At eight hundred meters they moved into battle formations. They had met no resistance, no defenses and no sensors. They were confident that they were undetected.
The battalion waited until the corvette came screaming in through the tenuous upper atmosphere and released small missiles at the larger ships around the building. The smaller ships were disabled with the corvette’s beam weapons. The buildings were left untouched because a key mission objective was to take Tk'ng Dach Rm alive or at least to ensure that DNA evidence of his death was collected. The attack from the corvette was the signal for the battalion to attack. The intelligence was that there were about five hundred outcasts present, heavily armed with assault weapons and maybe grenades and mortars. A full battalion from the Galactic Saviors Army would easily overwhelm them, and the order was given to attack. The platoons swept forward in formation unopposed for the first two hundred meters, then well-armed and armored soldiers broke cover and opened fire on the soldiers with assault weapons, mortars, RPG’s and anti-personnel missile barrages. A swarm of drones rose from the soldiers, rushing at the enemy, only to be met by a wave of enemy drones.
The battalion sent an answering swarm of ‘suicide’ drones that sought out and targeted an enemy drone, flew into it and exploded. The outcasts responded by sending up their own swarm of suicide drones. Major Brax Alted, the battalion commander, was by now seriously concerned. These were supposed to be disorganized and poorly armed. He was facing a well-organized and well-armed army - and his troops were taking a battering. He deployed all his mortar batteries and ordered troops with RPG’s to target enemy concentrations of fire and mortars. Under cover of their barrage he moved the heavy infantry forward to engage the enemy in close combat.
The confusion of the front line was exacerbated by the release of combat smoke by the enemy. This blocked the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Visual, infra-red, ultra violet and radar were all blocked. Sonar was also disrupted by multiple sources of high volume pulses rapidly moving in pitch from ultrasound to infrasound.
The battle turned into a confused melee, with troops from both sides pushing forwards and striking out at whatever they ran in to. It became a battle of attrition which was inevitably going to be won by the side with most troops at their command. As the gusting wind of the planets thin atmosphere began to clear the smoke, the last of the Galactic Savior troops fell before the onslaught of the enemy soldiers. The surviving enemy formed into ragged groups and began to run towards the hospital and equipment landers. As they approached, the landers took off and returned to the carrier. There was nothing more it or the corvette could do. The ships set a course for the system’s wormhole and returned to Betzel base, carrying news of the battalion’s annihilation.
Chapter Ninety Two
Return To Betzel Base
Sah Lee walked down the ramp of Ker Din Ser Forn’s lander to be met by three soldiers she hadn’t seen before.
“Corporal Sah Lee. I’m Captain Rettod Bar Sen, head of General Mauren Dag Slen’s security detail. This is Sergeant Dwess Forrel,” she said, gesturing to a bulky male insectoid, “and Sergeant Kirack T’Rell Gratt.” waving a hand at a large female reptile. “We are here to escort you to the General.”
“Am I under arrest?” Sah Lee asked.
“My orders are to bring you directly to the General. Follow me.”
The Captain turned and led the way out of the dock. Sah Lee followed, flanked by the Sergeants. Sah Lee noticed that they had both drawn stun-sticks, which they held ready for use.
They walked a long way, deep into the interior of the habitat. Eventually they stopped at the entrance to a gravity tube that had an armed guard either side. The Sergeants stowed their stun-sticks into holsters and the four of them entered the gravity tube. They rose higher through the habitat than Sah Lee had ever been before. They exited into a corridor with two armed and armored guards who stood either side of the gravity tube entrance and another two standing opposite. Wordlessly, the Captain led the way to the General’s office. They stood outside for a few moments before the door slid open. A large and somewhat overweight mammal sat behind a broad desk. A slender insectoid stood by his side.
“Corporal Sah Lee. Come in in.” the mammal said.
Sah Lee walked into the room and stopped in front of the desk, stood to attention and gave her best salute.
“Sit down Corporal. You may wonder why you are here.”
“Yes Sir.” Sah Lee replied, remaining standing to attention.
“Why do you think you are here?”
“The mission was unsuccessful Sir. We were ambushed as soon as we boarded the habitat and lost more than half our complement. We were too late to do much to prevent the loss of life and we caused extensive damage to the freight dock in contravention to our orders. I am reporting to you prior to the disciplinary board of the Generals, Sir.”
“That’s an interesting and frank take on the mission Corporal.” The General paused for long enough for Sah Lee to become even more worried about the outcome of the hearing. “I have seen your detailed mission report, and I reviewed the lengthy communication from the Operators. During your period in the care of Ker Din Ser Forn the mission survivors have been extensively debriefed because, as you say, the mission was not accomplished in a manner which we would have wished for due to a number of factors. The evidence is quite overwhelming that the principle reason it was not a disaster was due to the way which you took charge and led your remaining troops in an exemplary manner. Your action in recruiting a militia from experienced volunteers from staff and guests of the Celestial Heaven was inspired. You are not here for a disciplinary board Corporal; the Generals want to thank you for your commitment and your actions. Single handedly taking on those two heavily armed hostiles in the control core was an act of outstanding bravery,” he chuckled, “Chief Medic and member of the Operators Taris Darrek was effusive in his comments about you.”
