J5 snippet 4

First a sitrep:
I received J5 from Rea this morning. I went over the edits, then added the missing pieces (TOC, etc) then just sent it off to Goodlifeguide.com.

I also started the second act of Shelby's book, Convoy on Monday. I've been so wrapped up in it plus my doctor's appointment I have totally forgotten to post snippets the past couple of days. My bad!

Speaking of which... still in chapter 2, picking up right up where we left off:

General Forth eyed the division commanders and Major White Wolf as he met with them in the big conference room the following morning.

The coffee fiends had hit the urn hard and had forced the staff to brew a second and then third pot. They'd also blown through a lot of the donuts someone had thoughtfully laid out. He'd have to ask where they'd gotten them; the éclair he'd managed to snag had been good and fresh.

“Now that we've all had our morning caffeine jolt, I suppose I should get around to the business of the day before the sugar rush wears off and we all fall into sugar comas,” the general said as he stirred his cup.

There was a soft chuckle from the assembly of officers.

“First up, we've got a winner on our unofficial competition,” he said almost absently. He noted out of the corner of his eye that the assembly seemed to stiffen and sit up straighter. “Colonel Harley, you'll be taking the fight to Destria,” he said after a long moment of anticipation. He reached into his breast pocket and fished out an order chip. He slid it over the desk to her.

There was a smattering of applause that grew before it faded.

“Congratulations, Colonel. Kick their asses hard,” Valenko rumbled once the clapping ended.

“Oh, I intend to,” the woman replied with a nod and small smile. She kept herself from smirking in triumph at the bear. It was hard. She'd earned the job and bragging rights, but she managed to keep a straight face as she nodded. “We'll prep for movement immediately, sir,” she said as she took the chip.

“Don't get into too much of a rush,” the general said dryly.

“Sir?” Dana asked, blinking.

“We're still waiting on transport from the Navy,” the general replied in a disgusted tone of voice. “They captured a couple of Horathian transports over the years, but we're using most of those to ferry troops to and from Protodon. They've got two others that had been captured in various places recently; supposedly, they were going to be refitted. That's a big question mark since they are pretty down the list on priorities,” he said with a grimace. “And I got word that one will not be used to carry troops. It's supposed to be a modified carrier design to carry our aircraft.”

“So …?” Dana frowned as she turned the problem over in her head. “What are we supposed to do, sir, walk?”

“No. We're getting our own transports within the next two to six months. I just got word this morning. Since we want to land your force in one go, you'll have to wait until they are all ready to go.”

“So they have to what, go through the working-up exercises and stuff? Are we supposed to crew them, sir?”

“That we don't have to do,” the general stated with a shake of his head. “We're getting the specs now. I'll forward them to you. I want a general TOE from you by the end of the week, Colonel,” he stated.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“I want a need and want list. Don't be shy, but don't get carried away,” the general continued. Dana nodded. “This time you are going to get air support from the beginning,” he said grimly, “with naval support from the get-go.”

She nodded again. “Good to know, sir.”

“Which is why we're actually glad we've got a small window before the transports show up. It will give the current crop of students at MAWTS-1 time to get the rough edges off,” the general said eying Major White Wolf. She nodded.

“I'm going over the syllabus with the staff now, sir. Lieutenant Rivers is the only other combat veteran instructor for the moment. He's good but even he has some rough edges,” she stated.

“Work on them. You've got some time but not a lot, Major,” the general stated.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“Air cover, bombardment … am I going to get much INTEL? What about the INTEL from the ships the Navy captured, sir?” Dana asked as her fingers curled around the chip. Her hand jack accessed the chip and put the orders up on her HUD in a series of files. There was a lot of paperwork but not a lot of INTEL. She'd already known and practically memorized the Encyclopedia Galactica entry.

“ONI is still processing it, but there is a backlog. Don't get your hopes up. I'm trying to get the raw take so we can process it ourselves if need be. So far, not much luck on that front, but I'll keep trying. You might have to pick up the data and any fast and dirty ONI conclusions in Pyrax,” the general stated as Dana scowled. He held up a restraining hand. “ONI is swamped, Colonel; it is what it is. Deal with it.”

