Chapter 11: Setting an example

I glanced at my top sergeant as she walked through the hatch, “Well?”

She growled, “We were picked to protect pro tem delegates.”

I sat back and smiled, “The whole company?”

She nodded as she sat at her desk, “I do not know how they expect us to train new soldiers if they coddle them.”

I grinned, “want me to ask the commander to change our assignment?”

She snorted, “I used your name already and she said you are a trouble magnet and did not need the headache.”

I shook my head and handed her two resignation forms, “Two more dropped out.”

Top Sergeant Brenda Davis was hard as battle steel but had a soft spot for trainees. She frowned and glanced at the names before calling their senior sergeants. I thought this assignment would give me a rest but I was busier then any other assignment I had ever had. Being a company commander as a lieutenant was a huge sign of faith.

I looked at the intel of the assignment brief when Brenda sent it to my inbox. I frowned, “What is this red warning flag about?”

Brenda stopped talking to Senior Sergeant Rodriguez, “they had a system flag from Partisian.”

I glanced at her and opened the warning flag before sitting up, “Brenda, the pro tem delegates are meeting on Partisian.”

She frowned, “So?”

I shook my head, “Partisian is a former rogue world.”

She still looked blank and I sighed, “The last brief reported no military weapons turned in. They reported them destroyed or turned over to militia.”

Brenda frowned, “I still do not understand.”

I looked at her hard, “The report said it was never confirmed. That means they may have military weapons and the group on Partisian that wants the delegates dead may have some.”

Brenda grinned and turned to call all her senior sergeants. I shook my head, “Load the trainees with a full combat load.”

She chuckled, “with you around, I will load them up for a tiger ride.”

A week later our shuttles dropped us on Partisian while the carrier continued its rounds. The building the delegates were staying and meeting in was an almost ancient resort. I sent Brenda to check and find a safe room as well as defensive positions. The trainees were armed and armored as they stood guard and the delegates seemed to ignore them.

Three days later it began to rain lightly and the trainees had almost become lax. It was like static in the air as I sipped my coffee and reviewed the latest training reports. I jerked when jammers began screaming from the radios. I snatched my rifle up when I stood with Brenda and started for the door, “get the delegates into the safe room.”

She nodded as she barked orders into a private secure secondary radio we had set up. I ignored the trainees as they hastily moved into place and headed to the front of the resort, that was the easiest access. I started checking positions when the armored carriers flew towards us from the access road. I nodded calmly to a private holding a remote transmitter.

She flipped a switch and huge rolling explosions along the access road ripped the carriers apart. In coming fire from heavy weapons began to hit the sides of the ancient building. I nodded to the platoon sergeant and she barked an order into the secondary radio. A moment later two things happened, a glowing force screen sprang up to protect the resort and thirty privates walked out in new combat armor.

I gestured to my top sergeant and the senior sergeant for the platoon. I fell in behind the first squad as they moved forward and spread out. Weapons fire opened up from one side of the resort and the senior sergeant for the platoon reported a company of infantry attacking. I was tempted to abort the reaction platoon but the force screen would only hold so long before the heavy weapons broke though.