CHAPTER EIGHT // EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION
PRESENT DAY, 0100 HOURS // PLANET ALPHA NOVUS FOUR
James signalled his soldiers to halt, “Blue Team, this could get nasty. I know we can’t see anyone about, but something’s screaming ambush. Do you remember what Shelby used to say?”

Cat nodded, “Always trust your gut.”

The four soldiers fell silent, considering the campaign two years earlier that had resulted in the tragic loss of most of Black Team and the lowest ranking of Blue. Now only Blue, Red, Green, White and Gold Teams survived, as the last surviving member of Black Team had been drafted into Blue to replace their loss. James could not pretend his failure had not hit too close to home. He knew it was a miracle anyone had survived, yet they had only lost four. Those four were, unfortunately, among the best. Blue, Red, Black and White Teams had always been the best four teams. The one time James had gone against Shelby’s advice and not trusted a gut feeling, it had resulted in the loss of four good soldiers and friends. Sure, trusting his gut had gotten the same result at times, but he was only human. Any soldier made mistakes, even the very best of the best.

Signalling his team to follow his nav point, James activated the cloaking and stealth systems that had been added to JUGGERNAUT after that fateful mission. Now only his allies could detect him, which meant enemies would never know what hit them. He would willingly trade power for stealth, given the choice, but because the ERSPF was so concerned for soldier safety, he had no choice and the ‘perfect balance’ had to be achieved. Easier said than done. When half a ton of muscle and metal went to town, it did so in a very big – and loud – way.

“Careful, careful, over the bridge, everyone get your stealth ON! That’s right, careful now, try to be as quiet as you can. If we get seen, we’re in big trouble. Don’t move too fast. Cat, I just said don’t move too fast. Steady. Oops,” James muttered, having knocked over a small pot plant, “Let’s hope they don’t suspect anything. Keep your mission recorders running. I can’t guarantee we’ll all make it back to base alive. In war, there are no certainties. Damn, I wish there was a way to not leave footprints, instead of Brendan just brushing dirt over them.”

“Hey! D’you think I’m incompetent or something?”

“No, of course not. The problem with the dirt-brushing technique is that people can see our tracks for a moment and they see the dirt fly over them. Any soldier in his or her right mind would smell a rat,” James laughed, “Or in this case, Blue Team.”

The three other soldiers in blue team joined in with their leader’s laughter, knowing that they were on a closed COM channel and so could afford to be as noisy as they liked.

The four soldiers lifted off the ground, all staring at the dirt. James activated the electro-magnets on the bottom of his boots and hit the ground hard. The others followed suit.

“Anti-grav panel. Damn, if we weren’t on a mission, we’d be able to play zero-gee. Maybe we can dig up the panel later and bring it back to base,” Brendan suggested, “But then again, it might not be in one piece when we’re finished with our mission.”

James ignored him, moving on before too much attention arrived at the panel. Before too long, a door came into view above the bushes. He again signalled to his soldiers to stop, “I’m going to scan the area around the door before we go in. I don’t want too many guards around when we smash it down.”

“Grande boom?” Cat pulled an explosive from her ammunition compartment, “Or what?”

“More like grande ka-boom,” James laughed, “This’ll be fun. But we can only do it if there aren’t too many guards about. I want you three to stay absolutely still. I’m going to get a bit closer before I scan.”

“Aww, come on! Can’t we just get this over with?”

James stopped and turned to face his soldiers. It was the first time the new Blue Four had spoken during a mission since the disaster of two years before.

“I’m afraid not, Dante. My way of leading a team is far more conservative than yours. I want my team to stay alive. My methods have worked well so far, whether it be through luck, as you seem to think, or skill, as the Vice-Admiral believes.”

True, James was not the fastest, strongest or smartest in the SODF, but he was one of the most disciplined and probably the luckiest. Brendan was the fastest, Cat the smartest, and Dante the strongest. Who was the most skilled – in other words, the best soldier – was a topic open for debate, although James knew he would not have been given his rank as leader of the force if he wasn’t an unusually talented soldier.

“There’s apparently no-one home. Get ready for the biggest explosion you’re likely to see for a long time. The facility we’re breaking into is pressurised to make it fit for human habitation – they’re rebels, it’s not like we’re taking out allies, Cat – so prepare for some massive explosive decompression. Yes, this is going to be a lot of fun. Breaking and entering – now!”