She grimaced and then nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”

“I'm still trying to get a spook or better yet, a team of spooks assigned to you. I think we might get something done there but no promises at this point,” the general stated. “ONI is one of the most overtaxed departments in the Navy it seems.”

“Yes, sir. What about RECON and SPECOPS?”

“Check your mission brief. If you have a specific request, let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Fine then, moving on to new business …,” the general smiled maliciously as he turned to the Neowolf in their midst.

Moira's ears went back warily as she returned his gaze. “Yes, sir?” she asked.

“I just got confirmation from BuPers this morning. We'll hold a brief ceremony tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know your promotion has gone through.”

“Sir?” Moira asked, blinking at him in confusion. “Oh, you mean to major?”

“No, to lieutenant colonel,” the general replied. He caught a brief look of concern flash across Dana's face. He turned to her, but she instantly schooled her expression into a mask. “Do you wish to say something, Colonel?”

“Congratulations, Colonel,” Dana said with a nod.

“I don't know what to say,” Moira said with a shake of her head. “It's a bit soon, sir,” she said. “I'm still just a reservist,” she warned.

“And a planetary head of state,” the general stated. “I know. Yes, politics are at play as well but not all of it. I read your report from Protodon, and I put in a good word with Admiral Irons. We need your grit to help us get our feet under us. I know we won't have you for much longer; the convoy to go to Kathy's World will be assembling in another two weeks or so. So, we'll make the most of it.”

“And get whatever press we can out of my promotion,” Moira said with a bit of amusement in her voice as she got her mental feet back under her. She nodded once. “Yes, sir.”

“You earned it on Protodon and Kathy's World. This isn't a publicity stunt,” the general said in a stern voice.

“Yes, sir. Thank you for clarifying that,” she replied.

“Good, now …”

J5 Snippet 3

Sitrep: I received most of the input from the betas and I've waded through their suggested corrections. I just sent the manuscript to Rea. Don't worry, Tim, Jory, Poon, I can incorporate your suggestions when you get them to me once she's sent it back.

I'm a bit distracted with the new Shelby book and stuff going on in real life. (and worried about the Edison fleet out front. Am I going to loose power AGAIN???)

That being said, on to the snippet!

Chapter 2 

Bast received an email request from Marine security as well as the local ONI office to update the base's firewalls and security files to protect the Marines from the Xeno virus. She considered the problem for a long moment before she decided to do a bit of horse trading. First she would need access, she had no intention of turning the files over so they could be easily accessed, copied, and potentially taken apart by a Xeno virus.

She also wanted, no, need additional processors if she was going to keep her eye on Jethro.

Her emotional modulators indicated amusement when she received an email saying they would get back to her on her request.

Apparently they weren't that eager to protect themselves from the virus she thought as she returned to watching over her host the best she could.

\<)>^<)>/

“So, are we ready to finally do this?” Admiral Irons asked.

“I believe so. I'm just amused about how the competition has turned out,” General Forth stated. He felt a little nervous over it all.

“Competition... between the divisions yes?”

“Yes sir.” With more planets joining the Federation and regular interstellar trade picking up recruits were turning up everywhere. Agnosta had its fair share, as did Pyrax and Seti Alpha 4, but new Marine and Army recruits were being shipped in from all over the western side of the sector and the numbers were steadily climbing. So much so that they now had roughly a thousand recruits a month for the 2 branches. He knew the navy had plenty of recruits that passed through Agnosta on their way to the training centers and academy in Pyrax, but they weren't his problem. The new troops were.

So far a majority of the recruits were for the Marines. That was changing as the Army started to get its feet under itself. He knew they had a long way to go before they were ready to stand up, so he was glad there was no active recruiting going on for that branch. Captain Yee was also busy as their local artillery expert so a lot of the Army was suffering for his distraction. Eventually that had to stop he knew.

