Anyway, in this next segment the Sarge gets to display his interpersonal skills!
Five
The last time I’d seen Helen I’d shot her in the chest, although she turned out to be a hallucination, courtesy of some high-tech kit hitch-hiking in my head. The memory made the back of my neck itch. What I’d taken for dust were actually streaks of grey in her hair. It’s funny when time catches up with someone you remember too well.
“Ah, hi. Yeah, well, you know how it goes. It’s not like I can request a posting.“ My eyes flicked over the nearby crowd. “You still with…?”
“Daniel, yes. He made Major, for all that matters now. He kept the scar you gave him, says it’s a reminder of an important life lesson.”
“Oh yeah? Don’t screw another man’s wife?”
“Always carry a loaded weapon.”
There was an awkward pause and I was conscious of the squad stalled behind me. “Look, Helen-“
“Leave it, Coop, we’re old news. I’m heading for Hydra, priority clearance. One advantage of having a husband in logistics.”
“Major Bean-Counter not with you then?”
“Daniel is on his last mission for the Alliance and after that he’s taking up a position with Rekantor Pharmaceuticals.”
“Jumping ship, eh? Somehow I don’t see you as corporate hausfrau, especially with your past.”
That exasperated tone I remembered so well crept into her voice. “Oh wake up, Cooper! The military life is dead and gone. You can’t have an Earth Alliance when there isn’t an Earth anymore. Ships, men, installations, they’re all being farmed out to those willing to pay for their upkeep, or ditched. You know where Daniel is right now? Pinnacle Station is being shut down, like this place, and he’s part of the team moving Command Interstellar aboard the Hindenburg.”
I stared at her. “But that’s, that’s-“
“Cost cutting. You don’t need command and control when there won’t be much to command or control. Take my advice, Coop, cash in your pension while you still can and get out. Do the smart thing for once in your life.”
“I’m full term, signed up to the Later Life program. I’ll be in uniform ‘til I die.”
She shook her head, sounding almost sorry for me. “That could be a damn sight sooner than you think.”
“Sarge?” It was Reizac at my shoulder.
I cleared my throat. “Helen, this is Corporal Reizac. Reizac, this is Helen, my ex-wife’”
“Ma’am.”
Helen became all smiling affability and they shook hands. “Pleased to meet you, Corporal. I take it keeping Cooper out of trouble is still a full-time job?”
He laughed. “Keeping him alive is about all I aim for, ma’am. Keeping him out of trouble is a whole different ball game.”
“Same-old, same-old.”
I half-turned my head towards Reizac. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Corporal.”
“Sarge.”
Helen kept smiling as he backed off but her eyes were wary. “Since when do you babysit assassins, Coop? Should I be leaving sooner rather than later?”
I frowned. “Reizac? He ended up with me after Special Ops got canned. God knows we need boots on the ground just now.” Reizac’s past didn’t bother me as according to his record he’d only been transferred to S-O during their recent, and hasty, expansion. It wasn’t like he was a career rifle-bunny in love with the kill.
She lowered her voice. “See those tats on his right knuckles? They signify he’s qualified at a thousand metres, free-stand. That’s rifle and optical scope only, no electronic aids. You don’t just dump someone like that back with the grunts.”
“And suddenly you’re an expert?”
Helen arched one eyebrow. “Oh, please, Coop, if there’s one thing I know, its Marines.”
Fair comment I suppose. I’d met Helen when she worked in the Comfort Battalion; in her mid-thirties and up against girls a lot younger. Other than her contracted shifts she wasn’t pulling in much by way of extras and jumped at the chance of a way out of the life. That being me, ten years her junior and just made Sergeant the first time. Call it an infatuation, call it love at first sight, call it any damn thing you please. I proposed and as the hero of Madras Point the colonel signed off on the paperwork without a murmur. Hell, he even came to the wedding and I kind of suspected he’d been one of Helen’s other clients. So it goes.
I straightened up. “Gotta’ go. Good seeing you again. Hope it works out for you on Hydra.”
She reached out and touched my cheek. “You look tired, Coop. Your eyes are harder. This life, it eats up everyone, sooner or later.”
And she was gone, turning away and lost in the throng almost immediately. There was a pain in my chest and my fists were clenched. I took a breath and turned back to the squad, my squad.
“Right, listen up. We’re headed to that security desk over there.” I pointed diagonally across the concourse. “Kuntz in the middle as our main firepower, you four running interference, me on point. Keep the violence down but we’re not here to make new friends, OK?”
Formed up, the squad snow-ploughed its way through the crowd. I smacked one pushy guy who got in my way, just an elbow to the face, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I bellied up to the desk and the others formed a half-circle cordon behind me. Local security consisted of a harassed-looking man and two women, trying to deal with transients waving ID in their faces. It was so bad the public face of Cairo Station had dropped the fixed smiles and were shouting back, clearly not having a good day.
Well, it was about to get a whole lot worse.
