Fem War II - Chapter Four

The Legion is formed and goes through rapid and intensive training - and their first mission begins three days later.....

40. Chapter Four

 

Colonel Grappler put down the phone, a beatific look on his face, and held on to his news while Jess looked at him, almost begging him to tell…

 

Finally, she broke,

 

“Come on,.. come on!  What’s the story?  Spill it!”

 

“That was Brad - General Nelson!”

 

“I know who Brad is - cut it out and cough up!”

 

“This is Top Secret - and he wants us both down at The Pentagon in fifteen.  You ready?”

 

“Am I ever not? Let’s go!”

 

*     *     *

 

General Brad Nelson laid his cards down one at a time - just to get the message across fully…

 

“Peter, Jess - a few people argued against this idea of mine to take you along on this - and I do take credit for it, thank you!  Some of the negatives were political and some were - well, let’s just say they were trying to keep this under wraps as much as possible”…

 

Grappler and Nacirema sat - quiet for a change - no comment there, lest they break the stride of the General and maybe throw their chances out the window…again…

 

“Patton spoke for you, Pete, Jess - she knows you from way back - we all know that - and it seems President Carter has a sort of soft spot for the mavericks, just like you pair and your cohorts.”

 

He looked them right in the eye,

 

“Now - you know this is absolutely Top Secret - I only needed to say that once, but I will it again  right now, just for the record here, OK?”

 

Both nodded,

 

“We are about to launch an attack on the Empire Homeland”….

 

Nelson paused as both Colonel Grappler and Jess nearly jumped out of their chairs with questions, their eyes lighting up.  Now THIS was news, and it could only be good, as far as they were concerned, if they were involved….

 

“We have a few TRACs - that’s Temporary Railroad Aircraft Carriers coming online, and the President has approved an air attack using one of these, on Los Angeles, hopefully to catch Hilter with her pants down.

 

“Now - where do YOU pair come into this? Well - I put myself out a hell of a lot to overcome your past record of hasty words, Pete, and I don’t honestly give a damn if they retire me now anyway.”

 

 He looked at both of them unblinkingly,

 

“Got all that?”

 

Both nodded, they got the point, be grateful and don’t do it again,

 

“In which case I’ll just go join up like everyone else!  Come with me!”

 

Nelson lead the way to a covered table, from which he drew back a sheet that covered a three dimensional topographic display - old technology, but he kinda preferred to physically touch the things he wanted to see and evaluate rather than seeing them on a screen in 3D... gave more of a feel….

 

“I’ve put it to the Chiefs and The President that you pair of reprobates go along as security, with a picked team of your own based on experience, and as my eyes and ears.”

 

“We’re all ears”, said Colonel Grappler, and Nelson gave him a wry look.  Grappler held up a hand, warding off,

 

“OK, OK - I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

 

“Now this is the mission, right here.  This is how we’re going to do this!”

 

Nelson outlined the plan, the current positions and expected status of nearby Empire units, and the basic capabilities of the proposed plan of attack….

 

*     *     *

 

 

Temple stood in the crowd that had gathered in response to the advertising for people to join up and fight The Empire.  Who could resist the sort of phrasing in THAT…

 

“Wanted - troopers for Special Service in an all-volunteer unit - the American Volunteer Regiment - being raised as an irregular supplement to Uncle Sam’s armed forces!  Will need to be fit, able to move and think fast - and preferably hold a grudge against The Empire.”

 

Well - she figured she had a grudge against the f*****g Empire by now - no Mum, no Dad and having to leave home  - and she was just itching to do something about it.  She turned to the scholarly looking older man next to her, sort of wondering why he was there, and he looked right back, and smiled and nodded, holding out his hand.

 

“Hi - I’m Roger MacFarlane - commonly known as Rowdy.”

 

She took his hand,

 

“I’m Temple - just Temple.  I know that sounds a bit funny, but I’ve always been known as that.”

 

Before they could go any further, a rather tough looking sergeant in full Army garb took center stage in front of them, waited for quiet to fall, and began,

 

“OK, People!  You’re all here because you saw something you wanted in that ad - so I’m not going to beat around the bush.  We need people who are fit, tough, fast, know how to travel light, and damned well want to fight.  If you don’t fit that bill, save us all a lot of trouble and walk away - NOW!”

 

Nobody moved.

 

“My name is Sergeant Nacirema - and I’ve got no time for anyone who isn’t in this 200% - we ain’t got time for that sort of s**t here!  We need you up to speed as soon as yesterday, and if you waste my time or f**k me about - you’re out!

 

This outfit will be fast and light - so light that we will be starting with four Squadrons of around one hundred people each, plus a few - a very few - for admin and so forth.  I see one of the latter right here - so Major MacFarlane - Sir - if you would be so kind as to walk over there, the Colonel will be pleased to see you again.”

 

Rowdy waved and walked right over to the tent that Nacirema pointed out.  Temple was astounded!  That old-looking, slightly overweight and soft looking guy just walked in to what sounded like one hell of a tough outfit?  What was coming next?  And who were these people?

