Predator - Incursion (Rage War) by Tim Lebbon

Author:Tim Lebbon [Lebbon, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Titan
Published: 2015-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

14

AKOKO HALLEY

Charon Station, Sol System

July 2692 AD

Major Akoko Halley of the 39th Spaceborne, the DevilDogs—the youngest general in the Colonial Marines at the tender age of thirty-two—was earning her nickname of “Snow Dog” more than ever today.

Deeply proud of her African heritage, she’d never taken offense, because she knew that “Snow” referred to her personality. Cool with everyone, ice-cold under pressure, but brilliant, too, hence her early command of the 39th Spaceborne, one of the oldest, most respected, and most battle-hardened units in all the Colonial Marines.

If she had taken offense, her troops would have dropped the nickname instantly. Snow Dog she might be, but they loved her.

It was the first time in seven years that she’d returned to the outer edge of the Sol System, hoping to head in-system for some R & R. She’d even considered returning to Earth, and it would have been the first time since she was eight years old, when she’d left for the Kuiper belt with her parents. They were dead now, but she had promised them both that she would return to Africa one day, make a pilgrimage to their home town and maybe even see the house where she was born. It was a promise she’d dwelled on for more than two decades, eager to keep because she prided herself on keeping her word, but not keen to carry out because…

Well, Earth. It was nothing like home.

The only place that felt like home was out here, with her troops.

“Three hours, I told you!” she shouted at Sergeant Major Mikey Huyck. “Not three days!”

“They’ll be ready, Major.”

“Doesn’t look like it.” Flight deck C of the Charon was awash with Marines and their kit. The four docked frigates were loaded with provisions, weaponed-up and ready to go, but the Marines themselves milled, too relaxed and chill to be ready to fly to war. Though there was nothing official yet, that’s what they had to assume was coming. They were heading for Addison Prime, partly to rescue survivors from the frigate damaged by an unknown saboteur, but also to stage a series of drophole jumps further out toward the Outer Rim.

There was talk of a Yautja incursion, and Halley had come up against one of those bastards before. She respected their strength, combat prowess, and skill at killing, but the idea of them launching a concerted, organized assault against the Human Sphere…

It was chilling, and didn’t feel right to her—but she was here to follow orders, and General Bassett had been very clear.

“We will be ready,” Huyck said, quieter. Halley nodded and offered him a twitch that might have been a smile. She knew they would, and he knew that she knew. Her DevilDogs had yet to let her down.

She walked among her troops, exchanging words here and there, inspecting kit and uniforms, fending off a few ribald jokes. Some of the male troops enjoyed having a good-looking female major, but they knew exactly where to draw the line. Few had ever ventured beyond it.

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