Chapter 16: Battalion Command

I answered the knock the next morning to find a private. He was my battalion driver and helped me carry weapons and combat vests out. When we reached the headquarters he helped bring them in and I met sergeant major Gwen. He was a short stocky man with sparkling blue eyes. I went into the office, "status sergeant major?"

He followed me in, "lieutenant Jennings was running things until you got here. We just got in lieutenants Patterson, McBee and Tony. We are around seventy percent right now. We lost all of our other officers when the base was hit."

I sat and ignored the paperwork for now, "status on weapons and ammo?"

He smiled and sat across from me, "we lost a lot during the attack due to direct hits from a warbird."

I frowned and glanced at the window, "how bad?"

He shook his head, "almost all the machineguns and grenade launchers. Luckily our mortars were out with the lieutenant Small doing a drill."

I spread the papers and then picked up the phone and called fifth cav intel. I had read something a couple of weeks before. I talked with a second lieutenant and then confirmed the report. I made another call to colonel Edwards, "sir this is captain Thorne. I was going to come over to report but spoke with my sergeant major."

I glanced across the desk, "we are critically short support weapons. I read an intel report about a smuggler ship being seized in the southern harbor of Cursic. I was hoping you would let me send a few vertical lift birds to ... impound some of the weapons and ammo that were aboard ship."

He chuckled, "I thought you were going to ask me to find the weapons. Permission granted, take anything you need."

I grinned at the sergeant major, "thank you sir. As soon as I get it started I will come over and report."

He snorted, "consider yourself reported in captain. See me tomorrow morning at nine for my staff briefing."

He hung up and I looked at the sergeant major, "muster the battalion. Light weapons only and have the company commanders come see me."

He grinned and turned for the door, "yes sir."

I used the phone to call the vertical lift bird squadron commander and arranged birds. Five minutes and I had all six lieutenants in the office, "gentlemen we have a problem with support weapons. There is an impounded smuggler ship in the port of Cursic. Take your people and bring everything back. The birds will be ready in thirty minutes in front of hanger five."

They grinned and McBee and Pattersone spun and ran out followed by the others. I made a call to the security police in Cursic and they did not have a problem. I looked at the paperwork and began separating it, "sergeant major!"

He came in and I gestured to the side of my desk and pushed the stack of promotion requests to him, "I need your input. You know these men."

I read each and every award the men had been put in for and signed them. Next was the battalion damage assessment followed by ... we worked through the day. When hover trucks began returning from the airfield we went out to see what we had. There were machineguns but also tri barrel miniguns and helical magazine rifles and even pistols.

I had everything put into the battalion supply area. There was also ammo for everything. I was shaking my head and McBee chuckled, "you said everything."

I grinned, "get with the engineers. They are busy with repairing the base. See if we can borrow a dozer to dig some holes."

He nodded and I looked at lieutenant Harris, "go to the depot yard. We need a dozen empty cargo pods."

He nodded and it was lieutenant Patterson's turn, "go to the same place. Get as many empty pallets as you can to make stairs and a floor for a subsurface hall."

I looked at lieutenant Tony, "we need an inventory of everything and a list of extra if there is any."

Lieutenant Small was next, "detail your people to help with the digging and placement of the pods. I want two meters of dirt on top of them so this does not happen again. Put your mortars down in the battalion supply for now and get with your supply sergeant. I want a basic load plus fifty percent on hand just in case."

Last was lieutenant Jennings, "get the quartermaster inventory number for the magazine fed shotguns we used from lieutenant McBee and the temp number for the prototype Tomahawk. Order two hundred of each and add fifteen hundred of the new military scale shirts."

I gestured and turned, "have your company sergeant majors begin a duty roster by platoon. We work around the clock until we are up and combat ready."

Three weeks and we had underground armories and ammo storage for each company. Surprisingly we had more than enough weapons to fill the companies, including support weapons. We also got in a trickle of a couple of dozen men which was minor. Colonel Edwards did not have a problem with us since we tended to just make things happen.

The girls were back to working in their tea shop. I was not surprised to find out they had twice as many customers now. They hired two more wives to work with them and set up a child care area in the back. It was Cam's turn to begin to get large and take more breaks. Anh was doing more exercises and stretches to get back into shape.

I looked up and then stood when colonel Edwards walked in, "sir."

He waved and sat in one of the chairs. He shifted and looked at it and then smiled, "comfortable."

I sat, "that would be my wives."

He nodded, "I have a maybe nothing mission. There used to be a small town a dozen kilometers up the Haung river from the coast. It was not really a port but a medevac flight saw small cargo ships heading there an hour ago. The town was abandoned when the enemy did a raid and killed every man, woman and child they could find."

I nodded and picked up a radio, "sergeant major alert the battalion that we have a priority mission. I want the company commanders in my office in ten. Tell their sergeant majors to load heavy and pack for a week."

I looked at the colonel, "permission to bring back anything we find?"

He chuckled and stood, "granted."

He walked out and I picked up the phone. I got old maps and intel reports and made operation orders with the company commanders. One hour and Alpha company was leading the battalion towards the airfield. I had called and told the girls I would be gone for a few days. I carried my over and under, the magnum pistol with the helical magnum assault rifle.

My team and I went on the first bird with Bravo company. We were landing three kilometers short of the old town. The battalion mortars would set up right there while the rest of the battalion moved to the town. Each man in the battalion carried three mortar rounds. I had switched the standard handset on the radios to ones that used a VOX system.

I listened as lieutenant Jennings ordered his people off the birds. Ours were only a minute out and they needed the area clear. So far we had not made contact which was good. He reported his birds lifting and I stood, "time to get ready Bravo."

A minute and the crew chief hit the ramp as the bird settled. I started moving out and chambered a round. Once off pfc Kent and Tomas began to search the area for threats. I moved towards the site for the mortars and slipped my pack off to remove the three rounds I carried. I set them with the others from Alpha and put my pack on as my people added theirs.

I moved towards the southeast and the edge of the abandoned field we were using. It was only a thousand meters from the town. Our birds had cleared and the next company was landing. They came in low and rolled and tilted to leave going back the same way. There was a thin line of trees between us and the distant town and Alpha should have sent a recon team forward.

I stopped beside lieutenant Jennings, "anything?"

He shook his head, "they saw the four cargo ships but the whole area has been cut back and cleared."

I nodded, "crawling in the ditches you have to watch for..."

He grinned, "vipers. Yeah we have been there before."

The other companies landed and finally the mortars were setting up. Jennings stiffened and looked at me, "they have a battalion plus dug in."

I looked toward the town, "this close they know we are here."

I shook my head, "go to the alternate plan. Go around and set up on the bank of the river. Do not let those ships leave."

He nodded and I turned and looked at the battalion, "did everyone copy the alternate plan?"

They answered and I held out my hand to the radioman and he gave me the handset, "Emerald this is Ruby. We have a battalion plus in defensive positions. Request you deliver firestorm."