World Breaker Boxed Set (ESS Space Marines Omnibus Book 3) Page 9

  “That’s really great, Anallin,” Andy said with a sincere smile. “I bet the…” She gestured randomly to replicate the name she couldn’t even hope to pronounce. “…is grateful for the efforts.”

  “What does it look like?” Jade chimed in. There was a little bit of excited curiosity that reminded Andy, as if she needed the help, of just how young Jade was. Her blonde hair was lightly brushed and pulled back in a messy ponytail, her green eyes wide and mouth in a big smile.

  The Hanaran paused and tilted its head the other way. “It is small, like this,” it said, holding its blue hands up to about the space of a soccer ball. “Mammal. With fur. A lot of fur. It looks like nothing more than a ball of fur at times. Three short legs, two up front. Long tail. A little like…a monkey on Earth. The tail, at least.”

  Jade was still smiling. Dan asked, “Is there a reason it needs to be protected?”

  “The lands it likes to live on are rich in a type of ore useful for our productions,” the Hanaran explained, “so when the mining happens, the habitat shrinks. My family has spent much of its time protecting areas where the—” The relevant creature. “—can live without fear of being crowded out.”

  “That’s awesome,” Dan said. “Good for your family.”

  Andy was curious what had made Anallin not follow that family path and instead join the ESS Marines, but she decided not to ask. That didn’t seem like the sort of question that was a good idea for now. Less business. Okay, yeah, there was still a war going on, and far closer to them than they would like, but they had earned a break.

  “Now, Anath, don’t you think it’s just a little bit severe to threaten to shoot your comrades-in-arms for disturbing you during shore leave?” Roxanna was asking with a teasing smile, since they all knew he wasn’t going to shoot any of them.

  “I just wanted to be assured that everyone understood just how seriously I’m going to take my fun,” Andy’s half-brother said with a grin that would’ve been blinding white had the rest of his skin not been the color of snow.

  “Anath,” Andy said, leaning back and closing her eyes again. “We’re all going to take our fun seriously.”

  2

  The small planet of Azara had been terraformed to house more than it probably had any right to. It had been made with the idea of being both preservation and recreation, helping to give a home to many at-risk species but also allowing members of the Earth Space Service a place to relax when they couldn’t get back to Earth.

  Now that the ESS was at war, it was needed more than ever.

  Orbiting the planet was Azara Station, a small base that all personnel going to the surface had to travel through.The administrative body for Azara worked hard to know who was on their carefully-crafted planet.

  A sequence of six shuttles was guided by autopilot down to six landing pads where several members of the Star Chaser crew were sent out onto Azara. Shore leave was being granted on rotating shifts to make sure that someone was always on board the ship to keep it running. The Marines, however, were granted full permission to “run away,” as the captain put it.

  As one could imagine, they did.

  “I know this is shore leave, folks,” Andy called as they walked off the docking platform, “but I want everyone to keep their communicators on their person at all times. You never know when our fun will be cut short.” She immediately looked at her brother. “And if you shoot anyone, I’m roping you to the hull.”

  “You take all the fun out of things, sis,” Anath said, sticking his pale tongue out of his pale lips.

  “Live with it.” Andy and Anath walked down the steps and then off in one direction while everyone else went in their own ways. The two of them waved at the others, who waved back, and everyone went about their shore leave with promises to meet up for food and drinks that night.

  “So are you really just going to wander around aimlessly for the next few days?” her brother asked as they made their way along an elegant-looking wooden boardwalk.

  “I was seriously considering it,” Andy replied.

  It felt like the war had been going on forever. She knew it hadn’t, but it sure felt like it. When this had all started, she’d just been a sergeant with a good squad leadership role, a lousy mother, and half unknown heritage.

  Now she was a major, in command of an entire detachment, her mother was dead, and she’d learned that her father was an alien tyrant now at war with the ESS and all of its allies.

  “We could always find a bar and drink ourselves stupid,” Anath offered.

  She eyed him sidelong. “Why, so I can put myself first in line to get shot?”

  His hand shot out and pushed her in the shoulder. Laughing, she didn’t get sent off course at all, but when she returned the favor, she knocked him sideways until he was walking on the dirt lining the sidewalk.

  “You have balance like you’ve already been drinking,” she teased.

  “I guess my equilibrium has gotten a head start,” he said as he stepped back onto the boardwalk.

  The wooden panels had an old-fashioned, roughhewn look to them that made Andy feel like she was back on Earth on one of those faux-historical tourist spots done up like some time from Earth’s past. She’d always found them nice. Here, it felt a little odd but only because it was unexpected.

  The boardwalk led toward a city that was a little more modern by appearance, but still had a few hints of old world charm, as one might say. The pedestrian path led down through a main street devoid of any vehicles larger or more mechanical than some three-wheeled cycles.

  “It’s really nice to be on a planet where no one is shooting at us,” Andy commented.

