Universe of the Soul (2 page)

An impressive set of positions
, she thought to herself. Adri glanced down at the holoboard again. “I see that you are only a step away from a promotion,”

Gray shrugged. “Perhaps,”

His nonchalance made her lips twitch. “Well, we'll see if we can manage to pull it off before too much longer.” She walked inside the building, which was quieting down for the night. “Yours is on the right, mine is on the left, if you have any questions and cannot reach me by communicator.”

He nodded.

“Well then, I am going to turn in. I'll give you your instructions tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Gray continued to stand and continued to stare. Adri wondered at it, even as she continued to stand and stare at him.

“What made you request a transfer from Turotia?” She asked suddenly.

Gray gave her a strange smile. Stepping towards his door he replied, “I came for you, Adri.”

“What?” Adri stared at him, gaping.

Gray simply went inside his quarters and shut the door.

Frowning now, Adri stared at the closed door in contemplation. The man obviously knew his appeal, and thought that she would be an easy conquest. Well, she'd prove him wrong. No one took advantage of Adrienne Rael! And no one called her Adri. That was far too familiar a nickname for a fellow officer to address her as. She would have to have a firm talk with him tomorrow.

I don't suppose my growing up years were more troublesome than most. My parents married in haste, and regretted it almost before the license was processed. I was probably conceived in some sort of drunken orgy, or so my mother always complained, because she had never wanted to have kids, especially a boy who would be messy and get into trouble and follow her husband; a man whom she detested with a passion that startled and frightened a five year old boy. No, Wallace and Hester Grayson did not want to be married, and especially didn't want the child they had made between them.

They never beat me, so I can't complain on that score. I guess the worst of it would be that they often forgot I existed. But then, that was only a problem when I was hungry…which, as a small, growing boy, was most the time. Sometimes they would remember I was there if there was something they wanted me to do, or if my old man was drunk and wanted someone to yell at when my mother was gone.

Generally, life was awful, but I didn't mind much because I really didn't know the difference.

Then, when I was five, they decided that they would quit wailing about how they hated being married and actually do something to rectify it. Their divorce took nearly two years, mostly because they both wanted all they could get, but neither wanted me. In the end, I was placed in foster care for about eight months, with a perfectly nice older couple by the name of Dalspeth, until my maternal grandmother, Judith Bari, stepped in to claim me.

I guess my life really got started when she came into it. She always told me that she would have come sooner if she had known where her daughter was living, and I believe her, to this day. She lived alone, my grandfather having died about ten years prior to my arrival.

When we arrived at her home, out in the rural district outside Shale, she gave me my most important lesson. “Life is full of mysteries, Thaddeus. Sometimes you figure them out, and others leave you wondering for the whole of your life. The only things we can know for sure are that every life has meaning, and a purpose. Some people find out what the purpose is early on, and some of us have to search long and hard for it.”

“So why was I born, grandma?” I'd asked.

She smiled. She had a nice smile. “Well, for now, you were born so that I could have someone to love. But there will be other reasons. Someday you'll find a person you were born to love. What fate has in store, who can say?”

Yes. Who can say?

T
he shudder of bombs exploding at close range jarred Adri out of a sound sleep only seconds before the proximity alarm went off. She rolled expertly out of bed and donned her armor. Adri only paused to check the reading on her Accelerated Transition Firearm, or ATF, before grabbing her helmet and dashing outside.

She nearly collided into Gray, who was also fully suited up. “This happen often?” he asked mildly, following her to a shelled out ruin that had once been the information bureau of the town, where the security and communication center had been temporarily installed.

“Not often, but enough,” Adri replied, still somewhat surprised at his presence. She was usually the first officer to arrive at the command center, fully armed and ready for any situation. It both pleased and vaguely alarmed her that her new field lieutenant was just as prepared as she was.

“Good morning,” Duane grumbled as Adri approached him. His blue-black hair was sticking up, and he was scowling at the viewscreens in his station.

“What do we have?” Adri asked.

“Several sizable plasma bombs, all around the weak shield generator. Another good barrage and that generator is going to fail.” He rubbed his brilliant magenta chin.

“Sounds like they knew where to hit,” Gray thought aloud. “If they knew there was a weak generator in our shielding system, and plastered it with plasma bombs, then they won't be stupid enough to leave it at that.”

Adri nodded in agreement, still staring at the screen that showed the weak north shield generator.

“They've never tried something that complex,” Duane said, turning to Gray.

“Have they ever bombed the shields before?” Gray asked.

Duane shrugged. “Well, yeah, but our shields are pretty tough.”

“Then it's possible that they've come up with some sort of new strategy,” Gray argued. “Have they ever concentrated on a weak generator before?”

“No,” Duane admitted, and then scowled. “Are you saying something about my generators?”

Gray smiled. “Never think it,”

Duane nodded in acceptance. “Good. You know, you're a great improvement over Rumman.”

“Was that the last field lieutenant?”

“Yeah. The guy had ‘inept' tattooed across his forehead. The only reason he made field lieutenant was that he had high connections in the government. Aristocratic snob – er, begging your pardon, Lieutenant… what was your name?”

