Tasmanian SFG: Book III, Of One Mind, page 1
Tasmanian SFG, Book III
Of One Mind
By
C. R. Daems
Tasmanian SFG: Of One Mind, Book III
Copyright © 2020 by C. R. Daems
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from C. R. Daems.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9983251-9-4
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
Planet: Delphi: Fort Endeavor
CHAPTER TWO
Planet: Delphi: Fort Endeavor, Mountain Men
CHAPTER THREE
Planet: Greenlan, The Problem
CHAPTER FOUR
Planet: Greenlan, The Survivors
CHAPTER FIVE
Planet: Greenlan, Not a Mountain Man in Sight
CHAPTER SIX
Planet: Greenlan, It's Against the Law
CHAPTER SEVEN
Planet: Greenlan, Too Busy Having Fun
CHAPTER EIGHT
Planet: Greenlan, Red-topped Mushrooms
CHAPTER NINE
Planet: Greenlan, The Mountain Men
CHAPTER TEN
Planet: Greenlan, Can't Please Everyone
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Bed Time Story
CHAPTER TWELVE
Planet Delphi: An Unscheduled Training Exercise
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Planet Delphi: The Critique
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Planet Delphi: Interlude
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Planet Papus: The Rarders
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Planet Delphi: The Ride Home
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Planet Delphi: A Surprise Assignment
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Planet Delphi: The Primordial Church
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Planet Delphi: Where oh Where
CHAPTER TWENTY
Planet Delphi: Following the Chum
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Planet Delphi: Wallace
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Delphi: Surprise
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Delphi: Owded
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Delphi: Hide and Seek
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Delphi: Following the Path
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Delphi: Ambush
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Delphi: A Roll of the Dice
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Delphi: Timing is Everything
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Delphi: Ghost Entertainment
CHAPTER THIRTY
Delphi: A Respite
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Delphi: A Ghost Assignment
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Delphi: : The Mother of all Secrets
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Luxor: Now What?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Luxor: A long Shitty Walk
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Luxor: Evaluating the Long Shitty Walk
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Luxor: Getting Close
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Luxor: Getting Closer
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Delphi: Homecoming
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Luxor: Ranger School
CHAPTER FORTY
Luxor: New Curriculum
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Leilid: The Sykath
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Planet: Leilid, No Time Out
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Planet: Leilid, The Plan
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Planet: Leilid, Helter Skelter
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Planet: Leilid, Duplicating the Result
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Planet: Leilid, A Hasty Retreat.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Planet: Delphi, R&R
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Planet: Hubei, The Fidain
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Planet: Hubei, Hunting Ghosts
PROLOGUE
When I walked into the Devils Club that night, the noise level continued to drop as I looked around the room, trying to decide where to sit. Then even the band stopped playing as Smitty rose. I looked around, hoping this wasn't another military police arrest about to happen, but no one had drawn a weapon.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the greatest sorceress of them all," Smitty chanted.
"The Fox," came the shout from the room. I wasn't sure what was up, but it was obviously show time, and I was the entertainment. I bowed.
"The Chief had Jolie's platoon present for the interrogation exercise," Smitty began as he moved to stand in the center of the dance floor. "Me and the boys had captured six of the candidates and had three in pits and three tied to trees. Jolie strolled into the area and walked over to the three tied to the trees. The biggest of the three had not stopped jawing since he was captured, thinking this was fun. I had punched him in the stomach a few times." He had laughed.
"My grandmother hits harder than that," he said while sneering down at me. The guy was a mountain of a man, rippling with muscles. The Chief told me he had no technique. He won by sheer strength, punching him had no effect. Seeing Jolie, he started on her.
"Well, sweet thing, when this is over, I've got a real treat for you. You'll never be satisfied with these runts again," he said as his exposed tongue wiggled back and forth. Jolie's expression never changed. She reached down and withdrew her combat knife.
"Big Mouth never missed a beat. You into S&M, sweet thing? I'll have you screaming for more."
She loosened his belt, sliced the front open, and pulled them down. Then sliced through his shirt and up each of his sleeves. He was now standing there in his boxer shorts with his legs, chest, and arms exposed. She hadn't said a word, which you know doesn't bode well for Big Mouth. She reached into her fatigues, and out came a jar of honey. Jafar, Pete, Carl, and Cedric were staring at her, probably thinking what I was thinking. I almost considered stopping Jolie from doing something that could get her in trouble, but I'm not that dumb.
"Hey, sweet buns, are we going to get it on right here and now? Can't blame you. You must be all wet and ready by now." He smiled and gave her his tongue wiggle. At the time, I was thinking he was damn lucky she didn't cut it off. Without a twitch of her lip, she dipped two fingers in the honey jar and began rubbing it on his arms, chest, and legs. The big guy was moaning and panting, "more, more, give it to me," the whole time. "You missed the best place." He laughed. I shuddered as Jolie dipped her hand into the jar again, smeared it all over her hand, reached into his shorts, and grabbed his dick. As Smitty finished, the room buzzed with smiles, chuckles, and whispered comments.