But with so many recruits showing up with each convoy or tramp freighter meant he had to expand the corps at a faster pace. Many of the recruits had to go through a series of pre-training and medical clean up before they went into boot camp, but some were ready from the moment they landed, enough to still force them to expand the boot camp until it was almost bursting. Hence the expansion of the brigades into divisions.

Originally there had been four brigades, his First, Archie Pendeckle's Second, Dana's Third, Myer's Fourth, and one planned for Valenko. They'd lost some good personnel and officers when the Admiral had insisted the Army be started up, but they still had enough to expand faster than he'd expected. With so many warm bodies he had given in and paired Myer's brigade with his own to form the First Division. Archie had not only his brigade but also troops that had been shipped in from Antigua as well as thousands of militia recruits from Protodon to justify his having the Second Division. Dana had moved herself and part of her senior staff up to form the Third Division, handing control of her Third Brigade over to Major R'nz while a new brigade had been stood up.

Valenko had shown up just after Dana's Second Brigade's command team had settled in. He'd been handed a full Division to stand up from the beginning. He'd poached some good people from First and Third division to do it. His was the greenest of the four divisions but they were also the best in sims. They should be, he drilled them intensely he mused.

At the moment each division had 2 brigades. Each brigade had 3 battalions. There were 5 companies in each battalion, and 4 platoons made up a company.

They were still integrating infantry, powered armor, mechanized, and air units into the mess. If he had his druthers he'd keep Major White Wolf and have her take over his division or set up a fifth division with a heavy air and mech component. But he'd been warned she had too many irons in the fire to be talked into it. After meeting her and noting her ansible traffic to Kathy's World he'd come to the reluctant conclusion that the Admiral and ONI had been right.

Which was a pity, she was good. She'd even given Valenko a pounding in some recent air sims they'd arranged.

He shook his head. His house was getting crowded again but it was all good, he knew they could handle it. All this while the Army made up a single company of trained troops with a bunch of enlisted who'd barely scraped through Marine boot and had opted to switch branches, he thought.

Valenko's division was almost up to full strength. It was one factor he'd had to consider in the 'competition'.

He didn't even want to think about having to stand up another division so soon. But he knew he was going to need to do so most likely before the end of the year if recruiting continued at the pace it currently was. And if more planets were added, as he knew there would be, then things were really going to get hectic.

The other thing that bugged him was that all the orphans he had out all over the sector on ships, planets, and stations. They were not assigned to a proper chain of command like they should be. Just another thing he would have to sort out soon, he thought.

“Getting a bit rough?” Admiral Irons asked, breaking in to his thought process.

“Not at all. They've actually kept it pretty clean and let their records speak for themselves. Which is what we're going off of. The final record is that Harley has more stand up time than Valenko does, despite his combat record and his division's better sim record. He's also still a bit short in the personnel department, not that he's let it stop him when it comes to sims,” he said with a sour face. “But I think he's been a bit cute about how hard he's pursued this command.”

“Oh?”

“He's gotten a bit aggressive about it pursuing it. I think he's employing a bit of little reverse psychology; I'm attributing it to 'don't throw me in that briar patch'.” he said. “I don't think Harley has figured it out. At least, I don't think she has.”

“You lost me on the reasoning there. Valenko... Valenko...”

“The bear. Major Valenko Kodiak I should say,” General Forth stated. He knew the Admiral or more likely his A.I. would pull up the bear's record for him to look over. “He's playing his chess and thinking long term strategic with his career goals. She's thinking short term tactical,” he explained.

“Ah,” the admiral said as Protector put the bio up for him.

“I guess it comes from his Russian heritage. He's a wily old bear,” the General replied with a snort. “He may think he's pulled the fur over everyone's eyes playing the stereotype, but I know better. He's really after Horath. What he doesn't know is that I believe that Horath is going to be a tough nut, and therefore most likely an all hands on deck sort of thing.”

“True,” the admiral replied with a snort of amusement. “So, you think he maneuvered Harley into aggressively pursuing this command in order to open up a future one for him to slot into?”

“Almost certainly.”

