Aggy- Book 1
Copyright© 2009 by Green Dragon
Chapter 2
The Sargeant of the Guard, a Marine Master Gunnery Sargeant in undress uniform, medals and sash, gazed studiously over the assembling crowd wondering once again how the 'newbies' could so totally on this one day each year disrupt his peace and tranquility. This was 'THE DAY'. The day when the schools' – many schools' - graduates arrived to begin their posting to the Weapons' Development Bureau. He had pointedly suggested to the personnel officer that the arrival should be staggered. His back channel to his friend the Space Lord's writer was repulsed with an acerbic, 'can't change the system, that's the way it's always been done'.
He surveyed his domain standing ramrod straight beside his Corporal watching his sentries' attempting to turn chaos into order as newly minted Ensigns, apprentices (he swore they got younger each year and most of them should still have been in short pants and dresses) and civilians fresh from colleges physically struggled in and against the tide of the civilian garbed naval personnel and hordes of tradesmen and labourers going to work in the grounds behind his guard house.
The 'newbies' were all supposed to be intelligent or at least able to read and write but the Gunny didn't believe it – their orders came with instructions to wear work dress (at least they all got that right) and to report for inprocessing at Gates 5 and 6 for other ranks, civilians etc and Gate 7 for officers.
Around the fringe of the crowd towards the 'newbies' gates he could see a loose clustering of the more experienced as they had started on that side at the rear. As he looked over the struggling throng a flash of light colour behind the throng caught his eye. It was passing rapidly toward his left outside the fence of the extensive front gardens. Some minutes later movement at the left periphery caught his eye and through the garden shrubbery came a grey uniformed figure walking briskly toward Gate 7 across the lawn.
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