by Taki Drake
Expecting to hear the irritated tones of his commanding officer, Ted Dreyer was startled to hear an unknown voice, one that reflected many years of issuing orders. “This is Rear Adm. Forster, commanding Red Battle Group. Your progress toward the base camp has been detected. Please explain your orders and objectives.”
“This is Platoon Sergeant Dreyer commanding a small group including two WIA, RTB to reinforce existing force.”
There was a considering pause from the other side of the channel. When the voice came back, it sounded far less stern and somewhat amused, “Got on the wrong side of the good Lt. Marcos, did you? Why did he assign you this duty?”
Ted took a deep breath and decided to throw caution to the wind, “I expressed my concern over the vulnerability of the base too many times, Sir. The lieutenant decided that I would be the right person to address that vulnerability.”
The admiral replied, “Sometimes, that is the price for opening your mouth, Marine.”
“Yes, Sir. I’m aware of that, but I believe it is the right thing to do, Sir.”
Laughter sounded over the sergeant’s implant briefly before the admiral asked him another strange question. “How many men do you have with you and were they assigned or did they volunteer?”
“Four, Sir and they volunteered. I picked these, but more than half the platoon volunteered, Sir.” The tense NCO could hear murmured discussion on the other end, but nothing was discernible to his straining ears.
The senior officer once again addressed him, saying, “Interesting. Maintain your position for reinforcement by additional Marine units. They will join you within the next ten minutes. Until countermanded, you will be reporting directly to me on this channel. Do you understand your orders, Sergeant?”
“Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir.”
Alaric voiced the question that was evident on the faces of the team when he asked, “What the hell just happened, Sarge?”
“Damned if I know, Marine. I guess we just wait.”
It was only seven minutes later when the sharp whine of an approaching shuttle split the quiet. The craft did an aggressive landing, slamming toward the ground at high speed before firing its landing rockets. It landed without a bounce, the mark of an extremely experienced pilot.
Without being ordered, the Marines on the ground had deployed, taking cover and with weapons at the ready. Just because a voice had said that they were friendly, didn’t mean that was true. Paranoia was a survival trait for Marines. Especially those that were older.
The shuttle door crashed open, and the sight of the first figure through the opening settled any question in the sergeant’s mind. It was a soldier wearing the distinctive black and silver battle armor of the ImpMEC’s Elite Group. The practiced deployment to the left, followed by the second soldier’s exit and positioning to the right, told Dreyer’s group that they were in the presence of the best fighting men that ImpMEC had.
Dreyer stood up and stepped into the clear, tapping his implant to announce himself. He was beyond astounded when a full platoon of the EG emerged from the shuttle. Approaching him at a fast walk was a warrior with a Major’s command patch. Ted was familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the EG, knowing that as a special force even small groups were commanded by senior officers. The man introduced himself, “Major Raymond Burns, commanding EG Alpha Company, 1st Platoon.”
The astounded sergeant responded by introducing himself and his men. He was conscious of the fact that they were being scrutinized by the EG force. Burns and his men seemed to have them on provisional acceptance, but there was another aspect that was in play, and neither Dreyer nor his men understood what it was.
The examination and evaluation continued as the group resumed its journey back to base. Dreyer and his men were directed to take the lead as they approached the camp. The EG force was their backup, creating a surreal environment for the regular Marines. With only four soldiers of his own to deploy, Sgt. Dreyer was using a staggered and extended line. It was not a typical Marine maneuver. However, with only four men it was a reasonable approach.
Coming around the rise of a small hill, Dreyer saw the point man dropped to the ground and rolled to the side for cover. Instantaneously, the rest of his men did the same, while Sgt. Dreyer moved cautiously toward the front. He could hear the EG force deploying behind them and the soft sound of someone advancing to come up even with him. It was the major, performing the same action that Dreyer was.
Coming even with his point personnel, Dreyer slowly and carefully looked over the rise of the hill. It had a strategic view down on the final approach to the camp. When they had left, it had been a relatively slender deserted pathway, wide enough for a land vehicle, but too narrow to allow two of them to pass each other. The scene that met his eyes was entirely different, so strange that it took him a few seconds to process what he was actually seeing.
Chapter 6 – Return to Base
The road was buried under random piles of Centrax bodies. They lay in clusters and grotesque positions that often accompany violent death in a battle. On many corpses, there were apparent wounds from projectiles and a significant amount of burn damage.
The stunned gaze of the noncom kept flickering across the mass of bodies, his mind too fragmented and incapable of counting the number. The only thing that kept pounding in his brain was that there were many times the number of enemy soldiers here that had been in the small force that had lured them from camp.
Looking over at the major, Sgt. Dreyer asked, “Sir, I am not sure what to do. I was uncomfortable with leaving our base unsupported, but I don’t have the battle experience to order what we do next. Would you please take over?”
“Sgt. Ted Dreyer, my orders are to support you but that you are in command. I can offer suggestions, but the decisions are yours.” With that statement, the major stood up and beckoned to several of his men to join them on the rise. When they had come up and looked over the hill, Ted could hear the sound of low whistles over his implant. Apparently, he was not the only one that had not expected this result.
