“So, what do we know about them?”

Captain Inaba looked around the room at the officers and enlisted gathered there. After a moment’s hesitation, Lieutenant Danielov of First Platoon rose to his feet. “Very little, ma’am,” he shrugged. “We know the Sonoitii are an aquatic species, and that they shun other races. Their homeworld is supposed to be rich in natural resources, though supposedly little of it has been exploited to its potential. And... we know they’ve contracted with other mercenary outfits in the past.”

The captain raised an eyebrow. “Other units? As in multiple?”

“Yes ma’am,” the lieutenant nodded. “Unfortunately, we don’t know why they were contracted, as it seems to be standard procedure for their contracts to include Non-Disclosure Agreements, apparently with some fairly severe penalties attached.”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Inaba mused. “Have they been out conquering their neighbors?”

“Not from what I hear,” Gunnery Sergeant Satou, first platoon chief NCO, chimed in. “Like the lieutenant said, they avoid contact with pretty much everyone.”

“If that’s the case, and they’re not using mercenaries offensively, then it stands to reason they’re being used defensively. But why? And why do they keep jumping from one contractor to another?”

Rúna’s eyes widened as she had a sudden burst of inspiration, before leaning over and whispering in Kai’s ear. That earned her a double take from her squad leader, who after a moment nudged her with his elbow, directing her to the brass... an exchange that did not go unnoticed.

“You have something you wanna share, Corporal?” First Sergeant Berger asked, eyeballing her.

She looked around the compartment, swallowing nervously before standing up. “It just seems to me they’re hiding something, that they have a secret they’re trying to protect. And it must be a valuable one, if they can’t trust the outfits they’re hiring enough to rehire them.”

“Interesting point,” the captain said after a moment, as she sat down, before looking back at Danielov. “Do we know who they’ve hired in the past?”

“Some,” he admitted, “and there are few surprises there. They’re all top players in the game; The Legion, Elimination Associates, the Ixi Brigade... from what I understand, they’ve even employed the Zaitai at some point.”

“And yet none of them have maintained a working relationship with the Sonoitii,” Inaba said pointedly. “Why? A client like that, you do everything you can to keep them coming back.”

“All those outfits come with baggage,” Gunny Satou grunted. “The Legion’s expensive as hell, and the Ixi are kind of picky about the jobs they take. The Zaitai are straight up criminals and borderline terrorists, and as for EA... well, they’ll play both ends against the middle in a heartbeat if the numbers are right.”

“Hmm... if they’ve been burned in the past by their contractors, why are they only coming to us now?” she wondered aloud. “We Valkyries have a solid reputation, and a track record to be proud of.”

“Cause we’re Terrans,” Rúna spat out. “What other reason do they need?”

“Then we’ll work to overcome their mistrust,” Inaba replied evenly. “In the meantime, the colonel wants us planning. So given what we know, why do you think the Sonoitii have hired us on? What’s their goal?”

“Seeing how they’re aquatic, and if the contract is defensive, like we figure, then they must be protecting something,” the lieutenant said thoughtfully. “Mining claims, or maybe their industry. Perhaps they have something a competitor wants.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she agreed. “All right then, I think we have the beginnings of an operations plan here. I don’t suppose we have any imagery of the planet itself?”

“I’ll dig into the database and see what I can find,” the first sergeant vowed.

“Thank you, Top,” she nodded. “Start thinking about defensive strategies, everyone. I honestly don’t expect much, given how little we have to work with, but I want to hear your ideas. We’ll break for now and reconvene tomorrow morning. Dismissed.”

They started getting up, only to have the captain announce, “Sergeant Kai? Corporal Aukes? Hang back for a minute.” That earned them looks from the others, especially from their platoon leaders, but they stood by as requested until the others had filed out of the compartment. Playing it safe, the pair stood at parade rest as they waited for their CO to speak up.

“At ease, you two,” the captain said affably. “You’re probably wondering why I asked you to stay.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kai agreed, while Rúna nodded.

“Well, I’m not sure I can give you an answer,” she admitted, “so let’s just call it a hunch.”

“A hunch, ma’am?” Kai asked curiously. “About what?”

“This contract,” she said with a grimace. “Something about it stinks.”

