“I’m not positive we can ensure security,” the captain said frankly. “The things half ate PFC Bergstresser’s armor. The first thing we’re going to have to do is deploy all three platoons; one isn’t going to cut it. We might think about putting in defenses around the air lock; waiting to cycle everybody through was pretty stressful. For that matter, I’d like some way to get the Wyverns up on the hull if we have to. That way if we get hit by a bunch of those things, we can get people out of the way.”
“I figure they ain’t gonna like fire,” Julia pointed out. “Just putting some fires out will probably keep them off. Gotta be careful with them, though; we really don’t want a big grass fire getting going. Take a suggestion, Captain?”
“Yes,” the CO replied.
“Move the boat to somewhere rockier,” Julia said. “That makes Geo happy; he can get more sampling done. Rocky hill or something, somewhere with clear lines of sight and not much cover. I’m gonna have to go forward into the brush, but if the Marines are up for it, we are. If we can find someplace sort of elevated, snipers can cover our backs. Think safari here.”
“Captain MacDonald?” the CO said.
“Fits in well with my view, sir,” the Marine said. “Something so that there are limited lines of approach sounds good. Frankly, I’d as well get the boat out of this environment. Anything happens to it, we’re stranded.”
“Congratulations, Jaen,” the first sergeant said. “You just got a species named after you. Jaen’s Lion Crabpus.”
“Cool,” Jaen said, yanking on the leg of the suit. “This mothergrapper is stuck.”
“Wait,” Lyle said, leaning in to look at the joint. “Some of that acid got into the mechanism. Work it back and forth, slowly. I might have to Dremel it out.”
“When is it going to be back on-line?” Top asked.
“No more than an hour, first sergeant,” the armorer said. “I’ve got spares.”
“How you doing, Two-Gun?” Top asked.
“One hundred percent, First Sergeant,” Berg replied. “Ready to rock and roll.” He had his Gatling spread out in pieces on a tarp.
“Glad to hear it,” Powell replied. “Because we’re going back down.”
“Maulk,” Hattelstad snorted. “I knew this wasn’t just a social call.”
“They’re looking for a safe spot to settle so we can keep doing the survey,” the first sergeant continued. “As soon as they do, we’re going to redeploy. All of us. Second will have ground security around the ship. First and Third will accompany the science teams.”
“Great,” Staff Sergeant Summerlin said. “Let ’em. We’ve taken point the last two deployments.”
“And you’re on point on this one,” Top said. “Because you’re guarding the ship.”
“Ouch,” Berg said. “Top, about that whole Two-Gun thing?”
“Yes, Two-Gun?” the first sergeant said.
“I wonder if I could use an experimental system that Corporal Lyle developed,” Berg said uncomfortably. “The 7.62 mms don’t have the penetration power you need for these things. I would like to request to draw a special weapon.”
The first sergeant looked at him blank-faced for a moment, then nodded.
“Lyle, when you get a moment, would you care to show me this… ‘special weapon?’ ”
“Yes, First Sergeant,” Lyle said with a gulp.
“I am not going to say ‘Are you kidding me…’ ” Top said when he saw the pistols.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to try them out,” Berg admitted. “And I’d rather have a 12.7 mounted. But this is what’s available, First Sergeant. At least if we’re not ground mount. When we were fighting those crabs, all I could think was that I wished I had a couple of Colt magnums. But you can’t use those in armor, so…”
“I’m considering the implications,” the first sergeant said. “Among others, I know that everybody is going to want these. Chief Miller is going to be extremely envious and want to know why you got to carry them and he didn’t.”
“I only really need one…” Berg said.
“Oh, no, you are known as Two-Gun for a reason,” the first sergeant said. “As long as you continue to use that technique and do not, in fact, go all two-gun mojo on me, I will overlook Lyle’s unauthorized use of spares, not to mention severe damage to said spares. Do these things have anything like normal velocity, though?”
“The barrels are fourteen inches long, Top,” Corporal Lyle said. “They’re more like a carbine version than a pistol. Based on specs, that should give them about eighty percent of normal velocity. No recoil system so it’s going to have a hell of a kick. That’s the reason for the special grip.”
“Looks like an elephant Mauser,” the first sergeant mused. “Okay, Two-Gun. Take them both. How you’re going to mount them, though—”
“I made holsters,” Lyle said, setting them on the counter.
“Welcome to the Space Mushrooms,” Berg said with a grin.
“You sure that’s gonna hold us?” the CO asked.
By cruising along just off the coast, they had found a point of rock that jutted out into the ocean. It was nearly an island with only a narrow neck connected to the mainland. The top was broad and mostly flat and appeared to be covered in red lichen.
The trees had crowded in, though, and the plain narrowed so there was less than a kilometer from the point the land opened out and the plains started.
“It’s a granitic basolith,” Dr. Dean said with a sigh. “The surrounding material was lighter volcanic stuff that degraded and left the basolithic structure in place. Also very boring. I saw some sandstone on the scans from our way in; no chance of getting up into the mountains any time soon, is there?”
“Prior to deconfliction of the battlespace, enhancement of mission architecture is derecommended,” the CO said.
“What?” Dr. Dean asked.
“You scientists keep trotting out technobabble,” Spectre said dryly. “So I thought I’d pay you back in mil-speak. It’s strong enough?”
“Yes,” Dr. Dean said. “It is very strong. It should handle the weight of the boat.”
“In that case,” the CO responded. “I don’t think we should plan any big adventures until we figure out how to handle the crabpus, Doctor. Okay, lower away. You okay, pilot?”
“Tricky winds, sir,” the pilot replied. “But I got it.”
The piloting controls had adjustments for yaw, and the seaman expertly adjusted them to lower the boat down. The shape of the granite protrusion meant that the boat ended up parallel to the shoreline, with the starboard side inland.
“Contact.”
“COB, level the boat,” the CO said.
“Level, aye,” the chief said, hitting the adjustment. The boat rocked back and forth, then leveled. “Boat is leveled. Jacks locked.”
“Captain MacDonald, Marines out, first. Then the science security personnel. Then the science personnel,” the CO said over the communicator. “Spectre, out. Dr. Dean, it will be at least an hour before your turn to deploy. Why don’t you see if you can figure out any samples worth taking in the area while you wait.”
“That thing is just plain cute,” Miriam said, looking over Julia’s shoulder.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Julia said. One of the Marine teams had managed to catch a crabpus before everyone was recalled to the boat. She was using a rubber pad from the waldo to rub the back of the captured crabpus. The plant-eating crabpus looked not unlike the predators that had damaged Bergstresser’s and Jaenisch’s armor. But it was far less aggressive, even timid. The back scratching seemed to have it calmed down.