Chapter One

THE PRELIMINARIES
ELDRIGE DWIGHT

 

"Joker?" Commander Derrick Farb tried.

 

"Who else, Nimble?" I say, perking my voice.

 

A mopsie gave him warm ice to hold in his mouth as he lay on the hospital rack. If he saw himself he'd die.

 

"How, where--." he clicked.

 

"Zerks found you floating out there, sent you back on a dead raft."

 

That's one upthumb I give the Zerks; they send back our dead, and almost dead, like Derrick Farb.

 

"Beta Mar--." He croaked.

 

"We're on the Hawkings in the 4th---." I give, not wanting to tell him we don't own the Third Sector any more.

 

"You made it?" He jests.

 

"Slick." I flick.

 

When battle started, when the explosions were constant, I didn't need his order to Exit. I'd spun my VX fast and wild, so when I took a read I was 2 AU from blast.

 

I made it. Had a pause then, for it was so mega, there aren't words.

 

Then I did a radio search, heard nothing. My Squad wasn't answering. No one was answering.

 

Slow, I moved back into the arena, super scanning. Nothing. Nothing... then I picked up approaching craft matching lifeboats--our kind--and held, sending message.

 

It didn't need spelling.

 

We'd lost, the lifeboats contained the what's left survivors. I messaged Sector 4. The Hawkings came to meet, and I was ordered to stay in space, await the bodies.

 

Zerks send back the bodies of those they killed. It don't have to match any saps grid; thats what they do. So I waited, and there came the flaters pinging on the scan. I did checks, and Farb's suit was still showing reads, which meant he was alive.

 

I sent message, took him from the flater, and got him to the Hawkings, into the hospital section.

 

They worked a stand plus on his bod which was scrambled. They'd centrifuge when sure he was solid. They had him hanging from the ceiling, trying to get his guts to go home. Kept him out mostly, the pain was killing, then put him on a gurney, let him rest a time, and let me make the word trades.

 

A Marine Major was Head Doc. He gave the signal to bye bye so I said to Nimble "Going to feed, see you in a rev--."

 

"You're still a Pus--." He smiled.

 

I left the compartment, stood in the corridor, rainy season. We were the only two left from the Live It Hard Squadron, and he might not make it.

 

Nothing matched real, nothing matched sense. I don't know how it went from us owing space, to now. Now when we're on defeat.

 

It doesn't match; can't match.

 

I walked the corridor inned the galley, having gone from the Invincible to the Firestone to the Excelsior--and how many stands was it? My life was moving at light speed and I didn't upthumb it.

 

Fems passed, I didn't think of skibby. Maybe it would wipe the view but I didn't want to let go, yet.

 

How many ships did the Zerks have? Seemed they had endless. Didn't matter if they were half good, they were more. So much more.

Wasps.

They were Wasps.

Burn the nest and they come, keep coming--.

 

"You want company?"

 

I scope the fem. Fresh Ensign if.

 

"No."

 

"Oh, Zero--." She output.

 

"No, One, but--."

 

"But--." She glared.

 

"Ensign, skibby is my sport, but I'm eating now--."

 

"Won't be eating me."

 

"I'll survive."

 

She offed and seeing her bumper had a reconsider, but not this minute.

 

If the Zees had so many fighters, we lost.

 

They can't have endless.  It's a number.  A whole number.  Yet, if they lost 50% they'd still have 100% more then we did.

 

I moved to the hanger, wanted to read my com, but it'd been wiped. We've fallen to the level of fabrication. Defeat is the word.

 

We have been defeated.

 

I got a summons to Admiral Crawford's ready room.

 

"Welcome, Commander--." He output, giving me the cabbage. "This is your squad. There's little time--."

 

"Yes sir, Thank you, sir." I reply, gigoed at the promotion.

 

"Take them out, report back at 3400."

 

"Yes sir." I salute.

 

And yes, it's me, Eldrige Dwight, now Honcho of a VX squad.

 

Yeah, I'm on the losing side. I'm going out with this crew and maybe none of us come back. But this minute I'm Honcho. This minute, I've reached my goal, or what had been my goal.  So I'm gonna suck the sweet from it and leave the bitter for now. As long as there is now.

Chapter Two

GOING DOWN FOR THE LAST TIME

 

ADMIRAL GERALD

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.10.2021
ISBN: 978-3-7487-9649-7

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