The Prize: Book One (11 page)

“Carry on Major.”  He snarled, beating a hasty retreat back to the command deck.

“What a fucking dickhead!”  Someone in the ranks muttered.  If the Major, or the Captain heard it, they said nothing.

“Quiet in the ranks!”  Sergeant Jaxx growled.

There is a long-established rule in any military that NCO were not permitted to let such remarks go without comment, or risk reprimand from an officer, even if they agreed with its sentiment.  In the Sergeant's opinion, if asked, this mission was starting out as a cluster fuck and going downhill fast.  He didn't like humans any better than General Tandy, having lost a good many people, as well as friends to the insane creatures.  Nevertheless, orders were orders, and he was a professional.

CHAPTER - SEVEN:              Descent - Sigma Alpha Prime

An hour later the team completed loading the remaining supplies, equipment and stood waited for the all-important launch order from the flight control center.  Everyone hated the waiting for different reasons, but the inevitable, and universally despised visit from the medic was at the top of the list.  Moving quickly down the line, he injected each in turn with an immunity booster, against what the medic didn't know, just that he’d been ordered to do it.  A technician followed the medic down the line, checking and uploading last-minute additions to their translation implants.

At last they strapped in and prepared for departure, eighteen nervous looking individuals strapped tightly into heavily padded jump seats.  They all knew if the General was telling the truth, this was a one-way trip.  Ellis and Penn by contrast seemed unconcerned about the whole thing.  Penn looked like he was half-asleep while Ellis rested comfortably in her shock webbing, putting her faith in the additional padding, heavy cross bracing, and larger contra-gravity generators to get them down safely.

She didn't want to die, but she'd developed a fatalistic attitude toward the possibility that was somehow comforting.  Instead, she contemplated the bleak possibility that if they, meaning Penn, couldn't find a way to turn off this gravity device.  They'd be stuck here for the rest of their lives.  She was one of five female midst fourteen oversexed alien males.  Penn was the obvious choice as a partner, but she prayed it wouldn't come to that.  The last thing in the world she wanted to do was cuddle up to that psychopathic killer.  During the pre-mission briefing General Tandy had twice told her of Penn's survival expertise, but then again, anyone on Earth who'd survived the Empire's invasion would be an expert.  General Tandy kept assuring her that if anyone could get her party to the target building Penn was that person.  She had her doubts.  To her, Penn probably didn't have the brains to pour beer out of a boot, with the instructions on the heel.  He was way too young to have any real combat experience.  A few firefights, and the occasional punch-up at the local pub maybe.  In comparison she'd seen more combat in the chow line waiting for lunch.

At last the clearance arrived, and the pilot sealed the rear hatch.  As the hatch closed, Ellis snuggled back into the shock padding, preparing herself the best she could for the buffering they'd been told to expect.  A slight sound drew her attention, bringing a deepening frown between her eye.  With a slight growl, she gritted her teeth as she looked at the source of the noise.  It was Pen, and he was snoring softly, fast asleep.  Of all the infuriating men she ever met, this Penn took the biscuit.  If she could reach, she'd kick him, just out of spite.  The shuttle lifting off killed that idea, wishing she had something she could throw at him instead.

"Of all the arrogant…"  The surge, and roar of the shuttle engines exiting the launch bay covered up the rest of her statement.

The in-flight across the AU barrier was uneventful almost boring event until the shuttle passed the marker buoy.  At that point it started to shake, but again, nothing unusual.  The shaking increased the deeper they plunged into the planet's gravity well, bringing Ellis back to the moment as she tightened her shock webbing one last time.  Penn of course was still fast asleep, his boyish face smooth and untroubled as if he were sleeping in his mother's arms.

The mission profile was clear. One: crash land on the planet.  Two:  If they survived the landing, they were to make their way to the pyramid.  Three: With Penn acting as a guide, and point man, make their way to the building and gain entry.  Four: Once inside, locate the control center, or find the equipment that controlled the gravitational effect.  From there, it was either 'A' turn it off, or 'B' destroy it.

If neither A nor B worked, General Tandy didn't have to point out they would be stuck with option 'C'.  That meant Ellis, and whoever survived the crash landing would be stuck here for the rest of their lives, or until someone figured out a way to land and take off again.  Not something Ellis wanted to contemplate at the moment.

                                              *  *  *  *  *  *

The shuttle bucked and rolled the neared it got to the planet, and Penn's inner ear told him the pilot was trying in vain to keep the craft's nose up as their descent speed increased.  How much real control he had was difficult to say, but if Tandy's warning was correct this was more of a controlled crash than a landing.  Ionized gasses began flaring along the length of the shield, something few if any had seen.  Most craft entered atmosphere slowly, due to the anti-gravity systems and at slow speed it was rare to see anything unusual.  The Ionization increased as did the speed of their death plunge toward the planet surface.  As the craft plunged deeper into the atmosphere the sound of air rushing by the hull increased, as did the amount of orange tinged flame and the whine of the over-sized Cg and inertial dampening generator as it warbled up the scale to try and compensate for the downward pull of the planet.  The interior lights dimmed as the generators sucked up more and more power, and they all heard shouting from the flight deck as the craft went into a sharp angled dive.   Any resemblance to a normal descent, even a combat drop, ended when they passed the one AU barrier, but it became obvious once they enter the atmosphere.  Just how much control the pilots really had become apparent as the terrible buffeting worsened by the second.  It became even more frightening when the interior lights flickered, then went out altogether, plunging the cargo deck into darkness.  Only the bright, flickering orange light outside the windows highlighted the frightened faces, and mouths opened to scream, unheard, and buried under the roar of atmosphere streaming pass the hull.  Someone screamed even louder as they hit with a bone jarring impact, hearing the hull groan in protest, as the extra cross bracing began to buckle under the increased strain.  Supposedly secure lockers sprung open, sending the contents bouncing around the interior as the hull twisted out of shape.  Penn caught a flying oxygen bottle, and jammed it between his legs as he batted miscellaneous objects toward the deck with his free hand.  The high-pitched screech of metal tearing off the ship as they smashed into something cut through the interior like a knife, the impact starting them spinning, first one way, then another as they hit something else.

