Gray Panthers: Dixie (27 page)

New Richmond, planet Dixie

19 November 2128

“Mr. President, I’m glad we were able to be of assistance to Dixie. I appreciate that you are allowing us to take custody of the Red Coats. I’m sure that wasn’t an easy decision, especially considering they’ll try to use it against you in the next election.” General Black looked across the hangar as the prisoners were forced towards the ship.

“That’s not a problem, General. All I worry about now is getting my twenty thousand people who were abducted by the Libra back. I only have a hundred of theirs to trade with.” The Dixie president was noticeably fatigued.

“We have over two thousand of the bastards. I’ll make sure when the ship returns they are on it. I’m sure they want their officers and crews back more than they need cannon fodder.”

“I hope you’re right, General. I’m just glad the coward commanding them surrendered all of his forces when he was captured. The fighting could have gone on for months longer.”

“Well, sir, at least you’re getting a good trade for the Red Coats. I’d just as soon line them up in front of a wall and gun them all down. Only saving grace is that they didn’t commit any atrocities—to our knowledge. I see I have to leave now. Goodbye, Mr. President.” Black shook hands and turned to enter the spaceship.

“Goodbye, General Black. Safe trip.”

The area around the ship was cleared and the engines were started. The ship slowly lifted off the ground and moved toward the entrance to the hangar. The sound of the engines turned into a throaty roar as the ship increased thrust and ascended into the sky.

Master Sergeant McGuire sat with a couple of troops from her new squad. She quietly pulled out a flask of bourbon and poured some into her coffee and into the mugs of those around her.

“Absent comrades,” she toasted and then took a long drink, enjoying the burn. As she reached again for the flask, her new troop pulled out her own flask and dumped her coffee on the deck. McGuire laughed as she followed suit.

After pouring for the three of them, the trooper toasted, “Our last war.” They clinked mugs and drank in silence. The two looked expectantly at the third trooper, who smiled and pulled out his own flask of bourbon and began to pour.

“The fat lady’s last song!” He raised his mug and then appeared to study it before slamming it back. He looked at the two NCOs next to him, silently rose, and walked off.

Staff Sergeant Coyle was arguing with Sergeant King, as Tanaka and Winters helped gang up on Garcia. Coyle was laughing to the point of crying as his squad was arguing about the best way to keep Garcia’s head from falling off. Coyle heard the banter quiet down and looked up to see his men lying around his cabin in the same positions as they had died on Dixie. He started to scream again as he tried to escape the restraints holding him in his bunk.

General Black sat in his cabin and began to go over the casualty reports he’d received on Dixie. The realization that it was still early in the war and that there were more planets ahead only depressed him more. A knock on the door startled him back to the present. He went to open it.

“Hey, soldier, know anyone who wants a drink?” Standing in front of him was his long-time friend and confidante, Master Sergeant McGuire. Before he could say anything, she pushed the door closed and hugged him. He felt everything bad melting away as she continued hugging him. He returned her gaze the same as he had in two other wars, in a different life. They broke the embrace only long enough for him to turn off the cabin’s light.

Dixie destroyer Georgia, en route for Libra space

19 November 2128

Captain John Taylor Woods was happy with his assignment. He was instructed to take the destroyer Georgia and the destroyer Virginia to Libra space and then launch a messenger drone to the Libra home world.

His additional orders were to use five days to collect intelligence on Libra space while making hit-and-run attacks at random locations.

“This is Captain Woods. We have been directed to get revenge for the cowardly attack on Dixie. We are going to deliver a message to Libra before giving them tenfold what they did to us for five days. We will then wait to see if there is a message for Dixie before we return home.

“We are delivering a message to get back twenty thousand of our citizens in trade for Libra we captured on Dixie. Captain out.” Woods could hear cheering from other compartments of the ship as he finished his announcement.

