Enemy of my Enemy: A Military Sci-Fi Series (Drop Trooper: Birthright Book 4) by Rick Partlow

Author:Rick Partlow [Partlow, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2022-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Kara stepped out of the well-armored groundcar carefully, eyes darting around in a watchfulness that bordered on paranoia given the two dozen battlesuited Marines arrayed around her. It was mid-day and the primary turned every surface of every light-colored building into a spotlight spearing into her eyes, turned the darker street paving into an oven, and she could see the shimmering of heat mirages in the distance. A hot wind buffeted her and nearly took her breath away.

Aside from her vehicle and the Marine patrol, not another living being was in sight. The streets were deserted, the shutters closed over the windows of the buildings. Nothing stirred but dust and debris carried in gusts by the stifling wind. Here and there, she could see the scars of the street battles, burned out now and no longer even smoldering.

"God, this place sucks," Holly muttered, sliding out of the door behind her.

Kara fought back a laugh, knowing the Fleet officer wouldn't appreciate it.

"I wish we could just leave it to them," Kara agreed. "But somehow, I don't think that would be the end of it."

"They wanted to nuke it," she shot back tightly, hand clenching the pistol grip of her carbine. "Maybe we should let them."

"Maybe," Kara admitted, catching the other woman's eye and holding it for a moment. "But we don't get to make that call; and we're both still in the Commonwealth military, last I checked, so we follow orders."

Holly's glare didn't diminish and Kara sighed, turning away from her. The woman was theoretically under her command, temporarily, but they were both the same rank and she was one hundred percent certain that Holly Morai could kick her ass; she didn't press the point.

"That's it over there," she said instead, pointing with her left hand at a structure across the street. It had a gated courtyard that doubled as a display lot, empty right now as they all were, with a workshop past the awning and a house around the back. It was the same bright stucco as every other building on the block, with an orange-tinted tile roof, and it seemed untouched by the unrest of the last few days.

"You really think this old geezer is an insurgent leader?" Holly asked skeptically, following her towards the gate, four of the Marines falling in behind them, their footsteps concussions on the pavement that echoed up and down the block.

"He's next on the list," Kara replied with finality, tired of arguing with her.

The door into the workshop was shut. Kara followed Tahni manners and kicked at a specially made sounding board down near the bottom of the frame, then waited for a moment, grateful for the shade of the awning.

"Footsteps," Holly murmured, glancing at the door.

It was another few seconds before the door creaked open and a young adult Tahni stared out at them, his expression sullen and resentful. From the research she had done, he was dressed in a manner befitting a man who had yet to father a child and still lived as the eldest son and heir of his father's household.

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