Then she walked off into the jungle without a word. Knowing the Fox, I knew deep down she wasn't done. But Big Mouth thought it funny.
"That's how it's done, guys. She is so hot right now she's embarrassed." He laughed. The laughing was short-lived as ants and a variety of bugs became attracted to the honey. Five minutes later, Big Mouth squirmed and twisted with obvious discomfort. Then I spied Jolie lying on her stomach behind the tree Big Mouth was tied to. Her left hand reached around at ankle level and placed a four-centimeter furry spider on his right leg just above his pants, and several seconds later, the right hand deposited another spider on the other leg. She disappeared and several minutes later came walking back into the clearing some seven meters away from where he was tied. She stared at Big Mouth while holding her head cocked to the right and then to the left.
"Sergeant, what is that spider on his leg, that furry black, purple, and green one?" She pointed to his left leg. Jafar's expression was as bland as hers.
"Don't know. Kind of ugly," he said, giving her a shrug.
By now, I was biting my tongue so hard to keep from laughing it was bleeding, and Pete, Carl, and Cedric were pretending to be busy to keep from laughing.
Jolie took out her TCom and tapped on it a few times. "What do you think, Jafar?" she asked, turning the screen so he could see. "Kind of looks like the one on his left leg. Oh, look. Another one!" she pointed to his right leg. Jafar nodded.
"What does it say?" Jafar asked, obviously bored.
"They are poisonous, but…" she smiles and holds up one hand, "their bite isn't fatal…" That was the good news. The problem was that, "The poison rots the skin, and it has to be surgically removed."
Like she was somehow controlling the furry spider, the one on the left crawled into the guy's shorts. Smitty used his hand like a large spider crawling toward his crotch. Everyone in the room gave out a gasp and leaned forward. Meanwhile, Pete, Carl, and Cedric have backed into the jungle because their faces were turning red from trying to keep from laughing.
"Private, get those spiders off him," Jafar shouted at Jolie while pointing to Big Mouth.
"Me?" Jolie screamed indignantly. "What if they bite me? They might have to amputate one or more of my fingers. You're gett ing the big bucks. You do it."
By now, I had to turn away. Big Mouth was screaming, "Eighteen," and Jolie and Jafar were facing each other, shouting like they really were arguing. Finally, Jafar pointed to Big Mouth.
"He told us the number of troops that accompanied him into the jungle."
"How many?" Jolie asked, looking toward the trees where the men were tied, with a frown on her face. "The big guy or one of the other two?"
"The big guy." Jafar nodded in his direction.
"Eighteen?" Jolie said, frowning in his direction. "I think he is lying,"
Big Mouth was shaking his head and shouting, "No, that's the number. I swear it."
"I think I should check with the Chief. Eighteen doesn't sound right." She stood there shaking her head as the Chief entered the clearing.
"What's going on here, Private?"
"How many came with him?" Jolie nodded in his direction.
"Eighteen," the Chief said.
"See! I told you so," Jolie smiled in his direction. "He lied! Him plus eighteen, that is nineteen."
"You're right, Private. He lied," Jafar managed to say without a twitch of his lip.
"All right, nineteen!" Big Mouth screamed. "Get these spiders off me. They will ruin me for life. My father told me you can't actually hurt us during this exercise."
Jolie walked over to him, scooped up the one on his right which was now on his chest, then pulled down his shorts and picked the other spider off his dick. She held it up to eye level and said, "I hope you didn't catch anything nasty in there."
The room erupted in laughter and applause.
CHAPTER ONE
Planet: Delphi: Fort Endeavor
I was feeling down as I entered the Devils Club on Fort Endeavor, the home of the Tasmanians Special Forces Group, but instantly felt better when I heard shouts of, "Hi, Fox," and "Over here, Jolie." Although a weekday, the club was close to full. Half the tables had Tasmanians with wives or girlfriends, while others had pushed tables together to accommodate eight to twelve unaccompanied Tasmanians. After glancing around, I chose a group of ten waving at me to join them, which had several members of my permanent platoon. They looked like they were having fun, and I definitely needed cheering up. Smitty, my unofficial second in command, rose, grabbed a chair from an empty table, and pushed it toward the table as several moved to make space for the additional chair.
"What's wrong, Jolie? You don't look your normal sassy self," Pete Norman, call sign Taipan, said as I sat.
"I enjoy bomb training, even though Smitty is out to get me—" I began but was interrupted.
"Me? Now you're blaming me for your fuckups. I'm trying to keep your platoon from getting killed when you cut the wrong wire or guess at the solution," Smitty said, trying to look hurt.
"Why do I have you if I have to dismantle any bombs we find?" I asked, scowling at him.
"Because we aren't ready to trust you. We could get hurt when you guess at the solution and cut the wrong wire."
