Sentenced to War by J. N. Chaney & Jonathan P. Brazee

Author:J. N. Chaney & Jonathan P. Brazee [Chaney, J. N. & Brazee, Jonathan P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: military, SF
ISBN: 9798715400710
Google: 2WplzgEACAAJ
Publisher: self-published
Published: 2021-03-15T19:01:56.683958+00:00

21

“I’ve got it now,” Rev told Tomiko.

She gave him a sloppy salute, then stood to the side as he moved back to point. Two hours was enough of a stress bomb for anyone to take.

Fatima—no last name, just Fatima—stood to the side, a condescending smile on her face as she watched them switch positions. The woman was an enigma. Rev didn’t know if she was a civilian or an Omega Division agent. Whoever she was, she gave Rev the heebie-jeebies.

She was also their guide to their objective, and she’d been walking alongside Tomiko, her ancient shotgun slung over her shoulder as if on a Sunday stroll in the park. More than that, she seemed to think the Marines were overdoing it.

Lieutenant Omestori, however, insisted on full tactical movement. He’d joined the team only two weeks before the deployment, and as with Tomiko and Rev, this was his first combat. Rev couldn’t tell what the gunny thought of having to turn the team over to the boot butterbar, but he, for one, was glad they were not taking it in casual-mode. Better to be too alert than too complacent.

Fatima held her arm out, palm up in a mock invitation to move out. He could see her sense of superiority in her posture. Rev had a sudden desire to take her down a notch. He was an augmented Marine, and she massed fifty kilos at most. But she was their guide to their objective, and if she was OD, then she might be packing augments of her own, if there was any truth to the rumors.

Besides, they were all on the same side, right?

Rev started down the hillside, making his way around huge boulders that looked like they’d been strewn about by giants playing some sort of board game. He wished he knew where he was going, but Fatima either couldn’t—or wouldn’t—download the location. So, instead of just pushing forward, looking for any Centaur sign, he had to keep glancing at her to make sure they were on track. It made him feel vulnerable, and he didn’t like that.

Focus, and quit whining, Rev.

He shook his head as if to clear it and continued to push forward. This was pretty country, looking like lightly populated areas north of Swansea. Take away the puffballs, and he could be trekking the Brecon Beacons back home. The presence of flying alien creatures shattered that notion, though, especially when the puffballs let out a dolorous trill unlike anything he’d heard before.

That shouldn’t be too surprising. Wygate had terraformed a good portion of the Perseus Union, and it probably had done Preacher Rolls as well as Safe Harbor. They’d have used the same blueprints, planting the same trees, releasing the same wildlife.

But he wasn’t on Safe Harbor now. He was on an enemy-held planet and had to keep his guard up.

He turned to make sure Sergeant Nix was still behind him. The team designated sniper, the sergeant was carrying the Dykstra. Rev hadn’t taken to the Dykstra during

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