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.The action was tactically unsound: one luckyburst by a God King laser could have gotten them all.But the platoon wasreacting to the deaths of their fellows much as Mike was and each of thesoldiers felt a need to feel part of a group, a need for touch and feeling.The suits created a strong emotion of alienation through their control ofevery sense.Moments like this were a slice of humanity bitten on the run."Subject megascrapers should drop in an L shape leading from the ocean andcurving around the trapped units.That will leave those units free toconcentrate on pushing out of the encirclement towards the friendly lines.This is the good part, people: the major mass of Posleen on this whole damncontinent is in the group trying to pry theDeuxième and the Lancers out of those buildings, so when we drop thosebuildings on them the war is half done." He paused and there was a tired butheartfelt "Hoo-wah" to that.The clustering of the platoon was sounding a warning to him, but he was beyondcaring.The flip side was that the same clustering was beginning to act uponhim, beginning to bring him out of his fugue.Even with all his time in suits,he was as susceptible as the troopers to the sense of alienation."We are going to be operating in two-man teams.If you run into any Posleenyou can't handle, break contact and call for support.Headquarters willsupport third squad and the engineers in the `L' building.The engineers will work on that building 'cause it needs a lighter touch.Oneteam from each squad will stay in support and as the other teams get finishedthey will go into a support role and be tasked as needed." He looked over atthe gathered scouts and felt a stab of grief at the lack of a tall lanky suitin their midst."Scouts, your job is to emplace some charges, but mainly I want you to launchflicker-eyes across the unmined buildings.You should be above the line offire but if the Posleen notice you you'll be in for a hot time tonight.Afterthe charges are all laid, head towards the ocean-side processing plantsthrough the water lines."He paused in his flat monotone delivery and looked around, the slight twitchesof his neck muscles swinging the viewpoint from side to side.The suits werefeatureless as always; the platoon might have been a set of poorly castplasteel statues.A sudden question intruded upon his narrowed reality as hewondered how many would be alive on the morrow."Because of all the damage the lines are mostly empty; if yours isn't, blowout the walls and drain it;according to my data, none of the water plants are functional in this area."We're about to start moving over to our respective buildings.We don't havetime to dick around so we're going down the outside on compensators.Your AIDshave the drop programs loaded.Fall fast then punch up the compensators andhit hard.It'll be just like a jump except we'll fall faster and won'tdisperse.When we hit the ground, split up and do the mission." He lookedaround the rooftop then back at the gathered platoon.He was not sure what to say.It seemed a moment for a motivational speech buthe was damned if there was one in him."A quick prayer," he said finally andbowed his head.He paused for a moment longer, running through the short listof prayers he could remember.None of them seemed appropriate.Then, suddenly,a fragment of verse from an unknown poem came to mind.He thought about it andfound it highly appropriate.He took a deep breath.* * *"Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow, Remember, reach and save, The soul that comesto-morrowBefore the God that gave!Since each was born of woman, For each at utter needTrue comrade and true foemanPage 169 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlMadonna, intercede!""Sergeant Green!""Sir?""Move 'em out.""Yes, sir.Scouts, Second, First, Fourth, Third, Headquarters, Fifth.Moveit!"When they reached the first building to be mined, the squads broke up andmoved to their buildings.Third squad, tasked to this building, waited lined along the roof withheadquarters for the other squads to get into position.When the other squadswere in position, the platoon stepped over the edge.The suits dropped underan artificially induced two positive gravities to within one hundred meters ofthe ground then began to slow.They hit the bottom still traveling at nearlysix meters per second, but the suitsabsorbed this with bent knees.There were a few Posleen milling aimlessly onthe boulevards."Squads, put a covering team behind you and head to the demolition points.Third, Sergeant Green and Iwill cover.Do it, people." Mike hefted his grav-rifle and followed the redpriority carets.Michelle could analyze all the Posleen in line of sight orrange of sensors and determine the highest priorities of fire.Take out theones with heavy weapons first, moving outward from nearest to farthest, unlessones farther out were targeting Mike and nearer ones were not.Mike followedthe flashing carets listlessly; the moment of rage at Sergeant Wiznowski'sdeath had destroyed something important for him and he could feel depressionlingering around the corner.Posleen fell relentlessly, but Mike was becoming more distant.It felt as ifhe was watching the world through TV and the actions in the beyond were unrealshadows.He and Sergeant Green covered the entry of Third squad and moved into thebuilding."How are we gonna support from here?" asked Sergeant Green standing in one ofthe giant vehicle bays on the ground floor."Poorly.We'll move toward the central shaft and down." Mike and SergeantGreen headed inward, mopping up the occasional Posleen along the way.Whenthey did not notice the Posleen, the Posleen nonetheless attacked them.Mikefinally determined that most of the Posleen in the building were ones that hadbeen released by the death of a God King.Mike considered the briefings hehad, a million years ago back in The World.Normal Posleen were barely sentient.Most of them were below moron level on ahuman scale.There were a few that were of slightly higher intelligence thatthe God Kings used as foremen or NCOs.But all of the normal Posleen "normals"and "superior normals" were bonded in a very real sense to an individualGod King.They would not even flinch from death if the God King ordered themto die.But if the God King died, their bonds were released.If this occurred withanother God King around, the other God King could try to rebond them.Rebondthem "in the heat" as it was called.However, if they were not rebonded in theshort period after the death of their lord and master, they were impossible tobond for some time thereafter, up to two weeks [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]
