Uncommon Loyalty Read online

  “How is she?” Kal asked.

  “Still asleep,” Nick said.

  “Shouldn’t her pain blocker have worn off by now?” Ty asked.

  “Yeah,” Nick said, trying not to worry.

  The blood from the bullet wound had dried to her uniform. He couldn’t see what was below it, or if her BIO-suit was compromised, but he feared the worst.

  Chapter 16

  They were all exhausted, but Gunny Tveit volunteered to keep watch and no one argued. Nick closed his eyes and fell asleep sitting up. It was dark when Gunny Tveit roused him.

  “The shuttle will be here soon,” she said.

  “I’ll take watch, Sergeant,” Nick said.

  “I don’t need you to do that,” Gunny Tveit said. “I just wanted to say I was sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” Nick asked.

  “Don’t patronize me, Nichols. I’m sorry I shot Private Gracie.”

  “You didn’t do it on purpose,” Nick said, getting to his feet. His backside was numb and began to tingle and sting as he moved.

  “I should have known better than to shoot blind,” Gunny Tveit said. “I guess I panicked.”

  “You were defending yourself,” Nick said. “I would have done the same thing.”

  “But you didn’t,” Gunny Tveit said. “You slung your rifle and took the creature on with just a knife.”

  “A big knife,” Nick said. “And my armor.”

  “It would have killed me if not for my armor,” Gunny Tveit said. “I guess the fog set me on edge. I couldn’t see anything. It kept coming at me from behind.”

  “You don’t have to explain it to me,” Nick said. “I just got lucky.”

  “In my experience, some people are lucky, and some people just have a knack for this kind of work. I envy that. I really do. And again, I’m sorry about Private Gracie. If she doesn’t make it, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Don’t do that,” Nick said, his own anger at his NCO fading a little. “It was an accident, and there’s no shame in that. We’ll get through this. She’s a fighter.”

  “Well, I’m glad to be your NCO, but if you want someone else when all this over, I’ll understand that too.”

  The shuttle came down into the clearing before Nick could reply. Gunny Tveit went to rouse the others, and soon they were all safely on board. Nick sat beside Ember, who was still unconscious. They had moved her to a gurney that locked down to the forward bulkhead of the cargo area. Jules was on a similar bed. Kal and Ty were keeping her company as the shuttle rocketed up through the night sky toward orbit. Gunny Tveit was linked into the shuttle’s communication network and was passing along the preliminary report to Captain Dex’Orr.

  When the shuttle docked with their ship, Nick pushed the gurney, which floated on repulsers like the cargo sleds, down to the medical bay. Kal pushed Jules, while Ty stayed behind to help unload the shuttle with Gunny Tveit.

  “Man, you look wooly,” Kal said when Nick took his helmet off. It was the first time he’d had it off in over three weeks.

  “You don’t look so great yourself,” Nick replied.

  Kal had some wispy hairs on his chin, but his South Pacific heritage inhibited facial hair growth. Nick, on the other hand, had a spotty-looking beard, and they both needed a haircut. The Proxy that took Ember into the medical bay promised he could check on her after he cleaned himself up.

  “I guess we’re a little rank,” Kal said.

  “I won’t complain about a shower,” Nick said.

  “And a hot meal,” Kal replied. “Followed by a long voyage home with plenty of sleep.”

  They got exactly what they hoped for. Jules spent two days in the medical bay, but when she left, her leg was as good as if the injury had never happened. She even joined them for some exercise, which was the only way to pass the time when they weren’t sleeping.

  Gunny Tveit joined them after their initial showers. Nick, Ty, and Kal were eating, but their NCO didn’t have much of an appetite.

  “Jules will be fine,” she said. “She just needs some therapy on her knee. It was a sprain, not a tear, so her rehab will be quick.”

  “What about Em?” Ty asked.

  “Yeah, is she going to be okay?” Kal asked.

