Steel Walls and Dirt Drops

by Black, Alan

  "Deuce, you have the rank. You have the responsibility of command. If DeLaPax wanted to be senior, then she should have requested command track. She didn't and hasn't been promoted. You did and got the rank. You have to use it. Besides, DeLaPax has enough problems with Able Squad's armor without worrying about everybody else’s."

  Vark started to say something, but McPherson stopped her with a wave of her hand.

  "Further, Deuce, I agree you have a lot of experience in that bunch. Use it. They know who they can use from their squads and who will be a hindrance. Work with Trooper Park from Able. Split up the people you need. I want armor and skid plates in spit-shine shape. But, armor takes precedence, got me?"

  "Yes, sir," Vark said knowing she would hate working with Park. The slimy little cretin was always trying to cop a cheap feel or get her cornered somewhere. She wondered if she could delegate that to DeLaPax. No, that was not what she was told to do. She didn't deserve to get chewed out by the new Third. She hadn't been responsible when those other squads got messed up. "And someday," she said to herself, "I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut."

  McPherson said, "Good. Get 'em fixed and get 'em fixed fast. We can sleep when the enemy is dead. Now get started. And send me DeLaPax for a minute."

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Misha nodded to herself as she watched Vark walk away. She was pleased Vark wasn't shy about speaking her mind, which made Vark a good second-level commander. She made a mental note to make sure things went as smoothly as expected.

  She wasn't looking forward to confronting DeLaPax about the state of Able Squad’s armor, but Misha knew it had to be done. She liked the tall, beautiful trooper. DeLaPax's sense of humor always seemed to make a tense situation a little bit lighter. However, armor was life and death.

  "You needed to see me, Trey?" DeLaPax asked as she walked up.

  "Yes, I did. You’re Able Squad’s armor repair tech and frankly, the status of most of the equipment sucks like a vacuum through a tiny straw. I wouldn't suit up in most of that crap, so it’s a good thing I brought my old armor with me."

  "Yes, sir," DeLaPax smiled. "It sucks a ninety knot wind."

  Misha was surprised, "This isn't a smiling matter, trooper."

  "Yes, it is, sir," DeLaPax grinned. "I’m sure you don’t find the state of our equipment more deplorable than I do. But, it is fixable and I will have it ready for drop. And I mean all of it. Look, Trey, I could give you excuses about bad leadership, lack of parts, stolen tools and equipment. That doesn't matter, because I don't see that as an on-going problem, do you?"

  Misha didn't know what to say. She shook her head no.

  DeLaPax said, "It looks bad. And I know that you've got to chew my tail out, even though I don't see this as my fault. But, I have to go into combat in this armor, too. It will be right."

  "Okay, trooper. I'll buy off on that for now. I don't want to come across as rock-hard, but I don't have time with this outfit to do it any other way."

  "Well, Third, I’m not sure you would know another way. Do you?"

  "What the hell does that mean, trooper?" Misha spat.

  DeLaPax laughed. "Easy, boss, we're on the same side. Try calling me Peace. Trust me; it’ll make you feel better. I'll still call you Third McPherson since we've got to be military and all of that, but we girls need to stick together, right?"

  "DeLaPax," Misha started and then stopped, "Peace. Yeah, you're right. It feels better. Dammit, I call you over here to get on your case about lax equipment maintenance and you won't let me. What am I going to do with you?"

  "Just smile and make the best of it, boss. The good news is that I am an excellent friend to have. The bad news is that you don't have enough friends to go around. Whoops, Trey, I can see what you're thinking. There are to be no special favors for Peace DeLaPax. I mean it, you're still the commander and I am just a grunt. You lead and I’ll follow. I am just trying to say that if you’re leading, you won't have to turn around and check on me. I’ll be right behind you.”

  "All right, Peace. I’m going to trust you on the armor. Work with Second Aardmricksdottir to get the entire unit up to standard. She is a good second. She just needs some experienced backup on this one, got me?"

  "Sure, Trey, I am surprised you two are getting along so well."

