Chapter 2: Advanced training

I straightened my uniform before standing and heading to the shuttle’s hatch. Five new things had been added to my uniform, the small combat stripe on my left sleeve, the wound stripe on my right sleeve and Private First Class emblems on my collar. On the right side of my chest was a small colorful ribbon that identified me as having served in combat on Cerberus.

Last was the gold and silver mini ribbon for graduating at the top of the regiment and the Imperial Star seemed to glow in the hollow of my throat. I had wanted to leave it off but my sergeant had straightened it and looked into my grey eyes, “always wear it with honor.”

I had also earned an official nickname. One of the other recruits had started it as a joke but it had stuck. It officially went on my record when the regiment commander called me by it during an exercise. Now the other recruits just called me Pendragon.

I straightened when I stepped out of the shuttle and onto the deck of John Wayne. The bosan’s pipes called for the ship to come to attention and I shook myself and continued across to the senior sergeant standing at attention. He saluted and I returned it, “Private First Class England reporting Sergeant.”

He smiled and gestured to the foot prints on the deck, “Take your place private.”

It was a relief to get out of my dress uniform, even if the sergeants made sure to let me know I was not special. Advanced Training was like Basic but they mostly concentrated on weapons and martial skills. Since I was already an advanced student in a martial art, I was assigned as an assistant. We also began more extensive training in or with combat suits.

The weeks and months passed quickly. Twice we were used on a planet as reserves or working in the rear of a combat area. We were two weeks from graduating when we went into orbit around Glamour. The Second Armor regiment only needed a company for support and ours was chosen. As soon as the shuttle settled onto the ground the top sergeant was up and moving.

Our company commander led the way down the drop ramp and the platoon sergeants started splitting us up. My squad headed towards an armored carrier and the three tired looking soldiers. We were dropped in twos and threes until I was the only one left. The carrier finally settled to the ground and I followed a corporal out. He nodded to the half buried bunkers, “Welcome to the combat ammo supply bunkers.”

After a short briefing on what was where, the remote ammo transports started coming in. I slung my rifle and started loading, slowly the hours passed with only a few breaks. We received a huge supply dump from bases even further behind the lines and started unloading. The three soldiers actually relaxed as we worked, there was a sergeant, a corporal and a private first class like me.

We had a chain going with an old senior sergeant that had driven the ammo transport tossing crates of ammo to the sergeant. He let it turn him before tossing it to the corporal who did the same thing and tossed it to the other private. I was just inside the bunker sliding the crates into the bunker loader. The crack of a bullet moving through the air had me spinning as the crate dropped to the floor.

I quickly unslung the rifle from my back as the whole area was riddled with bullets. The old sergeant was down, the sergeant and corporal were hit and screaming on the ground and the other private was on his back staring straight up with half his head missing. I keyed my company radio, “This is Pendragon at the forward combat ammo supply bunker. We are under attack with four men down.”

I brought my rifle up and stepped out, I walked towards the corporal as I started shooting. This time I was more prepared then before, I had switched my basic ammo aboard ship to armor penetrators. Even through I walked slowly and calmly as I fired into the rushing soldiers I did not feel that way.

When I reached the corporal I squatted and finally reached down to grab him as he lurched up. On the walk back I helped him but continued to fire into the few soldiers that were brave enough to continue to rush towards us.

Inside the bunker I helped the corporal to the floor before spinning to pull a screamer from my harness. A screamer is an electronic device designed to fog holo sights. The thing about a screamer was it could filter its soldier’s sight so they could still see through the electronic fog. My radio was continuously calling for attention but I could not spare the time yet.

I tossed the screamer and moved back out into the open and started towards the sergeant as I fired at the enemy soldiers again. It seemed like a long way to him but I did not run or rush. I continued to shoot the closest soldiers to us as I knelt beside the sergeant and lowered the rifle before grabbing him.

I jerked him up and over my shoulder before standing and heading back towards the bunker. Like before I still fired at the men attacking us as I used my other hand to hold the sergeant on my shoulder. Once inside the bunker I knelt and slipped him off beside the corporal. He grabbed him and nodded to me and I stood to go back out.

I knew the screamer was not going to last much longer. This time they tried to fire blind through the electronic fog. I kept shooting them as I headed for the back of the transport. Several times I had bullets graze me but nothing hit me solidly. I reached the transport and turned to pull the old sergeant out and over my shoulder.

I turned to head back to the bunker when the screamer stopped working and a familiar burning stabbing pain ripped through my upper chest, high on the right side. I spun and staggered before turning back. I was barely holding the old sergeant and knew I could not lift my rifle. I flipped the switch to full automatic and started for the bunker.

Bullets whipped around me and sprang off the transport and the ground. I pointed my rifle and pulled the trigger. I sprayed bullets back and forth through the few men that did not drop to the ground in time. I staggered into the bunker and dropped to a knee to let the sergeant slip off. The corporal pulled himself closer holding a pressure bandage and I turned and moved back to the entry.