The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper (8 page)

“I went first thing to check out the ship,” he said. “She has many space flights still left in her. She also has a cargo hold full of goods that are already paid for. I couldn’t get in the safe but I assume there will be something of value there also.”

“Will the goods keep until we get ownership?” Ben asked.

“Yes, and the log and course is already set,” Nick answered. “Do you think this is really going to work out?”

“I think it will, and you will see why later,” Ben said. “Can you get us a captain and a crew?”

“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Go ahead and start making contact, then. We should have ownership by the end of the week.”

“I just filed the papers,” Nick said. “It will be at least a month.”

“ I think I can get the process to speed up some,” Ben said.

While Nick was thinking about that statement, Ben asked him if he could help him write a contract.

“Sure,” Nick said. “Who will the contract be with?” Nick saw Ben smile.

“The CMSO, Colonial Military Special Ops.”

“Ben, why would you want to join them?” Nick asked.

“I have some past experience, Nick,” Ben answered, “and the thing is, I don’t want to enlist. I want to contract as a civilian. I will fill you in tomorrow at work. I just wanted for you to get a feel for what’s happening.”

“Are you going to have time to work at the garage and do all that, Ben?” Nick said with a smirk on his face.

“No, Nick, I don’t think so. I learned earlier today I’m no Superman.”

General Grey was on Andrea’s com, listening to her report. His face looked like a thunder cloud ready to burst into a storm. Like all storms, Andrea knew this one would blow over. It wasn’t going to reflect on the Corp or, more importantly, the general.

He didn’t like the idea of his best field operative getting involved in the death of five civilians, even if they were the aggressors. On the other hand, she had only killed one while their new recruit had handled the rest. She told him that Ben did not want to enlist and was going to present a contract to join them as a civilian. Andrea noted the general’s frown remained the same, which was actually a good thing.

“Why doesn’t he want to enlist?” the general finally asked after a pause.

“Sir, you’ve seen his record. He served with distinction and honor and we screwed him,” Andrea said. “It has only been 10 months, general, and I’m sure that wound is still fresh. I’m sure he has a few other reasons, but I would bet that not trusting us is his biggest one.”

The general’s face eased up and he let out a long breath.

“You’re right, Andrea,” he said. “A lot of officers stood by and let that man get railroaded. The alternative was to go after a full bird colonel and embarrass a few other people up his chain of command. If you think he is an asset to the team and the mission, Andrea, I will look at his contract.”

“I will review it before sending it to you, general,” Andrea replied. “If there is anything not in line with our objectives I will get it corrected, sir, you can count on that.”

The general smiled at her. “I know you will, Major,” he said and disconnected from the net.

Andrea wasn’t sure how to dress. She had no idea what Ben had planned, but the weather on Anubis was warm and mild. She hadn’t brought any casual clothes except the sundress, and that was for a reason. She called down to the front desk and got the female who was working the counter. She asked her if she could recommend a place to get some casual clothing. The woman told her to try Maggie’s at the space port mall. Andrea thanked her and headed out the door.

She rode the elevator down and caught the tram that ran around the whole space port. She got off at the mall, went inside to get a coffee, and continued her walk to Maggie’s. There were two sales assistants both standing behind the counter. Neither greeted her nor wanted to make eye contact. She walked around the store, picking up shirts and pants. She looked at some aggressive sport boots in her size. The whole wall behind the counter was a big mirror. It was supposed to make the store look larger.

She picked up two of everything: sleeveless shirts, long sleeve cotton button up shirts, khaki cargo pants and socks. Just one pair of hiking boots — she had her issue boots if needed. She walked to the counter and laid her purchase down. The girls immediately worked together to get it rung up and bagged. The girl right in front of her finally looked her in the eyes, and she could see that the girl was scared. She didn’t know why; it couldn’t be her. Then she saw something she hadn’t noticed before.

The girls had moved apart enough that Andrea could see a man crouching under the counter with a gun. She opened her purse and pulled out her wallet to get her credit chip. She used her leg against the counter to get a feel for how thick it was. She could tell it was a thin plastic wrapped around a metal frame. The top where the register sat was the only place that was reinforced.

