by Dennis Young
Talice turned to Tooley, off to one side. “What about the commset?”
“We burned it, Captain, and anything we couldn’t salvage from Briggs’s wrecked ATV. Not much left.” He glanced to Nikolay in the back of the ATV. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know her well. Hell, I don’t know anyone in the team that well, but… poor Nikolay. And their little girl.”
Talice nodded. “Okay. Let me contact Briggs and see if they’ve found Bird One yet. Take the wheel. We’ll get going in a few minutes.”
She stepped off behind the boulders again as Tooley climbed into the driver’s seat. “Briggs, Talice. Talk to me.”
“We’ve sighted smoke, Captain. I’m in contact with Jamal. The ship is a mess. Abie’s hurt, co-pilot’s dead. Mac is injured and gonna be okay. Where are you?”
“Still where we were. We’ll be on the way in a few minutes. Keep things under control big guy. I’m counting on you.”
A pause on the line. “How bad is Bělinka?”
Talice swallowed hard. “She’s gone, Briggs. Niky…” She simply had no words to say.
“Shit. Captain, what the hell happened? We had them by the balls!”
Talice shook her head and closed her eyes. No, we didn’t. We thought these people were basically harmless. Fucked up royally.
She pursed her lips before replying. “Doesn’t matter now. We still have a job to do, but first we gotta take care of our own. Keep a lookout. Don’t get lazy on this. You’ve got good people, so use them.”
“Hua, Captain. You do the same. Don’t let them kill you.”
Talice started to answer with a smartass comment, then paused. “Copy that, Briggs. We’ll be there soon. Stay sharp.” She clicked off. Let out another ragged breath.
Fuck. Just… fuck.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Where do We Go from Here?
(Part One)
Counting Flowers
“One may know how to conquer
without being able to do it.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
The Crash Site…
Things were not as bad as Talice had imagined. Bird One was upright, mostly intact, and not on fire. But the cockpit damage was extensive, at least from the outside, and the fact was, Will Thomas, a quiet young man who did his job with efficiency and no complaints, was little more than a charred corpse now. Tooley slowed their ATV’s approach as the team quieted, milling around.
Jamal Orlando approached, glum and ragged. “We got Will’s body out and into a bag. Abie’s in the infirmary. It’s operational for the most part. Mac is in your cabin.”
Talice patted his shoulder, then motioned to Nikolay in the back of the ATV. “Help Tooley with him, Jamal. Then get him into the infirmary and give him a sedative. He’s drained. He needs to rest a bit, so he can process this.”
“How about you, Captain? You okay?”
“Good enough. I know we have a lot to do, and have casualties, but I need a report from you on the ship as soon as possible. In the meantime, I need to see Mac and Abie.”
Briggs approached. “I’ve got intel we need to discuss soon.”
Talice looked to the sky. “Noonish, isn’t it? Okay, set a perimeter guard then get your injuries seen to.” She motioned to the ATV. “Keep the team busy, but not too busy. Right now, we’re in survival mode. Stay focused.”
Briggs nodded, then moved off, calling for Jian and Ollie.
Jamal and Tooley lifted the body bag from Nikolay, nearly comatose in the ATV. Talice watched as Jamal helped Nikolay up the ramp and into the ship. Tooley followed with the body bag.
Talice sighed. Briggs, Ollie, Jian, Tooley, Jamal, and me. Everyone else dead or wounded. We’re eight hours by ship from any sort of civilization, and Fawkes doesn’t expect us back for at least ten days. But first, Mac and Abie.
Talice headed up the ramp, noting the deployment area was undamaged. She stopped briefly at her safe, seeing it was intact. Damn good thing, or I’d be among the dead pretty quickly without my patches. Gotta get a new one later. She sipped on the S-H tube, then drew a longer drink, only then realizing how thirsty she’d gotten.
She hustled to her cabin door, opened it slowly, and peeked in. Mac lay in the bunk, rousing as the door opened. “About time you got here.” She grinned weakly.
Talice entered and knelt beside the bed.
