The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper (21 page)

“Captain, hold on. Let me walk with you for a minute.” Ben caught up to her. He turned on his com recorder and it started playing what had just happened. She didn’t say anything, but Ben could tell her anger had shifted away from him. Ben looked her in the eyes.

“Captain, I am going to beat them until they agree to apologize to Natalia. I don’t know how long that will take or if it will even happen, so you might want to find replacements for their duties just in case. Listen, you are my friend and if at some point you ask me to stop I will, but don’t make it too soon or I might develop a case of temporary deafness. I will wear gloves so they won’t get too broken. See you at 1900.” He turned and walked back to the table.

Ben sat down and looked at Natalia, who was smiling and happy.

“That was yummy,” she said.

“Let’s go my Med bay and see Nurse Tanaka so I can schedule a session in the tank for later. Did you get moved yet to a room with anyone?” he asked her.

“Yes I did.” She had a big smile. “It’s so nice.”

“Is it with the captain?” he asked softly, like it was a secret.

“Yes,” she giggled.

Later, the major caught up with them on their way to Natalia’s room.

“Reaper, I would like to talk to you before the meeting. Do you think we can meet in 10 minutes?”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben said. “I will walk Natalia to her quarters and right back.” They arrived at the captain’s quarters. Natalia put her hand on the door panel and it opened right up. The captain was at her desk reading and looked up to see them at the door.

“I will see you later, little one,” Ben said.

She walked in like she belonged. Ben nodded to the captain and walked back to his quarters. He went in and took off his katana, pistol and knife. He removed his helmet and sat it on the table. Whatever they had spilled on his armor had just run off the water proof material. He was debating on changing when the door opened and the major walked in. He saw his hair was sticking up and he ran his fingers through it to try and tame it. She sat down and let out a long sigh.

“You have had a busy day today,” she said. “You knocked out a marine sergeant, threatened two navy lieutenants, and will probably beat the hell out of them later.”

“Probably?” he said as if there was any question. “No probably about it.”

“You know you can’t go beating up everyone who doesn’t like Natalia,” Andrea said. “She will need to learn how to fight her own battles.”

“Major, a week ago she was being raped, beaten and starved. I am going to give her what time I can to be a young girl who doesn’t have to be afraid or threatened. She will be taught how to defend herself by the strong men and women who surround her right now. I am hoping you will be one of the ones to help with her training.”

Ben took off his boots and removed his armor. It was an hour and a half until the meeting.

“Is this meeting an official meeting, or can I lay on the bed while we talk about all the things I am doing wrong?” He got a long sigh again from the major, which wasn’t an answer, so he laid down. He took his com and turned the recording on from the mess. He played audio and video for her. She heard the insults but could only see the table top that Ben had been staring at. She heard the shuffling and then saw the liquid as Ben looked at this shoulder and was looking at Natalia getting the brunt of it. Ben shut it off.

“I could have beaten them right then and there,” Ben told her, “but instead I took the high road and demanded satisfaction for their insults. So what? Do you think I should have just let them walk out? Let them go?”

“No, I don’t think so?” Andrea said.

“Good!”

“But do you think you can try and not get into any situations for the next three days?” We will be carrying out our mission and will hopefully too busy to be punching out our own people.”

Ben laughed. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

He got up off his bed and walked over to Andrea. He took her hands in his and pulled her up. He started unbuttoning her uniform.

“Do you mind if I ask you what you are doing?” she said.

“I’m removing your uniform to hang it up, so it doesn’t get wrinkled.” He pulled her shirt up out from her pants and finished unbuttoning it. He hung it on the back of the chair. He sat her down and untied her boots, pulling them off. He sat them neatly off to the side. He stood and took her hands again and pulled her up. He unbuckled her belt and her pants and pushed them down past her hips. They fell to the floor and she stepped out of them. He picked them up, lined up the creases and folded them over the other chair. She had a very nice black lace bra that unhooked in the front. He laid it over her shirt. She had perfect breasts. He took her hand and walked her over to his bed.

