Steven Kent - The Clone Redemption

To assist with the assault, the U.A. Navy assigned its twelve thousand cloned SEALs on the mission. Speaking among themselves, Yamashiro and his captains referred to the clones as kage no yasha , shadow demons.

Yamashiro picked up the recon photos on his desk. Before approaching planets, the Japanese sent out stealth transports that deployed spy satellites. The images from A-361-D showed a barren planet with a brutal atmosphere.

There were no military installations on Planet A-361-D. In fact, there were no signs of any kind of development. The planet was a gas giant, its surface a bed of unrecognizable gases. Installations had been built, however, on the two moons orbiting A-361-D.

One of the moons, designated “A-361-D/Satellite 1,” had a long flat deck that might have been a landing strip. It measured 12.315 miles long and 12.298 miles across. It crossed a slightly raised plain that appeared to be made out of the same white substance as the soil around it.

A-361-D/Satellite 1 was a large moon, nearly three thousand miles across, and had a thin-but-discernible atmosphere. The second moon, A-361-D/Satellite 2, was eight hundred miles in diameter, considerably smaller than the moon orbiting Earth, with no atmosphere whatsoever.

On this moon, the reconnaissance satellites found a ring of small buildings that looked like warehouses. They stood twenty feet tall with flat roofs and no windows. With no wind to beat against them and no elements to wear them down, the buildings were perfectly preserved. Without running more tests, Intelligence had no methods for predicting the ages of the buildings. As one of the specialists said, “For all we know, these buildings could have been built a billion years ago.”

Abandoned, thought Yamashiro. Looking at the bleak surfaces of the moons, Yamashiro wondered how the SEALs dealt with fear as they prepared for missions. They knew the risks. They were ugly and vicious, but they were also intelligent. Yamashiro admired their courage.

The satellites had scanned for footprints, tire tracks, and landing points, and found nothing. If it were possible for buildings to spontaneously generate, he would have believed that the buildings on Satellite 2 had done just that.

Yamashiro sat behind his desk feeling slightly sick to his stomach. He disliked looking at the SEALs so much that it nauseated him. The ships’ captains, almost all of them younger men, made jokes about their appearance. That was fine for them, they were young and foolish.

Yamashiro was a man in his sixties. He recognized the SEALs’ intelligence and their honor. They accepted dangerous assignments and never complained. They did not seek attention. From what Yamashiro had observed, the kage no yasha behaved in a manner more Japanese than any of his officers.

Yamashiro pressed the button on the intercom that connected him to his assistant, and growled, “Arakawa, please send the senior chief in.”

“Yes, sir,” she answered. He could hear the ease in her voice. Though the SEALs avoided contact with the women of the fleet, most of the women liked the clones.

The door opened, and Anna Arakawa, Yamashiro’s assistant, showed the SEAL into the office. Yamashiro noticed the way Arakawa smiled at the SEAL, and he sneered.

Addressing the SEAL in English, Yamashiro said, “I hope I did not keep you waiting too long,” as he stood and returned the SEAL’s salute. He knew precisely how long he had kept the SEAL waiting—seventeen minutes. His assistant had signaled when the SEAL arrived, and he’d looked at his clock.

“No, sir,” said Senior Chief Oliver.

They remained standing. Yamashiro knew that the SEAL would not sit down until given permission, and he enjoyed testing the clone’s tolerance. “Would you like coffee or tea?”

“No, sir.”

Yamashiro sat down. Though he would have enjoyed leaving the SEAL on his feet, Yamashiro did not like staring up to see him. He finally said, “Have a seat.”

The only seat was ten feet from Yamashiro’s desk. Oliver did not move it closer to the desk. Without a word, he went to the chair and sat down.

“The mission on A-361-F did not go as expected,” said Yamashiro.

“Were there casualties, sir?”

“There were no survivors,” said Yamashiro.

Oliver took the news in silence, his expression unreadable. Yamashiro forced himself to meet the senior chief’s gaze. Kage no yasha, he thought to himself. A nose like a Chinese dragon. The eyes of a demon. The gray skin of a cadaver.

“I will send you the video feed from the mission. Illych and his men performed honorably.

“Since he has not returned, I am promoting you to master chief petty officer effective immediately.” Still sitting at his desk, Yamashiro said, “I have every confidence in your ability, Master Chief.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Oliver.

I wonder if they talk among themselves? Yamashiro thought. He couldn’t remember ever hearing any SEAL utter more than ten words at a time.

“I will also send you satellite photos of A-361-D.”

“Are there aliens on that planet, sir?” asked Oliver.

“No. Not on the planet. We have discovered structures on two of the moons. This mission should be similar to the mission on A-361-F,” Yamashiro said, wondering what emotions the SEAL kept hidden.

The SEAL clone showed no reaction when he heard that they’d run an operation similar to the one in which his fellow SEALs had died. He sat still in his chair, his hands on his lap, his feet flat on the floor, his gaze not quite meeting Yamashiro’s. In Japanese culture, you never looked your superior in the eye. Yamashiro wondered how the SEAL clones had learned this.

“We will reach the moons in twenty hours. Prepare a reconnaissance team for the operation.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want to send one hundred men on this mission, fifty to each moon. Perhaps if we send a larger force, we will have better success against the enemy,” Yamashiro said, though he had his doubts. From the little of the battle he’d seen, Illych and his men never stood a chance.

“Yes, sir.”

Yamashiro looked at the newly minted master chief and felt dissatisfied with the way the interview had gone. He felt as if he had not given the man his full due. “You may be wondering why we are sending men to these installations instead of attacking them from space.”

“No, sir,” said Oliver.

“No?”

“No, sir. I would not presume to question your orders.”

Yamashiro believed this, but he still felt the need to explain. “As you will see from the video feed, Master Chief Illych destroyed A-361-F by detonating his stealth infiltration pods. We did not fire on that planet. Perhaps the master chief and his team would still be alive if we had.

“Illych and his men launched from a cloaked transport, flying stealth infiltration pods. We do not know anything about the aliens’ technology; but there is little chance they could trace the landing team to our ships. If we fired on the planet instead of sending a team, the aliens would certainly be aware of our ships.

“We have invaded an alien empire with four ships. We are badly outnumbered by an enemy with superior technology. If I must lose men to keep my ships hidden …I am willing to make that sacrifice.”

“Yes, sir,” said Oliver.

Yamashiro nodded, and said, “Master Chief, as the highest-ranking member of the SEALs, you will oversee the operation from this ship.”

There was neither hostility nor complaint in Oliver’s voice as he asked, “Sir, wouldn’t that qualify as a dereliction of duty? As the highest-ranking man on the team, I am supposed to …”

“Master Chief, you will be violating a direct order if you assign yourself to this mission,” said Yamashiro.