Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour (63 page)
Read Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour Online
Authors: Mark E. Cooper
Tags: #Space Opera, #Science Fiction, #war, #Military, #space marines, #alien invasion, #cyborg, #merkiaari wars
Major Papandreou had what amounted to an under strength battalion of Marines on planet. His command had been created by culling the detachments assigned to each of the ships in the task force, and consolidating them. He was the senior Marine officer in system, officially attached to
Victorious
, and was leading the mopping up operations on Child of Harmony with a great deal of help from the Shan. From reports she had read, the Marines were doing well. That hadn’t surprised her of course.
Gina sat on the edge of Richmond’s rack. “The General is briefing us tonight on the next round.”
“Damn,” Gordon said. “Wouldn’t you know it, I missed the ending.”
Richmond laughed at Gordon’s put upon sigh. “Don’t pout, Zack. Now that Fifth Fleet is here, you can go down to Harmony. If I know the General, that’s what the briefing will be about.”
Gordon brightened. “Hey yeah, you’re right.”
Gina nodded. It was the next logical step. Months of fighting had taken its toll, but everyone was hoping that the Keeps were full to bursting point. They certainly had been on Child of Harmony before they came out to join the fight, but no one knew for sure what they would find on Harmony. Communications with the surface were fragmentary and sporadic; the Merki jamming was complicating things no end. They knew that some of the Keeps had been penetrated. Satellite surveillance showed those gaping and radioactive craters clearly, but it was assumed that most of the Keeps were still intact. Harmony had fewer Merkiaari to kill than Child of Harmony used to have, but the General wouldn’t stop until the entire system was clear. That was certain.
“I’ve a present for you,” Gina said, remembering the reason for her visit.
“A pressy?” Richmond said eagerly. “A pressy for me? What is it? A new grenade launcher… no, I know, a rocket launcher with extended range capacity. You shouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t,” she said laughing and passing her friend the gift-wrapped box.
Richmond grinned and destroyed the wrapping in milli-seconds. “It’s a… it’s a…” she frowned. “What is it?” She dangled the thing between thumb and forefinger.
Gordon looked puzzled as well.
“It’s an eye patch. James told me about it.”
“An eye patch?”
“Yeah, you wear it over… you know,” Gina flicked a hand at Richmond’s damage. “James said people wore them before cybernetics and prosthetics were available.”
“I like the decoration,” Richmond said with a lopsided grin.
“That was Cragg’s idea.”
Cragg had wanted to liven it up a little. The result was a black eye patch with the viper emblem worked into it in silver thread. It was quite fetching.
“Here, gimme,” Gina said and took the patch. A minute later it was in place
Richmond viewed herself in Gordon’s hastily found mirror.
“Hey, hey, hey! Looking good,” Gordon crowed.
“Cool… that means I like it,” Richmond said quickly explaining her brief foray into retro.
“If you don’t quit that, I’m going to need a download to understand you,” Gina said with a snort of laughter. “I thought only Stone talked that way.”
Richmond had that ‘I have a secret’ look in her eye. “Stone talks retro ‘coz he grew up surrounded by it. I use it ‘coz I like it.”
“It’s different anyway. Talking of Stone, where is he?”
“Back dirtside,” Gordon said. “He keeps getting banged up but he’s always ready for more.”
“Yeah,” Richmond said nodding in approval. “His bots fixed him up in a in a jiffy this time. He said he wanted to add a few more Merkiaari to his score.”
“Gotcha. So then, your war is over.”
“Yeah, worse luck. At least I’m alive. Others aren’t so lucky.”
Gina nodded sadly, remembering their fallen friends. Chrissie Roberts was only the first of many to fall. The regiment had lost three hundred and sixteen units so far. Not quite half the force they had brought here was dead, and the war wasn’t yet won.
“There’s nothing they can do about your processor?”
Richmond shook her head. “Not here, but other than that and my eye, I’m fine. Major Faggini said I can help out on the bridge. I can still use the satellite feeds the old fashioned way. How are you getting along with Wilder and his resistance people?”
“Surprisingly well. He does what I tell him when I tell him to do it. For a civ he has discipline. He knows stuff.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
Gina shrugged. “Like all about the Merki War.”
Richmond snorted. “Everyone knows about that.”
“Not like James. He knows
everything
about it—and I do mean
everything
. He teaches history at Oxford you know. He’s no slouch as a leader either. The Shan resistance insist he’s their Tei, and they do whatever he says.”
“You like him. Jumped his bones yet?”
She didn’t need a translation; she got the message. “He has someone aboard
Victorious
.”
“Shame.”
Gina did like James, but not in that way. She was a soldier and he a civ. The two didn’t mix easily in her experience. Besides, she was a viper. She seriously doubted that any viper would find a relationship outside of the regiment. They were too different now, and what about the longevity issue? No one spoke of it, but they were all very aware that they would outlive their friends and family. The regiment and their squadmates were all their family now.
She chatted with her friends for another half hour or so, but then the infirmary started filling up. Casualties from Masaru were arriving—nothing life threatening this time thank God, but all the hustle and bustle did cut short her visit.
“I better get down there,” she said.
Richmond nodded.
She patted her friend’s knee as she stood. “Take care of yourself.”
“Make sure you do the same. I like your visits, but I don’t want you up here as a patient.”
“I don’t want me as a patient either,” Gina said with a laugh and hurried away.
* * *
Aboard ASN Victorious, in orbit of Harmony
James glanced at his silent companion and then back at the view. Thousands of lights winked at him from the inky blackness of space—running lights pinpointing the locations of hundreds of warships. The ships themselves seemed like toys at this distance, but that was very far from the reality.
TF19
was a mere sideshow compared with the firepower Fifth Fleet had brought here.
Behind him, the quiet murmur of
Victorious’
officers and crew continued with ship’s operations as if unaware of the momentous events about to take place. They weren’t of course. He could feel the surging emotions just below the surface. The Alliance had taken an irrevocable step in welcoming the Shan as an allied power. No one knew where it would all lead, but everyone was agreed that this moment was pivotal in the Alliance’s future dealings with other races.
“There,” Tei’Varyk said pointing. “It has begun.”
They watched as wave after wave of transports erupted into space escorted by hundreds of fighters. Their targets? The Merkiaari sniffed out and hunted by Burgton’s vipers. Tei’Varyk lingered a moment longer and then turned to leave.
“A storm has come,” James whispered. “A storm to cleanse the world.”
He turned away and silently followed his friend.
* * *
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Acknowledgements
Other titles by this author
The Devan Chronicles:
Destiny’s Pawn*
The Merkiaari Wars:
Operation Breakout*
Incursion!*
The Shifter Legacies:
Way of the Wolf*
Wolf’s Justice*
Rune Gate Cycle:
Chosen*
* Forthcoming from Impulse Books UK
First published by Impulse Books UK September 2007
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover illustration by Mark Brooks
Cover Design by Samantha Wall
Copyright © 2007 by Mark E. Cooper
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
A CIP Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-905380-09-1
Printed and bound in Great Britain
Impulse Books UK
I want to thank Sylverre, Terri, Anne, Scott, Arlene, Sharon, Star, Rob, Erick, Lindi, and all the others hanging out at my favourite writing group. Special thanks go to Dave Milne for reading the final draft of this book and telling me where I went wrong, and telling me the truth.
Thanks everyone.
