Stark's War Read Free

conversations. "Nice to see you. I feel safer already."
    "Hi, Ethan. Likewise."
    "Looks like you got dropped in the wrong place, too."
    "Yeah." Vic didn't try to hide her disgust. "Everybody's used to the automated location systems on Earth doing all the thinking for them. Heaven forbid they actually have to navigate manually."
    "What happened to the comms? How come we couldn't see you earlier? The enemy screw with our systems somehow?"
    "Don't know. All the officers were running around in a panic without somebody to tell them what to do."
    "Sergeant Reynolds?" Porter cut in, oblivious to the conversation he'd interrupted. "How are you doing?"
    "Fine, Lieutenant. We were out of position but we're making it up and should be on our Tactical timeline soon."
    "Good. Good. What was the problem earlier? Why couldn't we talk or exchange Tactical feeds?"
    Reynolds spoke soothingly, trying to calm Porter's agitation. "Something scrambled comms in this sector, Lieutenant. Some sort of software failure in the relays. They just got it straightened out."
    "Comms were scrambled?" Porter sounded horrified. "How did you command your Squad?"
    "Just like Julius Caesar, Lieutenant. I used hand signals."
    "Oh. Um, good. Where's Sanchez?"
    "I don't know. His Squad may not have made it down." Stark winced involuntarily. Sergeant Sanchez wore a poker face like other soldiers wore uniforms, giving few clues to his thoughts, likes, and dislikes, but he knew his job and he had twelve other soldiers with him.
    Porter obviously reached the same conclusion Stark had. "Oh, Christ. His APC crashed?"
    "I don't think so. We should have seen and felt that. I'd guess it never dropped. During the run-in, Sergeant Sanchez told me his driver was complaining about some system failures."
    "Why did he tell you and not me?"
    "Lieutenant, I'm sure Sergeant Sanchez had a good reason, but I can only speculate as to—"
    "Never mind. Stark?"
    "Yes, Lieutenant."
    "Are your comms okay? Did you receive the update to Tactical from Brigade?"
    "Yessir." Stark scanned the new plot. "No threats?"
    "None encountered so far," Porter confirmed. "We've got a long way to the objective. Keep moving. I'm going to head toward First Squad to link up with Sergeant Reynolds."
    "Yes, Lieutenant." Stark switched to the private circuit again. "Hey, Vic, you got company coming."
    "So I heard. You acting insubordinate again?"
    "Just doing my job and trying to keep my people alive."
    "Like I said."
    "Vic, it ain't my fault the junior officers can't think without senior officers putting every thought in their heads."
    "It's not really their fault, either, Ethan. Junior officers aren't allowed to think. Every action they take is dictated by senior officers monitoring their every move."
    "Maybe if they held an assignment for more than six months at a stretch they'd learn how to think despite that, just like we do," Stark suggested. "Of course, if they thought independently and really took time to learn their jobs they wouldn't get promoted to be senior officers who think micromanagement is the only way to operate. What kind of system is that?"
    "A self-sustaining one. You could still be more diplomatic, Ethan."
    "Vic, I'm a soldier. I don't talk nice to hostile people. I kill them."
    She laughed, the sound over his comm circuit oddly out of place amid the bleak emptiness of Stark's surroundings. "Okay. I'll calm the Lieutenant down, Ethan."
    "Thanks. That's why the Lieutenant likes you best."
    "Knock it off."
    No threats. The once-ominous shadows held no enemy troops, fingers poised over hidden weapons, but now gaped empty on every side. Monotony replaced tension. Combat assaults weren't supposed to be monotonous, but this one lacked an enemy, lacked major obstacles, and lacked scenery unless you counted endless kilometers of gray rocks and fine gray dust. The stars probably looked nice, but any attempt to look up at them virtually guaranteed hooking an armored foot over one of the omnipresent rocks