Bio-Weapon

Neptune and Uranus herds. At least that’s how they think of us, as cattle. If Omi were awake, he’d confirm the story about their gelding plan. Think about that: cutting your balls to make you more docile. That’s what Training Master Lycon said. I heard it and so did Omi. Sure, we’re the shock troopers, the elite, the purebreds, I suppose. But what kind of future is it if we’re the premen, the Pre-Men?

He’d switched off and thought more. Finally:

MARTEN: Kang and others will tell you it is the best deal we can get. They’re probably right. The HBs won’t give you a better deal than what you already have. The truth is I’m not promising you anything new, the fact of your manhood. What I’m suggesting is to use it, to make your manhood count. Stand up like a man and take action. Or play it safe and remain a slave as you are. I heard Omi say a few weeks ago that we’re nothing more than those five-inch fighting fish at the Pleasure Palace. If that’s all you want to be, then you deserve castration. Only I don’t think that’s true, either. No one deserves that. So that’s what I think, I, Marten Kluge the Man. What do you think?

Marten turned off the recorders and played back the message. Maybe he could refine it to something perfect, but it said what he felt. When he returned inside the ship, he left the recorders in various open spots he knew they would come through. He hoped it would sway them, but he didn’t think it would. He just wanted somebody to know what he thought. Besides, it felt good to speak his mind.

Now, after 72 hours, he realized that as good as he was he couldn’t keep ahead of thirty or so expert shock troopers forever. That’s how many they kept in rotation hunting him. It was a big ship with kilometers of open corridors and spaces, but they were good and learning fast. So as little as he had in way of supplies and without Omi, he crept for the escape pods. Earlier there had been too much fighting around them. Now the escape pods would be rigged, he knew, but he had to get off the ship while there was still time. He paused, extreme fatigue pulling at his eyelids. Every part of his body ached. At times he found himself blinking, wondering how he’d walked so far. He realized he was falling asleep on his feet. Soon he’d simply keel over snoring. Then he’d probably wake up, with Kang holding a vibroknife under his chin.

The corridor was dark. Blasted utility units lay like junk on the floor. Dried blood was smeared everywhere. The corpses had been removed, whether by busy damage control vehicles or shock troopers he didn’t know or really care. To ping his radar might give away his position, so his visor was up and he washed the corridor with a helmet-lamp on low.

The Bangladesh was a cocktail of strange odors. He picked out blood, the stench of laser-burns, plasma and hot grease. The tread of his half-ton battlesuit was loud, the servomotors a constant reminder that eventually his suit might break down.

A loud click made him freeze. It came from around the corner.

He switched off the helmet-lamp and waited in darkness. No one washed radar over him and no motion detector could see what didn’t move. His eyes couldn’t adjust to complete darkness, but his fatigue caused splotches and imaginary images to dance before him. So he finally turned his beam back on. The weariness made his skin sag and his limbs tremble.

On ultra-low power, he shuffled toward the corner. He listened, but all he heard was his suit’s whine. Finally, he snarled to himself and bounded around the corner, to see two shock troopers aim heavy lasers at him.

When they didn’t fire, he washed his headlight over their helmets. Stenciled on the foreheads was LANCE, VIP.

Vip’s visor opened, although Lance’s remained shut.

Marten wanted to tramp the last few meters between them and hug the rat-faced little Vip. The crazy eyes jittered and the mashed nose was the same. Vip even managed a grin.

“Hey, Maniple Leader.”

“Hey, Vip.”

“I listened to your tape. Made some sense.”

“What about Lance? What does he think?”

“He thinks you’re crazy.”

“Is he going to shoot me?” asked Marten.

“I don’t think he’s made up his mind.”

“Where are the others?”

“Around.”

“How come you’re here, Vip?”

“Doesn’t this seem like the obvious place for you come?”

“Yeah, I suppose it does. So why isn’t everyone here?”

“They’re not as patient as me.”

Marten smiled.

“But you’re also out of luck,” Vip said.

“Why is that?”

“The other shock troops launched escape pods whenever they came upon them so the Social Unitarians couldn’t use them. Once Kang linked up with them and we took control of the ship, they launched the rest. I think maybe one got away with SU people aboard.”

Marten swayed as he felt his resolve beginning to crumble.

“Maybe that’s why some of the others didn’t stake out this area. They knew the pods were gone, so why should you try for them?”

“Yeah,” Marten said.

“So you’re out of luck.”

Marten nodded.

“If you want to come with me I’ll see that they treat you right.”

“Until the HBs show up.”

“You’ve burned your bridges, Maniple Leader. Which isn’t like you. Usually you have two plans going at once.”

“I’m a soldier. It’s what I’m supposed do.”

“Yeah,” Vip said. They looked at each other. “What should I tell Lance?”

Marten glanced at the dark visor, at the laser-tube aimed at his chest. That wasn’t a little las-rifle but the heavy-duty stuff that could penetrate battlesuit armor.

“Ask Lance if he wants it on his conscience that he’s the one who captured me so the HBs could put me in a pain booth.”

“I can answer that for him. It would bug him.”

“That’s it?” Marten said. “Just bug him?”

“Yeah. Lance is pretty set on making it out alive.”

Marten nodded. He was so tired. He wanted to quit now anyway. Instead: “I’m leaving, Vip.”

“Where can you go?”

“I don’t know. But I haven’t given up yet.”

Vip chuckled.

“If Lance’s wants to shoot now is the time.”

Vip glanced at Lance, and it seemed as if Vip listened. Then Vip grinned again. “Good-bye, Maniple Leader.”

“Good-bye, Vip. And Vip?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you leave Omi somewhere I can pick him up?”

“Maniple Leader… it’s over, finished. You’re a dead man. Do you really want to take Omi down with you?”

Marten considered that. He finally nodded. “Omi would want me to.”

“Okay. I’ll think about it.” Vip cocked his head. “You’d better go if you want to stay free for awhile.”

Marten hesitated, and then he stood at attention and saluted Vip and Lance. When Lance saluted back, Marten hurried away into the darkness.