He wasn’t sure how that made him feel. Torn? Conflicted? He settled for confused.
Shaunte’s cut was probably a drop in the bucket, and she was in charge of the planet that was providing the training area. That had a certain value, so he couldn’t fault her.
Could he continue to hate the company without hating the people who worked for it?
“We all work for it,” he said aloud. Douglas and Maximus looked at him with the same expression. Neither asked what he was talking about. “We’ll figure it out. Thanks, Crewman.”
The man saluted and beat a hasty retreat.
Thad checked his watch, something he’d grown accustomed to not wearing as the sheriff, but thought he’d put it back on for his return to the military. Everything happened at exact times in the service, so he needed to make sure he was there when he was supposed to be. As a crusty sergeant told him one day, “Sir, if you can’t be on time, be early.”
The thought resonated well with him. It made sense. The leader could never be late. It implied that the soldiers were less important. He never wanted to give that impression.
Thad used the computers to bring up the latest intelligence. He was happy to find out that his thumbprint had already been registered, giving him access to the information he expected was important for him to know.
Or at least someone thought that he should know it. He wondered who determined what he should know, and then he wondered what he was locked out of. I’ll find out at the most inopportune time.
CHAPTER FIVE
With thirty minutes remaining before the all-hands formation, Thad walked from the command center and strolled the corridors of the transport. There were five levels available to the soldiers, two decks restricted for use by the ship’s crew, and the bridge. He didn’t care about any of that. He only needed to know where the workout facility was, the chow hall, the command center, his quarters, and the shuttle bay.
It didn’t take long to walk the length of each deck, reaching the shuttle bay fifteen minutes before the soldiers were to be in formation. The general was already there, off to the side, pacing. Thad and Maximus casually strolled toward him.
“The command center checks out, General. It’s ready for you and your leadership team.”
The general nodded. He waved at a soldier to join them.
“Captain Craken, meet Lieutenant Colonel Fry. Again.” The general made the introduction more formal. The two men shook hands.
“You helped with the great McMasters fiasco. Not our finest moment,”
“Weren’t you a sergeant back then? Congratulations on the quick rise. I’m happy to see promotion isn’t limited to the social elite, you know, like me.”
Craken wasn’t sure the colonel was joking.
“Fry, that’s what I like about you, such an irreverent bastard. That’s what it’s going to take to root out and destroy this new enemy.”
“New enemy? I thought we were going back to the Prime.”
“We are, but it’s not the enemy you fought before. They lost and aren’t in the game. It’s a new player and we’re not sure who they are, but thanks to a few successful raids, they have all the firepower they need to wage a proper war.”
“You mean our stuff, the equipment we left behind,” Thad said as he scratched his chin. The general didn’t answer. Craken watched the lieutenant colonel closely.
The sergeant had been around. TerroCom didn’t wear service or personal awards on their combat uniforms, but Thad expected the sergeant had a stack of medals. Although awards didn’t give insight into a person’s character, they showed where the soldier had served and if the soldier had impressed the people in charge. Thad didn’t care about medals. He cared about the look in the man’s eye. How he carried himself. How he cared about those in his charge.
“I can work with you, Craken,” Thad said.
The captain laughed once and smiled. “That’s good. I’m okay with hand-to-hand combat, but getting punched in the face and busted to private? Not so much.”
The units formed creatively. Five hundred was a tight squeeze. Thad instantly realized he liked the wide open spaces of Darklanding more. The ship, the increase in volume as people arrived, and the press of humanity. He glowered at the masses.
“I guess we better let them know what we’re going to ask of them,” the general said, nodding to the two officers as he walked past and worked his way to the front of the formation.
Silence created a vacuum as the general took the microphone. “My dog has fleas!” he sang the tuning ditty. A few soldiers chuckled uncomfortably. “Just checking to make sure it’s on. Welcome to the Big Nuts Explorer.”
“Bicknas,” Craken whispered.
“Big Nuts is what I thought the crewman said.” Thad shrugged.
“We’re on our way to Centauri Prime. You’ve been there, at least trained on the planet. Some of you were in the war.” The general paused as he looked over the eager, mostly young faces. “There’s a new enemy, raising their ugly head. We beat the government of Centauri Prime so badly, they can’t protect themselves. These newcomers raided our depots and stole our equipment to form an army. The government of Centauri Prime has asked for our help to protect them. Your government, the leadership of Melborn, has tasked us with putting down this insurgency. There is no one better organized or equipped to handle this mission than TerroCom.”
The general didn’t end his sentence on a high note, so the soldiers didn’t respond. It looked like he wanted to continue. Voids of silence demand to be filled. Maximus was up for the challenge. He snorted, grunted, and ripped one that echoed throughout the space.
The soldiers started to laugh and it spread infectiously. The ones closest to the pig-dog started choking and half-coughing.
When the noise died down, the general continued. “After that, there isn’t much left to say. You will get small unit briefings over the next two weeks. We will land on Centauri Prime immediately upon arrival. We will not have a staging area as this enemy has demonstrated his proficiency at infiltration. We will not give him a target. You’ll carry everything with you, and we’ll conduct tactical resupply using the shuttles. Company commanders, turn your soldiers loose to familiarize themselves with the ship, and tomorrow morning, training starts early. Coordinate space availability with Captain Craken.”