“And you're going to let him get away with it?” Admiral Irons asked. The ansible leached out most of the emotion with the text messages converted into robotic verbal readings, but Jersey still read a bit of humor into the question anyway.

“Oh definitely. Valenko might not have much seat time but he's definitely damn good at the job. He's got the division eating out of his hand and setting records. Granted he's following in others footsteps, learning from our mistakes, but I know he's damn good. His record speaks for itself.”

“So why not send him to Destria?”

“Because I think his division could use the extra time to train... and because I think we're going to need his grit when it comes time to take Nuevo Madrid or whatever planet you choose next,” the General replied. “So, he needs to get the division fully integrated. They are still at ninety percent,” he said.

“Point. Okay, so Harley will be going to Destria. I'll have Sprite cut the orders to get the ships moving.”

“A lot of them sir?”

“Actually, not as many as you'd think. She's getting a small task force, but as far as the division is concerned, she's going to get the second group of Marine transports. She's also going to get her hands on the first Marine Command ship. That should make your bear regret not pushing the competition harder.”

“It just might,” the General replied with a chuckle. “I think I'm going to burst the bear's bubble and have his division relieve Pendeckle's in the next six months. That way Archie can get his house in order properly and the bear can really blood his troops.”

“Sounds good,” Admiral Irons said. “Hey, I've got to go. Major White Wolf's promotion was approved by the way. Um... crap, my schedule...”

“Yes sir. Thanks,” the General said hastily. He knew a losing battle when he heard one. He glanced at his door to see his own appointment manager checking on him in the small glass window.

“Antigua out.”

“Agnosta out,” the General replied as he cut the channel to the Ansible.

\<)>^<)>/

Jethro 5 snippet 2

   Progress report: I 'officially' started Shelby Logan Chronicles 1: Convoy yesterday. I'm dipping my toe into it, the acts are broken down into chapters and I've got a handle on the plot though I need to make a few revisions. So far so good, I'm up to 70 pages though I haven't settled down to write from the beginning as of yet. Still skipping around and doing prep and research. :)

   I'm hoping to get my battery backup today, as well as Captain America 3 and other stuff. Last Friday's 14 hour power outage was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm tired of stuff like that happening, and scared it will eventually do damage to my PC again. (and loosing work sucks! Been there, done that!) I know with my monster of a PC it will only last 10 minutes, but that is a 10 minute window I'll be able to save my work and shut down properly with!

  It is gorgeously cool today so I've been productive... despite the antics of the furballs. (one is in my lap again as I try to type this) I am seriously in love with the 60 degree weather. I'll take gloom and cool weather over 100 and sunny any day!

On to the snippet! Still in chapter 1:

The following morning he formally reported in, but the duty officer told him he wasn't needed for the day. “It's Sunday Master Sergeant. Get some rest, check in tomorrow with me then. General Forth didn't tell me you were coming so I don't have specific orders for you,” the Naga lieutenant said. “He's off on a fishing trip, so I'll email him when he returns tonight.”

“Understood,” Jethro replied with a nod.

“Dismissed then,” the Lieutenant said. Jethro came to attention, but the Naga had already turned and slithered away to attend to another problem. He about faced and walked out of the room and then out of the admin building.

It seemed he was given time to familiarize himself with the changes to the base. So, he decided a quick tour, some time at the PX and BX, and then a more in-depth tour of the spec ops community was in order.

He himself didn't know what General Forth had in mind for him, though he had a general idea whatever it would be, it would be temporary.

He checked out the facilities but they were only lightly used at the moment, given it was the weekend. Apparently someone had set up a regular schedule with time off. It was almost quaint, he thought, though the enemy didn't follow any sort of schedule like that he thought. Combat came when you least expected it sometimes, usually when your guard was at its lowest, he reminded himself.

Then he shook himself. He didn't need or want to get himself too edgy, he thought. He had time to decompress on Kathy's World and on the flight to Agnosta he thought. No need to borrow trouble.