The pair shared a look. “I’m not sure what you mean, ma’am,” Rúna replied, “and what does it have to do with us?”

“Answering the second part first, it’s because you’ve already proven yourselves to be able observers, able to adapt to unexpected circumstances, and steady in the clutch.” She leaned forward, eyeing them both. “I’m counting on the two of you to be my eyes and ears in the company. If something’s coming for us, I want to be ready when it hits.”

Kai looked confused. “Ma’am?”

“Your mission to Earth,” she said pointedly, holding up her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ve kept a lid on your involvement. Other than myself and the first sergeant here, only the colonel knows the full story. Except for the Commandant, of course. Everyone else has been told your cover story; that your temporary reassignment was a special close protection mission. We haven’t said any more than that, but we’ve dropped a few hints that might make the curious think you were guarding a special envoy on a classified mission for the Clan. So far, it seems to be holding.”

“That’s... fairly accurate,” Kai said after a moment.

“The best cover stories contain a kernel of truth,” the captain agreed. “Regardless, your experiences on that mission have proven you both to be more than capable, especially if things fall apart on this contract.”

“The captain and I are both too visible,” the first sergeant continued, picking up the thread. “If anything happens, it’s likely to be out of our earshot.”

“Are you ordering us to spy on our own people?” Rúna blurted out, incredulous.

“No one’s asking you to spy on anyone,” the first sergeant said in a rush. “Just to keep your eyes and ears open, and report anything you learn directly to one of us.”

“I still don’t understand what you’re looking for,” Kai told them.

“In a nutshell? Third-party involvement,” Captain Inaba explained. “If this contract is as lucrative as we hope, then taking the job is a smart move, but it could also be a trap. One of the other mercenary outfits could sabotage our efforts in order to win it back for themselves, for example. And then, there’s the Troika.”

A sudden chill seemed to fill the compartment at the mention of the three most powerful alien races. “There’s something going on with them, and you saw for yourselves on Dzan just how quickly the Chell stepped in to bankroll our mission...and how easily they turned a blind eye to Vezér Gret slaughtering the prisoners. And there’s more.”

The captain turned to the first sergeant. “There’s something going on with the Troika,” Berger stated, “something that’s put them on edge all across the Perseus Arm. We don’t know the details, but it seems to involve the Proteans. Princips Jibril has gone missing, with no explanation, and security’s been heightened throughout the sector.”

“... Samara,” Rúna whispered, before snapping her jaw shut.

She suddenly had Inaba’s full attention. “Do you know something, Corporal?” the captain demanded.

“No ma’am,” she said hurriedly, shooting a look to Kai for support who could only shrug helplessly in return. “I mean, nothing for certain.”

“But you suspect something, don’t you?” Berger probed.

Rúna nodded in defeat. “Yes, Top,” she mumbled.

“Then now is not the time to keep it to yourself,” she said sharply. “Spill.”

Kai stepped forward. “There was a Protean on that mission to Earth... Samara,” he explained, sparing Rúna from having to fill them in herself. “It turned out she’d been working for the Troika against her will... the Eleexx, specifically. They’d implanted a kill switch in her brain to make her do their bidding. The Knights we had on board were able to remove it, though there were some lingering side effects, last we saw her.”

“And you believe this... Samara... is responsible for the increased activity we’re seeing among the Troika?” the captain asked.

She shook her head. “Like I said ma’am, I don’t know anything for certain. But Samara made it clear that since she was now free of their influence, she had plans to... settle some old scores.”

The captain raised an eyebrow. “That’s... interesting,” she said carefully, “but you’re talking about a single person. The possibility that one individual could have such a broad impact…”

“Ma’am, I went up against her once,” Rúna interrupted. “I had her dead to rights, and she still got the drop on me. Don’t underestimate her; I’m fairly sure anyone who did has come to regret it. She’s wicked smart, resourceful, utterly ruthless, has an entire bag of alien tricks surgically implanted... and believes that she has absolutely nothing to lose.”

“She sounds... formidable,” Berger mused.

“She is,” Kai confirmed. “I wouldn’t want to square off against her... not without tactical support.”

