Uncommon Loyalty Read online

  “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Nick said.

  “It was a fight,” the woman said. “We all know that anything can happen. Donny let his guard slip. He won’t do it again, that’s for sure. I’m Ariel, by the way.”

  Nick and the others introduced themselves. They were mostly done eating, but Ariel was the first person outside their squad to show any real friendliness to them. And it was quickly apparent that they were all anxious to make new friends.

  “So, how long have you been in for?” Kal asked.

  “Three years,” Ariel said. “One as infantry, two in Recon.”

  “We’re from Seattle,” Ember said. “What about you?”

  “Plano, Texas,” Ariel said. “You’re all from Seattle?”

  “Yes, we enlisted together,” Nick said.

  “Well, that makes sense, I suppose,” Ariel went on. “And you all qualified for Recon?”

  “I think it was our friendship that opened that door,” Ember said. “Since we already knew each other, they were willing to keep us together.”

  “Do you like it?” Ty asked. “Recon, I mean.”

  “I love it,” she said. “I only wish I was in a better team. I’m the youngest by far. The others are all good people, good marines too, but they’re ready for retirement.”

  “What happens to you when they fulfill their enlistment?” Jules asked.

  “I’ll probably be assigned to an infantry platoon,” she said sadly. “I may be able to come back when I re-enlist.”

  “That sucks,” Ember said. “Why wouldn’t they just reassign you to a Recon platoon?”

  “The strength of a Dragon Team is its unity. The Proxy have all kinds of algorithms to find compatible marines. And they use different teams for different missions. You’ll see. In time, your team will have an identity if you make it that long.”

  “If you re-enlist, you can come back as an NCO,” Ember said.

  “Maybe,” Ariel said. “Anything is possible.”

  They finished their meal and returned to their quarters. Nick wasn’t sure how he felt about Donny. Perhaps the veteran would just forget about the fight, but Nick didn’t really believe he would. Yet he felt that, if he confessed his worries, his friends might think him a coward.

  Ember had the first watch, and Nick was exhausted. He climbed into his bunk and wondered just how his life had become so crazy. Fortunately, he didn’t wrestle with his doubts and fears for long before sleep came and erased every worry from his mind.

  Chapter 4

  “What’s this?” Kal asked, as the Proxy technician strapped what looked like a thick-barreled weapon to his waist.

  “Personal zero-gravity drive,” the tall alien said, its voice mechanized by the translator around its neck. “We call them pocket rockets.”

  “Oh great,” Ty said. “Is that thing going to shoot fire down my butt?”

  “Do not be absurd,” the Proxy technician said. “The PZGD is an advanced antimatter propulsion device. There is no fire.”

  “Antimatter?” Jules asked.

  “It uses atomic fields to create motion,” the Proxy said. “It is perfectly safe.”

  They added brackets to the team’s armor that would hold air tanks and added additional thrusters to their wrists and boots. Gunny Tveit was the first to be outfitted with what Kal had termed space armor. She waited by the door.

  “When you’re done playing twenty questions, we have a full day of training to get started,” she said.

  “Hey, I just like to know what I’m getting myself into,” Kal replied.

  “Does this mean I’m a rocket man?” Ty joked.

  “More like a flying tur—“

  “Let’s go, Marines,” Tveit ordered. “Master Sergeant Cane is waiting.”

  They left the workshop and moved through the long corridors of the space station. The added equipment was heavy, and Nick felt like a robot. His arms and legs were stiff, and the new additions to their armor made him feel slow.

  At the airlock, Master Sergeant Cane was waiting. He hit the switch to open the safety doors as they approached.

  “Double-check your armor,” he ordered. “Run diagnostics for hard vacuum. This isn’t a drill, people. There’s no margin for error in space.”

  “Roger that,” Gunny Tveit said.

  Nick reran his helmet’s check of this armor’s systems. He had no idea how the separate pieces linked together, but his helmet told him his armor was sealed and ready for hard vacuum.

