been badly wounded and was still in the hospital at Lassen.
Of the 72 women and children, only 41 had survived. Twenty-two were with Keela at Spirit Lake. Three others had been found at one of the terraforming projectors, and 16 had been captured by the mercs and held in a detainment camp. Other than the two children who had been swept away by the river and four whose bodies were turned over by the Tenners after the cessation of hostilities, no sign of the rest had yet been found.
Nine of the survivors had not wanted to return to the town, choosing to put the bad memories behind them. Donkerbroek, which had a pre-war population of exactly 100 souls, was now down to 31.
Make that 32, he thought, now that he was back.
As he started to walk into town, Tyler Portois backed out of a pile of rubble, pulling a wheelbarrow. He did a nice three-point turn and started pushing it forward when he caught sight of Jasper.
“Oh! Hi Mr. van Ruiker!” he said. “Welcome back home!”
“Thanks, Tyler. How’re you doing? How’s your mother?”
“I’m great. We’re great. We’ve moved into the Mr. Brussie’s old home, up on the Estate.”
The Estate was a small ledge overlooking the center of town with three homes. The fact that they were in Maarten’s home was a reflection that neither he nor Carrie had survived.
“It didn’t burn?”
“No, sir! None of the three did. I’m just helping Ms. Teussel now, scrounging, you know, for their farm.”
Jasper marveled at the development of the boy. He’d never been shy, but he was now brimming with confidence. Both he and Greta had become minor celebrities after Spirit Lake. Their run up the pass and to the small settlement there, and calling for help had kept the mercs from pushing an enveloping force out onto the plateau. The fact that it had also certainly saved Mountie, JJ, and his life, simply added to their acclaim.
“I’ve got to go, now, sir. But if you need anything, you just call me, OK?”
“I sure will, son.”
He watched the boy dig in his feet and start to sprint away, pushing the wheelbarrow. He owed the young man, and he wasn’t sure if he could ever repay him, but he wanted to give him a token of his appreciation.
“Wait!” he shouted.
He unslung his Gescard, took off his pack, then pulled out one of his utility blouses.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked.
“That’s a Marine combat uniform,” Handel answere
d, his eyes alight.
“Yes, it’s the same. But different. Look here. See this tulip? That’s for us, for everyone on the planet. So, this blouse is both, a Marine and a Utrechter, understand?”
“Oh, wow. That’s toppers,” he said, reaching out and stroking the fabric.
“I’d like you to have it, if you want.”
“Really? Like for me?”
“Aye-yah, you earned it.”
He yipped an excited yell, then grabbed the blouse and put it on. He was almost lost in it, and Jasper stepped forward, rolling up the sleeves.
“Don’t worry; you’ll grow into it soon enough.”
“I gotta go show everyone! Thanks, Mr. van Ruiker! Thanks!” he shouted, grabbing his wheelbarrow and sprinting off.
He gave another inarticulate yip, bringing a smile to Jasper’s face. He marveled at the flexibility of children. They can be traumatized, they could lose their homes and their lives as they knew it, but they still bounced back.
He, on the other hand, was looking 80 dead in the face. He should have another good 40 years or so left in him, but was he ready to start from scratch again? Did he have a child’s resiliency?
It was noon, and lunch would be the order of the day, but still, the lack of people on the street depressed him. He passed empty lots, most cleaned, but stark reminders of what the town had been. Turning on Red Oak Lane, he prepared himself for his return home. Keela had already told him what to expect and had sent holos. The house itself had only partially burned. It had taken nine panels to repair the structure. It didn’t look pretty, but it was shelter.
The farm was something else. Of course, the entire crop had been lost, both starter and harvest. The tubes had been damaged, as had the control system. It would take hard work, money, and time if it could even be salvaged.
Red Oak Lane climbed past what had been a row of houses, only one of which had been replaced.
A window pushed open on the new home, and Hette leaned her head out, shouting, “Welcome back, Jasper! I know Keela’s waiting for you so I won’t keep you, but please stop by for a visit later, OK?”
“Sure will, Hette,” he said as he picked up his pace.
He dreaded what he’d find of the property, but he had to see his wife again.
Cresting the rise, he looked down into his 10 hectares. The house was just like the holos, but beyond the new barn, the tubes, were they cycling?
The front door burst open, and Keela came running out.
“Jasper! Hette just told me you’re here! Why didn’t you call me?”
She didn’t slow, covering the 50 meters and plowing into him, almost knocking him down. He didn’t care. He enveloped her, never wanting to let her go. He could feel hot tears on his shoulder as she wept.
An hour later, or possibly a few seconds—time didn’t make sense anymore—Keela broke her grasp and said, “Welcome home, Jasper.”
“Opa!” the two little ones shouted, their small legs slower in covering the ground. Within a few moments, he had his grandkids hanging on his legs, shouting with joy. In the doorway, he could see Radiant standing, looking terrible, Wevers holding her hand.
Keela had told him about their daughter-in-law. She wasn’t doing well, and Keela thought she might need professional help.
And that was the major reason why they were all under the same roof. Radiant was not ready to run a household. And until she was, she and the grandkids were living with them.
“I got my Li’l Bunny,” Amee said, holding the small PA up for Jasper to see.
“I told you that Tyler and Greta would give it back. Thanks for sharing,” Jasper told her.
With the little ones chattering about anything and everything, Jasper and Keela made their way back to the house.
“Are the tubes flowing?” Jasper asked. “It looks like they are.”
