heat
"What is this notation?" Sophia had just sat down, determined to make time for a meal for the first time in she didn't know how long, when...
"Experimental weapon, assigned to Storm Heavies?"
"No, I got that, says here, supernumerary? Those weapons have people with them?"
"Oh yeah, Cyn met them earlier, Troopers Fischer and Bass , on loan."
"I want to meet them too, where are they now?"
"They're drilling indoors, fourth firing range, cement track."
"They're drilling with those things indoors?"
"They were specifically requested for urban combat, they seem to think that means they'll only be used indoors. They cleared it with the Commissariat, and have the place to themselves."
"They went above Michael's head?"
"That was before they were assigned to us, apparently, they expected to liaise with the Van Doos."
"Ah, so Carmine signed off on it?"
"Yeah, and General-Commissar Thanh."
"Oh, bossy lady too? Interesting."
"Ahem."
"What, I'm not boss lady, I'm boss-budget, that means the label was just lying there unused." She said impishly.
"Right. Anyways, I packed you a sandwich." Frank handed her a bag.
"Commendable, thank you adjutant. Carry on." And she got a move on.
The scene was impressive, the yellows and red of the fires they'd started was something else, as was the way it was melting those trashcans they'd picked up from a nearby, presumably without autorization of its owners. The backwashed heat on her face cut her appetite, as she got closer, the taller one signaled his colleague. "Halt, officer on deck!" He said, and they both engaged the safeties on their weapons. "Sir!"
"I'm colonel Sophia Van Stoat, with the fusiliers, you've been attached to my command."
"Aye."
"And you're firing some unholy promethium concoction with those flame-projectors. What's the rate of friendly fire on those things."
"None while we're firing them, Sir, not without orders, Sir!"
"Oh, good. I feel much better now." Both experienced soldiers waited for the other shoe to drop. "Why the throne does tacticus saddle me with you? And supernumerary, to boot?"
"We're new doctrine, if it's adopted, we won't be supernumerary... But right now, your heavy weapons squad are three pairs, and those weapons are all slow encampment type weapons, with boltguns and anti-armour weapons. We'd protect your heavy weapons squad's backs with our quicker-firing option, as well as provide extra anti-personnel capabilities"
"What about the new firestorms?"
"I'm sorry?" How'd the hell this jumped-up colonel knew about that? Or that they'd both worked on the project?
"I have... contacts in Tempestus, and I know my direct superior was involved in their testing..." Let them make of that what they will, what she said wasn't breaking any laws, although it was probably stretching a bit...
General Templeton? And she knew about it? Damn, he must trust her a lot... "I can't possibly comment, Ma'am."
"I imagine you can't, but what are the chances we could complete the testing you're doing, with these promethium projectors, with some Firestorms?"
"Then we'd get transferred to your engineers or pioneers ma'am, those are siege weapons now."
"Oh, I have some of that as well, those are cleared for the weapons?"
"Provided you can get them trained..." Then he realized his mistake...
"Which you can provide?"
"Err, yes, if it's authorized, me and Manfred could provide such training to a unit no larger than a squad of engineers."
Sophia, who'd been planning this for two days now, just handed them the autorhized training form, in triplicate. "My XO will be on hand to coordinate, thank you."
"Did we get bamboozled, just now?"
"They call her boss-budget, I can see why now."
"Her friends in tempestus?"
"No one below tempestor knew about this, it's not a large group."
"Will they talk? This is supposed to be a secret..."
"They only talked because she wanted the weapons, not because they want publicity... I can see her point too, if you've got a platoon of engineers, but no siege weapons, it's a lot of ad hoc explosives for them. Suboptimal, looks back on evaluations."
The next day, a command chimera rolled into the shooting range's parking lot, taking one and a half space and tooted its horn.
"Err, Sir?"
"All clean! Right, that's me." Iguwolé Brador said, poking his head out as soon as his vehicule hatch opened. "I'm colonel Van Stoat's XO, she told you to expect me."
"Sure, yes. Manfred Fischer and Manfred Bass, sir. How can we assist you?"
