When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (43 page)

“
It was a ship
,”
he yelled back.

             
They arrived at the impact area a moment later, out of breath and panting hard. Josh was the only one standing tall, his heart racing but his face bright with excitement. He leapt into the crater, moving quickly but cautiously toward the smoldering wreckage. From this close, it was obviously Terran, and most likely a smaller craft. The glass canopy had held up remarkably well, and the impact-absorbing polymaterial had deployed as designed, completely engulfing the pilot inside. Josh stepped in closer, donning his gloves and pulling at the canopy to break it apart.

             
“Come on
,”
he said
.“
The pilot ca
n’
t last forever in this stuff
.”
He waved for his friends to join him
.“
Put on protection, this shit will get under your skin and stay there
.
”

             
“It sounded like a bomb going off
,”
Dax said
.“
You think anything will be left
?
”

             
Josh looked up at his friend
.“
Deceleration rockets. Look at the crater
.”
He pointed at the three large black circles around the crater
.“
These pods touch down gentler than a Valkyrie
.
”

             
Dax jumped in, lending his strength to the task. He ripped the hull apart, chucking huge pieces over his shoulder. Zev took the other side, and together the three pried the escape pod loose, leaving just the white, spongy foam. Josh reached into the substance, rooting around for something to grab. He grunted with effort, finding what felt like an arm and pulling hard. Slowly, a hand emerged. Zev grabbed the arm under the elbow and they removed the pilot, carefully laying him on the ground next to the wreckage.

             
“Careful with his neck
.”
Alexa shouted from the edge of the crater
.“
He might be injured. I called for a medic already
.
”

             
Josh unstrapped the pilo
t’
s helmet but left it on. He loosened the ma
n’
s suit and unlaced his boots. Dax popped the snaps on the pressure cuffs that looped around the pilo
t’
s arms and legs. The ma
n’
s uniform identified him as an SP pilot from Luna wing. Underneath the crescent patch was another, a small broken wall over a raised fist. Josh shared a look of confusion between the other soldiers. They threw sand on the flames to douse them, allowing the cool night air back into the pit. Josh wrinkled his nose at the acrid stink that permeated the crash site. Dax slumped down against the ramped earth, grunting with the effort. He took off his vest, sweat shining on his bulging arms.

             
“Damn, Josh. I need a month off after this
.
”

             
The pilot groaned, hands reaching for his helmet. Josh grabbed him by the arms and firmly held them in place.

             
“Do
n’
t move
,”
Josh said
.“
You may be injured
.
”

             
The pilot struggled for a moment but settled down quickly
.“
Where am I
?
”

             
“Kronos. You crashed our little victory party
.
”

             
“Yeah, tha
t’
s the sort of thing I do
,”
the pilot said.

             
Dax and Zev laughed. Josh eased the ballistic visor back on the ma
n’
s helmet, revealing a pair of bloodshot blue eyes. The pilot lifted his hand weakly, which Josh took in his own.

             
“Nam
e’
s Cameron. Cameron Davis
.
”

             
“Joshua Rantz
.”
Josh grinned
.“
I
t’
s nice to meet you, Cameron. Any particular reason you decided to crash yourself on this sorry piece of rock
?
”

             
Ca
m’
s gaze drifted toward the sky
.“
Better than wha
t’
s out there
.”
His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

             
Alexa popped a flare and waved down a medical shuttle as it neared the training area. Behind the craft, several transports appeared, headed toward a clearing near the fort. Dax stood, stretching his limbs. He helped Zev up and they walked over to Josh and the injured pilot.

             
“Picked a pretty good place to land
,”
Zev said.

             
Dax nodded
.“
Lucky. Must have a whole squadron of angels on his shoulders
.
”

             
He looked up as two combat medics slid down the ramp into the crater, dragging a litter between them. They pushed Josh aside and gently moved Cameron onto the stretcher, strapping him onto the board with nylon belts. With a silent countdown, they lifted the pilot up and onto their shoulders and began to climb up and out. Zev and Dax moved alongside, spotting them from falling. Josh followed behind, but glanced over his shoulder at the last remnants of flames.

             
What was going on up there, he wondered. And how the hell had a pilot from Sol made it all the way out here?

-                           
XV                            -

November 25, 2236

              Josh never felt comfortable in his dress grays. The uniform looked great, no doubt about that, but h
e’
d never seen the military as a career. H
e’
d enlisted looking for money to pay for university, a decision he never regretted but often thought about. It certainly had thrown a curve in his ten-year plan. But without the Army, ther
e’
d be no way his family could have afforded to send him to school. The Colonial Military Education bill was his only hope at higher education, and he had loftier goals than working at some nine-to-five the rest of his life.

