Free A Small Colonial War (Ark Royal Book 6) by Christopher Nuttall, Justin Adams

familiar, yet some were clearly unique to the SAS.  It was lucky, he decided, as they moved to survival gear, that he’d had time on Clarke and Vesy.  He had enough experience in using hardsuits to please even Sergeant Lewis.
     
    “There isn't time to fit you out with booster implants,” Lewis said, as he led the way into the medical bay.  A grim-faced doctor was standing there, holding a datapad in one hand and a pocket scanner in the other.  “You may be at a disadvantage if you have to run after us.”
     
    Percy nodded, curtly.  “I’ll try and serve as the rearguard then,” he said.  He’d heard that the SAS had booster implants - as well as implanted weapons and communications devices - but details had been sparse.  However, if they were anything like the civilian models used by spacers, it would take weeks to learn how to use the implants.  “How do your implants work?”
     
    “That’s classified information,” Lewis growled.  “Pass Selection and you’ll find out.”
     
    The Sergeant didn't let up.  As soon as the doctor had pronounced Percy physically healthy, he’d led Percy into a sparring room and tested him, ruthlessly.  Percy had been trained in hand-to-hand combat, but the Sergeant was astonishingly fast and terrifyingly strong.  It was a surprise, when the sparring came to an end, when the Sergeant reluctantly cleared Percy to accompany the troop and led him to meet the rest of the troopers.
     
    Or maybe it shouldn’t have been , Percy thought, feeling his body aching.  If Drake wasn't joking about officers who didn't know how to fire a gun ...
     
    “We operate on a first-name basis here,” Lewis explained.  The SAS common room didn't look that different to the one he recalled from Edinburgh, although it was cleaner than anything civilian .  “And we have zero tolerance for bullshit.”
     
    “Quite right,” a trooper said.  He stuck out a hand for Percy to shake.  “I’m Jimmy.  I read your file.  What was it like on Vesy?”
     
    Percy hesitated.  “Tricky,” he said, finally.  “Hot, sticky and remorselessly political.”
     
    Jimmy laughed and slapped Percy’s shoulder.  “Sounds like fun,” he said.  “And Clarke?”
     
    “Cold, icy and deadly,” Percy said.  “You wouldn’t last a minute without protective gear.”
     
    “But at least it’s a free-fire zone,” Jimmy said.  “There won’t be any aliens or civilians to get in the way when we engage the Indians.”
     
    He waved Percy to a seat and passed him a can of Panda Cola.  “Tell us about it.”
     
    Percy nodded and started to talk.  The troopers listened intently, without the jokes he would have expected from a rival branch of the military.  But then, the troopers didn't have anything to prove; hell, some of them might have been drawn from the Royal Marines or had friends who’d served on Vesy too.  They didn’t need to engage in horseplay to prove themselves.
     
    “If you want to update your will, make sure you do it now,” Lewis said, an hour later.  He’d listened quietly, sometimes asking questions to parse out more of the story.  “Or check your email - remember, anything you send will be held in the buffers until someone’s had a chance to take a look at it.  This is pretty much the only piece of downtime you’ll get, so enjoy it.”
     
    “Aw, Sergeant,” Jimmy said.  “We were hoping to take him to the pub.”
     
    Lewis lifted his eyebrows.  “Would you care to explain to the Captain while you’re all rolling drunk or puking during the shuttle flight?”
     
    “Um ... no, Sergeant,” Jimmy said.
     
    “Right answer,” Lewis said.  “You’re in lockdown anyway, so behave yourselves.  Percy, you have a bunk with the lads.  Don’t worry about standing guard tonight - you’ll do enough of that on the ship.”
     
    Percy nodded.  He’d have to email Canella before departure - and Penny.  She'd made it back to Earth - the Indians had