“Where’s Sparkes?” she asked, looking around for the colonel. Maybe she could straighten this out now.
“He left when Ginnie came down. I think he’ll be amazed by the progress you’ve made in his absence.”
The sadness in the colonel’s voice confused her. What was bothering him? Was it the thought of his squad going into battle? That seemed odd for a colonel, but then she’d never gone into battle. She had no clue what they would face.
“Alisha,” he said, and reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m pretty certain the general will offer you a spot on the front line. In his mind, it will be the greatest honor he can bestow. However, the general has lost a lot of talent bestowing such honors upon soldiers. I promised Daniel I’d look after you…so when the offer is made, I’m going to object.”
When he locked on to her gaze, his eyes shone with admiration and something more…was it love?
“First, let me say I’m extraordinarily proud of what you’ve achieved today. Unfortunately, the only way I can stop you being in the front line is to declare you unsuitable for combat. To the best of my knowledge—and let’s keep it that way—you’ve never trained in weaponry. That disqualifies you from battle, which means Powell could ground you entirely. I need you to understand, just as you are going to look out for the safety of your squad, I can do no less for you.”
Her heart threatened to burst. He did love her! He might not want to admit it, but he did. Before she could think of how to reply, the first line began dropping from the sky, and she had to flip on her mic and return to the training. The colonel had just reminded her that they’d be using this maneuver in extreme military conditions.
Again, only one Ryder missed the mark, so she still had over twice the number she needed. She asked Gunny to bring laser rifles and quickly set up targets two hundred yards from the landing target.
“You’ve all done spectacularly at learning this maneuver. I’m very proud of each of you. Now we need to focus on why we are learning this. We need twelve Ryders to vertically drop from five thousand feet and take out twelve well-armed, camouflaged guards while holding their position. So while you are coming down, I want you to take out your target at one hundred feet exactly. We’ll do three runs. The best fifteen will continue.”
Chapter 38
As the colonel had warned her, her squad struggled, and by the end of the round she’d cut Philly and Washington from the group. She could see they felt they had let her down, but she assured them that was not the case at all. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll work on our shooting tomorrow,” she promised them. “You did well, and I’m extremely proud of you. And don’t avoid the colonel. He’s proud of you too.”
For the next round, she assigned each of the flyers a number. They were to drop from one thousand feet, locate their camouflaged number on the east side of the landing strip, and bull’s-eye it at a hundred feet in unison to an order given by Tyler, who had proven himself after twelve drops to be the best flyer and marksman in the group. To help her judge their performance, she enlisted the aid of Colonel Logan and Gunny. The latter and his ground crew had proven very helpful during the lessons, moving spots, obtaining weapons and targets, and setting them up in minimal time.
She might not like the general, but his ground crew could move mountains with amazing speed.
As they waited for the flyers to drop, Sparkes returned. He pulled out his binoculars and watched the flyers climb. “I only see fifteen,” he said in confusion.
“I cut the rest. These are the best fifteen. I shortened the drop back down to a thousand so that we can run more rounds, but passing to the next round is getting more difficult.”
“Just tell me this: can they hit the ridge?” Sparkes asked. His voice sounded tight, as if she’d pissed him off. Well, he’ll cheer up in a couple of minutes.
“They can do more than just hit the ridge, sir.”
The squad appeared in perfect unison, dropping out of the sky as if dangling on strings in dead wind. Alisha would have loved to watch Sparkes’ expression as he watched them perform, but she had to stay focused on her fifteen flyers so she could judge their performance.
Their firing at a hundred feet was in such perfect unison that it sounded like a single shot. Then, in unison, they landed. Alisha ran out, checked her targets, then recorded the quarter-inch misses from bull’s-eyes. Next, she checked with Gunny and the colonel on their assessments.
“It’s getting tight, guys. You’re all top-notch. We could go into battle with any of you, so I’m not cutting anyone from this round. Instead, I want you to run it again, except this time don’t land. Come down on your mark, take out your target on command, but then execute a one-eighty and sweep west. Find your second target and take it out, then pull up and swing north. This is exactly what you’ll need to do in about two hours.”
The targets set on either side of the landing strip required Gunny to move back the large audience who had gathered to watch. The competition was proving highly entertaining to the squads. Alisha might have found it equally so if the colonel hadn’t grounded her with the reality of their training. Some of her fifteen flyers could be dead three hours from now.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she roughly wiped the moisture away as she planted the last target. Even if they weren’t her squad, they were still hers. They’d allowed her to change the way they thought about flying, and accepting that change was forever. Her imprint would remain with them wherever they went, and that made them hers.
Suddenly a hand gently massaged the back of her neck. Alisha looked away so Sparkes couldn’t see her crying.
“The general’s here,” the colonel warned her. “He wants to see for himself. He thinks I’m besotted with you.” Sparkes chuckled, evidently finding the idea amusing.
“Well, he certainly isn’t. Do you think he’ll be satisfied?”
“I think he’ll be stunned, but don’t expect him to admit it. However, you may get a ‘good job’ out of it.” Sparkes studied her face. “I see the sand is getting in your eyes again, making them water.”
