Lone Star Renegades (21 page)

The chief stepped up to a high metal counter holding a variety of handguns atop it. He motioned the teens to huddle around him. “You are here to learn about a variety of Brotherhood weapons. You’ll learn how to fire these weapons … and to do so with precision. You’ll also learn how to maintain your weapons, which, at some point in your life, might mean the difference between survival or death.

“Is there anyone here familiar with weapons?”

“Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare … Stinger M7; that’ll show the Kardon Guard,” Humphrey said enthusiastically, fist-bumping Clifford Bosh.

The chief looked momentarily confused by Humphrey’s words when he saw Collin had raised his hand. “What’s your experience, Mr. Frost?”

“My dad’s a veteran soldier. He takes me to the range when he’s not deployed. I’ve been around firearms most of my life.”

The chief nodded and turned to see if anyone else had any weapons experience. “Individually, and as a Chain unit, you will need to excel, to outperform all others. Let me make one thing perfectly clear … this is not play. The weapons you’ll be using can easily be set to lethal settings. A lapse in concentration, a mistake here and on the range, will get someone, maybe the person next to you, killed. There have been twenty-nine weapon range fatalities here on Nero Station. And those mishaps befell recruits with more experience, more weapons knowledge, than any of you have. So let me say this … if I find any of you acting inappropriately, not taking this seriously, I will shoot you myself.” With that, the chief picked up the closest handgun on the countertop, checked it, and shot Humphrey in the chest.

The energy blast was loud enough to cause everyone to jump. Humphrey dropped like a sack of potatoes. One second he was standing beside Clifford Bosh; the next, he was splayed awkwardly on the deck. There was an acrid smell of ozone and singed fabric in the air. Wide-eyed, no one moved. They all stared down at the lifeless body—a burn-hole in his heart area.

“As I said, these weapons are fully functional.” The chief looked down at the energy weapon in his hand.

Both Collin and DiMaggio started to crouch down next to Humphrey.

“Do not move!” yelled Bragg. He waited for them to stand up straight. Collin was having a difficult time keeping his rage in check.

“Now this is a Ponge 412, the standard sidearm weapon for Brotherhood forces. If you look here, at the lower left side of the barrel, you’ll see that it has six micro-settings.” The chief used his thumb to move the selector switch to the first position.

At this point the knuckles on Collin’s two fists had turned white.

The chief droned on, “The first position is the lowest level, a stun setting. Mr. Humphrey was nailed with a setting of three: enough to burn a hole in his uniform and through several epidermal layers as well. The jolt to his nervous system was enough to disrupt consciousness … but he is not dead. I don’t think.” He casually glanced down at Humphrey for several seconds before the unconscious teenager’s eyes fluttered open. “Someone help Mr. Humphrey back up onto his feet.”

The chief scanned the faces around him. “You. Come around here next to me.”

Lydia’s eyes widened and she froze in place.

“I’m not going to shoot you, Ms. Bennett. Do as you’re told.”

Lydia took in a breath, walked around the counter, and stood next to him.

“What is this weapon?” he asked her, in an almost comforting voice.

“Ponge 412.”

“How many different settings does it provide for?” he asked, handing her the weapon.

“Six,” she answered. She took the gun in her right hand and looked at the selector switch.

“Good … now change the setting to the first position.”

She used her thumb as the chief had shown them and repositioned the switch. “Like that?”

The chief took the gun from her and looked at the setting. He raised the weapon and pointed it at Collin. “You tell me … was it set to the lowest setting, or the highest, most lethal, setting?”

Lydia’s expression turned to uncertainty as she searched her memory.

The chief fired once, twice, three times.

Lydia screamed, “No!”

But Collin did not fall to the deck as Humphrey had. In fact, he was smiling back at her. He rubbed at a point on his chest and said, “Warm.”

“Setting position one. This is the training-level setting you will always use, while on Nero Station.” The chief looked at Humphrey, who was now back on his feet. He still looked somewhat disoriented. “What is it I just said, Mr. Humphrey?”