  "What do you mean, trooper?" Misha asked with a hard edge to her voice.

  "Take it easy, boss. Damn you're touchy. What happened to calling me Peace? Besides, I thought you already knew. Maybe you don't really want to know. Never mind, forget I said anything."

  "It is too late to forget, Peace. What gives with Second Aardmricksdottir? I thought she liked me well enough."

  DeLaPax shrugged, "Well, it seems you are succeeding with an old boyfriend of hers, where she failed. And it was a pretty public failure at that."

  "Peace, I don't have a clue what you are talking about," Misha said.

  "You really don't, do you? You need a friend for girl-talk more than anybody I ever met," Peace laughed.

  "Girl-talk? Peace, I never could get the hang of that even with my own sisters on DropSix."

  "Sisters! I can't do girl-talk with my sisters, either. There is way too much history there. Are you sure you want to hear this? Yeah, you need to whether you want to or not. Vark had a quick fling with Britaine. One long lunch in his office and then it went to dead silence between them."

  Misha said, "Okay, he got what he wanted and she didn't. What has that got to do with me? I am not having a fling with Britaine."

  DeLaPax looked surprised. "No? Well, that’s not what the rumors say. Vark got her pride hurt. You hurt her pride again when it appears you’re lasting longer with Britaine than she did."

  "Peace, I am not having anything of any kind with Britaine, except what is required to get us to our combat location. I don't care what the rumors say."

  "I believe you, Misha. Maybe Vark will relax a bit now that we have rumors of you and Forrester as well as you and Britaine."

  Misha was surprised. Not about the rumors of her and Forrester, she was already becoming numb to such gossip. She was surprised DeLaPax had used her first name. She would never have dared calling a second or third by their first name. But then, she wouldn't ever have dared to discuss their private lives with them either.

  "Maybe I am wrong about Vark. She is a stand up APE. Britaine is just a bit of a sore spot with her."

  Misha's comm unit beeped with an incoming call. "Peace. Just get the armor fixed. And thanks for the heads up with Vark. I'll talk to her when I get the chance." She tapped her comm unit as DeLaPax walked away. "McPherson here."

  "This is Second Watch Commander Major Chang. Please meet me in corridor A16, Post 32. Chang out."

  "Now what?" Misha said to herself. She remembered Chang from her first meeting with Britaine. They called him Waterboy. He was a tall and lanky with the look of a man born and raised in space. She half jogged through the corridors. Fortunately, all AMSF spacecraft used the same numbering sequence. She soon found herself in a section of the craft she had never seen. Turning a corner she almost crashed into a knot of people. A cluster of spacers blocked off the corridor from her direction and stood facing a small group of APES. Misha said in a loud voice, "Clear a path, please."

  The spacers near her turned and seeing her APES uniform, stood still, many of their faces twisted with hostility. An average-sized spacer with three stripes stepped into her path, blocking her route. He spat at her, "Fu-” Before he could finish his first word, her hand shot forward and grabbed his uniform collar. With a twist of her wrist, she lifted the man completely off the deck.

  "Pardon me, spacer," Misha smiled pleasantly. "I missed what you said. Would you care to repeat it?" A silence slid over the crowded corridor.

  A voice boomed out, "APES! Prepare to engage." Misha recognized Second Jackson's voice.

  Misha shouted, "Can it, Jackson. Stand down."

  A second voice shouted, "Security to my location on the double." Misha
didn't recognize the voice, but guessed it was probably Major Chang.

  She set the spacer’s feet back on the deck. She smoothed the front of his uniform. With a soft pat on his chest, she said, "There, spacer. That's better. Now, may I have a clear path, please?”

  The hostility level didn't decrease, but the spacers opened up the corridor allowing Misha to move into the area between the two opposing groups. She found herself standing alone in the center. Misha turned sideways so as not to appear to take sides with either group. She spotted Chang standing at the forefront of the spacer group. "Major Chang, how may I be of assistance?" Misha asked, keeping her tone as pleasant as possible.