The girls were almost done bagging and ringing her up. She dropped an old coin she carried on the hard floor with. She smiled at the girls as she bent down to retrieve it. While down, Andrea drove her fist through the plastic and into the side of the man’s head. He fell into the girl in front of Andrea and she moved, letting him fall over.

Andrea walked around the counter and punched him again, then took the gun from the man’s hand. She helped the young girl move away further, and she immediately hugged her and started crying. The second girl joined in. Andrea patted them both on the back and told the first girl to hit the alarm. She picked up her bags and her coffee just when the alarms sounded.

“Security will be here in a minute,” Andrea said. “If he moves, kick him in the head.”

She headed out the door, and soon she was sitting on the tram, waiting for it to leave and watching the activity on a monitor. She saw the mall security run in the store and come out a few minutes later dragging the unconscious man. Two security officers loaded him up and drove off. The girls were standing out in the hall now pointing and talking with a lot of hand motions. The tram started moving heading back towards the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Andrea changed clothes and got a black duffle bag out of the closet. She packed the extra outfit inside. She had two of the palm repulsors, a laser pistol, her boot knife and her fully loaded night vision goggles. She took the bag and went to find Harold and Janet to take them home. She rang the bell at their room and Harold opened the door with a big smile.

Janet was on the sofa watching the news on the wall vid. She looked up smiling and said, “Did you hear about the excitement at the mall a little while ago?”

Andrea looked at the split screen picture on the wall. On one side the two girls were telling the reporter all about the woman that had saved them. On the other side was store vid footage of the whole event. She turned back and the Vander Hoyts were both staring at her, waiting for a response.

“We really do need to be going,” Andrea said as she turned away and started walking for the door. They both smiled and followed her. They rode the elevator down. She had messaged Matt on her way up to get the car and pick them up in front of the hotel. When they exited the elevator she could see the car waiting. She told the Vander Hoyts to go get in the back.

She went to the front counter and told the young lady the Vander Hoyts were checking out. The girl smiled at her and asked her what she thought of Maggie’s. She said that she was the one who recommended it to her.

“Thank you,” she said to Andrea. “One of those girls you saved was my sister.” She had a tear in her eye. “I try to send customers her way when I can. I’m so glad I sent you today.”

She was handing Andrea’s credit chip back to her when Andrea grabbed her hand. “You’re welcome,” she said, giving it a squeeze. She took the chip and made a run for the door. They were 100 yards away when space port security rolled up to the hotel entrance. Andrea smiled to herself. She knew she wasn’t in any trouble, that they just had some questions, but she had a date to get to.

Ben called the local hover car rental and asked them to drop off an open top car for a one day rental. Two cars showed up twenty minutes later. The driver of the open top was a young guy. He hoped out with a scanner. Ben walked out and the kid scanned his credit chip and got in the second car. It took off and headed back to town.

The ride to the farm from the hotel was quiet. The sergeants had already seen the news but had nothing to say in front of Harold and Janet. Janet was sitting in the middle. She took Andrea’s hand in hers and held it. Andrea looked at her and she just smiled.

Bill glanced over his shoulder and took in his boss’s face. The old woman was holding her hand and the major looked relaxed, at ease and content.
It’s been a strange weekend mission, and it’s not over yet
, he thought.

Janet spoke up and asked if the two strapping young men in the front seat would like some lunch when they arrived. They both chimed with a no, but she started listing all the possible things she could serve for lunch and then dinner. They looked at each other and then said in unison that they would love to stay.

The hover car arrived at the farm a couple minutes later. Ben and Jen were sitting on the front porch. Andrea noticed a two-door topless hover car parked on the side of the farm house. Matt sat the car down and they all got out. Harold and Janet headed straight for the house. Ben came down the steps to meet them. Jen was right behind him. Janet hugged him, squeezing him tight as Harold patted his back. They let go and Ben saw them staring behind him, waiting.

“Oh yes! This is Jen,” he told them. “She is going to be staying here for a while during my absence. Hope you don’t mind. She will help around the farm and get the house put back together.”

“Oh good!” Janet said. She looked at Harold. “Come on dear, help me with lunch. We’ve got some big boys to feed.”

