Rock Music

The wind picked up a bit, but it still wasn’t very strong, doing little more than slightly pushing down the blades of yellow-green grasses in the rolling meadow. When our squad reached the top of a ridge, I looked out into a small valley carved by a little stream in the plain, and there were large megalithic rocks dotting the plain.
“Careful,” said Sgt. Papadopoulos. “Intel says Innie tunnels are around here somewhere.”
“Roger, boss,” said Flynn. We descended into the valley. Then, Flynn turned to me and said, “Hey, Ruth, I bet you five creds there’s no Innies around for ten klicks.”
“I’d actually like that,” I responded. “I know getting shot at is an occupational hazard, but not getting shot at is pretty nice, too.”
“Yep, so is this scenery,” said Li. “We’re definitely not on Earth anymore.” I looked up into the sky. The orange star at the center of this system threw out a midday warmth across this world. I could see the spectacular scene of a nearby gas giant tearing apart a large planetoid, a slow-motion shot of the very beginning of the formation of a ring system for the giant planet. This was also the reason we put a colony here in the first place: ready-to-access minerals for space mining, courtesy of nature itself. This planet was honestly primarily a giant mineral processing facility.
We reached the bottom of the valley, where the stream was running. There was little vegetation near the water, and it seemed virtually lifeless.
“Don’t drink the water, it’s full of arsenic,” said Zuberi.
“Ooh, you paid attention to the briefing,” commented Flynn.
“Quiet,” said Papadopoulos. He then gestured for us to take a knee. We did so, our weapons at low ready. I started watching every single rock, their edges, and every single little mound of dirt, wondering if it was a tunnel entrance covered in turf or camo. The grasses were at knee-height, making proper identification difficult at a distance, and I wasn’t exactly interested in sticking my head out or moving around from the safety of the rocks. But as I knelt beside one for cover, I noticed that there were small holes, holes like Swiss cheese and about the same diameter as a cred coin. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first, and so I poked my finger through one hole, just to make sure it was there. Indeed it was, and I opened my mouth a little in amazement.
“Is… is that music?” questioned Flynn in a hushed tone.
“Sounds like it’s coming from the rocks,” responded Li.
“Fucking rock music,” blurted out Flynn. I glanced at the sarge, and he just glared at Flynn so bad that I almost burst out laughing. I had to look away.
The wind picked up some more, and the air funneling through the holes of the rocks made a most enchanting noise. At first it was a faint, low hum, a hum you could only feel in your gut. But then as the wind got faster and faster, the hum turned into a vibration, and then a chiming, and then a constant shimmering tone. It was magical, like I was sucked into a fantasy world full of wizards and dragons and knights in shining armor. I thought about how amazing it was that something like this existed in the universe, and that out of all the people who could’ve experienced it, it was me, someone who went from uni to the Marines.
And I was suddenly reminded that I was a Marine in the field, when a bullet whizzed by my head, the crack shattering any sense of whimsy.
“Contact, southwest!” shouted Zuberi.
“Open fire!” ordered Papadopoulos. I popped my head above cover and fired a quick burst from my MA5 before squatting back down, narrowly avoiding return fire.
“Frag out!” yelled Li. I saw a grenade flung through the air, landing some distance away from us. An explosion dispersed most of the gunfire, although there was a single gunshot here or there and scattered yelling.
“Secure the area!” Papadopoulos yelled. I didn’t move an inch for what seemed to be an hour, but apparently I started moving in only a few seconds, according to Flynn. As I turned a corner, I heard the sarge shout, “Alright, everyone, sound off!”
“I’m good!” I said.
“I’m uninjured!” said Flynn.
“I took a little grazing but I’m fine!” notified Li.
“I’m all good!” yelled Zuberi.
“Corpsman!” shouted Papadopoulos.
Li appeared from some grasses with a wound on his left side. “Christ,” I exclaimed. “Some grazing.” From just a cursory view, it seemed that a bullet struck the very edge of the side of his torso.
“Ah, I know, it feels like shit, but I can still hold up my rifle,” explained Li.
“I think we should get a corpsman.”
“Ah, ya think so?”
“Li, you’re hit. At least use your medkit, don’t prove yourself to anyone by getting an infection from a flesh wound.”
“I know, I know.”
I helped Li open his kit and take out a bandage and some medical wrapping, placing the clean bandage on the grazing and securing it with the wrapping. By now, the others in the squad appeared, and more Marines from other companies were pouring into the valley, and had secured the area. Some explosions followed, no doubt sappers sealing tunnels shut with plastic explosives.
“Li, you good?” asked the sarge, cradling his rifle in his arms like a baby. Li gave him a thumbs up, and after a nod Papadopoulos wordlessly glided away from us.
“Man, I don’t even know the name of this planet,” said Flynn. “Can’t imagine dying this far from home.”
“Dave, we’re only twenty-five light-years from Earth,” said Zuberi.
“That’s a lot of miles, though!” responded Flynn.
Category:The Weekly
Category:The Weekly Winners