Masoul (Harmony War Series Book 2) (10 page)

              “Everyone here?” Jerome asked Rudkin.

              “Yeah,” Rudkin said simply.

              “Good stuff, thanks,” Jerome said. “I guess I should introduce you to this lot. This is Mark, Alexis, that’s Holm and that lazy bastard is Tyler.” Jerome pointed to them as Mark and Alexis gave their own greetings. They returned to their conversation. Holm and Tyler were passed out on their bunks.

              “Good to meet you,” Rudkin said as he looked at them.

              There wasn’t time for anything else to be said, as Ortiz cleared his throat from his position on the stage.

              Mark gave Tyler a jab, and Jerome called Holm’s name.

              Both snapped awake, alert and looking around for a threat. Their gazes focused on the stage with everyone else.

              “Alright fuckers, we’re going to sunny ole Masoul,” Ortiz said, as he confirmed what everyone had surmised.

              “I want a full kit check before we leave
Resolute
. As soon as that is completed, you can finish up your leave, and make sure to see your section commanders.” With that, Ortiz stepped down from his platform, and other officers swarmed him to get their orders and pass them on.

              There was nothing more that the troopers needed to know. People broke down into their forces, Divisions, Regiments and so on until everyone was in their right section.

              Jerome looked over his section.

              “Alright, the way I see it, we can get our maintenance done tonight, or do it tomorrow. We get it done tonight we can sleep in tomorrow,” he said, as he looked around at everyone. It had been two months since Reyes and Baek were kicked out of
Reclaimer
. His people did him proud, and helped him out a lot. This was their free time, so he would let them help to decide it.

              “Those for doing it tonight?” Jerome said.

              Only two hands didn’t raise.

              “Well, let’s go and get started then,” Jerome said, as he put his papers in his pocket. He led them out of the mess, towards the armory.

              ***

              “Leave always seems to go by so fast,” Ali complained, as everyone jogged on the massive track that went around the entire ship.

              “Stow it Ali,” Alvarez said.Sounding like she agreed..

              “Yes, Sergeant,” Ali said, as they continued their run.

              It felt odd to be leaving Earth again. A part of Tyler felt like he didn’t really visit it. As much as Quentin Richter tried to make them feel comfortable and at home, it wasn’t anymore. He was leaving again, and it was hard to think about Earth once again. Even if Richter lived a good life - and was able to keep inside the tower instead of going out into the metal-dust of Earth - he would be dead without the expensive life-extending drugs that the CEOs made.

              The world that Tyler grew up in would be dead.
Reclaimer
was a time capsule. Creatures of the past were stored for the future. They were awakened to exact a terrible price on those that tried to go against their masters, and the EMF’s.

              Tyler tried to not think about it. When he was down on Sacremon, all that mattered was staying alive and keeping his friends alive. The colonists lived lives which were a luxury compared to people’s lives back on Earth. Yet, it wasn’t enough for them.

              Tyler gritted his teeth against his thoughts.

             
Get your mind in the game, now’s the time to learn how to stay alive, not debate!

              They were taught everything - from how to drive air-cars to Combat Shuttles, to working their gun systems. The shuttle pilots were kind of pissed, but the troopers in their cargo bays could see just how damned good they were.

              The training level was broken into four different training areas. One was the Gas Planet Extractors located on Gas Planet in Masoul System.

             
Companies fucking suck at naming shit,
Tyler thought. The other was an asteroid mining facility, and the other two were Masoul Actual’s underground towers.

              Masoul Actual was plagued with the worst weather that humans ever encountered. The CEOs even gave up on claiming it, and lived in stations while the people lived underground. Their towers grew down, rather than up.

              The simulated deck showed the inside of a station thankfully. The deck could simulate nearly any environment, most people liked to train with rain or lightning storms. The shittier the training on the simulation decks the easier it was to fight in those same conditions in real life. At least that seemed to be the training mantra.

             
Makes for great training,
Tyler thought, as he heard the words of his training Sergeant Fredrickson.

              He understood it, but when everything you’re wearing is soaked and you have to clean it all for hours. He wasn’t praising of the genius that came up with the training schedule.***

              “What’s up?” Mark asked Lucille as she sat in his arms, and looked at Jupiter as it went past. He didn’t just see that something was on Lucille’s mind – he could feel it, too.

              “I’m just sad,” she said. She looked ahead as her eyes started to water.

              “Sad about what?” Mark asked. He wasn’t sure how he could make her feel better.

              “We’re going to have about five months, and then we’re going to sleep. I’ll see you for about a week and you’ll be gone for a year,” she said. The tears fell more now, as she hid her face in Mark’s shoulder.

              He held her, and his large arms cocooned her.

              “Don’t worry, everything will be alright,” Mark said. He hoped he was right.

              He had shared more with Lucille than he thought was possible for him to share with anyone else. They talked about things that made tears come to his eyes. He wanted to do anything he could to try and comfort her.

              As it was, she was scared about the attachment she was forming. She was scared she might get hurt by caring for a man that was going right into the fight. She saw his scans and his medical treatment. He would have died without his augments.

              Now, all of that inner turmoil made her sad about losing him. She distanced herself, as if more space would help her. Mark didn’t understand it.