Harold raised both eyebrows at Ben. Ben shrugged. “Okay, dear,” Harold said, and headed in the house. Ben saw the bag on the ground at Andrea’s feet. He walked over and picked it up and headed for the car without saying a word. She followed after him while the sergeants made their way to the house.

Ben dropped Andrea’s bag behind the seat. He turned to walk to the house and found her standing right behind him. She looked beautiful. Her outfit was perfect for a day out. He looked her over from top to bottom, pausing only for a second on her bruised knuckles. He took her hand and brought it up for closer inspection. She didn’t offer up any explanation so he let it drop.

“Stay for lunch or hit the road?” he asked.

“Let’s get going!”

Ben went inside to tell them that he and Andrea were leaving for the day and would be back later. The two sergeants followed Ben back out to the car.

“Major, can we speak with you for a minute?” Bill asked.

Ben nodded to them and walked in the direction of the barn.

“Major, were you going to tell us your plans for the day or leave us hanging in the breeze again? If the old man checks on us again and we can’t tell him where you are or what you’re doing, he is going to have our stripes.”

“Tell him I am out with Ben and working him for info about the contract,” Andrea answered. “He will know what that means. I will message you every couple of hours so you know I’m alive. You two will have the car. Go enjoy yourself, stay here and relax or go to Gus’s and have a few beers. Just don’t kill anyone.”

“I hope you take your own advice,” joked Bill.

She laughed and said she would try to refrain. Ben poked his head out of the barn to see if they were done talking. She waved him over. The sergeants walked back in the house to the smell of steaks grilling and potatoes frying.

Ben lifted the hover car and told the navigation to take them to Epsilon City. Andrea had her sunglasses on and her hair in a ponytail for the flight. She slid to the middle of the seat next to Ben and put her arm around him and planted a big kiss on his cheek. They rode along in silence, enjoying the ride and scenery. Ben elevated the car up higher so Andrea could get a better view of the countryside. He was enjoying the moment and decided not to ask any questions about her behavior this morning at the bar. He could wait till later after they arrived at Epsilon to test the waters.

Andrea had no such qualms. She had plenty of questions, some personal and some not so much. She would get some answers regardless.

Angela leaned close to his ear to speak. There was enough wind noise that she didn’t want to yell the whole time they talked.

“Ben, if you join us what role do you see yourself performing?”

He turned his head slightly to speak. “You’ve read my file. What do you think?

“You were always a leader,” she replied. “What if we have no leadership positions available?”

“Well you and the old man better put your heads together and come up with one,” Ben replied.

Andrea smiled. She knew he was right. When the general sent her on this recruiting mission, did he think the man would just sign up with no indication of what his future was going to be? She knew the general already had something in mind. She thought Ben would end up fourth in the chain. He would be team leader and under Bill.

“My offer will be fair and in accordance with my skills,” Ben said.

Andrea decided to change the subject and ask about his plans for the day. “What are we going to do today?”

“We’re going to the jungle park at the edge of the city,” Ben said. “When the first colonists were building Epsilon they cleared a lot of jungle to build the space port and the city. The jungle is so beautiful that they decided to keep a portion of the land marked for housing and make a park out of it. It has full time park rangers and there is a system of trails. I thought we would spend a few hours on the trails then go to the city for dinner and head back.”

It sounded good to her. He had put some thought into making it a great afternoon. When he first proposed the condition she figured she would be at Gus’s all day watching people get drunk. She leaned over and kissed his cheek again.

“What was that for?” Ben asked.

“Just because.”

The Washburn family arrived at Epsilon City. They were just killing time before they left on vacation off-world. Mr. Washburn owned a large tract of farms all across the planet. His wife and daughters were going to the jungle park to spend some time before dinner.

They had brought the girls there many times over the years to see all the different tropical plants and animals that called the park home. Mr. Washburn was going to stay at the hotel and work. His foremen from all the farms would be checking in with him before the end of the day shift. He wanted to get their numbers for the day’s harvest.

Ben and Andrea arrived in town. Ben searched the navigation system to find a store close to their location. They bought some water and energy bars to eat. That would hold them over till dinner later. They got back in the hover car and headed for the jungle park.