  Nick felt cold inside. His fear was that things had taken a turn for the worst. Even if Ember lived, she might not be able to rejoin the team. Nick knew she would be miserable manning a desk for the rest of her enlistment period, and the thought of going on without her was like torture.

  “She’s not out of the woods,” Gunny Tveit said. “She has several broken ribs and some internal bleeding. The Proxy are working to resolve the injuries.”

  “But they can do it, right?” Kal had asked.

  Gunny Tveit nodded. “I’m confident she will live. How much of the damage is permanent, I can’t say. But I’ll keep you posted.”

  Nick hadn’t seen their NCO since she had given them that report an hour after they returned to the Proxy interstellar ship. She stayed in her small cabin, which was nothing more than a closet with a bed and a tiny desk. He guessed she came out when they were asleep, and he respected her privacy, but he knew they would need to ask her to stay on as their NCO. He would be okay with that, but he wasn’t sure about the others.

  On the third day, they got the good news they were waiting for. Ember was okay and would be able to receive visitors soon. Nick hurried to tell the others, who were playing a card game around one of the small tables in their quarters.

  “She’s okay,” Nick said as he burst in on his friends.

  “What?” Jules asked.

  “They got the bleeding to stop,” Nick explained, sitting down on one of the round stools attached to the table. “And they repaired the damage to her organs. Her ribs will take a few more days to fully heal, but Ember is going to make it. She’s going to be fine.”

  “What a relief,” Ty said.

  “Man, that is good news,” Kal said.

  “Can we see her?” Jules asked.

  “Soon,” Nick explained. “The Proxy said we can see her in a few hours.”

  “All is right in the world again,” Ty exclaimed.

  “Actually,” Nick interjected, “we need to talk about Gunny Tveit.”

  “What about her?” Jules asked.

  “Before the shuttle took us up, she told me that if we wanted a different NCO, she would understand,” Nick said.

  “Why would we want that?” Ty asked.

  “Because she shot Em,” Kal said. “I know she didn’t mean to, but tell me you can go into the field with her and not worry about her panicking.”

  “I can,” Jules said. “She didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done.”

  “It was an accident, man,” Ty said. “The fog was the issue, not Sarge.”

  “Hey, I’m not saying I blame her. I’m just saying I don’t know if I trust her,” Kal explained.

  “I know how you feel,” Nick said. “I was angry at first. Really angry. But that was just my fear for Ember manifesting as anger.”

  “So you’re good with the Sergeant?” Jules asked. “Because we would all understand if you weren’t.”

  “I’m good,” Nick said. “But it’s really up to Ember. She’s the one that got shot.”

  “True,” Ty said.

  “I can live with it if you guys can,” Kal added.

  “So we’ll ask Ember,” Jules said.

  They did exactly that a few hours later. Nick was so anxious to see Ember his hands were sweating. He was afraid that she might look different, or diminished somehow, but when they went into the medical bay, she was reclining on a recovery bed. They had done more than heal her. She was clean, her hair cut short again, and she wore fatigues.

  “Hi guys,” she said as they came to see her.

  “See, she looks like a million bucks,” Ty said.

  “Is this a medical facility or a spa?” Kal said.

  “How are you feeling?” Jules asked.


  “A little sore, but good otherwise. Hungry. They won’t feed me anything but protein shakes. Did you guys get real food?”

  Everyone looked at the floor in embarrassment except for Nick. He couldn’t take his eyes off Ember. He thought she was glowing, which shouldn’t have surprised him. The Proxy healing methods often produced a rejuvenating effect on humans.

  “Yes,” Nick said. “And we’ll smuggle you something in if we can.”

  “No solids,” the Proxy physician said. The tall alien was working at a computer station in the corner but obviously listening to them.

  “Never mind,” Ember said. “They told me I’ll be released tomorrow.”

  “We should reach the Foundry tomorrow,” Jules said.

  “It’s good to have you back, Em,” Kal said.

  “Yeah, you look great.”

  “Thanks. You all need haircuts,” Ember said. “And Nick needs a shave.”