Inaba and the first sergeant shared a look. “I’m reminded of an ancient Earth proverb; ‘When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers’,” the captain intoned. “If she’s out there stirring up trouble, it might explain why the Troika is so agitated... and so ready to lash out.” She shrugged, putting that aside for the moment. “But that brings me back to my original reason for speaking to you two. As you’ve just shown, you have a keen eye, and something tells me we’ll need that if this contract comes through. If you see anything, and I mean anything, that gives you an unsettling feeling, I want to know about it immediately. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” they said in unison.

“Very good,” she said in approval. “Keep me posted. Dismissed.”

They exited the compartment, each struggling to understand the conversation that had just taken place. By the time they arrived at their own quarters, the tension between them filled the air.

“I’m sorry,” Rúna apologized. “It just slipped out.”

“It’s all alright,” he answered. “There’s nothing we told them they couldn’t eventually piece together for themselves. And we don’t know anything, not for certain.”

She nodded, taking that in. “Do you think she’s really causing this?”

“I have no idea... but if anyone could pull it off, it’d be her,” Kai speculated. “What about you?”

Rúna considered that for a moment. “I don’t know... but I hope she finds what she’s looking for,” she said at last.

“Yeah, well... looks like we’ve got something else to worry about,” he sighed. “As if we didn’t have enough on our plate.”

“Shit comes in piles,” she agreed. “So, find out if we got the contract, come up with a battle plan, get prepped for combat, all while keeping an eye out for the Troika trying to stick a shiv in our back. That sounds about right to you?”

“More or less,” he nodded. “Any thoughts we can pass on to the captain regarding defensive operations?”

“My mind’s a blank,” she sighed, shaking her head. “You?”

“I’ve got nothing,” he said unhappily. He froze for a moment, then checked his chronometer. “Grab your PT gear. Maybe if we run the squad around the docking bay a few times, something’ll come to us.”

“Not the worst idea I’ve heard,” she agreed, shucking her trousers and slipping on her running shorts, before heading next door to get the squad ready.

“Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he!” Kai sang as they jogged around the track.

“OLD KING COLE WAS A MERRY OLD SOUL, AND A MERRY OLD SOUL WAS HE!” the squad shouted in return, falling into the familiar cadence’s rhythm.

“He called for his pipe, called for his bowl, and called for his Privates’ three!” he belted out, while Rúna ran beside him, glancing back at the others to ensure they were still all together.

“HE CALLED FOR HIS PIPE, CALLED FOR HIS BOWL, AND CALLED FOR HIS PRIVATES’ THREE!” they screamed in return.

“Beer, beer, beer, said the Privates,” he chanted, nodding in approval as they kept pace with him and stayed in step.

“BEER, BEER, BEER, SAID THE PRIVATES!” they howled with delight. It was an old favorite, its origins lost in the mists of time.

“What merry men are we!”... ironic, since half of the group was female.

“WHAT MERRY MEN ARE WE!” they roared, trying to drown out the other squads they shared the track with.

“There’s nothing so fair that can compare with the mighty Valkyries!” Kai sounded off at the top of his lungs.

“THERE’S NOTHING SO FAIR THAT CAN COMPARE WITH THE MIGHTY VALKYRIES!” they bellowed back with pride.

Looking back, Rúna spotted Arthur, the Newbie, starting to falter. She’d wondered about that, and now she knew. Well, it wasn’t anything a little concerted effort couldn’t fix. Dropping back, she maneuvered herself alongside him.

“You keep pace with me,” she told him, maintaining the tempo. He bobbed his head in gratitude, his breathing growing labored as they made another loop around the track and started the second verse. She could tell he was just mouthing the cadence, wanting to save his oxygen for the run itself, but that was a mistake. Singing improved lung capacity, and it looked like he was going to need it.

“Keep singing!” she shouted, though she directed it at the squad instead of him in particular. No need to single him out for ridicule, not for this. She watched with pride as he dug down, finding reserves he didn’t realize he had as he got his second wind, even flashing her a grateful smile as they continued to run.

He’s a decent kid, she thought to herself. A little work, and he’d fit right in.

Finishing the run a short time later, Kai kept them moving at a walking pace for a couple more laps to cool down and avoid cramping. Sidling over to Rúna, he asked, “So? Anything?”

“As a matter of fact,” she nodded, “something did occur to me out on the track.”

“Hit me.”

She managed a wide grin. “I was thinking about the way the Americans ambushed the British at Cowpens…”