Free Edge of Solace (A Star Too Far) by Casey Calouette

This, he thought, better be enough to counter the Sa’Ami striders. What the UC lacked in striders they hoped to counter with powered armor.
    The focus returned as the display smoothed out and showed the final objective. Green icons hovered on the red diamond. His men. Holy shit, they did it. Maybe the tip of the spear wasn’t as dull as he thought.
    “LT, we brought it home!” Sergeant Craig boasted.
    Only a few suits survived. Ragged patches of dull red icons were scattered near the canal and in a line all the way to the objective. He didn’t feel so bad now.
    “Al l right. We’re packing it up for now. Everyone stretch out and meet back here in an hour.” Yamaguchi popped the release. Cold air—cold relative to the inside of the suit, gushed in. His entire body was drenched in perspiration. He shivered as he slid himself out.
    Men dropped gently from the hovering suits and blinked away the bright light. All were soaked with sweat. In moments , the smell rolled across the entire area.
    Yamaguchi stood and stretched as he nodded with as triumphant a face as he could muster. His hand slid on the stiff armored foot , hoping they performed better on the ground. The small armor platoon grouped up and went to jeer back at the Marines in the commons.
     
    *
     
    William laid the tablet on the table and looked around the wardroom. The meeting was dragging and it had just begun.
    The Bulgarian Marine, Lieutenant Zhenya Zinkov, was stuttering. Again. “T-t-t-t-” he stopped, took a breath and wrinkled his brow. “The squad will be ready to board, Mr. Grace.” The pace of the words was slow and methodical. If he tried to speed up his speech, as he wanted to, it snarled and choked in his throat.
    William liked him. The Bulgarian put his jumbo sized head down and tackled any task he was given. Serious, quiet, like a sentinel of old. Though in a lively conversation he would drive people insane.
    “Very good, the Captain should be in any moment.”
    Zinkov nodded, as he preferred to do, and sat with his hands flat on the table.
    William squirmed a bit on the narrow bench. He looked down and swiped at the tablet. Each page showed a different thing he had submitted and was awaiting approval. He snapped his eyes up. Zinkov was glancing down without lowering his head. William cleared his throat.
    Zinkov smiled and leaned back against the bulkhead. “W-w-w-w-what are you working on , XO?”
    “Personnel assignments, some maintenance tasks, and trying to find out who is getting into the entertainment ration.” William frowned at the data leak. Someone was getting into the daily entertainment feed early.
    “Eh-eh-eh-early? Why?”
    “There’s two hours of sports every day. The data system has the results stored away. Someone is betting , I think.”
    Zinkov nodded. “Find the winner.”
    William noticed the lack of a stutter. The man had a point. “The money?”
    “N-n-n-no. The winner, it might not be money.”
    William nodded slowly. Maybe the Bulgarian was on to something. “Thanks Zinkov.”
    The Bulgarian smiled widely. His teeth showed in a grill of white and straight lines.
    The door slid open silently and Captain Khan entered, Midshipman Lebeau following behind him.
    William pictured Tik whenever he saw Lebeau. The woman had not a speck of hair on her skull, but her eyebrows were so blond as to be almost white. “Captain, Ms. Lebeau.”
    “Let’s make it quick Mr. Grace. We blink into the Cerberus system within the next hour.” Captain Khan sat and smoothed the front of her uniform. Her eyes were hard and professional. She gave Zinkov a slight nod.
    “Very well. For the fuel transfer we’ll run the second shift Engineering crew with Mr. Zinkov securing the launch area. Battle stations I assume , ma’am?” William asked as he glanced down at the tablet.
    “Please Mr. Grace. I’d like all watches to step it up. I’m to be alerted anytime anything is out of the ordinary and before every blink or