Kratman Snippets
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 33
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 33 The gravity on the hangar deck was paltry, but she had magnetized shoes to let her put one foot in front of the other and join him. It was an awkward kind of walk, and especially so for those, who, like Bethany, had little cause ever to go to the Hangar deck. "You're in my group for this," Robin announced. He reached into a bag slung over his shoulder and passed her several hundred rounds worth of preloaded four millimeter ammunition. "Chris," she said, holding up her carbine, "I haven't...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 32
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 32 She never saw her husband. Indeed, she avoided seeing him. In the first place, unlike her, he had some skills considered valuable by their owners. Hence he had a much better job at an office building on the base. She found this humiliating, for she had always been the major breadwinner for the family. Far worse, though; as an indentured servant, she had lost the right of refusal, hence had to accept the sexual advances of anyone on the estate who outranked her, which was...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 31
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 31 Chapter Eleven Land the landing force. --Traditional BdL ALTA An IM-71 shuddered and hopped on the pick-up area of the rear deck. Into it shuffled a short line of cadets with one or two adults for leadership. Another waited at the top of the ramp that led down to the helicopter storage and maintenance deck, while a third had just taken off. Toward the shore, the peaks of the island just now becoming visible, seven attack helicopters, Volgan build IM-53Bs, screened inward. If...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 30
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 30 "What's that?" "If we use some demo to open more holes…" Ham let the thought trail off, suspecting, even before the division chief said anything, that it wasn't such a good idea. "Nah, forget it. Explosions sensitize other explosives. A bang near the warhead might be enough to set it off." "Shit." "Shit. By the way, son, who are you?" "Carrera's son. I'm in command – at least now I am – of the landing force." "Then go worry about that. I'll buy enough time, at a...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 29
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 29 Ham ran to the ladder but stopped, sparing one glance, maybe a last one, at the woman who had, as much as his mother, raised him. Turning away he practically flew down the ladder, then used the ladder as an anchor to spin around to the next one down, and flew through that, too… …and entered a kind of hell on earth. There was hot smoke floating in the passageways, and men…oh, and boys, too…were crying out for help from somewhere deeper in the ship. He found David Cano, Alena's husband, in...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 28
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 28 Chapter Ten Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain." --Karl von Clausewitz UEPF Spirit of Peace The door to the intelligence shop opened automatically. Esma, always polite, half leaned in and rapped her knuckles on the inside of the bulkhead. Inside, she saw at least half a dozen men and women hard at work, scanning intently or calculating the unknown. Otherwise, the shop was an antiseptic gray. Looking up from...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 27
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 27 "Wait! Wait!" Cherensa reminded them. "Let the debris fall." After a slow count of ten, by which time Leon had the pack frame with the rest of the demo back on his back, Cherensa ordered, "Let's go!" All four jogged forward in a shallow V. Leon went to the door and began to affix to it a large charge of plastic explosive, but flat this time, rather than shaped. Cherensa watched over him as he made his preparations. Meanwhile, Carrasco shone a light into the hole made by...
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath – Snippet 26
Days of Burning, Days of Wrath - Snippet 26 Chapter Nine When one would make a surprise attack on the enemy, he should avoid the major roads and seek out the lesser ones. Then attack. --Takeda Nobushige UEPF Spirit of Peace Ensign Esmeralda Miranda sat on a chair in a corner of the high Admiral's plush quarters; plush, at least, by the standards of the United Earth Peace Fleet. Xingzhen, Empress and de facto, if not de jure, ruler of the Zhong, lounged against pillows piled against the bulkhead that did double duty as the head of the...