The noise struck us as soon as we opened the hatches and filed out. It was a deafening cacophony of aircraft engines, heavy vehicles and not a little shooting, somewhere off in the distance. The air was warm and oppressive, smelling of vehicle flumes and burning fires. I found myself staring wide-eyed at the spaceport, taking in the heavy combat aircraft and the hundreds of helicopters that seemed to be coming and going all the time. They weren’t dinky little civilian-model helicopters either, but dark-painted military aircraft, laden down with missiles and guns. I was starting to realise that Terra Nova was far from peaceful.
I looked back at the five Marines and realised that they shared my views. They weren’t standing at ease like the rest of us, even the Captain, but were holding their weapons so that they could open fire quickly on any target that presented itself. I had always found the Marines a little intimidating — the Captain was the only one who was authorised to issue them orders, despite their presence on the starship — but I was glad to have them along. I had the feeling that we were going to need them.
“Captain Harriman?” A man detached himself from the general mob surrounding the shuttle and came over to the Captain. He reminded me — to my shame — of the picture we’d cut when we’d first boarded the Jacques Delors. He held himself as if he didn’t know how to stand to attention, or as if he didn’t know how to use the rifle he had slung over one shoulder. His uniform was too clean and pressed to be real. “I’m Colonel Hoskins, military rep. The Governor has requested the pleasure of your company at Government House.”
I saw the Captain’s lips thin and felt a moment’s pity for the Colonel. “I was informed that the reception would be at the spaceport,” he said, tightly. There was an undertone in his voice I didn’t like, or understand. “I trust that you have provided us with sufficient transport and an escort?”
“Of course, sir,” the Colonel said. I couldn’t understand how he was still on his feet. If the Captain had spoken to me like that, I would have probably died of shock. It would have been kinder to shout at us. “Right this way…ah, your Marines can leave their weapons here…”
His voice trailed off as he saw the Captain’s expression, and the way the Marines were fingering their weapons. “But there will be no need for that,” he added, quickly. “I’m sure that everything will be fine.”
He led us across the airfield, chattering away to the Captain as if they were old friends, although he never seemed to say anything of any real substance. We were left walking behind them, with the Marines spread out around us, allowing us to take in the airport as we walked. I wasn’t impressed by the rows of soldiers all around us, marching around as if they were permanently in a hurry. Compared to the Marines, I was starting to realise, most of them were barely trained. They might have looked intimidating to some, but I was surprised to realise that they didn’t intimidate me.
I looked over at Roger and risked a whisper. “How many troops are assigned to this planet?”
Roger looked at the Captain’s back and answered, equally quietly. “The files say around five hundred thousand,” he muttered back. “It could be a lot more.”
“Here you are,” Colonel Hoskins said, as if he’d discovered them personally. “You escort and transport awaits.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. The Captain deserved a limo, at the very least. Instead, we were looking at a pair of armoured trucks, surrounded by a set of armoured cars and troop transports. There had to be at least seventy soldiers there…and yet, somehow I wasn’t reassured at all. The trucks looked older than I was; the soldiers looked bored and completely unconcerned by their mission. It didn’t, I decided, bode well for the reassurances that the planet was safe.
Another flight of helicopters flew overhead as Colonel Hoskins invited us into the vehicles. The Captain, the Master Sergeant and two armed Marines went into one of the vehicles; myself, Roger, Muna and the remaining Marines went into the other vehicle. I couldn’t help, but wince when I smelled the inside of the truck; I had a nasty feeling that it was normally used for transporting pigs, or prisoners. If I had left a compartment on the ship smelling like that, the First Lieutenant would have probably beaten us black and blue. I didn’t want to think about what the Captain would have said about it. The best thing that could be said for the vehicle was that it had no windows. I didn’t want to look outside.
The engine coughed to life, releasing a vaguely-unpleasant smell into the rear, and the vehicle started to move. I found myself tensing as it rattled back and forth, leaving us all completely confused. They could have been taking us anywhere. I pulled out my terminal and started to open a link with the ship, but it seemed that the local communications network wasn’t open for mere Ensigns. The local communications node refused access.
“Try using the emergency code,” Roger suggested. I tried, but the local net continued to refuse access. He looked up at the lead Marine. “Can you reach the ship?”
“The local Marine net is still active,” the Marine said. It took me a moment to realise that she was female. The body armour she wore covered up all traces of her breasts. I didn’t know what she looked like under the mask and, somehow, I didn’t want to know. “There’s enough data there to keep us going for a while…”
The entire truck rang like a bell. “Gunshot,” one of the Marines said. I wanted to cringe inside, but somehow I managed to control myself. I had never been in a gunfight before, but I’d seen hundreds on video, late-night entertainments where the villain had used a gun to inflict nightmares. A single shot could kill easily, or so we had been told. A moment later, a handful of other shots bounced off the armour and the truck lurched violently.
“Why aren’t we shooting back?” Roger asked, plaintively. “What about the soldiers escorting us?”
“Their hands are tied by the ROE,” the lead Marine said. There was a curiously dismissive tone to her voice. “They’re not allowed to shoot back unless their lives are in real danger.”
An explosion, not too far away, made the entire vehicle shake. I heard more gunshots in the distance, but I couldn’t tell who was firing. The video heroes could tell the difference between one weapon and another by sound alone, but they all sounded the same to me. I hoped — prayed — that we weren’t the targets of the assault, but somehow I felt otherwise. The enemy, whoever they were, had turned out to welcome us to Terra Nova in force. The truck kept moving rapidly and then…
It crashed to a halt as another explosion shook it. I heard shattering sounds from the front cab and knew that the crew were dead. “Out, out now,” the Marine barked. Muna hesitated and the Marine caught her arm, pushing her rapidly towards the rear. I followed her, stumbling slightly, as the Marines jumped out first, their weapons already out and seeking targets. I couldn’t understand how they were taking it all so calmly. I was on the verge of panic until the Marine cuffed my head. “Keep down, damn you!”
The noise was much louder outside the truck. We were caught in a crossfire coming from buildings on either side of us, with gunners pouring down fire towards the trucks. Half of the soldiers seemed to be dead already, their bodies draped over their burning vehicles or lying torn and broken on the ground. The Marines didn’t hesitate. Moving in perfect concert, they lifted their weapons and returned fire savagely, spending bullets like water. A handful of gunners fell out of the windows as the bullets tore through their flesh; others targeted the Marines and attempted to overwhelm them. The remaining soldiers, who had been pinned down under heavy fire, were attempting to counterattack or retreat, but neither seemed possible. The road was blocked at both ends.