The Conscripts: Fight or Die (Blood War Book 3) (17 page)

He decided to go over their mission objectives again. First platoon was to be dropped on Hangar No. 2’s roof. They were then to clear the roof and the interior of the hangar. The hangar was in the middle of the V formed by the two runways. The rest of the battalion was to be dropped over the rest of the spaceport. The second platoon was to be dropped on the weapons shop and the administrative building. The two platoons were then to link up and clear the administrative building and what the planners were calling the control tower. They were not sure what it was, but that was what it looked like.

The mission sounded simple, but nothing had ever proven simple in combat. This was largest combat drop ever attempted. What could possibly go wrong? Hu almost laughed out loud. He couldn’t list all the things that could go wrong, but the thing he was most worried about was getting out of this damned Mike boat and into the open. If he could just get through this part of the mission, he would be happy.

The engineers had redesigned the drop ships after losing so many Raiders on 703 before they even had a chance to get into the fight. The battalion had made five different drops in the mission prep to test them without a single injury. That was one less thing he had to worry about. Now if they would open the drop doors and let him out of this damned ship, he would be happier. The ship lurched to the right then righted itself. He glanced over at Nani. Her head just rolled with the boat’s movements. Still sound asleep.

He needed to do something to take his mind off the damned entry. For at least the tenth time, he checked his armor’s systems.

Armor Interface: Optimum

Combat Network: Green

Heads-Up AI: Synced

Medical Sys: Green

Analgesic: 2 mg

Air Supply: 72 hrs

Atmosphere: Green        Type: Neg EW: Neg

ECM: Jam

PLRS: On

Video: On

Weapon Type: RC 48 Amount: 3000

Batt: 72 hours

#

Suddenly there was the sound of pounding on the outside of the ship, as if a giant was trying to beat the ship out of the sky. It woke Nani. She cringed, waiting for the ship to react to the pounding, but they continued to fly as if nothing was happening. It was certainly different from the insertion on 703. Maybe they had improved these things after all. Nani was beginning to have some confidence in these new Mike boats.

Then an explosion threw her forward into her straps. Maybe not. After all, you can never trust anything when it comes to war—except that you can’t trust anything.

“Two minutes. Two minutes,” Lieutenant Taro said.

“Two minutes,” Nani repeated with the rest of the platoon.

Nani reached over and tapped Hu on the forearm. She couldn’t see his face, but she grabbed his arm and squeezed. She had fought alongside Hu since Rift, when he was a fucking new guy. He had proven himself there, and despite being separated from the rest of the platoon, they had survived. Since then they had become more than just fuck buddies. Now they were facing another battle on another planet. They had come to feel they were each other’s lucky charms, so they’d decided on a ritual before each drop. Nani bumped fists with Hu. Now they were ready, come what may. She glanced up at the mission clock. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Okay, I want a last green check,” Lieutenant Taro said.

“First squad?” Staff Sergeant Elias said.

“First squad,” Nani said as the first-squad sergeant.

“Fire team one, all green,” Hu said.

The rest of the platoon sounded off until all had reported in the green.

“Pilot, this is Lieutenant Taro. We are ready for the drop.”

“Roger that, Lieutenant. One minute. I repeat, one minute.”

The red ready light came on in the troop compartment and the drop door flashed open. Nani was now sitting over an opening with Chita flashing past below her dangling feet. There were multicolored explosions, laser streaks, and plasma flashes. Nani watched hybrids on the ground fire up at their ship. It was a feeling she did not like, being a skeet target for a bunch of ’brids. She clutched her .48 to her chest more tightly.

“Assume the position.”

Nani crossed her arms over her chest, put her feet together, and bent her head down so her helmet's chin was on her chest.

“Extend.”

The drop seats extended over the opening and rotated so Nani faced the nose of the ship.

“Stand by.”

The ship was still diving toward their drop altitude. Nani watched, fascinated by the beauty of the multicolored light show as she began to recognize the area around the spaceport. It would not be long now.

