First Strike by Scott Moon
Author:Scott Moon [Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-26T16:00:00+00:00
Waller arrives with the breakfast crew. âGood morning, Expeditionaries. Breakfast is served.â
We eat, try to ignore him, and fail.
âFirst off, I need to pass on a message from command. Theyâre happy about the quality of your work.â
âHow do they feel about Fink losing his leg?â Vanderbilt mutters.
I shoot him a look.
âWhat?â he mouths.
Fink had track scholarships out the wazoo. Vanderbilt has told me several times Iâd wind up in the same CPO class with Fink. He enjoyed this fantasy until the Skull tracer round took Finkâs leg and I told him I wouldnât go to the CPO until he stopped bothering me about it.
âGood work,â Waller says, oblivious to Vanderbiltâs comment. âReally, great job.â
I concentrate on eating with the tiny field mess fork.
Waller chuckles. âIâm not just here to feed my face, but boy, am I starved. Traipsing around these trenches is hungry work.â
No one laughs. No one responds at all.
âWell, right. To business, then. Corporal Priam knows why Iâm here.â
Vanderbilt, Sergeant, and Lieutenant Davidson twist from their eating positions to stare at me questioningly.
âYes, sir. Absolutely, sir. Itâs about that one thing. Very good. Excellent stuff,â I say, then spread my hands and shrug at my friends the moment Waller looks away from me.
âYou all saw how slick the Assaulters worked during the bridge assault,â Waller says.
We didnât. We were under the bridge fighting and dying.
âToo bad Oaks âOkâ Ryan and Lance Jamison didnât get to hear this rousing announcement,â Vanderbilt says.
Waller laughs awkwardly. âOk Oaks, thatâs an interesting name. Always thought it was.â
I push down on Vanderbilt's shoulder as he tries to get up. Sergeant puts aside his disposable tray and stands near us, arms crossed, eyes locked on my friend.
Waller clears his throat. âNot long ago, I informed Corporal Priam that I selected 1st Platoon for the test and evaluation team of the new Assaulter, the bigger better version of what you all witnessed in action at the bridge. We call it the N333 Intruder. Catchy, donât you think?â
âNone of us saw the Assaulters at the bridge until it was over,â Davidson says. âWhy didnât you tell me about this before my team, sir?â
âLieutenant, relax. I can be spontaneous from time to time,â Waller says.
âIâd rather you werenât.â
âMind your tone, Lieutenant. I am your commanding officer and I command you to prep your team for Assaulter duty. These will have enough firepower to make storming trenches easy.â
âWeâre all going to die,â Vanderbilt tells the inside of his hand, because he knows Iâm going to punch him if he pisses off the captain for real.
Neither Sergeant nor Davidson dress him down. Waller pretends not to hear my friendâs insolence.
âWe appreciate the opportunity,â I say, âbut the Assaulters will never make it to full-scale production, sir.â
âOh really, Corporal Priam. You heard that? May I inquire from where you obtained information on top-secret projects like the N333 Intruder? I promise you, Priam, I know people who know people, and the Assaulters are the way of the future. Weâre about to change warfare.
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