Justice (The Lost Warship Book 4) by Daniel Gibbs

Author:Daniel Gibbs [Gibbs, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-11T23:00:00+00:00

It took close to fifteen minutes to round up the civilians, even with Calvin and other Marines assisting. Toward the end, Calvin took to some rather direct motivation that included bellowing commands. It got results, and they finally started moving out. David had the Marine who’d come to warn them post up in the trees, right outside of the landing zone. As such, they got real-time reporting on the incoming Mifreen.

The situation wasn’t good. On the common operating picture displayed on his tablet, numerous Mifreen units had entered the woods, as if dropped from hovering aircraft. They were enveloping the settlement, and contact was imminent.

Calvin touched his arm. The two of them led the column. “Sir, you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Couple hundred hostiles closing in? I think they fast-roped in.”

“Yeah. Thinking we should hunker down here.” He pointed at a nearby group of fallen trees. “Could hide the civvies in there, and we take whatever cover we can.”

“We’re still at least a kilometer from the landing zone.”

“I get that, sir, but if an active firefight starts with these kids in the open, there’s gonna be a lot of blood spilled.”

“If this goes south, we’re screwed, to use your parlance,” David replied.

“Ah, but we’ll take a few of the bastards with us,” Calvin replied almost jovially.

Some things about the Marine mindset didn’t compute for David, but that was okay. Space-warfare officers probably don’t add up for them either. “Okay. Get them into position. No one shoots until I say so, or we take incoming. Clear?”

“Crystal, sir.”

The next few minutes involved a mad rush to move the scared and skittish civilians into as much cover as possible, taking advantage of the massive tree trunks. All the while, hostiles closed steadily on their position from all directions.

David had called for additional shuttles to be prepared along with a QRF, but he was loath to have them commit to landing more forces on Mifreen. We’ll be perceived as a threat. If I were one of them, I’d be furious that a foreign power had landed military units on my planet. And if we double down, it’ll probably eliminate all chances of a peaceful resolution. Something in the back of his mind told him that getting out of the situation without shooting was unlikely.

“Halt! Halt!” a new voice rang out. It was deep, and it took a moment for David’s earpiece to translate. “Humans, we know you are here.”

“Shit,” Calvin muttered.

David slowly leaned out from behind the tree he and Calvin were standing behind. A rough line of maybe twenty-five Mifreen in camouflage uniforms and carrying what appeared to be rifles of some design stood thirty meters away.

He screamed, “Hold your position! We’d like to talk!”

“How do you propose we do that, interloper? This is our world!”

“You and one other advance. We will do the same to try to settle this without killing. We have no desire to harm you.”

“Any attempt at subterfuge will be met with overwhelming and lethal force.”

“We understand.” David touched Calvin’s arm.

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