{"id":2696,"date":"2024-08-03T14:37:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T21:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2696"},"modified":"2024-08-03T14:37:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T21:37:28","slug":"xef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/03\/xef\/","title":{"rendered":"XEF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Set your story during the hottest day of the year.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scant wisps of high cloud offered no hope for relief from the rising sun. The dark red soil had barely finished radiating the heat it had collected the previous day when the first rays of the sun lit the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen up, the word of the day is hydrate.\u201d Captain Inez Isobel filled her canteen from the creek, pushed the button on the side, and waited for the red light on the button to turn green. When it had, she took a swig of the tepid water. \u201cTastes like shit, but it\u2019s better than dying out here. Speaking of dying out here, every hour we spend reduces the chances for rescue of the crew. Weather check, McCoy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be the hottest day yet. Yesterday was already 147 drin. Shit, I can\u2019t do hotter.\u201d Corporal Alex McCoy, barely 150 centimeters tall, turned grey eyes in a pale face rimmed with strawberry blond hair and beard to the tall, dun-skinned woman with dark brown eyes and matching hair buzzed to a few millimeters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorporal<\/em>.\u201d Isobel said the word in Dulxanit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, Captain. Apologies. I will endure, we will endure, the Xeno Expeditionary Forces will prevail<\/em>,\u201d he replied in the same language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She shifted back to English. \u201cMcCoy, I know you like to show off your mastery of Dulxan weights and measures, but could you please use human equivalents when it\u2019s just us humans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am. It was about 43 Celsius \u2014 that\u2019s 110 Fahrenheit, Mary-Jane \u2014 yesterday, with humidity at 22 percent. It\u2019ll be hotter today,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it\u2019s a dry heat?\u201d he added with forced jocularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know Celsius, Private,\u201d Recruit Mary-Jane Smith shot back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did you join the Dulxan XEF?\u201d Isobel asked, pronouncing the acronym as \u201czef.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCoy sighed. \u201cSame story as most of us, I guess. We\u2019re not supposed to ask, so forgive me, Cap, if I don\u2019t elaborate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isobel crossed her arms. \u201cI know you\u2019re probably running from a jail sentence or something, what I meant is, why did you join XEF rather than, say, hiding away in any other system outside human space?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2014uh\u2014didn\u2019t have that option. It was either the Dulxan Xeno Expeditionary Force, or Dulxan prison, and I couldn\u2019t do another stint.\u201d He turned all his attention on his satellite relay that displayed the weather patterns in real time, along with an overlay of the search grids the team had already combed and those that were left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mouths began to open, only to be shut again, as the troops all had questions, but knew better than to ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sergeant Abel Mahmouddi unfolded his wiry, two-meter frame from where he\u2019d sat. His ebon skin showed no sign of age, although his close-cropped, tightly curled black hair had spots of grey at the temples. \u201cXEFs, fill your canteens and be ready to move out, three minutes. McCoy, keep your eyes on our satellite, Smith on point. Private Doe, what\u2019s our comm situation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private Jane Doe gave a thumbs-up. \u201cWe\u2019re five-by-five with command, still no fix on the transponder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they trekked kilometer after slow kilometer, the sun rose, a baleful orange that made their camouflage pattern look washed out and grey. McCoy stayed close to Isobel and Mahmouddi, marking each area they searched as they went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, Sarge,\u201d he said, \u201cI saw how everyone looked when I said Dulxan prison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo shit, Sherlock,\u201d Mahmouddi said. \u201cYou\u2019d have to fuck up pretty major to end up in Dulxan prison. And did you imply that you\u2019d already done a stint?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell you what, Sarge. You or Cap tell me why you\u2019re here, and I\u2019ll tell you my story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isobel spoke up. \u201cThat\u2019s easy. You\u2019ve already noticed I\u2019m not using one of the ‘hundred names’, but my real name. That\u2019s because I\u2019m not running away from anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot hard to believe, Cap,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine you being in trouble with the law anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in the Marines,\u201d she said, \u201cfor the black sky Navy. I joined for adventure and travel. Instead, I spent my time on stations and guarding Ambassadors. I joined XEF for the adventure. I saw more action my first year in than I did in the six I spent as a Marine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmouddi laughed. \u201cI\u2019m using my real name, too, but not because I\u2019m not running away. I can never return to human space. First-degree murder doesn\u2019t have a statute of limitations. I knew what I was getting into and so did my daughter. Those bastards won\u2019t hurt her \u2014 or anybody \u2014 ever again, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit. Well, I guess it\u2019s my turn. I, um, had a fling with Eviets, a Dulxan girl\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait,\u201d Isobel said, \u201ca hairy, snaggletoothed, stubby-legged, Dulxan? Like, with the extra bits down there and all?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cYeah, Cap. Just like that. She was so sweet, though. I couldn\u2019t help but see past all that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmouddi\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cWas she underage? Is that why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, no, she\u2026uh\u2026used me\u2026as a money mule. I didn\u2019t know. She\u2019d ask me to do her a favor and hand me a stack of credits with a filled-out deposit slip. Lots of different banks, but I figured it was normal for an interstellar business consultant. She travelled a lot for business, made lots of money, but still found time to keep me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCoy marked their location on his display and continued. \u201cIt\u2019s just that her \u2018consulting\u2019 business was money laundering for pirates and drug cartels. They arrested me while I was making one of the deposits and locked me up. I told them everything I knew, but they didn\u2019t believe me. Eviets was in the wind. They said not even a human would get suckered in by someone as ugly as her, and I was in on it and in it for the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was the first term, for seven mita \u2014 about 2 years \u2014 and then they caught her, and she dumped it all on me. I knew I was fucked when I recognized the judge at the second trial as one of her regular customers. Now she\u2019s free and I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmouddi chuckled. \u201cYou were with a Dulxan woman \u2014 an ugly one at that. Who was top?