  "Clear a path! Clear a path!" a group of security forces pushed their way through the spacers and came to a stop in front of Misha. A second group halted behind the small cluster of APES. Misha noted that all the security forces were armed, but so far the weapons remained holstered. Misha looked at Chang and raised her eyebrows in question. The man was raging in anger and frustration.

  "Listen, you APE. I don't care if you are Britaine's current whore. If you can't control your animals, then I will."

  A growl rose from the APES. She held up a quieting hand. The security forces wouldn't have time to draw their weapons before her APES tore them apart. For that matter, in this tight corridor, if they did draw and fire they were as likely to hit their own forces as APES. "Major Chang," Misha said emphasizing the man's rank. "I suggest you rethink that statement. I would prefer, as I am sure you are aware, that I prefer to be called Third McPherson. I am quite positive being called anybody's whore is not acceptable."

  "I don't need to rethink anything. Security: arrest every APE in this corridor," Chang shouted.

  Misha bellowed, "Everybody freeze." She was not surprised when her APES froze. She looked back at Chang to see the man was boiling. She held her right hand up in the air. It was the hand signal her father had used when he demanded silence and immediate obedience. She was surprised when the security forces froze and silence slid over the whole mob. She thought, "I wonder how long I can hold them this way." After about fifteen seconds, she said to Chang, "Major?"

  "All right, security, belay that order."

  "Thank you, Major Chang. If you let me know what the problem is I may be able to help clear it up without anyone arresting anyone."

  "Come on, Trey! These vacuum heads-" Second Jackson started.

  Misha didn't let him finish. She spun on him and held a quieting hand up to his face. She said softly, "Not one more word from any APE until I ask. That includes you, Mister Jackson." She locked eyes with Jackson and held his gaze until he looked away.

  Misha said, "I apologize for the interruption, Major Chang. Would bring me up to speed on this situation, please?"

  Chang spat, "Your APES have been rude, discourteous, insubordinate, and their actions border on sabotage."

  "Those are serious charges, Major," Misha said.

  Chang stood facing her with his fists clenched. "Yes, they are. And I mean them. Are you saying it didn't happen? Are you calling me a liar?" he shouted.

  "No, sir. I would just like the specifics made known so that I can file the appropriate charges." She held up a forestalling hand to Jackson. She shook a warning head at him. "Nothing, Second Jackson. Say nothing."

  "Major Chang?" she asked. "Please elaborate?"

  "No. I will elaborate at their trial."

  "Major Chang," Misha said calmly, "I understand your anger. Believe me; I know how you feel about my outfit and me. But, I am obligated at this juncture to point out that I cannot, and it’s not that I don't want to, but I cannot turn them over to you for trial without knowing the circumstances of their sabotage and having the evidence presented."

  Chang seemed to calm a bit, "Well, yeah. But, don't forget about the insubordination and discourtesy."

  She smiled. "Well, Major, I am sure there has been enough rudeness to go around. As for the insubordination; that is an APES offence. I won't be able to turn them over to you for insubordination. I would like to, but our mutual contract specifically says I can't. However, with your testimony, the APES will be able to punish them. Sabotage is a different matter. Would you care to fill me in on the details now or would you prefer to clear out any uninvolved persons?"

  Chang calmed down a substantial amount. He looked around as if for the first time, realizing he had almost caused an inter-service riot. Misha knew he had backed himself into a corner. He couldn't back down without causing a loss of face in front of his own crew.

  Chang said, "Second Jackson and these troopers refused to follow our S.O.P. in re-aligning the cargo hold."

  "I see. Go on," Misha said.

  "Well, I am in command on the bridge and ordered a balancing of the cargo holds. Specifically, the mess your people dumped in there from the training bay. I mean, it is a mess. It is disgusting with stuff just piled all over. I demanded that all items be secured properly."

  "I see. Second Jackson, are the items secured?" Misha asked.

  "Yes, sir, each pallet is interlocked with its component pieces. Nothing is going to move."

  "Dammit," Chang shouted. "That is not what I meant and you know it."

