FIREBASE ALPHA: COFFEE OR DINNER

“I don’t know what’s wrong!” The Armorer Sergeant was perplexed. He was watching Mark fire his new G-80 pulse carbine. They were on the firing range. There was no room for the range iside the firebase, so they built a range outside the wire. The armorer’s workshop was in a truck that was currently parked by the range.

The Armorer’s two assistants were sitting on big chairs made out of sandbags. One of them was looking through binoculars to see exactly how off the shots were. There was nobody else on the range, except for a black hound dog.

One of the assistants spoke up, “I swear everything is ok with it me and Bert....”

Armorer Sergeant interrupted, “I know, I checked it myself.”

Mark started to say something, but the Armorer Sergeant didn’t give him a chance to get words out. “I had to swap a few parts and tighten the mechanism, but the sights are good and the barrel…” a thought struck him. “You’re not using the scope are you? It’s not sighted.”

The G-80 Pulse Carbine came with a shorter barrel and a small scope. Some scouts left the scope on and others took it off. A scope could give you some bonuses to sight and detection, but could negatively effect camouflage. Everything in the game had pluses and minuses.

Mark shook his head and blurted it out. “No, it’s not the scope. The gun might be fin...”

“It’s not a gun,” the Armorer Sergeant said reflexively, “over in the fire pit, those big arty pieces is guns. That there is a G-80 Scout Pulse Carbine.”

One of the soldiers looked at his companion, “rookie mistake.” It looked like the Armorer Sergeant was taking a deep breath and winding up for a speech. It was a long speech about the difference between guns and rifles and carbines and...

Mark just started talking. “My mistake Sarge, but I think I know what...”

“I’ve been doin’ this 25 years sonny boy, don’t you think I know what I’m doin’?”

I must be in some kind of program set. It may not matter what I say. “Yeah Sarge, I know you are the expert but…”

“But what?” There was an edge to the Armorer Sergeant that wasn’t there before. He was getting worked up. “But I don’t know my way around the newer pulse rifles That when the H-series comes out I won’t be able to handle it? That I should take the next promotion or get out of the service? Is that what you think?”

What the hell? “I, uh, Sarge I think you are top shelf. Best armorer I’ve ever seen and this beauty,” he hefted the carbine, “before you touched it I think it was in shit shape. You made her beautiful and....”

“Damn right I did.”

Mark jumped back in, “Nobody preps a gun...” The Armorer Sergeant glared. The assistants laughed. Mark pressed on. “Rifle, carbine, nobody works a weapon like you.”

The Armorer Sergeant grumbled something unintelligible. One of the assistants heaved a ball down alongside the range. Nobody was shooting and the dog needed some exercise. It dutifully ran after the ball. 50 meters out something distracted it and the dog went chasing something new.

“The problem isn’t you, Sarge. The problem is me.”

The Armorer Sergeant stared ed at Mark. I didn’t think AI’s could read stats, Mark thought.

“You don’ got no marksman badge.” After the Armorer Sergeant spoke, the assistants peered at Mark too.

He wasn’t reading stats, he was looking at my uniform or record or… “No, Sarge, I don’t.”

The Armorer Sergeant took the weapon and aimed down range. He fired several small bursts. Each round hit its target. High above the far end of the range, some birds circled. The Armorer Sergeant looked up. So did Mark. The birds looked kind of like eagles or hawks or condors, no matter what they were majestic birds of prey. Oh no, no, no.

“Uh, Sarge?” One of the other soldiers spoke up.

Quick as a snake, the Armorer Sergeant snapped the weapon up, exhaled and fired a single round. One hundred meters away and high up, there was a burst of feathers.

“Damn Sarge,” The other assistant was exasperated.

“Are you a sniper?” Mark asked.

The Armorer Sergeant beamed with pride. “Me,” he laughed happily, “this fat old body isn’t going crawling through the brush for three days to get a lucky shot, no sir. That’s just using these weapons my whole life.”