“Ugh, careful, Princess. Ribs and arm.” Mac sat up and rolled up her torn tunic sleeve, showing a deep bruise and raw flesh. “I hit the wall behind TacOps and bounced out of my hoverchair. Good thing, too. I crawled under the panel as it got blasted down the hall. I think it’s wrecked.”
“Your legs are okay? So you’re just gonna have to move that walking schedule up, right?” Talice showed a smile, but it faded quickly. “Damn, Mac, I can’t believe this…”
“Shit happens, doesn’t it? Especially when you least expect it.” Mac looked Talice in the eye. “Tell me what happened.”
“No idea. Somehow, they got wind of the operation. We’ll find out, but right now, it’s strictly survival.”
“Bělinka…”
Talice shook her head. “Will Thomas is dead, too. Half the team is wounded or injured.”
“Time to get tough, Marine.”
“Hua, Sergeant.” Talice gave Mac another, lighter hug. “I gotta check on everyone. You okay? Need anything? A magazine, maybe? Massage?”
They grinned together.
“Get out of here, Princess. Go spread your smiling face and be the captain.”
Talice stood and slid out the door, then walked the short corridor to the infirmary. The lights were down. Abie lay in a treatment bay, asleep. The medi-panel lights were mostly yellow, a couple green, and fortunately, none were red. Her forehead was bandaged, as was most of the right side of her body. Her hand seemed to be… missing.
Jamal entered quietly. Talice gave him a questioning look.
“Her right side took most of the blow that killed Will. Yes, she lost her hand, but she can get a new one. Possibly her arm as well, as she has multiple breaks. Rib bruises, too.”
“How is she going to fly the ship with one hand?”
Jamal shrugged. “I don’t even know yet if we can get airborne. Certainly not before we patch the hole in the cockpit, that’s for sure.”
“Weapons and shields?”
“Hellbores are still operational, port minigun is gone. I don’t know about the rest.”
How about our stores in the hardpoints?”
“Captain, I haven’t had time—”
Talice held a hand, then laid it on his shoulder. “Never mind, we’ll find out soon enough. How about you? Need a break?”
He shrugged again. “I could use some help getting the cockpit back in order.”
Talice motioned to the door. “Let’s let Abie rest.” She glanced to Nikolay, sleeping in a bunk aside. “Briggs has the rest of the team working and on guard. I’ll give you a hand, no problem.”
* * *
Night came. The team set camp inside a salvaged shelter. Dosu and Rory were both up and reasonably mobile. Jian, Tooley, and Ollie had cobbled together a perimeter wire and currently patrolled with nervous energy. Nikolay was awake, in a corner of the infirmary with Talice, while the others watched outside.
Talice poured tea, and they sat quietly for a few minutes. Niky drank slowly, his movements almost mechanical.
“Talk to me,” said Talice softly. “Let me help.”
Nikolay shrugged at the last. “How do I tell my little girl her mama isn’t coming home? What do I say to Bělinka’s family?”
Talice said nothing. She set her cup aside and put a hand atop his. “I’ll help you through that, I promise. I know it’s rough. I understand. Let me help. Please.”
Nikolay looked up at Talice. “I am glad you were with her. To comfort her.”
“Niky, she didn’t suffer. And I’d have taken that blow for her if I could have. Anytime.”
“I am just… numb. Sad, mad, terrifi
ed… numb.”
Talice nodded and held him close.
He drew away after a moment. “What about… the others?”
She sighed. “The ship is damaged. Jamal says he thinks we can get it airborne in a couple of days. Abie’s hurt pretty badly, Will Tomas is… dead.”
“Will? I am so sorry.”
Talice nodded again. “We’ve got some other injuries, but everyone’s gonna be okay.”
“Mac?”
“She lost her hoverchair.” Talice nearly chuckled. “We’ll hold a memorial for it.”
Nikolay laughed quietly. Then again.
Talice smiled. “Yeah, she’s gonna have to scoot around on her butt until she can get up and walk.”
“The mission?” Nikolay asked, after another quiet moment.
“Scrapped for now. Not important.”
Talice poured tea again, and they drank.
“What can I do, Captain? I want to help.”
“Niky, you need to rest.”
He shook his head. “No, I need to be of use. Tell me what I can do.”
