Steel Gauntlet by David Sherman; Dan Cragg

Author:David Sherman; Dan Cragg
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction - Adventure, Fiction - Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction - Military, Space Opera, Science Fiction - Series, Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Military, Marines, General
ISBN: 9780345425263
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 1998-12-26T10:32:21.224000+00:00

At sixteen hours the resupply of Straight Arrows reached 34th FIST. It took less than half an hour for the new rockets to be distributed to the infantry units. By then, third platoon was whole again, and Sergeant Hyakowa and the two squads with him had rejoined the company an hour earlier. Ensign Vanden Hoyt shook his head after he took delivery of sixteen tank killers. "Typical. They don't give us enough to do the job until after we need them the most."

"And even then they don't give us enough to finish the job," Gunnery Sergeant Bass grumbled. Still, he was pleased by the delivery. Third platoon had only used four of its initial issue of twelve rockets. The platoon was down to twenty-eight men, including the two of them, after losing Corporal Lonsdorf and Lance Corporal Van Impe. Bass took one Straight Arrow for himself. The command element should be too busy with running the platoon to actively engage enemy tanks, he decided. Still, it was always possible they'd find themselves in a situation where they wouldn't have a choice in the matter. "How do you want to distribute them?"

Vanden Hoyt didn't comment on the S.A. that Bass appropriated for himself. "The gun squad has the most to carry with its own weapons," he said. "And it's short a man. They still have one, right?" Bass nodded

"Give guns to two of them. That way every man except the squad leader and the gunners will have one. Split the others between the blaster squads." Page 103

"Leaves us an extra."

"Who's the best shot with them?" Bass thought for a moment. "Probably Dean and Claypoole."

"They're in different squads. Give it to Eagle's Cry, he hasn't lost any men, right?" Bass nodded and spoke into the squad leaders' circuit. "Squad leaders up. Hyakowa and Eagle's Cry, bring a pack animal."

In a few moments the three squad leaders joined them. Hyakowa's and Eagle's Cry's eyes lit up when they saw the stack of new rockets.

"Now we get them!" Eagle's Cry exclaimed. "Life would've been a lot easier earlier today if we had them to begin with." He was both relieved and glad of the resupply.

"Yeah," Sergeant Kelly said dully. The death of Corporal Lonsdorf was weighing on him, even though he knew that having more Straight Arrows earlier probably wouldn't have saved his life. Hyakowa was fully business. "How many do we each get?" He noticed that Bass had laid one at his side.

"First squad, take six. Second squad gets seven," Vanden Hoyt told them. "Guns gets two."

"Guns is the platoon's heavy weapons," Kelly snapped, suddenly angry. "How come we only get two?

That gives me only three rockets for six men."

"Because you've got the guns," Bass said calmly. "You're already carrying extra firepower and weight."

"I've got four men who aren't carrying the guns." Kelly quickly scanned the stack of rockets and saw the odd number. "The guns are only good against tanks if they're unbuttoned. There's an extra. Let me have it."

Vanden Hoyt and Bass looked at each other.

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