Fire Ship Spark, high Earth orbit

19 November 2128

Captain April Hayes looked at the forty Jacka before her. The smallest was over six feet tall. All were wearing their new tan flight suits for the first time. She had heard about the challenge of picking a color that wasn’t already a clan color.

“Good afternoon. I am Captain Hayes. You will address me as either Captain Hayes or ma’am. Next to me is Captain Spear, who I respect because of his previous experience. When you are dismissed you will stow your gear in your cabins. Then you will find your human trainer on the ship. This will be a test of your abilities to find your way around. It will also give you a chance to explore the ship. The Libra needed over a hundred crewmen for this ship. We will have only forty, but we will do a better job because the ship is better now than when it was new. We will leave in six hours for your home world. We suspect the Libra may attack it because of the new direction your people are taking. Captain Spear, would you like to address your crew?”

“I will ensure that you all are trained and ready for combat. If you fail, you will be allowed to go home and join the women of your village. Do not embarrass our people or hurt the humans. They are fragile, and we need them.” The crew laughed at the joke and then went to find their cabins and their human partners.

Crewman Roar was surprised when he found that everyone would have a cabin. He was ready to unzip his suit and mark the door when he remembered that the humans disapproved of the practice. When they were off the ship he would do it then. He now had to find Chief Honda at weapons. That sounded good, to work weapons. As he explored the ship, it took him only an hour to find the weapons area.

“Are you Chief Honda?” A little yellow human stood before him. Tiny even for human standards, he was gray-haired and had many stripes on his sleeve.

“Got that right, big boy. About time you found your duty station. Did you get lost?”

Roar looked at the insignificant creature before him and was both insulted and enraged. What was he going to learn from this stain on the floor? “I was told to look around in order to find you.”

The human gave him a strange look. “If I ordered you to get ammunition right now, what would you do?”

“I would go get the ammunition, as ordered.”

“How would you do that? What ammunition would you get from which magazine? You do not walk around like a lost child. You ask questions and you learn. If there is not a human around, you can press the button on your neck and ask the AI, Spark. Do you understand?” Honda was obviously annoyed.

“I understand.” Roar had a sullen look on his face.

“Okay. As a test, I want you to ask Spark where the head is.”

“Head of what, Chief Honda?”

“Aww, for crissakes! The head is where you will urinate and defecate, being sure to clean yourself before returning to your duty station. Now, ask Spark how to get there.”

“I do not have to ur-in-ate at the moment, Chief Honda.”

“Why the hell do I get the pick of the litter? I gave you an order. There is no debate. Do you understand me, sunshine?” Honda was chest to groin with Roar and obviously pissed with the big guy.

Roar looked down on the little stain and contemplated killing him there and then. “Spark,” he said, “where is the head?” He looked like he wanted to eat the little human.

“From your current position, go out into the main passageway, turn right, go twenty feet, then turn left, and go twenty feet. It will be the second hatch on the left,” Spark replied.

“Good boy, Roar,” Honda cajoled. “Now we can get around to training you, if that’s possible.”

Roar took offense at being talked to like a child and leapt at the human. Honda saw it coming. He grabbed Roar’s huge paw and threw him over his shoulder into the far bulkhead. Roar felt himself flying before he crashed into the bulkhead. His snout hurt and blood flowed from his nostrils as he roared his fiercest roar and charged again.

Again, Honda was ready for the attack and stepped aside just before Roar could barrel into him. He also managed to do a sweep kick into the warrior’s butt, adding insult to injury. Roar stopped before hitting the bulkhead and turned to see the little human laughing even harder at him.

Roar slowly approached Honda and then swung with his right paw, using all of his strength. The human grabbed his paw and turned his body. Instantly, Roar found himself again on the deck.

“I don’t have time for this, sunshine. Get off your ass and get over here so I can train you.” All malice seemed gone from the chief. Roar figured he must have scared the little human enough to make him more respectful. The alien cleaned his face and gave the chief his undivided attention.

