Virtues of War Read Free

longer left-wink deactivated the sensor. A right-wink brought up quantum-flux, which was more precise but shorter-ranged. It revealed the telltale outlines of organisms huddled in most of the nearby buildings, but nothing that appeared threatening.
    There was no time to lose. If their objective was here, he wouldn’t be waiting around long enough to be found.
    “This is Alpha-One—clear,” she said. “Sound off.”
    The troopers reported clear in sequence. For now, the landing site was secure.
    “This is Alpha-One,” she said. “Round up.”
    She approached the kneeling man closest to her, rifle aimed at his chest. “Move there,” she ordered, gesturing with her rifle toward the strike pods.
    He stared in shock.
    She shuffled a step closer, staying beyond his reach and watching for any movement from the two women beyond him. She raised her weapon to point it at his face.
    “Get up,” she said slowly, “or I blow your head off.”
    He scrambled to his feet. Katja pointed toward the strike pods, where both pilots were organizing the various locals, having them lay facedown in rows. He nodded, holding up both palms as he stumbled away and dutifully lay down with the others.
    The women needed no further convincing. Katja tracked them as they joined their comrades, then scanned the entire square. Within one hundred seconds of touchdown, the landing zone was secure.
    “Mother, Alpha-One. Touchdown, ops green. Commencing search.”
    “Mother, roger.”
    It was reassuring to have Thomas’s voice in her ear, even if he was airborne at a thousand meters and travelling just under twice the speed of sound.
Rapier
, she knew, was circling back to maintain close air cover.
    A quick count revealed seventeen detainees, yet there were supposed to be thirty people at the farm. That left thirteen unaccounted for.
    “This is Alpha-One. Pair up and commence search.” She glanced down at her forearm display to confirm the designation of the building to her right, where quantum-flux revealed at least two targets. “Alpha-One takes building seven.”
    “Bravo-One takes building two,”
came the immediate response from Sergeant Chang.
    Alpha-Three joined Katja. He was a big trooper named Hernandez, an experienced fast-attack striker whose main job was to make sure the officer didn’t get killed.
    Building seven was a laboratory. It had no windows on this side and a single door. Katja confirmed her quantum-flux sighting, then hand-signaled to Hernandez.
    I see. Two targets. Inside, left, down.
    He nodded, watching for her attack instructions.
    Buttonhook, I lead
, she signaled.
    His hand rose slightly, as if to protest, but he thought better of it and nodded. They closed in at the half-crouch, weapons up. Katja kept her quantum-flux on until they were at the door, then deactivated it. Multiple-sensory input could be disorienting in close combat.
    She chopped downward with her fist, motioning the attack.
    Hernandez reversed his rifle and slammed the butt into the door, blowing the thin plastic wide open. Katja wrapped around the left doorframe and swung her rifle through the room to fix upon two new targets—one man, one woman, stocky, tanned, middle-aged, lab coats—who cowered on their knees in the corner, half-hidden by an observation table. Hernandez was in behind her, covering the rest of the room.
    The woman screamed as Katja closed in. Katja raised her rifle to eye level, barrel down to give her a clear line of sight. She wasn’t going to be fooled by the appearance of panic.
    “Show me your hands!”
    The man complied, raising one quivering hand, but the woman gripped his other one and sobbed. Still on the floor, they cowered back as Katja stepped closer.
    Doubt struck her. During exercises back home, simulated targets either cooperated or fought immediately. It was hard to tell which way these targets were leaning. She was getting very hot in her suit, and she could sense Hernandez watching from behind.
    “Show me your