Chapter 1

“Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could just have your attention for a moment.”

The comment, said so casually by the big man at the door took the small crowd who were attending some sort of party in the computer store, totally by surprise. All of them turned and stared at the door and the man standing in it, behind him was the telltale grey nothingness that signified an interdiction field.

“An extraction!” gasped a slim blond woman near the front of the crowd.

The man nodded in acknowledgement, “That’s right Ma’am, I’m Jacque Martinne and I’m a Sergeant in the Confederacy Space Marines, my colleagues and I are here to pick up five volunteers for service with the Confederacy and then we’ll leave you to go about your business.”

Off to the Sergeant’s right two more men with similar physiques were depositing a small device on the floor. These it appeared were the colleagues he’d just casually mentioned.

The manager of the computer store moved forward with a grin on his face as the AI reported to Jacque that the man, Adrian Smallhurst, had a CAP score of six point seven and was one of the people they were here to collect.

“Sergeant, I believe that I’m one of the people that you are here to collect,” said Adrian reaching the doorway.

“I believe you are, Sir,” said Jacque before turning his attention to the crowd and raising his voice. “Could Brian Brestwork, Peter Johnson, William Vorster and Melanie Easterman also make themselves known, please,” he called clearly.

As the crowd began to mill around Adrian chatted away, “We’re just having a party to celebrate obtaining the HP franchise,” he said. “These people,” he waved his arm at the crowd, “are the store staff and their families and a few of the local people we do business with.”

“Is that so?” commented Jacque listening with half an ear as he watched the people milling around before him. Recent events, whilst worrying, hadn’t stopped the extractions, they’d just made the people involved a little more nervous and, fortunately, Jacque wasn’t working in Texas.

“Well mostly so,” said Adrian, “there are a few others who were in the shop when we started the celebration and we didn’t bother throwing them out so they just joined in,” the manager concluded happily.

A man and a woman finally managed to push through the buzzing crowd and grinning happily moved towards the Marines, Jacque nodded in greeting as off to one side a buzz announced the activation of the transporter terminus.

“Traitors!”

The yell that came from somewhere near the back of the crowd froze everyone in place.

The first bang of a handgun going off started the panic. Jacque felt the hammer blow in his left shoulder that told the former policeman that he’d been hit. Only his enlarged physique and the immediate action of the body’s nannites enabled him to respond calmly to the situation.

He grabbed Adrian with his free hand and flung him towards the transporter terminus. “Move!” he yelled, before swinging the same arm back towards the crowd.

The two volunteers who’d made it through the crowd looked startled but when the store manager was flung towards the terminus they charged after him. A small group of onlookers followed, hoping that this was their chance to get away, the Marines manning the gate let them go, the ship’s crew could sort them out later.

The frantic buzzing that came with the operation of the Marines’ stingers announced their introduction into the conflict. People started to run in all directions as bodies began dropping.

The sharp cracks of the attackers’ handguns went from the steady controlled beat to a rapid rhythm as panic set in. Innocent bystanders began to drop and Jacque made the decision to withdraw.

“Pull back,” he sub-vocalised and the two Marines by the terminus stepped through it one after the other. Jacque turned towards the gate and spotted three assailants break cover and raise their weapons. Throwing caution to the wind he took two more paces and threw himself for the gate, remembering to tell the AI to terminate the nexus as he flashed through it.

Sergeant Martinne hit the ship’s deck with an undignified and painful grunt and rolled onto his back. Around him the Fleet Auxiliary crew had corralled the people who’d made it through and despite the noise they were making had them fairly well under control.

On the deck beside the Marine was the body of a man, the back of his head neatly penetrated by a round from one of the handguns. Jacque, who’d seen more than his fair share of gunshot wounds, was glad that the remains of the face were away from him. He closed his eyes for a moment and then was forced to open them as the gate controller addressed him.

“Any more coming through?”

“I hope not,” said Jacque, “I closed the gate.” He glanced around and noted the mobile medical stations being used.

“How many are injured?” he asked.

The controller glanced at the body, “Apart from him it’s just a few sprains and bruises,” he shrugged. “They came through so fast that they just landed on top of each other, there wasn’t a lot we could do about it.”

The man noticed the wound on the Sergeants’ shoulder for the first time, “We’d better get you seen to,” he said before looking at the ceiling like so many did when they spoke to the AI.

A mobile medical station made it’s way over to the still prone Sergeant and began its diagnosis, as it clicked and whirred a bunch of Marines entered the receiving area. In the lead was the Regimental commander, Colonel Craporetti followed by the Battalion Commander Lt. Colonel O’Neill and then a whole crowd of hangers on including the relevant Sergeant Majors.

Jacque let out a groan and it had nothing to do with the pain he was feeling.

“Just stay there, Sergeant,” said the Colonel as Jacque started to move.

“OK, tell me what happened?” asked the Colonel as his group spread around the injured Marine, most of them carefully avoiding the body and the pool of blood around it.

“We were doing a pickup at a computer shop, Sir. They,” he waved his uninjured arm at the crowd of people who’d now fallen silent, “were having some sort of party which had drawn together five volunteers. We stepped through the door and put up the field and made the initial announcements. We’d just started to separate the volunteers from the crowd when someone yelled and shots were fired.”

He glanced at the medibot next to him, “I was hit at the very beginning, Sir, and as we were only carrying stingers and no armour I decided to pull back.”

“How many did you lose?”

“I couldn’t say for sure, Sir.” Jacque glanced at the body beside him, “One for sure and possibly another couple that we weren’t able to grab before we legged it.”

“Civilian casualties?”

“Several, Sir, all at the pickup site,” said the Sergeant. “Whoever it was down there were firing pretty randomly at the end and we weren’t in a position to be hit anymore.”

The Colonel nodded and then turned to one of the officers accompanying him. “Tell Task Force Earth Headquarters that we will be shifting pickups to Europe until they can give us better Intel on the hotspots down there.”

The Colonel then switched his gaze to the Battalion Commander, “Tom, get all of your people back up here and we’ll move over to Spain and start there.”

“Sir,” replied The Lt. Colonel before turning to his own people.

“You take care, Sergeant,” said the Colonel with feeling before he turned away and led his entourage off to their next meeting.

Jacque slumped back; glad that someone was looking after his Marines but his relief was tinged with regret for the people who wouldn’t have a chance now.

“All right ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your attention.”

The Colonel called the meeting to order and the small number of officers present obediently settled down. Present were two of the Regiments’ four Battalion commanders, the American Tom O’Neill and the Norwegian Erik Misfjord Lid along with their respective S2’s, Captain Helen Carter and Captain Walter Langmann who, as it happened, where both from Australia. Alongside the Colonel were his Executive officer, Sally Gunner and his S2 John Maggor.