Chapter Five
September 14, 2506
Astro Corps Academy
PT Training Grounds
08:00 GST-Z
“Today the training ground is set up for a game of capture the flag. Drone turrets are programmed to fire randomly. Do not get hit. If you are hit, the suit will immobilize you. You will be stuck on the field, but you’ll have the best seat in the house. If you are immobilized, you are dead. There are six bunkers, one for each team of eight. Do you get me?”
“We get you, Gunny Jenkins!” the cadets echoed.
“Boundary fencing is the out-of-bounds. Cross it, and your suit will lock you down. We have ten games today. The mission clock is set for two hours. Your teams will devise a strategy for taking rival team flags. Once captured, that team is eliminated. Take as many flags as possible. Do I make myself clear?”
“Very clear, Gunny Jenkins!” the cadets called back.
Kat looked around until she spotted Fran. That was a comfort. PT days were always hard, but this one had the illusion of fun, and she knew better. The Academy had a way of taking fun and turning it into something that broke the body and mind.
“Linares, Maxon, Littlefield, Burkett, Vena, Orinix, Willard, Hildebrant, and Ofangu, step forward. Report to Corporal Smythe. You are squad leaders. You will choose your team color, grab your flag, and select your teams. When your name appears on the viewscreen at midfield, report to your squad leader. Understood?”
“Clearly, Gunny Jenkins.” Cadets called out.
“At ease. Watch for your names.”
Kat watched Linares head toward Corporal Smythe. The Marines ran PT training, and they seemed to enjoy breaking Fleet and Infantry cadets under their watch. Kat decided she wouldn’t be one of them. Still, it stung that Linares had been picked to lead. She thought she'd done enough in Jenkins' eyes to earn a squad.
Kat studied him. Good-looking. Confident—maybe too confident. He could win people over with raw charisma. Everyone liked Linares. Kat did. She also knew Fran had a soft spot for him, though Fran seemed to have a soft spot for any guy who filled out a uniform nicely.
Kat noticed Linares and Littlefield in what looked like a tense exchange. Linares wore his trademark smile, still charming even mid-argument.
Be honest, Kat. If he smiled at you like that, you'd melt.
She rolled her eyes at herself.
Probably.
But she doubted Littlefield would be flattered.
She would’ve given anything to hear what they were arguing about.
Linares and Littlefield stood off to the side, each holding a data pad. Gunny had given them ten minutes to finalize their selections. The tension was thick.
“I want Corsaci,” Littlefield said flatly. His British accent made it sound more like a command than a request.
Linares shook his head. “No deal. Fran’s mine.”
Littlefield raised a brow. “She’s an engineer. She’ll fold in ten minutes.”
“She’s smarter than she lets on,” Linares said. “Knows tech, good instincts. I need that. Especially on this turret-laced field.”
Littlefield frowned. “Then give me Walters.”
Linares crossed his arms. “No. I need fire and grit. Walters has both, even if she’s stubborn.”
Littlefield sighed. “Then who?”
“Benes. Solid engineer. Quiet. Follows orders. You’ll like him.”
Littlefield paused. “And who do I send your way?”
“Mason.”
Littlefield blinked. “Bit of a wild card, but… fine.”
They tapped their data pads and confirmed the trade. Littlefield turned away without a word. Linares glanced down at his final roster and let out a slow breath.
Kat saw her name appear under Team Orange. She read it twice. Linares was her squad leader. Other names: Fran Corsaci, Gregory Guggenheim, Dalton Mason, and Natalie Mishner. The others were strangers.
“Walters, on the double! Stop staring and start stepping!” Gunny barked.
“Yes, Gunny!” she shouted, breaking into a sprint.
“Standing around lost in thought is why some people don’t make squad leaders. We need action and grit, Walters. Do you got any?” Gunny stepped behind her continuing to shout.
“Yes, Gunny Jenkins!”
She doubted that pleased him. He rode her harder than most. Whenever he ran PT, she was his favorite target.
She reached the bunker last.
Damn it, Kat. Step up. Remember what Harrigan said. Don’t let the endurance trial be the highlight of your cadet career.
