Defending Hippotigris by Smith, T.L. (intellectual books to read txt) 📕

“Better than destroying it.” Remy seemed to relax next to me. As an engineer, any plan to destroy the machine probably grated on his nerves.

I only gave him a glance, focusing on the mission, not Batista’s whispering in my head. “What about their mother ship? Any word on it?”

“Our probes haven’t detected any other ships. It may be they time their passage to avoid us. They come in, load what ore they can and take off again. So, we might have just missed them.” Schaef nodded.

“Then they’re not due back for weeks. Unless they know we called in our sister ship.”

“If they know, they haven’t notified these guys. I see no change in their operations.” Schaef faced the group, getting no more input. “Tomorrow we send our reports on the lowest broadcast range possible, then it’s a go.”

One of the officers pointed out several men. “We’ll take the shuttle.”

Schaef nodded, pleased this group seemed on top of the action. He stood up. “Hit the sack. I need you all on your top game in the morning.” He waited until all the other team leaders left, looking at me. “You too.”



Morning came with a knot of apprehension that Lizzy’s mother would say was premonition. I hoped it wasn’t, suiting up in full military battle gear. Remy sat by the fire when I came out of the tent. He had on full battle gear too.

“What are you doing?” I walked up and flipped the open epaulet. “You don’t need all this. Not here.”

Remy looked up at me. “If I was staying here.”

“You are!” Both my personalities stepped up. “There’s a big difference between basic training and assault training. Schaef!”

Remy stood up, blocking my path. “I’m going! Someone needs to be on the shuttle team who can decipher what those weapons do and figure out any changes in the original design.”

“Yes. We do.” Schaeffer stepped out of our shuttle, slinging a laser rifle over his shoulder. “Either we have someone who can instantly unscramble engines from weapons, or we destroy the shuttle.”

“Then destroy it.” I had to step around Remy. “This was never part of the deal.”

“It was!” Remy pulled me back around. “I joined the same Alliance you did, accepting the same risks you did. There were no guarantees we’d serve it all in peacetime, never having to defend our oaths.” He jerked his thumb to the rest of the teams. “I have a job to do and I’m going to do it.”

Batista raged inside me, while my Kazan half stepped back. He was right. Schaeffer said nothing, already knowing what was probably going on in my head. “Yes, you do.” Batista kept screaming at me. “I know you know this, but follow your team leader’s orders, to the letter. If you get hurt, I’ll kill you myself.”

Remy didn’t smile, but pulled me back towards him. “I’ll be careful.” He gave me a quick kiss, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “You be careful too. This is for real.”

“I know.” I reached up and fastened the epaulet to secure the rifle strap for his trek through the forest. Off to the side, Lizzy had a look of apprehension to match my insides. To my other side was his team, waiting. “You better go.”

Remy marched off with his team, greeted on the edge of the clearing by the Parredet. In seconds, they were gone.

Schaef was also readying his team to move out. I wanted to slap him, or was that Batista. I rubbed my forehead. Maybe this was reaching full integration, not knowing whose emotions were whose.

Just in case, I gave Batista a push back into the recesses of my mind. The last thing I needed was emotional distractions. I joined my team.

It wasn’t the job I picked, but dictated by Parredet. I was the equivalent of Yinet in their eyes, the leader of the humans. I could go no further than the perimeter line. As leader, I had to remain a step up, a step outside of battle in order to see the entire picture.

At least that was how Lizzy explained it. All our women soldiers, who had earned their positions, were assigned to perimeter teams, leaving the invasion to ‘the men’. Not that we wouldn’t see action.

Once the assault began, the miners and security would seek cover in the forest, where we ‘women’ would be waiting. Except for Lizzy, thankfully.

She remained at the command post with Yinet, waiting to help where ever needed as wounded were brought in to be triaged. There would be wounded and in the end we all had one job, to defend the Parredet.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Schaeffer broadcast the order.

From the tree line, our soldiers flooded out into the camp. The surprise attack worked. Miners fumbled about, confused to see Alliance bearing down on them. The ones with their wits about them pulled weapons, too slowly for the snipers in my group. They fell where they stood.

Some tried to make a run for the forest, but were tripped up by the debris they’d so carelessly tossed aside. If they made it into the trees, and past my line, the Parredet would be waiting for them. The assault was on.

From my vantage point, I could see the entire field. The miners who didn’t run looked for leadership. I followed their searching glances, seeing a cluster of armed men by the drill. They used the massive tires as shields. “Schaef! Under the drill. Expect fire from that location. Whoever’s in charge is there.”

“Confirmed!” Schaeffer waved a team around to a position to get a bead on them. At the same time I set snipers on them. I let myself look towards the shuttle. We couldn’t bring in our shuttles until we captured or destroyed theirs.

The third team’s advance party charged the plateau, reaching the shuttle with no resistance. The rear access was open wide, not a miner or security person close enough to stop them. They gave the signal for the second half of the team to rush