Maelstrom Strand by Rick Partlow

Author:Rick Partlow [Partlow, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2019-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

13

They’re looking better,” Kurtz said a bit grudgingly. “Maybe having the new machines is making them think more about what the hell they’re doing with them.”

Logan tapped his fingers on the desk, watching the recording of the tactical exercise with half his attention while the rest shifted platoons and companies and wondered if he could get away with deploying mech-jocks from one mercenary unit into one of the others without everyone screaming their head off.

“Look there, though,” Hernandez said, scowling as she pointed at the two-meter wide screen they’d set up in the Security center, which Logan had taken over to use as his operations headquarters. The display was currently divided into multiple sections and Hernandez was indicating the view stretching from the mouth of the Run to the first curve, where three of the four mecha in the picture were within about thirty meters of each other. “Third Platoon of Bulwark Universal is still sloppy as shit with their interval.”

“Yeah,” Logan agreed. “I’ve been thinking about splitting them between Bohardt’s platoons and replacing them, if I can get everyone to agree. They need better leadership.”

“You’re the boss, boss,” Kurtz reminded him. “They all agreed to that and they’ll do what you tell them.”

Logan grinned at Kurtz’s naïve faith but said nothing. Lyta wasn’t so reserved about it, but then, she never was.

“He’s the boss,” she told Kurtz, snorting derisively, “but he’s also smart enough to know that just because you can get away with ordering your people to do something doesn’t mean they’ll understand your reasons or believe in them.” She leaned back against the wall behind what had once been the desk of the town constable. “You can get away with that shit in a battle, when everyone is worried about living through the next minute and most of them want someone to tell them what to do. But when you give boys and girls time to think, time to complain to each other and stew in their juices, well…”

“We’re not a Spartan line unit here, Val,” he told Kurtz, trying to be gentle about it. The man was the most loyal officer he had. “Right now, we can’t just ship a problem soldier out to some unit in a backwater outpost and forget about them. We need every man and woman who can pilot a mech out there fighting for us.”

Kurtz rubbed at his eyes, suddenly looking exhausted.

“I know you’re right,” he admitted. “It’s just not what I’m used to.” He gave a sideways glance at Logan. “Okay, since we’re being all open and sensitive and shit, and explaining everything to the troops, maybe you can explain something to me. We’re training all these guys pretty damn hard these last few weeks, but who are we training them to fight?”

Logan frowned in confusion and Kurtz raised a hand to forestall his objections. “I mean, it’s all well and good to raid some convenient Starkad base for weapons, but Rhianna Hale is just tightening her grip on Sparta while we sit here training.

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