The Washburn ladies hit the trail. The girls, Tara and Kara, were excited. Mom had the trail map the ranger station provided and they had picked their route. It was about 1430 and the trail Mrs. Washburn had picked should bring them back at 1730. By the time they got to the hotel Dad would be done with his calls and they could clean up and go for a nice dinner.

On the back side of the park there was a chase happening. A large long-fanged tiger chased a pig-like rodent towards the park. The cat had hunted there many times and knew she would lose the prey. Its small body could pass through the invisible wall. The force field around the park let the small animals come and go but kept out the larger, more dangerous animals.

The cat ran harder and was almost on top of the pig when the pig ran straight down a hole to its burrow in the ground. The cat’s claws dug into the ground as she brought herself to a halt. She walked back to the hole the pig went down and started digging. She dug till she realized she was wasting time and needed to be hunting other prey. Her young were hungry and needed food if they were to be strong hunters like their mother. She looked around her and realized she had never been this far before. She had never made it past the wall. Her keen ears picked up sounds in the distance. It sounded like prey. She started off slowly towards the sound, not sure if the invisible wall was going to stop her or not.

Ben and Andrea arrived at the ranger station and went inside to sign in. Ben paid the fee for the park and picked up the map. Ben pointed out a trail that would take them deep into the park and bring them out after about three hours. 

Ben walked to the car and grabbed his combat knife from behind the seat. He left the katana. Andrea put her boot knife in the cargo pocket of her pant leg. She left everything else in the bag. Ben activated the force field that would protect the car and its contents while they were gone. He grabbed Andrea’s hand and they headed out into the jungle.

It became dark almost immediately. The jungle’s canopy was blocking out the sun. The amount of light changed as they walked. They would come to a clearing every three hundred meters or so. They were man-made and gave the hikers a place to stop and see the surrounding area in the sunshine.

Every now and then the voices of the hikers up ahead of them could be heard. Girls were laughing and talking.

Andrea was holding Ben’s hand, lost in thought.

Even if we work out the contract and he joins our unit. We have to work out our personal life. The team may not have the faith in her as their leader if they knew she was sleeping with a team member. Would they be able to make a life or death decisions regarding each other? Would Ben get all macho and try to protect her all the time? She couldn’t have that happening.

Ben knew there would be more questions from Andrea soon. Right on cue, Andrea asked, “You’re not going to go all macho and protective if we start working together, are you?”

Ben laughed out loud. “No, I’m not,” he answered. “That would undermine our authority to our team as well as make me look stupid. We have the most dangerous job in the galaxy. Our judgment of a situation has to be the smartest and best for the team and not any one individual. I will have your back, but you know that is different than what you asked.”

Even though marines had taken his honor on paper, she knew he had his honor and integrity intact. She was hoping to find a reason to give her some doubts about the feelings she had for him, but with every answer to every question and every minute that went by she wanted him even more.

The ear-piercing scream of a child brought her out of her daydream, as well as the cries of two others immediately following it. Ben bolted ahead on the trail with Andrea hot on his heels. He came around a bend in the trail and could see a teenage girl sobbing and staring off into the jungle. He covered roughly a hundred yards in 10 seconds.

Andrea arrived at about the same time. The girl was sobbing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath to tell them what had happened. She pointed into the jungle and Ben asked Andrea to stay with her. He ran into the jungle, following the path someone ahead of him was making. Andrea took out her portable com, looked up the ranger station and transmitted an msg. About 20 seconds later a face came up and said he would have people on their way. She told him to lock onto the signal. She handed the girl the vid-com and told her not to move. She ran in the direction Ben had gone.

Ben was thankful it wasn’t night time. He could hear someone crying, sobbing uncontrollably. He found a woman sitting on the ground. He stopped, knelt and spoke softly to her.

“My name is Ben. Ma’am, can you tell me, are you hurt? What happened?”

She didn’t move or look up at him. He reached over and touched her arm gently.

“Ma’am please, I want to help you,” he said.

“It took my baby,” she said between sobs. “A giant cat. We were walking along the trail. It came from nowhere and picked my baby up and never stopped running. I chased it ‘til my legs gave out and I fell.”

Ben looked at the ground and spotted a drop of blood. He got up and walked to it, then six feet farther spotted another drop.

“I’m going after her,” he said. “Go back to the trail. Your other daughter needs you. I’m sure the rangers will be here shortly. Point them in my direction.” Ben headed off deeper into the jungle.

