Die Like the Rest by Eric Thomson

Author:Eric Thomson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: space marines, canadian science fiction author, space pirates, alien artifact, assassins, mercenaries, space mystery, weapons of mass destruction
Publisher: Sanddiver Books Inc.
Published: 2021-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

— Twenty-Four —

“Nothing, Sarge.” Osmin Sberna shook his head inside his suit, a reflexive gesture unseen by his section leader as he looked up from his sensor.

“Go in,” Lambrix replied.

Corporal Martin Davros and Lance Corporal Guillermo Coronadas, who were walking point, stepped around the red boulders, and slipped into the abandoned gallery, every movement cautious and considered.

They made intensive scans on the far side before leaving the bright lights of the active gallery behind and slipping into darkness while Sberna set the rest of his squad in motion. Lambrix would keep the other half of the section in the gallery standing guard.

The tip they’d received said the cache was less than thirty meters from the junction, under a small slide in a side pocket. And sure enough, the Marines on point found it. They signaled Sberna, then moved past to secure the squad’s flank.

He and Carlo Torres, battlefield sensors in hand, approached the haphazard pile of small and medium-sized rocks and subjected it to intense scrutiny while the remaining two Marines, Corporal Horace Yu and Lance Corporal Piotr Olenga, stood a few paces away, watching their surroundings.

“Looks like a plastic package about fifty centimeters below the slide’s surface, Sarge,” Torres eventually said over the dedicated squad frequency.

“Concur. Now to check if the bait comes with a hook.” Sberna chuckled. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was on a military assistance gig with the Hispaniola National Guard? Now, this was long after the uprising—”

“Didn’t Colonel Decker fight in that one when he was a buck sergeant, back before the dawn of time?”

“Yep. Anyway, the hardcore terrs were still around in my day, and they’d amuse themselves by leaving attractive prizes lying around, readers — booze, food, and gear, hooked to primitive booby traps our sensors didn’t always detect. More than one Guard dumbass lost a bit of himself because he either wasn’t paying attention or trusted his gear too much. Sometimes, his buddies also paid the price.”

“I can pick up nothing other than rock around the package, Sarge.” Torres, eyes on his sensor’s display, sounded somewhat dubious.

“What is it, Carlo? I know that tone.”

“For a nanosecond, I could have sworn I spotted a blip, but it’s probably either a sensor ghost or my imagination. It wouldn’t be the first ghost we picked up. Something about the planet’s crust around here does funny things to sensors.”

“Likely a result of it being so rich in certain ores, but what do I know. Okay. You and I keep scanning, Carlo, while Horace and Piotr remove the rubble stone by stone to make sure there are no surprises.” Sberna turned toward Yu and Olenga and pointed at the rockslide.

“Roger that, Sarge.” Yu led his winger over, and both dropped to one knee.

They carefully cleared out the area, each gesture deliberate as Sberna and Torres kept a close watch for anything unusual. Eventually, a rectangular red plastic toolbox emerged, one no different from those stored in every mining mole and module throughout Tyrell’s rabbit warren.

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