“Taris is one of the Operators?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No Sir! Do you mind if I sit down now?”
“Not now Corporal, you missed your opportunity here. The Generals are convened so come with me and we’ll join them. You will be invited to sit when we get there, and I suggest that you accept.” He stood up and continued. “I don’t want you to be caught unawares by this Corporal, you will be offered a promotion to a commissioned officers’ role, the rank of Major. It is quite unusual to be offered such a big jump up the ranks,” he paused, “my AI has informed it is not just unusual, it is unique in the history of the Galactic Savior Army, but the reason is that we have an urgent need of someone of your demonstrable talent and commitment. You do not have to accept the promotion of course, your refusal would not be held against you, but I sincerely hope that you will accept. You can think about it while we walk. One other thing, not all the General’s share my high opinion of you, you may detect some hostility but ignore it. The weight of opinion is on your side. What is your first reaction to the offer of a promotion? Do you think you’ll accept?”
“I don’t need to think about it Sir, of course I’ll accept.”
“Good, good. Now walk with me.” He preceded her out of his office and the Captain took up position behind, with the two Sergeants following her.
“As I am sure you will realize, the rank of Major comes with certain privileges. You will have your own quarters in the officer’s area and an office on the administration level. You will normally command missions with between twenty-four and one hundred and forty four soldiers and non-commissioned officers, although from time to time you may be given command of smaller or larger missions. Anything bigger than that normally has a Lieutenant Colonel or full Colonel as a field commander. You will report into Colonel Ssar Bess Dassur.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. He’s not everybody’s plate of meat. Can’t stand him myself, but, there you have it. He’s head of field ops, so you’ll have to work with him.” He stopped before wide d
ouble doors. “We’re here. Best behavior now Corporal. See if you can give a better salute than you gave me. Sit when you are offered it. Don’t volunteer any opinions or any information you are not specifically asked for. Ready?”
“Yes Sir!” Sah Lee replied, sounding a lot more confident than she was.
The doors slid open and Sah Lee followed the General in. He took a seat at the head of a long oval table while Sah Lee stood to attention. The table had four other Generals sitting round it, with one empty space.
“Generals,” General Mauren Dag Slen said, “Corporal Sah Lee, fresh from her treatment by Ker Din Ser Forn of the People to replace her multiple and life threatening injuries, including the loss of a leg, in the mission to Celestial Heaven. Just to remind you, in case any of you have forgotten, the Operators are extremely grateful and were fulsome in their praise of the Corporal for the manner in which she commanded the mission team after her senior officer was killed, which I am sure will lead to them exerting some influence next time we request a donation of equipment.”
Sah Lee gave her best salute, which was no better than the one she had presented to General Mauren Dag Slen in his office. She noticed an almost imperceptible shaking of his head and thought she really needed to practice her salute.
A General with gray skin and deep set red eyes, a deep voice and very slow speech said: “Corporal Sah Lee. Please take a seat. We have all seen the reports of your action and the injuries you received. I trust you are fully recovered now?”
“Yes Sir. I was brought out of an induced coma yesterday and…”
The General interrupted and rumbled on in its deep slow voice, “We don’t need the details Corporal. A simple yes would suffice. In normal circumstances I am sure your career in the army would progress at a steady pace and you would eventually be offered a commission. However, we need your apparent talents right now in a senior position, so by unanimous agreement of the Board of Generals,” he paused for longer than was perhaps necessary to glare at the two Generals opposite him, who glared back “we are offering you the position of Major in the Galactic Savior army. Do you wish to accept this offer? You may take time to consider if you wish.”
“Thank you, Sir, I do not need time to consider. I am honored to be offered this promotion and of course I accept. It will be a privilege to serve the army as a commissioned officer.”
“You could do with lessons on brevity. Dag Slen, arrange for that to happen. Now Major, you will serve under Colonel Ssar Bess Dassur. He’s not to everyone’s taste, but he gets things done. I have sent your AI everything you need to know about your duties as a Major. You’ll need training. You now have access to VR training packages, get your AI to access them and cover them as quickly as you can. Lieutenant Dant will show you your quarters, he’s waiting outside for you. Any questions?”
Sah Lee opened her mouth to speak, but the General continued, “No? Good. Dismissed.”
Sah Lee snapped off another barely adequate salute, turned on her heel and marched out. Waiting for her outside was a thin nervous looking Lieutenant wearing an unusually neat looking army jumpsuit. He jumped to attention and gave her a text book perfect salute. “Major Sah Lee, I am Lieutenant Brog Dant. I have been assigned to assist you in your transition to Major.”
Sah Lee looked at him for a moment. “Lieutenant, what qualifies you to assist me in my ‘transition’?”
“Sir, I have studied the structure of successful armies and the role of commissioned officers throughout recorded history. I have held the position of Professor of Military History in several universities. I have been advisor to the Galactic Savior army for seventy two galactic standard years.”
“Very impressive Lieutenant. The first thing you can teach me is how to salute properly.”
“Yes Sir. I’ll take you to your quarters first.”
