Part 11 (1/2)
”Of course not. I know the regs.” Owen wobbled on the edge of the desk, s.h.i.+mmering a light blue.
”You don't look too good,” Conorado remarked, concern in his voice, ”are we feeding you properly?”
”Yes, Skipper. The soil here agrees with me. The best thing that ever happened to me is when the boys brought me back from Diamunde. But I feel unwell and fear I am growing old.”
Conorado had never considered that Woos might grow old. ”I guess we all are,” Conorado sighed.
”I was old when the men found me. Will this deployment last long?”
”Yes, probably.”
”Then I shall not be here when you return, Skipper.”
Conorado glanced sharply at the Woo. He had never noticed before that the creature had a sense of humor, so what did he mean. ”Are you being rea.s.signed? Strange, Owen, I haven't seen any orders from Fleet,” Conorado said lightly, but something began gnawing at the pit of his stomach.
”I shall most likely pa.s.s for what you call dead by then, Skipper.”
”Wh-?”
”We Woos do not live long in comparison to the human lifespan, ten to fifteen of your years and as I said, I was old when your men found me. I'm about seventeen of your years now, very old for one of my kind.”
”Why didn't you say something?”
”You never asked, and we Woos, unlike you humans, bow to the inevitabilities of our nature. There's no use complaining because it never does any good. I have lived a long and interesting life and I have been very fortunate and I shall die contented.”
”Well-” Conorado didn't quite know what to say now. ”Do you believe in an afterlife, Owen?”
”No. We go where the energy from the light in this office goes when it's turned off-dissipated, never to regenerate. I know many of you humans believe something of your 'spirit' survives after death, and you've invented many philosophical and theological systems to prove those beliefs. I've heard your men arguing endlessly about them. We Woos do not feel this subject is worthy of speculation. If it is so, we shall find out, otherwise such contemplations get in the way of living.”
Top Myer knocked on the door. ”Ready to mount out, Skipper,” the first sergeant said.
”It's time, Owen,” Conorado rose and picked up his gear. ”Well, good-bye, old friend.” He held out a finger.
The Woo took the finger between his talons. He began to glow, the sign of emotion for Woos, and in a few seconds the office was filled with a bright, golden light. ”Good-bye, Skipper, and good luck. If I am here when you get back, good; if not, then I will have reached the limit of my usefulness in this life.”
Conorado turned the lights out and left the door ajar behind him as he left so that Owen could get out if he wanted. Gradually Owen's light began to fade until it was a very dim blue and then even that disappeared. Owen sat there in the dark for an eternity.
Captain Conorado came out of the barracks, followed by the other officers, along with First Sergeant Myer, and accepted the formation from Gunnery Sergeant Thatcher. He stood there for a moment, looking over his Marines, before briefing them on 34th FIST's upcoming mission.
”A coalition of worlds, led by the government of Ravenette, has seceded from the Confederation of Human Worlds. The secession began with an attack on the Confederation army base on Ravenette. The rebels overran the base and the remnants of the garrison withdrew to a fortified peninsula where they've been trying to hold on. The garrison has been reinforced by the 27th Division, but the armed forces of ten worlds are arrayed against them and they're having trouble holding on. The Confederation Army is mounting a full field army to go in and deal with the situation, but it takes time to mount a field army, more time than the defenders on Ravenette have.
”That's where we come in. Thirty-fourth FIST is the ready-to-deploy unit nearest to Ravenette. We have been ordered to deploy immediately and hold the line until the field army arrives.” He paused to let the implications sink in. It didn't take long; two army divisions, perhaps thirty thousand soldiers, were being overwhelmed and somebody expected a thousand Marines to save their bacon. It sounded like a suicide mission, but Conorado didn't give his Marines time to dwell on that.
”This isn't the first time the army has found itself in a dire situation, and Marines have had to go to their rescue. We've always succeeded, we'll succeed again this time. Other FISTs will join us, but we're going to be the first FIST in.
”I'm not going to stand here and lie to you, we're in for a fight as tough as the one we had on Diamunde or the one on Kingdom. I can't tell you anything about the current tactical situation-.” Behind him, Ensign Charlie Ba.s.s choked back a snicker; Ravenette was a week away in Beams.p.a.ce and the most recent intelligence they had was more than two weeks old. ”-All I can say is, be prepared for a tough fight as soon as we make planetfall.