“Setting position one is the training-level setting and we will always use that setting, while here on Nero Station.”

“Correct.” The chief walked to the back bulkhead and removed a rifle from one of the racks. He brought it over to the counter and laid it flat before him. “This is a Larrik 5 … most commonly referred to as a Doubler. As you can see, there are two barrels that merge into one, here at this end. It disperses
plasma
… high-energy ionized
gas
. The plasma is created by
superheating
internal lasers
.
A very powerful weapon. This is the same weapon the Kardon Guard utilizes.” He flipped the weapon over and tapped at a selector switch near the trigger guard. “And here is your power-level selector switch. Again … setting one will be the only setting ever used within the confines of Nero Station. Is that understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“Over the next hour you will learn how to dismantle and clean both the Ponge 412 and the Doubler. In the weeks to come, you will be able to disassemble and reassemble these weapons in seconds … you’ll be able to accomplish this in total darkness. Any questions?”

“When do we get to shoot them?” Bubba asked.

“Maybe tomorrow. Let’s see how well you do today, with the basic maintenance aspects. You’re already well behind the other two Chains … you better hope you don’t fall back any further. It’s all about tributes and you’re lacking in that regard. There are countertops situated around this compartment. Each of you must retrieve a Ponge 412 and a Larrik 5 Doubler from the racks. Go now.”

Chapter 28

Chief-in-Command Bragg left the Lone Stars at the close combat gym. They’d taken a transport elevator to one of the sub-decks, located at the very lowest level of the station. Gone were the deep, rich colors, textures, and muted high lighting. This part of the space station was barebones, utilitarian, and drab. Pipes and conduits ran along gray bulkheads.

Collin, leading the way into the first of what he figured were several adjoined compartments, was almost bowled over by the hot, humid air. With the exception of a three-foot-wide walkway that encircled the thirty-by-thirty-foot square compartment, the deck was completely covered with padding. In the center of the room, standing beneath a dim overhead light, stood a lone figure. The girls giggled—both Lydia and Tink covered their mouths, embarrassed. The boys said nothing, but made faces at each other.

He was a slight man, no more than five foot seven—if that. His body, glistening with sweat, was toned and showed an astonishing amount of muscle definition. He was also naked, with the exception of a small black loincloth that covered his privates.

The Lone Stars moved around the periphery of the compartment, mindful not to tread upon the padded floor in shoes. Eyes closed, the man continued to stand perfectly still in what looked like a yoga position, or maybe a Kung Fu-type pose. Then Collin realized the man was balancing all his weight on one foot—actually, on his toes. Five minutes passed before he gracefully moved into a regular standing position.

He opened his eyes and surveyed the group. He smiled with child-like innocence, bowing his head and bringing his hands together as if in prayer, and remained still. Collin was the first to follow suit and bow in a similar manner. One by one, the others followed his lead, until everyone in the compartment had a bowed head, their two hands clasped together, like the slight man in the center of the compartment.

He stood erect and smiled again. “Welcome to this sparring room … the Roko. Thank you. I am honored by your presence here. I am honored I was assigned to train you. Please address me as Master Car.” He took several steps forward and then turned and walked around the compartment, looking closely at each teenager, holding their gaze and nodding to each one. He returned to the center of the compartment.

“You must be an exceptional group of young men and women. I was retired; have not been involved in training young recruits for some years now. Note that you, alone, will be trained by me … the other two Chains have other trainers. I am one hundred and thirty-six years of age. My body does not move as it once did. I am not as quick as I once was. Please forgive my shortcomings and I will forgive yours. So let’s get started. There are male and female dressing rooms. I will wait here while you dress for today’s exercises. Place your garments, your shoes … everything within the cubbyhole shelves. Rest assured, no one will take your things. This is a safe environment. Go now.”

Collin continued to stare at the strange slim man. He looked to be no older than forty, if even that. He projected an aura of confidence, while still maintaining an air of humbleness at the same time.

Collin was the last to enter the changing room.

