Chapter 8
The noise of the bunkhouse filtered into Jack’s consciousness. He woke on his bunk, the taste of the tazer still on his tongue. Then the events of the day came back to him. He’d been cheated and beaten by Torent again. Jack’s hand went to his pocket. He touched his watch. The feel of it against his fingers calmed him. Then the sound of Torent laughing with his inner circle of recruits spoiled Jack’s momentary calm and his heart filled with anger once again.
Jack lifted himself up on his elbow.
“Don’t strain yourself, Jack.” Bill was sitting up on his bunk. “It takes a while to get over your first tazing.”
“Did Hacker get you too?” Jack said.
“I didn’t make it half the way. Missed my first target at the rifle range and got tazed.”
“Sorry, Bill,” Jack said, lying back on his bunk. “Should have waited around for you and helped out.”
“Don’t know how you could help, unless you killed Hacker.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that.” Jack settled into his rough blanket. “Threatening a sergeant is a flogging offence.”
“There are a few people around here I would like to see flogged.”
Jack looked over at Bill, who was staring at Torent. It was a hard thing to wish on someone. Flogging was painful and brutal.
Then the doors at the end of the bunkhouse burst open and Sergeant Hacker walked in. Torent jumped to his feet and shouted at the recruits.
“Sergeant on deck. Stand by your bunks.”
Jack struggled to climb out of his bunk. Hacker walked over and pressed Jack back. There was a gentleness behind the big sergeant’s rough hand. Hacker stepped away and turned to Torent. With a brisk wave, he indicated all recruits to bunk down.
Torent shouted, “Lights out. In your bunks, recruits.”
The bunkhouse was briefly a buzz of activity as the recruits jumped onto their beds. Torent was the last one standing. Sergeant Hacker walked over to Torent and grabbed him roughly by the collar. Jack watched as Hacker pressed his hard face close to Torent’s. Hacker pressed Torent toward his bunk, pushed him back toward it, and held him there. The sergeant let out a low, guttural growl before letting go and walking out of the bunkhouse. And as the doors swung shut, the lights went out.
Standing on the parade ground in the cold morning, Jack felt fresh and ready for another chance to beat Torent.
“Listen up, hayseeds.” Crippin was standing in front of a stack of crates all branded with the Fleet Marine seal. “Today, the Fleet is letting you have a go at being proper Marines. Although you don’t look ready for it. Today, you get to meet your last best friend. Today, you get to carry a Fleet Marine pulse rifle. You will look after this rifle and it will look after you. You will carry this rifle forward to the Chitin scum and the rifle will carry you through. And if anyone is seen mistreating this fine piece of equipment, they will discover that Sergeant Hacker and his tazer is a most gentle treatment. Mistreating this equipment is seen as an act of treason in a time of war. The penalties are severe. Squad Leader, bring your squad forward to receive their rifles.”
The rifle was cold and light. Jack turned it over in his hands. It was clean and new. Every item of equipment Jack had seen on the entire training moon from Lieutenant Crippin’s buggy to his bunk blanket was tattered and broken. But this rifle, the Fleet Marine Pulse Rifle, was new and in excellent condition.
Jack had heard so often during his semesters at university that the best of everything was reserved for the military. The university was a rundown, once grand building. The entire population of Eros struggled with an austerity that few could endure with good humor. The store shelves were bare of luxuries. Food was scarce and families planted every patch of ground they could to supplement their rations. The war against the Chitins was consuming the best of everything. And now, here in Jack’s hands, was the evidence. The military had the best of everything and they were starting to give it to him.
“You hayseeds are going to fight like proper soldiers. Today, you are going to meet and kill Chitin scum. And here is your first.” Crippin pointed behind the assembled recruits. They all turned and looked.
The first thing Jack saw was the teeth. The long head of the Chitin was extended forward, the round mouth ringed with pointed teeth lunged forward at the assembled recruits. The gasps and cries of horror and surprise rippled around the recruits. Jack felt himself tingle with panic. The writhing tentacle-like limbs thrashed the floor and propelled the creature forward. Jack tripped and fell backwards. He scurried away, staring up at the teeth dripping saliva and slime. The antenna-like structures all around the smooth head twitched and whipped around, feeling and tasting the air.
“That’s enough, Filth,” Crippin said calmly. She walked through the recruits toward the massive Chitin. She held out her hand toward the creature. The Chitin fell silent.
“Easy, Filth,” Crippin said and touched the smooth head. She turned to the recruits.
Sergeant Hacker was dragging recruits to their feet and shoving them back into line.
“This is Filth. This is the first Chitin scum you have ever seen. If you work hard on your training then the next one you see won’t be the one to kill you. This is a flesh drone built to look and behave like a Chitin, except this one won’t rip your intestines out through your back, not unless I tell it to. Down there--” Crippin pointed to the training ground, its paths and hills. “--is a squad of Chitin scum. You will go down there and kill every last one. Take them down, Sergeant Hacker. Take them down.”
Sergeant Hacker ran the recruits down into the training course. He kept the squad in a loose formation with Torent running at the front alongside him. Jack jogged along at the back of the formation, but looking down on to the obstacle course, Jack spotted movement in the paths between the many small hills. Dark shapes keeping just out of sight.
Once down on the plain at the edge of the training ground, the view was confined to only a few meters in front as the hills blocked line of sight. Within the labyrinth of paths were the Chitin flesh drones.
Sergeant Hacker went through the recruits and pushed them into two groups, one for Torent to lead and one for Hacker. The sergeant stepped up to Jack and looked down at him with a twinkle in his eye. Jack felt like the big, silent sergeant was friendly toward him, which seemed strange after the tazing he’d given him. Hacker grabbed Jack and with a smile, pushed him toward Torent.
The sounds of rifle fire soon filled the training ground. Jack spotted his first active Chitin flesh drone and opened fire. The rounds ripped away chunks of flesh, but failed to drop it.
Torent was facing another direction when he opened fire. The sound of the rifle next to Jack’s ear was frightening. Turning to see what Torent was firing at, he saw a Chitin flesh drone take a hit and scurry off.
Jack stood next to Torent. “We need to concentrate our fire,” Jack said.
Torent wiped sweat from his forehead. “No,” he said. “We need to draw them out into the open. Take two of the squad and flank left. Draw them to you and we will take them out.”
“We shouldn’t split our force, Torent,” Jack whispered, looking out for the Chitins that lurked just out of sight.
Torent grabbed Jack’s shoulder and shoved him hard. “Don’t refuse my order, Forge,” Torent shouted.