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 …”