  “Today we’ll be using the PGZDs to fly through an obstacle course, but it usually takes a few hours to adjust to the way we move in space. Any of you ever drive a boat before?”

  They all shook their heads. Their hometown was near the water. Lake Washington was to the east, and the Puget Sound was to the west, but Nick and his friends had never been on the water, which was surrounded by towering luxury condominiums that were closely guarded. A kid from the projects wasn’t allowed anywhere near the toys of the wealthy.

  “It’s similar,” Cane explained. “You can’t just react. Movement in space takes planning and careful calculations. The PZGD is the driving force, and you will use your air thrusters to guide your way. Just keep in mind there is no friction in space. The longer you fire a thruster, the faster it will move you. Get going too fast and you’re liable to end up out of control. Be mindful of your air levels and remain tethered at all times.”

  “Master Sergeant?” Ember asked. “How can we learn to fly if we’re tied to the space station?”

  “You won’t be, Private. You’ll be tethered to each other.”

  They attached their tethers. Kal and Ty were connected to each other. Jules and Ember tethered together, and that left Nick with Gunny Tveit.

  “Don’t lose it out there, Nichols,” she warned him. “I don’t want you pulling me all over the place like a dog on a leash.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Nick said.

  They ventured out into space and gathered the heavy air tanks from the compartment near the airlock. Once everyone was equipped, Master Sergeant Cane taught them several basic maneuvers. For three hours, they practiced using only the air thrusters, which forced them to replace their air tanks almost every hour. The concepts were easy to grasp but very difficult to master in actual use. Eventually, Nick began to get a feel for the thrusters and how much power was needed. He could spin, flip, and arrest his motion using the thrusters. Being able to control his movement in space gave him a boost of confidence he hadn’t had before.

  Once they were competent at controlling themselves with thrusters, they began using the personal zero-gravity drives. The units were controlled via the percentage of thrust. They began by powering on the PZGDs to just two percent for a few seconds. It was enough to move them very slowly in what was an upward direction, since the units were attached to their armor at the waist.

  Master Sergeant Cane had the group slow their momentum using the thrusters. They then swiveled around and flew back to where they started. They practiced the maneuvers over and over. Eventually, they learned to change direction while the PZGDs were propelling them forward. Nick realized how helpful it was that the hard vacuum armor locked at the waist. It allowed him to move his body like a vehicle, letting the armor take the stress. They learned to move together, at first in simple directions, then following one another.

  Time flew by. Six hours passed in what seemed like a matter of only a few minutes, and even though Nick was hungry, he hated to stop.

  “Man, that’s kinda fun,” Kal said as they removed their air tanks and headed back inside.

  “Just wait,” Gunny Tveit said. “Tomorrow we start using the obstacle course.”

  “That sounds fun,” Jules said.

  “None of this is supposed to be fun,” Master Sergeant Cane growled. “You may be tumbling around like children today, but soon you could be fighting in hard vacuum or chasing down survivors who will die without your help. This training is serious business, so learn it well now
or you’ll regret it later.”

  Nick could see the looks on his friends’ faces. No one liked to be scolded. As they removed their helmets and waddled back toward the technician bay, they were all filled with equal parts shame and anger.

  “Don’t let him get to you,” Gunny Tveit said once they reached the workshop. “He’s a forty-year vet. You can only imagine what he’s seen during his service.”

  “I don’t see why having fun is a bad thing,” Ember said.

  “It isn’t,” Tveit explained. “As long as you take the training seriously and learn.”

  “Hey, I’m all for learning,” Kal said. “I want to be able to do everything our armor makes it possible to do.”

  “Well, strip out of that armor, and get lunch,” Tveit said. “I’ll meet you in the mess hall for combat training today.”

  The Proxy technicians helped them remove the armor. Nick felt himself adjusting to the new routine. Orbital training in the mornings, combat training in the afternoons. He liked the predictability of it, which made him feel like a professional and not just a new recruit.

