Krieger Platoon Read online

  Alighten half-smiled and picked up the foam football. “Yeah yeah... I was walking to class when Bag came up to me out of nowhere and started saying stuff about needing me back on the team and all that. I didn’t think anything of it and just told him no. I couldn’t let it go though… I don’t know…it just seemed like I should be here… So I decided to just show up and see what happens.” Alighten didn’t add that politics turned out to be much too difficult for him to get into, especially with not being born into the upper class tier. Though honestly he was happy being middle class, he felt he appreciated the world more…

  Valor laughed and sat down on his rack as he began to unravel his tale as if it were some epic adventure. “Haha yeah, same thing happened to me yo. I was just minding the store with my girl one night, and in walks this guy completely covered in dust, I mean head to toe. Looked like he had gone through a sandstorm or something. This dude says to me, ‘Hey you got a latrine around here I can use?’ I was like, latrine? Who the hell says that? So I point him in the direction and tell him if he gets shit dirty he’s gonna clean it himself. Like a minute or something goes by, and sure as shit, Bag strolls out wiping his face down. He just walks over and shakes hands and all that then starts saying stuff about rebuilding Krieger. Now my girl was completely pissed and all against it, but I’d been missing my tanks more than anything, ya know? So I was like, yeah bro I’ll think about it for a while. Really when it came down to it, how could I say no?”

  Alighten nodded in mock agreement. It wasn’t an easy decision at all. He was still debating whether or not just to leave before the officers put him in an actual billet. “Yeah, I did kind of miss all this…kind of…”

  Alighten dropped the thought and instead began looking around the room until he set his sights on an 18 or something year old kid, sitting by himself and polishing his boots. Alighten threw the football across the tent, pegging the unsuspecting Private in the face, who just grunted in annoyance and went back to polishing. Alighten had to be a dick sometimes, but only in good fun.

  Valor laughed and grabbed Alighten by the shoulder and shook him. “You son of a bitch! It’s a good thing ya came back, I thought I’d have to get another driver!”

  Alighten shook back and smiled. He’s glad Valor was here, he didn’t really want to deal with the rest of the platoon by himself. Especially not Jon if he showed up…he hoped he didn’t. He was an asshole. “Not a chance I’d let you replace me! Plus no one else will deal with your shit. Hah!”

  Valor laughed and curiously gazed around at all the new faces. “So yeah, who are these new boys?”

  Alighten shrugged, equally as lost. “Well, most of these guys are replacements or something like that. I don’t remember any of their names to be honest. Bag came by earlier and said they were here to stay and that we had to train them up and all that.”

  “Ok, I guess. You see any of the other boys yet?”

  Alighten once again shrugged. “I saw Matt and James at one point but they left a while ago. I saw Sarah at the Enlisted Club, and I think Cholius is off with Bag and doing some sort of important Officer shit.”

  Valor cheered out in genuine excitement. “Holy shit, all the boys, and the girl are back!”

  Alighten likewise sat on Valor’s rack. “Yeah, Bag was serious about this I guess…”

  Valor sighed in boredom. Sitting in the tent was not the way to spend any day. “Yo so, when is this thing popping off?”

  “I’ve heard everything from midnight, to this next Tuesday. I don’t really know. I think muster is at 06:00 though. Chow is at around 07:00.”

  Valor yawned loudly. “I’ve been in a buses and cabs for the last three hours, I am bored outa my mind! What’s there to do here anyway?”

  Alighten knew where Valor was going with this, so naturally made suggestions to match. “Uh, I heard the Enlisted Club has cheap beer, pizza, and pool tables.”

  Valor laughed, kicked his legs up onto the rack next to his, and let himself fall backwards onto his mattress. “I’m so down. Pool sounds dope, we gonna shoot the slices into the pockets like at Camp Smith? Haha.”

  Alighten sighed at the joke, and instead stared down at Valor as if in disappointment.

  Valor tilted his head up and looked toward Alighten with frustration. “Yo, it was a bad joke, move on! What time does the E club open?”

  “Um, it should be open from 10:00 until 22:00. What time is it now?”