“That’s what happens when you’re raised in Flatland. You forget to squint,” she said as they headed back to the observation point.
“Flatland! Terrible place for a flyer,” he teased. “When did you get out of that hellhole?”
“About a month ago.” Alisha knew her answer had stunned the hell out of him. How could she fly like she did after a single month? Until today, she’d had no explanation. Seeing the improvement these flyers had made in one hour, she suspected the answer was because no one had trained her on what couldn’t be done.
“They’re only going to a thousand feet,” the general complained the moment Alisha arrived.
“We shortened the distance to save time and enable more practice runs. We ran three rounds at five thousand, and it didn’t alter their performance.”
“You’d better be right on that, Captain, or you’ve just killed those fifteen flyers.”
Bastard! He didn’t give a damn about his flyers, but he knew she did, so he used it against her. No wonder Colonel Logan showed no emotion. Any hint of humanity would be used against the general’s staff.
Sparkes gently squeezed her neck. “Captain, perhaps you can explain to the general what you’ve asked the squad to do.”
“They are to climb to one thousand feet, locate their mark over the strip, drop straight down to a hundred feet, take out their east target in unison, swing west, take out their west target, and clear out north so the next wave can attack.”
The general remained quiet for a moment. “Ambitious, Captain. And how many times have they successfully performed this maneuver?”
“None, sir. They’ve executed the take-out of the east bank three times, but this will be the first time I’ve added the west targets and departure.”
“It’s too much to learn. The first rule of combat is to keep it simple.”
“I felt it important for them to comple
te their mission and come back alive to brag about it, sir. It’s quite likely that they will be fired upon from the west valley once they’ve taken out the east targets. They need to be able to secure their safety as they fly out.”
The general looked over at Sparkes.
“I believe you’ll be pleased with the captain’s efforts, sir,” Sparkes said.
“I damn well better be, Jack,” the general grumbled.
Alisha didn’t care if the general was pleased or not. All she wanted was for her squad to come out of this alive, all of them. She wanted every one of them back!
When the squad dropped from the sky straight down, the general gave a grunt. When at a hundred feet they fired in unison, he even cracked a smile. Their turn west wasn’t in unison, but it was orderly, and the line held so that no one risked being shot by friendly fire as they moved out. The guns shot off at random as the flyers hunted for their numbered targets, and then they swept toward the observation area and landed.
Alisha struggled to hold herself together. The troops behind her were roaring, not just for a perfect execution, but for the battle to come. There wasn’t a soldier who didn’t believe they had just become invincible in today’s battle.
A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. The general pulled her close enough that she could hear him over the roar of the other SkyRyders. “Go get your squad, Captain. I want to shake their hands.”
Alisha wanted to hug every one of the squad, but she managed to constrain herself to a handshake until she reached Ginnie. Then she had to hug. “I am so proud of you!” She gathered Jersey and Ollie into the hug as well.
Recalling the general’s request to meet her squad, she gathered her line together. “That’s the last run. It was excellent. Fold up your catchers and form a line. The general wants to address you.”
Alisha headed to the observation point, where Colonel Sparkes and the general appeared to be arguing about something. She decided to talk to her colonel instead.
The general’s voice cut through the air like a bark. “Captain, here, if you will!”
Alisha sighed, turned away from the safety of her colonel, and walked to the general.
“I’ve just been informed that three of those flyers aren’t my Ryders.”
“Three are mine, sir,” Alisha admitted without apology.
“This mission is too important to risk on unseasoned flyers.”
“Sir, they are on that line because they earned their places. You cannot tell me you saw a weak link. I know that because I wanted to cut two more…and I simply couldn’t do it on merit. Their scores are too close.”
“There is no way your people scored the same as my flyers!”
Alisha handed him her score sheets. “Without looking at the names, sir, try to isolate a weak link.”
The general went through the list twice, then handed it back to Alisha. “You didn’t fudge on their target misses, did you?”
“I had Gunny measure my people, sir.”
The general sighed. “So, Captain, you’ve got fifteen flyers, and we only need twelve. How do you propose we solve this?”
“Begging your pardon, sir, but we needed a minimum of twelve. Having additional marksmen on the heat-seekers and concussions will ensure they’re effectively taken out.”
The general actually laughed. “That’s good thinking, Captain.” He glanced over at Sparkes. “This girl seems to be running circles around you, Jack,” he warned. “I may just steal her from Logan, and then where will you be, eh?”
Sparkes looked unconcerned by the threat of replacement. “You’d miss me, General. I believe the men are ready to be addressed.”
Sparkes pulled Alisha back with the now-familiar hand on her neck. “Tell me you just made up that redundancy explanation on the spot.”
“Guilty as charged,” Alisha admitted. “I didn’t want to choose.”
“Leadership is about making hard decisions.”
“I’d rather make good decisions, even when they’re made for the wrong reasons,” she replied as they joined the general and her colonel at the line.
