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Forty two - EARTH (DIVIDED)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Luton hadn't met Beason, but Lo was one of the best. He didn't envy her assignment, however. Marco would have plenty of warnings, and his troops would be ready.
The visor came to life; Luton found himself flying a transport and listening to a dirty joke. It was dark beyond the glow of the instrument panel. His chair shuddered slightly as the aircraft hit some chop. The combat team was thirty minutes out and closing fast. The punch line arrived. Luton laughed, and his worries melted away. This was his, this made sense, this was pure.* * *
The sun had yet to rise over the Gulf of Eden, but a long, pink line marked the horizon, and the direction from which the attack would come. Straight out of the sun, an old trick that wouldn't provide much of an advantage but was still worth a try.
The view is the north looked across the avenue Jalingo Cue to more blue water. The Balge de la Fiesta curved to the south. Marco, who usually begRelated chapters
HALF BREED Forty three - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Ex-corporal and now Sergeant Sparrow had assigned himself to his commanding officer's staff, where he had assumed responsibility for Marco's personal security. He stood in an open hatch.Marco took one last look around, slid past the foot-thick door, and heard it thud into place.The officer's security detail consisted of Sparrow plus two of Goodear's scouts. The Naa were heavily armed and extremely alert. Fearing another mutiny, the noncom had requested a full squad. Marco had refused on the grounds that six guards plus a noncom was not only a waste of precious manpower but more than a little unseemly.Sparrow knew that the assault force was close and took issue with the way that Marco continued to risk himself. "About time, sir. No sense getting your ass blown off this early in the battle".The Naa fought to conceal their grins. Marco was about to take Sparrow down a notch when a satellite guided missile hit the center of the parade ground. The explos
HALF BREED Forty four - EARTH (DIVIDED)
A tone warbled, James gave a war whoop, and the plane flipped onto its back. There was no way to tell whether the officer had a reason for flying that way or simply wanted to.Luton, still strapped into his chair, felt his feet flip over his head. A stylus feel out of his pocket and clattered to the floor.The infantry officer felt the chair jerk, knew air to surface missiles had been launched, and heard James' casual drawl."Blue Six to Blue Leader. Feet dry, enemy engage. Over"."That's a roger, Blue Six. You are green for target one-niner-four. Do your shit. Over".The Lance flipped right side up, shuddered in response to a near miss, and jerked as two additional flights of ASMs raced toward a preselected target. The sticks continued to pound out their rhythm.Luton forced himself to think, to switch himself away, to "ride" someone else.He was a platoon leader this time. The hard metal seat slammed into
HALF BREED Forty five - EARTH (DIVIDED)
The flight of six Daggers entered the stratosphere, shed heat from their specially designed skins, and bumped through the quickly warming air.Salom checked her heads up display, saw more red deltas than she cared to look at, but was grateful for the fact that they were still below. That was an advantage she was happy to have. The naval officer had targets, plenty of them, which meant they had her as well. Why no response, then? Were they blind?A voice sounded in her helmet. It was confident, verging on smug. "Victor One to incoming Daggers. Welcome to the party. Over".Salom marveled at her luck. The idiot assumed she was friendly! Not surprising, given the circle jerk up in orbit... but not very smart either. Her pilots followed as the naval officer rolled to starboard and dived towards the aircraft below. "Blue One to Victor One. Thanks for the hospitality".Victor One watched the delta-shaped icons roll in behind his formation, heard
HALF BREED Forty six - EARTH (DIVIDED)
The technician entered, started to say something, and Luton waved him off.He waited for the numbers, not wanting to hear them, but knowing that he must. The preliminary report was even worse than he had feared. Fully fifty percent of Assault Team Victor was killed in action, wounded in action, or missing in action.Was Sandral Usmos at fault, for withholding the resources he needed? Or was he to blame, for attempting too much? The answer seemed obvious. The burden was heavy.* * *Marco left the sit room the moment the mutineers cleared the coast. He summoned a Trooper II, climbed onto the cyborg's back, and strapped himself in. The helmet jack entered a panel provided for that purpose. "Take me to the landing Zone located near Boi Vawa. Condition five, assault speed".The cyborg said, "Sir. Yes, sir", and started to jog. Marco could remember when the sideways, up and down motion had made him nauseous, but that was a long time ag
HALF BREED Forty seven - IN SPACE
Jyro peered around the corner, confirmed that the passageway was clear, and consulted his data pad, or more accurately Pardo's data pad, since the eighty year old device still worked and the skeleton had no use for it.Once the prospector had established a reasonable secure home, and moved Pardo's supplies to the new location, he redirected his attention.The vessel was big, but how big? Who constructed the ship, and why? Where was it headed? This was the sort of knowledge that would enable him escape.The first step was to create a map, and that's where the data pad came in. By taking copious notes, and marking each intersection with a self-invented system of coordinations, the human had established a fairly good idea of the ship's layout. He entered the latest findings and used blue spray paint to write "D-44" on the steel bulkhead.The Shem mother ship, if that's what the vessel could properly be called, was shaped like a Flava fruit, except that it had an eno
HALF BREED Forty eight - IN SPACE