  Valor gave his watch a quick glance, then laid back down. “Its 11:14, how far is it to walk?”

  “Not far, it’s down the street like three blocks.”

  Valor jumped up and brushed himself off. That was settled then, this day wasn’t going to be so bad after all! “You ready to lose at pool again?”

  Alighten glanced at him curiously. Getting hammered drunk and being hung over at muster was not exactly on his to-do list…but how could he pass this up? “Well, we’ve never actually played against each other.”

  “Exactly, let’s go!” Valor stopped just before the tent door and turned around toward the new guys. “HEY! All of you new guys! If you wanna see me beat this fool at pool, get to the ‘E’ Club like now!”

  Chapter 4 – Polite Society

  The bright blue super giant star burned with an almost blinding luminosity, boiling the exterior of the tidal-locked planetoid named Fire Rock, and converting much of the surface into a molten and gaseous state. The end result was an intense and deadly display of the color spectrum dancing across the surface. The facility’s solar shields were more than enough to block the light’s harmful effects, but if you stood close enough to the glass you could feel the intense heat radiating through… One could only fear and admire the raw power required to make such an effect.

  Mr. Navus, as his workers called him, didn’t particularly want to live on this isolated rock for the rest of his life, but he did enjoy the time he spent on it now. Hell, a place like this must be absolutely drenched in resources… Well, obviously since there was a fairly large mining complex and factory a few kilometers away, owned by…hmm… He didn’t actually know their company name. Everyone just called them the ‘Administrators’. As long as they continued to pay him double the going price, he couldn’t care. Navus closed his eyes placed the back of his hand against the window. The glass began to sear his skin, but he relished in the feeling. The burning was almost soothing…

  “Mr. Navus?” A young male voice called out from behind him with a thick Martian accent, which was generally a strong combination of proper English spoken with a Mediterranean and Canadian accent combined. It was odd but very understandable… Navus would never really get used to it though, or any stuck up silver spoon Martian born bitch who spoke it.

  The voice repeated again more directly. “Mr. Navus?”

  Navus tried to ignore the kid, but he just kept pestering him. It must be that same annoying guard from the elevator, why can’t he just fuck off? He could see the kid’s reflection through the glass and glared back. His tone as condescending as possible. “I’m busy, can’t you tell?”

  The guard shifted, and appeared completely indifferent. It was almost like he didn’t realize WHO he was talking to. “I apologize, but the Administrators are ready for you.”

  Navus sighed deliberately loud and turned to the guard…named Dakar; what a joke, he is all decked out in some ultramodern black armor to look intimidating, which probably was just made of plastic. Navus shook his head at him as if in disappointment, and continued his condescending manner. “Dakar is it? Thanks for letting me know… It’s not like I was in the middle of something.”

  The guard stared back, and maintained a professional tone. “Sir…I was ordered to escort you into the-”

  “I know where it is!” Navus made a sour face at the guard and deliberately bumped into him as he walked down the hall way. He listened carefully for the sound of foot steps behind him… but there was nothing. Good, that ‘Dakar’ was still standing there like an imbecile. That kid woul
dn’t last a minute in a real security job.

  Navus walked through the sleek glass and synthetic hallways built directly into the side of an extinct volcanic mountain. The halls of this place were beautiful, and offered an aquarium like view of the vast caverns and caves the facility was built into, some of which shined brightly with huge deposits of untouched ore and other valuable elements. Wonder if he could make a detour into one of those caves before he left…dig up a little titanium or magnesium…maybe something better than that? He worked hard enough for these people, he deserved it.

  Navus rounded a corner and took an immediate left into the main administration office, and blew past a petite, pale secretary before she had a chance to greet him. Two similarly geared, but much more bulky and intimidating security guards stood post next to the double wide blast doors leading into the conference room. One of the guards did a quick scan of Navus’ eyes and fingerprints on his wrist mounted computer, commonly known as a wrist coms or wrist communicator, which had taken over practically every form of communication device and computer in the decades before the fall of Earth. The guard typed into the holographic display on his wrist coms, then opened the conference room doors.

