Kindred Soldiers, Page 2

  ***

  Very little had been said between the pilot and his cadet co-pilot. They had to be ready for anything, as they had attached their ship to an enemy vessel and they had no idea what was really going on over there.

  This was not how the Lieutenant had expected this particular mission to have evolved. They had broke through the remaining Seridian defences on Halgator Prime and picked up the remaining Foot Soldiers; the worst part was supposed to be over. The Halgator system was in its fifth month of frontline action. Despite the increasing losses on both sides, it appeared to have now fallen permanently into human hands. Flying from that planet's surface in a standard troop transport, and evading any offensive onslaughts from the few Seridian ships in orbit was nothing less than a miracle. The trip home was supposed to be the easy part, although he had been a pilot in the Space Force long enough to know that things were seldom easy. He much preferred operating single seated space-fighters, but time after time, he was called upon to fly these types of missions. Experience and skill could be a terrible curse.

  This was the first troop transport mission Sharon Black had been co-pilot. A group of elite cadets were chosen to act as co-pilots, believing the experience would be a positive step in building their future in the Space Force. She had been nervous but the circumstances warranted that feeling. However, the Flight Lieutenant could see past the nerves of inexperience and had spotted a remarkable potential in her. There had been no training offered for the moment that she would find herself in a ship attached to the underside of an enemy vessel. She managed to keep a lid on her emotions, although she could have screamed from the tension. Her methods of control were proving successful for the time being. "Permission to speak sir?" she asked, as she looked around to her commanding officer who sat quietly in the pilot seat.

  The Lieutenant turned around; at first, Sharon thought she might have made a mistake but felt more at ease when the turned head was accompanied with a smile. "Your flying as my co-pilot Sharon, lets drop the formality. What is your question?"

  "How much do you know about Foot Soldiers? That Corporal, he looks around my age but there is something disturbing about him."

  The Flight Lieutenant nodded in agreement. He had sensed that disturbing nature himself. Garret, despite appearing polite and well spoken, had the eyes of a killer. "When he opened the door to the cockpit did you notice his combat uniform? He was covered in Seridian blood. I've met a few Foot Soldiers in my time. It takes a special person to serve in the Armed Forces, but it takes an all together different soul to do his job. If they weren't insane before they entered the service, you can be damn sure they will be when they come out. Or they will be dead."

  Sharon looked somewhat despondent by the Flight Lieutenant's summation. She could not understand why she felt so sorry for Garret; she had only just met him. Her heart filled with utter sorrow for the lifestyle that he was leading. As a pilot, she would face the enemy and could easily loose her life in action. However, she would never have to see her enemy face to face, or look into their eyes if she killed them. Garret literally looked death in the face each day of his life, and now he was over their on an unknown ship risking his life once again. There was a lot to admire him for, but at the same time, there was so much to pity.

  There was little Sharon could do for him; she tried to review the scans previously attempted but her eyes simply scanned over the same useless information. She wanted to feel a little more useful but all she could do was sit and wait for him to return.

  The Lieutenant on the other hand did not share Sharon's feelings. He had always accepted that everyone had their role in this war. His was to pilot; he was comfortable and happy with that. The troop transport returned to an operational silence. Little more was said between the two but the instrument sounds continuously filled the cockpit with their computer generated beeps and whines. It was now just a waiting game.