Nova Wars

Nova Wars - Chapter 103

- Thoughts of Terra - Blanarkak Numekrekvian, Mulmanik Philospher

Corporal Vak-tel, Telkan Marine Corps, stared at the sheet in front of him.

The 7th Telkan Marine Division Chain of Command AKA The Dumbass Conga Line

Commanding Officer: General Kretok (AKA The Old Man AKA Lumpyhead)

6th Infantry Regimental Commander: Field Colonel Shrekna (Vak-tel wasn't sure the Old Man could put his boots on the right feet without help from his aides, but he sure as hell knew how to snatch an award from a Private and candy from a podling at the same time)

3rd Infantry Brigade Commander: Colonel Navek

17th Rifle Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel Riltepop

Kilo Company (Rifle): Captain Kemtrelap

3rd Platoon Leader: Lieutenant Gretilk

3rd Platoon Sergeant: Gunny Heltok

Third Squad Leader: Sergeant Letrill

Vak-tel sighed and rubbed his face. On either side of him were his room-mates, Private First Class Nrexla and Lance Corporal Juvretik, both of which were staring at the TO&E (Table of Equipment and Organization) with same look of disgust as Vak-tel. Private Cipdek was sitting across the table from them, twiddling his fingers as he hot-linked his datalink the Captain's again.

Vak-tel just shook his head and turned the page.

The RoE was posted.

All eight pages of it.

"Have you seen this shit?" Nrexla asked.

"Which?" Vak-tel asked.

"Check out number one-sixty-two of the RoE," Nrexla said.

Vak-tel looked at it and groaned.

AVOID FRIGHTENING CHILDREN OR ANIMALS

Juvretik burst out laughing. "If there's kids downrange they've got bigger problems than us scaring them."

"Check out two-thirty-eight," Vak-tel said.

"Avoid damage to infrastructure, including roads, power lines, transmission towers, and underground pipes and cable," Nrexla said. He shook his head. "Guess that means no medium atomic demolition mines."

"That's number seven: no atomic or nuclear devices, no thermonuclear detonations," Cipdek said, not looking up. "Hah! Got it! He used his daughter's birthday for his password."

"You're going to end up in jail for that," Vak-tel said.

"Would you rather not know?" Cipdek asked.

"Hey, you're the one who will go to jail, not me," Vak-tel said.

"I love number one: do not endanger, frighten, threaten, bully, cause emotional damage or stress, or conscript any civilians or government workers and officials," Nrexla said.

Cipdek tossed a glittering marble to the holo-emitter on the table and it brightened up.

"...exactly are we supposed to fight this war?" Colonel Navek asked.

"These are the Rules of Engagement. Follow them to the best of your ability," FC Shrekna said, his voice stuffy. "We are guests in the Ornislarp system. They would appreciate it if they were able to live there when the battle is over."

There was silence for a second.

"You are aware, sir, that the enemy is currently fighting for control of the system," Colonel Navek said, his voice low and slow.

"That is an issue for Space Force. We are concerned with the ground fighting side of things. The enemy has landed in light numbers according to intelligence," FC Shrekna said.

"On a planet we are less than an hour from reaching," Colonel Navek said. "When, exactly, sir, do you plan on having the men load up into the dropships?"

"Once I am briefed on the situation on the ground," The Old Man said stuffily.

"Where fighting is already taking place," the Colonel said.

Field Sergeant Impton, AKA Ivan Wektaki the Telkan, of the Black Skull Blood Drinker Vodkatrog Warsteel Horde, stomped up and sat down, making everyone jump slightly.

"Do not be guilty," Impton said. He leaned forward. "Why do you watch show with mental defectives. Charlie Moo Moo much better."

"Division Commander's meeting," Cipdek said.

"Plotters and planners. No real Telkan in bunch," Impton snorted. "Better if mother knocked on head, sold milk."

The got snorts of amusement.

