"The Reunion"
Episode 201 – What Befouls Us All
D-Minus Ten
"I hadn't seen Jonnie Rico in years. But everyone knows him. Knows of him at least, but I could say proudly, that I knew him. I was there at his wedding, and I'll be there for him for what ever I need to be there for. I just wish I knew where he was when it all started...again."
-Dr. Robert "Paperboy" Higgins, from: The Roughneck Chronicles
NEAR LOVELL
He'd been gone nearly two months now. And his dreams still were of the same thing. The queen.
Carl awoke from a fitful sleep with a start. The voice was back in his head, calling out its threats and promises for him to hear, but this time, it was only for him to hear. It was a personal message. He quickly sat up in his bed. He was closer than before; he knew he was going the right way. He wanted to tell everyone, but if he let a message out broadcasting his whereabouts, he'd be dead before anything could be done, and SICON would be walking into a trap because for all he knew, it was an echo, idle threats, something, anything. He hoped. A fleeting thought caused him to stare at his vid screen. He turned it on to see a delayed showing of a press conference about the death of former Sky Marshall Sanchez. Carl had known he'd died a long time before even Doc knew it.
Carl could hear Higgins's voice and let out a silent call to him, both of greeting and of warning. He pressed a few keys and a recording camera popped out of the wall. He sat up straight and pressed record on the screen. In two minutes he was finished and pressed send. He knew it would find its recipient, but he didn't know if it would be before it was too late.
KLENDATHU
Private Joseph Henderson stepped over the boulder obstructing his path. He hated Klendathu more than anything, even more than his own father. He shuttered at the thought of his father and kicked a rock through the air.
He was on point in front of the squad. If that's what you could call it. Joseph hadn't been in the MI long enough to have experienced what a full squad was like. He'd joined only a year ago, doing it for what every other eighteen year old did it for; the adventure. He'd believed the propaganda.
Propaganda was for those who had no mind, no will of their own, and they always bought into. But Joseph was the exception; he'd known what he was doing it for. He thought he really could see the adventure; maybe even go on mission with Major Rico, because he knew he was still out there wiping bug hives off the surface's of planets. Joseph cursed himself silently.
Behind him were Davis, the Skinnie J'Pil, and the LT; Larson. Lieutenant Larson was a veteran of the Bug War; he had been a private in the MI and had served with the best. Larson was rough, tough and mean. Maybe that was why he was on Klendathu and happy. But Henderson sure wasn't happy, he hated Klendathu. Orange, and red with no green, well, not the green like Earth had it. Klendathu had too many weird plants, and then of course, it had the bugs.
The Bug Queen had been killed, ten years ago, but some of the brains survived, trying to uphold her law. Every now and then, there would be reports of bugs surfacing on planets and killing locals. A ship would be dispatched and the planet would be wiped clean and the locals, if not dead, could return to their life. But Klendathu was different, it was the Bugs home, where it all started, so it seemed like the bugs were never going to give it up, and the brass wanted it around for 'species study' as they called it. In other words, some brain in SICON still wanted the planet around because their four year old thought a bug was cute and didn't want them to all die out.
The truth was, was that SICON still didn't fully understand the Bugs, and never would if they didn't exist. Know your enemy. What if more bugs came about two or three hundred years down the line through some weird mishap, or what if another enemy surfaced that was worse than the bugs, and their understanding of the bugs could help. All the improbabilities were endless but just as probable to anyone who could think them up and fight for the bugs to remain in existence.
Joseph hated the bugs more than Klendathu, and more than his father. His father had beaten Joseph as a kid, and when his eighteenth birthday came around, Joseph took the chance to get away from his father. The MI took him in and loved him like his father had not, and like his mother never could. The MI did not beat to be mean, like his father; it beat only to teach and never left any permanent marks that didn't help you. And it didn't die like his mother had (through no fault of her own), to leave him with an abusive drunkard father. The anger was boiling up in him again and he kicked another rock.