  Misha said, "Yes, Major. Perhaps when the AMSF says to secure something, it means they want it put in its proper place. When an APE says something is secured it means it has been captured and is defensible, that it is immobile and protected. Just as the Marshal Service says when they want something secured, it means that they want to lease the item with an option to purchase. Perhaps we just have a communication gap?"

  "No. He knew exactly what I meant," Chang pointed at Second Jackson.

  "Mister Jackson?" Misha asked.

  "Yes, sir," Jackson nodded. "I know what he wants. I wouldn't do it before and I still won't let him proceed."

  "See!" Chang shouted. "Insubordinate. And those containers are stacked willy-nilly all over the cargo hold. They are stacked every which way. They could break loose and tear a hole in the hull if we have to maneuver quickly. That is deliberate sabotage." He had a smug look of success on his face.

  "Mister Jackson?" Misha asked.

  "Sir, all the containers and bins in question is our mobility equipment. They are stacked and locked into place with tensors at full strength. The gear is stacked per APES squad use, with each squad's equipment stacked with the rest of that squad's equipment. Major Chang wants them stacked according to size and shape, completely disregarding their functional needs as combat mobility equipment."

  Misha said, "Major Chang, your charge of sabotage stems from the fact that these goods could break loose because they are stacked with a smaller container under a larger container and look completely unbalanced. That they could tear a hole in the hull if they break loose, is that correct?"

  "Yes, isn't that enough?" Chang replied.

  "Actually no, sir." Misha said. "They are currently held in place by combat strength tensors. It would take a direct missile hit to tear those containers loose from the deck. Our tensors have four times the strength of the Kiirkegaard's deck tensors. I must agree with Second Jackson about moving the gear from their standard APES configuration. I must point out our contract says this equipment is and must be stored according to our requirements."

  "But it is sloppy. Just like the rest of you APES," Chang said.

  "Actually, Major. It just looks sloppy. They are grouped as needed by our squads when we drop onto a planet. Each squad's equipment is dropped together. If it was stacked any other way, we would have to sort through the containers to find what we needed. That would be unacceptable under combat conditions in a hot landing zone."

  Chang looked around at his dwindling cluster of spacers. He realized, as many of them had, that he was fighting a losing battle. "Well, Second Jackson was rude and uncommunicative. He should have told me what his objections were instead of just refusing my commands. And he called me a vacuum-breather. That is disrespectful to my rank and position."

&nbs
p; "Yes, Major Chang. Name-calling and disrespect of rank are distressing," Misha said pointedly. Chang's face flushed. "Perhaps we can do without the security forces at this point, sir?"

  Chang nodded and waved at security. They melted away. "At the very least, I demand a formal apology."

  She turned to Second Jackson. "Mister Jackson, were you rude and discourteous to a flight officer of this crew?"

  "Yes, sir, I was." Jackson looked sheepish.

  "Mister Jackson, I expect my seconds to be more diplomatic and understanding in inter-service cooperation," Misha said.

  "Yes, sir," Jackson nodded.

  “Mister Jackson, you will immediately record a formal apology to Second Watch Commander Major Chang. You will specifically note any and all name calling that went on in this corridor. You will also note the exact time and place of the incident and all insults give and taken. You will attach a copy of all relevant time periods as copied from your glass-pack. You will copy Colonel Britaine and me. You will transmit your apology immediately.

  “Oh, I am sorry, Major Chang, we do seem to be in the middle of your second Watch. Are you supposed to be on the flight deck at this time?”

  Chang looked stricken. Misha could see he just realized that not only had he lost the argument, but that copies of him calling her Britaine's whore would be sent to his boss, and that he had left his post in the flight office for an extended period of time. He turned and dashed down the corridor speaking rapidly into his comm unit.

  Misha ordered, "Everybody scatter back to wherever it is you are supposed to be. Jackson, you stay put."

  "You showed him, Trey," Jackson said when they were alone.

  "Shut up, Second. This is hard enough taking over this command and going into combat on such short notice without you screwing around with the spacers. Try to be diplomatic next time. And I am serious about that apology."