Exodus: Empires at War: Book 8: Soldiers (Exodus: Empires at War.) by Doug Dandridge Read Free Book Online

going to rescue.”  And
that’s all I can tell you guys about the mission we are going on, at least for
now .  Walborski didn’t like that part of the tasking order
either.  He was used to being frank with his men concerning a
mission.  They all had high level clearances, and were used to being
trusted by their leaders.
    “So, what’s the
mission, sir?” asked Renhard Fujardo, the company first sergeant.
    “We’re going to
be rescuing a bunch of civilians from the slimy clutches of the Cacas,” said
Walborski with a smile.  “And that’s about all I can tell you.  I’m
sure you will guess more during our training, but I caution you to not talk
about your assumptions.  You’re smart people, and it’s not something I can
stop you from doing.  But the intelligence types might become just a
little upset if they hear talk coming from any of you.”
    “And we’re going
to wear, these, things, into combat?” asked one of the soldiers.
    “For a part of
the mission,” agreed Walborski, nodding.  “For more than half of it you
will be acting as Rangers, moving and fighting in the accustomed way.  But
for part of it you will be using this combat armor.  Believe me. 
Without the protection of body armor, you will not survive, and without the
equipment you will be carrying along, the people you’ve come to rescue will not
make it out.  So just settle down, do what you’re told, and when the time
comes you will know everything I do.  And hopefully quite a bit more.”
    Cornelius looked
over the men, seeing looks of confusion, disapproval, even anger on many of the
faces.  Most of the men had come right out of infantry training and into
Ranger school.  The last time they had been exposed to the armored suits
was years, in some cases over a decade, in their past.  Even the ones who
had served tours in standard infantry units had not actually used a suit since
they transferred into Ranger training.  Their commanding officer was in
the same boat.
    “The suits have
all been measured for your particular body size and shape,” he told his men,
looking over the armor and seeing a blinking cursor over the one that was
his.  “Follow the cursor to your armor and try it on.  Supposedly it
is fitted perfectly, but we all know how that goes.”
    There was some
laughter as the men started moving around the room, headed for their own
suits.  Cornelius walked to his and backed into the suit.  He lacked
the skull outlet that all regular infantry carried to interface with their
suits.  Instead, the helmets would interface with the Rangers’ own implants
through close range carrier signals.  His suit closed up around him and
sealed, and he felt the mental connection coming up.
    Instantly his
senses were coming through the suit sensors.  His own senses had been
augmented to the point where they were on par with any natural creature that
humans knew of.  But now he was seeing in not just the visible and near
sides of the electromagnetic spectrum, but also in radio waves, like a passive
radar.  Sounds were coming in beyond the range of sonar.  He moved
his arms in the suit, his own augmented reflexes making the movements much
faster than an ordinary trooper could have managed.
    “OK,” he said
over the com.  “Everyone settled.”
    The
acknowledgements started coming back, an overwhelming babble.  With a
thought he cut out the vocal feed and started counting the responses on his
HUD.  “We’re going to go for a little shake down run,” he announced,
smiling as he thought about all of the groans which must now be filling the
airwaves.  “So let’s get going, you mugs.”
    All of the men
followed him out of the room and into the bright light of the F3 primary. 
Walborski looked at the temperature on his HUD, noting that it was as hot as
Sestius ever was, not quite up to the standard of Azure, but close.  But
the environmental controls on the suit were functioning to standard as well,
and it was