Sergeant (The United Federation Marine Corps Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

started to move back. Suddenly, the projection tumbled, making it hard to tell what was going on.
    “Falling” in a PICS was actually pretty hard to do. The gyros kept PICS upright through most forces thrown at it. The gyros had to be bypassed, and with them off, controlling the PICS took much more skill, skill Ryck hoped Holleran really did possess.
    A loud “fuck !” sounded out as Holleran yelled, making sure his speakers were on. For a moment, the visuals steadied with a view of the sky. Then images started crowding forward as they shouted for the Marine’s blood. A couple of men actually jumped on Holleran’s chest, making the visuals too jumbled to make much sense from.
    “Now!” SSgt Hecs passed, and Sams’ first fire team and then the mounts-with their cargo onboard-- pushed out the door to start running along the broad walkway that ran along the front of the building.
    One of the legionnaires shouted “ giddyup” as they started to move, to Ryck’s annoyance.
    Ryck had to wait several moments before he, as the second-to-last one to leave, got outside. About 20 meters beyond the bottom of the steps, a mass of people was attacking the prone Holleran. Several of the crowd, though, had stopped when they realized more Marines were pouring out of the building. A few were starting towards them.
    To his left, Ryck saw that the way was clear all the way to the end of the building. Marines had already reached the edge and were disappearing down the stairs to ground level. He counted the seven mounts, their piggyback cargo still secure on their backs. As he took that in, a couple of the militiamen scooted past him and started running pell-mell after the lead elements.
    “OK Holleran,” he passed. “Get out of there now!”
    ROE be damned. If Holleran had any problem, Ryck was going to charge, his 8mm hypervelocity gun ablaze. Bodies were going to fall.
    A few of the protest ers who were still focused on Holleran seemed to lose their footing. The welcome sight of a PICS Marine rose from the mass of people. It lurched forward, looking like at least one protestor was under its bulk. A few steps forward, and Holleran broke free and started into a lumbering run along the bottom of the stairs parallel to the route Ryck was now taking. Two protesters tried to stop Holleran, but they went flying like pinballs after colliding with him.
    At the end of the building, Ryck ran down the steps into the square. Along with the rest of his squad who were not acting as mount s and joined by Holleran, they formed a rough arc in back of the last of the cargo.
    “Vehicle at our two o’clock!” Cpl Mendoza passed.
    Ryck looked to see a hover picking up speed as it crossed the square, heading for where the Marines were entering the street that led deeper into the city. A quick mental calculation, and Ryck knew the hover could crash into the last of the Marines carrying the legionnaires and two civvies before they could get out and into the street. A hover at speed could probably only damage a PICS if it crashed into it, but the same impact could be deadly to any unprotected passenger.
    He was about to tell Prifit, one of the squad ’s heavy gunners, armed with the 20mm HGL [6] , to take out the hover when a burst of fire sounded behind him. He didn’t have to look back. His visor identified the outgoing fire as coming from two of the militiamen. The sparks flashed off the hover, then it fell to the ground sending even more sparks as it slid along the cobbles.
    “Rey, Prifit, Keiji, slow down a little. We’re going to cover those militia until they can at least get out of the square,” Ryck passed to First Fire Team.
    They might not be highly trained, but the militiamen, already being left in the dust, had stopped to remove a threat to the Marines. Ryck was not going to abandoned them.
    It seemed like forever, but it probably only took another minute until the militiamen, with the four Marines covering them, made it to the edge of