They were in the desert plain of Klendathu, on patrol as always. Seismic activity had been picked up via satellite and the Major in charge of Klendathu, Major Spade, thought it was worth one of their pitiful squads to investigate. Joseph thought of the squads as pitiful because of the way the Lieutenant talked, and from what he remembered from the vids and when the Bugs had invaded Earth. Four troopers was ridiculous, but SICON had spread itself so thin after the war because of the territory it had inherited from the Bug Empire and from the releasing of personnel immediately after the war, costing the MI almost a fourth of its numbers, and an additional fifth of its remainders to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, suicides, AWOL, and countless Section 8's. So many of the officers and soldiers of the Bug War didn't even remember fighting. Maybe it was the best for them; Joseph didn't know and didn't want to find out.
The squad came to a hill over looking a large plain of mud and sand, and a newly constructed bug mound. The Lieutenant called a halt and took J'Pil aside. The two discussed something or another for a moment but then the ground began to shake, steadily at first, barely noticeable, but within seconds it had reached its crescendo before a horde of warriors erupted and began to overtake them.
Davis was the first to die; his body was shredded to bits quickly while the LT and J'Pil fired incessantly into the overwhelming numbers. But Joseph ran, his instincts and fears getting the better of him. When he caught himself, a full fifteen seconds after the breakthrough, he turned around to see the LT standing alone with J'Pil and Davis's bodies and about fifteen dead bugs. He realized that what he thought was a horde was only maybe twenty; the other five were running towards the mound.
"Sir, I-" He began but was quickly silenced by the LT.
"Stow it trooper. During the war, you would have been dead, like these two, do you understand that?" He shouted with his voice calm, collective and cool; the worst thing in a voice that anyone can hear. "Now days, you troopers are soft, thinking you should get to do everything the easy way, launch a few rockets and everything is good. Trooper, today you cost the lives of two of your squad mates. Do you get me?"
"Sir, yes sir." Joseph muttered after a brief silence that seemed to last for hours. He dropped his rifle which was caught by its chord and snapped onto his back's rack.
"Trooper, the only reason I'm not going to report your negligence (because I should) is because this is the first time you have seen combat, and a trooper who isn't afraid, isn't a trooper." And the Lieutenant left it at that.
The two policed their friend's bodies and the LT called for emergency pick up and bombardment. Twenty minutes later they were picked up, followed by an orbital nuclear attack, leveling the mound and leaving it a radioactive wasteland for the next two thousand years.
Joseph wanted off of Klendathu more than anything now. He didn't know he would soon get his chance, and if there were anyway for him to know, there was nothing he could have done. Two million would have died by this day the next year.
EARTH
Jeff Gossard looked over the railing of his fishing boat, The Maria, into the setting sun. It was quite beautiful. The reds and oranges melting together and sparkling like millions of diamonds on the cool surface of the ocean. He loved life now. He turned around to see Jessie looking at him.
She was an extremely beautiful Hispanic woman from Houston. The two had met right after Goss had been released from service and had been with each other ever since. Doc had asked him once why they hadn't gotten married and Gossard found that he couldn't find the right answer as to why they hadn't.
"How's it going big guy?" She asked, her voice soft and her accent soothing him. She brushed her chin length black hair away from her eyes.
"It goes good. The nets are set; everything is ready for the night." He said, trying to be a smooth. "I have some of my new lures down there; we should have a big catch in the morning."
"Mmm, how about a big catch tonight?" She said smiling and pulling him close. She kissed him softly. Goss stared down at her and smiled.
"Jessie, I have something I've wanted to ask you." He said taking a step back and reaching into his pocket. He saw her face begin to light up as though the sun had popped back up to say good bye. He pulled out a long rod. "Do you think that a shock stick will help bring more shrimp to the surface? I know it may bring other fish too, but hey, we could sell those too."
He could see the look leave her face quickly and sadness over take it. She stepped back and looked at the deck and nodded her head. "Yeah Jeff, I think it will." She turned around and began to go in the cabin. "I've got some papers to fill out, I'll be below deck."
Gossard smiled and pulled the small box out from his other pocket. "Jessie, one more thing..."
When she turned back around he was on his knee holding the box and ring in front of him. He saw her begin to cry as she lost her breath. "Will you marry me?" She dropped to her knees in front of him, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly.
"Of course Jeff, of course." She whispered softly into his ear. He held her close, the two of them together on the deck of his ship. Gossard didn't know what was coming, nor would he have cared. He was happy now, and that was all that mattered.