 

“Listen up, people!  Some of you have Army experience - so bring your papers with you.  We will be operating on the Rule of Four - so when you are allocated - if you are selected, that is - you will be linked closely with no more than four others.  We’ll explain that as we go.

 

NOW - we are about to get down to the selection process!  You’d better be ready!”

 

*     *     *

 

“Rowdy!”

 

“Hi, Colonel.  I heard you needed a little help again.”

 

“Sure did!  Grab a chair - damn - how’s all that academic stuff going?  Any more patents?”

 

Rowdy waved a dismissive hand in the air,

 

“Ah - not too much fun.  Gets a bit boring after a while, and some of the students are pure jerks.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.  We need a good planner.”

 

“Well, just let me know what the game is, and I can get right on it.  I see you’re working on the old Rule of Four.  Should be OK, but I can’t see training up a lot of smaller unit specific mission capable troops like the old team.  Not from the raw and inexperienced troopers here. Gee - there was a sweet girl out there - no more than eighteen - with a rifle and a dog!  What's this war taking us to?”

 

“Nah, Rowdy.  We’re not going for individual troop mission capability - just the same framework.  It’s familiar to us and we know how to manage it in action.  Some of the capabilities might come with time.  In the meantime, we’ve got a mission we need to get under way right about now, and I need your input.  Jess is going to have to find me a team pretty quick, too, from what we’ve got out there. We’ve got three days!”

 

Rowdy nearly fell of his seat.

 

“Th….three days!  What?  You’re going to put together a team in three days from those civilians out there?”

 

“That’s the plan - and we’ve got no choice.  So let’s get on it.  I need to set up a security team - I’ll tell you later why ‘cause it’s Toppest Secret for now - I haven’t even told Jess full details yet, so you’re the first, though she knows the basic plan since we got that from Brad - but we’ll need about twenty or so, and they need to at least look the part.”

 

*     *     *

 

Temple found herself with a group of three others, and a Corporal - who looked remarkably like President Serena but in a uniform.   They all piled their issued uniforms and stuff onto the bunks in the tent, and looked at each other, one young man dropping like a sack of potatoes onto his unmade bunk.

 

Serena stepped forward,

 

“OK - you all think you know me - and you’re right.  I AM - or at least I was - President Serena, but I’m not her any more.  Got that?  I’m here as a grunt just like you and with a job I WANT to do - just like you, so none of that Miz Prez crap, OK?  Now who are you all?”

 

Temple took it up,

 

“I’m Temple - just Temple.  And this is Buffy, our dog.  She’s my dog now - I don’t know where my parents are - they were in California when this all started, and I haven’t heard a word.”

 

“Curtis Strangelove - call me Kid Curtis.  I had a cousin in Hawaii, and he’s gone somewhere - we don’t know where.”

 

The young guy looked up from the bunk,

 

“I’m  Wyett Chalkevsky, from Ohio.  I run the local shooting club, and had two years infantry during the Caspian Oil Crisis.  I’m a pretty good shot.  I just want to get into this fight.  I know the game - never sit up when you can lie down, so don’t give me any hurt over being lazy or nothin’.  I know what I’m doing!”

 

“Annie - call me Poweranni.  I used to be a sort of activist for human rights and was married.  He was an archaeologist in California.  I know that he’s gone, the Empire killed him and his whole digging team near the high desert where he was working - they called him a spy.  I want my turn at those b******s as soon as I can get it.”

 

Serena took all this in, and then signaled them that they should all get around in a circle on a couple of bunks while she talked.

 

“Look - I’m the squad leader - I’m not bucking for an officer spot - don’t want it, so you shouldn’t start thinking that anything I do is for my own advancement, OK?  I just want to get into this thing like you guys, and rip some of that f*****g Empire apart.  We’ve got a pretty fast and furious training programme to get through , so we’d better get dressed andsome food into us….then we can start right away.  Let’s go!  And Temple - I hope that dog knows to behave herself and just stay put when she’s told.  She can’t come with us - ever!”

 

Right away?  It was about an hour until sunset - and they wanted to start NOW?

 

*     *     *

 

Three days!  Temple thought she’d never get over it - three days of near endless running, learning to shoot PROPERLY - so Nacirema said - and not like some pansy-assed civilian wannabe - new personal weapons, AR-36s no less, to master, new food to get used to (at least it was food and she kept Buffy a couple of good bits aside), and plain outright nasty dragging in the mud and slush and still cold ground.

 

Serena took it without a complaint, and Wyett and Kid Curtis took to it like ducks to water - they were guys after all and guys always loved mud and stuff - but she and Poweranni were - or had been - ladies.  Well, so they’d hoped.

 

Annie was a bit of a mystery - she was pretty damned determined.  Temps worked out that she’d loved her husband more than the Earth, they’d married late with Annie in her thirties, and she was itching for revenge.  She found some of the army stuff hard, like shooting a gun off, but she handled it and learned fast.  And she could shoot STRAIGHT!