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.The action was tactically unsound: one luckyburst by a God King laser could have gotten them all.But the platoon wasreacting to the deaths of their fellows much as Mike was and each of thesoldiers felt a need to feel part of a group, a need for touch and feeling.The suits created a strong emotion of alienation through their control ofevery sense.Moments like this were a slice of humanity bitten on the run."Subject megascrapers should drop in an L shape leading from the ocean andcurving around the trapped units.That will leave those units free toconcentrate on pushing out of the encirclement towards the friendly lines.This is the good part, people: the major mass of Posleen on this whole damncontinent is in the group trying to pry theDeuxième and the Lancers out of those buildings, so when we drop thosebuildings on them the war is half done." He paused and there was a tired butheartfelt "Hoo-wah" to that.The clustering of the platoon was sounding a warning to him, but he was beyondcaring.The flip side was that the same clustering was beginning to act uponhim, beginning to bring him out of his fugue.Even with all his time in suits,he was as susceptible as the troopers to the sense of alienation."We are going to be operating in two-man teams.If you run into any Posleenyou can't handle, break contact and call for support.Headquarters willsupport third squad and the engineers in the `L' building.The engineers will work on that building 'cause it needs a lighter touch.Oneteam from each squad will stay in support and as the other teams get finishedthey will go into a support role and be tasked as needed." He looked over atthe gathered scouts and felt a stab of grief at the lack of a tall lanky suitin their midst."Scouts, your job is to emplace some charges, but mainly I want you to launchflicker-eyes across the unmined buildings.You should be above the line offire but if the Posleen notice you you'll be in for a hot time tonight.Afterthe charges are all laid, head towards the ocean-side processing plantsthrough the water lines."He paused in his flat monotone delivery and looked around, the slight twitchesof his neck muscles swinging the viewpoint from side to side.The suits werefeatureless as always; the platoon might have been a set of poorly castplasteel statues.A sudden question intruded upon his narrowed reality as hewondered how many would be alive on the morrow."Because of all the damage the lines are mostly empty; if yours isn't, blowout the walls and drain it;according to my data, none of the water plants are functional in this area."We're about to start moving over to our respective buildings.We don't havetime to dick around so we're going down the outside on compensators.Your AIDshave the drop programs loaded.Fall fast then punch up the compensators andhit hard.It'll be just like a jump except we'll fall faster and won'tdisperse.When we hit the ground, split up and do the mission." He lookedaround the rooftop then back at the gathered platoon.He was not sure what to say.It seemed a moment for a motivational speech buthe was damned if there was one in him."A quick prayer," he said finally andbowed his head.He paused for a moment longer, running through the short listof prayers he could remember.None of them seemed appropriate.Then, suddenly,a fragment of verse from an unknown poem came to mind.He thought about it andfound it highly appropriate.He took a deep breath.* * *"Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow, Remember, reach and save, The soul that comesto-morrowBefore the God that gave!Since each was born of woman, For each at utter needTrue comrade and true foemanPage 169 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlMadonna, intercede!""Sergeant Green!""Sir?""Move 'em out.""Yes, sir.Scouts, Second, First, Fourth, Third, Headquarters, Fifth.Moveit!"When they reached the first building to be mined, the squads broke up andmoved to their buildings.Third squad, tasked to this building, waited lined along the roof withheadquarters for the other squads to get into position.When the other squadswere in position, the platoon stepped over the edge.The suits dropped underan artificially induced two positive gravities to within one hundred meters ofthe ground then began to slow.They hit the bottom still traveling at nearlysix meters per second, but the suitsabsorbed this with bent knees.There were a few Posleen milling aimlessly onthe boulevards."Squads, put a covering team behind you and head to the demolition points.Third, Sergeant Green and Iwill cover.Do it, people." Mike hefted his grav-rifle and followed the redpriority carets.Michelle could analyze all the Posleen in line of sight orrange of sensors and determine the highest priorities of fire.Take out theones with heavy weapons first, moving outward from nearest to farthest, unlessones farther out were targeting Mike and nearer ones were not.Mike followedthe flashing carets listlessly; the moment of rage at Sergeant Wiznowski'sdeath had destroyed something important for him and he could feel depressionlingering around the corner.Posleen fell relentlessly, but Mike was becoming more distant.It felt as ifhe was watching the world through TV and the actions in the beyond were unrealshadows.He and Sergeant Green covered the entry of Third squad and moved into thebuilding."How are we gonna support from here?" asked Sergeant Green standing in one ofthe giant vehicle bays on the ground floor."Poorly.We'll move toward the central shaft and down." Mike and SergeantGreen headed inward, mopping up the occasional Posleen along the way.Whenthey did not notice the Posleen, the Posleen nonetheless attacked them.Mikefinally determined that most of the Posleen in the building were ones that hadbeen released by the death of a God King.Mike considered the briefings hehad, a million years ago back in The World.Normal Posleen were barely sentient.Most of them were below moron level on ahuman scale.There were a few that were of slightly higher intelligence thatthe God Kings used as foremen or NCOs.But all of the normal Posleen "normals"and "superior normals" were bonded in a very real sense to an individualGod King.They would not even flinch from death if the God King ordered themto die.But if the God King died, their bonds were released.If this occurred withanother God King around, the other God King could try to rebond them.Rebondthem "in the heat" as it was called.However, if they were not rebonded in theshort period after the death of their lord and master, they were impossible tobond for some time thereafter, up to two weeks [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]