Dominion of Terra Ch. 02

We groan, most of us trying to keep it under our breath.

"Relax, it will suck but it won't suck the same way. You've passed the requisite basics so, now..."

The lights come on in full. We are all blinded, blinking while stars explode in our eyes and we get used to the sudden burst of white light.

"Holy shit." Someone says.

I look up and squint past Howler and suck in a breath. Holy shit is right.

"Across from each of you is the pride and joy of the UDMC." Sergeant Blue grins, cig dangling there still. "Modern infantry must fight in conditions never before considered. Gone are the days of the land, sea, and air. Now we fight in space and orbit, we fight when we crash through atmo, we fight when terraforming isn't done and we needed a suit that met those needs."

It's a brutal killing machine, seven feet of plain gray metal.

"If you complete your course, this suit will be yours." Sergeant Blue rolls his neck and strips off his tunic, then his pants, leaving him in a gray undershirt and boxers. Bold fashion statement. He walks to a suit that isn't plain gray metal. It's a digital camouflage, blue and black and gray covers the suit. His is bulkier than ours, with a high collar and heavy shoulder plating, thicker shin guards and protected joints. He opens it, lifting the chest plate up and turning to face us, hiking himself up into the armor one leg at a time. Then he closes the chest plate and the suit lights up.

His visor lifts, bright blue and red lights glowing on his face, cig still in his mouth. I see a fresh pack tucked into his helmet. He takes thudding step down the corridor we have made, rolling his arms. He walks through the ranks in the massive powered suit.

"You'll customize it, you'll learn to love it, you'll live in the fucker some days. Then, you'll specialize. Sergeant Gray is a Stalker-Class. His suit is lighter, smaller, meant for scouting and stealth."

When he says that, I look away to glance around the warehouse. It's stunningly bright in here, light reflecting off the walls. I scan quickly and then, then I see something. Just a wavering, a shimmering in the air. I raise my hand just a little, flick a few fingers toward that wavering. Maybe I'm crazy but if I was Sergeant Gray, I'd be watching us if I had a stealth suit.

"I prefer the Gauntlet-Class. It's meant to take punishment but, more importantly, it was made to dish it." Sergeant Blue has not stopped talking, displaying the features of his suit.

Sergeant Blue slams a clenched fist down on a storage locker and the thing bursts apart under the hit, doesn't even leave a scratch. He grins through his cig, blowing smoke through his lips and out from under the helmet.

"There's other classes of course, but today is the most important lesson. Today, you learn how to put on the fucker and take your first baby steps. So step to your suits boy and girls, time to learn to be a real Marine!"

Terra

Two of us are standing in front of Captain Wren's desk. She looks ready for another drink, head down and her forefinger and thumb massaging the bridge of her nose. Rymer, the XO, stands behind the two of us, by the door, arms crossed. No one is happy right now, least of all Ensign Yarmody.

I broke his goddamn nose. Among other things.

Guess he was holding on to some irritation over how I dressed him down on the bridge, little bit of simmering rage. Got himself all worked up and came to my room to deliver a satisfying beat down. He tried to start that off with a nice jab to my nose.

A few minutes later security found me sitting on his chest, the kid's nose broken and bleeding all over his shirt, and his arm sticking out at a funny angle. And unconscious to boot. That sparked a whole session of ship wide gossip and problems and the headache that Captain Wren is currently nursing.

I broke a Senator's son.

I broke him real bad.

"Alright, I want an explanation. A suitable explanation for why one of my junior officers was in the infirmary having a broken bone set, his nose fixed, and a concussion dealt with."

"Captain, I believe Ensign Yarmody has a sufficient explanation." Rymer says. I raise an eyebrow, excited to hear this.

"Captain. I wanted to personally apologize for my conduct to Lieutenant Katina. A malfunctioning door closed on my arm and Lieutenant Katina leaped to my aid, unfortunately in the chaos her elbow struck my nose. Thanks to her swift actions, I was saved from permanent damage and I owe her a debt."

Yarmody's speech was not convincing to anyone, least of all Captain Wren. She sighs.

"A malfunctioning door." She asks.