Keela broke out into a huge smile and said, “Radiant, take the children,” then to Jasper, “Come on! Let me show you!”
“I want to stay with Opa!” Amee and Pieter shouted.
“We’ll be back,” Keela said. “Go finish your lunch, and then you can tell him everything!”
They walked around the corner of the house and past the new barn, but Jasper’s eyes were locked on the rows of tubes. Tiny bubbles rose through the blue-green-tinted water.
“I don’t understand,” he said, flabbergasted.
“Henri, come here and meet Jasper,” Keela shouted.
Jasper tore his eyes away from the tubes to see a small man, one side of his face scarred with burns, walk hesitantly up. Keela had told him that Henri had arrived from Wieksloot, one of the city’s many refugees, and that she had hired him to help put the farm back in order, but in his wildest dreams, he’d never imagined this.
“Good to meet you, Henri,” Jasper said, reaching out a hand.
Henri startled and took half a step back, then tentatively reached back and shook.
“I need to finish my lunch, ma’am,” he said, then turned and went back to the barn, slipping inside and out-of-sight.
“He’s, uh, he’s damaged, Jasper. But he’s been wonderful here. We’ve got 93% of the tubes running, we’ve got crop growing, and all because of him. We’ll talk about it later, but I’d like for him to stay on. We can build him a small cottage, if we can afford it.”
“Sure, we can talk about it, but 93%?” he asked, stepping up to the first row.
He put a hand up against the plastiglass tubes, feeling the vibration of nutrients and nitrogen flowing from bottom to top. The murkiness was a sure sign that algae were growing inside.
“This is the first crop,” Keela told him. “I wanted one before you got back.”
“But the starter? It had to be lost.”
“It was.”
“Then how did you get any more? I heard the government hadn’t worked out a contract yet.”
“You’re not going to believe this. I got it from Donbury Ag last week.”
Jasper was floored. He looked at Keela, his mouth hanging open.
“Donbury Ag? The Donbury Ag, one of the Tenner corporations?”
“Yes, the rep came by last week, making the rounds. The starter was free, and we don’t even have to sell to them, but they promised a good price if we do.”
“Donbury Ag? Who we’ve been fighting?”
Keela suddenly sounded unsure of herself as she said, “I hope that’s OK. The government says it’ll be at least ten months, and this, well, it was free, and they matched the strain. I just wanted, you know, I just wanted everything back to normal when you got home. I need things to be normal again.”
Jasper looked at his wife, at the worried expression on her face, and he felt guilty. He’d been gone, but life as a Marine liaison had not been difficult. For the most part, it had been easy, to tell the truth. Meanwhile, Keela had been stuck trying to put their life together while dealing with the grandchildren and a daughter-in-law who was more of a burden than a help.
“Come here,” he said, drawing her into his embrace. “I’m just amazed that you’ve done so much.”
He kissed her, long and hard. She was stiff in his arms, then melted into him. He felt stirrings that had been absent for too long, stirrings that she noticed.
“Why Mr, van Ruiker, what do you want with me?” she asked with a throaty chuckle, her hands falling from his shoulders to squeeze his butt.
“I will show you, Ms. van Ruiker, this evening after the little ears are asleep.”
“Promises, Mr. van Ruiker, promises. And I will hold you to them.”
They walked arm-in-arm back up to the house, opening the back door and walking in.
“Opa, can you read to us?” Pieter asked, holding out a tablet. “It’s The Lion and the Elephant!”
“Opa just got back,” Keela told him. “He has to change and get rid of . . . why do you still have that gun?” she asked him, as if only now noticing it.”
“I had to turn in the M90, but I kept this. I hope I never have to
use it again, but better to have it than not.”
She didn’t seem convinced, but she said to the grandkids, “Let Opa get cleaned up, OK?”
Jasper had to kiss each of them before he was able to break away and get to the bedroom. Half of the exterior wall was new and still unfinished, but other than a few marks, the furniture was in surprisingly good shape. He dropped his pack and rifle, then sat on the bed, bouncing up and down a few times.
He looked up guiltily. Keela was death on being on the bed in dirty clothes, and his utilities were reeking. He dropped the trou and stepped out, then pulled the blouse off, leaving both in a pile on the floor. As he was stepping into the shower, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. He’d lost at least five kilos, and he looked, well, harder. With a shrug, he stepped into the shower and luxuriated in ten minutes of hot water, washing away the grime of over almost five months. The Marines had both sonic and water showers, but there’s something about a man’s own shower that simply cannot be matched.
Keela had his clothes hanging neatly in his small closet. His three pair of yodzhis hung in a row. He pulled them down and dropped them on the floor, images of the dead farmer and his son forcing themselves from the recesses of his mind where he’d pushed them. He kicked the pants to the back, then pulled out a pair of denims and a prince shirt. It had been a long time since he’d been in normal clothes, and it felt odd, almost like he was still naked.
That’s weird. Seventy-eight years dressing like this, and I feel odd?
His Gescard was lying on the bed where he’d placed it. Keela wouldn’t like that, he knew. He looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do with it. He’d get a lock for it later, but for now, he took it into his closet, up against the back wall and out of sight.
His pack was still on the floor, as were his dirty utilities, giving off more than a little stink that he noticed now that he was clean. The laundry room was next door, so he poked his head out the door, then tiptoed over. It only took two minutes to run them through the sonic, more dirt than he thought sifting to the catch-tray. He tip-toed back to the bedroom.
Behind Enemy Lines: A United Federation Marine Corps Novel Page 23