  “Not yet, at least.”

  She eyed him sidelong.

  He snorted. “I didn’t mean me.”

  “I know.”

  Her brother shrugged and they kept walking.

  The area of the city they first entered was clearly a shopping district, with the first level of every building being almost entirely made of windows that displayed various items for sale. Given that most of the construction was from Earth, Andy recognized the majority of the wares, but there were several she knew weren’t human in origin and she didn’t have the faintest idea of what they actually were.

  She was half-tempted to buy one just to find out. It wasn’t like she did a great deal with her paycheck. Being stationed on a ship during a war didn’t give one many opportunities to shop, and she didn’t have a family to support…

  That thought was somewhat disheartening; it was a truth she frequently tried not to focus on.

  “Hey, in here,” Anath suddenly said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a shop.

  The moment they walked through the door, however, there was a collective gasp from the other customers. It took Andy a moment to realize that they were staring at Anath. She often forgot that most people didn’t knew who he was.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “He’s on our side. I’m a Marine. I promise if he wasn’t, I’d shoot him myself.”

  Anath looked at her dryly. “There’s too much talk about shooting,” he murmured, but was looking around a little uncertainly at everyone. The other customers stared back uncertainly, but then went back about their business. “I suppose I’m going to have to get used to that here .”

  She put her arm around his. “I’ll just walk around threatening to shoot you to put people at ease.”

  With that, she led him deeper into the shop that sold old-fashioned books. “That doesn’t actually do much to make me feel better.”

  3

  “This feels a lot like work,” Jade teased as she and Dan hiked their way up a fairly steep incline where part of the time they had to grab rocks for balance as well as to help them up. Both were wearing hiking packs, but they were also both well-trained Marines, conditioned, so it wasn’t too hard. Still, she wasn’t sure why he would want to work this hard while on shore leave.

  “Come on, Marine,” he said with jesting command. “
You can do it!”

  She laughed, gripping a rock and pulling herself forward. “I know I can do it,” she said easily. “I just don’t understand why we are! Why are we doing this instead of going right to the beach?”

  He tilted his head to look back at her over his shoulder with that smile that made her stomach clench every time he gave it to her. “What’s so great about the beach?”

  Smirking, Jade arched one brow. “Me in a bikini?”

  Dan’s smile faded to more of a dazed look, eyes widening. “Alright, back down!”

  She laughed, and so did he.

  “Okay, you make a good point. That’s definitely our next stop.” He was still grinning as he turned back and resumed the upward trek.

  Soon, the steep climb evened out somewhat. It turned into more of a walk than a climb and it became a little more enjoyable. Between the trees lining the roughly flattened path that many others had walked along, she could see out over the edge of the large hill they were on.

  “They did a really good job to make this look like Earth,” Jade said thoughtfully, gripping the straps of her pack as she inhaled the fresh air. No smoke filled this air, and nowhere was there the sound of gunshots or energy weapons or screams. It was nice here, and she planned to enjoy it as much as she possibly could.

  She knew it wouldn’t last forever.

  On the flatter plane now, Dan took her hand and the hike slowed even further to a leisurely stroll.

  “Do you think about the end of this war?” Dan asked lightly, gripping her hand and swinging it lightly. The movement was a little awkward with their height disparity, but they made it work.

  “All the time,” she said with a soft laugh.

  He echoed the sound. “Well, yeah. I guess I mean after it, you know? When it’s over, do you think about what life will be like for you after that?”

  This time, she nodded a little. “I do, sure. Don’t we all?”

  “Yeah, I guess we do. I guess we must. I mean… If we don’t, we would probably all go mad. I think we’re cracking as it is.” A smaller path diverged off the trail they were on and Dan ambled off the main path and onto the smaller one, which seemed to start going upward again but at a much gentler incline.

  He stopped when they reached a small clearing that looked out over the edge of the mountain and onto the sprawling plains below, being cut in half by a wide river. It was beautiful and Jade was in awe of it all. Dan tugged on her hand to lead her over to a large boulder conveniently situated to be far enough back for safety but close enough to take in the view.

  They sat side by side in silence, just enjoying the moment, until Dan looked at her with a small, but almost nervous smile.

  “You wanna get married, Jade?”

  She blinked a few times and turned to look at him. The anxiety on his face was enough to show that he was serious, but it certainly wasn’t the best of proposals she’d ever heard of. She felt her mind race out of the peace it had felt earlier right into terrifying uncertainty.

  The fact was, she wanted to say yes. She had thought of it herself…but this wasn’t quite the way she wanted it.

  Leaning forward, she kissed him. “I believe your serious, but that’s not the most convincing thing you’ve ever asked,” she said with a rueful smile. “Is this one of those things that men do when they’re worried about dying?”

