Ascendance by MD Ortiz

Author:MD Ortiz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MD Ortiz
Published: 2022-04-08T11:07:04+00:00

6

It was midday by the time Kirkland could no longer see any trace of the abandoned vehicles, the climb into the uplands taking them beyond the trees and into great patches of long amber grass that seemed to gleam in the noon sun. Once more, it kindled childhood memories, and he found he could not suppress a wistful smile.

How many hours had he spent as a boy playing in fields like this? And there had been a girl too. His headstrong childhood friend with the scars on her neck who all the local mothers disdained. The two of them were forever causing mischief together though somehow, he always avoided being blamed for it, the people more than happy to cast accusations at the orphan girl.

Scaling the terrain was no difficulty for the SRU, the human officers bounding over rocks like antelopes thanks to the heightened mobility granted to them by their exo-frames. Resembling a dog, a Canis drone raced to keep up with them despite the boxes of rations and munitions weighing it down. Even though the machine was a product of a rival company, they valued it for its load capacity and sure-footedness, Dragoons were even known to use them from time to time. Less agile, however, was the armored wheeled drone, and Temur had to pause in her trek to allow the automaton to catch up. It was for the best anyway; Mitchell could hardly keep pace with it.

Huffing and puffing the entire way, cheeks flushed from exertion, the red-haired officer struggled from one point to another, asking for the rest of the group to pause every ten minutes so he could catch his breath. No one ever obliged him. It might have appeared cruel, but in Kirkland’s mind, the man would not be of use in a fight, anyway. Better he lagged so far behind that he was forgotten. Maybe it would motivate him to pick up the pace, or perhaps he would be better off returning to Grantham until the mission was complete.

“Why’re your bullets so different than mine?” Kirkland heard Mitchell ask Nguyen during a breather the team had universally agreed to take.

It was a picturesque spot, large swaths of violet alpine flowers surrounding them as bees flitted from one blossom to another. If it had been displayed on a screen or someone’s wall Kirkland might have shrugged at it, except being there in its very presence, seeing the breeze stir the plants like a dancing purple ribbon along the mountainside was enough to momentarily quiet the turmoil boiling in his soul.

Nguyen held aloft a milk-white cartridge. “I think you’re talking more about the casing? Cause I don’t got time to educate you on the difference between rifle and pistol rounds.”

“Yeah, the jacket. Why isn’t yours shiny?”

“That’s cause it’s polymer,” Nguyen replied as he tossed the ammunition to Mitchell. “Cuts down on the total weight as well as leaves the ejection port cool to the touch. Bottom line, not only is it cheaper but it’s better than your brass-cased stuff in basically every way.

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