just the standard-size billet assigned to any Lieutenant(jg) aboard ships constructed during the past fifteen years. But after the shoebox she had occupied aboard the ancient Perry , the visitor quarters seemed like a deluxe suite aboard a passenger liner.
With the battle site cleaned up, the Babbage and Missouri headed for Diabolisto. At Light-9790, it seemed as though they arrived before they left. As the two ships established their orbit path, Sydnee received a message via her CT.
In response to the single-word query, "Marcola," Sydnee touched her ring and said, "Marcola here."
"Marcola," she heard Commander Bryant say, "jump into your personal armor and hoof it down to the shuttle bay."
She didn't understand the reason, but the order was clear enough. She stripped down and stepped into the padded body suit, then slipped into her body armor. Bryant hadn't said anything about weapons, but she decided that since she'd been ordered to wear her personal armor, the situation might involve some danger. She strapped one knife to her left thigh and the other to her right calf, then strapped on her pistol belt and clipped her rifle to her chest plate ring. Grabbing her helmet, she hurried out the door on the run. She required two lifts and a transport car, but she finally arrived at the Babbage's shuttle bay.
"Loaded for bear again, I see," Lieutenant(jg) Jerry Weems said with a smile. It was the way he'd greeted her the first time they'd met and had become a standing joke between them. On her first interdiction, she hadn't known what to expect and had brought all of her issued weapons.
"If what I suspect is true, we might need them."
"And what is it you suspect?"
"I seriously doubt we're doing an interdiction, so we must be going down to Diabolisto to help round up the Clidepp rebels."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But why? We're not Marines. And I'm sure the Babbage has its own shuttle pilots among the bridge crew."
"We know the planet, and the Babbage pilots probably don't have any personal armor since they don't perform interdictions."
"What about the Missouri ?"
"It's a scout destroyer with limited personnel, so the same basic reasons apply. No Marines, no interdiction pilots, no personal armor."
"I was really hoping to never see that miserable planet up close again."
"Maybe it will just be a quick drop and pickup."
"Not with my luck. And I'd feel better if we had the MAT. Think we can get the captain to open the hull so we can fly it out?"
"The way they wedged the Clidepp destroyers and the pieces of that freighter inside, I don't think we'd be able to get the MAT out without moving everything."
"Might be worth it if we have to ferry a couple of hundred prisoners up here. The shuttles are so small we'll have to make thirty trips."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
Weems laughed. "You'd probably like to make all sixty legs by yourself."
"I wouldn't mind. This might be the last opportunity to fly again for a couple of months."
"Ahhh. Three weeks of no flight duty and no bridge duty. It's going to be a relaxing cruise home."
"I'm going to really miss that Marine combat range. It was a great way to unwind."
"We'll get you a pair of magnetic shoes and you can do laps around the inside of the ship hold in full EVA gear."
Sydnee chuckled, then said, "Not the same thing as shooting at a combat target that could jump up from behind every window or from a hidden sniper platform in a jungle tree."
The doors to the shuttle bay opened then and two squads of Marines double-timed it into the bay. The last one in was Marine First Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald.
"This your gig, Kel?" Sydnee asked as the Marines lined up in front of the nearest shuttle.
"Nah, Major Burrows is taking an active role. He'll be here in a minute. He's leading the unit on the surface this time."
"Really? That's unusual."
"I think he wants to see the layout down there firsthand so he's prepared to answer questions at the board hearings. And he said
With the battle site cleaned up, the Babbage and Missouri headed for Diabolisto. At Light-9790, it seemed as though they arrived before they left. As the two ships established their orbit path, Sydnee received a message via her CT.
In response to the single-word query, "Marcola," Sydnee touched her ring and said, "Marcola here."
"Marcola," she heard Commander Bryant say, "jump into your personal armor and hoof it down to the shuttle bay."
She didn't understand the reason, but the order was clear enough. She stripped down and stepped into the padded body suit, then slipped into her body armor. Bryant hadn't said anything about weapons, but she decided that since she'd been ordered to wear her personal armor, the situation might involve some danger. She strapped one knife to her left thigh and the other to her right calf, then strapped on her pistol belt and clipped her rifle to her chest plate ring. Grabbing her helmet, she hurried out the door on the run. She required two lifts and a transport car, but she finally arrived at the Babbage's shuttle bay.
"Loaded for bear again, I see," Lieutenant(jg) Jerry Weems said with a smile. It was the way he'd greeted her the first time they'd met and had become a standing joke between them. On her first interdiction, she hadn't known what to expect and had brought all of her issued weapons.
"If what I suspect is true, we might need them."
"And what is it you suspect?"
"I seriously doubt we're doing an interdiction, so we must be going down to Diabolisto to help round up the Clidepp rebels."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But why? We're not Marines. And I'm sure the Babbage has its own shuttle pilots among the bridge crew."
"We know the planet, and the Babbage pilots probably don't have any personal armor since they don't perform interdictions."
"What about the Missouri ?"
"It's a scout destroyer with limited personnel, so the same basic reasons apply. No Marines, no interdiction pilots, no personal armor."
"I was really hoping to never see that miserable planet up close again."
"Maybe it will just be a quick drop and pickup."
"Not with my luck. And I'd feel better if we had the MAT. Think we can get the captain to open the hull so we can fly it out?"
"The way they wedged the Clidepp destroyers and the pieces of that freighter inside, I don't think we'd be able to get the MAT out without moving everything."
"Might be worth it if we have to ferry a couple of hundred prisoners up here. The shuttles are so small we'll have to make thirty trips."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
Weems laughed. "You'd probably like to make all sixty legs by yourself."
"I wouldn't mind. This might be the last opportunity to fly again for a couple of months."
"Ahhh. Three weeks of no flight duty and no bridge duty. It's going to be a relaxing cruise home."
"I'm going to really miss that Marine combat range. It was a great way to unwind."
"We'll get you a pair of magnetic shoes and you can do laps around the inside of the ship hold in full EVA gear."
Sydnee chuckled, then said, "Not the same thing as shooting at a combat target that could jump up from behind every window or from a hidden sniper platform in a jungle tree."
The doors to the shuttle bay opened then and two squads of Marines double-timed it into the bay. The last one in was Marine First Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald.
"This your gig, Kel?" Sydnee asked as the Marines lined up in front of the nearest shuttle.
"Nah, Major Burrows is taking an active role. He'll be here in a minute. He's leading the unit on the surface this time."
"Really? That's unusual."
"I think he wants to see the layout down there firsthand so he's prepared to answer questions at the board hearings. And he said
Similar Books
Unravel
Samantha Romero
Alex Haley
Robert J. Norrell
All the Way
Marie Darrieussecq
The Bet (Addison #2)
Erica M. Christensen
Falling for Colton (Falling #5)
Jasinda Wilder
Saphora: vol.1 Retention (The Athena Universe)
Jaz Johnson
A Dominant Fallen (A Dominant Series Book 2)
Lena Black
What You Leave Behind
Jessica Katoff
From What I Remember
Stacy Kramer
Reined In: Lone Star Lovers, Book 7
Delilah Devlin