“Lay down on your stomach,” he told her as he stepped aside. She looked at him and he leaned in and kissed her. “Lay down, like I asked you.” She did and was looking back and up at him.

“You know we can’t have sex every time I come into your quarters,” she said.

“My room, my rules. Now just stop talking.”

Ben put his knee into the mattress and straddled Andrea sitting down on the back of her thighs. He reached in between the mattress and the wall and pulled out a bottle. It was massage oil. He squeezed some of it on his hands and rubbed them together to warm it up. He started rubbing her shoulders. He could feel the knots in the muscles as he applied pressure to his finger tips.

“You are just full of surprises,” she said softly in between him kneading the knots away. He worked on her neck as well, pulling his finger tips down from the base of her skull to her shoulders. He worked the arc of her shoulder blades, following her spine to the small of her back. He massaged just above her hips and continued down. He worked his fingers into the top of her hips, pushing and pulling his fingers down. He had been at it for about 30 minutes when he heard the soft snoring. She was deep in sleep. He set an alarm and laid next to her, pulling a blanket over both of them. It wasn’t long before he was asleep also.

The alarm went off after 45 minutes. Ben shut it off. He climbed over Andrea and took a quick shower to wake up. He put on a clean thermal set and socks, along with a pair of black cargo pants and his boots. He looked over to see a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring at him. She stretched, sat up and smiled. He thought if he scratched her she would start purring.

“Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yes,” she said, stretching again. “That was wonderful.”

“You should get dressed while I make us a coffee to go.” He handed her bra and shirt to her.

On the walk to the conference room, the major was informed that everyone was there and accounted for. She told Kim not to call the room to attention when they arrived. They walked through the door and conversations halted.

“Please take a seat, everyone,” the major said, taking the seat at the head of the table. Ben nodded for the two senior NCOs to sit on either side of the major. He stood behind and to the left of her. This was the first time his old team had had a chance to take a look at him. They were not sure what to make of it. They looked at each other as if searching for an answer. The major gave them a second.

“Okay,” she said, allowing a small smile to open up her face for a moment, “let’s get to the matter of the big ape standing behind me.” They all smiled.

“Simply put, you need to forget his name and your prior association with him. He is a ghost. Forget about sitting around drinking beer and talking about old times. That’s not going to happen, unless you want a one way ticket to jail. One person outside of this room knows his real identity, and trust me, you don’t want to piss him off.” She paused. “I hope by using easy speak you all understand. As a reminder, you all signed confidentiality documents stating you would comply before you ever left your last post to join us here. Now that is out of the way, we have to talk about your team name. You will need to come up with another one and I hope I don’t have to explain the reason why. From this point on, do not breathe it.” She waited for all of that to sink in.

“In two days we will arrive at Hyson. It is governed by the Trillond. There are reports of a large build-up of warships in Allith space. There are a few hundred humans from corporations as well as a group working in our small embassy. The Destroyer Morningstar will be evacuating all of the corporate employees who still may be there. Our mission will be to evacuate or rescue, depending on circumstances, a member of military intelligence at the embassy. We may take additional personnel if they are ready to leave and it will not jeopardize the mission. We are going to take the stealth shuttle under cover of darkness, get our target and return to the ship. I have read all your jackets and know you know how to do this. All maps, building plans and info about our target will be uploaded to your com prior to departure. We are hoping that it might be as simple as asking the target to meet us at a landing site, make the pickup and go.”

That statement got a few chuckles from around the table. The major laughed with them. “Yes, I know,” she said. “We will do what we do best to complete the mission. We will take a look at all scenarios and make entry and exit strategies for each one. Are there any questions about the team?” Snake raised his hand. The major nodded at him to go ahead.

“What role does the ensign have on our team?”

“Good question,” she said. “Reaper, would you like to take this one?”

“Let’s all note that the ensign is now a marine,” Ben said, “so we’ll address her as Lieutenant Aok. She just gave you the legal jargon — that’s her job. I am going to knock the shit out of you if I hear anything out of line with what we have told you. Now, the lieutenant would never tell you this, but I will. Her IQ is several times higher than everyone in this room. Hillbilly, do you know what that means?”