             
The banquet wall was elaborately decorated. Round tables filled the floor space, surrounded by comfortable chairs. Each setting had a full assortment of silverware, giving the whole affair a more elegant air than just a military ball. Josh had to admit, he found it more interesting than gaudy. H
e’
d grown up in a working-class family and never seen a truly elegant dinner before. In his class-A uniform, Josh made an impressive figure. Dax, on the other hand, could
n’
t have looked more out of place. The man was simply a mountain, even without eighty pounds of gear.

             
They walked into the room, Dax towering over the other soldiers, and looked for their table. Alexa waved at them from across the room, holding out two chairs. She looked stunning in her formal wear, and her hair was neatly tied in a Martian braid. The two men crossed the floor briskly, not wanting to get sucked into conversation with any of the brass. Josh knew it should
n’
t bother him, but talking with officers always seemed somewhat forced. Most of the lieutenants were his age or younger, and the field grades just seemed out of touch with the soldiers.

             
“Can you guys believe this
?”
Alexa asked. She gave Josh a short hug and squeezed Da
x’
s arm
.“
I mean,
I’
ve been to some swanky dining-ins, but this is amazing
.
”

             
“Definitely not what I excepted
,”
Josh said. His voice was distant.

             
Dax leaned over
.“
Are you OK
?
”

             
“
I’
m still dealing with everything else tha
t’
s going on
.
”

             
It had been quite a shock, coming home from the games only to find that something unimaginable had been taking place. The battle at Sol, the attack in New York, the loss of Tallus. The universe seemed to have gone crazy during the few months they were on Kronos. He did
n’
t understand why they did
n’
t let them know. Why the games continued during these awful weeks. Surely the Army could have used a few more troops to secure government sites, or to help retake the Galactic Media Tower. Many of the soldiers had family on Tallus, or at the very least friends and relatives. And even more knew those in New York.

             
There had been a mini-riot when the
y’
d first come home. Mailboxes were full of letters from mothers and fathers, husbands and wives all wanting to know if their loved one was still alive. Some of the senior NCOs had gone to the command board demanding answers for the media blackout. Why had so much been kept from the soldiers? Even the officers were up in arms, defending their Compan
y’
s right to know. Almost a third of the Battalion had lost someone in the last few months, and to find out this way had been heartbreaking. Every soldier wore an orange ribbon on their lapel, in memory of those lost on Tallus.

             
Alexa sipped on her glass of white wine
.“
I
t’
s surreal
,”
she said
.“
I mean, w
e’
re actually becoming friends with aliens. Real live aliens
.”
Alexa had been lucky. Her family lived on Earth in a small town in the Americas. Aside from a hilarious message from her father, she was untouched by the chaos.

             
“They look so strange
,”
Dax said
.“
I mean, they look human. Well, not
human
, but they have arms and legs and everything
.
”

             
“Humanoid
,”
Josh said, detached
.“
I wonder what the
y’
re like. Whether we can actually trust them
.
”

             
Sergeant Felix sat down at the table, nearly spilling his two beers
.“
Good evening, bitches
.”
He belched. His face was bright red
.“
Did you guys see the open bar? This is great. And Alph
a’
s buying the shots
.
”

             
“The
y’
re free, Felix
.”
Josh smiled weakly.

             
Felix gave a toothy grin
.“
But Alpha has to wait by the bar for us
.”
He collapsed into a chair and nursed his drinks.

             
“This is awful fancy for an end-of-training banquet
,”
Alexa said
.“
You think the
y’
re going to cancel the leave passes? I bet they do. Would
n’
t make sense to let everyone go off and play when w
e’
ve got an intergalactic war to fight
.”
She teetered precariously for a moment, only to be steadied by Da
x’
s huge hand on her shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.

             
Josh did
n’
t answer. He was watching the main table at the front of the room. General Casey had taken his seat, along with a few other senior staff. The Post Commander stared out at the sea of gray uniforms with one clear blue eye. His cybernetic patch covered the business end of a scar that ran from temple to jaw across his face. The old man seemed weighed down by the sheer volume of medals and ribbons and cords lashed to his uniform. At 70, he was a veteran of more battles than anyone had a right to survive. Down the table, a wiry young man with slick hair and glasses sat near the end. Brigadier General Hennesy, the post XO, took to the podium and tapped on the microphone, silencing the room.