Sacremon (Harmony War Series Book 1) (17 page)

           
Another four MP's showed up and the one that had been talking to Pullo had a quiet conversation with them. Their eyes moved from Mark and Tyler to the people hobbling and being pulled out of the barracks.

           
They nodded to Mark and Tyler, their faces only slightly tightening as they looked to the injured. Even with their need to stay neutral, it looked like it was a tenuous position.

           
Pullo joined the circle, looking none too pleased either.

           
Then they broke apart, the MP returning to his partner and the victor brothers while Pullo stood in front of his section, his spine like a support beam for a house.

           
“These fine ladies and gentlemen will be escorting us all to the medical ward where we're going to get these idiots patched up and then we're going to fill out reports,
everyone
will. Then we're going to run like we're in basic again and go through a full training rota. Vacation is over.” He looked them over with the expression of a father that was supremely pissed and unimpressed.

           
“We're going to see the officer of the watch, we going to have any problem,” the MP asked Mark and Tyler.

           
“No Master Corporal,” Tyler said, Mark's body was still winding down but he forced himself to relax.

           
Master Corporal Freeman looked to Mark in question.

           
“No Master Corporal,” Mark echoed.

           
“Good, come on then.” Freeman led the way, his partner staying behind Mark and Tyler in case they got any funny ideas.

           
They got stares from people as they were escorted through the ship.

           
It didn't take long before they came to a locked hatch. Freeman knocked on the door with loud clanging thumps.

           
“Come in Freeman,” a voice used to giving commands said as the door opened.

           
“Blades first,” Freeman said, holding out a hand.

           
Tyler looked to Mark in question. Mark's blades slipped into his hand, giving them to Freeman, Tyler did the same.

           
“Don't worry you can get them back afterwards,” Freeman reassured them. Putting them in a leg pocket and walking in the room.

           
Mark and Tyler followed while Freeman's partner hung out in the corridor.

           
The room was the same gunmetal grey as the rest of the ship except for the Sacremons’ altered training areas.

           
A cot lay to the right side of the room, a small washroom and shower at the end of the cot. The majority of the room was taken up with a desk bolted to the floor, with two chairs facing it, and one occupied chair looking at the hatch.

           
“Master Corporal reporting sir,” Freeman said, coming to attention and snapping off a salute, Mark and Tyler came to attention as one.

           
“Thank you Freeman,” the officer said, his nametape declaring him as Nerva. He had close cropped blonde hair and a tanned complexion, but his eyes were cold and it looked like he was incapable of smiling. He put down a screen on the desk, behind him was a detailed map of Sacremon with a city colored in different sections.

           
Mark and Tyler kept staring at the wall behind Nerva, their backs rigid even though the officer had put them at ease with that salute. They were still new enough to stand on decorum and look like idiots rather than fuck ups, which would get them into more shit.

           
Nerva's eyes looked from one of them to the other, weighing them before he sat back in his chair.

           
“Alright Freeman I can take it from here, I'll send you a page when I'm done with these two. If I could get those reports at the soonest I'd appreciate it,” Nerva said, most people would have probably made this an order but Nerva seemed more laid back and made it a simple request, he wasn't going to fuck over anyone if he didn't have to.

           
“Yes sir, it will depend when the... other persons involved in the situation are cleared by medical.” Mark's eyes darted between Nerva and Freeman. Freeman's 'other persons' sounded a lot like he meant 'attackers'. Nerva and Freeman's eyes seemed to sparkle, Freeman's mouth twitching ever so slightly. Nerva's neutral mask never slipped. Mark was beginning to think it wasn't really a mask, just how Nerva looked all the time.

           
“Of course,” Nerva admonished.

           
“I also have some of their personal belongings.” The statement came out as a question.

           
“Ah, I'll take them then.” The four blades were placed in Nerva’s outstretched hand. “Thank you Master Corporal,” he said. Freeman let himself out, the door sealing behind him as Nerva weighed the blades in his hand and picked one up.

           
Mark saw a flash of his arm that had three silver suns, declaring him Captain Nerva, and commander of fourth regiment.

           
“Take a seat please,” Nerva said, waving to the seats. Mark and Tyler did so as Nerva put the blades on the table.

           
“Who trained you,” Nerva asked. Mark was about to say The Boss, when he remembered how that life was behind him.

           
“Retired Captain Richter,” Mark said.

           
“Quentin Richter?” Nerva asked, his eyebrow arching in interest.

           
“Yes sir,” Mark said.

           
“He always was a tough bastard. Alright I'm going to lay the situation out for both of you as I see it. You two are decent with your weapons and training. Don't let that swell your heads,” Nerva warned.

            “You didn't know how most people just want to be the grey men and women hiding in the middle of the ranks till they get out. Less chance that they get into shit. With your scores you got your squad elevated and certain people weren't that happy. So they thought to put you in your place. Now tell me then the events as they transpired in the barracks.” Nerva looked serene as he waited for Mark and Tyler to begin.