The soldiers snapped to attention before clustering together in platoons to get their orders. Craken headed for the middle of the soldiers. Thad skirted the side with the soldiers giving Maximus a wide berth.
“You’ve made a great impression. People should leave us alone,” Thad told the pig-dog.
“Snort, chortle, snort, snort.”
“Officers’ mess for chow and then the command center?” the general asked.
“What is your expectation for playing the game, the officers’ club, the social garbage?”
The general looked him in the eye with a cold gaze. “I don’t care about any of that. I care that we win. I sold TerroCom as a unit that will bring honor back to the inner system. You help me do that, and we’ll be on the right side of each other. Everything else is noise.”
“I think we’ll get along just fine, General. I’ll join you for chow, but I have to warn you, when he eats, it ain’t pretty.” Thad stabbed a thumb toward Maximus.
The pig-dog panted with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
“I’m not sure there’s anything Maximus would do that could be classified as pretty.”
“Snort, snort,” slobbered the pig-dog.
***
By the third day of space travel, Thad was bored out of his mind. He’d gone through what little intelligence they had until there was nothing left to say about it. The end result of the analysis was that they’d have to make it up as they went. Thaddeus wasn’t surprised or put out. He’d expected as much from the start.
He worked out three hours each day. It was refreshing. At one point, he took off his shirt during the workout, but when the so
ldiers stared at his scars, he covered up. He was war-torn from more than just the war. His body had been through hell and back.
A couple times.
Like medals, scars told part of a soldier’s story. Thad didn’t share that the freshest of the wounds had been made by his deputy. It wasn’t a glamorous tale, but thanks to the lanky alien, the sheriff had beaten the man-mountain known as Dregg Suv Humanity.
Maximus was making his rounds as well. He’d disappear for hours on end, but would show back up at chow time and bedtime. It was uncanny. Almost as if he had an internal clock, flawless in its timekeeping.
Thad and Maximus were intercepted on their way to evening chow. One of the crewman, flanked by two soldiers, took a knee. “Greetings, Mister Ambassador.”
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Thad asked.
“The esteemed Glakridozian Ambassador.” The man bowed.
“Snort.” Maximus bobbed his head and then his body tightened. Thad stepped to the side as Maximus farted. The crewman swirled a hand in front of his face. One of the entourage gagged.
“Your aromatic greeting does me great honor, Mister Ambassador.”
Thad leaned against the bulkhead and crossed his arms as he tried not to breathe.
“We’ll leave you to your duties, Mister Ambassador. Thank you for recognizing us although we are unworthy.” The three men bowed as they backed away.
“What the hell was that about?” Thad asked once they were gone.
“Snort, growl, snort, snort.”
Thad and Maximus continued down the corridor. They were stopped four more times. The colonel didn’t bother to comment. He let Maximus do his thing.
“I’m not a fan of the bowing and scraping. Or the farting. Come on, buddy, you’re fumigating the whole ship!”
Maximus’ stubby tail dropped and he hung his head low.
Thad sat on the floor so they could be eye to eye. “I think they’re messing with you, with us. It’s what soldiers do to relieve the tension. Don’t take it personally. Here’s the way soldiers do it. We get them first.”
Maximus rubbed his face on Thad’s head. “I love you, too, buddy. Damn! Look at how soft I’ve gotten. I’m loving everyone. That’s also a soldier’s thing. The older you get, the more your mortality slaps you in the face. When I first went into the world on my own, I was invincible. The Ground Forces was a jet stream of cold water right in the face to bring me to reality. Too many young soldiers never get it. Wait. Cold water. I have it.”
Thad stood, found the nearest fire-fighting locker, and used his new pad to report that the portable foam projector needed to be replaced. He released the nozzle, ran the hose to his hand, and slung the tank over his shoulder. He and Maximus didn’t have to walk twenty feet before they were intercepted again. As soon as the first toad bowed, he let them have it. Covered in firefighting foam, they bailed at an all-out run.
Maximus chortled.
They turned the other way, and it wasn’t long before they were accosted anew. Maximus snorted and Thad let them have it. As was the way with soldiers, word passed quickly. Firefighting foam fight. The teams ran the corridors. No one was safe. When a foam-covered general met with an irate captain, an all hands on deck meeting was called.
Thad had seen it coming and ditched his foamed uniform for a new one. With his hands clasped behind his back, he shook his head dutifully as he walked the corridors on his way to the shuttle bay. Maximus was covered, but Thad couldn’t help that. He didn’t even bother trying to wipe the pig-dog down.
Few of the troops were unscathed. The general stood at the front of the formation, trying to be angry. When Thad appeared with Maximus, the general confronted them.
“Sir? I am appalled you would think I had anything to do with this. The ship’s safety is imperiled without firefighting foam. And look! Look what they did to the Glakridozian Ambassador. I am appalled.” Thad slapped the back of his hand to his forehead as he fought off a fake swoon.