  They chugged tall glasses of thick protein shakes that were filled with the Proxy energy and rejuvenation supplements. Nick loved the way his body felt. He was strong, full of energy, and light on his feet. The shakes weren’t delicious, but they were easy to drink, and while they didn’t satisfy his cravings for the taste of real food, they did nullify his hunger completely without leaving him feeling heavy and tired.

  Gunny Tveit joined them, and once everyone was finished with their liquid lunch, she led them to their next training session. Nick noticed they were going in the opposite direction from the gym, where they normally did their combat training, but other than raising his eyebrows at Kal, he didn’t say anything.

  Eventually, Gunny Tveit stopped outside a large door. She turned to face the group.

  “This is the zero-gravity training room,” she said. “In space, there is always the possibility that artificial gravity could go out. Today, we will practice hand-to-hand combat without gravity.”

  “Well,” Kal said, feigning a serious demeanor, “this is a fascinating twist. I, for one, feel motivated to learn.”

  “Oh, shut up, you goof,” Jules said.

  “We aren’t supposed to have fun, remember?” Kal said.

  “We’re all going to have fun kicking your ass,” Ty said. “We always do.”

  The door slid open, and Nick saw that the walls of the room were padded with thick, tufted material. The door was in the middle of the room, not at the bottom. The floor was five meters below the threshold, and the ceiling was another five meters above. The room was one large cube, and when Gunny Tveit stepped across the threshold, she hung in midair.

  “No thrusters here,” she said. “But you can use your core strength to turn, bend, and adjust your position. Let’s go, everyone inside. Step across the threshold and take hold of the canvas tethers on the inside of the door.”

  Nick felt his stomach flip as he passed through the artificial gravity well into weightlessness. It was like being in deep water only without the pressure. He took hold of a short strap that kept him floating close to the door. Once they were all inside, the door closed, and Nick saw that it, too, was padded.

  Gunny Tveit wasted no time with her training. They had to learn to move. First, using the walls and propelling themselves with their legs, then stopping their momentum by using their limbs like shock absorbers. The corners of the room were the easiest places to remain stationary. There were short tethers in various places that could be held onto, but it took time to get used to controlling their trajectory.

  Once they had learned to move around the room, Gunny Tveit ordered them to grapple. It was much harder than in gravity. Too much force would send a person flailing backward rather than pushing past their opponent’s defenses.

  “Fighting in zero gravity,” Tveit explained, “is all about technique. You have to know the environment and use it to your advantage. You have to be patient. You can’t force things. The biggest danger is losing control.”

  Nick tried to flip around Kal and ended up spinning away. He crashed into the padded wall, unable to get control of his momentum. His stomach felt as though it was rising up his throat. Kal flew into him, smashing him hard into the wall before they both went bouncing back.

  “Don’t lose control!” Gunny Tveit shouted. “The person who has control of their body and movement can use the environment to aid them in the fight. A person who is out of control is helpless!”

  Nick felt helpless. Ty grabbed his arm before he bounced off another wall and allowed him to get his feet set. Nick launched himself toward Kal but missed.

  “It’s like watching toddlers try to wrestle,” Jules teased.

  “You’re wasting time!” Gunny Tveit shouted.

  Nick bounced between two walls and then managed to grab Kal’s leg, who kicked at him furiously. Nick wrapped his arms around Kal’s ankle, but before he could torque the joint, Kal reached a wall with a tether. He took hold of the strap and used it to turn over. Kal bent his knees and managed to get one arm awkwardly around Nick’s neck.

  Forced to release the leg lock, Nick pushed away from the wall, trying to escape, but Kal didn’t let go of Nick or the tether. Fortunately, he couldn’t choke Nick with just one arm, and Nick landed an elbow to Kal’s midsection. The blow broke Kal’s hold around Nick’s neck and sent them both tumbling in different directions.

