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I could legally enter into contracts, get sued, get married or anything else that indicated I was an adult. Since I was done with daily trips to school, Big Pete was ready for me get on with my life, beating rocks into submission.
"Neat." That was Nick speak for 'I am not as impressed as you are, but need you to shut up because I am thinking about something else.'
Isn't it just like pirates, there's a coffee brewing station and no suit fresheners."
Big Pete always said, "Under promise, over deliver." Words I planned to build a business on.
Marny walked over to Nick and offered him a hand up. "My thanks, Nicholas, for protecting my flank." Neither Marny's words nor her smile faltered a bit as her foot shot out to the side, delivering a head blow to the guy squirming on the ground. My first thought was that she was one tough woman. My next thought was that I was glad she was on our side.
I followed Marny back to the galley. She had to remove her armored vac-suit so I could wrap a combat medical patch around her thigh. If I hadn't been so distracted I would have paid attention to the well-defined, shapely, heavily muscled, tanned ... Okay, so I paid attention.
It is often said that revenge is not satisfying and not a worthy objective.
“Hey Liam, you did the right thing back there. Ada’d be dead if you’d turned away. I don’t give a crap what Veras and Marny said about the other thing.” “Thanks bud, it means a lot coming from you. But don’t let Marny hear you say it, I think she can take you.”
“What’s with the patches on your shoulders?” “I’m announcing that I’m open to martial combat. If one of the players wants a tussle, I’m willing to cooperate.” “Are you nuts?” I asked, even though I was a little impressed. “Aye Cap. That I am. Only way to stay sharp is to know the next one’s gonna hurt.”
Life aboard the ship quickly fell into an easy rhythm. One of my favorite activities was watching Tali and Marny spar. It was obvious that Tali was significantly faster and had better technique than Marny. It didn’t seem to bother Marny in the least and she accepted the smaller woman’s advice easily. Marny, in turn, pushed Nick and me to practice with her. If feeling tired and beat up were any indication of progress, then I was doing really well. Otherwise, I didn’t see the progress that Marny insisted was there.
“So someone has taken control of your ship, installed secret compartments, and broken your security and the big revelation for you is that she’s married?” Tali asked wryly.
It takes a disciplined, focused group to take advantage of the slim line between insanity and acceptable risk.”
“What’s the operating temp of these charges? I’ve got seven hundred degrees over here.” The HUD had given me the exact temperature but I knew from experience that you didn't want to come in contact with metal which was a dull red color.
“Do ducks fly?” Ada asked. She had me there. I remembered that ducks were like chickens, only wilder. And … chickens didn’t fly, or did they? I looked back at her blankly. “Oh good Lord, Liam. You spacers are all the same. Let’s just see what I can do.”
Fortunas audentas juvat, or luck favors the bold. Words to live by in combat, especially if the baddies are about to roll up on you with armor.
Did I mention that a Marine in full armor is a terrifying beast? I should have.
Some say that demolition is a science. Most of my squad would find this statement laughable. More accurately: precision demolition is a science. To that statement, we’d all nod our heads sagely and agree. I wish I’d had time to stand around and watch the fireworks, but the best time to go Charlie Mike (continue mission/get moving) is when big shiny objects are blowing up.
War hadn’t changed a lot over the last dozen centuries. We poked each other with pointy sticks until someone went home.
I had to be honest. Being locked up was the easiest duty I’d ever experienced: three squares a day, air conditioning, a full night’s sleep and there was absolutely no chance I would have to jump into the middle of a firefight. For the love of god there was even a mattress on the bed! If Bentrod’s goal was to punish me, he really sucked at it.
"My dad was a man of few words. I’ve always believed it wasn’t that he didn’t have anything to say, rather he liked to make sure that when he said something, people understood it was important. One of the pieces of advice he gave me when I was younger was that ‘It is the people in your life who are important, not the things.’ Looking around this table, I can’t imagine any truer words spoken. I’m better for having known you all."
"I’m not sure I see the logic in that, Marny. I think you just said you kick my ass so other people don’t have to," I complained.
It can’t be that complex. Most military gear is simplified so people who are under stress can still make sense of it," Jake said. "We actually have a maximum complexity calculation we use when designing interfaces for field use."
Meeting up with someone in the deep dark of space is a pretty good trick. The concept of speed out in space is really just a relationship between two different objects, because everything’s moving.
"You're a strange person, Liam Hoffen. I don't know why you're treating me so well," she commented. "Maybe that's just the world I want to live in," I replied.
