Carmen sighted along the rifle. The sight's magnification helped her
to pick out individuals in the group. Her finger tightened around the
trigger for a moment, the relaxed. "Bang." Dry humor was evident in the
single, quiet word. The rifle fell back to her side, and she started
forword. In a few seconds, she was close enough to the squad to call out,
"Rico! Florez! Gossard! Over here!" The squad was at a run now.
"Carmen!" Rico called back. Seconds later, the squad reached her and there was a joyful reunion. Doc checked her scrapes and bruises, and declaired her one very lucky pilot.
"What happened to your powersuit?" Goss asked her.
"The bugs took it." Carmen replied.
"But they left you your gun?" Carmen's eyes narrowed at this question from T'phi.
"I dug it out of the wreckage after they left. I followed them to see if they would drop my armor as well, but they didn't." She explained.
The rest of the squad seemed satisfied with this explaination, but Dizzy had the funny feeling that she was leaving something out. Something important. She pushed the thought aside as as Rico called out, "Roughnecks, ho!" and the squad started to move back towards their transport.
The squad arrived back at the Valley Forge with just the reception they expected: the squad was ushered to their barracks and put under gaurd, Carmen was sent to her quarters with orders to remain there until called, and Rico was brought to face Admiral Marlowe.
"What do you think you were doing!?" where the first words Rico was greeted with when the two where alone.
"I was searching for a downed pilot." Rico answered coolly.
"Without permission! And took a transport, without permission! And taking a whole squad with you, without permission! To look for a pilot-- WHO HAD PERMISSION!!!"
Rico was shocked by these last words, then he had to utilize all his will power to keep from screaming back at his superior. "You sent her there on assignment, without backup, and where willing to leave her there?" Rico could bearly keep his voice level.
Marlowe's voice dropped to a deadly, low tone. "She went on assignment that was on a 'need to know' basis, knowing, and fully understanding, all the risks. You set off on your foolhardy escapade knowing nothing." He paused for a moment, then continued in his serious tone. "My actions in leaving her are not on trial here. Lt. Rico, we are meeting to see if there is any reason why I should not have you court- martialed."
Court-martialed. Rico had understood the risk of court-martial if the squad had been forcefully retreived from the planet, but he had tricked himself into beleiving that bringing Carmen back would be their pardon. But she had been on assignment. That was something he had not planned on. His heart raced as he realized the list of charges against him. Disobeying orders, sending his squad into danger needlessly, comandeering government property, interfering with a top secret mission-- any one of these charges could get him the death pentalty.
Marlowe's mind was racing along similar lines. He had no desire for this to come to a court-martial. He was not willing to esplain to a court his own justification in this mission-- at least not before he had talked with Ibanez. And Higgins, the newsboy, was in Rico's squad. If things came to a head, it would be all over the news. He also realized, even if he could keep a cap on the news, there could only be one outcome of a court- martial-- and he didn't want to loose a good officer, even if he was a rash one. They had to many problems with the bugs to start killing their own men. He heaved a heavy sigh.
"Rico, go to your quarters. I want to talk with Ibanez before I make my final decision." Marlowe saluted and turned his back on the younger man, clearly saying the meeting was over. Rico left without another word. As soon as he was gone, Marlowe called for Ibanez. "Hopefully," he whispered to the empty room as he waited for her, "this will clear everything up-- and keep it all quiet."
"You called for me, Sir?" Carmen spoke to Marlowe's back. The admarial turned around.
"Are you ready, Carmen?" His tone was soft,almost fatherly, and his voice held a note of something like pity.
"Yes, Sir." Carmen looked straight at her superior, courage obvious in her eyes.
"Good. Corperal!" he turned and called through the intercom, and a man in a white lab coat entered.
"This will hurt, I'm afraid," the doctor warned Carmen.
"I'm ready, Corperal." Carmen showed no fear of the pain. Even when the examination began, Carmen refused to give into the desire to scream. Ten minutes later, it was over. Carmen felt releif flood her body as the excrutiating pain subsided, and then, with a deep sigh, she passed out.
"Carmen? Lt. Ibanez, can you hear me?" Carmen fought to open her eyes. The Admiral and the Corpral where both looking down at her with worried expressions on their faces. "Ah, you are awake!" Marlowe straightened with a huge grin on his face. "You may go now, Doctor." he dismissed the other man. The Doctor left without a word, and Carmen felt Marlowe help her to a sitting position. "Can you talk?" He questioned.
"Yes, Sir. I will be fine in a moment."
"Let me fill you in on the results. Completely negitive. Not a trace." His smile took over his face once more.
Carmen was still confused. What was he talking about? This was something her master had not prepared her for. She kept her whirling thoughts hidden as Marlowe spoke again.
"Now, tell me, how did it go? Was the mission a success? Did you find out anything?"
Carmen shook her head saddly. This one was not a lie. If she had at one time known something about the mission, she didn't now. "No, sir. I was attacked while still in the air. I managed to land, but was knocked out. By the time I came around, everything had been ripped to shreads and the bugs where on the move. I followed them for a while, but did not find them before the Roughnecks found me." Carmen threw the name 'Roughnecks' out with a bit of extra infliction. She had to hide a smile of her own at Marlowe's frown. He would really be mad at Rico now, she knew. It was easier to blame the missions failure on him than to bring up her recent memory loss.
