The Search for Gram Read Online Free PDF Page A

” commed Sergeant Margaret ‘Witch’ Andrews. The Jamaican woman was a voodoo practitioner, among other things, and had an acute sense of impending danger. “ I not be getting any readings, mon, and I know I don’t much wanna be walkin’ up dat hill. ”
    “ Me, neither, ” said Gunnery Sergeant Patrick Dantone. He knew from long experience to trust her feelings, but didn’t see any other alternative. “ We’ll go up in force, ” the cyborg finally said, “ and meet whatever’s waiting for us with overwhelming firepower. Fire Teams #2 and #3, keep your eyes out behind us; they’re probably going to hit us here. ”
    “ Roger that, ” chorused Sergeant Jones and Sergeant Tereshchenko, the two fire team leaders.
    “ Move out! ” ordered Gunnery Sergeant Dantone.
    The squad started forward, nerves on edge, but only made it as far as the bushes before the comm net came alive.
    “ Ouch! ” “ Damn it, Gunny, this shit hurts! ” “ Son of a bitch! ” “ FUCK! ”
    “Why’d they stop?” asked Calvin.
    Mongo gave a predator’s smile. “I guess you haven’t seen those bushes up close, have you, sir?” When Calvin shook his head, Mongo continued. “The Mrowry call them hell bushes. The thorns on them have a toxin that burns like hell. When the squad was setting up, they found out the thorns were so sharp they could even penetrate our combat suits. The Mrowry have eradicated them all across the planet, except for here on this range. The Mrowry who end up in the bushes are usually out of the battle for a good week afterward. Those bushes suck .”
    As the leaders watched, the unity of Alpha Squad’s advance was broken up as they each tried to find a way through the thorns, with only limited success.
    “One of the benefits of having a history major in your squad,” noted Mongo, “is that history majors know history. Sergeant Graham set up what’s about to happen based on Hannibal’s victory at the Battle of Trebia River.”
    All of Alpha Squad’s troops were struggling with the hell bushes when Bravo Squad hit them from the left with a barrage of range grenades. Built to simulate the flight characteristics of the Terran antimatter grenades, they detonated with a flash although they did no real damage. Casualties were determined by the combat range’s computer system, which had been fed the information on the Terran weapon systems’ capabilities.
    Alpha Squad instinctively reacted to the sudden onslaught by throwing themselves to the ground, which for about half of them meant throwing themselves into the hell bushes. Screams filled their comm network as the hell bush spines penetrated their suits. Calvin’s suit showed five of Alpha Squad already rated as “killed” by the Mrowry computer system, including Sergeant Nelson, who was the target of three grenades. Judging by what Calvin heard on Alpha Squad’s comm net, many more wished they actually were dead as the hell bush toxins ran through their systems. Calvin could see most of the squad pulling antitoxins and analgesics from their suits’ pharmacopeia; judging by the traffic on the comms net, it didn’t seem to be helping.
    A Ranger long before his first trip off-planet, Gunnery Sergeant Dantone had trained his squad with tactics right out of the Ranger Handbook, and they responded to the ambush in the classic Ranger fashion. Without a word being spoken, his soldiers returned fire and threw smoke and concussion grenades. As they exploded, the remaining “live” members of Alpha Squad rose as one to assault through the ambush.
    Expecting that reaction, Master Gunnery Sergeant Bill Hendrick had positioned several of his men on the back side of the hill behind Corporal Harris, and they rose with him to fire down the length of Alpha Squad as it faced left. The withering fire killed another four soldiers before the rest could throw themselves back down into the hell bushes. Another round of screams came across the comm net.
    Alpha Squad