Tenzin turned and addressed the mechanic. “Can I eat or do you need to work on the suit more?”
The wiry man nodded. “You’re good to go, sir.”
Viktor gave Tenzin a big grin before clapping the mechanic on the shoulder. “Rick, my friend! How are you?”
As Viktor and Rick made small talk, Tenzin committed the mechanic’s name to memory for future use. He turned back to his screen and glared at Jane. “My digital mistress? What did you say to him, Jane?”
Jane raised her eyebrows and displayed her most innocent face, with big, glistening eyes and ridiculously pouty lips. “Don’t look at me like that!” She quickly switched to a sterner, motherly face. “It’s not my fault that you get so obsessed with these missions you forget to take care of yourself. If you’d paid attention when I briefed you earlier you could have had a real breakfast. Now be a good boy and eat your breakfast.”
Man she’s gotten bossy lately, Tenzin though as he dutifully took a bite from a roll, careful to not destroy it with his gauntlets. It actually was quite good. Unsweetened bread baked around a bit of meat and vegetables may have been a bit too boring for some, but Tenzin had eaten far worse. He quickly finished off his rolls and looked around for a place to set down his tray.
“I’ll take that, Captain,” Rick said eagerly.
“Thanks, Rick,” Tenzin said, handing him the empty tray. “I appreciate it.”
Rick beamed, either from the thanks or simply because Tenzin got his name right. He looked like he might have wanted to say something more, but he didn’t get a chance.
“Captin Dorje!” a woman yelled from the barracks entrance. “A moment please!”
Tenzin wasn’t sure who it was, but he knew he didn’t want to give her a moment. He quickly downloaded his plans from his screen to his suit, grabbed his helmet and started walking towards the transport. He hadn’t taken five steps before an angry woman in a lab coat blocked his path.
Tenzin sighed. “I’m a little busy miss…”
“Professor Angeline Belamí,” the woman angrily replied. “You had an appointment with me this morning to discuss your involvement in the Oracle project.”
Tenzin remembered her now. She’d been the one to get the Commander to force Tenzin to accept an AI. She’d been pretty feisty then, and she certainly was today. Tenzin didn’t want an argument, especially with the rest of the Keleres watching.
“Men, load up!” he barked. They all jumped and hurried up the ramp. Tenzin saw Viktor give him a big grin and a wink before he grabbed his battle-shield and went to the transport.
Satisfied that the soldiers wouldn’t bother them now, Tenzin turned his attention back to the woman. “Right. Well, Ms. Belamí, we’ll just have to reschedule. Things to do, people to kill and all.”
“I don’t think so,” she angrily retorted. “This is the fourth time you’ve skipped an appointment with me, not to mention all the mandatory visits with the psychologists you’ve ditched. If Jane wasn’t so attached to you I’d drop you from the project altogether, so don’t make me get your Commander to order you.”
“Listen, sweetheart. I don’t have time for this right now. I’ve got to go babysit some of your pussy-footed apprentices on a trip out into the ‘scary’ desert.” Tenzin’s anger surprised him, but he felt he shouldn’t have to stand there and get berated like a child for doing his job. Regardless, he took a breath to control himself before continuing. “I promise, as soon as I get back I’ll march right in to meet with you. You can psychoanalyze me to your heart’s content then. Until then, I have a job to do.”
Tenzin picked up his rifle and abruptly walked out the open hangar of the barracks and up the transport, ignoring the scientist’s repeated cries that he “Don’t walk away from me,” and that “We aren’t finished here!” Somehow he managed to get inside the transport and close the hatch before anything else happened.
The twelve soldiers and engineers in his transport looked up at Tenzin silently. “As you were,” Tenzin barked grumpily. He quickly made his way to his reinforced seat, avoiding eye contact along the way, and activated the intercom.
“Sven, let’s get going already.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two transports, carrying the whole Keleres squad and a team of engineers, quickly got underway. The trip out to Arkjut would take a couple of hours, so some of the soldiers were already getting themselves comfortable to take a nap. Tenzin wished he could do the same, but his mind was racing. It was always the same before a potential fight; he’d imagine different scenarios and develop battle plans. It was almost cathartic, and it helped him focus.
After deciding upon a tactic for the 23rd scenario (hostage situation: tear gas and tranquilizer darts), Tenzin looked around the back of the truck. Some of the men were still asleep, but most were talking quietly among themselves. Apparently some of them had gone celebrating last night at one of the bars on the base, looking for fun and women, to varying degrees of success. Tenzin smiled wistfully, envious of their camaraderie, their seeming lack of concern for the upcoming mission. It was a luxury that he, as the squad captain, could never have.
Tenzin activated the intercom to speak to the soldier assigned to drive. “Sven, how much longer until we arrive?”
“We’re just a couple miles out now, sir,” the surly Scandinavian responded. “Two minutes, maybe three.”
“Have you made radio contact with the town yet?”
“Negative.”
“Keep me informed.”
Tenzin settled back into his reinforced seat. It was dreadfully uncomfortable, by design. The extra mass of his power armor would have crushed the other soldier’s seats. He knew that he should be grateful for the more powerful armor he received when he was promoted to captain. It certainly kept him from getting injured as often as his men. Still, as he watched the rest of the men lounging next to their buddies, laughing occasionally, Tenzin felt lonely. Aside from the physical gap created by his extra-large suit, there seemed to be an invisible barrier separating Tenzin from his men. They were always respectful, even eager to please him, but they never treated him like anything but their commander.