Alien Redemption [Clans of Kalquor 06] by Tracy St. John

Author:Tracy St. John [John, Tracy St.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B00A7EF8H4
Publisher: Tracy St. John
Published: 2012-11-13T08:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Company Commander Erybet stood in the cramped and dark command post, half a dozen illuminated vid screens scrolling information before his eyes. His two aides Dramok Ridna and Nobek Tas flanked him, working the computers.

He smiled with no humor. This was it. This was ‘for all the marbles’, as he’d once heard an Earther commander yell as his troops attacked Erybet’s. Apparently marbles, whatever they were, were a very valuable commodity on Earth.

A slight wash of static came through the com link. Erybet frowned. Communication relays almost never became distorted, not unless someone was purposely jamming the frequencies. It cleared up immediately, replaced by Sletran’s voice.

“Team A in position, Company Commander. Team B, report.”

High Commander Akrij sounded as if he was in the room. “Team B is in position and awaits your signal, Group Commander Sletran.”

Erybet smiled with real feeling this time. As usual, Akrij was in the thick of things, fighting side by side with his men. Probably right at the front of the line, too. Just as typical, he’d left Sletran in charge of the attack, refusing to take deserving leadership away despite his higher rank.

Erybet responded. “Company Commander acknowledges Group Commander Sletran’s men are in position.”

Sletran’s smooth voice carried no sign of the excitement he undoubtedly felt. He was utterly focused on his mission. “I confirm activity within target location. We see movement within the building, but cannot make out exactly who is inside. Commence routine confirmation of target.

We have surrounded the building at coordinates one-one-seven-two-point-eight-four-six.”

Ridna doublechecked his computer. “Coordinates confirmed.”

“Coordinates confirmed,” Tas echoed.

Erybet scanned the vid before him three times before adding, “Coordinates confirmed, Group Commander.”

“Confirmations received. Request routine confirmation of intelligence.”

The three men in the command post brought their attention to their individual readouts.

Ridna reported, “Informant to High Commander Akrij, designated EM-729, reports Earther insurgents gathering in building located at coordinates one-one-seven-two-point-eight-four-six.

Intelligence gathered confirms a number of no less than forty-three Earther soldiers, having ignored orders for surrender, have commandeered the location to carry out attacks against the Kalquorian forces and peacemakers. Informant also reports, and said reports have been confirmed, the identities of these Earthers are those who have led attacks against Kalquorian peacemakers engaged in aid to Earther refugees.”

Tas repeated the exact same thing, reading from his separate station. Then Erybet repeated it again.

Another wash of static preceded Sletran’s next relay and distorted his message. “Con …

cation and intelli … received.”

Erybet’s eyes narrowed and he peered into the darkness beyond the vid displays, as if he could will second sight to show him his Nobek. “Repeat, Group Commander. I’m getting a lot of interference from your com.”

Another burst of static, then Sletran’s voice came through loud and clear. “Confirmation of enemy location and intelligence received.”

“Check for willful interference of communications from enemy. I’m getting intermittent interruption of signal.” If this mission was compromised, Erybet had no problem pulling his men out, though the Nobeks would kick and scream about it. Fuck the attack and the Nobek need for face-to-face confrontation; he’d set up a security cordon and starve the insurgents out if he had to.

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