The general walked down the line, shaking the hand of each man. When he came to Ginnie, he stopped, evidently stunned to find such a beautiful young girl on the squad. Still, he gave her the same deference he had given each of his men. Then came Jersey…brassy, bold, and Ryder to the core. Alisha could tell he preferred Jersey’s demeanor to Ginnie’s. She didn’t care as long as they remained on the line. Ollie passed muster easily, being tall and masculine.
“I’m pleased with each of you. Perform at the level I saw in practice, and we will take this battle today. I do not have to tell you the advantage you bring to our side. Take out your target…” The general paused and glanced at Alisha before adding, “And protect your ass on the west side, because I want the pleasure of recommending promotions and pay commensurate with the exceptional value that you bring to the field.” He paused at Ginnie. “Colonel Logan, I assume you’ll do the same for your people?”
***
Logan had stopped listening to the general’s pontifications. His thoughts were on Alisha’s betrayal. He had made it very clear he didn’t want his squad at the forefront of this battle. She could have cut them. Hell, she could have let the general choose. Without her challenges, he would have kicked them out in a second.
Instead she’d explained why they should keep them all. Why just risk twelve when you can risk fifteen?
When the general had taunted Logan he might steal her away, Logan had almost replied that he could damn well have her. Then, to piss him off further, Sparkes had his goddamn hands on her again as they had their own tête-à-tête.
“Colonel Logan, I assume you’ll do the same for your people?” the general asked.
Do what for his people? Logan had no clue what the general had promised his squad.
“I always strive to do what is best for my people,” he assured the general.
Which is a damn sight more than what my captain has done.
Alisha looked his way. He hoped he’d successfully telegraphed exactly how pissed off he was.
“Excellent answer for a politician, Logan. Are you thinking of changing careers?”
Logan didn’t even bother with a response. The general didn’t expect one. He’d already turned back to Ollie. “If you don’t see a promotion, ask for a transfer. I’ll see you get it,” the general promised.
Well, at least now Logan knew what the asshole had promised. MAC handled raises and promotions. To pretend otherwise was just clinging to the past. The only reason the general could continue to pretend he had influence was because he recognized actions that MAC would perceive as worthy of merit increase and predicted them in advance.
Logan preferred the truth: their own talent and determination would bring them raises and promotions.
Suddenly the general had Logan’s full attention. He had just offered Alisha the “honor” of leading the squad.
“General, I object,” Logan said. For a moment he thought he had an echo until he realized Sparkes had made the same objection at the exact same time. What the hell did Sparkes think he was doing? Alisha wasn’t his captain. The only person who had the right to object was him.
“Shut up, both of you,” the general snapped. “Captain Kane can speak for herself.”
Don’t even think it, Alisha, Logan warned her in his mind.
***
Alisha took a deep breath. “I recognize the honor of the offer, but I must decline.”
The general was not pleased. “Damn right it’s an honor to lead a squad of this caliber into a battle of this importance. To turn it down would normally strike me as cowardice, but your run this morning proves you aren’t a coward. So tell me why. And it had better not be due to either of these two,” he added, flicking his hand to indicate both colonels.
“The squad has a leader, sir, who flies exceptionally well and is clearly the best marksman,” she replied. “I am no marksman. My inclusion wou
ld weaken the team.”
“Well…that’s a good answer,” the general reluctantly admitted. He turned back to the team. “So who’s leading this team, Captain Kane?”
“That would be Tucker, sir.”
The general ordered Tucker to step forward. He eyeballed the man for several moments and evidently liked what he saw. “What’s your rank and squad, Tucker?”
“Sergeant, Division 610, Squad Red Devil, right wing, sir.”
“Sergeant? I can’t have a sergeant leading my first squad.”
Alisha immediately opened her mouth to object, but Sparkes’ hand tightened on the back of her neck in a not-so-subtle hint to remain quiet.
“Colonel Sparkes. 610 is your squad. What are we going to do about this?”
“Sergeant, you are field-promoted to the rank of captain. Congratulations,” Sparkes declared.
“Well, now…everything seems to be in order. We’ll begin moving troops in an hour.” He turned back to the line. “I trust you recognize the importance of your mission. When you come back, the rest of you will be field-promoted as well. No celebrating your new ranks until after the battle. Is that understood?”
The line affirmed that they understood in unison.
“Good. Get some rest. I know you’ve worked hard this morning, but I need you at your best in one hour. Good luck, men—” He stopped. “Ryders,” he corrected himself to include Ginnie and Jersey.
Chapter 39
Fury radiated from Colonel Logan after Alisha failed to remove the last three of his squad from the line, and he looked more than ready to vent his anger. To avoid his wrath, she attached herself to Sparkes. She suspected Logan wouldn’t ream her in front of the general’s man.
“Since you’re grounded now,” Sparkes said, “you can watch the battle from here with me and the general.”
“Why am I grounded? I can still bag-and-tag.”
“Not according to the regs. A cadet without weaponry training is not allowed in Class 1 or 2 engagements. This was originally thought to be a Class 4, but it was upgraded once we got your video.”
Scavenger's Mission (The SkyRyders Book 1) Page 21