  “Told you she would think so,” Kal insisted.

  “I think it looks masculine,” Jules said.

  “I’ll shave as soon as we get home,” Nick said.

  “Home...” Ember said. “That’s the first time you’ve said that since we joined the PMC.”

  “The Foundry is kinda like home,” Ty said. “I get it.”

  “It’s better than the dorms in the ULU,” Kal said.

  “The pit was better than the dorms in the ULU,” Jules declared.

  They all laughed. After a few more minutes, Kal, Ty, and Jules excused themselves and left Nick alone with Ember. Even the Proxy physician left the med bay, although he reminded Ember not to get excited.

  “So,” she said. “Alone at last.”

  “I’ve been worried sick,” Nick said.

  “Not so worried that you couldn’t eat,” Ember said with a frown. “It’s not fair.”

  “You were shot,” Nick said.

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “I’m just glad you survived,” Nick said. “I’ve been a fool, Ember. I thought I could keep my feelings for you at bay, but I—“

  “Don’t,” she said holding up a hand. “Don’t do anything while I’m in here that you wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. You’ll just regret it.”

  “No, I won’t,” Nick argued.

  “I know you, Nick. You have a big heart full of empathy. You feel bad because I got hurt. In a week, I’ll be back to normal and you’ll get start moping because you’ll think it was all a mistake.”

  “Ember, I know what I’m doing.”

  “So do I. And I don’t want you to say anything to me in here. Let me get out. Let me prove that I’m not broken or needy. Then you can say or do whatever you want.”

  Nick felt perplexed. She had caused him to doubt everything he was thinking. The entire three days she was in the med bay, all he wanted was to declare his love to her. And suddenly he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, or even how he felt. In the end, he decided to change the subject.

  “Have you seen Gunny yet?” Nick asked.

  “No, although I was told she was in to check on my progress.”

  “She feels guilty,” Nick said.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Who wouldn’t feel that way?” Nick said. “But she said she would understand if we wanted a different NCO.”

  “What? Is she serious?”

  “She panicked. She screwed up and everyone knows it, most of all her. We’ve all talked about it and decided it’s really up to you.”

  “You can’t seriously be thinking of rejecting her,” Ember said. “She’s good at her job.”

  “But can we trust her?” Nick said. “Can you?”

  “Of course, I can. It was an accident. We’re a team and we shouldn’t turn on each other. I vote for her to stay.”

  “Good, that’s how the rest of us feel too,” Nick said. “But we wanted to support you. What was getting shot like?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I remember waking up in pain, but the impact must have been traumatic because I don’t remember it. One minute I’m in the fog and everything is fine.”

  “Do you remember what attacked us?” Nick asked.

  “No,” she admitted. “And that’s just fine with me.”

  The next day, an hour before the ship docked at the Foundry, Ember was discharged from the medical bay. The team took the time to meet with Gunny Tveit and assure her that she was their NCO of choice. There were tears in the stern gunnery sergeant’s eyes, but Nick saw relief too.

  Back on the Foundry, Nick was looking forward to a meal and then more orbital training when his data-link beeped with an incoming message.

  “What’s that?” Kal asked.

  “Nick, have you got a secret admirer?” Jules teased.

  “He does look better now that his face isn’t covered with matted fur,” Ember said.

  “It’s Captain Dex’Orr,” Nick said. “Looks like you’ll have to eat without me.”

  “What? Why?” Ember asked. She was looking forward to her first solid meal in over a month.

  “I’ve been ordered to the captain’s office. I’m to report ASAP.”

  “Dang,” Ty said. “That can’t be good.”

  They were all thinking the same thing. The data chips they had stolen from the Issip were safely hidden away. Nick and Kal had stolen nine of the chips. Ty, Jules, and Ember each had one. Nick, Kal, and Gunny Tveit had two each.

  “Don’t say that,” Ember said.

  “It’s no big deal,” Kal said. “Just a formality.”

