Free Battleground Mars by Eric Schneider Page A

sites. This time they kept a careful watch, he made Kaz stay on the buggy, perched high on the framework to keep a lookout for Taurons. But there were no attacks that day, they worked late and drove back with the cargo hold stuffed with mineral. It made up for part of what they’d lost lately, they caught up with the other returning teams on the way back, by the sound of the jubilant radio transmissions they’d all had a good day. Maybe their luck was about to turn.
    Rahm dove straight in the shower when he got back and then went to the canteen to unwind. He sat down at a table with a mug of coffee and poured in an oversized slug of Bourbon, then relaxed back to enjoy it.
    “You mind if I join you?”
    He looked up. It was Gabi Aaronsen, Grant Merkel’s sister. She was a looker, which was enough to make him glance at her for longer than he would normally bother with a girl. Especially since Christine’s death. He looked away quickly, for he didn’t want her to think he was ogling her. He’d seen her around a few times since they’d met in the library on the ship, yet hadn’t had any real need to talk to her.
    “Sure, go ahead. You want a slug in your coffee?”
    She nodded. “That’d be nice; life here has been pretty crap lately.”
    “You’re telling me.” He poured a good measure into her coffee mug. “I’m sorry about the poor devils on Grant’s crew, it should never have happened. It’s sad about your brother.”
    “What do you mean, it should never have happened?”
    “I mean that these so-called managers should think a little more about their men and a little less about the trevanium. Men are dying, and they don’t seem to give much of a damn.”
    “You think they should send security guards out with the drilling crews?”
    “I know for certain that they should. Think about it, we have a hard enough task as it is. We have to concentrate on the drilling, trying to stop the machinery from going crazy while we extract the mineral, it’s a tricky job. We take our eyes off to watch for alien monsters and the equipment goes to pieces. We concentrate on the equipment and the Taurons jump us. We can’t do it all, if they don’t start giving us security teams there won’t be any drillers left by the time the next relief ship arrives.”
    I’m Gabi, Gabi Aaronsen. I guess you should know that Grant was my brother.”
    “Yes, I haven’t forgotten that we met on the ship.”
    She smiled when he said he remembered their meeting. She was taller than many women, not far off his height of six feet one inch. Maybe she was five nine, pretty impressive for a woman. Dark brown hair, eyes that shone interest and intelligence, she was slim but also had an attractive shape, with curves in all the right places. He pulled himself together, as he realized he’d been looking at her breasts. Damn, he hadn’t meant to be rude, not with this girl.
    “Thirty six C,” she interjected. “You were looking at my tits, I guessed you were wondering. Lots of men do, I don’t mind.”
    “No, of course not,” he stammered, but he felt his face glowing red. “I mean, of course not, I wasn’t, you know…”
    “Sure.”
    Her smile lit up her face. She understood. She was the kind of girl who knew what she had and wasn’t self-conscious or vain about it. His kind of girl. He noticed her eyes were shadowed with grief.
    “I’m real sorry about your brother.”
    “Thank you, it looked like a horrible way to die.”
    You didn’t watch…”
    “The video? Yes, thanks for getting it back. It was horrible, but at least we know what happened to him, there are no doubts, no waiting and worrying.”
    “Right. Another one?”
    She nodded and he poured it in.
    “Would you do something for me, Rahm?”
    “Sure, of course.”
    There’s a service of commemoration later tonight. Would you say a few words, as it was you that led the crew out to recover the recording?”
    “Yes, I’ll do that.”
    Her faced brightened a