Or Die Alone - Remastered

Two of his packmates entered a moment later, one of them keeping his weapon trained on the commander while the other moved to clear the server room. Korza walked closer to the nearest bank of monitors, then lurched as a shrill scream rang out. Huddled beneath one of the desks was a human woman. She was unarmed, dressed in civilian clothes - probably a colonist.

"Do not resist and you will not be harmed," he said, beckoning for her to leave her hiding place. Clearly terrified, she slid out from under the desk, moving over to the far wall at Korza's instruction. He turned his attention to the windows that looked out over the compound, seeing squads of Marines lining up captured PDF at gunpoint below, one of the Krell standing watch over them. The missile launcher was being shut down, a Marine tapping at a control panel mounted on its chassis, its long launch tubes lowering into a stowed position.

"Captain," Korza began, sliding open his visor to get a breath of fresh air. "We have taken the PDF garrison, and the missile launcher has been secured."

"Excellent work, Sergeant," Stavros replied. "All of the stolen launchers have been accounted for, save for two, but we have teams heading their way now. Stand by - we should be able to land dropships at your location shortly. Most of the PDF inside the city have already surrendered. They seem to be under the impression that they're facing off against a carrier group and that the colony is surrounded by mechanized units. Don't know who gave them that idea," he added with a sarcastic chuckle. "We've detected some wheeled vehicles heading for a mining outpost deeper into the desert's interior, so it's likely that some suspects with closer ties to the Syndicate are making a break for it. They can't get off-world - there's nowhere for them to go."

"We will track them down, Captain," Korza replied.

"That would be my suggestion, Sergeant. As soon as reinforcements arrive, I want Gamma pack on a dropship heading for that outpost. Happy hunting."

EPILOGUE

Boyd pushed his way through the bustling crowd, the sound of a thousand conversations blending into an indistinct thrum of background noise. There were mostly humans surrounding him, some clothed in the blues and yellows of Navy personnel, others wearing civilian clothes similar to his own. Nobody would have any idea that beneath his casual garb was an environment suit that cost as much as the average battle tank. Plenty of aliens were present, too, easily identifiable as their stature lifted them head and shoulders above the throngs. Feline Equatorials and the occasional Polar strode along in packs, the foot traffic parting to make room for lumbering Krell, their oar-like tails dragging on the ground behind them.

At a glance, Boyd could have pretended that he was walking along some terrestrial street, storefronts with colorful awnings rising up to either side of a wide road that was split down the middle by planters filled with greenery and benches where weary travelers could rest. Beneath his boots was white hull material, however, the buildings extruded from it as though cast from a mold. The blue sky and puffy clouds above him were painted onto an arched ceiling that slowly curved up and out of view in the distance, the warm sunlight emitted by high-powered lamps that were spaced out at intervals. There was even an artificial breeze that tugged at his hair and rustled the leaves of the nearby trees.

Fort Hamilton - more widely known as the Pinwheel due to its wheel-like shape - was the largest and arguably most important station in Coalition space. Being too big for AG fields to be viable, it was spun to simulate gravity, meaning that he was currently standing on the inner surface of an enormous toroidal habitat. It was the only place outside of the Martian dockyards that could accommodate a ship as big as the Thermopylae in its drydocks. The carrier was currently undergoing an extensive refit after returning from deployment at Hades, and its crew were enjoying some well-earned shore leave. Boyd was not so fortunate - he was here on business.

He spotted his mark through the crowd, making a beeline for a bench, its occupant relaxing beneath the shade of a tree-filled planter. As much as he was trying to be stealthy, she noticed him long before he arrived, lifting her pink nose towards the branches above her. Her furry ears swiveled to track him as he approached, her bushy tail starting to flick back and forth excitedly.

"Don't burn through your payout too quickly," he said, taking a seat on what little of the bench was left unoccupied by Lorza's sizable rump. "That sandwich must have cost you a fortune - it's as big as my arm."

She lifted a sandwich sub that must have been three feet long, taking a wet bite, her dexterous tongue snaking out to clean the tuna and mayonnaise from her furry chin.

"My bank account may be full, but my belly is not," she replied after pausing to chew for a moment. "Some is insurance money and compensation, but I suspect that the rest is hush money. Your UNNI does not want me talking about what I saw or who I met," she said with a pointed glance at the agent.

"Well, UNNI actions resulted in the loss of your ship and crew, not to mention the emotional damage caused. You're entitled to some compensation."

"Of all the strange things you humans have invented, I think I understand lawyers the least," she added as she took another large bite. "How did your debriefing go? Were they pleased?"

"Overall, the Admirals seemed happy with my performance, considering the extreme circumstances. They accepted my request for a couple of weeks of paid leave, too, so we have some downtime to look forward to."

"Finally, I shall have you all to myself for a while," she said as she beamed down at him. "We have a great deal of lost time to make up for. Did they...say anything about me?" she added hesitantly, pausing to clean her fingers with her barbed tongue.

"They were very interested in learning how we survived together," he replied, watching her fidget impatiently. "I left out some of the more...intimate details, but they seemed very impressed with your exploits. You survived everything that I did, after all, but you weren't a highly trained special agent equipped with black budget gear."

"So..."

"Yes, they want to interview you," he said as he watched her eyes brighten up. "Once my period of leave is over, you're coming back with me to start your training. Keep in mind," he added, raising his hands to stop her from getting over-excited. She tried to put on a more serious expression, settling back into her seat. She hadn't even noticed that a huge glob of tuna had landed on her chest. "This isn't a done deal, so try to make a good impression."

"Until then, I have UN credits burning a hole in my pocket and a whole space station to explore," she said as she wrapped a long arm around him. She tugged him closer on the bench, Boyd feeling the weight of her breast come to rest on his shoulder, draping over him as the fabric of her coveralls struggled to contain it. "I also have a hotel room with a bed large enough for me to lie flat and a shower big enough for me to stand in."

"I'm officially off-duty as of tomorrow," Boyd replied. "I'm all yours for the next fortnight."

"Then let us not waste any more time, malish," she said as she tugged him to his feet and led him away into the crowd.

~THE END~