              There was little he could do but reassure her. He rocked her back and forth, and tried to make promises that he wasn’t sure he could keep.

              Their lips kissed, and hunger filled her as she kissed him harder and with more passion.

              They continued for a few minutes before Mark looked around.

              “I think we should go and try and find a corner of the library,” he said, as he quirked an eyebrow to her in question.

              She gave a small smile. Mark picked her off of his lap, and they went to the library. The nooks and dark corners made it the regular hook-up place for couples. The sex was hard and frantic. Lucille’s lips were hungry, as she seemed to try to pull something from Mark. Mark felt his own hunger - the hunger of a man about to go to war.

              Some Veterans said that there’s no aphrodisiac quite like coming or going to war. In that library corner, Mark agreed with them completely.

              Afterwards they sat there, their sweat cooling as they talked about random goings on. They tried to keep away from the inevitable truth of what was to come.

              When they dressed, Mark reached for Lucille’s hand, but she pushed him away.

              “I can’t. I can’t think of you being away from me. I’m turning into a wreck. I can’t handle it. We need to break up,” Lucille said.

              Mark felt his body chill. He exerted control over himself, and objectively cut away his emotions. He didn’t need to deal with this right now. He had a war to fight. He didn’t need to be preoccupied.

              “What’s wrong?” Mark asked.

              “Nothing. You’re great, but it hurts so much you being away. I can’t handle it,” she said.

              “Okay,” Mark said. His voice was soothing, but he wanted to beat his frustration out in the gym till his body burned.

              “Maybe later, once I’ve got myself sorted out, we can get back together,” she said. She smiled up to him with tears in her eyes.

              “Okay,” Mark said. Some of the hope hit him, with pain mixed in.

              She hugged him, and Mark wrapped his large arms around her. He smelled her hair, and exhaled his frustration.

              “Okay,” Lucille said, as she turned and walked away with tears in her eyes.

              The EMF weren’t about to let a trooper get out of war, and Mark wasn’t going to let his friends go to war without him there to watch their backs.

              Mark’s frustration turned into aimless anger. He focused it on his mission. He would survive, and then he would find out if Lucille wanted him back.

              First, he needed to go to the gym and bleed off some of the anger inside.

             
***

              Tyler waved Mark over, to his table. Alexis leaned against him as much as the table. Her warmth settled his nerves, even in light of the EMF and
Reclaimer
’s drastic moves.

              Nerva walked onto the stage. First and second Regiment were in the mess, and Major Isalev just finished up treatment.

              “Alright, it looks like a religious group of some sort has exercised control over Masoul System.
Fearless
is badly damaged, but they are exiting the system and heading towards us. Other carriers are being mobilized in Sol and sent our way.” His calm, measured voice made people look at the information in a new light.

              “We are heading for the system within five hours. We will be training to take back Masoul. We will also be picking up the survivors of the
Fearless
enroute
Fearless
.”

              Something dark shifted in his eyes.

              “I have read over the files on this group. They might show themselves as a religion, but they use it as a guise to claim power over people. This is a war unlike any we have fought in the EMF for generations. Our mission will be to not only protect the assets of Earth and Her Colonies, but the people who want no part of this uprising,” Nerva continued. “This ‘Harmony’ group will do everything in their power to instill loyalty with them. When the people see through their guise, they will use fear and pain to gain obedience.”

              The way he said the word ‘Harmony’ highlighted how far they were from their namesake.

             
Stuck between two devils, one that subjugates most of the population, but allows them to do as they desire outside of work with the promise of violence if they turn to violence. Or those that resort to lies first, then use violence to try and keep up the charade. I guess that’s how the companies differ. They don’t try to keep up the charade. There are rules. Follow them, and everyone gets along. You raise a weapon against the companies, the EMF slaps you. You talk it out, then the companies will listen. Wars cost them profits - keeping away from them is a win-win possibility.

              It was screwed up to all hell. In a perfect world, one wouldn’t have to pick between the two. There was one thing everyone from the slums of Earth learned very early on - that the world wasn’t a perfect place, and never would be.

              “We will make them regret ever thinking of using this twisted perversion of religion to attack our people,” There were hungry noises from around the room. Everyone saw the videos of Masoul. “You all have a week off. Deal with what you need to deal with. A training schedule will be up shortly,” Nerva said as he wrapped up his presentation, and walked off the stage.

              “Joy,” Mark said, as he turned to Tyler who shook his head at the craziness of it all. Alexis sighed by his side.

              Medic Qi walked over to the table, and had an unhappy look on his face.

              Tyler tilted his head and waved in greeting to the platoon medic. He hadn’t seen him in a while. He was with the camp’s medical personnel, and back from the front lines.

              “Hey Mark,” Qi said. Tyler paid half-attention to the conversation. Something about Qi’s eyes made him feel unconscious dread.

              “Hey Qi, what’s up?” Mark said, as he stood up to go to the growing meal line.

              “Umm, did you know about Keller?” Qi asked.

              “Who’s that?” Mark asked, confused by the question. Qi took a moment before he responded.

              “Lucille’s new boyfriend.” Tyler heard the tension and pain in Qi’s voice, but also the concern for Mark. Tyler closed his eyes, and felt pain in his stomach for Mark.