Sten - 01 Sten by Chris Bunch

Author:Chris Bunch [Bunch, Chris]
Format: epub
Publisher: Chris Bunch
Published: 2010-03-23T15:12:19.182000+00:00

It was possible, Sten decided, to think somebody had bad breath just by listening to them wheeze on a radio. He itched between his shoulder blades. It didn't do any good. Some genius had designed vacuum assault suits to itch a soldier everywhere it was impossible to scratch. Sten told himself he didn't itch, and went back to listening to Gregor wheeze on the command circuit. Come on, he thought. Make up your mind. "First Pla--I mean one-one." Sten keyed his mike. "Go." "The ship is a Class-C patrolcraft. That means we go in through the drive tubes. I had my first sergeant take a reading. They're cool." Sten unclipped from the asteroid he and his platoon were "hiding" behind and drifted out a little. The old hulk hanging in blackness two kilometers away had been more or less tarted up to look like a C-Class, right enough. But... Sten went on command. "Six? This is one-one. Request seal." Gregor grunted and shut the rest of the company off the circuit. "Going in the tubes is a manual attack, sir." "Of course, Sten. That's why..." "You don't figure those bad guys maybe read the book? And have a prog?" "DNC, troop. What do you want? Some weird frontal shot?" "Clot, Gregor! We go up the pipe, somebody'll be waiting for us, I figure. If you could put out a screen, I'll take my platoon on the flank." "Continue... one." Sten shrugged. No harm in trying. "We'll tin-can it. Peel the skirt and bleed internal pressure off. That'll throw 'em off, and maybe we can double-prong them." More wheezing. Sten wondered why Gregor's father couldn't afford to get his son an operation. "Cancel, one. I gave orders." Sten deliberately unsealed the circuit. "Certainly, captain. Whatever the captain desires. Clear." Carruthers' voice crackled. "One. Breaking circuit security. Kitchen detail." Sten heard Gregor bury a laugh in his open mike. "This is six. By the numbers... leapfrog attack... maneuver element... go." Sten's platoon jetted into the open. Sten checked the readout and automatically corrected the line. Diversion fire lasered overhead from the other two platoons. Sten tucked a random zig program into the platoon's computer. They continued for the hulk. By the time they closed on the hulk's stern, half the platoon hung helplessly in space, shut down as casualties by the problem's computer. Sten rotated the huge projector from his equipment rack and positioned it. He figured to go in just below the venturi and... And there was a massive flash in his eyes, Sten's filter went up through the ranges to black, and Sten stared at the flashing CASUALTY light on his suit's control panel. By now he'd gotten used to being "killed." As a matter of fact, this was the first time he'd enjoyed it. He did not think any of the casualties would collect the usual scut details when they got back to the troop area. Lanzotta had a much bigger fish to barbecue. Or maybe much smaller, now.

Lanzotta was stone-faced and standing very still.

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