A short discussion to solidify approaches ensued with suggestions and opinions being offered by the EG force. They had come to a general agreement when Alaric let out a tremendous shout and tackled Sgt. Dreyer and Maj. Burns to the ground. Before either of the officers could react, the crackle of sniper fire was heard twice.
Crouching in a defensive position, the officer and noncom stared at the newly dead bodies of two Centrax. The corpses were sprawled less than two yards away from where the men had been discussing strategy. The enemy soldiers had hidden in the pile of bodies, waiting for the opportune moment to spring an ambush. Dreyer immediately told the major about the strange behavior of the other enemy soldiers and the destruction of the emblem on the chest of their powered armor.
“That is very important, Sergeant. I think you better inform the admiral.”
Dreyer gaped in astonishment briefly before realizing he had been told to communicate directly with the admiral. Clicking his implant in the correct sequence, he was immediately connected to the admiral. Ted provided a succinct summary of the situation and the effective capture of the undamaged armor.
The senior naval officer brought the Marine commander into the circuit, and they briefly questioned both Sgt. Dreyer and Maj. Burns. It was evident that the two senior officers were very unhappy. When asked as to the relief force’s plans, the astonished sergeant was at first frozen, unable to respond. As the silence stretched out for a couple of seconds, and he realized that there was no one going to rescue him and that he had senior officers waiting on his decision.
Taking a deep breath and forcing his voice into a calm cadence, the sergeant informed the command group that they were going to continue to the base and attempt to relieve it. It surprised him to no end when his actions and plans were approved. Feeling like he had stepped into a fairytale, Dreyer saw no other reasonable pathway but to continue in the best way he could.
Once the communication fro
m the admiral had ended, Sgt. Dreyer immediately commed Lt. Marcos. He had half expected the senior Marine officer to stop him, but there was no protest to his actions. Marcos answered abruptly and before the noncom could finish his report interrupted him to say that he did not have time for unimportant issues and that surely a senior platoon sergeant was capable of handling minor problems. Again, the sergeant attempted to provide his lieutenant with an update only to have the circuit abruptly terminated.
Dreyer looked over at Burns, who shrugged and said, “At least you tried. And even more importantly, I heard you try.”
The group continued to approach the camp, moving cautiously and carefully. Bodies were everywhere. Once the initial shock passed, the Marines began to tally the number of dead Centrax. There were thousands of them. The stacks of bodies and the scope of damage increased as they got closer to the base camp.
When they reached the actual camp enclosure, the evidence of violence was overwhelming. The blended force of Marines, wounded, volunteers, and elite soldiers stood and stared in mingled shock and amazement.
Movement from the buildings caused instantaneous weapons positioning. At the sight of the logistics group and the walking wounded that had been left behind, the readied arms were relaxed, and vigilant focus was redirected outwards toward the surrounding areas.
Without conscious control or direction, Sgt. Dreyer and his relief party of four hurried over to the base defenders. Ted was astounded to see that they looked unharmed. His attention was drawn to Corda. Grabbing her by her upper arms, he gave her a little shake and said, “Are you all right?”
She smiled at him and nodded before he realized what he had done. Blushing furiously, he released her arms and stepped back. He was not the only one who was expressing concern for a teammate.
Alaric had Irene, the cook and medic, wrapped in a bear hug, murmuring incoherently to the top of her head. Jonas was huddled with the Marines that had been left with the camp, talking intensely and looking surprised. He was listening to the men’s commentary, and throwing astonished glances toward the logistics group, before staring at his Marine buddies.
Sgt. Dreyer made a mental note to ask Jonas what was so surprising but in the happy chaos of reconnecting, following up on strange looks was not a high priority. Instead, he gratefully accepted the lessening of tension and the disappearance of the feeling of doom that had hung over him since they had abandoned the camp to its own defense.
There was a subtle change in the dynamics of the group that had been left to defend the base. Ted couldn’t put his finger on it for a while. After observing them for a few minutes, the man realized to his surprise that the seven people that had been left to defend the base had become a team. They acted toward each other the way that a well-integrated squad did, supporting each other and with a constant awareness of where the other people were.
It was amazing that this merger had developed over a span of fewer than two days. It usually took Marines weeks or longer to produce the same sense of camaraderie and common purpose. What happened while we were away? he asked himself. Unsurprisingly, there was no answer.
One of the EG Marines approached the major, saluted and said, “Sir, the initial count of enemy dead is 3,143. No appreciable damage or injury to base structures. The base is secured, overlapping watch set up.”
Major Burns responded, “Thank you, Janos. Is there anything else?”
“Respectively, sir, I would like to ask the armorer to look at several of our suits, sir. This is the first opportunity we have had to resolve the issues that we reported previously.”
“Approved, subject to agreement by the Master Armorer. Remember that she is now a civilian.”
“Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir!” Speaking into his communications implant, the Marine made a beeline toward the large woman who was the logistics team’s motor pool support person, Dorothy Coleman. With a remote sense of bemusement, Sgt. Dreyer watched as a rushing swarm of the EG commandos entered the room and converged on the large woman.
