One Good Soldier

turned back to one of the men that had plugged a hardwire universal data port cable into one of the panel computer's readouts. The other end of the wire was in a box on his shoulder. 'Anything?'

'You're right. This control room hasn't been used in months,' the tech expert replied. 'This room was locked out. Hell, as far as I can tell the entire facility has been locked out. It's being controlled from somewhere else.'

'Somewhere else?' the CWO-4 asked.

'Looks like there is a QM wireless between the initiators and the planet below.'

'Any idea where?'

'Yep. Got it.'

'All right, pack it up then,' the chief ordered the other two. They both unplugged themselves from various panels and stowed their gear in packs. 'Madira, away party ready to return. Snap-back beacon is on.'

'Good day, Gunny.' The CWO-4 smiled and vanished in a flash of light.

'What the fuck was that all about?' Bates asked.

'Damned if I know,' Suez replied. 'You'd think they'd at least have waited for the colonel to get here.'

'So what now, Gunny?' PFC Howser asked him.

'We wait for the colonel and see what our orders are. I'd say for now, pop your lids and relax.' Tommy twisted his helmet off and tethered it over his shoulder.

'CO! CDC!'

'Go CDC!'

'Sir, we've got a massive buildup across the EM bands. There's a QMT coming in.'

'Roger that, CDC. Stay on top of it,' Rear Admiral Jefferson said over the intercom to the Combat Direction Center commander. 'XO?'

'Should be the Lincoln, the Roosevelt, and the Jefferson. It's time for them, sir,' BG Chekov answered the admiral.

'STO, is it them?'

'Can't tell yet, Admiral. Hold on, sir.' The STO tapped at his console and listened to his AIC briefly and then replied. 'Aye, sir. I'm getting their squawk, sir.'

'Good. The party was getting a little lonely.' RADM Jefferson shifted the view of the main screen to the port side where the QMT throw forward had exited. In the middle of the viewscreen were three U.S. supercarriers. Wallace sent them all a greeting via DTM.

'CO, I've got the report back from the tech team that teleported down to the facility control room,' the STO said without looking up from his station.

'Let me hear it, STO.'

'Aye, sir. The facility is completely automated from somewhere on the planet's surface. There appears to be no possible method for overriding the lock-out codes. However, the location of the planetside control room was determined as the coordinates I'm sending you now, sir, along with the rest of their report.' The STO paused for a breath.

'So we don't have to read a goddamned report, Monte, why don't you tell us where it is?' the XO snapped.

'Uh, yes, XO. I overlaid the coordinates on a topographical map of the planet. It is in the governor's mansion, sir,' Captain Monte Freeman answered.

'Well then.' The XO grinned. 'Looks like we need to send some folks to visit the capital of this fine colony, Admiral.'

'I couldn't agree with you more, XO. Get everybody off that rock, and let's get us a battleplan figured out five minutes ago. I want to hit that region in fifteen minutes.' The admiral thought about his next move. They had to have control of the facility in order to get home. Their orders were to stop the secession by taking the government of the planet anyway. This way they got to kill two birds with one stone. 'Start QMTing the personnel up and get the Starhawks out there bringing in the tanks. Let's just leave the fighter squadrons out. They can cover our approach in to the planet. Luckily for us, we only have to go straight down.'

'Roger that, Admiral.' The XO nodded in agreement. 'Ground Boss, you heard the admiral. Get our tanks in here A-S-fucking-A-P.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Admiral, I've got an idea, sir,' the STO said. 'Why bring the ground mecha squadrons in and then drop them out again?'

'You have a better idea how to get those heavy beasties off the asteroid and down to the planet, Monte?' the XO interjected.

'Uh, yes, sir. We QMT the things one at a time from the asteroid, to the ship, to the surface in one QMT control algorithm. The QMT pad in the AEM hangar is big enough to handle one tank and a few troops at a time. With the help of the Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Tyler,it should go pretty fast.' The STO pulled up a graphic displaying the speed they could do it and DTMed it to the bridge crew.

'Hmmm.' The CO rubbed at his chin. 'Might work.'

'The only problem, sir, is we need to know where to send them.'

'Larry! Get me a battlescape five seconds ago!' the admiral said to the XO.

'Aye, sir.'

'CO! CDC!' The Combat Direction Center hailed the bridge.

'Go, CDC.' RADM Jefferson adjusted his posture in his chair.

'We've got an incoming QMT, sir! EM bands through the roof!'

'Where, CDC!'

'Just inside the orbit of the second moon, about two hundred thousand