Read Online Opening Moves by James Traynor - Free Book Online Page B

too far off the mark either.
    She grabbed the machine, easily pushing it back a few inches so it was leaning on its back supports, then let it go. It slammed back level with a jarring crash. The echo bouncing back from the bare walls of the corridors made Lee cringe. Unfortunately the bar remained in place. With a resigned sigh she spun around her own axis and gave the machine a kick, and finally the bar dropped into the tray with a most satisfying 'clunk'.
    With a chuckle of victory Sammy grabbed the prize and turned to leave, stumbling to a halt as she found herself nose to nose with a hard faced man who had apparently sprouted silently from the shined ground. Lee was about to give him a few choice insults about sneaking up on her when she quickly noticed a pair of Captain's bars on the mans shoulders. Stopping in her tracks she snapped straight up to attention.
    “ What's your name and unit, soldier?” the officer asked. He was a heavy set black man with a shaved head and neat goatee beard. He looked about mid-thirties in age which, given the marvels of modern medicine and the extended lifespans they produced, meant jack all. Hard eyes rested in deep sockets in the captain's face. His whole demeanor spoke of the man's confident manner. He was a by-the-book officer if ever Sammy had ever seen one.
    “ Private First Class Samantha Lee, sir,” she rattled off loudly. “Alpha company, Ten-Twenty M-A-F regiment, sir!”
    “ I see. I'm glad to see your unarmed combat skills came in useful just now.” He glanced at the vending machine, some noticeable dents in its side. “Although I doubt they were designed to defend us from an invading army of snack dispensers.”
    “ Sir, no sir!” Lee snapped. Great, another officer who liked the sound of his own voice.
    “ Do you have an explanation, Private Lee?”
    “ Sir, I paid my money but the machine refused to deliver my choice of snack, sir.”
    “ So rather than report the fault you decided to try and persuade it yourself?”
    “ Seemed like the quicker thing to do, sir. Cause less trouble for base maintenance, too, sir.”
    “ How very thoughtful,” the captain remarked with a smirk. “Still, it took your money and gave you nothing back. Sounds just like our government to supply us with something like that. You have to wonder why a military base has a vending machine anyway.”
    “ Yes, sir.” Lee agreed automatically.
    In truth the machine was actually very popular. She and her comrades did enough PT that a couple sweets wouldn't make any difference. They burned more calories just suiting up than one of these things had in them. Of course she wasn't going to tell this officer that. When dealing with the higher ranks the best course had always proven to be to just nod and let them think they were infallible.
    “However understandable your actions, you were still in the wrong,” the Captain concluded. “You'll pull guard duty tomorrow evening, is that understood?”
    “ Perfectly, sir.” Inwardly she was relieved. Guard duty was a waste of time Sammy would have rather spent otherwise – and elsewhere. Still, all things given that was pretty lenient considering the damage to government property. Of course, it screwed up her plans to celebrate Private Keppler's twenty second birthday, but it was still luckily nothing more like a slap on the wrist.
    “ All right private, dismissed.”
    “ Yes, sir.” She stood a little straighter, then stepped back and hastily headed for the door.
     
    * * * * *
     
    The captain grinned, then went to the vending machine. With a shrug he placed his ID card next to the reader and made his selection. It was a hard balancing act keeping discipline in troops without being overbearing. An officer had to be respected but not necessarily liked, and the way he did that was through fairness and making sure everyone knew their responsibilities and where they fitted into the big picture. He frowned deeply as his selected treat refused to