Free The Last Hero by Nathaniel Danes Page B

to catch up, Trent glanced back to see Corporal Bitter far behind the group.
    “Sergeant?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Why is Bitter dragging ass? Is she sick?”
    “I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything...but she has been acting a little odd, now that you mention it.”
    “CAL, give me a complete medical evaluation of Corporal Bitter.”
    The message he received was not what he had been expecting.
    You have got to be joking.
    “Sergeant, we have a bit of a problem. I fully admit that I never saw this one coming.”
    “What is it?” she inquired.
    “It would appear the Corporal is...how shall I say...with child.”
    Despite the camouflage, Trent could see the wheels spinning.
    “That ensign we caught her with.”
    “It would appear so. Though the paternity of the baby seems to be bit of a moot point, wouldn’t you say?”
    “Yeah, particularly since when he pops through Alpha Gate he will have a nine year old kid waiting for him. And to him, it will have only been a month.”
    Anna will be about twenty herself.
    “I bet few people will be as shocked as Bitter was when she figured it out, or will be if she doesn’t know. I’m guessing that she didn’t see this in the cards.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Remember what I said about personnel files being incomplete back on the Commerce ?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, since you’re her sergeant, I can tell you. You are granted full access to her file.” He grinned. “Before coming along this adventure, the Corporal here was married...to a woman. She’s a lesbian, at least that’s what her file says. This is why just because I read her file, I couldn’t have seen the thing with the ensign coming. People are more complicated than files.”
    “I see your point,” Roth said as Bitter caught up to them.
    Trent said, “Oh, Corporal Bitter.”
    “Yes,” she sucked in and exhaled a deep breath, “sir.”
    “We need to have a little chat about the birds and the bees.”
    The confused look Roth imagined was now on Bitter’s face caused her to burst out laughing.
    ***
    With the mountains firmly behind them, the unit again dove deep into the cover and protection offered by the forest. CAL estimated another hundred kilometers remained, but moving more cautiously this final distance would take the longest to cross. 
    Midway through the third day beyond the range, Trent was running point when CAL flashed a warning.
    Alert: Movement ahead.
    Without pause, he stopped and knelt down. He held a fist in the air, signaling the others to do the same.
    “CAL, full scan on the movement.”
    In a forest full of life, this process repeated itself dozens of time. Warning, stop, scan, and then proceed after CAL determined it was just another mindless animal. Trent expected the same result this time.
    Scan complete. Enemy position ahead. Proceed with caution!
    With his fist still in air, Trent changed the sign, ordering everyone to take cover, quietly sending forty-eight slightly blurred images moving behind rocks, trees, and bushes.
    “CAL, ping the unit to let them know we have enemy contact. Ping Captain Jones, Sergeant Gabriel, and Lieutenant Simms to meet me up front.”
    Three blurs cautiously made their way to Trent, where he waited behind a large boulder.
    “What’s the situation, Major?” Jones asked.
    “CAL says we have three Bearcats up ahead, about eighty meters. It doesn’t appear as if they know we’re here.”
    Simms asked, “Should we try to sneak around them?”
    Jones said, “I don’t like that idea, Major. They might run into us later. If they see or hear any of us, all they have to do is call it in to their base.”
    “Agreed, Captain. We take care of them here and now while we have the advantage.”
    Gabriel asked, “Should we take one alive?”
    “We can’t handle prisoners. We’ll save that objective for the assault on their base. Here’s the plan.”
    Trent took a moment to consider his options, which were few. He drew in a deep breath and