The guy glanced over at me then turned his attention to a florid-faced woman who kept trying to grab his lapels. I placed my assault rifle on the counter and kept staring at him until he electronically stamped the document in front of him and came over.
“Yes?”
“I’m Sergeant Cooper. I need to make an after-action report to my superiors. I need external comms access and I need it now.”
‘Keyes’ according to his name tag, was a mean-faced ******* obviously chosen for his unique people skills. He scanned my ID and shook his head. “You’re our problem just now, Sergeant. Any report, you make it to me. I’ll give you the paperwork and please make an effort to fill it in correctly. If you need help with the big words I’m sure-“
My reactions aren’t super-slick but they proved better than his. I grabbed his tunic front and slammed his face down onto the counter, my pistol pressed against his temple. The two women security officers hesitated then ignored the incident. All three of them were armed but they were on the wrong side of a serious firepower imbalance, plus I got the feeling Keyes wasn’t that popular.
I ground the muzzle of my weapon into his skin. “Listen up, bozo. I just lost a man out there. Something in the dark stripped the flesh from his bones before he could cry out. So you and I both have the same problem, so we should be working towards the same solution. Now, unless you’re volunteering to come back out there with us, I suggest you let the military handle things our own way. That means giving me access to the main comms array so I can report in. Savvy?”
I released him without waiting for confirmation and he straightened up, red-faced, fury in his eyes. For a moment I thought officer Keyes might even draw down on me but then Kuntz turned and rested the end of his multi-barrelled minigun on the counter. It’s a big weapon, imposing, even bigger and more imposing when you’re staring down the business end and all you have is a pissant 9mm.
Keyes worked his jaw for a moment, then rummaged in a drawer and threw down a comms headset in front of me. “The fleet is on channel four.” He turned back to the crowd and I let him go.
Fleet? That was an unusually generous description of the Magister Militum plus a couple of support tenders. I shrugged, selected the channel, and donned the headset.
“Any station, any station, this is Marine detachment Lazy Gun Two, please respond.”
The universe whispered in my ear; electronic ghosts just beyond the bounds of hearing.
“Lazy Gun Two, this is Ludendorff command, please authenticate.”
The Ludendorff? Way out here? That was some seriously heavy metal to be supervising a simple evacuation; a full-blown battlewagon. I hesitated a moment but couldn’t afford to keep my new best friend waiting.
“Ah, one-niner-five-five-seven-break-break-six-four-alpha-zulu.”
There was a long pause, long enough for me to imagine a gun turret turning in my direction.
“Lazy Gun Two, this is Ludendorff command. OK, marine, what’s your story?”
Five
The last time I’d seen Helen I’d shot her in the chest, although she turned out to be a hallucination, courtesy of some high-tech kit hitch-hiking in my head. The memory made the back of my neck itch. What I’d taken for dust were actually streaks of grey in her hair. It’s funny when time catches up with someone you remember too well.
“Ah, hi. Yeah, well, you know how it goes. It’s not like I can request a posting.“ My eyes flicked over the nearby crowd. “You still with…?”
“Daniel, yes. He made Major, for all that matters now. He kept the scar you gave him, says it’s a reminder of an important life lesson.”
“Oh yeah? Don’t screw another man’s wife?”
“Always carry a loaded weapon.”
There was an awkward pause and I was conscious of the squad stalled behind me. “Look, Helen-“
“Leave it, Coop, we’re old news. I’m heading for Hydra, priority clearance. One advantage of having a husband in logistics.”
“Major Bean-Counter not with you then?”
“Daniel is on his last mission for the Alliance and after that he’s taking up a position with Rekantor Pharmaceuticals.”
“Jumping ship, eh? Somehow I don’t see you as corporate hausfrau, especially with your past.”
That exasperated tone I remembered so well crept into her voice. “Oh wake up, Cooper! The military life is dead and gone. You can’t have an Earth Alliance when there isn’t an Earth anymore. Ships, men, installations, they’re all being farmed out to those willing to pay for their upkeep, or ditched. You know where Daniel is right now? Pinnacle Station is being shut down, like this place, and he’s part of the team moving Command Interstellar aboard the Hindenburg.”
I stared at her. “But that’s, that’s-“
“Cost cutting. You don’t need command and control when there won’t be much to command or control. Take my advice, Coop, cash in your pension while you still can and get out. Do the smart thing for once in your life.”
“I’m full term, signed up to the Later Life program. I’ll be in uniform ‘til I die.”
She shook her head, sounding almost sorry for me. “That could be a damn sight sooner than you think.”
“Sarge?” It was Reizac at my shoulder.
I cleared my throat. “Helen, this is Corporal Reizac. Reizac, this is Helen, my ex-wife’”
“Ma’am.”
Helen became all smiling affability and they shook hands. “Pleased to meet you, Corporal. I take it keeping Cooper out of trouble is still a full-time job?”
He laughed. “Keeping him alive is about all I aim for, ma’am. Keeping him out of trouble is a whole different ball game.”
“Same-old, same-old.”
I half-turned my head towards Reizac. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Corporal.”