Sui-Ren System

Chika

Naval Special Warfare Squadron

Mike Boat 79

“Got them!” Odaka yelled. “Somehow they were reading the heat signature of our crystals. Then they had a lot of ‘check with me’ programming that created a swarm. They’re only about the size of a baseball. But we’re on to them now. We’ve got them going everywhere but here.”

Great, Lee thought. But they were down three ships full of Raiders. The green rectangle leading them to the drop zone was narrowing to the point that he wanted to see the Hanger 2. He upped the magnification for his window display, and he could see the spaceport clearly using his night-vision filter.

The V of the two runways was clear, with a cluster of lights in the middle of it. Lee glanced at the mission clock. Five minutes. Good. They were right on time. Lee could see rail flashes followed by explosions around the port as the destroyers continued to pound the defenses. In the flashes of light, Lee could clearly see the spaceport with all of its outbuildings. He didn’t need night vision, it was so bright.

They were trying not to destroy the port itself. That was the whole reason for the Raiders’ drop—to capture it with as little damage as possible. Lee adjusted the angle of attack, flattening their flight path to get ready for the drop. He had just eased back on the throttle when the darkness around the spaceport lit up with every color in the rainbow as the Xotolis’ ground defenses opened up.

“Shit. I thought the destroyers took care of this shit,” Lee said.

“I’m on it, Chief. Fuck, they got every kind of sensor, radar, and God knows what fixed on us. I—”

The ship lurched as Odaka launched anti-missile missiles. The missiles flashed off the rails and raced down to meet those rising from the ground. Other missiles from the other Mike boats joined the ones from Lee’s ship. More explosions. Lasers pulsed green flashes. Plasma fire glowed different shades of red, and there were other types of weapons Lee couldn’t identify.

“Going hot,” Lee said.

He began peppering the spaceport with the new metal-storm rail on the nose of his ship, sending up to 250,000 depleted uranium pellets a minute into the maelstrom. He checked the attitude indicator—he was still below the artificial horizon. If he tried to bring the nose up too soon to avoid the ground fire, they would miss their drop window. He was just going to have to grit his teeth and punch through this fire, but he could yaw the ship left and right to spread the rail rounds around to cover more ground. He pulsed the metal-storm trigger as he yawed the nose of the ship.

“Chief, the Three ship just took a rocket. It’s still flying, but it’s out of formation,” Toland said from her rear-gunner’s perch.

Lee decided to break strict comm silence. “Dragon One to Dragon Three.”

“Go, One.”

“How are you doing over there?”

“Can’t keep formation, One. I lost an engine, but I will still make the drop. I will not be on time, but I will be on target.”

“Can you keep it in the air?”

“I think…fuck.”

“Dragon Three, this is Dragon One.”

Silence.

“Dragon Three, this is Dragon One.”

Silence.

“Chief, I’ve lost sight of him. They were smoking badly but were still flying under control.”

More and different kinds of explosions blossomed near the ship’s nose as Lee continued their dive to the drop zone. He glanced at the mission clock. Still on time, but down to three ships in his formation. There wasn’t supposed to be this much resistance, but then again, intel always seemed to be a day late and a dollar short.

A green message flashed on his display. It was time to pull out of the dive and begin their run into the drop zone. The green light flashed two minutes. Lee switched to the Raiders’ frequency.

“Lieutenant, two minutes. Two minutes.”

“Roger. Two minutes.”

Lyten System

Rift

Internal Security Headquarters

Istas stood outside the interrogation room watching Lieutenant Netis closely. Netis was naked, still covered with the blood from the fight, electronic cuffs chained her to the floor, she was sitting in a metal chair. There was another chair facing her but no other furniture in the room. She appeared completely calm, as if she had not just killed another hybrid and blown her cover, and as if she would not in all probability as far as she knew be killed at any moment. Her face was swollen from a blow from the fight. One arm had a large laceration from the other hybrid, and it had already stopped bleeding.

They must be engineered to control bleeding from non-life-threatening wounds, Istas thought. There was dried blood on Netis’s hands. The guards had been afraid to get near enough to wash her off or allow her enough freedom to do the same. If she didn’t know better, Istas would have thought Netis was an Anjin who had been compromised. Her discipline and resolve were that strong.