There was very little to do. Some of the inmates reacted to this by engaging in what seemed like endless squabbles. Others, especially the less sociable types, became morose and withdrawn. A few, Herbert included, plotted and planned. Not that the activity did them much good, since the storage module was virtually escapeproof, a fact that the navcomp had verified by countless excursions, experiments, and observations. No, the only way to leave was to be summoned by the Hoon, and escorted out of the module by one of the blimplike Hoon agents.Green lightening zigzagged across the grid, and the ground gave birth to a mountain. Herbert could do nothing, but wait. * * * The moment had finally arrived. By waiting till the prey entered one of the metal caves, then racing ahead, the Worgan had established an ambush. His quarry would pass directly below. He would drop, right himself in midair, and smother the biped's movement. There would be no opportunity for
HALF BREED Forty nine - EARTH (DIVIDED)
The village blacksmith waited for the farmer to inspect the newly healed metal, accepted payment with a courtly bow, and watched the tractor growl away. Ancient though the equipment was, the blacksmith was even older, and more machine than man.Marcus Doug Douglas had played many roles throughout his long and rather productive life, including those of son, brother, husband, father, uncle, friend, industrialist, politician, strategist, artist, and for the last six decades, village blacksmith.His biological body had died years before, which explained why, with the notable exempting of his brain and some spinal cord, the rest of Doug Douglas was synthetic. Nor was this the first such body. After being forced to occupy a blue eyed monstrosity immediately after his "death", the businessman had commissioned bodies that looked a lot like the original had. Pleasant but portly. His Asian-Parsian ancestors would have been proud.Not only of the body in which he had chosen to d
HALF BREED Fifty one - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Peaches saw the executive's discomfort and felt a strange sense of superiority. She participated in the horror because she was too afraid to say no. Quinn did it for personal gain. That made her the better person. Didn't it?Quinn turned his back to the video. "So? I asked for a report, but a tour of some god damned gravel pit! Where the hell is she?"A muscle twitched in Baba's cheek. Voice presidents come and vice presidents go. God help this son of a bitch if he ever fell out of favor. "Yes, sir. Take a look at the woman. Notice how they wear scraps of red and blue?"Quinn hadn't noticed but was not going to admit it. "Of course. What's your point?""The point", Peaches said patiently, "is that gangs have formed. The reds and the blues"."Representing those why support us and those who don't", Quinn said brightly."No", Baba replied. "I'm afraid not". The words "dumb shit" went unsaid but were clear nonetheless."Then
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HALF BREED Hundred Seventeen - THE END
Doug Douglas, already stunned by the magnitude of what was almost certainly coming their way, felt a terrible sense of hopelessness as the Thraki politician described how her race planned to sacrifice the Confederacy forces to the Shem and then, if convenient, turn and destroy them.But only if they fell for it. It was the Sector's hope that once the Confederacy knew about the Shem, they would force the Armada to resume its nomadic ways - something that would make Sector 14 and the rest of her party very happy.Doug Douglas listened, nodded, and asked the obvious question. "It's my understanding that you have approximately five thousand ships, all under Facer control. In addition to that, your race fortified one of our planets. How would we force the Armada to leave?"The Thraki hoped there would be a way, but wasn't sure what it would be.The human looked at the Dodvalian. Understanding jumped the gap. Nothing was safe. Everything was at risk. Death roamed the stars, an
HALF BREED Hundred Sixteen - PLANET BYRON
Marcus Doug Douglas stepped out of his cabin, paused to ensure that the hatch was locked, and stepped into traffic. It was brisk and carried him along.Earth, and the restoration of a legal government, were yesterday's news aboard the Unioncity, where most sentients were focused on both the problem and opportunities posed by the newly arrived Thraki.Many of the passersby recognized Doug Douglas and said hello. His elevation from historical curiosity cum lobbyist to planetary governor had raised his status from the C list to the B list, which he shared with other notable but nonvoting politicos.There was a stir ahead, and traffic parted to allow someone through. Doug Douglas spotted a Midvalian war drone and knew who would follow.Senator Vaano, along with Ambassador Ishimoto-Seven and Sensor Ishimoto-Six, had spent less than an hour in custody prior to being released on their own recognizance.Then, in the wake of vaguely worded apologies from their respec
HALF BREED Hundred Fifteen - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Usmos bit his lip. Luton had no reason to help, but who could tell? The asshole was an idealist and capable of damned near anything. A positive approach seemed best. "Luton! Thank God. Where are we headed?""To Los Angeles", Luton replied calmly, gazing out the window. "To turn ourselves in"."Turn ourselves in?" Usmos asked incredulously. "Why would we do that? I own a ship. She's small but fast. We can break out, make a run for the galaxy, and live like kings. I have friends out there, lots of them, and we can start over. What do you say?""I say no", Luton answered laconically. "There are rules. We broke them. We have to pay. It's as simple as that"."No!" Usmos shouted. "I won't go!""Really?" Luton inquired. "I think you will. Now shut up. I'm tired".The following minutes seemed to last an eternity, from Usmos' perspective anyway, as the fly form flew toward the sun. Plans stuttered through his brain, dozens of
HALF BREED Hundred Fourteen - EARTH (DIVIDED)