  The conference room beyond was pitch black and hid the outlines of bookshelves, tables, and an array of expensive furniture and decorations just out of sight. I guess the Administrators didn’t want to show their faces…come to think of it the employees at the last few meetings mentioned something about that. The doors shut behind Navus almost as soon as he walked in, snuffing the last bit of outside light, and prompting a sigh of annoyance from him. This is so dramatic it was just irritating beyond measure. Why couldn’t they just speak to him like normal human beings? I mean, secrecy is one thing but this is just over the top.

  A soft but very cold female voice, with an eloquent British accent, spoke out from some unknown area of the shadows. “Mr. Navus…it is always a pleasure to have you visit. How are you enjoying Fire Rock Station?”

  A small ring of light lit up on the floor in front of him, just barely illuminating a winged leather chair in the center of it. Navus rolled his eyes and threw himself and his legs over the wing of the chair. Fucking weirdoes. “Let’s skip the bullshit and talk business.”

  The voice remained silent for an unusual amount of time, then came back in a different area of the room. “Hmm…yes, lets. I was told all the assets you requested had been delivered and were satisfactory. Am I incorrect in this information?”

  Navus moved to lay across both wings of the chair, and let his legs dangle across one side. This was a nice chair…he should have them include it in his contract. “Yeah, that stuff’s all fine…”

  “Then, you are ready for your next contract. Reach under your chair and pull out the data stub that you find.”

  Navus carefully reached down and grabbed the lip-balm sized data-stub and inserted it into the side port of his wrist coms without hesitation. The data-stub instantly began to upload a huge amount of seemingly random information, but one bit of it stuck out to him. The name of an old city. “New Prim? That place is nothing but a barren and stripped a ghost town! What the hell am I supposed to salvage there?”

  There was a short pause, and the sound of hushed words from several other voices, all around the entire room. The original female voice returned. “You will be paid when your contract is complete. No questions, no problems; this has always been our agreement.”

  Navus grunted then snapped back in sarcasm. “Why don’t you be more dramatic… asshole.”

  The voice responded with a subtle but direct threat, spoken almost seductively. “If you are not up to the challenge, we can easily hire any one of your competitors…”

  What the fuck did she just say? Navus sat up straight and glared in the direction of the voice. He responded with a tone of rage. “Don’t speak to me about my competitors! I am the best and that’s why you hired me! YOU came to ME!”

  The voice retorted with a mocking tone. “Then the ‘Best salvager around’ will have no problem in completing his contract... Was there anything else, Mr. Navus?”

  Navus remained momentarily silent from frustration, then shook his head. “...no.”

  The blast doors opened behind Navus as the voice spoke again. “That concludes our business. Please escort yourself out, and a security officer will show you to your shuttle.”

  Fucking weirdoes… Navus walked over toward the door, stopping to glance back into the dark empty room. This is like the way a villain in a bad movie would act. After this contract is completed, he is done with these freaks and all their drama…

  A guard gently laid a hand on Navus’ shoulder, who immediately spun and shoved the man’s hand into his chest. He snarled in response. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

  The guard stared him down but remained perfectly calm and allowed him to pass. As soon as Navus left the conference room and was about to walk back into the hallway, an obvious mercenary rounded the corner and bumped directly into him, hard. Both men backed up a few steps as Navus proceeded to stare him down. The merc was wearing some strange red and black camouflage armor, decked out in empty weapon and gear pouches everywhere. He was clean cut with a standard douchebag haircut, and full tattoo sleeves of death and destruction that ran all the way up to his neck, which was also the douchebag standard. What a tool!

  The merc crossed his arms on his chest and stared back at Navus with a cocky smile. Responding in an equally cocky but very proper tone. “Oh I’m sorry, was I in your way?”

  Navus gritted his teeth; this kid had some nerve. He was tired of this place already and all this had done was piss him off more! “You should move out of the way for your betters, kid!”

  The merc smirked and continued in his proper tone. “I will if I ever meet them.”