Orders from General Forth came in just before he was going to go to bed at 2200. They were brief he noted as he stood by the window. He noted people straggling back to the barracks along the winding paths below. Solar powered lights lit up the path nicely, and the light was directed down at the path itself, so there was little light pollution.

More than a few of the people who were straggling in weren't very steady on their feet, and one or two had to be propped up by a buddy. He scanned the orders but they were minimal. A welcome to Agnosta, and a note that he would be on detached duty to observe and counsel the spec ops community. He had a small office in admin overflow, and that was it.

So, until the powers that be knew what to do with him he decided to make the most of it and check in with a few familiar faces.

\<)>^<)>/

On the second day in the base Jethro ran into an old friend, Gunny Schultz just as he exited the restaurant he'd stopped in to have lunch at. His former DI and sergeant was still an E-11, a Master Gunnery Sergeant, though there had been talk about moving him up higher. “Good to see you Gunny,” he said with a nod to Schultz as he walked up to the Neodoberman. “Damn good to see a familiar face.”

The Neodog's pointed ears flicked. “I heard you did well in Kathy's World and Protodon. Though I think your mama dropped you one too many times on the head to try that fool jump in Kathy's World,” the Neodoberman said with a shake of his head. Jethro flicked his ears in humor. “You know that's becoming something of a legend in the corps already?” Jethro suddenly grimaced in embarrassment. “Yeah, you are a character, the whole boarding a ship all on your own,” the Neodog said, shaking his head in mock amusement.

“I didn't have much time to think about it. And an order is an order Gunny. At least I had my armor. For a minute there I thought they were going to send me over with a butter knife in my teeth and without a suit,” Jethro joked. Bast flicked her ears on his HUD.

The Neodoberman chuckled. “Sounds about right,” he drawled as he shook his head. “Keeping with tradition and all that they probably should have.”

Jethro flicked his ears, good humor restored.

“So, what are you up to?” the Neodoberman finally asked.

“You mean you, with all your connections don't know?” Jethro asked, staring at Schultz in mock surprise.

The Neodoberman rolled his eyes. “Give me a break. I knew you were coming, but there is a lid on your file remember?” Jethro nodded. “Yeah, so, you're here. Now what?”

“I'm only here for a short time. My orders are to go elsewhere, but they don't specify doing what or where I'll end up,” Jethro said carefully. What they said was he was going to Antigua. But since the Gunny didn't know, and his orders specified to tell no one, he left that part out.

The Neodoberman stared at him for a long moment then snorted. “Typical, they won't tell even you,” he said.

Jethro flicked his ears and then spread his hands. “You can't tell what you don't know I suppose. Besides, we're soldiers, we go and do what we're told,” he said.

“That's true,” the Neodoberman said in a slightly aggrieved tone of voice. Jethro's ears perked up. The Neodoberman eyed him and then looked away. “Don't give me that look,” he growled.

“What look?” Jethro asked innocently. He saw the severe look his former boss had and knew something was eating at him. “What's up Gunny?” he asked in a cooler tone of voice.

“It's...”

“Come on, you can tell me,” the Neocat wheedled. The Doberman eyed him for another long moment, as if sizing him up before he snorted again, softer that time and then decided to unload a bit.

“This really should be over beers, but...” The Doberman inhaled then exhaled slowly. Jethro cocked his head as the Gunny unloaded.

He had everything under control, it was smooth sailing... and that seemed to be the problem. It boiled down to the simple fact that the gunny was bored and needed a new challenge. “I hate whining but...”

“You aren't whining Gunny. You've sucked it up, but you taught us that everyone needs to vent sometime,” Jethro corrected.

“I know. But asking for a combat posting...” Schultz shook his head. “It's like they need me here, that usual crap. I know I can do more than be an administrator...” he said.

Jethro grimaced and flicked his ears. The needs of the Marines had pushed them both up through the ranks like a meteor. And the higher you went usually the more administrative duties you had and the less actual hands on with the troops.