"Trying to find out what we're looking at for deployment," Vak-tel said. "Maybe we can get an edge."

Impton snorted. "Came to get you. Show you edge."

The Field Sergeant stood up. "Come."

Sighing and only rolling his eyes a little bit, Vak-tel got up. "You guys coming?"

The others all nodded.

Impton led them down the armory, which was manned by a Rigellian Saurian female.

"Any word?" Impton asked.

"Suits are still warming up," she smiled. "Dropship and drop pod guys are getting pissed. Last six hours they've been told 'you're how we're going in' then 'no, you're how we're going in' and ordering the others to re-pack their gear."

"Then it will be fuck fuck circus with very bitey monkeys," Impton said.

The Rigellian female nodded.

"These are friends," Impton said.

"He borrow money off of you?" the Rigellian asked.

Vak-tel shook his head.

"You owe him money?" she asked.

Cipdek shook his head.

"Huh," she looked at Impton. "OK, what do you want?"

"Stick in secure EPROMs full of crackerjack. One for greenie, one for my boots," Impton said.

The Rigellian closed her eyes. "You aren't in their chain of command."

Impton reached up and tapped his cybernetic eye. "I will be."

The Rigellian smiled. "All right."

"Let us go. Morgue," Impton said.

The group followed the older Telkan to the morgue, watching the Senior NCO talk to the armorer there for a long moment.

Then they followed when he sidled up to a Rigellian female in one of the cafeterias, complimenting her, passing her a holocube under the table of new music he'd pirated off of a source. Then another Rigellian, passing off a twelve hour athletic championship holocube to her in return for more information.

Less than an hour went by before Impton finished talking to a pair of green mantids that were up on one of the "greenie highways" in an access corridor. The greenies flashed laughing emojis and moved on, leaving Impton rocking back and forth heel to toe for a moment.

"Drop pods," he suddenly said, turning and hustling back toward the one of the staging bays.

"How do you know?" Juvretik asked, hurrying to catch up to the older Telkan, who moved surprisingly fast for someone with a limp and a cybernetic leg.

"Greenies ordered to activate Yuri's express elevator," Impton said. "Only one reason. Hot drop."

"Great," Nrexla said.

"Ever pod under fire?" Impton asked.

"Negative," Vak-tel said.

"Then this will be new for you," Impton smiled.

Vak-tel got that sinking feeling in his gut again.

0-0-0-0-0

--tab two gums put one on each side back teeth-- 621 said.

"Why?" Vak-tel asked.

--so don't chip teeth when pod launches-- 621 answered.

Vak-tel did as his green mantid battle-buddy suggested, chewing on first one then another till they were soft and putting the wads on his back molars.

The whole squad was inside the stuffy confines of a mission configurable drop pod. Sergeant Letrill's face was in one corner of his HUD, talking to someone, the NCO forgetting to turn off his internal helmet cam and hang up the call to the whole squad.

There was a faint vibration.

--here go-- 621 said.

"Wha..." Vak-tel got out.

The sudden accelleration slammed him back against the seat, the restraint bar locking down tighter. He almost puked as his stomach shot up into his throat.

Vak-tel staggered out from the pod, shaking his head.

The pod was playing some kind of happy upbeat song and he only caught the lyrics "I told you'd I'd shoot, why didn't you believe me?" as he took two stumbling steps.

He was looking right at Yuri when the massive Chernobog stopped the BOLO from turning its turret with one hand and drove another punch into the side of the cupola with the other. The Chernobog was driving one knee into the side of the BOLO and Vak-tel saw the skirting rip away and the next knee strike rip away running gear and lift up part of the side deck.

"FORM UP! LET'S GO, MEN!" Sergeant Letrill bellowed out.

The beacon appeared.

Two kilometers.

Vak-tel followed Letrill as the squad moved out in leaps and bounds, leaving Yuri behind to play with his new toy. The drop-pod had configured for mobile fire support and scuttled after them.

Vaktel thought.