"Clear!" The nurse shouted pressing the pads against the patient's chest. He jumped about a foot in the air, but the monotonous beep stayed there. A flat line read out across the display pad. The nurse shook her head sadly.
"Oh no you don't!" Richard "Doc" Lacroix shouted as he pushed the nurse out of the way. "50 CC's of adrenaline, and up the wattage!" He turned to the man on his table and looked at the flat line. He'd been like that for about two minutes, but Doc wasn't going to give up, not now, not on him. "Don't you chicken out now!" he whispered in his ear. "You will not give up!"
A nurse rushed up with a hypodermic and Doc snatched it from her. He made sure the passage was clear and plunged it down into his patient. After a moment he checked for the pulse there was none. He grabbed the pads and began to shock the body. A nurse walked up and put a hand on Doc's shoulder.
"Doctor…" She began, but Doc pulled away and shocked again. And still nothing happened. He dropped the pads on the floor and dropped to his knees and wept.
"Doctor?" One of the other nurses said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Name: Sky Marshal Julio Sanchez, retired, dead at 2:03 AM, Thursday November 13th, 2091." Doc said getting to his feet. He pulled his latex gloves off and threw them across the room. Even though the rooms were bright, he still felt like everything was cold and dark. The man who had pulled the world through its darkest time was now dead. Where he hadn't failed the world, Doc had failed him.
He walked into the hallway and was greeted with the sight of dozens of reporters in the lobby. The security of three MI would keep them there until Doc was ready to talk to them. He stepped into his office and closed the door behind him. It was a spacious office, a nice oak desk and a bookshelf that held countless medical books. He sat down on in his chair and leaned back. He'd lost Sky Marshal Sanchez. He couldn't believe it. He knew there would be an investigation, but the truth was, is that Sanchez was just ready to buy his piece. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood back up. It was time to face the reporters.
He stepped out of his office and walked to the edge of the lobby. Two of the MI moved and let him through where he was greeted with hover cameras, lights and dozens of questions. He was feeling over whelmed when a specific voice cut through. He looked straight in front of him and saw an old friend.
Robert Higgins hadn't really changed much, his youthful appearance was still there and he looked as robust as ever. The two smiled at each other before Doc hushed the horde.
"One at a time!" He bellowed, which quieted them all. "Now, you?" He pointed at a reported off to his right, an Asian man with a camera mounted on the side of his head.
"What is Citizen Sanchez's condition?" The reporter asked.
"Dead. Next question?" Doc quickly let out. He didn't like questions, and he disliked the feelings they brought up in him even more. They always made him feel unsure of himself, that he had missed something, that there was something more he could do.
"What was the cause of death Doctor Lacroix?" One asked, a woman in a purple dress.
"Heart failure, pure and simple. Citizen Sanchez was brought in at 12:32 AM this morning after suffering mild cardiac arrest. It was later discovered that his heart was not going to last long. At 1:14 AM, Citizen Sanchez was rushed into surgery where he was given an artificial heart. At 1:56 AM, the surgery was declared a success. Several minutes later, Citizen Sanchez's body rejected the heart and he died. Peacefully and comfortably. Next question?"
"Was there anything you could have tried that you did not?" A voice shouted from the back.
"Countless. Next question?" He spat. He was beginning to hate them; the reporters, not the questions. Bobby was keeping quiet. He seemed to be taking in the others and the attitude that Doc was carrying.
"Is it true this is your first patient loss since the war?"
"Yes, Citizen Sanchez is the first patient to have died under my care since the beginning of the Bug War twelve years ago. Next question?" That last one cut deep. It reminded Doc of the weight he was going to be carrying from now on, that one, and the importance of that one.
"Is it true that Citizen Sanchez asked for you personally?" Higgins finally spoke up, thrusting his receiver in Doc's face.
"Yes, I was contacted at 12:23 AM and arrived at 12:56 AM, prepped and fully aware of Citizen Sanchez's condition. Now, I think that's it, I'm exhausted people. You can get more when the full report comes out." Again, dozens of questions began to swarm up and around him, engulfing him in doubt. He moved behind the MI again and began to make his way to his office before he heard Higgins.