“They finally cycled Brenet and Jefferson out of training to infantry, though I heard Jefferson was thinking about going mustang. That might be a part of my problem, they might think since I'm here, they are safe. Everything's covered, smooth sailing, leave him where he is. I'm... wuff,” the Neodog said heaving a sigh.

“Something to think about,” Jethro said slowly, eying him. It was the most he'd ever heard from his mentor. This was really bothering him he knew.

The Neodog snorted. “I'm a noncom thank you very much. I'd rather execute the orders than have to come up with them. Besides, I've got a bit less paperwork where I'm at. I still have some, and I have to put up with enough meetings to make me want to shoot myself, but I know I'm lucking out in not having to go through all the hoops an officer does. And I don't like playing dress up for the cameras and the party crowd. Thanks but NO thanks,” he said with finality in his voice. “The idea is to get away from the hoopla and do what I've been trained to do.”

Jethro snorted. He cocked his head again then nodded slowly. “I think you should put in for a transfer. Do your homework, and put in for something new. New horizons, a place where you can still be a positive influence.”

He knew they'd most likely transfer the Neodog to Antigua to help set up the Marine training centers there, but he was wise enough not to point it out.

The Neodog shook his head. “They won't allow it. I'm too much of an asset here,” he said with a grimace.

“By hook or by crook Gunny. Put in for a transfer. You of all people know how to game the system to make it clear it's time for you to move on. Let them know you are feeling stale and want a change in scenery. If they don't bite, well, find a way to lean on them if you have to.”

The Neodoberman nodded slowly. “I'll think about it.”

“Good. You don't want to get stale here,” Jethro said firmly.

That simple statement of agreement seemed to help ease something in his former boss's spine a bit. “They'll need someone to replace me,” the Neodoberman said as he eyed the Neocat. “Want the job?”

“Me? I wouldn't mind it, at least for a while,” Jethro said slowly. In all honesty his wife would love that he was in a training post rather than in combat. Especially after what happened to her younger brother on Protodon, he thought.

But it wasn't up to him he knew. Others had plans for him. “I'm slated for something else. The brass wants me in Antigua for my sins. I'm probably going to be paraded before the cameras so they can reenact that ceremony, and who knows what afterward,” he said with a shake of his head. “Either off to recruiting or Protodon or...” he shrugged.

The Neodoberman nodded slowly. As much as he'd like to hand the job over to Jethro... the Neocat was definitely qualified given his DI background, he knew he couldn't. Jethro had a target on his back. The assassin's guild hadn't let the matter drop he knew. Anyone near the cat unknowingly were on the same bulls-eye. Therefore, Jethro had to be a moving target. One that was kept away from those he loved in case what came after him spilled over on innocent bystanders as well.

It sucked, but such was life he thought as they returned to their separate duties.

\<)>^<)>/

When he got back to his temporary office Jethro checked in with the sniper classes to see how things were going. Sergeant Major Jefferson was no longer in charge of the advanced training and he didn't recognize the new guy. Obviously there had been some teething issues as the new administration got settled in it seemed. A bit of slack here and there, or just Murphy's intervention had caught up with them. He'd heard the scuttlebutt; he just didn't want any of it happening on his watch.

Even though he was only going to be on planet another month or so.

Each incident had been investigated by NCIS and JAG, but Jethro knew it was a bit more than ass covering involved. The current leadership might have tried to shift the blame, but that had failed utterly. Fortunately for them, most of the problems were indeed found to be the fault of other factors... or as he had noted a moment ago, Murphy putting in an appearance.

Not even Admiral Irons could count on Lady Luck's blessing forever he knew.

As he looked in deeper he didn't like what he found. There had been a rash of recent accidents some weather related, but a few others stood out as well. Two of the accidents had been in the field, but the more serious ones had been on shore while the troops had been off duty. A ferry bringing them back from the mainland had capsized in a storm and had unfortunately killed several Marines and civilian contractors before rescue arrived. Another group of Marines had been critically injured or killed after a night of partying and racing.

When the survivors got out of the hospital they were going to wish they'd been numbered among the dead once Schultz got through with them.

