Kara Discovered: Episode 5 Conflict with Doctor Green
Doctor Green demand to leave the perimeter Jeffries men had set up.
It took all of Jeffries’ discipline to control how on edge not being able to see his men made him.
Doctor Green stepped out of the blur and into his face blocking what little he could see. In a voice tinged with fury, she said, “If there was another plant inside your perimeter, then your men trampled it. I need to go outside your perimeter, but your men are preventing me.”
Keeping his voice cold and even he responded, “Absolutely not. Permission denied.” He went back to attempting to discern if the blur at the edge of his vision was one of his men.
Her voice rose to a yell. “I am not asking mister, I’m telling. Keep your damn pretend soldiers out of my way. They should not even be here. They have no authority to stop me from doing my job.”
Holding in his temper by force of will, he turned back to her. Any possible sympathy she might have gotten with any of the legionnaires she destroyed with that term pretend soldier. No planet maintains soldiers and hasn’t for three thousand years. The Fraternal Order of the Legion prided themselves on being the only soldiers left. But people like Green insisted they were just glorified security guards.
“But I do have the authority to end this excursion. You step one foot beyond my perimeter and I will end it, even if I have to have someone force you back through the gate.”
“Lieutenant, Doctor Green, you both need to stop,” said a voice to his right. “Doctor Green, you’ve never worked with men that if they make the wrong decision, people die. I’ve dropped into a class three hostile planet with them. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn the whole damn world was trying to kill us. The only reason no deaths occurred was that the Legion was hired for security. It requires that soldier’s discipline to be able to stand there without fear and do your job, even in armor.”
Jefferies didn’t correct him. The men were certainly afraid, but more afraid of showing that fear and the other seeing it.
She sneered, “They were in armor. They had nothing to fear.”
“Three sets of armor were damaged, and a total of six legionnaires took enough of a beating in those suits to have to have bone set. Being attacked by a pack of two-ton omnivores taxes even armor suits. But their discipline held, and the beast were kept away from the researchers who I can say with confidence were pissing their pants when those creatures barreled down on them.”
He turned to Jeffries. “And no more threats to close up shop if she doesn’t do as you want. She’s the most brilliant, non-first universe ecologist I know. Doctor Green has five hundred books she wrote on the subject. She can tell you in minutes what it would take a team weeks to figure out. She’s right. Your men destroy any plants that might have been here. Both of us have to go outside it to get our jobs done. Your job is to make sure she and I can do our jobs.”
Facing the man that had stepped into his visual range, Jeffries responded. “The first phase of that is to create a safe place to work from.”
“I disagree,” Doctor Titus said. “The safe place is already there. It is the university station on the other side of the gate. Here, your job is to keep us safe doing our job.”
Knowing he would regret it, Jeffries compromised. “One hundred meters out, then we circle. We take one squad. One hour. Then everyone is back and through the gate for debrief, rest, and planning the next foray here.”
Doctor Green said, “No.”
“Agreed,” Doctor Titus interrupted whatever else she had been about to say. He turned and addressed her. “You will accept that compromise. Everything doesn’t have to be done today. This is stressing his people to their max. They need to return soon, and you will have to return with them. One hour is acceptable.”
She huffed, “Fine, but I lead the way.”