”One more thing. The Secessionist Coalition had a cordon around Ravenette. The navy broke through it, so the last we heard, the way was clear. Which doesn't mean making planetfall will be easy. We won't know until we get there if the cordon is still broken, or whether the rebel forces have better antishuttle defenses than they did when the 27th Division went in.”
Conorado looked over his company one more time, then said, ”That is everything I have to tell you for now. When I dismiss you, return to the barracks and saddle up. We move out as soon as hoppers arrive to transport us to Boynton Field. COMP-ney, dis-MISSED!”
Less than an hour later, Company L dismounted from the FIST's hoppers at Boynton Field, Camp Ellis's shuttle field, and boarded Dragons from the Stars.h.i.+p a.s.sault, Troop CNSS Lance Corporal Keith Lopez, Lance Corporal Keith Lopez, in orbit around Thorsfinni's World. Mike Company, mounted on 34th FIST's own Dragons, was already boarding Essays from the stars.h.i.+p. The hoppers returned to the barracks area to pick up Kilo Company, which would launch in the second wave, along with the infantry battalion's headquarters company, the artillery battery, and the composite squadron. FIST headquarters had gone into orbit at dawn. in orbit around Thorsfinni's World. Mike Company, mounted on 34th FIST's own Dragons, was already boarding Essays from the stars.h.i.+p. The hoppers returned to the barracks area to pick up Kilo Company, which would launch in the second wave, along with the infantry battalion's headquarters company, the artillery battery, and the composite squadron. FIST headquarters had gone into orbit at dawn.
”I have a bad feeling about this,” Corporal Dean said when the petty officer third who herded third platoon's first squad on a guideline through the Null-G stars.h.i.+p to its compartment left them to guide another squad to its compartment. He bent to stow his gear in one of the miniscule lockers in the row below the bunks.
”And why might that be, Dean-o?” Corporal Dornhofer asked.
”It wasn't this compartment,” Dean said slowly, ”but I've been on the Keith Lopez Keith Lopez before.” before.”
Lance Corporal G.o.denov punched his fire team leader in the shoulder. ”All that means is you've been in this man's Marine Corps so long you're rotating through the gator fleet again.”
Dean looked up from his stowing and grabbed a handhold to keep from drifting away. ”Maybe,” he agreed. ”But the Keith Lopez Keith Lopez is the stars.h.i.+p that took me from Earth to a.r.s.enault.” is the stars.h.i.+p that took me from Earth to a.r.s.enault.”
Corporal Pasquin doubled over with laughter. He laughed so hard that he was out of reach of the handholds by the time he regained control of himself. It didn't bother him, he'd been in that position before.
Dean looked at him, offended. ”That's not funny, Pasquin. I had a good job on Earth. Then I got onboard this stars.h.i.+p, and ever since I've been going places where people shoot at me!”
Pasquin laughed again, but it was less raucous. He relaxed into a semifetal position and grinned at Dean. ”And just who held a hand-blaster to your head and forced you to board the Keith Lopez Keith Lopez?”
Dean looked away and muttered, ”n.o.body.” Then, ”You two!” he snapped at G.o.denov and PFC Quick, ”Stop standing there playing switch and get your gear stowed!”
G.o.denov looked at his thumbs; neither was in his mouth nor stuck up his r.e.c.t.u.m. ”I'm not playing switch. Are you playing switch, Quick?”
Quick glanced at his own thumbs. ”I don't believe so,” he answered.
”Got you there, Rock,” Dornhofer laughed.
Pasquin laughed again, then turned to Dornhofer with a mock-serious expression on his face. ”You know, Dorny, we're setting a bad example, making jokes at another fire team leader in front of the peons.”
”Peons!” Lance Corporal Zumwald exclaimed. ”I'm almost at the end of my enlistment, I ain't no peon.”
Pasquin chuckled and asked, ”How many stripes you got, peon?”
Dornhofer asked, ”Are you sure you're almost at the end of your enlistment?”
Just that fast, the atmosphere in first squad's compartment turned somber. Until the threat of the Skinks was removed, or their existence was made public, everyone in 34th FIST was in ”for the duration.” All offworld leaves, ends of active service, and retirements were canceled.
That was even more unpleasant than going into harm's way. Other Marines knew that no matter how many times they went into battle, eventually, if they survived, they'd get out. For the Marines of 34th FIST, the only way out was death or injury so severe the doctors couldn't patch them up well enough to return to duty.
”You would have to bring that up,” Pasquin said sourly after a moment. He uncoiled from his semifetal position and swam to a handhold.