The 2 accidents.... he pulled up the files before Bast could do so and then his eyes scanned left and right as he read the reports. 1 had been due to a nasty fall, the other was indeed shitty luck; a widow maker in the forest had been freaky enough to catch someone off guard.

He shook his head. Murphy indeed, he thought, though he still wanted to look into the training standards to make certain people weren't getting slack or careless. Usually people tightened up after a gory example to remind them to take things seriously... but not always.

He scanned the recommendations and then nodded. Good, someone was a step ahead of him.

The accidents in sniper school had forced the trainers to undergo a review and tighten up not only the training, but also their entry standards. They had learned a lot after learning hard lessons in combat, applying that knowledge and passing it on to the next generation of Marines was therefore critical.

That was why he was back, even if only briefly. He wasn't certain what he could pass on, especially if he was in admin shuffling paperwork and getting acquainted with the changes to the programs and schedule. He couldn't do anything about it though, those were his orders.

The accidents did open up some slots in the program. He noted half of them had yet to be filled. Well, he could do something about that, he thought.

\<)>^<)>/

Jethro 5 Gods of War Cover and snippet 1

Okay, first up, here is the cover.

I've lightened it under the advise of Rick and a couple of the other betas.

I haven't worked on the write up yet. I'll get around to it eventually. :) On to the snippet!:

Act I

 

Chapter 1 

Weeks of travel, sitting on his ass, working out in the ship's cramped smelly gym, and otherwise feeling sorry for himself for leaving his new family all for this, Master Sergeant Jethro McClintock thought as he shouldered his duffel and followed the line of debarking passengers out through the transport tube.

His other gear was checked in to the secure cargo hold of the ship. He knew Bast was a bit anxious about it, he'd noted her checking on it every few minutes right up until he unjacked from the ship. She would be a pain in the ass until he personally laid eyes on it too, he thought, eying the A.I.

As if following his train of thought the A.I. flicked her long virtual ears at him on his HUD impudently. He flicked his own ears. He knew the armor wouldn't be needed, but it was a part of him. Of them, he reminded himself as a familiar Neowolf slowed her pace and allowed others to pass her

He flicked his ears to her again once he caught her looking at him. She sniffed delicately and then turned to continue through the debarking onto the station. He had traveled with Major White Wolf and the recruits from Kathy's World and Protodon. Those that were destined for the Marine or Army would ride the shuttle down with them the following evening he knew. They'd just missed the last shuttle down for the day.

Fortunately the recruits, including the few navy recruits among their number were no longer his concern. He wished them all well. They'd do better in boot camp... and worse in some ways since they had already tasted combat. In some ways that robbed them of the true Marine experience. So be it though, sometimes things like that happened, he mused as the line moved forward incrementally.

He caught sight of the white wolf once more. She was only a few people ahead of him he noted. From what she'd said on the trip out she wasn't going to be on the planet any longer than he was. She was supposed to help set up or overhaul the MAWTS facilities and faculty while getting a medical checkup and debrief. After that she would have to ship back to Kathy's World on the next available flight he knew.

“So, this is where we part ways Sergeant. At least for the foreseeable future,” Major White Wolf said as they passed through security on the station.

“We may see each other on the ground ma'am,” Jethro said with a nod to her as others passed them in their haste to get through the station to their own destinations.

“True. Do you have anything for Shanti and the kids? I'm going to be here a couple of weeks and then I'm headed to back to Kathy's World,” the white Neowolf said with 1 hand paw out.

Jethro looked at it and then grimaced ruefully. “I do but it's in here,” he said, tapping his head with one finger.

“Upload it to me. Or have Bast do it. The mail sometimes runs slow. I promise I won't read it,” she said.

“Thank you ma'am,” Jethro said. He touched her hand and felt Bast open a port in her firewall and then send the files through.

“Oh, it's not just a favor for you. Shanti is one of my best deputies. I can do her and your kits this service,” the wolf said as they broke the touch upon completion of the transmission. “Keep kicking ass McClintock, consider that an order.”

“Aye aye ma'am,” Jethro said as he came to attention. He saluted her but she snorted.