Penn held on to the shock webbing, breathing heavily, betting they'd come down in a forest by the sound of branches snapping as they scraped along the outer hull.  The third hit had them traveling forward again in a reasonably straight line but still way too fast.  With one last bone bruising crash and the sound of rending metal they were down and at rest.  A pale greenish light leaked into the darkened cabin around the broken stub of an enormous branch that punched its way through the cockpit windshield and the forward bulkhead.  Thankfully, above their heads.  The dripping red stain on the broken end bore mute testimony to the gruesome demise of pilot and copilot.  So much for getting off this mud ball in this ship was Penn's thought as he unsnapped the crash webbing.  Curses and groans of pain came from all around as the team unstrapped, and tried to stand on the sloping deck, the hull groaning in protest as it settled.  Suddenly, bright greenish light flooded the interior as Sergeant Jaxx hit the emergency release on the shuttle's rear ramp.  The steel ramp crashed to the Earth with a wet thump and a spray of mud.  Unlike the others Penn had nothing to carry, so he followed Ellis down sloping deck to the ramp, breathing the hot humid air, feeling as if he'd come home.

A quick survey told them how lucky they'd been, but not by much.  Either by luck or judgment the shuttle pilot managed to put his ship down on a thickly wooded hillside.  Looking back up the hill they could all see the path of destruction the shuttle carved as it careened down, from the broken trees to the freshly churned Earth.  Its final resting place was the scary part, accounting for the branch through the cockpit.  Sometime in the past, wind, or gravity had brought down one of the giant trees, so it lay across their path of descent.  If it weren't for that, the shuttle would have plunged over a sheer cliff that fell away in a thousand foot drop.  No one would have survived that no matter how much padding they had.

"So, what now?”  Penn asked as he stretched his arms over his head, breathing deeply.

"We head toward that,” Ellis was pointing to the distant pyramid looming up over the hilltop behind them, and pushed a package against Penn's chest, “I think you'll need this.”

Inside the package were underwear, socks, boots, and a new set of combat BDU's, all Penn's size.  At least he wouldn't have to walk about this jungle in a set of paper ship's overalls and traction slippers.  Penn moved off to the side and changed into the new clothes.

“All right Captain Carras, Sergeant Jaxx.  Let's get this dog and pony show sorted out, and on the road.”

“At your orders Major.”  He replied, turning to organize getting the supplies and equipment off the shuttle and sorted out.

After checking out the team, the medic, Corporal Romm reported to Ellis that there were no broken bones, and just a few superficial cuts and bruises.  Ellis nodded her thanks, and moved off out of the way, pulling a scanner out of her hip pack as she did.  The sensor showed abnormally high oxygen at 24% with less nitrogen and lower CO
2
.  She guessed that stemmed from the forest and jungle that covered two thirds of the planet.  The planet also had a high gravity as well, 1.2 Earth standard, and 1.75 against the Imperial base line.  Some of the men in her platoon came from lower gravity home worlds, and she hoped that wouldn't be a problem.

After Penn changed, he stood off to one side, leaning against the side of the shuttle while the team lugged cargo packs outside to add to the growing pile at the base of the ramp.  He sensed his help wasn't welcome, not that he gave a rat's ass what they thought.  As they worked, Penn kept his ears open to talk around him, learning as much about these troops as possible.  Squad Leader Dana was in an argument with the senior squad leader Sartac.  Not that it was any of Penn's concern, but for some reason, by the body language and attitude, Dana was truly pissed off about getting chewed out about something.

Sergeant Jaxx divided the various supplies into individual packs loads for each trooper to carry with one exception.  Without knowing Penn's status, he couldn't order him to carry anything.  Penn on the other hand, located a body harness, and an empty backpack, and started looking over the supplies and equipment.  Unlike the troopers, he preferred a light load, choosing his items carefully.  A coil of rope, first aid kit, freeze-dried food concentrates, mess kit, and fire starters.  He filled a 'camel' pack from the shuttle's water tank and set it aside.  Finally, he stuffed as many energy bars, magnesium flares, and miscellaneous items such as packets of Kaf, powdered cream and sugar as he could find into the pack's side pockets.  At no time did he go near the cased weapons.  In fact, he ignored them.

Without knowing how many troopers would survive, much less if the planet's vegetation was even edible, the General had ordered the dreadnoughts supply department to pack as many ration packs and sundry supplies into the containers as possible.  That meant they had ample food, water, and supplies, and they'd have to abandon much of what remained.  On the plus side, it would act as an emergency supply point if any of them got through this alive, and needed to come back.

Ellis watched Penn out the corner of her eye as she prepared her equipment, suspecting he'd head for the weapon lockers.  It surprised her when he didn't.  Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a wrapped bundle the General had given her earlier with instructions not to give it to Penn until they were on the ground, and ready to move out.  Inside were three knives, the first two were chisel pointed 'Tanto' style blades, black anodized, and razor sharp.  The third blade was more like a short sword than a knife.  She remembered a picture of one she'd seen in a history book, back when such things existed.  Its shape was like the Roman 'Gladiolus' but smooth and flowing unlike of the angular Roman design.  Evidently this was hand forged by a master craftsman with loving attention to detail, right down to the dragon motif etched into the watered steel on each side of the blade.  To her surprise, it fitted comfortably in her hand, even with the double wrapped handle.  Penn must have similarly sized hands, but she hadn't noticed till now.