We spent the rest of the day making more Improvised Explosive Devices and watching for the Orcs to return. They didn’t, and I felt lucky for the break. I even managed to nap in the afternoon. When night fell, I went back out and set more traps for the Orrkasi. There was no doubt in my mind that they would return at some point. When they did, I wanted us to be ready.
It was late when I climbed back up the mountain and into basecamp. We were sheltering in a cavern. I wasn’t sure if wind or water had carved the amphitheater-shaped cavern in the rock of the mountain, but it was a welcome sight with its sand-covered floor and sloping ceiling. I filled a shaker cup with water and dumped in grape-flavored vitamin mix. There were camp chairs, and I sank into one. Rubbing my knee through the heavy armor suit wasn’t very effective, but I did it anyway.
“Long day,” Jordan said as she joined me.
It was late enough that the rest of the survivors from the Rihla were asleep. The lieutenant was on watch, monitoring the video feed from Scout 2.
“It has been,” I replied. “But at least we were ready for them.”
“You think they might come back?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“But they aren’t trying to colonize this world,” Jordan pointed out. “They’ve got a small camp. Temporary shelters. Their cannons are the only thing of merit.”
“That you saw,” I pointed out. “But they have at least one ship in orbit now. And for all we know, there could be a hundred Orrkasi cities on other parts of the planet. Either way, we’re a threat, and they’ll keep coming at us until we’re dead.”
“That’s a grim view of things,” Jordan said.
“Someone once said that you should hope for the best but plan for the worst. That’s all I’m doing. Humans and Orcs can’t live together. One will always exterminate the other.”
“Yeah, well, hopefully the fleet will show up soon and do the heavy lifting for us,” she said.
She didn’t really mean it. We both knew the fleet wouldn’t arrive for at least six weeks. And if they did arrive early, it would be a disaster since the Orrkasi had a weapon that could destroy our ships from the ground.
“I think the camp is secure,” I told her. “When do you want me to leave for the Orrkasi camp?”
We only used one lantern in the cavern at night. The last thing we wanted was to give away our position by making the crevice through the mountain glow with artificial light. I couldn’t really make out her face. I could see the shape of it and catch a feature or two, but my mind was filling in the blanks. Still, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“Soon,” she replied, but she sounded doubtful.
“Having second thoughts?” I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders, which was barely noticeable in the heavy armor suit she was wearing. But I noticed it and I felt sorry for her. She had taken the weight of the responsibility for our small group of survivors, and it was a burden. I was the only person trained for ground combat. Everyone was looking to us, and I could handle that, but Jordan was fresh out of Officer Training School. She should be on a ship, learning about each system and the roles of the senior officers. Instead, she was stuck in a cave with a few strung-out and frightened people, trying to keep them all alive.
“Of course I am,” she said softly. “We were so lucky today.”
I nodded. “Yes, we were.”
“It makes sense getting to that weapon and shutting it down,” she continued. “But is it even possible?”
“Anything is possible—especially when you’re willing to trade your life for the mission.”
“And you’re willing to die to destroy that cannon?”
I could hear the terror in her voice, but I nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, I’m not willing to lose you,” she said.
“This place is safe,” I said, trying to reassure her. “It would take a thousand Orcs to get past the defenses we set up.”
“Or they could land five kilometers away and blow the top of the mountain off with their new weapons,” she countered.
“We’ll see it before it happens,” I replied. “We have contingencies.”
“I know,” she nodded. “I know what needs to be done, but I can’t keep from thinking about being all alone again, especially at night. I have nightmares.”
“That’s normal,” I said. “They’ll pass.”
“I don’t think so,” she said in a soft voice, full of despair. “I think I’ll always see the empty expanse of desert, followed by the alien ship running me down.”
“You made it, though.”
“Because of you.”
“No,” I replied. “I might have given you the opportunity, but you seized it. You’re a strong woman, Jordan. You saw the chance to get away, and you made it happen. You’ll be an incredible ship captain one day.”