"Hey! I'm an old friend, you can ask him! Don't you recognize me? You should know who I am!" Is what Doc heard, along with more. He smiled and turned around to see two of the guards holding him under his arms.
"No, its okay let him come." Doc said. The two guards released Higgins and helped him steady himself. He fixed his suit and tie and walked past them, which caused an up roar from the rest of the press. Higgins and Doc embraced quickly and entered his office.
Robert Higgins sat down in one of the soft chairs in Doc's personal office. He was stunned at how little his friend had aged in the past ten years. The last time they had all been together was when Jonnie and Dizzy had been married, almost seven years ago. But Higgins tried to forget those times because they were better.
Doc and Higgins sat across from each other two hours before Doc was forced to have to retire. They talked about all of Doc's surgical victories, the squad and what everyone was doing, while carefully avoiding the subject of Jonnie and Dizzy. They also discussed Higgins's experience in the Journalistic field and the awards he's won while also becoming a household name all over the known galaxy (and possibly beyond).
Higgins left the hospital as it started to pour down rain. A flash of something in his minds eye caught him stopping and looking into the sky. Something or someone had called his name. Hadn't they?
Charlie Zim awoke at the behest of his bladder around 5:30 AM Honolulu standard. After relieving himself he realized that the opposite side of the bed was empty. He walked out of his bed room and into the dark hallway of his private home. The light was on in the study which meant Miriam was awake. She wasn't usually awake this early, she didn't have to be at HQ until 0900 and being a former MI, she always took in as much sleep as she could. You never knew when the next time you would be able to sleep would come. So her being awake and in the study was very peculiar.
He entered the study to see her sitting at the desk facing the far wall reading over countless reports. Time had done its job on both of them, but Zim still found her beautiful. She was still in her night clothes but she was wide awake.
"Shouldn't you be in bed Charlie?" She asked without turning around.
"I could ask you the same thing." He said with a smile. He stepped next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Burning the midnight oil, huh?"
"Not exactly." She answered. "I'm going over personnel reports and troop movements. Charlie, we're spread to thin. Sanchez divided us up too much, and the Skinnies haven't been able to fully integrate our hyper drive into their systems yet, they have only three ships where we have over two hundred. They can only control their system with any force, beyond that is dangerous."
"Well do you want to plan to do?" Zim asked grabbing one of the reports. It was from Klendathu, arrived last night. It was asking for seventeen more troops to fill ranks in squads after a brain thought he would be brave and sent out several hundred warriors all over the planet.
"What can I do?" She asked.
"Pull some back, recuperate. Build our forces up then continue the expansion." He suggested pulling up a chair as he continued to look at the report from Klendathu.
Miriam put her head in her hands. "And have every colonial governor barking up my tree." She looked at Zim. "And Sanchez wouldn't be able to support me."
"Why not?" Zim bellowed. He threw the report back on the desk. "That old battle axe still has fight and influence. What, did he not get his medication this month?"
"I guess not, he died earlier." She said, the sadness filling her voice. "Heart failure."
"Oh." Was all Zim could muster at the moment. "Well, the old battle axe finally bought his piece."
Miriam picked up the report Zim had been holding. "This is one of fifteen like it. All are from planets once held by the bugs."
Zim grabbed the report and began to flip through the pages. "It can't mean it."
"Charlie, they're coming back. These are scouting raids to test our defensive capabilities. And I'm afraid that we may not be able to stop them this time."
"But the queen is dead." Zim said, still stunned.
"We never knew if there were more than one or not. It was something we'd always questioned."
"Miriam, we've seen this before. Maybe not to this extent, but we've seen it before." Zim said softly trying to ease his wife. "We have beaten the Bugs, they're not coming back."
"I hope you're right Charlie. But I think we may need to start getting plans ready, just in case." She said.
"I agree." Zim said. He took his wife's hand and looked at the clock on the desk. "Want to watch the sun?" He asked softly with a smile. It was a softness only Miriam knew, and she loved it.
"Of course." She said standing. She led him by the hand outside to a wooden swing on the porch. The two sat for a while, holding each other in their arms and watched as the sun came up over the horizon. The orange and red and yellow all melted together into one beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. Zim held his wife tightly and just stared in awe at the beauty of the Earth. He was ready at any time to defend his home with his life.
