Flashfire by David Sherman & Dan Cragg

Author:David Sherman & Dan Cragg [Sherman, David M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 2nd Rank
ISBN: 9780345460554
Publisher: * Clean Text
Published: 2007-03-27T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The CNSS Lance Corporal Keith Lopez broke orbit hours after the last Marines of 34th FIST boarded and entered Beamspace two days later. After six days, with only one navigation-adjustment jump, she reentered Space-3, three days from Ravenette. Captain Bhofi called Brigadier Sturgeon to the comm shack as soon as communications were established with the headquarters of the besieged garrison at Pohick Bay.

“I believe you’ve had dealings with some of my Marines in the past, General,” Brigadier Sturgeon said when he realized to whom he was talking planetside.

“On a mission I believe you aren’t supposed to know much about, Brigadier,” Major General Cazombi said in response. It wasn’t possible to tell for sure through the attempted jamming by the Coalition forces, but his laconic tone sounded like he didn’t necessarily agree with the decision to keep the commander of 34th FIST in ignorance of exactly what it was Company L had done on Avionia, a mission on which he was the commander and his only ground combat forces consisted of one Marine infantry company.

Then Cazombi turned all business and, once he determined exactly how much power was on its way to his aid, gave Sturgeon a thorough briefing on the current tactical situation.

“I’ll work up plans, General,” Sturgeon said when the briefing was finished. “We’ll be prepared to come in hot.”

“If your entire FIST is the same quality as Company L, I believe the forces opposing us are in for a very unpleasant surprise when you make planetfall. Cazombi out.”

Sturgeon spent a few seconds staring at the tight-beam radio he’d been talking on as though it might shed light on what he should do, then handed the headset to the chief petty officer who ran the comm suite and thanked him for keeping the channel open despite the best efforts of the rebels to jam it.

“No problem, sir,” the chief said. “I’ve a good crew. We pride ourselves on defeating all attempts to interfere with our beaming.” He said it calmly, but his pride still showed through.

Sturgeon palmed the crystal on which he’d recorded the briefing, and headed for his shipboard operations center to brief his staff and begin making plans for the landing.

An hour before 34th FIST began to disembark from the Lance Corporal Keith Lopez, Brigadier Sturgeon called his top people together for a final briefing on the situation planetside and what they could expect when they landed.

He concluded with, “Gentlemen, you know your Marine Corps history as well as I do. Whenever the Marines work with the army, it’s either to kick a door open for them to advance through or to rescue their sorry asses from whatever mess they’ve gotten themselves into. The army has gotten itself into a real mess this time, and we’re the only thing between them and utter destruction. So we are making planetfall in the highest tradition of the Confederation Marine Corps and its predecessors. Marines have never lost a battle. Thirty-fourth FIST will not be the first Marine unit to do otherwise.

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