"Yes ma'am." Yarmody is going to stand by this terrible story. I wonder what Rymer threatened. Maybe he threatened to space the idiot, a dead Senator's son is less of a problem than an injured living one.

"A malfunctioning door broke your arm. Lieutenant Katina accidentally broke your nose in her haste to assist you. This, this is what happened?"

I shrug.

"Yes ma'am."

"Jesus. Has the malfunction been corrected? I shouldn't expect any more malfunctioning doors? Correct?"

"Not a one, ma'am." I say.

"No ma'am." Yarmody is again, not overly believable.

"Captain. We have begun our 'run silent' drills, all communications have been suspended. These drills will run for a week, at least."

I look back at Rymer, who shrugs at me. Yarmody doesn't look around, he's too embarrassed. I like Rymer, he's a good man that knows how to run a tight ship. If Yarmody wasn't who he was, I expect the injuries would have been worse, or at least not treated so quickly.

"Thank you, mister Rymer." Captain Wren dips her head to the XO. "Unfortunately we will not be able to report this incident. I wonder what others would think, an Ensign defeated by...a malfunctioning door. I believe, during the week of communications blackout, that the report on this incident may indeed be lost, forgotten, or otherwise wiped from the record of this ship."

Yarmody looks a little relieved. I don't care so much but I understand why he does. Rumors are one thing, the navy has rumors to spare. Official reports lend credence to rumors and official reports can ruin careers.

"This depends on your actions in the next thirty seconds." Captain Wren says, firmly.

I look at Yarmody, he looks at me.

"Ensign, I apologize for my actions on the bridge the other day. In my frustration I may have gone too far."

There is a long pause. Then he sticks his good hand out, with a lot of hesitation but for the first time he seems sincere. Maybe he's thinking about how, if he swallows his pride for now, he can totally fuck with me when he's gained a few ranks if he keeps a clean record.

I shake his hand anyway.

"Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. No more malfunctions."

"Thank you, Ensign Yarmody."

"Lieutenant Karina, you will remain, everyone else get the fuck out."

"Ma'am." Rymer and Yarmody echo the word, stepping out and onto the bridge, the door closing behind them.

"Fuck." Captain Wren opens the drawer again, finding that bottle and those glasses once more. "What the hell is happening on my ship?"

"I think maybe he didn't like being humiliated." I offer. Wren is unimpressed with the observation.

"No shit. Look, Terra, I like you. You're a good engineer, they didn't give me many choices for crew but they did give me some leeway. I bet a hundred credits that you think Yarmody is the one that got off easy but, it goes both ways. One day, you'll replace Laurel. He means well but he's not meant to run engineering. I get why you did what you did but, next time, tell Rymer or Naylor your suspicions and let them be the asshole. That's why I have them."

She pushes a small glass across her desk at me. I take it and drink, a satisfying burn all the way down. Especially after all this. Now I have things to think about too. I hadn't ever considered I might one day end up running a department.

"How are you and Petra doing?" Captain Wren asks.

"Haven't spent much time together, ma'am. Opposite shifts." I say. It's the Captain's responsibility to know everything that goes on in a ship, Wren is no different. It tends to go both ways, the crew hardly ever stops talking about what they see. Open secrets, that's basically how a ship runs outside of combat.

That's how I know that Wren and Naylor don't just exercise at the same time for convenience.

"Understood. Ship's getting tense these days."

"We've been running pretty hard for two weeks now. Running silent gives us a little room to breathe. I'll tell Laurel we'll drop to a single crew on shift and we'll see what we can do."

"Thank you ma'am." I say, grinning at her. "Are you going to get some time to work out? Naylor's been getting stir crazy."

Captain Wren hides her smile with a drink, then forces a stern face. I shrug at her.

"Hey, even the Captain needs to fu-"

"-Terra!" We laugh together. Wren has been among the best officers I've ever had, we worked together before she got this ship.

"That should be long enough, look appropriately chastised when you leave? I want this shit with Yarmody buried and done, seen?"

"Seen, ma'am." I say.

"Good. Dismissed."

I look appropriately chastised, as instructed, when I step onto the bridge. Two weeks of a ten week trip and already it's more exciting than I'd like. And still somehow not nearly as exciting as I'd hoped.