Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) (27 page)

“
Moving out
now. See you at the LZ,” Sergei growled as he moved off.

“
Boss, there
isn't much I can do for them down here. I've patched what the suits
couldn't. Lot of vacuum burns and compound fractures. Real nasty
ones,” Hurranna reported a few minutes later.

“
Can they be
moved?” Valenko asked.

“
They'll have
to be won’t they? Some are just about out of juice and air.”

“
Right,”
the bear sighed, looking around. He shifted his back and then pulled
off the ruck. “Jethro get her spare power and air packs. I'm
going to set this temporary shelter up.”

“
Right. I'll
send down some litter packs as well,” Jethro nodded.

“
I'll go.”
They looked over to Senjix. “I'm one of the lightest here.”

“
Hey!”
Betty protested.

“
I highly
doubt you could handle what's down here honey,” Hurranna said.
“Lots of bodies. Lots.”

“
Um...”
Betty was clearly torn between duty and fear.

“
Senjix go,”
Valenko said, not looking up from the emergency pack. “Déjà...”

“
Went with the
stretcher team,” Jethro reported. He uploaded an updated TOE.

“
Right.”

“
First one is
ready to come up,” Hurranna said after a moment. They turned to
the cliff face.

“
You sure?”
Jethro asked.

“
As sure as I
can be. I'm linked into the cliff face. I'll anchor for stability.
Pull.”

“
Roger,”
Jethro pulled hand over hand. After a few moments a hand weakly
appeared on the edge. It grabbed the rock but it crumbled.

“
Hey watch
it!” Hurranna protested as rock fell down on her and Rigatoni.
“Rigatoni is out. Suit and implants say broken neck. The suit
and his implants are all that are keeping him alive.”

“
Which means
if we move him the broken bits could sever his air way or spinal
column killing him. We need a backboard and neck brace,”
Valenko growled.

“
Which isn't
going to happen. He's in a suit remember?” Hurranna sighed.

“
I'm at the
bottom,” Senjix reported after a minute. He had climbed down
the other side, running his own line.

“
Damn,”
the survivor muttered. Jethro pulled him to stable ground and then
went over to him.

“
You okay?”
he asked, checking the man's suit vitals.

“
No,”
the marine said and then passed out. Jethro grimaced. The guy had
compound fractures in both legs and one arm.

“
Suit
administer pain blocks. Do it for all injured,” he looked over
to Valenko for confirmation. The bear nodded.

“
Approved. Do
it,” he growled. “Get him over here.” He motioned
for the victim.

Jethro grabbed
straps on the man's shoulders and dragged him across the broken
ground to the bear. Valenko immediately got to work on the suit.

“
Ready yet or
are you taking a tea break?” Hurranna asked sounding sarcastic.
“It's getting lonely down here. No offense Senjix, you're just
not my type. Neither are the baldies here, even if they could get
frisky.”

“
Which they
aren't in their conditions,” the cheetah meowed. “I've
got my stretcher kit out. We're securing Rigatoni to it now.”

“
I've pulled
the packs from the others. All the live ones anyway,” Hurranna
reported. “We're using their stretcher packs. Those that
survived.”

“
Right,”
Jethro turned. Together they got back to work.

...*...*...*...*...

Two hours later
Sergei arrived. He looked around and whistled. “Been busy,”
he nodded in approval.

“
Where are the
others?” Valenko asked.

“
Left Ris'ha
and Déjà and a few of Rigatoni's boys and girls with
the injured at the LZ. Ox set the other signal rocket off with an
update.”

Valenko sighed,
sitting back. “We've lost one. Rigatoni died on the way up,”
he grimaced. “We couldn't do anything even if we wanted to,”
he said softly.

Sergei flinched and
then sighed over the link. “Right. Let me lend a hand there.”
He pushed a tired Jethro and Letanga away from the line and began to
hauling hand over hand. He changed his stance to a more stable one
then continued.

“
Thanks,”
Letanga panted. “Quite a work out,” he said. He got on
his belly then crawled to the edge of the cliff. Jethro opened his
mouth to protest but the leopard snapped a safety clip to the line
when he got to the edge.

“
Almost
there,” he said. He looked down and then back to the group.
“Last injured coming up. Are we pulling the dead?”

“
Marines don't
leave their own,” Valenko growled. Jethro nodded. He looked up
to the repeater the leopard had left at the top of the stalagmite.
“You two get the dead ready for movement. We're not leaving
them. Check under them and under the debris just in case someone is
still alive under them buried but out of contact.”

“
I kinda
figured that,” Senjix replied after a moment. Hurranna cursed
softly and then grunted a roger.

...*...*...*...*...

Two hours later Ox
reported Firefly's shuttle was inbound to the LZ. “Roger that.
Leave a repeater pack and get here as fast as you can.”

“
I thought
you'd forgotten about me,” Ox grunted. He threw his line out
and then tested it. “On my way.” He started down the
line.

“
Bodies are
out. Even the halflings,” Sergei grunted. He was panting
heavily. That had been a lot of weight to haul, despite the low
gravity. They had shut off the force emitters but it was still a pain
getting it done.

“
We're here,”
the heavy worlder grunted, holding up the group. He snapped stretcher
poles off his ruck and then assembled them around a body. “All
injured are at the LZ.”