Talice met his eyes for a long moment. “Alright. Our long-range comm is down. The TacOps board is damaged, and we don’t know how badly. First priority is comm, so we can contact Base. We’ve got everything else covered.”
“I will do that, yes. Tools?”
“Jamal has a set I’m sure you can use. Scanners, probes, and a cache of replacement parts still intact. He’s got his hands full trying to get the cockpit back in shape.”
“Then show me what is needed. I need to work. Please.”
Talice nodded and stood, extending her hand. “Okay. I’ll help you with that, if you want.”
Nikolay showed a small smile. “Thank you, Captain. That would be appreciated.”
* * *
They dug out their wristcoms the next morning, knowing they might be compromised. They gathered for a briefing in the ready room, the table tilted slightly with the list of the ship. Jamal reported the landing gear was jammed shut, likely a good thing, otherwise it might have dug into the ground and flipped Bird One over on its back. Had that happened, there would be no going home.
Talice stood at the darkened screen. “Don’t use the writstcoms for messages. Just say who you need and we’ll get together. No info, no nothing.”
She looked to Briggs. “You said yesterday you had intel, and frankly I forgot to get back to you.”
“We picked up some chatter on an open channel just before the turbocopter attack. It cut off pretty quickly. I think whoever it was hit the wrong frequency switch.”
Talice nodded. “Okay. And…?”
“It sounded like a woman’s voice. I think it was Jance.”
Talice’s nostrils flared. “What did she say?”
“Sounded like ‘don’t leave anyone alive’. Or close to it.”
“Fuck her,” said Rory, from the corner. “That didn’t work out too well, did it?”
Talice held her reply for a moment. “To tell you the truth, no. Under the circumstances, we performed about as well as anyone could have. And that includes a Marine special-ops team.” She glanced at Nikolay before continuing. “We took casualties, but we paid back in full. We knocked them out of the fucking sky and destroyed their ability for a counter attack. Damn good work, all of you.”
Nods around, and a quiet “Hua” was heard from several of the team.
Talice continued. “We can use that initiative if we decide to, or, in a couple of days, we can likely be ready to go home. In the meantime, I want to hear from the rest of you. We still have a job to do, and damn little time to do it in. Do we take a chance now, or come back under a real deadline?” She paused for effect. “Or maybe not get another shot at these fuckers.”
“Fuck that. Let’s go after them now.” Rory again.
Talice wasn’t surprised and said nothing. She met Briggs’s eyes. Then Jian’s. Then Dosu’s. Then Ollie’s. Then Tooley’s. Finally, Nikolay’s.
“We could unmount the starboard minigun and set it up on one of the ATVs,” said Briggs.
Jamal entered to hear Briggs’s comment. “Bird One will be airworthy in a couple of days. Set down right on top of them.”
“Captain, they may not have aircraft left, but we don’t know about missiles, or other artillery, do we?” Ollie, being precise as always.
“Good point,” replied Talice, nodding. “We need more recon, in that case. Thirty kilometers is a pretty good hike, so we need a plan.”
The room was quiet for a few minutes. Talice looked up at a sound from the corner. Mac rolled in on a portable chair, looking better. “I heard voices.”
“Yeah, I’ve always suspected,” replied Briggs.
The room broke up. Rory high-fived Briggs. Talice tried to suppress a laugh, failing miserably. In a moment, they were all cheering. Even Niky showed a wan smile.
“We’re planning our last-ditch demise,” said Talice. “You’re welcome to put in your two-creditmarks worth.”
Mac looked around the room. “We’re hurt, but we’re not dead. We’re mad, sad, and pissed as hell. The question is, what do we want to do about it?”
“I think that’s pretty apparent already, Mac,” said Talice. Nods around again, and she continued. “First thing, recon. Make a plan to take out any remaining danger to the ship. Then take them down.”
Mac nodded, holding her arm and wincing a bit. Talice motioned to Jamal, who produced a hypo-spray and pressed it to Mac’s shoulder. It hissed, and she relaxed.