Talking excitedly, the commandos surrounded the woman, showing her readouts of their armor, pointing to diagnostics on display and asking for her advice. Respect for her threaded through all of their interactions. It was evident that they both knew her and held her in high regard. Major Burns took pity on Sgt. Dreyer to explain, “Technical Expert Specialist Coleman was the highest ranked battle armor and tank specialist in the entire EG force until her retirement recently. This is the first availability that we have had to consult with her since that time.”
The sergeant nodded in agreement although he must have still looked bemused. Major Burns took pity on the confused noncom and said, “Perhaps you have not been formally introduced to your outstanding logistics and support group. Let me have the honor.” Performing a short bow in the direction of the slight man with the leg brace and cane, the senior officer continued, “Lieutenant Commander (ret.) George Havelock, most recently in charge of EG Force JAG, head forensic accountant for the force for over twenty years.”
Turning next to the small woman standing on Corda’s right hand, Major Burns said, “Next is the instructor whose classes all of us wanted to be in, but very few have the skills or dedication to be awarded that honor. This is Sniper Expert Instructor Alana Myers. She left the service after her beginning class and team survived the engagement on Rabican.”
Sgt. Dreyer winced in sympathy, thinking of all he had heard about the devastation that had occurred on Rabican. It had become part of the history of ImpMEC, where a vastly outnumbered force of Marines, including the beginning sniper class and a hospital of convalescing warriors, had held against an invading army of mercenaries, bent on a coup d’état.
When the smoke of battle had cleared, there were only 35 survivors among the defenders. But the bodies of over 16,000 mercenaries littered the ground. It was a legend that would continue to grow in the years to come, but the survivors had all left the service within two years.
Ted thought back to how he felt when hearing about the battle. He remembered the aching compassion that ripped his chest until it felt like it would explode when he thought back to his own desperate situations.
For many months after the news trickled through the Imperial space, the noncom had offered up prayers for the few scarred and weary survivors. Even though it was now incorporated into the mystique and history of the Elite, his empathy for the desperation and pain of the remaining fighters raised teary heat behind his eyes.
He remembered the sympathy that he felt toward the leader of the group, one of only two BattleMages that served the Imperium, the powerful Mage…
His thoughts stumbled to a crashing halt as he spun and stared at Corda Devlin. Gaping at her in confused amazement, he realized that he had not connected the comfortable -looking, older woman with the fearsome BattleMage of legend. He felt like an idiot.
Chapter 7 – Housekeeping
The level of activity at the camp ratcheted up to an almost frantic level. Lt. Marcos received orders to return to base, after retrieving the Centrax corpses for examination. He was advised that command had been shifted to Major Burns and that the special duty squad under Sgt. Dreyer had been seconded to that command.
The lieutenant’s confusion was evident even over the communications channel. His offer to return to the camp in advance of the rest of his men was shut down quickly by Capt. Bennet. Ordered to supervise his men and bring them back in good order, along with the enemy casualties and equipment, the junior officer had no choice but to comply.
Sgt. Dreyer and his men were kept busy. Providing the liaison functions for the hastily summoned local personnel, they directed equipment and people in the massive effort of battle cleanup. Einsville’s Council sent a force of 20 to assist in the aftermath. Irene coordinated the medical staff that arrived from the ship, commandeering one of the buildings as a combination autopsy and research center.
If he had not been pulled in so many directions by the demands of the situation, Ted Dreyer
would have been amused by the actions of the EG Force Marines. Watching them reminded him of the behavior of a puppy following its owner and expecting a treat. Dorothy Coleman was always in the center of a circle of the fearsome Marines, all of them importuning her to adjust or repair their battle armor. Her ability to effortlessly lift and manipulate the half-ton armor by herself was both frightening and amazing.
Each and every one of the Marines had paid their respects to Alana Myers. She greeted each of them with a small smile and a short personal comment, showing that she both remembered them and was fond of them. She could not manage even to open doors without Marines jostling each other in an attempt to demonstrate their respect.
When she agreed to a small shooting session, a series of intense arguments was kicked off by soldiers trying to be off duty during the session. Eventually, Major Burns had requested that she hold three sessions so that he could manage his duty schedule.
Ted also knew that when the Marines still on the orbiting ship heard that Alana was holding sniper sessions that transfer requests to the ground force assignment were received from every single one of the EG troops on the ship.
None of the 3rd Platoon Marines had thought that they were eligible to attend the sessions. However, Alana made a point of including the two soldiers that helped defend the base in each of her sittings. She had furthermore invited Alaric and Jonas to the first class and introduced them to each of the EG Marines. As Major Burns later mentioned to the sergeant, “A recommendation from the top sniper instructor in the entire Imperium is a big career booster.”
There was now a full company of EG Marines on the base. Ted was positive that Lt. Marcos would have difficulty recognizing his former command when he returned. All of Dreyer’s men spent time briefing the arriving officers on the situation and the planet. Everyone treated them with respect, and Ted could see the difference in how his men held themselves.