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCoy shook his head and sighed. \u201cSee, this is why I didn\u2019t want to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re saying she was,\u201d Mahmouddi said. \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould it matter what I said?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot particularly,\u201d Isobel answered, \u201cas I couldn\u2019t care less. I\u2019m more concerned with our mission. But your history with a snaggletoothed fur-dwarf is safe with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor future reference, you might just claim the money laundering and skip the rest of the story,\u201d Mahmouddi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sharp whistle from Doe caught their attention. \u201cI\u2019ve got a transponder signal, but it\u2019s weak. North-by-Northeast, probably ten or so kilometers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRound \u2019em up for a pause,\u201d Isobel said to Mahmouddi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, Captain<\/em>.\u201d He raised his open hand over his head and circled it, giving the signal to assemble. Once the entire squadron was there, he said, \u201cDrink up. We\u2019ve got a signal and we\u2019re diverting off the search grid. Ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMcCoy,\u201d Isobel said, \u201cweather report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s currently 39 Celsius, and we\u2019re expecting a high of 47,\u201d he said. \u201cFor Mary-Jane that\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c102 now, high of 117-sh\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClose enough. Humidity is dropping as the temperature rises, but we can expect 19 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI said, drink up!\u201d Mahmouddi yelled. \u201cWe\u2019re going to push on through the heat before it cooks our Dulxan friends. Let\u2019s remind \u2019em why they have an all-human unit in the XEF!\u201d He switched to Dulxanit and called, \u201cI will endure<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The squadron answered back in Dulxanit with, \u201cWe will endure, the Xeno Expeditionary Forces will prevail<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The squadron covered the distance in just under two hours. The Dulxan light freighter was wedged against the side of a cliff, the landing gear sheared off in the dense soil, the emergency ablative heat shield all but gone from the high-speed entry to the thick atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were no tree-like plants here to hide the ship. Isobel looked at the open plain and the clear sky above. \u201cMcCoy, why didn\u2019t the satellite pick this up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCoy showed her the view from the satellite. \u201cSomething in the rocks here is messing with the imaging. It\u2019s all just a blur.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoe, call command with our location. Tell them to send extraction and a medical team at once,\u201d she yelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrying, Cap, but I can\u2019t reach command. Something\u2019s messing with the signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmouddi and the others were looking for a way into the ship, but the main door was wedged against the mountainside. Smith clambered up the rock face to get on top of the ship. \u201cThere\u2019s an access here on top!\u201d she called out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isobel looked at the Mahmouddi. \u201cSergeant, take two more and get into that ship. Be ready with medical requirements. And get me some comms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, Captain<\/em>.\u201d He turned to Doe. \u201cDo you think you could get through from up there?\u201d he asked, pointing at the top of the cliff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe, probably. We didn\u2019t bring any climbing gear, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith had already clambered down. \u201cI\u2019ve done years of free climbing,\u201d she said. \u201cGive me the radio, and I\u2019ll try to call from up top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahmouddi nodded. \u201cMake it happen, Recruit. Doe, hand over the comms to Smith and come with me. Corporal Jones, you\u2019re with me, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the squadron ran up to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit, sorry, I forgot you got promoted last week. Corporal John Jones, you\u2019re with me and Doe, Corporal Sally Jones, stay with the rest of the squadron and set up a protective perimeter. Corporal McCoy, keep an eye on the display for anything that might be coming our way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, Sergeant<\/em>,\u201d they responded in Dulxanit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Mahmouddi led his team into the ship, and Smith climbed the cliff face, McCoy kept watch on the satellite display. \u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d he asked, \u201cwhat do you think a Dulxan freighter is doing all the way out here in Thaazi space?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s above my paygrade,\u201d she said, \u201cnot to mention yours.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs this planet even inhabited?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know. It\u2019s not on the public charts, but obviously the Dulxan know it\u2019s here, and I would guess the Thaazi do too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith waved from the top of the cliff and gave a thumbs-up. Doe popped her head up from the ship and made the hand signal for medevac, followed by a raised hand with four fingers. Smith copied the movements and held a fist in front of her face to say she was relaying the info on comms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere comes the parade,\u201d McCoy said, pointing at his display. Two ships were marked in green on the satellite image, heading toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive them a landing marker,\u201d Isobel said. She whistled loud enough for Smith to hear from the top of the cliff and gave the signal to assemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the ships landed, Dulxans in bulky environmental suits to keep them cool rushed out to the freighter. They cut through the side and carried the four injured and overheated crew out of the ship. The XEF squadron loaded onto the second ship as the last of the suited-up Dulxans left the freighter. The air in the extraction ship was a pleasant 19 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No sooner had they closed up the ship than the freighter exploded. McCoy showed Isobel and Mahmouddi his display. Where the image had been blurred and glitched, it was now clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that was no freighter,\u201d Mahmouddi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho cares?\u201d McCoy asked. \u201cI\u2019m just going to enjoy this cool air for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wasn\u2019t alone. The XEF squadron fell silent as fatigue and the relief from the heat overtook them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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