SpecOps Snippet 2

Hi,
Working on the cover art.

Diplomacy went off well with the first 2 Betas. I'm going to go through the corrections and then put it up for the next group. If any Beta wants in (Carlos, Colonel, etc) let me know.

On to the snippet!

Still in the force Recon story:

“Sometimes I hate the dominance shit,” Zha-Zen grumbled as she came up behind the fox. He snorted. “And yeah, I know it's a chimp thing too. Pretty much everyone, including humans, do it to some degree. Doesn't mean I like it.”

He swiveled a long ear to her and then flicked it. His species were not pack hunters. They preferred solitary lives, at least when they'd been lower animals. Man's tampering had changed their bodies and intelligence. It hadn't gotten that desire for solitary lives completely out of them though.

Centuries of being with others had rubbed off some of the raw edges there. Not all however.

“We all know it's a thing like you said. Humans invented the chain of command to keep a lid on it.”

“Well, someone needs to educate certain people about it. I'm tired of playing errand girl,” she said with a suffering breath as she directed Austin's mule into the bird.

That comment surprised Chen; you didn't complain like that. It meant you were near a breaking point and they weren't even in the field yet.

The pack mules were necessary evils as far as Chen was concerned. Due to his diminutive size, they were great. They carried his excess gear and could more or less keep up with him as long as he didn't get into crevices or other areas. The robots were quadrupeds shaped like a pony. Early versions lacked a head. The newest version put out had a rudimentary head where most of the sensors were placed. That freed up room in the body for more battery space and cargo capacity. It also allowed the head and neck to act as a counterbalance on uneven terrain. A tail option was available, but he didn't want the extra weight.

“Good to go?” he asked as the Neochimp checked the new feet.

“We should call them camels,” she said as she checked the front right foot. It had a splayed out foot like a camel to handle the desert sands. Everything looked good though. “Thermal control is going to be an issue, mark my words. We're not moving during the day, are we?”

“Not if I can help it. At night. We'll bed down during the day to beat the heat,” Chen replied.

“Good. Smart,” she said with a nod.

He nodded back.

“About the griping …,” he said quietly, kneeling next to her.

“Sorry,” she said shooting a look at him. “It just slipped out.”

“I know. And believe me; I know he can be a pain. And as the Noob it sucks. There is no one coming in under you for who knows how long, and it gets old being considered the omega of the pack,” he said. “Just try to roll with it the best you can.”

She nodded.

“Hey, Secretary! Get me a coffee!” Austin called out. “I want one more for the road!”

Chen's ears swiveled, and he looked up to the Neowolf. “Get it yourself, Weenie. We're busy here,” he growled.

The wolf's ears went instantly back, and he growled ever so softly. It was clear and distinct from where the fox was. The fox held his ground though.

The wolf finally dropped his gaze when one of the pilots came by and muttered under his breath about having to do everything himself before he stormed off.

“Thanks,” Zha-Zen muttered, squeezing his arm ever so slightly.

“Don't mention it,” he said as he went back to overseeing the loading.

!<o>`^`<o>!

Once he was certain the loading was under control, Chen went over to check with Staff Sergeant Henry Uhas, the “skipper.” The massive staff sergeant was an imposing but silent presence in the boat bay. The male Neogorilla was just getting his silverback markings. He was tough but a good leader.

“Come on, you can do it,” Roger crooned, leading his mule into the shuttle to be stowed.

“Should we have packed them on a pallet?” the skipper asked.

“No, because we would have had problems getting gear on and off of them, plus the feet thing,” the fox said.

“Ah, true. Good catch there,” the Neogorilla growled.

“Comes from being in the desert and knowing what you are up against,” Chen replied with an ear flick.

“True,” the silverback grunted, eyeing Austin. “I somehow doubt others would have caught that,” he said.

“We all have our uses,” Chen replied with a shake of his head. He noted that Austin hadn't chosen to ingrate himself with the others by bringing back coffees for anyone else. Typical. “Mind if I lose him in the desert?” he asked hopefully.

The Neogorilla snorted harshly. “Tempting but no. Think of the paperwork,” he drawled.

“Darn,” Chen replied without feeling.

That earned another snort.

“On the subject of getting lost, don't,” the gorilla said. “We only have the one bird. Dust off and recovery will take hours, possibly days so think ahead. If you've got to hunker down, do so and wait out any storms or whatever comes your way. We'll come when we can.”

“Gee, thanks,” Chen drawled.

“You knew it was going to be like that when you asked for the assignment,” the gorilla said, swiveling a brown eye his way before turning his massive head to look at the fox squarely.

Chen flicked his long ears. “Yup. We'll make do. I think we packed everything up to and including the kitchen sink. I can't wait for some to learn to take a dust bath,” he said with a nod to the wolf.

The gorilla stared at him for another moment and then turned to the wolf and snorted again.

“Water and navigation will be issues. I've got the map, what passes for a map from the locals. Watering holes on it are few and far between. I'm going to ask for a better one when we see more locals.”

“Ask or barter for one,” the gorilla said. “Remember, you've got the scans too.”

Chen nodded. He had a single pass from the ship's sensors of the area they were supposed to work in. It wasn't highly detailed though. He had overlaid the native map over it and had a general idea of what was where. They were headed to a couple of desert towns and then into the desert to an abandoned canyon area in the deep desert.

Getting there would be interesting. He didn't like that he wouldn't have drone ISR coverage, nor any idea if there was a water source in the canyon once they got there. He would have to stay on top of the team and their water rationing.

“We'll top off water on the way in. I've got some trade goods.”

“Good. Maintain radio check-ins. I want one every twelve hours rain or shine,” the gorilla said.

“Cute. Rain. Desert. Really cute, Skipper.”

“Sorry, slipped out.”

“Sure it did,” Chen said with a shake of his head.

!<o>`^`<o>!