“We’ve got two ATVs and no long-range comm,” said Jamal. “So anyone going on recon will be on their own until they return. Our wristcoms are good for about ten kilometers without a tower or relay, which we don’t have. The suit comms go through the ATV relay, good for about twenty kilometers max. And Captain… the suit commsets haven’t been hacked. Only the wristcoms.”
“Drones,” said Mac. “I still have all four, but one has a bum battery, so three. We could use one as a relay, couldn’t we, Nikolay?”
Niky roused and considered. “One or two, Sergeant. Yes, the concept is good.”
“They’d have to be close to ground level,” said Jamal. “Say, a hundred meters, no more.”
“Jian and I can do recon,” said Briggs. “Thirty kilometers back to the original recon site, say an hour to get there by ATV, and hour back, just in case. Couple of hours recon should do it.”
“We missed all this stuff before during six hours of recon,” reminded Talice.
“I’ll go in,” said Jian. “I can do it better alone. Briggs can cover me.”
“From two kilometers away? In the dark?” Briggs shook his head. “Not a chance.”
“How about from a hundred meters?” Jian met Briggs’s stare squarely.
Briggs laughed quietly. “Yeah. I can do that. We can head for the recon site and go in after dark. We need a good headcount anyway.”
Talice considered, an idea forming in her mind. “Talk it over, you two. Then get back with me in the next hour or so. Meantime…” Her eyes swept the room again. “Let’s see how else we can help Jamal. Let’s do our job and get the hell out of here.”
The looks around were all the answer she needed. Talice didn’t know whether to be happy or scared shitless.
* * *
“Captain, you wanted to see me?” Jian stood at the ready room divider.
Talice motioned him to sit beside her at the table. “You’re going in alone. I understand that, and yeah, it’s a good idea, but crazy. Regardless…” she paused and looked him in the eye. “If you have a chance, you take out Jance Sukano.”
Jian looked away for a moment. “I’ve thought about that, assuming I can even find her. How much time do you want me to spend? I value my own skin, still, I understand we have a job and it’s dangerous. But there aren’t enough of us right now for a frontal assault. If I don’t make it back…”
“Taking out Jance will cripple them. Make them a whole lot more willing to negotiate. Yo
u know what she’s capable of. You were with me on Crius and saw first-hand.” Talice gave him a quick grin. “And I know you’ve been itching to show off that assassin stuff.”
Jian nodded at the last. “If I find her, and the situation is tactically advantageous, fine. I don’t think you want me wading into a room full of armed bodyguards.”
Talice shook her head. “We do stealth stuff pretty well, all of us. You especially. Look for clues and signs. The intel is the important part. Don’t put yourself in danger.”
“I’ll do that for certain.” He gave her a quick once-over. “You okay? Need help with a patch?”
Talice smiled slightly. “Don’t tempt me. But there’s damn little privacy now, and I’m not gonna sneak out behind a rock with you and have a sand worm slither up my leg.”
He leaned in, and they kissed gently.
“Get going. Briggs is waiting. We’ll get the drones up in a bit, too. This is important. We need this intel so we can finish the job.”
“Hua, Captain.”
They touched hands as he rose.
* * *
“Team One, in position.” Briggs’s voice was a whisper. He and Jian were roughly a hundred meters north of the hangar wreckage. Smoke still drifted in the air on the southwest breeze. They’d positioned themselves away from the prevailing wind for a better view of the target area.
“Bird One did the job, that’s for sure. The big ship in the hangar is junk, two smaller ships that were dragged out are damaged. One is probably unserviceable, the other, hard to tell. It’s got a tarp over it, so I’m going to assume it’s being repaired.”
Mac at TacOps clicked the intercom. “Headcount? Look for the perimeter lasers, too.” She shifted in the obviously uncomfortable chair. Jamal and Tooley were working on her hoverchair. It might never hover again, but it would certainly roll on its backup wheels and give her legs a needed break.
Talice stood behind her with a headset. Half the board was still dead, two screens shattered, and the panel scorched. Nikolay had performed a minor miracle just getting part of the system working.
“No one around that I can see.” Briggs’s voice paused for a moment. “Okay, two just came out of the main building. Looks like men, armed, casually looking around.”