“Grayson. And you would be?”

“Duane.”

Gray frowned. “No last name?”

“Well, yeah, but trust me, you don't want to hear it.”

Adri ignored their conversation, still staring at the viewscreen contemplatively. Gray and Duane barely heard her when she murmured, “It's an assault,”

“What?” Duane demanded.

Gray was more astute. “Once they have the north shield down, do you think that they will attack at once, or wait until we've panicked?”

“Panicked?” Duane repeated, looking ready to do just that.

“If I was them, and had planned this so far, then I would wait, maybe try to send in a few behind the shields to take out the remaining generators, and then mass a full broadside before my enemy had time to boot up the backup shielding system.” Adri replied.

“They're gonna blow my shields?!” Duane cried, and was ignored.

“Then I suppose we ought to mass in front and keep anyone from coming through the shields,” Gray said, watching Adri.

Adri shook her head. “They haven't taken the north shield out yet, but it's going to be soon, so that we don't have time to repair it.”

Another, smaller blast rent the air. Duane groaned. “My poor shields!”

Just then, Captain Albert Heedman made his belated entrance into the control room. “Lieutenant Commander Rael! What in Danwe's name is going on?”

Gray got his first look at his superior officer. The man was short, stout, and balding. His uniform was impeccable, right down to the neatly shined boots. All his pins and medals hung in perfect alignment from his jacket. The only thing that could show that he had risen in the wee hours of the morning was the fact that his eyes were a little bleary, and greatly annoyed.

“The Belligerent Coalition is currently attempting to dismantle our north shield generator, and, once it is down, to launch a full scale assault upon the camp.” Of course, most of that was Adri's speculation, but she knew from past experience to give her captain the worst possible scenario so that he would give her enough clearance to handle the threat.

“By Danwe! What a dastardly thing to do in the middle of the night!” Heedman exclaimed.

Gray thought that the statement was a bit overdone. After all, they were in the midst of a war.

Heedman shook his head, as if despairing at the state of the world that allowed the enemy to attack at night. “Those evil blighters! Lieutenant Rael! Show those scum who they're dealing with!”

“Yes sir,” Adri replied dutifully.

“Give them what-for. Report back to me when they're gone.” he turned to leave, but then stopped when he spotted Gray. “Who are you?”

Gray saluted. “Field Lieutenant Thaddeus Grayson, late of the Turotian regiment.”

Heedman waved his hand. “Well then. Carry on.”

Gray watched him depart. “That was it?”

“The Captain isn't given to much public appearance,” Adri replied dryly. “Let's get to work.”

Adri and Gray huddled just inside the north end of the shield, assessing the damage to the generator. The first explosion had been caused by a number of plasma bombs going off simultaneously. The second had been only one. However, it would only take another explosion to destroy the generator core completely.

Around them huddled two squads of soldiers. Their plans complete, Adri gave the signal to her sergeant, who would be leading one half of the squad, then beckoned Gray over. “You're coming with me until I can see what you're like in combat.”

Gray nodded.

Signaling to her squadron, Adri led the way up to the glowing wall that marked the boundary of the shielding. Automatically she shoved on her helmet, secured it to the collar of her suit, and checked her ATF reading. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gray doing the same thing.

[Oduran to Rael,] her communicator squawked.

[Rael here,] she replied, giving her squad a cursory glance. All were ready.

Her sergeant went on, [White squadron is in position. We're awaiting your command.]

Gray turned and nodded to her. He obviously was taking his full rights to listen in on the officer's frequency.

Adri took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. [Rael to all units. Proceed with the defense of the camp.] With that, she walked towards the shield barrier, and sprinted through it. It was a type XI Colok defense shielding system, which, when activated, allowed anything to go out of the shields, but allowed nothing to come in. As her squad followed her example, Adri knew that they were essentially barred from the camp with the enemy for as long as the shields stood.

[Nice night,] came a mild voice across the communicator.

Adri scowled. It was black as pitch, and the rain was falling steadily. [Lieutenant Grayson, please refrain from inane comments on the communicator,] she ordered.

[Sure thing. Grayson out.]

Danwe
, Adri thought in irritation.
Did the man have to sound so appealing over the communicator?

She let out a huff of breath and, following her compass, headed for the outcropping of rock and rubble that afforded a good view of the north shield system. [Rael to black squadron,] she said. [Align into formation. We still don't know where our enemy is. Keep alert.] Night vision mode set within her helmet, Adri, ATF at the ready, kept her own eyes trained on the surrounding landscape. She was thankful for the new accelerated transition firearms that had replaced the blaster. The improved accuracy, range, and recharge rate gave her side a decided advantage.

Even with the night vision, it was still incredibly hard to see beyond fifteen feet. It was dangerous to venture out into this kind of darkness, especially without knowing the location of one's enemy, but it was a risk worth taking. This way they could surprise their enemy from behind, as the shields “went down” (of course, Adri wasn't about to allow the shield to be blown down; rather, she'd have Duane lower it), inviting the Belligerent Coalition to attack their unprotected flank, only to be caught between the waiting white squadron just inside the shield, and the black squadron just outside.