  When the training session ended, Nick felt every muscle in his body trembling. There had been no gravity, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a grueling session.

  “Get cleaned up,” Tveit ordered. “We’re on the gun range next. You’ve got just enough time to grab a shake if you want one.”

  “I’m shaking already,” Ty said.

  “Yeah, that was exhausting,” Jules said.

  “And not fun,” Kal said, once more pretending to be serious. “Not fun at all.”

  They all laughed.

  Chapter 5

  Practice at the gun range, even though it was all simulated, was still fun, despite the fact that everyone was tired. They spent most of their time using the high-energy focused light weapons, or laser guns as the group called them, since the other weapons all had some degree of recoil, which would send them spinning if they were fired in hard vacuum with no gravity.

  “The good news is, the extreme cold of space keeps the rifle from overheating,” Gunny Tveit explained.

  “What happens if we miss?” Ty said. “Does the laser beam just travel on and on until it hits something.”

  “That would be unfortunate,” Kal said.

  “No,” Gunny Tveit explained. “The laser’s strength weakens over distance. Up to five hundred meters, the weapon is deadly. Beyond that, it can still injure. But by a thousand meters, it’s little more than a flash of light.”

  “Even if we keep firing at the same spot?” Jules asked.

  “No human could hold the weapon steady enough to build up enough heat to do damage at a thousand meters,” the gunnery sergeant explained.

  “Will it cut through metal?” Nick asked. “Like an airlock door?”

  “Get close enough and hold it steady,” Gunny Tveit explained, “and it will burn through metal up to six centimeters, but it isn’t a breaching weapon.”

  “So what’s it used for?” Ember asked.

  “Enemy fighters,” Tveit explained, “gun emplacements, communication arrays, things like that.”

  They ran simulated battles, both in atmo and in orbit. Nick thought it was a bit like a video game, since the laser rifle had no recoil and made no sound. They practiced changing out the power packs and making sure the heat readings on the weapon didn’t get into the red zone, which would automatically shut the laser weapon down.

  The next day, they added low-energy focused light weapons to their training. The goal was to do basic fighting maneuvers while firing the laser guns. They couldn’t just float in place
and shoot at the enemy without greatly increasing the chances of getting hit by return fire.

  “Never use any other type of weapon in space unless you are locked securely to a much larger object,” Master Sergeant Cane lectured them.

  “You mean, if we are hooked onto a ship or space station, we can use different weapons?” Kal asked.

  “As a last resort,” Cane said. “Even when hooked onto a bigger object, you can still lose control dealing with the recoil of a weapon in space. If you fired your short-range eliminator sidearm it would put you into a fast spin. The ABR would send you flying, and the TPC’s three-round burst would do both. If you have to fire something other than the EM-FLW, you will want to be tethered. Better safe than sorry.”

  The next day, they began working their way through an obstacle course that forced them to fly in different directions, speeding up and slowing, even to a stop. It was not just physically demanding but mentally difficult as well. Nick found moving through the obstacles to be preferable to the overwhelming expanse of open space, yet they failed to successfully navigate the course, which required finesse they all lacked, except for Gunnery Sergeant Tveit. She looked like a superhero maneuvering through the course without incident.

  Nick crashed twice in his attempts, never coming close to the time requirement that Master Sergeant Cane demanded they meet. Their armor protected them from injury, but Nick knew he would be sore.

  That night, as he showered, he took the time to examine his shoulder and side. There were dark purple bruises.

  “I bet you wish there was a magic drink to get rid of those,” Kam said.

  His golden-brown skin didn’t show the injuries as clearly, and Ty’s ebony skin didn’t show bruises until they turned yellow before healing.

  “I do,” Nick said touching the bruises gingerly. “If they can mend broken bones, why not bruises?”

  “I think they’re holding back to teach us a lesson,” Kal said. “Pain is the best teacher.”

  “Who said that?” Ty asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kal replied. “I think I saw it in a movie.”