“I don’t know Sarge, that was some damn incredible shooting.” Mark was envious. “I’ll never shoot that good.”

Again the Armorer Sergeant laughed. “No, I don’t think you will. Run along, I’ll sight in the scope and maybe you can hit a target with it.”

“Sarge,” Mark began but was immediately interrupted.

“Come back in an hour and it’ll be right as rain.”

The Armorer Sergeant turned his back on Mark. Mark started to walk away. As he left he hard some commotion. He looked back. The dog had brought in the remains of a big bird.

“Aw hell, Sarge, you shot a Gossamer out of the sky.”

“Hell of a shot too.”

“Sarge it’s like the national bird around here. You can’t just go blasting symbols like this out of the sky when everything is so touchy with the locals.”

“Sure I can.”

Unbelieveable, Mark thought as he walked away. Unbelieveable.

He started walking back towards the gate when he saw her walking towards him. “Hey Miranda!”

She smiled as she walked up to him. “I thought you deserted. I asked where you were and everybody said you went outside the wire.”

“No, its just where the range is.” He gestured to the firing range.

She looked over there and then froze. “is that a dead gossamer?” She connected the dots quickly. “Did you shoot a gossamer?”

“Me?” he was surprised at the question, “shoot a bird?”

“it’s not just a bird.” She wouldn’t be distracted. “It’s a treasure.” She wheeled back to Mark again. “Did they shoot a gossamer?”

What happens if I get this question wrong? Do I lose reputation with her? “I’m pretty sure it was dead when they found it on the ground.” Close enough to the truth. “You were looking for me?” He knew that he had a goofy grin. Be a damn adult, please, you are too old to be a teenager with a crush.

She smiled. It was a pretty smile. Her uniform was tailored, it looked good and functional. She looked good. Seriously! He chastised himself. Get a grip.

“I, uh I,” she stuttered shyly, “I just wanted to say hi. Hi.”

“Hi.”

It was quiet for moment. Noise from the range broke the silence.

“Want to grab some coffee?” He asked as he guided her back towards the gate and away from the range and dead birds.

“I’d love to,” she said as she walked beside him. “But I can’t.”

“Why not?” They stopped walking, they were still short of the gate.

She was looking down the road, away from him. “I have a mission.”

“What kind of mission?”

“My job is to go find my half-sister and report back. The brigadier doesn’t know if he can trust me or not.” She was clearly unhappy. “Years of work with the government and the Federation Alliance all shot to hell because of that bitch.”

Mark nodded. He didn’t really know what to say.

“And we both know how excited she will be to see me.”

“Yeah,” Mark said. “So what are you going to do?”

“Find where she is and call the Brigadier. I don’t know what happens after that.” She smiled at him. It was a slightly sad smile. “So what happens with you?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea.” HE really didn’t. “I’m just waiting for orders.”

“What will the orders say?”

“Will you be here if I get back?”

“When you get back,” Mark insisted, “when.” He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He frowned. “I just don’t know.”

Neither one said anything, they just looked in each other’s eyes.

“Aren’t we a pair,” Mark finally said.

“Not yet,” she said smiling. “But I’d love to grab that cup of coffee if you’re still here and if I get back.”

“When you get back,” he smiled, “how ‘bout we grab some dinner.”

“It’s a date. I know a great place.”

“Great.”

“Great.”

DO SOMETHING! He screamed at himself internally. But what if she’s an AI? I will look rediciulous if I kiss a sugar spun program. What if she’s not? GET A GRIP!

Suddenly she took matters into her own hands and hugged him. He hugged her back. She pulled back slightly and they looked in each other’s eyes as they still embraced. She struck quickly, her lips on his for an instant before she pulled away.

“Dinner when I get back.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.” If I’m still here.

She turned and walked away. Is that some shimmy to her walk? This is one hell of a game.