“
Just got the
dead then,” Valenko grunted. He finished topping his suit off.
“Each of you top off here. Sergei, you can break it down since
you thoughtfully left your ruck at the LZ.”

“
Right.”

...*...*...*...*...

Jethro's eyes
watered as he watched the inbound shuttle maneuver. He turned away
from the blast of dust to see the dead. There were a lot of them. Too
many. He grimaced.

The craft settled
into the rocks and then the side door opened. The crew chief jumped
out. “Come a cropper huh? Typical grunts. Can't find your ass
with a map and a compass. Oh well, the navy's here to save the day.”

A second shuttle
started in on its final approach behind them. Sergei looked up to the
shuttle and then turned to the chief. “Save it. We've had a
long day,” he snarled.

The chief leaned
backwards and then fell on his ass at the show of teeth. “Yeah,
yeah sure,” he stuttered, hand going up to protect himself.

“
Save it
Sergei,” Valenko said, slapping his arm. “Wounded first
people. The rest ride in the back up van.” He waved to the
other shuttle.

“
Right,”
Jethro nodded. “Lets move people, You heard the bear,” he
said tiredly.

“
Hey wait,
you’re supposed to separate by platoon...” the crew chief
said, clearly confused.

“
Shove it
swabbie. Where the sun don't shine. We're marines. We take care of
our own,” Hurranna growled. She helped a wounded woman onto the
shuttle.

Jethro waited with
the sober crew chief of boat 2 as Valenko oversaw the loading of the
wounded. He turned but Jethro and the others had already loaded the
dead onto bird 2.

“
We're full
boss. Go.” Jethro waved. The bear waved back and then walked up
the ramp. Jethro went inside and then stood near the back. The seats
were full. He grabbed a strap near the door and stepped aside to let
the crew chief in.

“
Everyone's
in. Let’s go,” the chief reported over the ship net as
the door closed. After a moment they could feel motion. Tired, Jethro
closed his eyes.

“
For courage
and initiative in saving the survivors of Alpha platoon; Platoon F is
to be commended. A commendation is here by added to your files. Good
work ladies and gentlemen,” the Major said, standing at
attention. Valenko and Jethro kept at parade attention as the Major
sat on the edge of his desk. “Your troop is good. Very good.
You've proven yourselves. Well, almost,” he smiled.

“
Sir?”

“
There is
some... discussion about canceling your classes crucible exercise due
to the massive casualties. Alpha platoon was practically wiped out
after all. And you've proven you can handle a crisis.”

“
Sir I'd like
to take the crucible test. If that is possible,” Valenko said,
still staring at the bulkhead slightly above the Federation crest
behind the Major's head.

“
You would?”
The gunny asked, surprised. Jethro tried not to smirk at gunny
Thompskin’s surprise. Gunny Schultz snorted.

“
They are
marines. Of course they want to fight,” he said chuckling. “I
say give them their shot. They earned it.” He nodded to the
Major.

“
All right,”
the Major said slowly. “You can have your shot. It's brutal
though. Land, space, and ship exercises.”

“
Yes sir.
We're up for it sir.”

“
You are going
to have the course to yourselves, and most of the military will be
watching.”

“
Wouldn't have
it any other way sir,” Jethro growled.

“
Cute.
Dismissed.” They saluted, turned smartly, and started for the
hatch. “And gentlemen,” they turned, “good work.
Now go shower. You need it,” he grimaced.

“
Sir yes sir.”
They each nodded and then moved out. The Major waited for them to
leave then sighed, sitting back in his chair. “Twenty dead,
nineteen wounded. Hell of an exercise. Right up there with that
cluster fuck in the history books. The creek one back in the
twentieth century Earth. The one in the United States.”

“
Yes sir,”
both Gunnery sergeants replied.

“
You were
right though, they did shine when left to their own devices. Hell of
a way for it to happen though,” he grimaced. “I think
from now on exercises of that nature will be supervised more closely.
With DI and medics on hand. Even if they are only observers.”

“
Yes sir.”

“
Seen the
wounded yet?”

“
No sir.
Sickbay is off limits currently. The nineteen are stable however.”

“
That's
something,” the Major sighed. He shifted back and forth in his
chair.

“
Sir, any
chance we ah, can reform alpha...” Schultz asked.

“
No. Regen
tanks will help, but it'll be a mess putting those marines back
together in time for their scheduled graduation. And I'll bet a few
will have psych crawling all over them,” the Major grimaced.

“
My boys and
girls are tougher than that sir, they'll pull through given time,”
Thompskin said.

“
I'm sure they
will. But not in time to face the crucible. Not with their leadership
in the morgue.”

“
Yes sir,”
Thompskin looked annoyed, then crestfallen.

“
Dismissed.
We've... I've got a lot of letters to write,” he grimaced once
more. He wasn't looking forward to that at all. It was a duty that
had to be done though.

“
Yes sir,”
the noncoms replied in unison. They saluted smartly, turned and
walked stiffly out.

...*...*...*...*...

“
You had a
chance to pass on the crucible and you demanded we take it? Are you
nuts?” Hurranna demanded in the troop bay. A few in earshot
started to grumble at that news.

“
Seems like it
now, but you'll thank me later,” Valenko said with a shrug at
all the disbelieving stares.

“
Thank you?
THANK
YOU
??!!”
She shook her head. “You must have hit your head Valenko.
Hard.”