- LIEUTENANT
- COMMANDER
- OF
- TASK
- FORCE
- 7
- REPORTING
- FOR
- DUTYLaser
- burns
- scarred
- the
- metal
- frames
- of
- half-melted,
- barely
- recognizable
- structures.
- The
- ground
- was
- torn
- apart
- from
- battle,
- and
- not
- a
- blade
- of
- fresh
- grass
- could
- be
- seen.
- All
- had
- been
- stomped
- underfoot
- or
- burned
- in
- the
- many
- beds
- of
- flames
- that
- had
- sprung
- up
- around
- the
- town.
- Bodies
- strewn
- across
- the
- landscape
- still
- bled
- into
- the
- earth,
- and
- various
- half-blackened
- body
- parts
- littered
- the
- insides
- of
- nearly
- every
- building.
- Conrad
- studied
- the
- scene.
- He’d
- seen
- it
- before,
- numerous
- times.
- The
- carnage
- was
- typical
- in
- his
- line
- of
- work.
- But
- he’d
- never
- enjoyed
- it.
- The
- type
- of
- people
- who
- enjoyed
- terrifying
- destruction
- like
- this
- didn’t
- belong
- in
- the
- military.His
- communicator
- beeped,
- and
- a
- holo-image
- appeared
- in
- front
- of
- him,
- projected
- by
- the
- plastic
- device
- hooked
- around
- his
- ear.
- “Lieutenant
- Commander.
- The
- area
- has
- been
- cleared,
- and
- we
- are
- in
- the
- process
- of
- counting
- the
- wounded
- and
- dead.”
- The
- Lieutenant,
- whose
- shape
- vaguely
- wavered
- in
- the
- air,
- spoke
- precisely.
- “What
- should
- be
- done
- with
- those
- we
- captured?”Conrad
- nodded.
- “Good.
- Continue
- with
- clean-up.
- Treat
- the
- prisoners’
- wounds
- and
- make
- sure
- they
- are
- kept
- under
- close
- guard.
- We’re
- not
- hurting
- them,
- but
- the
- unit
- needs
- their
- cooperation.”“Understood.”
- The
- image
- flickered away.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