“This is the main fire control board. From here, all input is received and delivered to the weapons. Next to it is an auxiliary gunner’s station. If a weapons station is destroyed, we can continue the fight from here.” Honda looked at Roar to see if he was comprehending.

“We are not the main gunners,” Roar said, sounding as much as if he were asking a question as making a statement. “We work on the guns and the systems. If a gunner falls in combat, we will take his place here in weapons control.”

“Roar, I believe there is hope for you. Let me give you a tour of the ship.”
Damn, first time I was ever ordered to beat up a trainee
, he thought.

“Captain Spear, I have heard that it is your people’s tradition to fight for position. I am the captain of this ship until I give it up to you. I want there to be no doubt that you would fail if you challenged me, so we are going to the gym now.” Hayes wasn’t sure about this, but the orders had been clear. The only way to get the respect and attention of the aliens was to beat their butt.

In the gym, Spear stood in shock. The little female human was telling him to try to attack her. He decided that he would humor her, but he wouldn’t break any of her bones or leave any big scars.

Spear sprang like a coiled snake. Hayes side-stepped him while managing a light kick into his snout. He got off the floor and saw the little human dancing, her hands moving around in front of her. She was wearing a big grin that showed her tiny teeth.

Spear advanced slowly and threw his killer punch at the woman’s head. She grabbed his paw and flipped him into the far corner. He got up and charged at her. She turned with a sweep kick into his chest, taking the air from him.

“This is all the time I have for the demonstration, Captain. Don’t you agree it’s more important to prepare the ship to get underway?”

“I agree, Captain Hayes. I do not feel there will be need to challenge you.”
I wonder if she would teach me her way of fighting when no others can see,
he said to himself.
She is worthy of my respect.

Flem home world, League of Planets space

20 November 2128

Johnson watched as the fighter was returned to the bay of the Beater, sorry they didn’t have time to test it. Looking across the huge facility he saw the three shuttles, the first of his collection. They were getting ready to go investigate the handiwork of the cargo ship they had booby-trapped.

“Captain to crew. Time to get back into the war. When we get to our zone we are going to do a quick bomb-damage assessment for our cargo ship. Then, we’re off to see if we can start a new war. Johnson out.”

Johnson tried not to think about Poland flying the ship backward out of the facility, especially as he increased speed. The ship then did a high-speed 180 and proceeded forward. Those on the flight deck clapped in admiration of Poland’s out-of-character stunt.

“Interesting maneuver, Commander. Once we leave the planet, we will recover the Major Rogers, then set course for Tak.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Poland had a moment of doubt. Had he closed the door?

“Major Rogers, RTB.” Poland waited until the shuttle had landed and then engaged the FTL drive, thankful it no longer made him nauseous.

Short Blade was enjoying his downtime, practicing martial arts, when a couple of the marines offered to help.

“Okay. I’m going to come at you, SB. Be ready to protect yourself.” Polanski was fast for a big guy. He threw a punch and was surprised when three arms grabbed his arm and a forth arm pushed against his chest, making him fly ten feet. “That was an outstanding move, SB. What do you call it?”

“My moves have no name, since I can’t teach them to anyone.” Short Blade did a little come-to-me wave, and Polanski again charged. He threw out his arm and then dropped to one knee, forcing Short Blade to flip backward and land hard on his back.

“SB, did you think I’d really try the same thing a second time, after failing? Treat your enemy with more respect than that, or you’ll be dead. You attack me now.”

Short Blade appeared to run all out at Polanski, and then he slid by his legs as he picked Polanski up and threw him with all four arms to the mat behind him.

“Whoa! You’ve learned to utilize what you have and how it works with your size. How long have you been training?”

“Not long. I have little time, between learning new tasks and taking tests from the manual.”

“Well, make it a point to keep practicing. The reward for second place is death.” Short Blade realized at that moment that he should be better without weapons, just in case it might save his life, or a comrade’s.