Read Online Divided (#1 Divided Destiny) by Taitrina Falcon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Taitrina Falcon
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technology was indistinguishable from magic. The aliens had advanced technology, and he wasn’t so naive as to believe they were the only other intelligent life out there. Perhaps this ‘Shrine of Iqmir’ was something left by another advanced race, or maybe even the Roswell Grey aliens themselves.
Either way, the Roswell aliens vastly outmatched them technologically. They were desperate, they needed an edge; that was why they were here and not battling the suited ground troops. The marine special forces were among the mostly highly trained soldiers in the world. Leo didn’t think it was that egotistical to realize that you used your best card for the strike that would make the difference.
There were fourteen men in the unit. Twelve now, thanks to the deaths of Corporals Hellen and Demming. Four men per tactical squad now, down from the original five, and four as the headquarters element. Usually Captain Decker and the senior sergeants would stay at the frontline base while the tactical squads deployed. Given that they were going to a different world, though, the whole unit was going. The plan was they would set up a base camp on the other side. The tactical squads would then deploy from there, exploring whatever world they arrived on.
The platform was roughly the size of a large pallet, eight feet by ten feet; with their packs and all their gear, it would be a tight squeeze. They certainly wouldn’t all be able to make contact with the pedestal, although with how the beam of light had shot up through the whole platform, Leo rather thought that contact was unnecessary; that was merely the activation, and whatever was on the platform was beamed away.
No, if they were taken somewhere else, hopefully it would be directly to another platform. They could then repeat the feat, return, and make a report. He had a sense it was not going to be that easy. It never was.
“Fall in,” Captain Decker ordered.
The unit stepped up onto the platform. Leo shifted around, adjusting his bulky pack as they tried to all squeeze on. No one wanted to see what would happen if anything overhung the edge of the platform; he had a sick feeling that it wouldn’t be good. If it was a pack, they would just lose the gear, which was easily recoverable. If it was a limb, then that was something not so easily fixed.
“Everyone ready?” Captain Decker checked. “Doctor Braden?”
Decker was the one who would touch the pedestal and activate whatever the robot probe had done earlier. The other men who were next to the pedestal had left as much room as they could between them and it, though not so much that it deprived those close to the edge of the platform of space. They were all nervous. Leo tightened his grip on his assault rifle, aware that they could land in a hot zone. They weren’t trained for this; no one was trained for this.
“General?” Julian spoke into the radio. It would be General Sampson who would give the go order. “I would like to repeat that I think I should go with them. They might need help identifying or transporting what they find.”
“Not this time, Doctor Braden. Not this time, as we have already discussed,” General Sampson said firmly, over the crackling radio. “Tell Captain Decker and his men Godspeed.”
“Yes, yes, go ahead, Captain. You have a go,” Julian told Decker distractedly, his attention more on the tablet computer in front of him than on the unit of twelve men who might be about to die.
Leo heard a few muttered prayers from his comrades. He himself remained silent; he had never managed to have that level of faith, but in some respects he envied the comfort it brought them.
Captain Decker touched the pedestal. Leo was expecting a blinding flash of light, and his training told him to close his eyes to preserve his vision, but the fear of the unknown kept his eyes open. Rather than the beams of light they had seen on the camera feed, a golden mist came from the pedestal. It swirled around
Either way, the Roswell aliens vastly outmatched them technologically. They were desperate, they needed an edge; that was why they were here and not battling the suited ground troops. The marine special forces were among the mostly highly trained soldiers in the world. Leo didn’t think it was that egotistical to realize that you used your best card for the strike that would make the difference.
There were fourteen men in the unit. Twelve now, thanks to the deaths of Corporals Hellen and Demming. Four men per tactical squad now, down from the original five, and four as the headquarters element. Usually Captain Decker and the senior sergeants would stay at the frontline base while the tactical squads deployed. Given that they were going to a different world, though, the whole unit was going. The plan was they would set up a base camp on the other side. The tactical squads would then deploy from there, exploring whatever world they arrived on.
The platform was roughly the size of a large pallet, eight feet by ten feet; with their packs and all their gear, it would be a tight squeeze. They certainly wouldn’t all be able to make contact with the pedestal, although with how the beam of light had shot up through the whole platform, Leo rather thought that contact was unnecessary; that was merely the activation, and whatever was on the platform was beamed away.
No, if they were taken somewhere else, hopefully it would be directly to another platform. They could then repeat the feat, return, and make a report. He had a sense it was not going to be that easy. It never was.
“Fall in,” Captain Decker ordered.
The unit stepped up onto the platform. Leo shifted around, adjusting his bulky pack as they tried to all squeeze on. No one wanted to see what would happen if anything overhung the edge of the platform; he had a sick feeling that it wouldn’t be good. If it was a pack, they would just lose the gear, which was easily recoverable. If it was a limb, then that was something not so easily fixed.
“Everyone ready?” Captain Decker checked. “Doctor Braden?”
Decker was the one who would touch the pedestal and activate whatever the robot probe had done earlier. The other men who were next to the pedestal had left as much room as they could between them and it, though not so much that it deprived those close to the edge of the platform of space. They were all nervous. Leo tightened his grip on his assault rifle, aware that they could land in a hot zone. They weren’t trained for this; no one was trained for this.
“General?” Julian spoke into the radio. It would be General Sampson who would give the go order. “I would like to repeat that I think I should go with them. They might need help identifying or transporting what they find.”
“Not this time, Doctor Braden. Not this time, as we have already discussed,” General Sampson said firmly, over the crackling radio. “Tell Captain Decker and his men Godspeed.”
“Yes, yes, go ahead, Captain. You have a go,” Julian told Decker distractedly, his attention more on the tablet computer in front of him than on the unit of twelve men who might be about to die.
Leo heard a few muttered prayers from his comrades. He himself remained silent; he had never managed to have that level of faith, but in some respects he envied the comfort it brought them.
Captain Decker touched the pedestal. Leo was expecting a blinding flash of light, and his training told him to close his eyes to preserve his vision, but the fear of the unknown kept his eyes open. Rather than the beams of light they had seen on the camera feed, a golden mist came from the pedestal. It swirled around
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