Read Online Empire of Man 01 - March Upcountry by David Weber, John Ringo - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Weber, John Ringo
Tags: Science-Fiction
Ads: Link
up my suits," the armorer said petulantly. "Every time I gets help, they pock up my suits."
"Okay," the sergeant said with a nasty smile. "Tell you what. I'll get Sergeant Julian to help you."
"Oh, nooo," Poertena said as he realized that he'd put himself in a trap with his bitching. "Not Julian!"
* * *
"Hey, Troop!" Julian entered the weapons bay, walked up to the nearest trooper, who was a recent join from Sixth Fleet, put a hand on her shoulder, and grasped her hand for a firm handshake. "Glad you could make it." He gestured with his chin at the plasma rifle the trooper was preparing to disassemble. "You need some help with that there plasma thingamajig?"
The plasma rifle was the IMC's version of a squad automatic weapon. It weighed six kilos, and was supplied by external powerpacks which weighed two kilos each and were good for three to twelve shots, depending on the weapon's discharge settings. The "basic load" for a plasma gunner was twelve packs, the gunners normally carried up to thirty packs in their rucksacks, and their squad mates usually distributed another thirty among them. If there was one thing in the universe a Marine squad hated, it was running out of plasma ammo.
This particular squad from First Platoon had gathered in the bay for one last cleaning of weapons, and since the plasma rifle had a mass of subcomponents, it was natural that the gregarious Julian, from Third Platoon, would offer to help. The new private had just started to smile when her fire team leader spoke up.
"Don't do it, gal," Corporal Andras said.
"What?" Julian affected a hurt expression. "You don't think I can help this rookie trooper?"
The trooper, Nassina Bosum, had just spent six months in the Husan Action before reporting as a Bronze Barbarian. She opened her mouth to retort angrily that she was anything but a rookie, but was cut off by her team leader.
"Oh, you'll help all right. . . ." Andras muttered.
"Seven seconds," Julian said with a smile, and the corporal eyed him beadily.
"No way." There were over forty subcomponents in the M-96 plasma rifle. There was no way to disassemble it completely in seven seconds. Not even for the legendary Julian.
Julian reached into a breast pocket and extracted a chip. "Ten creds says I can do it in seven seconds."
"Impossible!" Bosum snapped, forgetting the implied insult. The standard was over a minute; nobody could disassemble a plasma rifle that fast.
"Put your money where your mouth is," Julian said with a smile, and tossed the chip onto the table.
"I'll take some of that," a grenadier said from down the table, and the squad leader, Sergeant Koberda, pushed forward to manage the piles. Finally there were two chips on Julian's side, and a pile of five- and ten-credit chips opposite.
"Who bet on Julian?"
"I did," Andras said sourly. "He's taken my money every other time."
"We ready?" Julian asked, his hands hovering over the plasma rifle.
"Uh, hang on," said one of the bead riflemen, pulling a helmet out from under his station chair and putting it on his head. "Okay," he said, tapping a control so that the ballistic-protection visor extruded. "Fine by me."
Sergeant Koberda touched the plasma gunner on the shoulder.
"You might wanna step back," he said with a little warning wrinkle of the nose. He suited action to words himself, then put his arms over his head, and the gunner saw others do the same.
"Wha . . . ?" Bosum began, but the squad leader had already activated the timer in his toot and said: " Go! "
Removing the compression pin to begin the disassembly process took the longest, just over a third of a second. The new troop watched in awe until the first magneto ring bounced off her skull. Then she realized that pieces of the weapon were flying all over the compartment and started to yell for the sergeant to stop . . . just as the last bit of component flew across the open space and bounced off a bulkhead.
" Done! " Julian yelled, raising his hands.
"Six
"Okay," the sergeant said with a nasty smile. "Tell you what. I'll get Sergeant Julian to help you."
"Oh, nooo," Poertena said as he realized that he'd put himself in a trap with his bitching. "Not Julian!"
* * *
"Hey, Troop!" Julian entered the weapons bay, walked up to the nearest trooper, who was a recent join from Sixth Fleet, put a hand on her shoulder, and grasped her hand for a firm handshake. "Glad you could make it." He gestured with his chin at the plasma rifle the trooper was preparing to disassemble. "You need some help with that there plasma thingamajig?"
The plasma rifle was the IMC's version of a squad automatic weapon. It weighed six kilos, and was supplied by external powerpacks which weighed two kilos each and were good for three to twelve shots, depending on the weapon's discharge settings. The "basic load" for a plasma gunner was twelve packs, the gunners normally carried up to thirty packs in their rucksacks, and their squad mates usually distributed another thirty among them. If there was one thing in the universe a Marine squad hated, it was running out of plasma ammo.
This particular squad from First Platoon had gathered in the bay for one last cleaning of weapons, and since the plasma rifle had a mass of subcomponents, it was natural that the gregarious Julian, from Third Platoon, would offer to help. The new private had just started to smile when her fire team leader spoke up.
"Don't do it, gal," Corporal Andras said.
"What?" Julian affected a hurt expression. "You don't think I can help this rookie trooper?"
The trooper, Nassina Bosum, had just spent six months in the Husan Action before reporting as a Bronze Barbarian. She opened her mouth to retort angrily that she was anything but a rookie, but was cut off by her team leader.
"Oh, you'll help all right. . . ." Andras muttered.
"Seven seconds," Julian said with a smile, and the corporal eyed him beadily.
"No way." There were over forty subcomponents in the M-96 plasma rifle. There was no way to disassemble it completely in seven seconds. Not even for the legendary Julian.
Julian reached into a breast pocket and extracted a chip. "Ten creds says I can do it in seven seconds."
"Impossible!" Bosum snapped, forgetting the implied insult. The standard was over a minute; nobody could disassemble a plasma rifle that fast.
"Put your money where your mouth is," Julian said with a smile, and tossed the chip onto the table.
"I'll take some of that," a grenadier said from down the table, and the squad leader, Sergeant Koberda, pushed forward to manage the piles. Finally there were two chips on Julian's side, and a pile of five- and ten-credit chips opposite.
"Who bet on Julian?"
"I did," Andras said sourly. "He's taken my money every other time."
"We ready?" Julian asked, his hands hovering over the plasma rifle.
"Uh, hang on," said one of the bead riflemen, pulling a helmet out from under his station chair and putting it on his head. "Okay," he said, tapping a control so that the ballistic-protection visor extruded. "Fine by me."
Sergeant Koberda touched the plasma gunner on the shoulder.
"You might wanna step back," he said with a little warning wrinkle of the nose. He suited action to words himself, then put his arms over his head, and the gunner saw others do the same.
"Wha . . . ?" Bosum began, but the squad leader had already activated the timer in his toot and said: " Go! "
Removing the compression pin to begin the disassembly process took the longest, just over a third of a second. The new troop watched in awe until the first magneto ring bounced off her skull. Then she realized that pieces of the weapon were flying all over the compartment and started to yell for the sergeant to stop . . . just as the last bit of component flew across the open space and bounced off a bulkhead.
" Done! " Julian yelled, raising his hands.
"Six
Similar Books
