by P. R. Adams
“I get the picture.”
“She’s like one of those old combustion engines. Get that hood up, there’s all kinds of moving parts in there. Volatile and tricky, sir. Gotta know what you’re doing.”
“Thank you. I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss the lieutenant’s moving parts or volatility, do you?”
“Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. It’s always good to have someone who will spread…” Paxton coughed. “You know, sir. Good cheer. The boys don’t have a lot of women to choose from. Doctors, nurses, pilots.” His helmet turned toward Starling. “And now, well, things’re complicated.”
Meyers glanced sideways through his faceplate, darkened so that Starling couldn’t see him. She was an attractive enough young woman, with milk chocolate skin, full lips, and a cute, button nose. She was a little smaller than most of the men, but she’d made it through the Commando Q course, the first woman to do so. She was tough. It suddenly dawned on Meyers that Paxton’s point all along might not have been Oppert but Starling.
“If you’re concerned that a female on the operation is going to be a problem, Master Sergeant Paxton, let me make it clear right now that I won’t allow it to be.”
Paxton chuckled. “Might want to check that with Corporal Gerhardt, Colonel. Heard him drop a few words that might be considered insensitive.”
Meyers shut his eyes and counted to ten. Rimes said long ago it was an effective way to fight off panic and anger. Gerhardt and Zacharowski—“Titan” and “Ski,” their preferred Delta Force nicknames—had been nothing but problems since their transfer from the last operational Delta unit. As a squad leader, Zacharowski was a mess, a loose cannon more concerned with one-upmanship than teamwork and discipline, and he was an enabler for Gerhardt’s bad behavior.
“I’ll make clear to the corporal that women are to be treated with the same respect shown to men.”
“He wasn’t just insensitive about Starling being a woman, Colonel.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Corporal Gerhardt’s got the sort of mouth on him used to get folks taken out behind the barracks and—”
“I’ll take care of it, Master Sergeant.”
Meyers closed the channel and glanced at the team seated around him. Squad One was composed of survivors who had been away from the main camp on Plymouth when the metacorporate forces attacked. They were a mix from all over the world. If Gerhardt had some sort of racial hang-up, it would need to be snuffed out quickly. The last thing Meyers wanted was to screw up the ERF. A lot was at stake with the mission, and it already felt like things were coming apart.
A countdown filled the upper right corner of his helmet display, and a chime immediately sounded.
They were heading into the atmosphere.
Author’s Notes
Thank you for reading Awakening to Judgment. I hope you enjoyed the Jack Rimes trilogy. Jack may be gone, but his Elite Response Force continues on in the Elite Response Force series, which begins with Turning Point.
If you enjoyed Awakening to Judgment, I hope you'll consider posting a review on the site where you purchased it. Please let your friends know about the series and maybe they’ll post reviews as well. Reviews can be a huge influencer, a means to help people decide whether or not to give something a try.
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About the Author
I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I joined the Air Force, and my career took me from coast to coast before depositing me in the St. Louis, Missouri area for several years. After a tour in Korea and a short return to the St. Louis area, I retired and moved to the greater Denver, Colorado metropolitan area.
I write speculative fiction, mostly science fiction and fantasy. My favorite writers over the years have been Robert E. Howard, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Crichton.
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