There was a pause, and I knew what she was thinking: she wouldn’t make first lieutenant, much less captain, if we didn’t survive being stranded on Leonis B. Part of her wanted to hide and hope that the fleet would come to our rescue. I knew how she felt because I felt the same way. It was natural to want to run away from danger, but I had been trained to overcome that fear. We were alone on the world, and yet I couldn’t deny the duty that lay before me. There was a target, and I needed to destroy it. It was simple and absurd at the same time.
“Tomorrow,” she said softly. “We’ll make our plans in the morning. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“I will,” I told her, although part of me wanted to stay up with her.
I wanted to comfort her. In fact, I wanted to pull off her helmet, take her in my arms, and kiss away her fears. But that wasn’t going to happen. She had made that clear enough. Flirting with me when we were on the Rihla was one thing. It had been innocent enough—just a game to help pass the time—but she wasn’t actually interested in romance with a charred piece of gristle like me. And who could blame her?
The next morning, I began packing enough supplies for my mission. As the rest of the group woke up, I could feel them watching me. Trix joined me near the crates where we’d set up the rations and filtered water. She began to make herself a cup of coffee from the powder we had taken from the wreckage of the Rihla .
“Looks like you’re going somewhere,” Trix said casually.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Looks that way.”
“Tell me you’re not going on a suicide mission to the Orrkasi camp,” she said. “You know that was never Captain Dunning’s orders.”
“She didn’t think past getting the signal out. I don’t think she expected any of us to survive that mission.”
“And we wouldn’t have, if not for you,” Trix pointed out. She was whispering, but there was an urgency in her voice. “Lieutenant Holly is way out of her depth. You should be in charge. Captain Dunning saw that. Surely you can’t throw your life away to please a second lieutenant who’s fresh out of OTS.”
“She’s the ranking officer,” I replied. “We’re all doing the best we can. You’re in charge of basecamp security until I get back. Without a drone you’ll have to—”
“I know all of that! But I can’t do what you can do. None of us can. Don’t leave…please.”
“I have to.”
“Why?” Trix asked. “Because no one would blame you for telling Lieutenant Holly where to shove her orders. I’ve spoken to everyone. Trip agrees with me, so does Shanon and Ilsa. Even Mort doesn’t want you to go.”
I set my pack down on the crate and looked at Trix. There was concern in her eyes, but also fear—and it was fear that was motivating her pleas.
“We’re stuck here until the fleet comes,” I said, knowing full well that the fleet might never come for us. But I had to support the idea that the fleet would rescue us. Without that hope, we would fall into despair. “And I know it would be easier to run and hide, but we have an obligation to fight back. If the Orcs can shoot down our ships in orbit, we’ve got a real problem. I’m probably the only person who can throw a wrench into their plans.”
“It doesn’t have to be you,” Trix insisted. “If she’s so certain that we have to do this, then she should do it.”
“She doesn’t have the training—I do. Besides, the Orcs will never see us coming. They know there aren’t many of us, and they’ll never dream that we would attack them.”
“It doesn’t mean you’ll survive,” she said. “We can’t lose you.”
I smiled. After the disaster on Luyten C, I had lost all confidence in myself. When I was assigned to the Rihla and given the duty of master-at-arms, it felt like I had been shoved aside, forced into some menial task in which I wouldn’t be in the way of the real Marines. Crashing on Leonis B had been frightening, and yet it had also tested me. Surviving on an unexplored world had actually given me my confidence back. It felt good, and I knew that despite the dangers, I did want to take the fight to the Orcs. I wanted them to fear us—to fear me .
“None of us are replaceable,” I said, turning to look at the rest of the group who were pretending not to watch Trix try to persuade me to stay. “Everyone here is important, and everyone is more capable than they give themselves credit for.”
“But we ain’t fighters,” Trip said, putting down the device he was tinkering with. “We don’t have your experience or skill.”
“You did fine on the mountain,” I said.
“You led us in that battle,” Trix insisted. “Even Captain Dunning listened to you.”