"Carmen!" Rico called back. Seconds later, the squad reached her and there was a joyful reunion. Doc checked her scrapes and bruises, and declaired her one very lucky pilot.
"What happened to your powersuit?" Goss asked her.
"The bugs took it." Carmen replied.
"But they left you your gun?" Carmen's eyes narrowed at this question from T'phi.
"I dug it out of the wreckage after they left. I followed them to see if they would drop my armor as well, but they didn't." She explained.
The rest of the squad seemed satisfied with this explaination, but Dizzy had the funny feeling that she was leaving something out. Something important. She pushed the thought aside as as Rico called out, "Roughnecks, ho!" and the squad started to move back towards their transport.
The squad arrived back at the Valley Forge with just the reception they expected: the squad was ushered to their barracks and put under gaurd, Carmen was sent to her quarters with orders to remain there until called, and Rico was brought to face Admiral Marlowe.
"What do you think you were doing!?" where the first words Rico was greeted with when the two where alone.
"I was searching for a downed pilot." Rico answered coolly.
"Without permission! And took a transport, without permission! And taking a whole squad with you, without permission! To look for a pilot-- WHO HAD PERMISSION!!!"
Rico was shocked by these last words, then he had to utilize all his will power to keep from screaming back at his superior. "You sent her there on assignment, without backup, and where willing to leave her there?" Rico could bearly keep his voice level.
Marlowe's voice dropped to a deadly, low tone. "She went on assignment that was on a 'need to know' basis, knowing, and fully understanding, all the risks. You set off on your foolhardy escapade knowing nothing." He paused for a moment, then continued in his serious tone. "My actions in leaving her are not on trial here. Lt. Rico, we are meeting to see if there is any reason why I should not have you court- martialed."
Court-martialed. Rico had understood the risk of court-martial if the squad had been forcefully retreived from the planet, but he had tricked himself into beleiving that bringing Carmen back would be their pardon. But she had been on assignment. That was something he had not planned on. His heart raced as he realized the list of charges against him. Disobeying orders, sending his squad into danger needlessly, comandeering government property, interfering with a top secret mission-- any one of these charges could get him the death pentalty.
Marlowe's mind was racing along similar lines. He had no desire for this to come to a court-martial. He was not willing to esplain to a court his own justification in this mission-- at least not before he had talked with Ibanez. And Higgins, the newsboy, was in Rico's squad. If things came to a head, it would be all over the news. He also realized, even if he could keep a cap on the news, there could only be one outcome of a court- martial-- and he didn't want to loose a good officer, even if he was a rash one. They had to many problems with the bugs to start killing their own men. He heaved a heavy sigh.
"Rico, go to your quarters. I want to talk with Ibanez before I make my final decision." Marlowe saluted and turned his back on the younger man, clearly saying the meeting was over. Rico left without another word. As soon as he was gone, Marlowe called for Ibanez. "Hopefully," he whispered to the empty room as he waited for her, "this will clear everything up-- and keep it all quiet."
"You called for me, Sir?" Carmen spoke to Marlowe's back. The admarial turned around.
"Are you ready, Carmen?" His tone was soft,almost fatherly, and his voice held a note of something like pity.
"Yes, Sir." Carmen looked straight at her superior, courage obvious in her eyes.
"Good. Corperal!" he turned and called through the intercom, and a man in a white lab coat entered.
"This will hurt, I'm afraid," the doctor warned Carmen.
"I'm ready, Corperal." Carmen showed no fear of the pain. Even when the examination began, Carmen refused to give into the desire to scream. Ten minutes later, it was over. Carmen felt releif flood her body as the excrutiating pain subsided, and then, with a deep sigh, she passed out.
"Carmen? Lt. Ibanez, can you hear me?" Carmen fought to open her eyes. The Admiral and the Corpral where both looking down at her with worried expressions on their faces. "Ah, you are awake!" Marlowe straightened with a huge grin on his face. "You may go now, Doctor." he dismissed the other man. The Doctor left without a word, and Carmen felt Marlowe help her to a sitting position. "Can you talk?" He questioned.
"Yes, Sir. I will be fine in a moment."
"Let me fill you in on the results. Completely negitive. Not a trace." His smile took over his face once more.
Carmen was still confused. What was he talking about? This was something her master had not prepared her for. She kept her whirling thoughts hidden as Marlowe spoke again.
"Now, tell me, how did it go? Was the mission a success? Did you find out anything?"
Carmen shook her head saddly. This one was not a lie. If she had at one time known something about the mission, she didn't now. "No, sir. I was attacked while still in the air. I managed to land, but was knocked out. By the time I came around, everything had been ripped to shreads and the bugs where on the move. I followed them for a while, but did not find them before the Roughnecks found me." Carmen threw the name 'Roughnecks' out with a bit of extra infliction. She had to hide a smile of her own at Marlowe's frown. He would really be mad at Rico now, she knew. It was easier to blame the missions failure on him than to bring up her recent memory loss.