“Yes sir! She’s smart,” Hillbilly answered.

“Exactly! Good answer. So that being said, we have decided to have our own tech, com, and intelligence officer. She is going to find us tech outside of what we have supplied from the Colonial Military, which will make our lives easier. Also, as we prepare and execute our ops, we are going to run all information through her. The lieutenant will then be able to calculate probabilities using mathematical formulas. What this means to you is if she tells you something, it is not a guess or a gut feeling. She will be doing these calculations in real time, instead of the intel we currently get, which is usually very old by the time we get it. The bottom line is, we will be better armed and informed and have better odds of coming back alive.” He let them think about that for a minute.

“Something else I have learned about the lieutenant is that she is a master with a blade. Keep that in mind if we go into close quarters combat. She does lack experience in combat, although she racked up a few kills in the last week.” That got a couple of nods from the team. “She will need your support as she learns. Lieutenant, do you have any questions for any of our team?”

“Yes sir, I have one for you. What’s going on in the gym tonight at 1900?” The major’s head dropped forward as she laughed.

“Well, boys and girls, there are two Navy Junior Lieutenants in need of some lessons in etiquette. I will be instructing them both at the same time. It’s free admission for anyone who wants to attend. I do ask that you don’t heckle them or any other of the Navy personnel. I think the captain will be there and will be embarrassed enough as it is. Come to think of it,Lieutenant Aok would you like to teach those Navy boys a lesson.” He played the com recording for all of them to hear. Aok had a look of apprehension on her face until she heard the recording. Her face changed, growing hard and angry.

“I accept, Reaper, and will do my best,” she said.

“Good,” he said. “Let’s all show up tonight and support her.”

The major stood up. “That’s all I have for now, team. Sergeant Major, you are in charge for the rest of the day.”

“Major, can I have the lieutenant?” Ben asked. “I would like to work with her for a few hours if you have nothing for her.”

“Good idea, Reaper. I’ll talk to you later.” She left the room.

Let’s go, E’Aria,
he thought, just to see if she was scanning. He turned and started walking and she followed.

“Grab your things for the gym and meet me out here in a minute,” he said.

“I will be there, but you better make that five minutes at least.” He turned and looked at her and thought,
why?

Because she is waiting in your quarters. Sucks to be you.
He laughed and went in.
She has a good sense of humor
, he thought.

“What are you laughing at?” the major asked in a commanding tone.

“Just thinking to myself about the match later,” Ben answered.

“You think it’s funny you put her up against two opponents? This is the second time you have done this to her.”

“If I didn’t think she could handle it I wouldn’t have suggested it,” Ben said. “She learns something new and gets experience — that might help her out in two days when we go on the mission. Would you like to join us in the gym? I know you have a couple of skills you might be able to show her.”

She got up in his space. “I’ve knocked you on your ass plenty of times, and furthermore, I don’t want to show anyone but you my skills.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “See you there later?”

“You can count on it.”

Reaper knew E’Aria could fight two opponents. She already had moves, offensive and defensive. He had to get her to visualize her arm and fist being the sword. At the gym, showed her how to get the most power into each punch, how to use her forearm and knee as well as kick. They had a small audience of off-duty navy personnel who were working out while watching. Her moves were fluid and her timing was good.

The time flew by and it was 1845. She was walking on a treadmill and he stood by talking to her softly. He didn’t want her to cool down, so she walked at an easy pace. The team came in and sat down. They were checking out the gym. The captain came in and sat down; she had Natalia with her. The two navy lieutenants walked in, looking around the gym. They saw Reaper talking and walked out onto the mat to stretch. They didn’t look too happy when they saw the captain sitting with Natalia.

Ben and Aok walked out onto the mat together and stood facing the officers. “Glad you showed, gentlemen,” Ben said. “I’m feeling a little under the weather today but don’t worry, Lieutenant Aok is my second and she is going to take my place. Same deal. Nothing changes but your opponent.” They started smiling and E’Aria started feeling her anger rise. She took a couple of breaths and stepped back three feet from them.