  Dan opened his mouth to reply, but shut it before speaking. His brows knit, and she was warmed by the fact that he was actually thinking it through. “I…don’t know,” he finally said. “I mean…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t see my future happening without you, so that part’s not…what you said. But the marriage thing just kinda popped into my head, I guess.”

  With a little nod, Jade leaned against him and put her head against his. “I don’t see my life without you either, but if you’re going to ask me to marry you, I want you to think about it.” She smiled and sighed. “You think about it, and when the war is over… If you still want to ask, ask me again, and I’ll say yes.”

  “If you know you’ll say yes then, why not just say yes now?” he asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

  “Because I know that if you ask me then, that you’ll be sure,” she said. “And for me to say yes, I want to feel that you know for sure.”

  He was quiet again, and she knew he was thinking it over. For a man who replied flippantly to pretty much everything asked or said, she took it as a sign of respect that he always stopped to think through serious things she said.

  “Alright,” he finally agreed. “You’re not upset with me for asking like this now, though, are you?”

  “No,” she replied honestly. “I’m not upset. I like that the idea came to your mind and you liked the idea enough to ask… I just don’t want to give a real answer until it’s actually a real question, you know? It doesn’t have to be goofy like in romantic movies and books, because that’s just not us, but it does have to be serious and thought out. If you want to ask me to bind our lives together forever, then I want us to both be sure we want to do it. When we survive this war—”

  “If…”

  “When…we survive this war, then we’ll have the rest of our lives to look forward to again.”

  4

  Ten distinct species of birds.

  Fourteen mammals.

  Thirty-seven insects.

  Four reptiles.

  Anallin sat in the gully formed by two large, gnarled roots. They rose up so high as to nearly obscure the Hanaran on either side, which suited its sensibilities just fine. The roots provided a little bit of cover to keep most of the animals from suspecting its presence. It was already surprised by the number of unique creatures it had seen in the single hour it had been sitting here.

  The Hanaran people were not the most social of races, but after having spent so much time with humans and other social races like the Selerid, there was a small part of Anallin that wished it could share this with some of its squad-mates. On the other hand, they would probably be too loud and scare off most of the animals. While the Hanaran appreciated its squad-mates a great deal, it couldn’t deny that they could be…boisterous.

  It was quiet here. At least, quiet in ways that the Star Chaser wasn’t. On the ship, it was all mechanical sounds and the sounds of a humanoid populace. Here, it was just the sounds of nature—of weather and animals. There was peace in that for the Hanaran. A peace that it just wasn’t able to find on the ship. Not that it minded life on the Star Chaser, but it was very different.

  The other upside, which the members of Alpha Squad would likely complain about, was the humidity. It was very humid in this jungle region, and the Hanaran liked it a great deal. The Hanaran home world was very humid. Anallin tended to dry out easily while serving on a ship housing primarily humans. Most other races seemed to enjoy the dryer climates as well.

  But here, the air was practically wet. Its blue skin felt better than it had in a long time.

  Maybe it would return to Hanara after this was all over and pick up the family career after all. Anallin hadn’t wanted to when it was young, choosing some sort of adventure rather than what it had considered a duller existence. Now, though… Well, that seemed like a rash decision of youth. Not that it regretted the choice, with all of the people it had met and the help it had provided, but the Hanaran had to believe that there was something more for its life.

  Once this war was over, and it had served its term, Anallin would have to go find out what that purpose was.

  Roxanna stretched out on the long towel spread out over the sand. It was a pristine white, rather than the rosy pink of her home world, but it was pleasant all the same. All she really cared for were the sounds of the waves as they splashed up the shore. She rested her purple arms behind her head and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic sound.

  It was so soothing.

  Roxanna felt like she’d been nothing but one raw, frayed nerve since all of this madness had begun. She’d always kno
wn that it would be hard to be an empath in a Marine unit, but she’d had no idea that she’d become embroiled in a war. That made everything which would have already been hard so much harder.

  Everyone was tense, angry, scared… People were dying.

  What no one else knew—except her fellow Selerid, the chief medical officer—was what happened when someone died. No non-empathic race could possibly have a clue about the psychic blowback. She knew that Doctor Martin had to receive special training to handle it, as a doctor, but she struggled to understand how it was possible.

  And violent deaths were the hardest. If it was the enemy, it was easier to work through, but when it was someone she knew…

  Roxanna cursed herself for not pursuing that special training before she left to join the Marines. She should have, but she’d been arrogant and didn’t think she’d need the help. Now she knew otherwise.

  As the humans said, hindsight was always 20/20. Now that the expression had been explained to her, she realized how often it could apply to one’s life.

  She would have to see if she could still pursue it when she could get away from the service for long enough. The way things were going, it probably wouldn’t be until after the war was over…assuming she survived, of course. That was the addendum to what everyone said in regards to their future, and that was wearying too. Not just from others, but from herself.

  She was tense…and angry…and scared.

  It wasn’t easy to deal with those feelings from others in the best of times, let alone when she felt it herself.