The Tejano Conflict Read Free

starts.”
    â€œI remember the offer, but how many are they actually paying for?” That from Jo.
    â€œShort company: three rifle platoons, one ranger, one light air- and groundcraft, one support, including electronics. Hundred and ten troops. Relatively-low-velocity ammo. Total force maximum is two kay each side. There will be medical support and supply available if we need it.”
    â€œFour thousand. That’s a good-sized dustup,” Gunny said.
    â€œBiggest allowed on Earth in sixteen years,” Rags said. “We need to field our fastest and sharpest for recon, and we needed to do it yesterday. We have fourteen days beginning now when we are theoretically not being shot at.”
    They nodded.
Theoretically.
The official stance was supposed to mean no engagements resulting in the exchange of fire until the official start date, but everybody knew that recon resulted in clashes—a silenced sniper rifle or a knife in the back? It happened, and Monitors sometimes missed it—or deliberately looked the other way. When big money was on the line, any advantage you could get without being caught was worth a lot. A few hundred thousand noodle to bribe a Monitor to turn his or her back while you did something not quite covered under the rules? Cheap insurance.
    Industrial mercs were like samurai—you were supposed to be vigilant all the time. If you weren’t ready for an enemy’s action once you stepped onto the field, it was your own fault—you knew what he was and what he wanted, and it was all snakes and scorpions.
    â€œWe’ve got all the geosat and overfly maps and images in the tactical files, but there are some gaps; we need to tread the dirt and smell the flowers, you know the drill.”
    They knew.
    â€œLet’s get it out to the others, set up an S&T plan, and get this going. Jo?”
    â€œI’ll tap people for the initial rangings,” she said.
    It had been a while since they’d been in a real war; mostly they had been doing extractions, retrievals, escort duty. It would be nice to not have to worry about who did what to whom, when, where, and why, and get back to the simple business of recon and combat.

TWO
    Wink honed the edge of his sheath knife against a leather strap, finishing the task. The knife was a stubby-bladed spearpoint, thick across the spine, with a fat, cylindrical handle, Damascus steel, and an oval guard made of the same material.
    He was a doctor and a surgeon; he favored shorter knives because he knew where to stick them and how to achieve the best results, going and coming. He looked up to see Jo approaching. He touched the edge with one thumb. It was as sharp as it was going to get. He tucked the knife away into the belt sheath behind his right hip.
    â€œHey, Jo.”
    â€œWink. I’m putting together my ground team for the initials. How is Singh doing?”
    Singh, late of Ananda, had been with them a relatively short time, but he was a bright kid and dedicated. He had gotten too close to a concussive grenade while training and lost an eardrum. The new one had taken a while to regen, but it was back to normal. The auditory hair cells should also be up to par, but Wink hadn’t tested them yet.
    â€œShould be good to go. You taking him along?”
    â€œYeah, I think so. He’s still a little green, but he picks up stuff quick, and he won’t learn sitting on the sidelines. Gunny’ll keep an eye on him.”
    â€œSo it’s sneak’n’peak?”
    â€œFor two weeks, then we go online with the rest of the army. One week hot, we’re done.”
    â€œBeen a while since we did a war,” he said. “You know, I’m caught up here, the machines and my assistants can handle things. You might ought to have a decent medic out there with you.”
    â€œA decent medic? You know any?”
    â€œOw. That’s cold, fem.”
    She smiled. “Rags would kick me seven ways to