BOLO Mission: A Staff Sergeant Gracie Medicine Crow, United Federation Marine Corps, Short Story by Brazee Jonathan P

Author:Brazee, Jonathan P. [Brazee, Jonathan P.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Semper Fi Press
Published: 2016-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

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Four hours later, the six crew members of the Dougie Blue—Wister, Dock, Franz, Kevin, Gracie, and a new man whose size and jet black skin might be close enough to pass as Ali—left a spaceport bar and took a shuttle back to the commercial port. Gracie didn’t help with Kevin, who was reeking of an alcoholic binge. Wister had given him a shot of Adrenalboost, but the damage was to Kevin’s nerves, and the boost was not that effective. Once again, alcohol became a field-expedient disguise.

Franz and Dock had shown up at the safe house almost an hour after Wister. Dock sported a few bruises, but Gracie hadn’t bothered to ask why. Ali never showed up at all. Just before they left, the new guy had appeared. Gracie never got his name.

Back in their ship’s overalls, and without their disguises, they looked like a crew who’d had an unexpected holiday while the ship had been repaired. The question was if their “other” selves had been different enough that scanners would alert on them now.

Security was visibly heightened, but to Gracie’s relief, they were passed through to the commercial lounge. She sat, waiting for their shuttle, trying not to fidget. She didn’t know how long Ali could hold out—if he was still alive.

Gracie had been on many missions, more than a few being quite dangerous. But she’d always expected to make it out alive and in one piece. Ali had knowingly sacrificed himself to make sure she and the others made it back.

Finally, their shuttle was called. She loaded along with the others, waiting for the warning klaxon to sound, for port police to come rushing in. Even when the shuttle lifted, she couldn’t shake the dread.

She couldn’t shake it when the shuttle docked. She couldn’t shake it as she walked down the terminal to the ship. She couldn’t shake it as she entered the welcomed confines of the Dougie Blue.

Twenty minutes later, the Dougie Blue undocked and moved into open space, and Gracie finally relaxed. She let out a huge rush of air, and suddenly, she felt elated. This wasn’t a normal Marine Corps mission. She hadn’t had Marines on her side, supporting her. But she had the same rush of a job well done.

She hadn’t had Marines with her, but she had a SEAL team. No matter the service, they had entered the fray together. They were her brothers in arms.

As she looked at each one in turn, Kevin caught her looking at him.

“Not bad, for a grunt, Gracie,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, you guys are all right, too, I guess.”

“You guess? Ha!” Dock said. “The thing is, Gracie, I’d be happy to have you with us any time,” he added.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Each of the team was looking at her, and each nodded their agreement.

“Well. . .well, thank you. And I’d be happy to serve with you guys again.”

She’d meant to say it just to be polite, but to her even greater surprise, she realized she meant every word.

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