“No fucking way I’m …” Bubba was holding up a small black rectangular cloth, with longer strands of material extending from both its ends. Some of the other teens were trying to figure out the loincloth—turning it this way and that.

Collin heard a scream and then sudden laughter from what he assumed was the next-door female dressing area. That would be Tink, he thought—he recognized her voice.

“I don’t like it either. Let’s just do what he wants,” Collin said, removing his shoes and socks. He proceeded to place things into one of the cubbyholes. He then removed his uniform and underwear. He’d already figured out the loincloth in his head. He’d actually taken a few seconds to note how Master Car had tied his own loincloth. It wasn’t all that complicated.

“This is bullshit. I’m going to be strutting around out there with only my balls covered up?” Humphrey groused emphatically. That brought a roar of laughter from those around him. Collin noticed Humphrey had a nasty burn on his chest—he’d live with that scar the rest of his life.

Collin got the cloth situated properly and the straps wrapped around his hips. The straps were so long he had to wrap them around his narrow hips twice. Royce White, on the other hand, was having a far worse time of it.

“It ain’t going to fit around me. No matter what I try.”

Collin turned around and saw Royce standing naked—his rotund belly hanging down close to his genitals. In each hand he held on to a strap that only reached halfway around his body.

Collin found an extra loincloth and ripped the straps from it. “Tie these to the ends. Should reach around you then,” he offered.

It took another few minutes for everyone, including the three Daccians, to get properly attired. All the boys were smiling, though some of them looked ridiculous. Others, like Darren, looked like professional underwear models. Collin didn’t let his mind go to the embarrassment he himself would face once he’d left the changing room.

He hesitated, then walked out of the dressing room.
Ready or not, here comes Commander Sticks, in all his glory
.

Master Car was back in the middle of the mats in a different stationary pose. The six girls were already there. They had on a different type of arrangement: their two black cloth pieces, affixed in place, weren’t too dissimilar to bikinis, although they also had the same
wedgy
-strip of material running between the cheeks of their buttocks.

Collin averted his eyes from the girls, keeping them locked on Master Car. As soon as the near-naked Lone Stars were settled into place, Master Car surrendered his pose and assessed the group. He nodded appreciatively.

“Soon you will no longer feel embarrassed by your nakedness, I promise you.” He was on the move now and walking the perimeter of the Roko. Collin’s eyes held on to Lydia as Master Car passed by her. She stood tall, with her hands at her sides; she didn’t seem self-conscious at all.
But then again
,
why should she?
Everything about her was pure perfection. What startled Collin back into self-conscious nervousness was the fact she was staring right back at him.

“You, the one called Ms. McBride. Please stand in the middle of the Roko.”

Tink, arms crossed over her chest, moved to the center of the compartment. Her face was flushed scarlet. So tiny she’d wrapped the straps of her two cloths around her twice, maybe three times.

“And you, Mr. White. Join Ms. McBride.”

As big as a Sumo wrestler, he moved into position right next to Tink. He held his head high and seemed to be coping well enough. The contrast between their two physical forms could not be greater. One of his thighs alone probably had the same weight of Tink’s entire body.

Master Car stood before the two. “I will show you how to bring Mr. White down to the mat with little effort.” A marker appeared in his hands, which a second before had held none.
Had he
kept it hidden somewhere within the folds of his loincloth
? Collin had no idea. Now, standing directly in front of the bigger man, Master Car proceeded to draw small red circles, at different locations, on Royce’s body. Barely visible against his black skin, Collin had to concentrate to find them. Car started with a red circle just beneath Royce’s right kneecap, then drew one on the back of his left ankle, right above his heel. He proceeded to draw five more red circles at various anatomical locations around Royce White’s large body.

Master Car then turned to Tink. “Will you assist me with an exercise, Ms. McBride?”

Tink nodded. “I guess so … Yes, sir.”

“Simply call me Master Car. What I want you to do is stand before Mr. White. That’s right, get close to him. As you can see, I have made small red circles all over, at different locations on his body.”