"I've got some people for you to train here Manfred and Manfred. Meet Headquarters company, fifth platton-4th Squad , 8744th Montral Fusilliers."
"Err, Mechanized engineers?"
"Why yes, so kind of you to notice."
"Don;'t you have, you know, regular ones?"
"We do, but third squad is drawn down right now, bit of a kerfluffle when our orders specified they had to build a bridge unsupported. The colonel, bless her boss-budget heart, decided to get us some mechanized engineers so they'd have some protection, and I hear you're going to help with that. We already got the firestorm siege missile attachments for the chimera, all we need is training on care, handling, and firing of the weapons."
"Err, I'm not qualified for that."
"Wait, Manfred Fischer is not, but Manfred Bass is, isn't he? You do that trick often to get out of things you don't like, Manfred?"
"Err, Yes, Sir." Not that it mattered one whit what he answered, he'd lost that argument, maybe even before it'd started, the colonel probably expected all this, this XO was too smooth, too clean....
"Well, my pioneers in the hospital didn't have that option, so I'm revoking your privileges for it. Clean? Clean?"
"Sir, yes Sir."
"Mister Clean, we're ready for training..."
"I told you men not to use my nickname like that in front of... strangers. Clean? Clean?"
Both Manfreds hid their smiles, it was a cute nickname, and they'd have bet it came from his habit of asking Clean, as over a radio, and often doubling it. It wasn't, it was for his near perfect record, Iguwolé Brador was a perfectionist, his idea of precision often drove his men to distraction, in training and practice. In actual combat, his units often overperformed as a result.
"Clean?"
"Yes, Montaur?"
"Congradulations are in order sir, we're to drive you to base."
"Oh, it happened?"
"Yes Sir, you're now a daddy, and Colonel Sophia said if you're still wearing a uniform in the five days of leave she just issued you, and she catches you, there will be blood!" Colonel Sophia? Hmm, she must have earned respect for that, most times she was just 'Boss-budget' to the troops, Iguwolé thought to himself.
Why'd I let that slip? No one knew I'd gone to school with Sophia until I blabbed. Lance thought to himself.
"Experimental weapon, assigned to Storm Heavies?"
"No, I got that, says here, supernumerary? Those weapons have people with them?"
"Oh yeah, Cyn met them earlier, Troopers Fischer and Bass , on loan."
"I want to meet them too, where are they now?"
"They're drilling indoors, fourth firing range, cement track."
"They're drilling with those things indoors?"
"They were specifically requested for urban combat, they seem to think that means they'll only be used indoors. They cleared it with the Commissariat, and have the place to themselves."
"They went above Michael's head?"
"That was before they were assigned to us, apparently, they expected to liaise with the Van Doos."
"Ah, so Carmine signed off on it?"
"Yeah, and General-Commissar Thanh."
"Oh, bossy lady too? Interesting."
"Ahem."
"What, I'm not boss lady, I'm boss-budget, that means the label was just lying there unused." She said impishly.
"Right. Anyways, I packed you a sandwich." Frank handed her a bag.
"Commendable, thank you adjutant. Carry on." And she got a move on.
The scene was impressive, the yellows and red of the fires they'd started was something else, as was the way it was melting those trashcans they'd picked up from a nearby, presumably without autorization of its owners. The backwashed heat on her face cut her appetite, as she got closer, the taller one signaled his colleague. "Halt, officer on deck!" He said, and they both engaged the safeties on their weapons. "Sir!"
"I'm colonel Sophia Van Stoat, with the fusiliers, you've been attached to my command."
"Aye."
"And you're firing some unholy promethium concoction with those flame-projectors. What's the rate of friendly fire on those things."
"None while we're firing them, Sir, not without orders, Sir!"
"Oh, good. I feel much better now." Both experienced soldiers waited for the other shoe to drop. "Why the throne does tacticus saddle me with you? And supernumerary, to boot?"
"We're new doctrine, if it's adopted, we won't be supernumerary... But right now, your heavy weapons squad are three pairs, and those weapons are all slow encampment type weapons, with boltguns and anti-armour weapons. We'd protect your heavy weapons squad's backs with our quicker-firing option, as well as provide extra anti-personnel capabilities"
"What about the new firestorms?"