"What do you think this is Grayson, a vacation?" Senior Drill Instructor Sergeant Max Brutto shouted. He grabbed the kid in front of him by the ear and began to run. "You think you can slack and run at your pace when you have a swarm of bugs on your tail?"
"Sir, no sir!" the boy shouted trying to keep up, but Max pulled in different directions.
"Do you think that you're better than the rest of your squad?" Max shouted. The sun was just coming up. His company had been on morning march since about 3:00 AM Honolulu time. The training base wasn't Camp Currie, but it was sufficient. He liked the kids, but they were lazy, cocky. Just because SICON had beaten the Bugs, the new troopers thought they could do anything. Cocky.
"Sir, no sir!" The kid yelled in pain.
"In battle, the ape next to you is your life. What happens if you're not there? That ape buys it because you're too pretty and special to run with the rest of them!" Max released the kid's ear and let him run with the rest. "Keep pace maggot!"
They were running around the beach of the island, some people were beginning to wake up and come to the beaches for their daily routine. The MI were frequently seen running around the beaches on these marches, everyone knew they'd be gone before it got too busy. Shop keepers were opening up while restraints were setting exterior tables and umbrellas. Some people were already in the water, swimming, surfing, fishing, whatever they wanted to do. The island was peaceful and happy, many people had forgotten about the war.
Max ran the recruits as hard as he could until they reached the base. They got there just in time for morning chow. Max settled in his tent and changed uniforms. He was ready to begin torturing the recruits again. He'd noticed that Skinnie recruits were becoming more of a rarity. Ever since they'd began constructing their own ships, they began training their own people in their own way, and from what Max was hearing, they were pretty good. But for now, he'd settle for the way it had been done for generations, the way it had been done when he was a recruit.
He showered and changed uniforms quickly and went back to the mess tent for his breakfast. It was just another day. Like they all were and all would be.
Isabelle Flores didn't sleep like she should. Even though being a trooper had taught him to appreciate sleep more than anything, she still got only about three hours a night. She had been up since five; it was now nine in the morning. She looked out the window of her apartment in San Francisco at the bridge.
She remembered that day when she had seen that bridge and the pain it had brought. She missed all her friends, and her former husband, even though the anger between them caused her to for go any contact with him, even though it hurt them both. She missed the child she'd never had, and the life she wanted to have. But plans and time change, life had taught her that. Just when you think it's going to work out, life throws something in the way to mess everything up. It had always been that way for Dizzy.
She quickly drank her orange juice and headed for the door, grabbing her running shoes. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and tank top and ready to run until she passed out, which to her dismay, never ever happened. She stopped by the door and put her shoes on and left.
She ran and ran and ran. She didn't know why she ran all the time, but she always felt better, at least until she stopped running. She never wanted to stop running, it always made things easier. Today she ran across half the city and then back. And when she got back, she felt no better. She wanted the pain to go away.
Ambassador Francis Brutto looked at the vid screen. His old friend T'Phai was there looking back at him. T'Phai had barely just caught him before he was going out to lunch. It was about noon in Hawaii, and Brutto wanted his food. But the news T'Phai had delivered troubled him. He'd received a message from Carl this morning and it was addressed to Rico. But Carl was missing, and Rico was on assignment somewhere in the outer territories. T'Phai was trying to get Brutto to help get him some information.
"I'm telling you T'Phai, there's no way I could get that information." Brutto said exasperated. T'Phai kept pushing it.
"You do not understand," T'Phai said looking straight through Brutto. "There is something going on Sergeant. Something beyond us, beyond you, beyond me, beyond Rico. This may be what helps—"
"T'Phai, Carl is gone! We have a ship trying to trace him, but it's next to impossible, the trail is too old. And Rico, Lord only knows. When he went on assignment, the situation between him and Flores caused him to be able to get someone to mask his movements. Any time we ever hear about Rico and the Roughnecks is when it's in the news, and then it's usually a week after he's already done what's being reported. He's a ghost."
T'Phai let out a sigh. "Maybe I can get to the Sky Marshall and she could help me get in touch with the major."
"She's going to be at Sanchez's funeral. He died last night." Brutto said weakly, trying not to think to hard about Sanchez.
