One Decisive Victory: A Military Sci-Fi Series (Grimm's War Book 3) by Jeffery H. Haskell

Author:Jeffery H. Haskell [Haskell, Jeffery H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2022-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

Naki didn’t like the mission or the two men they were escorting, and he flat-out hated the planet. The only saving grace was the enviro mask he wore, which kept him nice and cool in the hot sun. The marines all wore the faceless masks, making them look more like robots than people.

Naki and Owens followed Rashid and DeShawn down the stairs. The lenses in their masks automatically adjusted to the dim light levels. Naki’s hand itched for the butt of an MP-17; only carrying knives somehow felt wrong. The narrow walls and steep stairs made his skin crawl. If he were setting up an ambush, this would be the place.

“Stay frosty,” Owens said over their silent and secure comms.

“I know,” Naki said. A brief flash of annoyance passed over him to have the PFC tell him, a lance corporal, to stay cool. Owens was no crayon-munching recruit. The four-person fire team, led by Sergeant Jennings, were all combat veterans. If Owens said something, it was because he sensed Naki’s nerves.

Naki gritted his teeth, his jaw aching as he choked out a response. “Thanks, PFC,” he replied. His pride was a bitter pill to swallow.

The mic clicked twice in response, a universal acknowledgment without words.

The door at the bottom whooshed open, letting in bright light. His visor dimmed to compensate, and his hand went to the combat knife concealed at the small of his back.

Back on the ship, when they were going over their kit, Boudreaux had asked, “Knives aren’t exactly dangerous. What are you going to do with that?”

“Marines are dangerous, Chief. Naked, a marine can kill quickly and efficiently. Give us a knife? We’ll overthrow a planet,” he’d replied.

She hadn’t seemed impressed, but didn’t say anything else. Despite his bravado, he wasn’t wrong.

“DeShawn, my friend, It’s been some time.” A woman’s voice from the other side of the lit doorway spoke.

“Hafsah, you are well?” DeShawn replied.

“Very. Come in, please.”

Everything sounded like code to Naki. At least it was in Standard. He had no idea how to speak Caliph, and checking his NavPad for a translation wasn’t an option.

Rashid followed DeShawn through the portal.

“Owens, stay here, stay alert,” Naki whispered.

“Oorah,” Owens replied.

Naki stepped through the door, checking angles and keeping his head swiveling as he followed the two men through. He didn’t trust them for a red-hot second, but he would follow his orders unto death.

Hafsah, as DeShawn called her, stood in a round room with no windows. Naki wasn’t sure what he had expected, but an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair and wearing plain clothing wasn’t it.

The air inside the room registered at a cool eighteen degrees centigrade. In the center of the room, pillows were placed for a comfortable area to sit or lie down. Naki, however, did neither. He stepped to one side of the door and placed his back against the wall. Eight realistic, naked blue mannequins of Consortium people surrounded the room. It was an odd decoration, but everything about Medial was odd. He found himself staring at one in particular, a beautiful Consortium woman with blue skin.

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