"Whine, whine. That's the problem. It's bomb training, sniper practice, hours at the hospital working on my specialties, then exercises. I need a diversion. What has happened to a good old fashion uprising, or an alien invasion, or swamp creatures roaming the land? I feel like a delicate flower who isn't being watered." I banged my head against the table top several times.
"Delicate flower?" Cedric Reid, call sign Wolf, asked. "She must mean Aconitum, otherwise known as the Devil's Helmet and the Queen of Poisons. That got snorts, laughs, and a call for another round of Delphi beer.
"Jolie Luan!" a deep base voice shouted, and the volume of noise in the room died as all eyes turned to watch two men stride into the club. It took me a minute to recognize the men as Willis and George, two candidates I chose to fail the Tasmanian Qualification School, although they had passed all of the physical prerequisites and, in truth, were possibly the two best of the final group. "We are here to challenge you to a duel. Either of us is better qualified than you. You disqualified us because we wouldn't suck up to you. Prove to us and your Tasmanian brothers in arms you didn't."
I rose reluctantly. I had wanted some excitement but not this, prove you are a real Tasmanian, bullshit.
"Sit, Jolie," Howard said as he rose and walked toward the men. "What do you think you will accomplish if by some miracle she doesn't kill you?"
"Everyone needs to know George and I were equal to, if not better than, the eight that she qualified," Willis shouted to ensure every person in the club could hear, although it wasn't necessary as they already had everyone's undivided attention. The only sound in the room was the scraping of chairs being turned to give the individuals a better view.
"As I remember, talking with Simons afterward, you two were considered as good if not better than the other candidates that qualified—" I began but was interrupted before I could continue.
"There! I told you. She was being vindictive because we weren't groveling at her feet. I thought the Tasmanians wanted the best of the best, not pussies."
Howard had the nerve to laugh. "Sorry. You have to know Jolie to understand how funny calling her a pussy sounds. Never mind." He shook his head ever so slightly. "You are missing the point. Passing the first two months meant you met the initial qualifications. The second two months is to determine if we feel you are right for the Tasmanians, not to determine if you are the best of the best. At that point, you have already met the minimum qualifications." Howard paused, waiting for comments. Hearing none, he continued. "The Tasmanians are unique within the military, almost a cult. For example, if someone in a Special Force's unit," he said, noting both men were currently corporals assigned to Special Force's units, "would use a loudspeaker or communication device to call for help, what would happen?"
Both men shrugged, standing with blank looks on their faces.
"Your silence confirms that little if anything would happen. Maybe one or two people would come to see what the commotion was about. Devils to me would cause every Tasmanian to repeat the call, and everyone hearing it would immediately respond no matter what he was doing—eating, in bed, having sex, playing in a sport's match, in the hospital… They would break formation, refuse orders to ignore the call, and resist any attempt to stop them from responding. Jolie shouted, 'Devils to Me,' into her Tasmanian communications device while under arrest in the military police headquarters at Fort Carlson. In less than fifteen minutes, fifty Tasmanians had entered Fort Carlson, forced their way past the military police, and released her from her cell. Within thirty minutes, close to two hundred armed Tasmanians were in or around the building."
"That was stupid… They could have seriously injured people and be court-martialed for numerous infractions," George said while looking to Willis, who nodded in silent agreement.
"There is the reason you weren't considered a good fit for the Tasmanians. Our unofficial motto is et anima una, Of One Mind. When one of us calls for help, everything else in our minds shuts off, and we are driven to answer the call. It is a siren's call, and consequences be damned. In combat, any Tasmanian can issue an order, and all will follow. When it comes to trust, loyalty, and commitment, Tasmanians are of one mind. You two are too much about self-preservation, rules, and chain of command and are therefore not a good fit. Consequently, whether you can defeat Jolie or any other Tasmanian in a one-on-one contest means nothing. Only Tasmanians run the qualification school, although they wear common army uniforms and rank to provide the candidates' structure, and only Tasmanians decide who wears the fur flash of the Tasmanians. Be satisfied that you met the physical requirement to be a Tasmanian. That is no small accomplishment." Howard waved toward the exit and walked the two men out of the club in silence. He returned a minute later, smiling.
"Thank you, Howard," I said, meeting him halfway to his table. "I'm feeling bored and wanted some action, but not that kind."
"I know. We're beginning to feel like marines. They train for battle day after day, but when war comes, it's the navy that gets all the action. With us, it's the army. They have had two assignments over the past six months, and we weren't invited to either." He sighed. "Ironically, when we do see action, it's not all glory as brothers die or are crippled, and we are happy to be back at Fort Endeavor training."
The reason no one wanted to be in charge of a unit, I mused, looking into Howard's sad eyes. As individuals, we were not afraid of dying and ignored that we could be crippled, but no one wants the responsibility for making decisions that send brothers to die or be crippled. It was worse for Howard, who made decisions that impacted hundreds and has done so for over a decade. I nodded my understanding.