"Yes...I heard." T'Phai said brokenly.
"T'Phai, I'll try to see what I can do but I can't give you any promises." Brutto said defeated.
"My thanks friend. I will try what I can do also." T'Phai put his hand up and waved it in the Tophetti gesture for good byes used for those who were cared for deeply. Brutto returned the gesture and the screen was replaced by the SICON insignia.
Francis Brutto pulled back from his desk and hovered over to the window. He could see the streets lined with people to pay their respects to Julio Sanchez. The funeral progression would arrive within the hour. It was enough time for him to get lunch and be at the burial grounds with time to spare.
He left unable to shake the feeling that something was coming. It was something T'Phai had begun to say but he'd cut his friend off and now he wished he hadn't. He hoped that what ever Jenkins was up to, it would answer questions before it got too late.
Admiral Carmen Ibanez put down her portable vid screen as the twenty one gun salute ended at Citizen Sanchez's funeral. She was riding in a lift to the main pylon of the dry dock. Port R. Mitchell in geo-synchronous orbit above Geneva, which meant, it was almost night here. She continued to ride upwards quickly; she was the only passenger in her lift.
She had gotten orders as she was preparing to leave for the funeral. She pulled them out of her pocket and read them again.
Admiral Ibanez is ordered to report to her ship at 1900 hours. Further orders upon arrival.
Sky Marshall Redwing-Zim
The Jean Razak. The name still stuck out in her mind more than anything. She knew about the ship where many didn't. She had helped design its propulsion and helming controls as part of a group of pilots who had fought during the Bug War. The ship was the fastest ever built, the best armed, the largest, it could run circles around the Valley Forge. His weapons were state of the art and he carried a crew of more than three hundred, not counting the ten MI squads he could hold. He could take on enough munitions and supplies to take a planet with minimal support if needed, alone if necessary. The Jean Razak was the best ship to ever be built. And now she was to command him. She felt like a little kid in a candy store.
Even the classification of the ship of 'he' was something new. They were classified them as such because of their massive upgrade from previous ships, and their names. There were three more being completed, but the Jean Razak was the best of them and finished first. The others; the Joseph Marlowe, the Zander Barcalowe, and the Chester Nimitz, were all to be completed within the year.
Carmen looked up as the tube left the superstructure of the port. In front of her was the most beautiful ship she had ever seen in her life. The front of the ship resembled the older model ships in that they were still pointed, but the edges were more rounded, and the bridge sat off to the left side when facing it. The communications antennae were arranged so that none interfered with each other, as had often happened on older ships. The spine of the ship was reinforced with armor. The engines of the ship were raised above the rest of the ship but arranged in a similar fashion as on the older ships. Carmen was already in love with her ship.
The lift reentered the super structure but quickly stopped. The doors parted and she was greeted by sight of sailors getting ready to disembark. Carmen was interested in finding out as much as she could. The Jean Razak wasn't scheduled to disembark on his first mission for at least another week. She exited the ship and passed several Tophetti sailors who quickly saluted. Carmen nodded and continued on. The process was repeated several times before she reached the air lock and entered her ship.
She arrived in her quarters and deposited her bag on the bed and began to look around. The clock on the wall told her she was early so she would take the time to tour the rest of the ship. Sure, she was up to date on all the specs, but an actual visual tour would help her to get to know her ship better. She left her room and found two Tophetti walking down the hall. They quickly saluted and moved out of her path. She smiled and nodded as she passed and continued on her way. She had forgotten that the Jean Razak was a mixed ship with both human and Tophetti sailors, though the latter were quickly becoming more and more rare as they opted to sail aboard their own ships.
Carmen had seen a Tophetti ship before. They were a marvel, for the Tophetti; the ships were long and resembled a barracuda, but with more bite. They were as fast as the old ships, but had more punch. They could hold more troopers and even had a special deck for humans if the need arose.
Carmen toured her ship, except for the Tophetti only deck, which was heated at 170 degrees Fahrenheit and had a methane atmosphere; she would tour that one when she had more time. She arrived in her office; it was just opposite the bridge and had a great 180 degree view of the area around her. The orders were flashing on her screen. She quickly gave her identification and read the orders in horror. She turned around and stared down at Earth and began to cry. The nightmares were going to return.