With careful adjusting to accommodate unexpected changes, and a healthy dose of luck, they would trounce their enemies before morning.

And maybe, with a little more luck, she'd get to go back to bed.

They made the ridge in safety, with still no sign of the enemy. With half her squadron guarding their back, the other half faced the camp. It was hard to miss, being a soft red glowing dot on the black horizon. Everything was in readiness.

[Rael to Oduran,]

[Oduran here.]

[Black squadron is in position. Standby for the dropping of the shield,]

[Understood, ma'am. Oduran out.]

Rael took another deep breath. [Rael to Duane,]

[Duane is here,] came the paranthian's sleepy voice. [But I still don't like the idea of lowering my shields, and leaving the rest of us – as in me – like stationary red target signs.]

Trust Duane to lighten her mood, Adri thought, smiling. [Think of it this way,] she replied, not noticing that Gray was watching her and listening in as well, unable to see his smile. [Either sacrifice your shield core and allow the Belligerent to walk on in, or its lower your shield, and still have the chance to raise it again.]

Duane gave a longsuffering sigh over the communicator. [The things I do for my L.C. The north shield is being lowered now. It will be fully deactivated in three minutes, and counting.]

[Excellent Duane. Rael out.] Now it was time for the waiting game.

Eying their setup critically, Adri glanced over at Gray, who was quietly instructing one of their greener recruits (and how did he know that the soldier was new to the Navy, let alone the Advance Force?) on what to look for when searching for signs of the enemy. His voice was little more than a murmur on the common frequency since he wasn't talking to her. It was a sound that she would normally have tuned out, but she was curious to know what he was saying.

She wasn't prying, necessarily, Adri argued to herself as she tuned in her communicator to pick up their conversation. She was simply monitoring the morale of her troops, getting a chance to see how the mind of her new officer worked…and getting a nice dose of Field Lieutenant Gorgeous' sexy voice.

[What if they come up behind me? How am I supposed to be looking ahead
and
behind me at the same time?] the soldier asked. Adri recognized him as Ensign Piontek, fresh from the Naval Academy and somehow shunted up into the Advance Force.

[By using more than just your eyes.] Gray replied. [You have ears, use them. In circumstances like these, sometimes your ears are a better bet. Follow your gut instinct. If something doesn't feel quite right, check it out, unless you've been given direct orders to the contrary. But try pushing to the limit of your orders.]

Well, the man certainly knew what he was talking about
, Adri mused.

[Thanks, sir,] Piontek replied. Adri was about to tune out of the frequency, thinking the conversation over when he said, [Hey, what do you think of the L.C.?]

[The lieutenant commander?] Gray clarified.

Adri's head whipped around from the view of the shields (the north one was dimming considerably) and glared at the back of Gray's head.

[Yeah. Quite a babe, huh?] Piontek went on. [Some of us had a poll taken in the regiment, and it was decided that she's the hottest officer in the Advance Force.]

Oh, for Danwe's sake
, Adri snorted.

Gray smiled behind his helmet. Piontek was obviously nervous, and was trying to fill up the quiet waiting time with mindless chatter. It would be better for him to stay silent and alert – like they had been talking about just one minute ago – but Gray was far too curious about Adrienne Rael to rebuke the soldier. [I see,] he said encouragingly.

I see? That was it?
Adri glared harder at the back of her field lieutenant's head. What, did she not interest him at all? Obviously, all the other men in her regiment thought she was appealing. It just figured that the first time she wanted a guy to notice her as a woman, he didn't find her attractive.

Wait, what was she thinking? She didn't want him to find her appealing at all! She didn't
want
the man to notice her as a woman, because she didn't want any sort of relationship. Such a thing was unnecessary and distracting. It was time to stop the conversation.

She opened her mouth to rebuke her two idiot troops when, with a dying flicker, the north shield fell.

At that precise second, all hell broke loose.

A mass of moving black figures raced for the now defenseless opening in the camp's shield system, while at the same time, shouts over the communicator announced that more of the enemy's troops were racing up the incline behind them.

The rapid hisses and whines of both ATF and blaster fire rent the silent night. A quick glance showed that Adri's squadron was trapped between the enemy troops assaulting the camp, and the soldiers scaling the ridge.

With a huff of breath, Adri' reorganized her plans. There would be no chance of getting back into bed for a good while now, and that thought made her irritated. [Rear group! Return fire!]

In the midst of the developing chaos, the sound of Gray's voice repeating her commands was unexpectedly soothing.

Okay, so I've been around, and I've seen a lot of strange things. I was…let's see…about thirteen human years old when my family left Paranth. I remember packing up the evacuation transport with my orhan, after the last asade raid. The air was full of dust, because everyone was moving at once. The asade would be back, and no one wanted to stick around for a massacre sequel. I stopped carting a box for a minute to rub the dust out of my eyes, and I looked up and saw something flash past, nearly blending with the stars.