  “I better go see what he wants,” Nick said. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

  They watched him head off down the corridor in the direction they had come from. Nick had no idea where Captain Dex’Orr’s office was, but his data-link gave him directions as he moved through the space station. He couldn’t help but wonder if the data chips had been discovered. Perhaps he would be imprisoned. He might never see his friends again. That thought scared him more than anything.

  When he approached the captain’s office, he felt a wave of nostalgia. He had been called into the principal’s office during their school years plenty of times. In his experience, a poker face and total denial were the way to go. Whatever Captain Dex’Orr wanted, Nick was prepared to pretend he knew as little as possible.

  Chapter 17

  Nick knocked on the door, which slid open immediately. There were no chairs, just a tall desk and a strange-looking computer terminal. One entire wall was a giant video screen, and a holoprojector was mounted in the ceiling. Dex’Orr stood in the middle of the room, his tall body ramrod straight, his delicate hands folded together behind his back.

  “Private Nichols,” the tall Proxy officer said, his voice picked up and reprojected from a universal translator around his neck in a mechanized timber that only made him seem more alien. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nick replied, still wondering what he had been called into the captain’s office for.

  “You are aware that your mandate on Issip Minor was a stealth operation?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And that no trace of your presence was to be left on the planet?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And are you also aware that every piece of equipment used in the operation has been accounted for except one?”

  “Sir?”

  “Your fighting knife,” Dex’Orr said. “I believe it is called a karambit. You did not return with yours.”

  “I didn’t,” Nick said, his mind suddenly spinning for a plausible reason why he might have left the weapon behind.

  “No, Private Nichols, you did not.”

  “I believe the knife was lodged in the bone of the animal that attacked us when Private Gracie was shot,” Nick said.

  “You believe?” Dex’Orr asked, clearly skeptical.

  “Sir, to be honest, things happened fast. The fog was thick. We were all scared. I killed the animal, but it was a vicious creature. I had to use my knives because we
couldn’t see more than a few meters in the fog.”

  “And you didn’t retrieve the knife?”

  “I lost hold of it,” Nick said. “The animal was thrashing around. I had to take hold of its leg and the creature pulled me. To be honest, I’m not sure if I lost the karambit in the animal’s carcass or if it was knocked away. Everything happened fast, and the fog was so dense. I know I didn’t see it when the creature died. Gunny Tveit ordered us back to the rally point, and I must have left it behind.”

  “That’s rather careless, Private. Your parameters were clear. Nothing was to be left behind.”

  “Yes, sir. It’s completely my fault. I apologize, sir.”

  “Apologies aren’t acceptable in Recon, Private. Neither are second chances.”

  Dex’Orr hadn’t moved, he just stood like a statue in the middle of the sparse room. Nick felt uncomfortable, and for a moment he feared that having left the knife behind would cost him his place in Recon. He might have to leave his friends, and he couldn’t think of a worse fate.

  Fortunately, the tall alien didn’t make Nick squirm for long. “If it happens again, there will be dire consequences. We are in very delicate negotiations with the Issip. Failure on our part could provide them with leverage or nullify the advantage your intelligence gathering generated. I’m sure you would agree that no one wants to waste three weeks on a failed mission.”

  “No, sir,” Nick said.

  “Very good. This is not the first time you have failed to keep up with your equipment. I suggest it is the last time. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Yes, Captain,” Nick said.

  “Make sure the point is expressed to your teammates. I will not have sloppiness in my command. You are dismissed, Private Nichols.”

  Nick saluted, then turned on his heel and quickly left the room. His heart was pounding, and he could feel sweat trickling down his back. It wasn’t the first time Nick had been forced to come up with an excuse on the fly, and it wasn’t the lie that bothered him. It was the fact that he had left his karambit on the roof of one of the buildings in the Issip city. And there was the possibility that it might come back to burn him yet.

  Nick joined his friends in the small but efficient mess hall. They were finishing off their meal, but Nick wasn’t hungry. He mixed a meal replacement shake and sipped it as they talked.