  Navus screamed out in rage within his mind. He had been in the mining and salvage business for almost 50 years, and now some shit head 20 or 30 something year old is going to give him attitude? No, he couldn’t lose his complexion here in this facility, he had to play it cool…no matter how big of a douchebag this guy is. He couldn’t risk losing this contract.

  The same security guard from the conference room moved up next to Navus, and spoke in a tone that clearly said ‘Get Out’. “Sir, your shuttle is waiting in dock 14.”

  The merc grinned widely, and motioned his hand like chauffeur showing a guest to their seat and stepped to the side. “Oh, you should run off to your shuttle now. You don’t want to be late for your ever so important life.”

  It took every bit of Navus’ strength not to punch that kid right in the face. He clenched his hands into fists and began debating all the ways he could break his nose, just as the petite secretary from the office broke the stalemate. “Mr. Sempra? The Administrators will see you now.”

  The merc grinned back at Navus a final time and brushed past him without a second glance. Navus turned and stared on in disgust. Sempra? He would remember that name.

  Chapter 5 – All Acquaintance

  UAM – 44.537

  24FEB2119

  FROM USARMY FORT GREG JOINT REGIONAL COMMAND

  TO KRIEGER SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP

  CLASS – SECRET

  BT

  ALL OPERATORS AND OFFICERS OF PROGRAM DESIGNATED KRIEGER, SPECIAL WARFARE

  GROUP, HERBY ORDERED TO REPORT TO SELECTED TRAINING AREA BY 0330 ON 25FEB2119.

  ALL KRIEGER PERSONNEL ARE TO BE MUSTERED AND ACCOUNTED FOR NO LATER THAN 0345.

  ALL AVIATION AND SUPPORT ASSETS OF PROGRAM DESIGNATED KRIEGER, HERBY ORDERED TO INITIATE IMMEDIATE COMBAT STANDBY.

  BT

  “Get up, get dressed, and be outside in fifteen minutes! That’s one-five minutes! Do NOT be late!” Valor and Alighten walked through the tent shouting as the trainees scrambled from their beds. Both of them were already dressed out in full combat gear, which consisted of the MDU uniform, and similarly colored ceramic scale chest, shin, thigh, and shoulder armor topped off with a ceramic s
hell helmet. Of course no American soldier would be complete without the 5.8mm M-21 Carbine.

  The tan plastic-alloy exterior, and rear loading bull-pup design, looked like a modern take on a Vietnam era throwback. The weapon was simple, effective, and incredibly accurate even on full automatic. The Army managed to salvage thousands of the five decade old M-21’s in bulk from some lost armories on Earth. Good thing they did too since it was the only reliable weapon they had left. Most of the more modern weapons fell into disuse because it was too difficult to synthesize new parts for them.

  Valor, with rifle shouldered, walked briskly up and down the length of the squad bay while yelling encouragement toward his new team members. “Yo, you all better be ready soon! If ya late, you get dropped!”

  The tent had exploded into activity as the trainees grabbed their combat gear and dressed out as fast as they could. Valor knew this was going to be a long day for them, but if they couldn’t handle this, then they really didn’t need to be here.

  Alighten stopped in the center of the tent and glanced about. Some of the trainees were slowing down and taking their time. He really wasn’t the yelling and screaming type…but Matt volunteered him to do this…so… “The longer you take, the longer this night is going to be! Grab you gear and form up on the far end of the parade field!”

  A nearby trainee stopped donning his gear and glanced up at Valor. He spoke in an obviously tired and almost pleading tone. “Staff Sergeant, its three in the morning. I thought muster was at six?”

  Valor turned toward the trainee and glared as much as he could force. He had to play Drill Sergeant for tonight even though he knew the idea of HIM being one made him laugh. Hah, he had to keep a straight face. “You…Kazowski… Ya trying to tell me you don’t want to be here, is that it?”

  “No Sergeant!”

  “No Sergeant? Did you just demote me? So you DON’T want to be here!”

  Kazowski struggled with his words and was obviously terrified of Valor. “Uh no Staff Sergeant, I mean I do want to be here!”