“Okay,” I said. “Then you all listen to me. We’re in a bad situation on this world, but we can’t hide and hope to survive for long. We have to be aggressive and keep the Orrkasi guessing. When I’m out there keeping them busy, you’ll all be safe here.”
“It’s not right for you to hide, but it’s okay for us?” Seaman Ilsa McShera asked. She was a bright young woman and a courageous medical tech. We were lucky to have her in our group.
“You aren’t hiding,” I said. “You’re holding this position. For now, this is the most important asset we have on this planet. We’ve gotten lucky here and given the Orcs a bloody nose. They’re afraid of this place. It’s our best chance to hold out until the fleet arrives.”
“So stay and defend it with us,” Trix asked.
None of us saw Jordan return to the cavern. I assumed she was in her tent sleeping, but she had been on watch all night long. She stepped into the cavern and pulled off the helmet she was wearing.
“He has his orders,” she said. “We have ours.”
Trix turned around, her face pinched with anger. “You gave those orders, and they’re asinine. You’re going to get us all killed.”
“Calm down,” I said, putting a hand on Trix’s shoulder.
“I’ll let that pass,” Jordan said, “because I know you’re all scared. And rightfully so. This isn’t what any of us expected when we set out from the shipyards at Titan. But I’m the ranking officer here. You don’t have to like it, but we will follow military protocol and uphold the chain of command until we are rescued.”
“No offense, Lieutenant,” Trip said, “but going after that weapon is extremely dangerous. I think we should reconsider that objective.”
“You think I haven’t reconsidered it?” Jordan said.
I felt bad for her. The stress of our situation was wearing on her, seemingly more than her captivity at the hands of the Orcs had. There were bags under her eyes, and her voice was strained. Yet she was determined just the same, and I couldn’t help but admire her resolve.
“I’ve done nothing but contemplate our situation since we crashed here,” she continued. “I’ve seen the Orrkasi camp. I know what they’re doing. Even if the fleet came to rescue us today, they would be destroyed. Is that what you want?”
The rest of the group, including myself, were quiet. We didn’t want to think of our powerful fleet of interstellar ships being defeated in battle. It was unthinkable. In some ways, it was even more terrifying than being stranded all alone on Leonis B.
“No,” Jordan went on, pressing her point home. “We can’t let that happen. None of us want to die, and we don’t want Staff Sergeant Vanhorn to get killed. I understand that. But we have an obligation as members of the fleet. It’s our duty to stop the Orcs. We can’t shrink from that purely out of fear.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Trix retorted. “It isn’t your neck on the line.”
“It’s all of our necks on the line,” Jordan shot back. “And while the rest of you are here holding this position, I’ll be with Staff Sergeant Vanhorn infiltrating the Orrkasi camp. So perhaps you should rethink your position, Corporal Finnegan.”
“Wait, what?” I said. “You’re coming with me?”
“Like I said, Staff Sergeant. I’ve been in the Orrkasi camp. Besides, you need someone watching your six. I gave the order, and I’ll back it up. While I’m gone, Petty Officer Malik is in charge. You are to hold this camp and stay hidden. Rotate the watch, stay out of sight, and if worse comes to worst, you flee to the canyons.”
“Aye, Lieutenant,” Trip said.
“Staff Sergeant, are you ready?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah,” I said, giving Trix the most reassuring look I could. “I’m ready.”
“Outstanding. Let’s move out.”
She almost sounded like a Marine, but there was a note of dread in her voice. Fighting the Orrkasi in their camp was suicide. If I could get in and out without being detected, there was a slight chance that our mission would succeed. But attacking the Orcs would turn the tables on us. We couldn’t hit them and run when there was no cover on the open plains of the desert. We would be helpless to flee, with no hope of fighting them off. Still, if we could destroy their weapon, it would be worth it—at least that was what I kept telling myself.
I put on my helmet, slung my pack over my shoulders, and connected the harness over my chest. Finally, I picked up my rifle and gave the rest of the group a short little wave. They were all watching me. Even Mort had sat up and was staring at me. All I could do was turn and follow Jordan out of our basecamp and hope that my friends would be safe—but in war, there are no guarantees.