Warsong (Hunter-Killer #2)

Chapter 06 - Respect is Earned Both Ways

Drills on the Stamm Basin training field continued into the long, sweltering days of Rychter's hot season, where the twin suns climbed highest and beat their wrath down upon the humans who'd carved out a home there. Engine fumes and the smoke from practice munitions thickened the air into an oppressive haze, shimmering over the heads of the soldiers.

It had been a several days since his confrontation with Colonel Harcourt, and Ryke still didn't feel any better disposed towards the northern officer, or Lieutenant Miquelon. Getting Thaye back into her Hunter-Killer had been a victory, but it had not addressed any of the underlying problems that the new human army faced. Resentment was brewing into outright hostility between the two camps, despite the best efforts of their senior officers.

All he could thing to do now was buckle down and try to make it work. The northern soldiers weren't going anywhere, which meant if he wanted to live through the next bloody chapter of this conflict he needed to keep his squad at their sharpest. Maybe then they could make up the difference. So he worked his pilots hard.

The northern Hunter-Killers were getting better, but they still had a long way to go to keep pace with the veterans from Brekka. Even the youngest, most inexperienced local pilots were worth three of their northern counterparts, having been trained for months with instructors who knew exactly what they would be facing out there in the badlands.

But at least they were getting better.

Although Miquelon never admitted it, Ryke could tell that the man learned his lesson from their earlier debacle, thinking twice before taking the bait laid by the training program creators. Small steps were enough to prove to Ryke that the man wasn't a complete imbecile, but not that he deserved to command a multi-force battle group.

He eased his Hunter-Killer back into its cradle after another long, dubiously successful day on the training field, muscles and nerves throbbing dully from days of being hooked into the war machine's physical feedback loop. Even in the simulations it took its toll on the body.

Clambering out of the mech, he gratefully let his feet touch the solid floor of the hangar, rolling his right shoulder to loosen it up as he walked. The members of HK-Rupture spilled from their own machines, groans and sighs of exertion and relief in equal measure following them.

"Nice hustle out there, kids," Ryke said as they gathered around him.

"There's a lot of slack ground to cover," Preese muttered. "I guess we'll be front of the line for medals after dragging these clowns through a war, eh?"

Brigg snorted.,"I'd as soon leave them behind."

"Well, our commanders, in their infinite wisdom," Ryke continued. "Have seen fit to give everybody the night off. We've been grinding hard, so time for some well-earned R&R."

"Think they could spring for a massage?" Marylee asked innocently. She was a heavily built girl with a tangle of red-orange curls, and was a consummate close-combat specialist. She grinned, making a show of rubbing her spine. "My back's real sore from carrying all that dead weight."

A chuckle of laughter passed through the other pilots and Ryke could stop the smirk from crossing his face. More stiff-souled officers might've disciplined their subordinates for such remarks, but he'd found that the best way to keep things from spilling out onto the training field was to let his people vent.

"I'm sure there's some lads on base that'd be happy to offer their services," Scantlin chimed in, winking mischievously.

She shot him a wry smile. "Still trying to find me a date, lover boy?"

"I'm a charitable guy."

"Hit the medical centre if you're feeling the strain," Ryke interjected before the conversation could get any more derailed. "I don't want anybody sidelined from extra curricular activities, understand? Word is we're not going to be sitting around in Brekka much longer. Get yourselves untwisted, have a drink and get some rest. We're back at it tomorrow with bells on."