Son of Justice Read Online Free Page B

wanted.
    “Yo, Benson,” he called. “Hold up!”
    Benson looked back, saw who had called out to him, and waited for Eli to catch up.
    “What’s up, EJ? I’m starving, and we’ve only got thirty.”
    “Yeah, but we’ve got bigger problems right now.” Benson raised an eyebrow and waited for Eli to continue. “We’re going to have to march again after chow.”
    “What! No way, man,” the other private argued. “You heard Twiggy. We’re done after chow.”
    “He never said that. And you better not let him hear you call him ‘Twiggy’.”
    “Yeah, yeah,” Benson countered, trying to sound tough, but not quite pulling it off. His quick scan of the immediate vicinity to make sure the big-eared sergeant wasn’t around gave him away. He was about to say something else when Eli felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to find Jerrone at his side.
    “So, you speak the green monkey’s language, Jayson?” Eli bit down on his irritation at the question. He had a lot of respect for the Minith. Hell, his best friend, Arok, was Minith. As a result, he had come to despise the derogatory names many of his fellow humans used when referring to the other race. For the thousandth time, he reminded himself that few humans knew anything about the alien race that once enslaved Earth. And what they did know, wasn’t very positive.
    “Well?” Jerrone persisted. “What were they saying?”
    Benson took a step backward and looked at Eli anew.
    “You speak Minith?”
    “Shhhh, both of you,” Eli whispered and motioned for the two to keep it down. “Yeah, I understand a bit of Minith.”
    Benson whistled and shook his head. Jerrone studied Eli’s face, apparently unsure if he could believe what Eli was telling them. As far as most Earth-born humans knew, the number of people that could speak an alien language could be counted on the combined fingers and toes of the three recruits standing in their small circle. It’s why Earth Standard was the official language of the Shiale Alliance—well, that and the fact that Earth had defeated the Minith in the Peace Wars a dozen years earlier. Victory carries its perks. Being able to designate an official language was one of those perks.
    “How do you—”
    “That’s not important,” Eli waved away Benson’s question before he could finish it. “What is important is that we let everyone know what’s going on. Our beloved sergeants are going to be putting us back on the road for another ten-kilometer march as soon as chow is over.”
    “Is that what they were gabbing about?”
    “Yeah. Apparently, we didn’t lose as many people as they’d hoped for on the last one.”
    “What, do they have a quota to meet or something?” Benson asked. It was in interesting question and one that Eli wanted to pursue. But not now, there wasn’t time.
    “Not sure.” It was all Eli could offer. “But we need to spread the word. Can you guys let the folks in our platoon know?”
    “I guess.” Benson agreed. “What do I tell them exactly?”
    “Tell them we’ve got another march right after chow. Don’t overeat. Take in lots of fluids. And stay away from the chakka .”
    “They won’t like that. That stuff is pretty tasty.”
    “Yeah, but it makes you sleepy, sits like a stone in your gut, and doesn’t provide enough calories. If they eat it right before we hit the sand again, they won’t make it to the halfway point.”
    Chakka was one of the few Minith foods that humans would touch, but those who tried it often overdid it. It tasted wonderful—offering a nuanced blend of alternating flavors that seemed to change with the eater’s particular palate. The first time Eli tried chakka , it tasted like a blend of dark chocolate and salted nuts. The second time, he could have sworn he was eating some delicious form of beef that had been perfectly seasoned. It had also provided him with a sense of mild euphoria, quickly followed an hour later by a two-hour nap on each occasion. He had