“Fine. All of you. Every single one of you will scrub this ship, top to bottom.” The general grabbed Thad’s shoulder before he walked off and winked. Thad looked at the foam smear on his only clean uniform.
“We start now. No chow and no rack time until we’re finished, and I’ve inspected it all. Crewman Douglas?” The man had been assigned the detail of watching over the soldiers. He was also covered in foam and looked miserable. “Fire up the music, loud and proud, my man. We’ve got work to do, so bring on the jams.”
The crewman brightened and made a quick call. Music started to play over the speakers. Thad pointed his finger upward. The music got louder. Still pointing. Louder. Then the cheering began. Thad gave the formation the thumbs up. Verbal commands were out of the question at that point, so he motioned for them to get to work.
CHAPTER SIX
“We land tomorrow,” the general said. Everyone knew it, but this was the final briefing.
“Colonel, you go in first to establish the beachhead. Collaborate on tactical frequency seven.”
“Tac freq seven,” Thad repeated, his eyes closed as he walked through the operation in his mind. “Establish a perimeter, send out recon patrols. If we find anything, we’ll conduct a reconnaissance in force. You’ll know which way we’ve gone because of the trail of destruction.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. If the enemy uses a scorched earth tactic, we’ll be blamed.”
“Hammer and anvil. As long as we have comm, we can cut off the enemy. If they are bigger than us, then we use our mobility, the shuttles, to get behind them. At any point in time, a unit needs to be able to flex into a static defense. At a moment’s notice, they may have to move on foot or through the air. We can’t wait to develop new plans. We move and fire. We keep moving and that will put them on their heels.”
“But we can’t move into traps. This enemy uses terrorist tactics,” Craken stated.
“We will move into ambushes, but we need to move through them so fast that the enemy doesn’t get the chance to set another one. If we keep moving like that, they’ll never trap us. We’ll be the ones doing the trapping. He who hesitates is lost,” Thad replied.
“We’re going to have too many small unit leaders out there deciding on whether to move or not. What guidance do we give them so they can understand and execute according to your vision?” The general wanted everything to be clear.
He wasn’t going to get what he wanted.
“We stay in contact by radio. Even though we’ll be using small unit tactics, we are a combined force. Our five hundred won’t hold off an army, but if we can slice out one of the enemy’s platoons at a time, we will obliterate them. Our challenge is to keep the enemy moving so we can track them. If they get into the cities, they’ll disappear among the populace. They’re already there, but not in big enough numbers. Once the roadside bombs start going off, then we’ll have to kill them one by one,” Thad explained. “That’ll be our cue that we’re winning the land war.”
“Winning is dying?” the general asked, scowling.
“Winning is using our fire and maneuver to keep them from getting back to the cities. We separate them from their equipment and since the so-called government of Centauri Prime invited us in, we can put them in front of their populace to conduct the propaganda war against the upstarts. I think that’ll be your job, General. You convince them to help us win. We can blow bad guys up, but we won’t be winning the hearts and minds of the people.”
“It takes me out of the fight,” the general replied, flexing his fists as if to demonstrate that he was ready to mix it up with anyone who questioned his abilities.
“If we need you trading rounds with the enemy, then we’ve lost.”
“Clear the room,” the general said, icicles hanging from his words. Thad leaned back and waited for the others to hurry into the corridor. The last one out shut the door. “Explain yourself.”
“About what?” Thad asked.
“Too much talk of losing. It crushe
s morale.”
“Reality crushes morale. If these people go down there, like Nimian Todd tried to talk about back in the Mother Lode, they will be annihilated. His son’s unit called for glory. They died en masse. My unit was about mission accomplishment. We didn’t go out unless we had a clear mission. Sometimes I had to interpret that based on the orders we were given. We accomplished our missions with minimal loss of life. That is what I will give these soldiers—a fighting chance to survive.”
“Can’t you make it more positive?” General Quincy leaned forward and fixed Thad with his gaze. “And don’t make it sound like you’re giving me orders.”
“If you don’t deal with that craphole’s leadership, then who? Me? You can’t expect me to play nice with them. What would Maximus do?”
They both leaned around the side of the table and looked at the snoring alien from Glakridoz.
The general smiled and started to laugh. “I think we both know what Maximus would do. We can’t let him get within spitting distance of the locals, or at least keep him downwind.”
“The ambassador will comply,” Thad replied with a bow of his head.
“I knew what I was getting when I asked you to join us. I’m glad you’re not holding the fact that I’m dating your ex-wife against me.” The general leaned back with a half-smile.
“She’s not mine to give or take, you know that. She makes her own decisions. I hope you two are a better fit than we were. But if she ever tells you that it’s her, not you, then it’s you and you’re toast.”
“I suspect so.” The general lost focus as his mind drifted.
“We’re going to win, and then we’re going home. That is the charter of TerroCom. Terrorize the enemy until they give up, then get out of Dodge.”
“All of our projections suggest a week. If we haven’t defeated them within a week, they’ll melt back into their communities, and we’ll have lost.”
A Warrior's Home: Assignment Darklanding Book 09 Page 3