“Lieutenant, I’m not fond of military protocol, so unless there are any other army personnel present, relax, don’t salute me and call me Sah Lee. Can you do that?”
He visibly relaxed. “Yes Sir, I mean, Sah Lee. Call me Brog.” He smiled. “I understand the reasons for military protocol, probably better than most, but at heart I am an academic, not a soldier.”
Sah Lee smiled at him. “You don’t look much like a soldier. I think we will get on fine. Come on, take me to my quarters and you can tell me everything I need to know.”
Chapter Ninety Three
Major Change
"The first thing you need to know," Brog said as they walked, "is that I have to take you to Colonel Ssar Bess Dassur. The next thing you need to know is that you shouldn’t trust him. He has made it clear that he doesn’t like you and thinks you should be out of the army. His opinion, which he shares widely, is that you are not talented, skilled or brave, you’ve just been very lucky.”
“I see. And what do you think Brog?”
“I think the Colonel is a specist bigot. He thinks if you're not a reptile, you're inferior, and he despises pre-emergent races. He is an arrogant glory hunter who will take credit for anyone’s successes if he can, and if he can’t he will dismiss their achievements as just having been lucky. When he fails, which to be fair, isn’t often, he pushes the blame onto someone else. He is dangerous to those under his command, but the Generals like him because they swallow all his lies and bullshit and think he is a leader that achieves his objectives. People like him are scum. They are as bad as the outcasts.”
“Don’t hold back,” Sah Lee said with a smile, “tell me what you really think.”
Brog laughed and continued, “You asked, I told you. I’m an academic, not a politician. There are plenty like him throughout history, he’s not unusual.”
“Interesting.” Sah Lee said thoughtfully. “How do they end up? As great warlords?”
“No, they mostly end up by being shot or stabbed in the back by their own troops.”
“That’s even more interesting. When I was at university on my homeworld, we had just started our history course and the teacher said something which has stayed with me. ‘Those who do not learn the lessons of history are condemned to suffer the consequences of repeating them.’ Maybe I’ll give history a helping hand.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t understand what you meant by that, but be careful, he is not stupid and is very quick to retaliate. He will return a push with a punch.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
As they approached the Colonel’s office the door slid open. “Enter!” his voice barked out.
Brog stayed outside as Sah Lee walked in. She snapped to attention and saluted him. “Major Sah Lee reporting Sir!”
“Corporal." he sneered, "You’ve still got your corporals insignia on. And is that the best salute you can manage? You’re a disgrace soldier. Don’t bother making yourself at home in your new quarters. You won’t last long as a Major.” He leaned forward in his seat. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“It’s a privilege to serve under you Sir.” Sah Lee replied.
The Colonel bristled. “Don’t get smart with me soldier. I hold your fate in my hands. We’ll be in the front line together in your next mission. Many incompetent soldiers have died under my command.”
“I look forward to fighting with you Sir.” she replied calmly.
The Colonel snorted, not sure how to take her ambiguous statement. “You’ve got five days to learn how to pretend to be an officer. Your AI will get your orders. Now get out of here!”
The door slid open behind Sah Lee. She saluted, turned on her heel and marched out. She turned left and continued walking. Brog ran to catch up with her. “How did the meeting go? he asked.
“I’ve had better.”
“I guessed as much. By the way, we’re going in the wrong direction.”
Sah Lee stopped dead and turned to face Brog with a furious look on her face, then she relaxed and laughed. “I shouldn’t let the bastard get to me. Lead on.” He turned around and strode off, Sah Lee ran up to his side and walked with him.
“Should I trust Brog?” she asked her AI.
“It’s a bit late to ask, but his record shows him to be honest and plain speaking, which has annoyed people in the past. He appears to have a binary sense of right and wrong, which is surprising as he is a historian, I would expect him to have a more nuanced take on current actions and individuals, but perhaps history has shown him that although events are complex with many influences on them, people are fairly simple and tend to fall into two types; the good and the bad.”
“There’s no doubt about how he feels Colonel Ssar Bess Dassur fits into his view. I wonder if he has made up his mind about which side of that divide I am on.”
“I thought that was clear.”
Brog led her two floors down and along a maze of corridors. Sah Lee was grateful her AI would direct her back to the gravity tube. All the corridors looked the same with no distinguishing features. At last Brog stopped before a plain gray door. “These are your quarters Sah Lee. Would you like me to wait outside, so I can show you to your office when you have settled in?”
“No, my AI will take me there when I’m ready, you go along, and I’ll meet you in my office - I’ll tell my AI to authorize you to enter. I won’t be long here.”
There wasn’t much to see inside Sah Lee’s quarters. The door opened onto a small room with a table and two chairs, and a synthesizer set into the rear wall on the left. A door on the right of the rear wall led into a room half the size of the main room with a bunk that folded up into the wall. Above it were four storage lockers with another two full length lockers at the back. A door led off the bedroom into a space just big enough for a shower and toilet. Compact and spartan as it was, it was the first time Sah Lee had a place of her own and she grinned in pleasure, then her face fell as she realized it would be as lonely as the prison cell had been, but at least in prison she had the security team who brought her food and drink. She’d seen enough and told her AI to guide her to her office.
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