Reaper walked off the mat and sat down next to the captain, who had a puzzled expression on her face. “Thought I would save you the trouble of being short-handed and give her some practical experience,” he said. “Although she is kind of angry so you still may have to find replacements for their duties.”

E’Aria was ready. The officers circled around her. One of them kept trying to get behind her. She thought they might both come at her at the same time, and they did. She chose the short one. Her timing was perfect. She stepped back and swung. Her arm extended straight out from her body in a classic clothesline, catching him in the throat. His head snapped back and his feet flew out from under him, landing on the back of his head and shoulders, feet in the air.

She leaned to her left as the fist and arm of the tall opponent sailed past. She grabbed the wrist and used his momentum to throw him over her hip and onto his back. She twisted his wrist with her right hand, making him yell in pain until her left hand connected with his face three times in rapid succession, shutting him up.

She let him go and turned her attention to the short opponent. He was on his hands and knees when her foot connected with his mid section. Reaper thought he saw his body lift totally off the mat. The team was providing commentary. The tall opponent started working his way to a standing position. E’Aria looked over at Reaper.

Let him stand up. They are fair game as long as they decide to stand,
Reaper thought. E’Aria turned back to face her opponent. He shook his head to clear it and raised his arms, making fists. She was counting on him charging her. She turned sideways, stuck out her left arm and motioned for him to come, a trick which Reaper had told her would piss her opponent off. Reaper was right; he yelled and charged. She took two steps forward, which he hadn’t anticipated and therefore he had no way to block the fist that hit his ribs. There was a crack and he staggered off-balance. She pivoted in a full circle, catching him in the back of the head with the back of her forearm.

His head snapped forward and his body followed. He went down and decided that was the best place to be. She turned to find the shorter one on his hands and knees again with his head turned, watching. She took two steps towards him, and he fell to the floor, curled into a fetal position.

She took a half dozen steps and a voice spoke.

“It’s not over yet.” Everyone looked over to see a huge man stand up from within a group of personnel who had been watching. Reaper looked at the captain, who was sitting stone still, staring forward and purposely not looking at the man. He noticed a small twitch at the corner of her mouth.
She set this up,
he thought.
Let those two get what they deserved and then try to salvage the reputation of the ship
. This guy looked like he had muscles on his muscles. Reaper had actually seen him a few times in the gym working out. The captain was soon going to find out that all those muscles didn’t mean shit. The other two were being helped off the mat. E’Aria walked back out into the middle. It was very quiet in the gym.

The major gave him her evil look. “Are you just going to let her go through with this?”

“Give her a chance,” Ben said. “If things go south I will be out there in two seconds.” What the audience didn’t know was that he was coaching her mentally, preparing her for this larger opponent.

E’Aria watched the big man walk out onto the mat. She noticed he walked favoring his left leg. She could see scars of a surgery or injury around his knee. She would work that side of his body. He would have to continue putting more weight on that leg as he shifted to the left to stop her. She estimated he had 100 pounds and several inches of reach on her.

She felt Reaper’s thoughts.
Take him out quick. He may try and tire you out. He knows we were working out all afternoon.

Aok attacked with a barrage of punches and kicks. She wanted to see how fast he reacted. Not too fast, she thought. He countered and threw some punches; she blocked them all, but one she blocked from her face hit her in the shoulder instead, knocking her back.
That’s going leave a bruise,
she thought to herself. She went at him again but this time brought a low kick to the left knee. He didn’t fall, but he hobbled around, cursing. She attacked again and he worked hard to keep that leg protected. He used the same pattern of punches and nothing came close.

She went at him a third time, hitting him in the chest but just getting him madder. He threw a wild right. It was exactly what she had been waiting for. She grabbed his arm as his punch missed and used it to launch herself up and onto his back. She wrapped her arm around his neck in the choke hold that Reaper had shown her and wrapped her legs around him, locking them. She squeezed with everything she had. She had to do this before he figured out a way to knock her off.