Jethro 5 Gods of War Cover and snippet 1

Okay, first up, here is the cover.

I've lightened it under the advise of Rick and a couple of the other betas.

I haven't worked on the write up yet. I'll get around to it eventually. :) On to the snippet!:

Act I

 

Chapter 1 

Weeks of travel, sitting on his ass, working out in the ship's cramped smelly gym, and otherwise feeling sorry for himself for leaving his new family all for this, Master Sergeant Jethro McClintock thought as he shouldered his duffel and followed the line of debarking passengers out through the transport tube.

His other gear was checked in to the secure cargo hold of the ship. He knew Bast was a bit anxious about it, he'd noted her checking on it every few minutes right up until he unjacked from the ship. She would be a pain in the ass until he personally laid eyes on it too, he thought, eying the A.I.

As if following his train of thought the A.I. flicked her long virtual ears at him on his HUD impudently. He flicked his own ears. He knew the armor wouldn't be needed, but it was a part of him. Of them, he reminded himself as a familiar Neowolf slowed her pace and allowed others to pass her

He flicked his ears to her again once he caught her looking at him. She sniffed delicately and then turned to continue through the debarking onto the station. He had traveled with Major White Wolf and the recruits from Kathy's World and Protodon. Those that were destined for the Marine or Army would ride the shuttle down with them the following evening he knew. They'd just missed the last shuttle down for the day.

Fortunately the recruits, including the few navy recruits among their number were no longer his concern. He wished them all well. They'd do better in boot camp... and worse in some ways since they had already tasted combat. In some ways that robbed them of the true Marine experience. So be it though, sometimes things like that happened, he mused as the line moved forward incrementally.

He caught sight of the white wolf once more. She was only a few people ahead of him he noted. From what she'd said on the trip out she wasn't going to be on the planet any longer than he was. She was supposed to help set up or overhaul the MAWTS facilities and faculty while getting a medical checkup and debrief. After that she would have to ship back to Kathy's World on the next available flight he knew.

“So, this is where we part ways Sergeant. At least for the foreseeable future,” Major White Wolf said as they passed through security on the station.

“We may see each other on the ground ma'am,” Jethro said with a nod to her as others passed them in their haste to get through the station to their own destinations.

“True. Do you have anything for Shanti and the kids? I'm going to be here a couple of weeks and then I'm headed to back to Kathy's World,” the white Neowolf said with 1 hand paw out.

Jethro looked at it and then grimaced ruefully. “I do but it's in here,” he said, tapping his head with one finger.

“Upload it to me. Or have Bast do it. The mail sometimes runs slow. I promise I won't read it,” she said.

“Thank you ma'am,” Jethro said. He touched her hand and felt Bast open a port in her firewall and then send the files through.

“Oh, it's not just a favor for you. Shanti is one of my best deputies. I can do her and your kits this service,” the wolf said as they broke the touch upon completion of the transmission. “Keep kicking ass McClintock, consider that an order.”

“Aye aye ma'am,” Jethro said as he came to attention. He saluted her but she snorted.

“You need to brush up on your etiquette McClintock, you won the medal, people like me are supposed to salute you,” she said and did so.

Jethro blinked then flicked his ears as she struck the salute and then picked up her bag and left for the officer's quarters on the station.

“Well! That was fun. Any ideas...” Jethro stopped himself when Bast flicked her own long ears and then pointed to the left. He turned and noted the sign “Noncom temporary billet this way.” He snorted and followed the directions.

\<)>^<)>/

As the shuttle came into its final approach to the island landing field Jethro looked out the porthole. He could access the shuttle's cameras and sensors if he wished, he knew Bast was doing so, but he wasn't interested. At least, not initially. She was naturally curious but also a bit paranoid. He knew she was going to get a bit worse since his armor was going to be housed in the armor morgue while he was on groundside duty.

Outside he saw the clouds part and then the island chain spread out among the glittering waters in all their majesty. From what he'd heard they had expanded to the second and third island. His eyes caught the straight lines and glitter of metal on the most distant island, as well as some of the lights, but then the shuttle banked slightly and his view was obstructed.

From what he'd heard the second island was one designated for the advanced training areas, while the distant third had been deeded over to the growing Army group. The Army group relied on the Marine base for its spaceport needs of course. There was no point building two spaceports a few kilometers apart.

He'd also heard that up until recently the set-up of the Army had been something of a half-hearted affair. The brass wasn't interested in setting up what would be a bunch of garrison soldiers in his opinion, and he agreed with them... in theory. However, after his recent adventure on Protodon, he now saw the need to have troops on the ground holding it.

Which probably explained why the Army, under the nominal command of Captain SG Yee, had started to rise in importance. He wondered if the recently promoted Brigadier General Jersey Forth and the other Marine brass resented the growing competition the Army would have with the Marines. Would they be forced to give up some of their personnel? He hoped not. Some he knew might volunteer, more out of a chance at rapid promotion and some semblance of pride in an ancestor who'd served in the Army.

Best luck to them, he thought as the shuttle lowered itself to the long stretch of runway.

\<)>^<)>/

After he went through groundside security, he ignored the personnel bus with the recruits milling around it and hopped onto the truck with his armor. He saw Bast's nod of approval and flicked his ears in humor.

He felt her reach out with his LAN implants to link electronically to the armor's computer systems. It was his turn to flick his ears in humor, but she ignored him. Something strangely like a sigh of contentment ran through the A.I.. Her eyes went half lidded. He could feel information flowing through them.

“Don't overdo it you know,” he scolded softly. She opened her eyes to stare into his briefly before she turned and went back to whatever meditation or other thing she was doing.

Most likely she was updating the memory in the armor, accessing it to see how it had been handled, and then using the on board processors to do any processing she had time for before they arrived at the morgue he noted.

He felt a series of bumps as they passed through the outer layer of security around the morgue, then they were stopped for another security check. The guard on duty checked the driver and him, and then checked the contents carefully.

“Master Sergeant? You um, aren't on the list.”

“I know. I wanted to make certain my armor was put to bed before I went to the billet.”

“Um, understood Master Sergeant,” the private said with a nod. He pressed the button and then waved them through with his tablet.

Jethro flicked his ears in humor and continued to watch the road as they drove around the armory, stopped, and then backed up to the loading docks.

Once the black armor and the crates of parts and equipment were signed into the Armor Morgue he caught a ride to the barracks. The sun had almost set by the time he arrived in the temporary noncom barracks. Bast accessed the barracks Wifi and logged him in to the log book. He paused at the door.

“You um...”

“I'm logged in I know,” Jethro said to the startled guard. “I did it remotely,” he said. Bast glowered at him on the HUD but he ignored it. He didn't want or need to explain her to the private.

“Yes, um, sergeant um...”

Bast put a map up on his HUD. “I've got the location of my quarters. Have a good evening private,” Jethro said as he picked up his duffel again and strode along the path Bast had indicated for him to follow.

\<)>^<)>/