Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One
When Connor walked past the ramp down to the cargo bay, he caught snippets of conversation. He paused and listened, then realized it was Rudy. After a second, he recognized the other voice as Aubriella’s.
They were talking about weapons: fire modes, rate of fire, the importance of cover.
And then Rudy mentioned the superiority of the Sandil AWS-5X.
Connor headed down the ramp, a smile coming over his face and a warmth settling into his chest, even though he thought he could still smell a little of Drew’s filthy clothes in the hangar bay air.
He hadn’t been sure about Aubriella until now, especially after the incident in the galley with her trying to sneak alcohol into her protein drink.
The former Obsidian Trooper sergeant was several meters aft of the ramp, still wearing the black T-shirt and cargo pants from earlier in the day. Or maybe he was wearing a fresh set. His wardrobe was even more limited than the rest of the crew’s, coming down to the same black shirt and pants exclusively. Aubriella stood at his side, dressed as she’d been earlier. She was concentrating on the assault rifle the scarred man held.
The Sandil AWS-5X Lem had found while doing inventory.
“Late night training?” Connor chuckled.
The two turned, and Aubriella smiled. “Hey, Lieutenant! I finally had a chance to hold the Sandil! Wow! It’s a lot lighter than I expected.”
Rudy scowled. “It’s not loaded. And there’s no scope on it. You’ll want a smart-link for it, too. Everyone on the team should have one.”
“I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Sergeant Walton. I’m sorry.”
Connor strolled to where they stood. “I was actually going to give the shuttle a look.” He pointed forward, to the hatch that connected the cargo bay to the small shuttle bay. “Did you happen to see Yemi or Drew go in?”
The sergeant considered for a moment, then shook his head. “We’ve been going through the basics for about an hour—disassembly, cleaning, loading and unloading.”
Aubriella rolled her eyes. “Empty magazines.”
Rudy scowled. “No one’s come down but you, Lieutenant. Everything okay?”
“Actually, yes.” Connor hadn’t wanted Drew to work so late her first night. Quick-release cabling held a patch panel in place near the aft airlock. That meant she’d already prepared for the outer hull work he would help her with in the morning. “Thanks.”
Aubriella’s gaze went from Connor to the rifle. “Hey, Lieutenant?”
“Yes?”
“Are you a marksman?”
“A marksman? No.”
“But you’ve shot a gun before.”
Connor straightened. “Sergeant Walton has me qualify every year.”
“Oh.” She seemed to deflate.
Rudy held the assault rifle with its barrel pointed down at an angle—low ready. “The lieutenant can show you how to defend yourself without a gun.”
Her eyes lit up again. “You’re a martial arts expert?”
Before Connor could downplay his abilities, Rudy puffed out his chest. “The lieutenant here has trained in a half dozen martial arts. He’s mastered a couple of them.”
“Wow!” The young woman made funny eyes, like a schoolgirl with a crush. Then she frowned. “But that must’ve taken forever.”
To someone her age, Connor imagined it would probably seem that way. “I started young. My father had a gym. He was a Muay Thai fighter—probably the best there was.”
“Kickboxing? Why would you bother doing that when you could use a gun?”
“Because you won’t always have a gun. Sometimes, even the best weapon fails you.”
Rudy cleared his throat—a not-so-subtle signal that he disagreed. “The best defense is layered. Ammunition might run out.”
Aubriella nodded. “Oh. But does anyone really train in hand to hand anymore? Really?”
The sergeant’s face darkened, and he looked ready to chew her out.
It was Connor’s turn to clear his throat. “Actually, I followed a certain path—a philosophy. That’s all there is to it. Killing someone with a rifle or killing them with a strike to the throat…they’re still dead.”
“Well…” The young woman twisted the corner of her lip up until her cheek protruded. “I think a gun is faster?”
“Than philosophy? Yes.”
“But, if it’s faster—?”
Rudy sighed. “The lieutenant said he followed a philosophy to arrive where he’s at. That’s the end of the discussion.”
When Aubriella’s cheeks turned red, Connor swallowed. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
The old sergeant squinted. “No trouble at all, Lieutenant. She’s young.”
“Right.” Connor took a step closer to the young woman, head lowered slightly. “When I was about your age, I heard about someone doing something very brave. It was a man a lot of people said was dangerous. He wanted to change the world order, to make things better for people like you and me.”
Aubriella’s lips formed an ‘o.’ “I heard about that.”
“Zacharias Wentz.”
“Yeah. That was the name. He was a terrorist.”
Rudy’s chin came up—not quite defiant, not quite embarrassed. “Some say.”
Connor smiled. “Philosophy is about discussion to reach an understanding. Zacharias didn’t live long enough to have that dialogue. But he did teach me how to walk a certain path in life.”
The young woman looked from her trainer to her lieutenant, and understanding flashed in her eyes. “You two don’t agree?”
“We were on opposite sides.”
Rudy sucked in a deep breath. “The Obsidian Troopers made three sorties against Wentz’s forces. Philosophical differences or not, they were fine soldiers.”
Aubriella blinked. “But…I heard they were all killed? How…?”
“Not by us, they weren’t. We were pulled back when the final assault happened. The lieutenant here was the only survivor.”
“Wow.” The young woman shook her head. “Um, can I ask a question, Lieutenant?”
“Sure.” Connor hoped the questions about Wentz were over.
“It’s about the way everyone’s freaking out. Is that because of Gregor?”
“Gregor? You mean his stories?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, some of us are always odd, I guess.”
“Like the twins?” She glanced at Rudy. “They’re not really twins, right?”
The sergeant relaxed. “Might want to ask them about that, right, Lieutenant?”
Connor shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s complicated. I think talking to them is probably the best way to go.”
“But—“ Aubriella leaned closer. “—they’re so hung up on business news.”
“That’s not odd, is it?”
“Do they have money? I mean, who cares about all that money and how it’s spent if you don’t have any?”
“It’s about their brother. I think you’re best off asking them if you want details.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Connor saluted Rudy. “I’ll let you two get back to training.”
As Connor climbed the ramp, he realized that despite the discussion being uncomfortable, it had managed to take his mind off the situation with Selen. With his nerves calmed, maybe he could slip back into his cabin and get some sleep.
He hoped so. His gut told him that when they reached their destination, the opportunities for rest were going to be few and far between.
Ill Fortune
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