That was the moment when Shola managed to reestablish contact, ceased partial control of Quinn's mind, and squeezed with all her might.The executive screamed, grabbed his head, and staggered backward. Shola felt the connection snap, sent a warning to Sophie, and tried to recover.Sophie "heard" Shola's voice, rammed her hand into the briefcase, and felt for the hand gun.Quinn threw himself onto her back, felt Sophie collapse, and experienced a sense of triumph. She was his! The bitch was his!The 9mm spilled out onto the floor. Sophie grabbed it and tried to turn. Quinn straddled her, tried for the weapon, and felt the alien counter his efforts.It was then, as Quinn fought for control, that Sophie rolled onto her back. She remembered how he had leered from the bottom of the tanklike cell, the way the water had risen around her shoulders, and squeezed the trigger.The gunshot was loud, louder than Sophie had expecte
HALF BREED Hundred Thirteen - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Goya gritted teeth he no longer had, demanded full military power from the remaining engine, and chose the only possible crash site - smack dab in the center of the enemy complex. A tower whipped by, tracers up past his nose camera, and the ground rushed to meet him. Goya barely had time to yell "Five to dirt!" before his skids hit, absorbed some of the impact, and failed.The quad took the punishment after that, skidding fifty yards on her armored belly before the fly form hit the side of a building and finally came to a rest.The quad, a cyborg named Oluchi, knew things were bad. Rather than land where they were supposed to, a mile short of the complex, Goya had dumped them right in the middle of the damned thing! It was time to move, and move fast.Oluchi triggered the two way clamps, or tried to, but found they were stuck. No problem - explosive charges had been provided to deal with that very possibility. She "felt" the fly form shudder as 20mm cannon shells pounded th
HALF BREED Hundred Twelve - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Never mind the fact that Marco planned to drop in on Luton unannounced - and probably get himself killed. She was supposed to wait till the danger had passed. Why? Because business was a secondary concern - a perception that showed how little he knew. It was money that made the world go round, and, assuming the counter revolution was successful, the economy would be critical. Without commerce there would be no jobs, and without jobs there would be no taxes, and without taxes there would be no government services. Serious issues that couldn't be handled while sitting on her can.A tone sounded, the elevator doors slid open, and a pair of security guards appeared. They wore burgundy jackets, gray slacks, and thick soled shoes. The Zuon logo was embroidered on their pockets. The larger of the two stopped in front of the receptionist, listened to what it said, and turned to stare.Damn! Why couldn't they have been just a little bit slower? The executive opened her briefcase, p
HALF BREED Hundred Eleven - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Staff Sergeant Vista shouted, "Ten-hut!" Thousands of legionnaires crashed to attention, and Marco did likewise.Luton's voice boomed through the cavern's PA system. "At ease. We are gathered here to welcome a new commanding officer. Colonel Dooley Marco".An audible gasp was heard, servos whined, and Staff Sergeant Ward bellowed into the mike. "You are at ease! No talking. Corporal, take that soldier's name!"Nobody could tell who the sergeant had yelled at, and it didn't matter. What mattered was discipline, and it was intact.Luton continued, and as he spoke, Marco realized the comments were prerecorded. "Some of you are angry. You were betrayed by society, by the Independent Government, and now by me."Not because I doubt our ability to win, or the quality of our cause, but because we were wrong. If the a Legion is to be our country, it must be a just country, based on the rule of law and dedicated to more than its own survival".Luton paused, his v
HALF BREED Hundred Ten - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Kenny sent a swarm of fly cameras to cover the event and ran it live. Citizens not only saw the video, but made their way to the express way, and lined both sides. Frantic parents responded as well. Many walked beside the road, or tried to, since abutments, on-ramps, and other obstacles made it difficult to do so.Others climbed the fences and ran out onto the express way itself. The militia had been waiting for that. An aircar swept in from the east, braked, and hovered above. Machine guns rattled, the civilians fell like wheat before a scythe, and blood stained the road.Children screamed, batons crackled, and the march continued.* * *Leshi Quinn stood at the center of the pit. The spotlights pinned him in place. The meeting had been called by old man Zuon. "... And so", the industrialist continued, "not only have we failed to see much return from this arrangement, our expenses continue to soar. Please explain".Quinn was standing there, wondering wh
HALF BREED Hundred Nine - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Something, Huvy wasn't sure what, was definitely wrong. But before he could turn the car around, a heavily visored military police man waved the educator over and motioned him out of the car. That was when the nightmare began.The militiaman, a human in this case, examined Huvy's ID, checked his name off a list, and led him onto the school's grounds. A group of smooth faced robots stepped out of the way, and that's when the principal saw the fifty foot lengths of chain, the small ankle bracelets, and realized who they had been made for. The military policeman gestured to the shackles. The tone was casual, as if a matter of routine curiosity. "How many children can we actually expect? About five hundred or so?"Huvy started to answer, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.That's when the military policeman stepped in close, grabbed the front of the educator's shirt, and jerked the smaller man up onto his toes. "Listen, you little shit... which would you prefer? To answ
