Battle Group Epsilon

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

April 2 2184, 22:15 Hours (Standard Solar Time)
Aboard USNI Frigate "Cyclops" In Asteroid Belt Sector Oscar Romeo

Grabowski stood with his back to the bar, sipping his drink and smoking his cigarette. Freemen and Chavez stood beside him as the three looked over the various prospects on the dance floor. There wasn't much to work with and he didn't think there'd be enough time between now and last call to change that. The Marine Corps was a tough group. Grabowski liked to think one of the toughest. Any woman that was tough enough to make it was usually lacking in another regard. In his experience, he found it was usually aesthetic appeal.
Occasionally he would spot a nurse or a squid that was good looking but they were few and far between. Whenever he did see one, it seemed just his luck that a Junior Officer would swoop in out of no where and ruin his night. The cocky bastards acted like they held the Solar System by the balls.
The last three days had gone by painfully slow. After he had made it off the Hippocrates they had sent him to the Cyclops. It was a decent ship, newer than the UNSF carrier at least. It was a newer fishbowl with lots of shiny things to distract him from the glass that surrounded him.
Once he had gotten on board, he had been debriefed by no less than three separate Intel Officers. Debrief wasn't really the right word for it. Interrogation was more fitting. During the whole thing, he had the unnerving suspicion that they thought he was lying to them or holding something back. They had been particularly interested in what the enemy looked like, their equipment, and their tactics. Grabowski had told the man to just watch the goddamn video feed. He'd soon found that that was not the correct answer. Three hours alone in a dim, sealed off interrogation room will make you think about some strange things. By the time the second Intel Officer came, he was ready to tell them his mother's maiden name.

Grabowski finished the cigarette and put it out in the ash tray. The speakers were blasting with Daze. It was a kind of music with a fast synthesized beat and electric guitar over it. He was growing bored and was about to call it a night when he saw Foster walk in. He waved to her and she came over. She wore a pale green dress that made her eyes stand out. He liked it.
"What're you drinking, hunny?" she asked.
Grabowski looked down at his glass and said, "Fermented gasoline, I think."
"Sounds great." She got the attention of the bartender and said, "I'll have what he's having." As she waited for her drink to come she looked over and saw Chavez. "Chavez, looking good as new."
"Yeah, I'm feeling great," he said. "If I had to spend one more minute in that hospital bed though, I was gonna-"
"Shit a brick," Freemen finished for him. "We know. Hey, I think I see someone over here." Freemen grabbed Chavez and pulled him away from the bar.
"Who do you see?" Chavez asked as Freemen towed him from the bar. He was too dim to realize what Freemen was trying to do.
Foster got her drink and took a sip. "I heard about what happened to Corporal Temple."
Grabowski didn't say anything. He didn't even want to think about it. The funeral had only been held yesterday, a burial at sea or vacuum in this case. Chavez was back and he was happy about that, but there was still that empty bunk where Temple used to sleep.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I'm still alive," he said. "You're alive. What more could we want?"
She smiled and held up her glass. "To life."
"To life," he repeated and tapped her glass with his. He drank the liquor and felt it go down like a liquid knife. After he was done grimacing he ordered another for him and the lady. "So, you used to be a nurse?" he asked. He liked to try and picture here in one of those white uniforms with the hat that had a red cross on it.
"Yes sir," she replied. "Down at Tallahassee Memorial."
"What happened?" he asked. "Why'd you leave?"
"Underpaid, under appreciated, and overworked."
"So what," Grabowski began, "You figured you'd rather be underpaid, under appreciated, and overworked in the Corps?"
She finished her drink and started to laugh. It was a full bodied but still feminine laugh. It was contagious and he couldn't help but laugh too. They ordered another round of drinks and Foster proposed a toast. "Here's to the Corps: Low pay, long hours, and no respect."
He smiled. "I'll drink to that." He downed half of the amber liquid and settled it back on the table. He looked up and saw Foster finish the whole thing. "You Southern girls sure know how to drink."
"That's not the only thing we know how to do, darling," she replied and winked at him.
"Could I take you for a dance?" he asked.
She had other ideas. "How about you take me to your room." It took a pretty special kind lady to make Grabowski feel like a gentleman. He paid the tabs on their drinks and took her up on her offer.
He led her back to his bunk and they laughed and talked the whole way. They didn't talk about anything very important. When he tried to think back on it, he couldn't remember. McNamara and Williams were on guard duty, the Sarge and the rest of the squad were on the Thermopylae attending some follow up debriefings and as long as Freemen could keep Chavez in line, he had the room to himself.
Grabowski went in first to be sure. He faded the lights and let Foster in. She looked beautiful. She didn't give him much of a chance to admire though. Foster pushed him back onto one of the bunks and started pulling off his boots, quickly followed by his pants.
Once they were tossed hastily onto the floor, she jumped on top of him. She started kissing him as his hands wandered south. He'd been with girls before, not a lot but enough, and this was new. He'd never met anyone like her before. She was all over him and he liked it.
Just then the door opened up. Chavez stood there and squinted in. "Hey," he yelled, "That's my bunk!"
Grabowski looked over and said, "We'll trade man, just get out of here."
"I'm serious, Bowski."
"So am I!" he yelled. He picked his boot off the floor and threw it as hard as he could at the door. "Get the f*** out of here!"
Chavez managed to take a hint and closed the door. He looked back at her and sighed, shaking his head.
"Where were we?" Foster asked.
"Around here I think," he said as he pulled her close. His hands ran up and down the length of her body. They lingered on at some spots and then moved along again to others.
Foster pulled back, after an amount of time that he could not have guessed, and asked, "What's your first name?"
He laughed in spite of himself and said, "Jacob. Jacob Grabowski."
"Well Jacob Grabowski, I'm Catherine Foster. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," he replied. She sat upright, straddling him, and pulled the pale green dress up over her head.

Afterward they lay in the bed together for a while. He liked Foster. He thought that she was probably a little bit crazy but then again, so was he. "So tell me about yourself," she said.
"What do you want," he asked. "Name, rank, and serial number?"
She laughed and said, "How about where you grew up."
"Manhattan."
"Manhattan?" she repeated in disbelief. "Shouldn't you be in charge of your own mortgage firm and driving a Mercedes?"
"Probably," he replied. "That was my old man's life. We didn't get along so well, so here I am."
"Spite's always a good way to choose a career."
"I thought so too."
"Sarcastic too," she said with a smile. "Let me guess, you're the youngest in your family."
"I have three older sisters."
"How did I know?" she asked mischievously. "Always craving attention I bet, a regular class clown."
"Well you just know me so damn well don't you? So you're a nurse, a Navy pilot, and a psychiatrist. I'd bet that you're a great cook too. "
"Hunny, you don't even know." She ran her fingers down across his chest, the nails scratching his skin, as she kissed his neck. He couldn't believe this broad, she was something else. His body seemed to think so too. He felt himself become aroused all over again, ready for round two.
All of a sudden the ship lurched to the side, not violently but with intent. Experience told him that they had changed course and quite abruptly. His mind was not on navigation at the moment however and he ignored it.
Grabowski dragged his hands up her body until they found her breasts. He rubbed them and felt her nipples harden. He was hard as well.
The door to the room hummed open. Foster grabbed the blanket to cover them. He looked back and lost it. "Chavez, what the-"
"It's Freemen, man."
"What's going on?" he asked.
"There's a battle going on. They've attacked Mars, man. We're going there now. It's war."