           
“I woke up to hearing people moving around our bunks. I reacted before they could put whatever plan they had in mind to work,” Mark answered.

           
“I was asleep, when Mark whistled I woke up and saw people reaching for him under the bunk. He had taken one person out and was fighting two others. I dropped into the three fresh attackers, putting one down and having a stand-up fight with two others. Mark finished off his people and barged one attacker out of the way. I finished them off as Mark stopped another attacker from continuing their assault,” Tyler added.

           
“With a blade and then proceeded to kick his ass into the bunk behind him.” Nerva interlocked his hand on his stomach, looking for either of them to refute the claim.

           
“Correct,” Mark said, knowing Tyler wouldn't drop him in the shit.

           
Nerva looked like some kind of thoughtful statue for a few moments.

           
“Okay, well it's too late to put you two in a new squad, but I can say two things. First your squad is going to be hitting the highest numbers on all the tests or I will personally come down there. If you survive Sacremon your squad will be moved to Alpha company first platoon, meaning that you will get a pay bump and be trained as special teams. You will also be fast-tracked to getting rank. If you can work with people then you will go far in the EMF, if not then I will make you wish you never heard of the EMF.” Nerva didn't raise his voice or even look angry, the calm and controlled fury of those words were only emphasized by his relaxed stature.

           
Mark and Tyler straightened in their chairs.

           
“Understood sir,” Mark said.

           
“Good, then I hope to see you once we're leaving Sacremon.” Nerva grabbed the blades and put them on the edge of his table. Mark and Tyler grabbed them, flicking them up their sleeves and back into place.

           
Mark turned for the door.

           
Tyler made a noise that made him look to his brother.

           
Salute!
Tyler's eyes seemed to scream.

           
Mark snapped Nerva a salute, Tyler bracing.

           
Nerva gave one back and Mark went back to the door.

           
“So now we have to live with the people we just beat the shit out of, and drop on a hostile planet with them,” Tyler said, his voice low as passerby's shot the two of them glances.

           
“If we make it out alive we'll get slotted into special teams which means better equipment we don't have to pay for, as well as augments,” Mark replied, feeling more tired than he had in ages. His sixth sense had stopped supplying his body with battle hormones and chemicals, they were leaving him feeling drained.

           
I need to mess around with the pumps settings a bit more.

           
“Key phrase there, we need to make it off of Sacremon,” Tyler grumbled.

           
Mark just shrugged.

Chapter 7

           
EMFC Reclaimer

           
Sacremon System

           
7/3169

           
Pullo had a quick word with Mark and Tyler when they came back from Nerva's office, they told him Nerva's ultimatum.

           
He didn't look pleased, but it was clear he thought it would be a lot harsher.

           
“Alright, I'm going to level with you two. That shit you pulled isn't going to win you any friends and while those that attacked you aren't getting much sympathy from the rest of the section, they've been on the ground before. People are going to trust them more than you. I was honestly was hoping that Nerva would punish the section and get you two moved onto a new section. Though it looks like he wants to save everyone's careers from that embarrassment and get us to clean up our own act.

“You can forget about that BM shit, now we're playing for the real money, getting into Alpha Company First platoon is a big deal. It also means we're probably going to be thrown into everything the Captain gives us. When we're on the ground that is going to be a lot. Captains are the second highest rank that actually goes in the field, everyone above Major usually stays on the carrier and pushes pieces around. He will pick and choose us for assignments and we are going to meet those requirements,” he said, looking at them to make sure they understood.

            “
Get to the barracks and get some sleep, you're going to need it with all the testing we're going to need to do in the next few days.”

           
Pullo left them with that.

           
The atmosphere in the barracks had changed from sullen disregard to the two of them being the center of attention. The six that had gone through the medical facilities were stuck on the other side of the room looking not too pleased since Gupta's bunk was right beside them.

           
People looked awkward as if they were trying to start a conversation. They were met with the stares of two boys who had been fighting for their lives for the past eight years.

           
Remarks and conversations died on their lips as Mark and Tyler's dark eyes swept over them. Their message clear, you fuck with the Victor brothers and they won't show you mercy.

           
Mark settled down on his bunk, dialing down his sixth sense which had added it’s own chemicals to make him as effective as possible.

           
“Tomorrow is going to suck,” Tyler said getting onto his bunk.

           
“Yeah, though I found a hook-up for an implanter, she upped my implant package for free.”

           
“I feel we're going to need every advantage we can get,” Tyler mumbled.

           
Mark made a noise of agreement, getting comfortable on his cot and letting sleep take him.

           
Morning came too fast, and with it came an irate Pullo that had had been pulling people from their cots all night to get reports sorted out.

           
The relaxed atmosphere from the morning before was gone as he walked up and down the barracks with everyone standing at attention.

           
“Last night some people showed me an area in which we need development as a section,” He looked around, people avoiding his gaze.