UNKNOWN
Jonnie Rico watched on the vid the burial of former Sky Marshal Sanchez. It was delayed by about an hour this far from Earth, but it was still real. Most of his old squad mates were there, even the Serge. He knew that the human race had lost a great man; it was a dark day for SICON.
He switched his vid off and walked out of the mess hall of the Threshold. The Threshold was a bug war era transport/destroyer. It was smaller than the Valley Forge but bigger than the 'great' Roger Young. She was a tough ship and had taken her licks in battle quite a few times recently.
Rico retired to his quarters and sat down at his small metal desk. The reports were always finding their way to him. The Bugs wouldn't leave him alone. Everything was so cold. All the reports were showing an increase of bug activity, which was odd, but not unheard of, they happened all the time and in no particular pattern. Redwing always sent him copies of reports relating to what was going on where.
Rico really wanted to go home to his wife and son, but neither were waiting for him. He wished for the simpler times too. The times when he knew what he was doing, when everything was one way or the other. Times changed and they changed the people caught up in them.
Rico put down the Klendathu report and climbed into his bed. In two days he'd be attacking another planet with the Roughnecks, his Roughnecks, and the other squads on board. They all answered to him, but he gave their LT's pretty much free reign as to what happened to their squads. Things ran better and more efficiently that way. He fell into a fitful sleep plagued not by the bugs, but the life he never had.
EDEN
Governor Howard Williams watched former Sky Marshal Sanchez's funeral with his family in the comfort of his private home outside the capital city of the Eden colony. It had been ten years since the planet had been taken from the bugs, and the human race was adapting the planet quickly to their needs. Eden was a lush green planet with plenty of opportunities for anyone who wanted to take advantage of them and a haven for those wishing to flee their past. None of them were criminals of course, but just those who needed a fresh start.
Howard loved his home, it wasn't Earth, but it was very close. He watched the salute to the fallen and was reminded of his request he'd sent out two days earlier. The bug problem had been under control on Eden for years, but every now and then, there's a minor problem. In one such problem he lost five of his troopers, leaving his garrison at only around thirty, give or take one. SICON had squandered itself after the war, and now they were paying the price.
The bugs showed their head every once in a while. A farmer in the south had even claimed to have shot and killed four of them when they were in his fields. Howard didn't doubt it, most of the farmers on the planet were former MI, they knew how to handle them. He watched the rest of the funeral with mild interest, the former Sky Marshal had done wrong by his book, given, he was doing what he thought was right, but he had done wrong. Redwing had only been Sky Marshal for a year now, but Howard held hope, change took time.
Howard turned the vid off and walked out side. It was sunny, mid afternoon on the planet that had a 34 hour day, once you got used to it, it was nice. He kissed his wife and two young sons good bye and left for the capital building in his hover car. He arrived early and went to his office to go over the reports that had arrived that day. He was sitting in his chair drinking a small glass of whiskey when his secretary burst through the door.
"Michelle, what's the meaning of this?" He yelled standing from his desk and spilling his drink.
"I'm sorry sir, but you have to see this." She led him out of his office onto the observation deck on the south end of the building. To their immediate south was smoke blacker than the darkest night. Rifle fire echoed between the buildings along with the teeth biting screech of warrior bugs. Howard looked in horror as he also saw a plasma bug lumbering around behind the smoke. He rushed back to his office and punched up the MI barracks. The face of a gruff colonel quickly replaced the SICON insignia.
"What is it governor, I'm a little busy." The Colonel spat.
"What is going on out there colonel?" Howard bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Why is there black smoke and why am I seeing and hearing bugs getting closer to the city?"
"Surprise raid, the smoke was used to confuse them, we have two squads en route to assist, the problem should be taken care of within the hour." The colonel turned and spoke to one of his aides then turned back.
"See that it is colonel, I do not want any bugs getting into my city. Am I understood?" Howard stared at the colonel, he wasn't afraid of him, he too had once been an MI, and he'd barely made it out alive and intact.
"Crystal, sir." The colonel cut the transmission.