"I'm sorry?" How'd the hell this jumped-up colonel knew about that? Or that they'd both worked on the project?
"I have... contacts in Tempestus, and I know my direct superior was involved in their testing..." Let them make of that what they will, what she said wasn't breaking any laws, although it was probably stretching a bit...
General Templeton? And she knew about it? Damn, he must trust her a lot... "I can't possibly comment, Ma'am."
"I imagine you can't, but what are the chances we could complete the testing you're doing, with these promethium projectors, with some Firestorms?"
"Then we'd get transferred to your engineers or pioneers ma'am, those are siege weapons now."
"Oh, I have some of that as well, those are cleared for the weapons?"
"Provided you can get them trained..." Then he realized his mistake...
"Which you can provide?"
"Err, yes, if it's authorized, me and Manfred could provide such training to a unit no larger than a squad of engineers."
Sophia, who'd been planning this for two days now, just handed them the autorhized training form, in triplicate. "My XO will be on hand to coordinate, thank you."
"Did we get bamboozled, just now?"
"They call her boss-budget, I can see why now."
"Her friends in tempestus?"
"No one below tempestor knew about this, it's not a large group."
"Will they talk? This is supposed to be a secret..."
"They only talked because she wanted the weapons, not because they want publicity... I can see her point too, if you've got a platoon of engineers, but no siege weapons, it's a lot of ad hoc explosives for them. Suboptimal, looks back on evaluations."
The next day, a command chimera rolled into the shooting range's parking lot, taking one and a half space and tooted its horn.
"Err, Sir?"
"All clean! Right, that's me." Iguwolé Brador said, poking his head out as soon as his vehicule hatch opened. "I'm colonel Van Stoat's XO, she told you to expect me."
"Sure, yes. Manfred Fischer and Manfred Bass, sir. How can we assist you?"
"I've got some people for you to train here Manfred and Manfred. Meet Headquarters company, fifth platton-4th Squad , 8744th Montral Fusilliers."
"Err, Mechanized engineers?"
"Why yes, so kind of you to notice."
"Don;'t you have, you know, regular ones?"
"We do, but third squad is drawn down right now, bit of a kerfluffle when our orders specified they had to build a bridge unsupported. The colonel, bless her boss-budget heart, decided to get us some mechanized engineers so they'd have some protection, and I hear you're going to help with that. We already got the firestorm siege missile attachments for the chimera, all we need is training on care, handling, and firing of the weapons."
"Err, I'm not qualified for that."
"Wait, Manfred Fischer is not, but Manfred Bass is, isn't he? You do that trick often to get out of things you don't like, Manfred?"
"Err, Yes, Sir." Not that it mattered one whit what he answered, he'd lost that argument, maybe even before it'd started, the colonel probably expected all this, this XO was too smooth, too clean....
"Well, my pioneers in the hospital didn't have that option, so I'm revoking your privileges for it. Clean? Clean?"
"Sir, yes Sir."
"Mister Clean, we're ready for training..."
"I told you men not to use my nickname like that in front of... strangers. Clean? Clean?"
Both Manfreds hid their smiles, it was a cute nickname, and they'd have bet it came from his habit of asking Clean, as over a radio, and often doubling it. It wasn't, it was for his near perfect record, Iguwolé Brador was a perfectionist, his idea of precision often drove his men to distraction, in training and practice. In actual combat, his units often overperformed as a result.
"Clean?"
"Yes, Montaur?"
"Congradulations are in order sir, we're to drive you to base."
"Oh, it happened?"
"Yes Sir, you're now a daddy, and Colonel Sophia said if you're still wearing a uniform in the five days of leave she just issued you, and she catches you, there will be blood!" Colonel Sophia? Hmm, she must have earned respect for that, most times she was just 'Boss-budget' to the troops, Iguwolé thought to himself.
Why'd I let that slip? No one knew I'd gone to school with Sophia until I blabbed. Lance thought to himself.
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