A Hero by Stephen Arseneault

Author:Stephen Arseneault [Arseneault, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-26T22:00:00+00:00

— Chapter 20 —

* * *

Two days later, we shipped out. Exeter was a six-day run. We would join the third regiment of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Force. Our company designation would become JT065. Because of its losses, TX512 was being retired. We hadn't been in the company long, but it was still a blow to our egos.

We also had a new lieutenant. The bunker collapse squashed our prior lieutenant along with the rest of our company, and most of the regiment we belonged to. The rest had died in the fighting afterward.

Lieutenant Rascoe, the replacement, had five years in the Corps. He had yet to see combat, but he was not timid in any way. He was a solid, muscular individual like Hayden, just slightly more compact.

Gunny introduced him to our platoon. "This is our new CO, Lieutenant Rascoe. He comes to us from Earth, only having arrived on Haven two days ago. He's the boxing champion for the one-hundred-kilo class on Earth and is five years a Marine."

The lieutenant stepped up and looked us over for several seconds. "Thank you, Gunny. First, just let me say how glad I am they assigned me this platoon. I've read over your record. The lot of you now have as much combat experience as any other platoon in the entire Corps.

"I'll be questioning each of you over your submitted reports. I'd like to know what drove you to the decisions you made, because at the moment they appear to be some of the best out there. Now, let me give you some background on myself..."

The lieutenant explained his troubled youth and how boxing had straightened him out. Discipline was now his driver. He was committed to being the best and was eager to get at the Togmal.

During the six-day ride out, he had a short personal discussion with each of us. I came away with the feeling he would be a good commander in the field and would take every opportunity to listen to and support his team.

As our transport came into comm range of Exeter, alerts blared. Fighting was underway. The Togmal had overrun and destroyed a third of the cities.

After battling it out for four days solid, the fleets in the heavens above were now at a standoff. We came in at an angle, taking us past our fleet and straight down to the fight on the surface. The whole city of Danzer was a running brawl going from street to street.

Our transport was nearing the ground when a missile shot up from the opposing side.

"Brace, brace, brace!" the pilot yelled over the ship's intercom.

The Marines around me were shaken from their feet and bounced into the air as the left-forward thrust engine took a direct hit.

I scrambled toward a front wall, bracing myself for impact with the ground. The explosion sent the slowing transport lurching forward and dropping across the battle lines. The ship slammed into the remains of the upper stories of a building that was already burning, before it plummeted to the ground and skidded to a stop.

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