Howard sighed and went back to the observation deck and looked out over the battle field. The colonel was right; the problem was taken care of in an hour, but two more casualties. The recent increase in bug activity made Howard nervous, and he made sure he noted that in his daily report to SICON HQ.
TESCA NEMEROSA
The sounds of battle had not echoed on Tesca Nemerosa's face in over eleven years, but still, SICON kept the planet prepared. She was regaining most of her population and the wounds of the battles were almost non visible. The MI considered an assignment to Zegima Beach a plush job, and any fleet personnel who found their way were just as pleased. Nice beaches, wonderful camping areas, beautiful wildlife, everything Earth was and then some. Colonization was not set to begin for another two years and already corporations were trying to stake their claims.
Civilians and citizens often visited in small numbers, the civilians to see the battle fields, the citizens to pay homage to fallen friends. Either way you looked at it, Nemerosa was a vacation spot waiting to happen. The main reason for the hesitation on colonization was the countless outcries against it by citizens who viewed the place as sacred because of what had happened there. SICON was going to painstaking efforts to please everyone, and within two years, it looked like it will achieve it.
Corporal Weisman looked over the main wall of the Zegima Beach outpost. He watched the birds sing and fly through the air as the sun reflected off of the water with gentle beauty. He hadn't been in the MI when the Tesca Campaign was in full, but he hoped after being stationed on the planet that it would never again be bothered by the sounds of war and death. Its beauty was too spectacular to be allowed to be corrupted by the bug's tyranny. He sighed and went to his barracks, he had patrol with his squad in twenty, he needed to get ready. They never knew what they would find in the jungle, but Weisman sure about one thing, he'd keep the bugs from taking the beautiful planet, or die trying.
LOVELL A-19
No one had noticed when the two dozen transport bugs had entered the Lovell Asteroid Field six years ago and dropped off an egg and the last of the bug armies on the largest asteroid in the field, Lovell A-19. Lovell A-19 was a barren gray rock roughly half the size of Earth's Moon and was the perfect spot for the new queen to be laid. It was outside the Terran reach and patrols, it was secluded, but most of all, it was large enough for her to begin to rebuild. After she reached the age to begin laying eggs, about five years before, she began laying eggs at a rate her mother could not, over one hundred and twenty an hour.
She quickly grew, as did her armies. Her production of eggs increased as she aged; soon she was at 205 every hour. She out grew Lovell and moved to other asteroids and began making them all her bases. She had transports move certain ones into orbits to provide protection for A-19 itself; others were made into refueling bases or departure bases. Some asteroids were designated for her spawn who could spawn, rippler queens and plasma queens mainly, and a few tanker queens. Soon, she had established hives on the two hundred largest asteroids and even more on the smaller ones.
It was almost time for her to begin her offensive. She was ready to crush the Terran forces with one swift blow, she had lain over 10 million of her own, and added to the approximate twenty million that were still spread out over the galaxy under the control of her generals, none could align themselves until she was prepared. She had thirty of her new transport bugs ready to leave, each with hundreds of thousands of her minions. All she needed was another month and everything would be ready. But then it happened, in a split moment, everything came close to an end.
She had sent out a message to all of her generals that were left, several on Klendathu and another dozen stretched out across the galaxy. Two messages in fact, one to test the Terrans. It had gone by without them knowing, and then, in a split moment, maybe from pride and anxiety, she sent another message, this one of her plans, and he heard it. He didn't hear her whisper, but her taunt was caught by the only one who could have possibly heard it, and now, he was coming, and he made sure she knew that.
Now she was rushed to complete her preparations. She made sure that the maturation of her forces was down to the least amount of time so that they would be ready to fight quicker. She was beginning to grow nervous. He had almost killed her mother and had been responsible for the deaths of several of her top generals in the past. He was the only being she truly feared, and now, he was hunting her. She was having her generals' conduct raiding parties more frequently, trying to throw the Terrans off guard, anything to give her an advantage.
She had planned to make him her personal pet, something for her to toy with, but now, he had turned the tables on her. She was supposed to be the one hunting him. She began to have her transports loaded with her minions and supplies. Her best generals were ready to take the fight to the Terrans. Even though she was being rushed in the final preparations, she would have her revenge.
"Master Sun Said…
'The Way of War is
The Art of War: Chapter 1:22; Sunzi