The big cat had the girl by the shoulder and was carrying her through the jungle.  She came to a stream and laid her prey down while she got a drink
. It was still a great walk to her den. She had ranged far on this hunt. She heard something following her trail. She turned around and backtracked down the path.

Ben could hear the stream up ahead. He was hoping the cat stopped to drink. He would gain some time if it had. Ben smelled a musky smell and knew something was on the trail just ahead of him. In two steps he came face to face with the tiger. It growled from deep in its chest, but Ben took a step forward. He took another step, this time to his right, and then another step forward.

The cat was unsure of what he was doing, and it moved to the left Ben knew the girl must be ahead but didn’t want to look and give away his intention. The cat continued to growl and step to its left until they had both moved 180 degrees. He had placed his body between the cat and where he thought the girl was.

He took a step back and then held his ground. The cat was growing tired of the dance. Ben reached back and pulled his combat knife out. He started talking to the cat.

“You don’t belong in here,” he said gently. “I know you are hungry, but you cannot take your prey from here. You must leave here and never return.”

The cat was torn. In front of her was a feast that could last for many cycles of the light and dark. Instead of one feed there would be many for her and her young with this one kill. Ben heard the child whimper behind him and knew he was close.

Andrea saw Ben facing off with the cat and had heard the child sob and whimper. She cut through the jungle to the stream, followed it up behind Ben and found the girl. She bent down, picked the child up and cradled her in her arms. The girl was weak from loss of blood.

The cat saw Andrea pick up the child and thought its prey was being stolen. It was going to kill the big one first then the female that held the young one. It leapt at Ben and dug its claws into his shoulders. It weighed 500 lbs. and the momentum drove him to the ground. Ben’s left arm grabbed the tiger by the throat, holding its head from biting his face off. It thrashed and would break his hold in another couple seconds. He plunged his combat knife into its neck three times hard and fast, severing major arteries. Hot blood was running down into Ben’s face, but he held on.

He stabbed again twice and blood flowed free. The tiger stopped trying to bite him; its blood was all pumping out the wounds in its neck. Its body collapsed on top of Ben and he felt its breathing stop. He lay there in immense pain, his shoulders on fire where the claws were still imbedded in him. He heard a hover craft of some kind approaching before he lost consciousness.

Andrea was at his side holding the girl when the rangers showed up. They couldn’t land, but they stopped above and rappelled down to the ground. Andrea handed the girl off and started pulling the cat’s claws out of Ben’s shoulders. He woke up at that point.

Once the paws were free, two rangers pushed the tiger off of him. His eyes burned from the blood and he could taste it in his mouth. Andrea picked up his knife. The head ranger told her they had a stretcher and would carry him back to the trail where a hover truck would pick them up.

They met up with the mother and explained that her daughter had been flown out in the other hover truck and that they were going to wait in the clearing for the second one to arrive. The hover truck landed right as they got to the clearing. They slid him into the back. Andrea, the mother, and the daughter jumped in the back with him. He was a mess and looked awful with the blood all over him. The teenage daughter held his bloody hand and kept telling him it would all be alright. Andrea held his other hand with tears in her eyes. She was proud and very impressed with him.

Ben woke up a couple of hours later clean, stitched up, and pumped full of antibiotics and pain killers. Mr. and Mrs. Washburn and Tara were walking back and forth between Kara and Ben, checking on each of them. Ben wanted to go home. While he was out, Andrea called the ranger station and gave them the codes to their hover car so they could bring it to the hospital for her. Andrea told Ben little Kara was going to make it when he woke. The puncture holes had missed any vital arteries and parts. She had lost a lot of blood but the whole incident had only lasted 30 minutes. She also told him that Mr. Washburn had already paid his hospital bill and they were to forward any addition bills to him.

Ben got out of bed and walked down to little Kara’s room. He walked in and while the family watched he kissed her on the forehead. She was asleep. He turned and left the room and they followed him out. The mom hugged him until she hurt his bruised ribs and let go when she realized what she was doing. The daughter, Tara, hugged him and thanked him for saving her little sister. Mr. Washburn shook his hand gently and told him to call if he ever needed anything.