A Manifold of Bindings (The Scrolls of Azbel Book 2) by John Mangold

Author:John Mangold [Mangold, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-14T22:00:00+00:00

24.

Fire and Gorgons

Lieutenant Bradley gazed around his small office with a glare of disdain. It was not poorly appointed, considering his office was a towed trailer expanded on sight to form his temporary Headquarters. Lighting, water, heat, and communication gear were all preinstalled, and fully operational three micros after the unit had made camp. It really was a model of military efficiency in design, from its anti-gravitational suspension underneath to the full array of information gathering antenna on its roof.

Yet, even with all this, it was still a far cry from his spacious offices back at the base. Every detail within this ‘mobile shed,’ as he called it, only served to remind him he was in the field, a place he loathed to be. It seemed to him that once a man attained a lofty rank such as his, there should be lower ranks to handle such unseemly aspects of military duty.

As he rued once more, the memory of his recently passed over promotion to Captain, his top Sergeant strode in through the room’s single portal, punctuating his entrance by slamming the door shut behind him. Lt. Bradley kept his gaze from him, choosing instead to concentrate his eyes on a small display screen inset in his desk as though vital information was flowing across it. In reality, the only message displayed upon it currently was ‘Transmission Link Severed, Press Screen to Reconnect.’ Bradley quickly muttered a prayer of thanks that the Platoon Sergeant could not see the display from his vantage point.

“What was that, sir?” Platoon Sergeant Kenimer asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Bradley replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, keeping his eyes locked on the screen in his desk.

After a suitable amount of time had passed, and the Platoon Sergeant had cleared his throat no less than five times, Bradley slowly turned his eyes to his subordinate. Bradley knew he was tormenting the man, but he could not help it. It was one of the few pleasures available in such primitive settings. At long last, with a casual nod, he gave him the acknowledgment he knew the Sergeant was awaiting.

“Delta Squad has reported in,” P.S. Kenimer said. “No sign of the vehicle Gorgon 712 spotted on the ridge, but there was a slight trail heading off into the woods-”

“Have they followed that lead?” Lt. Bradley interrupted while messaging the bridge of his nose. “It seems logical that the tracks would lead to the quarry, does it not? Really Sergeant, do I need to spoon-feed your soldiers such basic information?”

“Sir, no sir,” P.S. Kenimer replied. “Delta Squad followed the trail. However, it only led them to a severe drop off into a nearby ravine. It is unlikely such a small vehicle could have survived the fall. Elements from Delta are proceeding south along the roadway to see if the vehicle may have backtracked somehow-”

“Backtracked?” Lt. Bradley interrupted again. “Right past themselves and Charlie Squad as well? That would take an extraordinary level of skill on the bandits’ part or an equal level of incompetence on the part of your soldiers.

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