“Sarge.”
Helen kept smiling as he backed off but her eyes were wary. “Since when do you babysit assassins, Coop? Should I be leaving sooner rather than later?”
I frowned. “Reizac? He ended up with me after Special Ops got canned. God knows we need boots on the ground just now.” Reizac’s past didn’t bother me as according to his record he’d only been transferred to S-O during their recent, and hasty, expansion. It wasn’t like he was a career rifle-bunny in love with the kill.
She lowered her voice. “See those tats on his right knuckles? They signify he’s qualified at a thousand metres, free-stand. That’s rifle and optical scope only, no electronic aids. You don’t just dump someone like that back with the grunts.”
“And suddenly you’re an expert?”
Helen arched one eyebrow. “Oh, please, Coop, if there’s one thing I know, its Marines.”
Fair comment I suppose. I’d met Helen when she worked in the Comfort Battalion; in her mid-thirties and up against girls a lot younger. Other than her contracted shifts she wasn’t pulling in much by way of extras and jumped at the chance of a way out of the life. That being me, ten years her junior and just made Sergeant the first time. Call it an infatuation, call it love at first sight, call it any damn thing you please. I proposed and as the hero of Madras Point the colonel signed off on the paperwork without a murmur. Hell, he even came to the wedding and I kind of suspected he’d been one of Helen’s other clients. So it goes.
I straightened up. “Gotta’ go. Good seeing you again. Hope it works out for you on Hydra.”
She reached out and touched my cheek. “You look tired, Coop. Your eyes are harder. This life, it eats up everyone, sooner or later.”
And she was gone, turning away and lost in the throng almost immediately. There was a pain in my chest and my fists were clenched. I took a breath and turned back to the squad, my squad.
“Right, listen up. We’re headed to that security desk over there.” I pointed diagonally across the concourse. “Kuntz in the middle as our main firepower, you four running interference, me on point. Keep the violence down but we’re not here to make new friends, OK?”
Formed up, the squad snow-ploughed its way through the crowd. I smacked one pushy guy who got in my way, just an elbow to the face, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I bellied up to the desk and the others formed a half-circle cordon behind me. Local security consisted of a harassed-looking man and two women, trying to deal with transients waving ID in their faces. It was so bad the public face of Cairo Station had dropped the fixed smiles and were shouting back, clearly not having a good day.
Well, it was about to get a whole lot worse.
The guy glanced over at me then turned his attention to a florid-faced woman who kept trying to grab his lapels. I placed my assault rifle on the counter and kept staring at him until he electronically stamped the document in front of him and came over.
“Yes?”
“I’m Sergeant Cooper. I need to make an after-action report to my superiors. I need external comms access and I need it now.”
‘Keyes’ according to his name tag, was a mean-faced ******* obviously chosen for his unique people skills. He scanned my ID and shook his head. “You’re our problem just now, Sergeant. Any report, you make it to me. I’ll give you the paperwork and please make an effort to fill it in correctly. If you need help with the big words I’m sure-“
My reactions aren’t super-slick but they proved better than his. I grabbed his tunic front and slammed his face down onto the counter, my pistol pressed against his temple. The two women security officers hesitated then ignored the incident. All three of them were armed but they were on the wrong side of a serious firepower imbalance, plus I got the feeling Keyes wasn’t that popular.
I ground the muzzle of my weapon into his skin. “Listen up, bozo. I just lost a man out there. Something in the dark stripped the flesh from his bones before he could cry out. So you and I both have the same problem, so we should be working towards the same solution. Now, unless you’re volunteering to come back out there with us, I suggest you let the military handle things our own way. That means giving me access to the main comms array so I can report in. Savvy?”
I released him without waiting for confirmation and he straightened up, red-faced, fury in his eyes. For a moment I thought officer Keyes might even draw down on me but then Kuntz turned and rested the end of his multi-barrelled minigun on the counter. It’s a big weapon, imposing, even bigger and more imposing when you’re staring down the business end and all you have is a pissant 9mm.
Keyes worked his jaw for a moment, then rummaged in a drawer and threw down a comms headset in front of me. “The fleet is on channel four.” He turned back to the crowd and I let him go.
Fleet? That was an unusually generous description of the Magister Militum plus a couple of support tenders. I shrugged, selected the channel, and donned the headset.
“Any station, any station, this is Marine detachment Lazy Gun Two, please respond.”
The universe whispered in my ear; electronic ghosts just beyond the bounds of hearing.
“Lazy Gun Two, this is Ludendorff command, please authenticate.”
The Ludendorff? Way out here? That was some seriously heavy metal to be supervising a simple evacuation; a full-blown battlewagon. I hesitated a moment but couldn’t afford to keep my new best friend waiting.
“Ah, one-niner-five-five-seven-break-break-six-four-alpha-zulu.”
There was a long pause, long enough for me to imagine a gun turret turning in my direction.
“Lazy Gun Two, this is Ludendorff command. OK, marine, what’s your story?”
