Read Online Undying Mercenaries 2: Dust World by B. V. Larson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: B. V. Larson
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your hands together. Then do it again.”
I did as he asked, and the results were painful.
“Why aren’t these suits built right in the first place?” I grunted. My skin was already getting raw as I pin-wheeled my arms.
“They are, but the nanites in your smart-armor are lazy, see,” Sargon said. “They like to take the easiest path to forming around your body. That isn’t what we want. We have to get the shell to sit right for balance and mobility. Comfort comes last. But don’t worry, if you keep moving like this, they’ll figure it out and start loosening up. Once you have them trained, you can set them to freeze in the new configuration.”
After a few minutes of moving around, I did feel my suit ease up. I was surprised. “That’s a lot better. But I wish I’d greased up first.”
Sargon chuckled. “Every new man in heavy armor thinks that. For Weaponeers, it goes double. We have such a heavy load to carry we can’t let the suits get lazy. They have to perform at max efficiency.”
Around us, most of the troops ignored me. They threw Sargon a nod as they finished their target practice and left. I looked longingly after them. My bunk would feel good after a shower and a rubdown with whatever I could get out of the squad’s bio. I was sure I had a dozen abrasions all over my arms and torso.
“Forget about the other weaponeers. Forget about target practice, too. You aren’t ready yet. A man has to be able to shoulder a tube right before he can hope to aim it accurately.”
I spent the rest of the day moving around in my new armor. By the time Sargon let me go, I was carrying my weapon at a lumbering trot.
“Thanks Sargon,” I told him when we were done. “I needed the one-on-one.”
Sargon nodded and slammed his fist into my chest. At first, I was a little alarmed. But it didn’t hurt. He was grinning, so I grinned back. The blow had staggered me back a step, but I could barely feel it. I remembered I’d seen heavies interact that way now and then. They liked to kick and punch each other in armor. The sight had always made the light troops feel inadequate.
We split up and a few hours later it was lights-out. I drifted off to sleep, beginning to dream. In my troubled sleep that night, Sargon had a great time pummeling my helmet to the delight of everyone in the unit.
-6-
A few more months slid by. Each day left me exhausted but a little more functional. I’d always known that being a weaponeer would be physically taxing, but overall, it was worse than I’d feared.
Maybe if I’d had a year or two t o get into shape, it would have been easier. But I didn’t have that kind of time. No one in the legion did. We had a mission to perform, and the arrival date wasn’t going to be shuffled back because I wasn’t ready to do my job.
Each day, I took time out to visit the forward observatory which was just below the green-zone that served Corvus as a park. I often found couples making out in the dim-lit interior. I usually went alone, making a special effort to look at the stars.
Corvus was a warp-bubble ship like most starships in the Empire. We didn’t completely understand the technology because we weren’t allowed to take one apart and attempt to duplicate it. We were just passengers to the Skrull crewmen who operated the vessel, not friends and comrades, so they didn’t bother to explain it all to us. Every species in the Empire held their trade secrets very tightly.
As I understood the principal, the warp drive worked by generating a bubble of altered space around the ship. It didn’t move the ship. Instead, it reshaped space around the ship. By making space thinner in front of the ship and thicker behind the ship, we were propelled forward in a manner similar to the function of an airplane’s wing which provided lift.
Using this suction effect, the ship was drawn forward, which in turned moved the field and caused the bubble to warp space in a new area. The theoretical idea
I did as he asked, and the results were painful.
“Why aren’t these suits built right in the first place?” I grunted. My skin was already getting raw as I pin-wheeled my arms.
“They are, but the nanites in your smart-armor are lazy, see,” Sargon said. “They like to take the easiest path to forming around your body. That isn’t what we want. We have to get the shell to sit right for balance and mobility. Comfort comes last. But don’t worry, if you keep moving like this, they’ll figure it out and start loosening up. Once you have them trained, you can set them to freeze in the new configuration.”
After a few minutes of moving around, I did feel my suit ease up. I was surprised. “That’s a lot better. But I wish I’d greased up first.”
Sargon chuckled. “Every new man in heavy armor thinks that. For Weaponeers, it goes double. We have such a heavy load to carry we can’t let the suits get lazy. They have to perform at max efficiency.”
Around us, most of the troops ignored me. They threw Sargon a nod as they finished their target practice and left. I looked longingly after them. My bunk would feel good after a shower and a rubdown with whatever I could get out of the squad’s bio. I was sure I had a dozen abrasions all over my arms and torso.
“Forget about the other weaponeers. Forget about target practice, too. You aren’t ready yet. A man has to be able to shoulder a tube right before he can hope to aim it accurately.”
I spent the rest of the day moving around in my new armor. By the time Sargon let me go, I was carrying my weapon at a lumbering trot.
“Thanks Sargon,” I told him when we were done. “I needed the one-on-one.”
Sargon nodded and slammed his fist into my chest. At first, I was a little alarmed. But it didn’t hurt. He was grinning, so I grinned back. The blow had staggered me back a step, but I could barely feel it. I remembered I’d seen heavies interact that way now and then. They liked to kick and punch each other in armor. The sight had always made the light troops feel inadequate.
We split up and a few hours later it was lights-out. I drifted off to sleep, beginning to dream. In my troubled sleep that night, Sargon had a great time pummeling my helmet to the delight of everyone in the unit.
-6-
A few more months slid by. Each day left me exhausted but a little more functional. I’d always known that being a weaponeer would be physically taxing, but overall, it was worse than I’d feared.
Maybe if I’d had a year or two t o get into shape, it would have been easier. But I didn’t have that kind of time. No one in the legion did. We had a mission to perform, and the arrival date wasn’t going to be shuffled back because I wasn’t ready to do my job.
Each day, I took time out to visit the forward observatory which was just below the green-zone that served Corvus as a park. I often found couples making out in the dim-lit interior. I usually went alone, making a special effort to look at the stars.
Corvus was a warp-bubble ship like most starships in the Empire. We didn’t completely understand the technology because we weren’t allowed to take one apart and attempt to duplicate it. We were just passengers to the Skrull crewmen who operated the vessel, not friends and comrades, so they didn’t bother to explain it all to us. Every species in the Empire held their trade secrets very tightly.
As I understood the principal, the warp drive worked by generating a bubble of altered space around the ship. It didn’t move the ship. Instead, it reshaped space around the ship. By making space thinner in front of the ship and thicker behind the ship, we were propelled forward in a manner similar to the function of an airplane’s wing which provided lift.
Using this suction effect, the ship was drawn forward, which in turned moved the field and caused the bubble to warp space in a new area. The theoretical idea
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