Istas touched the spot behind her right ear. “Mother, are you seeing this?” she said quietly.

The Mother of Anjins was monitoring the interview through Istas and could see and hear what she did.

“Yes, child, she is truly remarkable. What do you think?” a voice in her head said.

“I think we are getting a glimpse at just how formidable these hybrids are. Training, do you think?”

“No, breeding and upbringing. She has faced this situation before. Many times, if I were to guess.”

“Who are you talking to? Communication is forbidden,” one of the security guards snapped.

Istas had been accompanied by the two Rift Marines who had fought with her on Earth protecting the admiral. The male stepped between her and the security guard and said, “Quiet. She is an Anjin and she has clearance from the secretary general. You do not need to know who she is talking to.”

The other Marine stepped next to the first and crossed her arms. The two stood between Istas and the security guards, creating a living shield behind her.

“Many times?” Istas said, puzzled by the thought.

“Yes, just as you faced many trials during your time as an acolyte. I would think that being raised by aliens to be as formidable as they are had to be part engineering and part culling of the weakest.”

“Interesting. Then why did she stop the assassination of General Sand?”

“Unknown. That is what you are about to find out, child.”

Istas looked at Netis with new eyes. She remembered her from the emergency operations center on Rift. Istas had noticed her professionalism and toughness before the attack, and that had been only a hint of just how tough this woman really was. Istas had studied her naval file before she had come over for the interrogation—nothing but superlatives from superiors, including General Sand and Usiche during her duty serving them both. Not a hint of the fact that she was an embedded hybrid. She studied the woman closely, using her training. There was not a trace of fear or nervousness in her bearing. She was calm, waiting—Istas was sure—to die, if not at the hands of the Confederation then at the hands of other hybrids. Yet Istas could not detect a trace of fear or nervousness. She had made her choice and was ready to face the consequences. Why had she saved Sand? What was her motivation?

She touched the bracelet on her arm and watched the 3-D video projection of Netis killing the other hybrid before surrendering. It was a brutal fight between two skilled and dangerous combatants. Netis was a fierce fighter, a true hybrid.

“Ma’am.…”

Istas held up a hand for the security type to stop. She continued to stare at Netis, thinking through her approach. She had interrogated a number of people over the years—some with torture and others with guile. She knew torture was of no use here. Guile, or an understanding of Netis, was the best approach. It was time.

“You may open the door now,” Istas said.

The two Marines moved to the door, readying their close-combat weapons.

“No, I will go in alone.”

“But…”

Istas just turned and looked at the marines and said, “No, I will go alone. It is all right.”

One of the Marines opened the door and Istas walked through. They locked the steel door behind her. Netis looked up and saw it was Istas. Recognition slowly crossed her face.

“I thought it might be you,” Netis said.

Istas said nothing. She had thought a lot about what she should wear. She’d decided her fashionista look would be best. It would put Netis off. She had worn a black leather outfit with red piping. Her hair was freshly gold infused and combed straight back from her face, which she had carefully made up. She walked slowly over to the chair opposite Netis’s. Taking her time, she lit a cigarette and blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling before she said a word. All the while she waited and observed Netis.

“We will start with the most important question. Why? Why would a hybrid embedded for years intervene in the assassination of a high-ranking military figure? That had to be your mission, as I’m sure the admiral was back on Rift.”

Netis looked up. She had been staring down at the floor when Istas asked the question. She met Istas’s gaze.

“It is simple, but I’m sure you won’t believe me.”

“Why don’t you try me?”

Netis hesitated before she responded. “I am more human than Xotoli. Whatever it is that they do to mix our DNA, my human side won out.”

“Explain.”

“The Xotoli told us that they did not have to change us that much—that humans had violence in them all the time. All they had to do was bring it out in us. The talked about our mass murderers and serial killers. They found the right protein in our DNA and tweaked it, and then it was a simple matter of incorporating the right Xotoli genes to give us the strength we would need. After that all they had to do was bring us up to reinforce the changes they had made. Humans are not the first race they have used the technique on. We were one of the easier ones to change. My teachers told us many times that humans and Xotoli were not that different.”