Soldiers of Fortune Read Free Page B

any unnecessary evidence. Like dead bodies," Jason said firmly. Crusher grumbled, but grabbed a stun rifle nonetheless. The fierce alien was sometimes a bit unpredictable once a fight started, but there was nobody else Jason would ever want watching his back.
                  He looked over at Lucky and noted that the battlesynth had adjusted the coloration of his armor plating to a foliage camouflage pattern. Jason was sure it was just so he could feel like he was also a part of the preparations. Although he was an incredibly powerful soldier from the moment he was brought online, in a lot of ways he was quite childlike. Jason marveled as he watched the synth's emotional growth as he found a home with Omega Force and the group of people who looked at him as a part of the family and not just a piece of ordinance. "You ready, big guy?" Jason asked.
     
                  "Of course, Captain," Lucky replied. "In and out, piece of cake." Jason chuckled at that. In their time together it seemed the crew had been adopting a lot of Earth's idioms, probably from the Hollywood movies Jason watched in the common area during long slip-space flights.
     
                  "Ok then... you two are going to be backup for this one. Lucky, I'm dropping you off one klick out. Crusher, you'll wait in the vehicle in case I can't bluff my way in," he said as he pulled on the black uniform of a Corran Internal Security officer.
     
                  "We know the plan, Captain," Crusher rumbled. Then muttered, "We've only been over it twenty times."
                  The trio exited the armory through the heavy blast doors that separated the room from the main cargo bay. Sitting in the hold, strapped to the deck with no less than two dozen straps, was a black, wheeled ground vehicle with Corran Internal Security emblazoned on the side along with that agency's crest. Jason, now looking the part of a CIS agent, climbed into the driver's seat while the other two unstrapped the vehicle before climbing in themselves.
                  Once everyone was inside, they all sat in silence for a long moment, looking at each other. Jason sighed, got back out of the van, and walked over to the control panel to lower the ramp and open the cargo bay to the night. As he climbed back in he could tell from the stunted silence that they had been laughing at him. He refused to acknowledge them as he engaged the vehicle’s drive and eased down the ramp and into the grassy clearing.
                  They had picked this landing zone for a few critical reasons: it offered excellent concealment for the Phoenix , it was close (but not too close) to their target, and it had a path that led to the main road that was traversable by their ground vehicle. The high moisture content in the air meant a heavy dew that evening and the vehicle's wheels slipped and struggled for traction in the grass, but they were soon easing up to the edge of the road without Jason having had to make his friends get out to push.
                  After sitting on the side of the road for nearly ten minutes, listening to the insects of the night sing away, Doc contacted them via Lucky's com node and gave them the go ahead to begin the op; their contact had pinged back confirming they were ready. Once they were on the road and up to speed, Jason flipped on the marker lights and tried to drive as if he belonged there. He forced the tension out of his bunched shoulders as he realized they were still fifteen minutes away from their objective at their current speed.
                  The trio rode in a relaxed, alert silence as the “van”, as Jason insisted on calling it, rolled down the road on its ultra-quiet electric drive system. He slowed to a little under thirty KPH when they were one kilometer, or "klick," away from their target and signaled to Lucky. The synth wordlessly slid open the side door and