“You need to brush up on your etiquette McClintock, you won the medal, people like me are supposed to salute you,” she said and did so.

Jethro blinked then flicked his ears as she struck the salute and then picked up her bag and left for the officer's quarters on the station.

“Well! That was fun. Any ideas...” Jethro stopped himself when Bast flicked her own long ears and then pointed to the left. He turned and noted the sign “Noncom temporary billet this way.” He snorted and followed the directions.

\<)>^<)>/

As the shuttle came into its final approach to the island landing field Jethro looked out the porthole. He could access the shuttle's cameras and sensors if he wished, he knew Bast was doing so, but he wasn't interested. At least, not initially. She was naturally curious but also a bit paranoid. He knew she was going to get a bit worse since his armor was going to be housed in the armor morgue while he was on groundside duty.

Outside he saw the clouds part and then the island chain spread out among the glittering waters in all their majesty. From what he'd heard they had expanded to the second and third island. His eyes caught the straight lines and glitter of metal on the most distant island, as well as some of the lights, but then the shuttle banked slightly and his view was obstructed.

From what he'd heard the second island was one designated for the advanced training areas, while the distant third had been deeded over to the growing Army group. The Army group relied on the Marine base for its spaceport needs of course. There was no point building two spaceports a few kilometers apart.

He'd also heard that up until recently the set-up of the Army had been something of a half-hearted affair. The brass wasn't interested in setting up what would be a bunch of garrison soldiers in his opinion, and he agreed with them... in theory. However, after his recent adventure on Protodon, he now saw the need to have troops on the ground holding it.

Which probably explained why the Army, under the nominal command of Captain SG Yee, had started to rise in importance. He wondered if the recently promoted Brigadier General Jersey Forth and the other Marine brass resented the growing competition the Army would have with the Marines. Would they be forced to give up some of their personnel? He hoped not. Some he knew might volunteer, more out of a chance at rapid promotion and some semblance of pride in an ancestor who'd served in the Army.

Best luck to them, he thought as the shuttle lowered itself to the long stretch of runway.

\<)>^<)>/

After he went through groundside security, he ignored the personnel bus with the recruits milling around it and hopped onto the truck with his armor. He saw Bast's nod of approval and flicked his ears in humor.

He felt her reach out with his LAN implants to link electronically to the armor's computer systems. It was his turn to flick his ears in humor, but she ignored him. Something strangely like a sigh of contentment ran through the A.I.. Her eyes went half lidded. He could feel information flowing through them.

“Don't overdo it you know,” he scolded softly. She opened her eyes to stare into his briefly before she turned and went back to whatever meditation or other thing she was doing.

Most likely she was updating the memory in the armor, accessing it to see how it had been handled, and then using the on board processors to do any processing she had time for before they arrived at the morgue he noted.

He felt a series of bumps as they passed through the outer layer of security around the morgue, then they were stopped for another security check. The guard on duty checked the driver and him, and then checked the contents carefully.

“Master Sergeant? You um, aren't on the list.”

“I know. I wanted to make certain my armor was put to bed before I went to the billet.”

“Um, understood Master Sergeant,” the private said with a nod. He pressed the button and then waved them through with his tablet.

Jethro flicked his ears in humor and continued to watch the road as they drove around the armory, stopped, and then backed up to the loading docks.

Once the black armor and the crates of parts and equipment were signed into the Armor Morgue he caught a ride to the barracks. The sun had almost set by the time he arrived in the temporary noncom barracks. Bast accessed the barracks Wifi and logged him in to the log book. He paused at the door.

“You um...”

“I'm logged in I know,” Jethro said to the startled guard. “I did it remotely,” he said. Bast glowered at him on the HUD but he ignored it. He didn't want or need to explain her to the private.

“Yes, um, sergeant um...”

Bast put a map up on his HUD. “I've got the location of my quarters. Have a good evening private,” Jethro said as he picked up his duffel again and strode along the path Bast had indicated for him to follow.

\<)>^<)>/