“What did you have, a date? Where the hell have you been?” Fran greeted her with a grin.
“You too, Fran? Gunny Jenkins is on my ass!”
“Going for the older gruff-and-tumble type, huh?” Fran teased.
“Really, Fran? Do you ever know when to quit?” Kat snapped.
Fran flinched. Her smile vanished.
Kat felt a stab of guilt but wasn’t ready to apologize. Not now. Not when her blood was still boiling.
“Sorry, just kidding,” Fran muttered, glancing away.
“Frannie, stow the chatter. We’ve got twenty minutes,” Linares said, winking at her.
Fran smiled again, clearly pleased.
Oh, brother, Kat thought. Linares shot her a stern look.
He expected more from me, she realized.
Of course he did. He knows what I’m capable of.
“Walters, I need you with us. Don’t be late again,” Linares said.
“Yes, sir,” she replied with a note of snark.
“Here’s the deal. We can use comms, but no scanners, no targeting systems.”
“Our helmets are going to kill our vision,” Mishner said.
“That’s part of the test. Also, we’re carrying packs simulating seventy pounds of gear.” Linares said.
“There’s the old Jungle Gym of Doom kicking in,” Fran said, slapping Linares on the back.
“It’s Gunny’s game. You know he’s got it stacked.”
Linares paced. “Once the game starts, there’s no leaving the field unless you’re injured. No rest. No water. The bunker has a waste extraction system, so use it now if you need it. Otherwise, you’ll find out.” Linares smiled.
“The suit recycles and purifies the fluid,” Mason added.
It was the first time Kat had heard him speak. She recognized him from Early Galactic Alliance History. He usually kept to himself.
“There are five vaults in our section of the field. Once we lock the flag in one, it stays. Each vault will require either a cognitive puzzle—logic, spatial reasoning, math—or a manual override. Some will need time, muscle, or teamwork.”
He tapped his data pad. “I want to station the flag at the vault near turret six. It’s exposed, which makes it look like bait. The turret fires randomly and will keep people away.”
Kat frowned. “That’s exactly why it’ll be the first place anyone checks. It’s close to red team’s border and the terrain’s open. If I were leading red, I’d go there first.”
Linares’ smile vanished. “Maybe that’s why Gunny made me team leader.”
“Or maybe he’s testing whether we can think like the enemy,” Kat said.
Fran stepped between them. “Come on, we don’t have time for this.”
Linares exhaled hard. “We’re locking the flag at turret six. Kat, I want you on overwatch behind the barricade. You’re our best shot.”
“It’s not much of a shot,” she muttered, arms crossed.
“Where would you put it?”
“Turret ten. It’s in a corner, harder to access, easier to defend. There’s a pillbox next to it. We could post two cadets there and pick off anyone approaching.”
“That’s exactly why they’ll expect us to put it there. Maybe that’s why I’m leading this squad.” Linares glared at her.
“Maybe, sir. But I think you’re overthinking it.”
“Enough,” Fran said. “Linares made the call. We follow it.”
“I know how it works,” Kat replied. “I also know how it fails.” She pointed at turret six on the map, then stepped back.
Linares’s helmet buzzed. “Linares, plant Orange Team’s flag. You have three minutes.”
He left the bunker.
Greg Guggenheim approached Kat. “I think you’re right. But they pick leaders for a reason. Maybe he sees something we don’t. Isn’t that what the Corps is about?”
Kat looked up at him. He towered over her, battlesuit making him seem even broader.
“I know I’m right.” Kat said.
“Sometimes the difference between right and dead is knowing when to follow.”
He handed her a kinetic pack and helped her sling it over her shoulders.
“These will simulate seventy pounds once activated. Brace when the timer starts or you’ll hit the ground.” Mason said.
“When trouble comes, open the gates wide,” Mishner said.
Fran blinked. “Meaning?”
“When trouble comes, you’ll understand.”
Linares returned. “Five minutes. Gather around. Here’s where I want you, and here’s our attack plan.”
Kat leaned in, trying to spot the brilliance. She didn’t see it.
We’re going to lose, she thought.
And it won’t be because of the game. It’s because our leader is too intimidated by me to listen to reason.