 

Serena reckoned she’d be OK - in fact - Serena reckoned they’d all be OK.  A good team, and Buffy was good about just waiting for her at their tent and causing no trouble - good girl!

 

She’d had a moment of stark terror when the colonel - a tall and slim older guy who had not a trace of fat on him, came by for a quick inspection with that other colonel who looked all doubtful, but he just strolled past Buffy without so much as a word, and went on to the next tent.

 

Phew!

 

Temple reckoned she’d find out what THAT was all about some time, but right now it was too damned busy and she was tired as hell.

 

*     *     *

 

Rowdy and Grappler, along with Jess, sat around a small table in the colonel’s office tent and shared a tot of whiskey with their coffee. They clinked cups in salute… and had a good laugh about Colonel 'Homeboy' Tucker who had such a stiff neck about their Legion, as they were beginning to call the Regiment.

"Old Homeboy sure didn't like our 'over-focus on purely physical things and not enough basic discipline' - to quote a phrase!" 

This from Rowdy...

"I thought he'd blow a fuse when you said that true discipline comes from within a good trooper, and I doubt his report to the Pentagon will say much good!  And that dog nearly gave him a heart attack!  "No Discipline"!"

"Oh, well", said Grappler,  "you can't please 'em all all the time!  I'd rather my people knew how to fight than march around a square - not much use for that these days, and we haven't the time!  How they looking, Jess?”

 

“Good as can be after, excuse me, three f*****g days!  Some are exceptional and the guys with military experience, even that Russian guy, are fitting right in.  Others are obviously highly motivated to get into this thing, and they are pushing themselves to the limit.  Had a few failures over in Delta - that’s the Squadron run by that Indian guy whose name I can’t say.  Raga - you know.”

 

“Raghavendran, it's a bit tricky. Raj will do. That’s good, Jess - we need a list of twenty good ones - I’d like to keep the troops together in their squads if we can - so have we got four good squads I can have right now?”

Jess almost blew her coffee out of her cup with an expelled blast of lung power,

 

“What? You been keeping something from me?  You want ‘em when?”

 

“Lighten up, Jess.  It’s that mission Brad was talking about .  Only a shakedown cruise for our best troopers, just a security detail for that thing they were talking about. “

 

“I thought we had at least a couple of weeks for that!  These guys are raw, Graps - we can’t just toss ‘em in at the deep end!”

 

“We are tossing them in at the deep end, Jess - but we have to get set up now.  This thing is moving way too fast and we are going to have to take a few risks.  We’ll have some experienced people along, and the rest will benefit from the experience.”

 

Jess fumed for a little while, and the two officers waited her out,

 

“OK”, she said finally, nodding, “I’ve got some good people short-listed in my head.  You want a list or do we just go get ‘em organised?”

 

“I think we should put them on notice - we’re going on board Hornet at 10 am tomorrow, and we’ll be on an early start.”

 

“Sir!” Jess said stiffly, “I’ll do the rounds of my selections now and get them ready for an early lineup, and I'll bring you a list of names and numbers.  I take it this is to include not a word to anyone about this mission?”

 

“Absolutely correct, Jess.  See you at 6 am on the parade ground.  Rowdy will be in temporary command while we’re gone.  Sorry, Rowdy - you’re my Operations Officer and I need a good segundo back here.”

 

Rowdy nodded - not too happily, but he knew the score,

 

“That’s OK Pete, I know my limitations - I can’t keep up with those young ones anyway.  I’ll just park my old and fat butt in your chair while you’re gone, and run the show properly for a change.”

 

“Thanks, Rowdy.  Maybe you could short-list a couple of Squadron commanders for me while I’m gone.  You know what we need.  And we could use a Support Troop, heavy weapons and such.  Got some gear coming online - half a dozen of ancient M-60 machine guns and a few 81mm mortars - don’t look like that, it’s all Brad could spare.  We’re lucky to get those and personal weapons like the AR-36 that actually match the regular people’s.  See if you can find anyone stupid enough to handle those museum pieces for me.”

 

“You might want to spread those M-60s around, and not brigade ‘em all in the one place.  Seem to recall a place called Goose Green where that didn’t work too well.”

 

“Good thinking, but wait until we’ve got enough to spread to each Squadron and  we’ll finalise our arrangements.  Until then, we’d better get support up to speed.

 

OK - let’s do it!  Oh, and Jess… ask that little girl if her dog would be happy being our mascot on this trip.  I figure you might want Serena’s squad along, so we might as well make it a real family thing, OK?”

 

Jess gave Grappler a long, long look, then saluted and went off into the night.  The Old Man must be getting soft, she thought.  Next thing you know he’ll be married to that young thing and her dog or something - Jee-zus!

 

*     *     *

Reviews

[The Grappler]

Hmm - this is turning into a fem-fest - not enough strong male leads here.. I run the risk of being accused of discrimination towards the fairer sex (moons unashamedly)...