Naero's War: The Citation Series 2: The High Crusade Read Free

bastard.”
    Marshall chuckled. “What happened to me being your new best friend?”
    “Haisha, I can get a whole shelf of Spum on Nilar-2 for that much, you bloody crook!”
    “Ah-ha, but that’s the ancient law of supply and demand, and this isn’t Nilar-2, and here the going rate is two pods for thirty or one for twenty. Or just go without.” Marshall shrugged, completely indifferent.
    “Okay, okay, hang on. I’ll take ’em.” She made the transfer from her wristcom. “And they better not be out of date.”
    Marshall shook her head and made a face. “Spum? Out of date? Impossible. That could never happen. Spum keeps forever, as long as the package isn’t violated.”
    “Well, get away from me before I change my mind and do a little violating of your package, you flipping scrounge!”
    Sergeant Valmont made it back around to her. “All right, Allen. Seems like you’re fitting in with the other kids, so far. At least they haven’t killed, cooked, and eaten you off the bone like the slashers yet. So that’s a good sign. When you get around to it, introduce yourself to the other three squads. Try to get to know everyone. I know it’s tough at first. Let me, Ramsey, or Scott know if you need anything or are having any trouble.”
    “Thanks, Sarge. I will.”
    “Get some good rest, Allen. We’ll see some action tomorrow. I’m sure of it.”
    “That’s what I’m here for, Sarge. Ooh-rah!”
    “Be careful what you wish for, rook.”
    *
    They loaded up for battle early the next day. The Anaconda called out to her as they boarded their dropships. “Pfc Allen. You’re with me this ride.”
    Miranda-Naero snapped to, ready for anything. “Yes, sir.” She didn’t salute outside, out in the open.
    2 nd Platoon Leader Anaconda Wilde grinned, and came toward Miranda-Naero in all her combat armor and gear. She did move like snake, with the easy grace and sure agility of both a commander and a warrior. She stood 1.83 meters, even without her stealth armor battle suit. Each of their suits had a built-in, assault gravwing and a squad-level shield pod.
    Wilde had her battle suit set up in black wraith mode, an E-5D assault blaster carbine slung and secured on her left. An E-P17 microgrenade machine pistol was strapped to her right hip. Float-seeker smartmines, more microgrenades, fusion claymore slappers, and shield negation bombs filled out her load.
    The Anaconda was true to her totem, a deadly armory and arsenal just on her own.
    Her hi-tek armored helmet and its sensor and visual arrays was secured behind her back, and her long auburn hair, pulled up tight in Spacer battle-fashion for helmets, gave her the look of a warrior goddess with large, amber-gold, Clan Wilde eyes.
    The eyes of the lioness.
    The platoon leader looked her and her gear over. “I appreciate your eagerness, Allen. No one better. But you’re still a rook, still green. And I haven’t seen you fight yet. No offense, Marine.”
    “None taken, sir.”
    “Good. Stay with me and my Fireteam 1: Moses Fay, Trevor Lakota, and Michael Borelli are as good as they get. We’re your guides on this little outing. Follow our lead, shoot straight, fight well, and you’ll be all right. Did you get the sitrep down cold? Do you understand our mission role on the combat grid?”
    Miranda-Naero nodded. “Affirmative, sir. Like ice in my head. Let’s put some slashers down.”
    “I like your calm intensity, Allen. Outstanding. I like to see that in my people. Keep your fire hot in your suit for now. We need to do a lot of snooping up front, first, and get in close. Initially, we’ll conduct vital forward ops and targeting confirmation and coordination. We’ll paint them all up and lock them down.”
    The platoon leader smiled. “When things do go hot and the fire comes down, we’ll have a front-row seat at the fireworks, with key targets of our own to burn and light up. So stand ready.”
    Leftenant Wilde moved on, checking with the rest of her 2 nd