Free Corpsman by Jonathan P. Brazee

and the local Republic First Party were the major political powers in the two southern continents.  All three parties were spread throughout Jericho, however, and between themselves, controlled more than three-quarters of the planetary parliament, with the remaining seats belonging to independents and minor parties.  So when war broke out, 40% of Kaglsand were self-declared loyalists and almost 15% of the southlands supported the north.
    One FCDC regiment had been sent to the planetary administrative center of San Martin, and a second regiment was at Nya Asgard, the largest city in Svealand.  The Second Battalion, Third Marines, the “Fuzos,” had been sent to Skagerrak Point, the 300,000-person city on the isthmus connecting Svealand with the eastern continent of Gran Chaco.  Skagerrak Point, besides having a protected deep-water harbor, was the nexus for the roads and maglev lines between the two continents.  Within the borders of Svealand, the population was pretty evenly divided between those supporting the north and those supporting the southlands.  The war’s worst fighting had been in the city, atrocities had been committed by both sides, and now the Marines had been plopped down right in the middle of it.
    Liege knew that both sides claimed that the Marines were there to support them, so it was doubtful that they’d come under direct attack.  Still, she felt her stress levels rise as she scanned the buildings for signs of aggression.  The dark alleys of Barrio Blanca, a Tino neighborhood, weighed heavily on her heart.  If the Tinos decided to hit them, they’d be able to inflict heavy casualties.
    With the bulk of the Tinos supportive of the PRP, and the PRP being a Federation-wide party, logic would dictate that here in the barrio, the citizens would welcome the Marines.  Logic was not a universal trait, however. 
    The favelas back at home looked far more hostile, but Liege understood them and their rules.  The barrios here, though, were new territory, and Liege didn’t feel comfortable in them at all.  When the patrol emerged from the barrio and snaked back across Drottninggatan—which the Marines designated Route Gazelle—Liege felt a weight lift off her shoulders.  The Svea who lived north of Gazelle might not wish the Marines well, but at least Liege felt the Marines could now see any threat that might be waiting for them. 
    Two hours later, the patrol returned to the battalion base camp, back in what had been the port’s bonded cargo facility.  It wasn’t home, nor was it the Josh , but Liege felt much better and less exposed than she’d felt patrolling in Barrio Blanca.
    They’d been on Jericho for only two days so far, and as far as Liege was concerned, that was already two days too many.  She just hoped that the two sides could come to an agreement without it breaking down into a fight again, and that the Fuzos could re-embark and get on to its previously planned missions.

Chapter 10
     
    The mission took a turn on the seventh day of the deployment.   Liege was just getting chow when the QRF [11] was called out.  She dropped her half-eaten burger and rushed out of the chow hall and down to the aid station.
    Liege was attached to Golf Company, but her secondary billet was with the rest of the corpsmen in the battalion aid station.  If she wasn’t on a mission or training with her squad, she was to report to the station for both routine sick call as well as for any emergencies.  If the QRF had been called out, she knew she might be needed.
    Most of the corpsmen were pouring in while HM1 Anthony, the battalion’s second-senior corpsman, manned the command net.  Liege waited nervously, straining her ears to catch sounds of fighting.  She thought she heard a single blast, but if she had, it was pretty far away.
    She almost jumped when Anthony turned and shouted out, “We’ve got one Class 1 WIA inbound!”
    A Class 1 was serious, life threatening.  Liege felt her heart leap