ExtremeCircumstances by Chandra Ryan Page B

surface.”
    Gates took the device back and stared at the list of
hostiles. His attention immediately focused on a carnivorous plant that grew
like moss on certain parts of the planet. It’d been designed to draw the
nutrients out of any living organism that came in contact with it.
    Julian’s attention seemed drawn to that one too as he said,
“Even the plants have been modified to kill us.”
    “Yeah. It looks as though Dr. Antihway knew we’d be coming
and leveled the playing field.”
    “Leveled? I’d say the cards were stacked in his favor.”
Julian looked around them and his shoulders had suddenly become rigid.
    “Now that we know what we’re walking into, we can prepare.”
    Julian snorted. “And how do we prepare for mummy plants?”
    “Don’t walk barefoot on them. There, problem solved.”
    Julian chuckled at what Gates knew was an
oversimplification. “If only that stopped the reptile men.”
    “And the spiders.” A shiver of dread swept through Gates’
body. He didn’t know if he’d be able to see a spider ever again without having
flashbacks. He’d probably be seeing a counselor for the rest of his life for
that one.
    Despite the macabre conversation and images, Gates did
manage to relax again as they walked back to camp. Yes, this mission was
fucked-up. And he was more than a little concerned about being left in the dark
by his superiors. But having someone to talk to about it helped. He and Jules
might not be equals in rank but they didn’t need to be. Not for this.
    Gates would happily shoulder the responsibility for
everything that went wrong on this mission. As the commanding officer it was in
the job description. But he enjoyed having someone to bounce ideas off. Someone
who answered honestly and didn’t just tell Gates what he thought Gates wanted
to hear. That was rare after one reached a certain rank. Somewhere along the
line his friends had started treating him as their boss.
    As soon as they got back to camp Gates went to clean up and
then decided it was time to face his men. He kept the message brief and to the
point. He wanted them to know what they were up against but he refused to allow
any melodramatic slant. They were the best of the best and they were stronger
and tougher than any other group of soldiers. They could handle this.
    His men didn’t seem as certain though. They took turns
staring at the readers and talking to one another about what it meant for them
and for the mission. Gates could’ve told them the truth. It didn’t mean shit.
The mission still needed to be done and they weren’t leaving until it was. It
turned out he didn’t have to though. Julian looked up from the reader and
snorted.
    “Come on. Are you seriously telling me you’re going to write
“Fear of moss” on the mission report when you run back home with your tail
between your legs?”
    “This planet is fucked-up.” Jones took a threatening step
toward Julian as he spoke.
    But Julian didn’t back down. “Damn straight it is. Didn’t
the reptile men and egg-burying spiders clue you in on that?” He looked at the
other men. “So really, the only thing that’s changed is the moss. Thankfully we
wear boots.”
    Several of the other men snickered at Julian’s comment,
signaling the turning of the tide. “We’re five days in.” Gates kept his voice
sure and calm as he spoke. “And despite the hostile environment, we’re making
good time. Three days and we’ll be at the goal. Three days and we’ll have a
real roof over our heads and protection from the dangers of the planet. It
would take us almost twice as many days to hike back to the shuttle.” He took a
second to look at each of his men. “We knew this was going to be rough. And
there are never guarantees in the military. But I’m willing to bet that if we
abort this mission we’ll be pulling shit tours for the rest of our enlistment.”
    The men’s heads bobbed in an uncoordinated nod. Gates was
happy to see even Jones