Read Online Strong Arm Tactics by Jody Lynn Nye - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jody Lynn Nye
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pressing cycle. He would be lucky if the box could sponge off the dirt spots. He felt his temper rising all over again. He glanced up at Borden.
“Lieutenant, why did they go off without cleaning up? Don’t they want to look good for the brass? You’d think that they would want to gain some points, not lose them. Don’t they give a damn?”
Borden hesitated, her cool eyes wary. “Permission to speak freely?”
Wolfe nodded.
“With respect, we,” and Wolfe understood that he wasn’t part of the ‘we’ yet, “really don’t give a damn.”
Wolfe eyed her. “Then why are you helping me?”
The harsh face softened just a little. “Permission to continue speaking freely? Because I feel sorry for you. You’re so gung-ho. You’re an idealist.” Pain etched itself between the perfect eyebrows, then smoothed out again. “I almost remember what that high feels like, before it got wrung out of me by … circumstances.” Ouch. That stung Daivid, remembering the bogus reasons that he had been sent here to X-Ray. The others all had similar stories to tell, probably worse than his. He had been sheltered from a lot of bad treatment because of the command’s fear of his family. He promised himself he would read the personnel records in more detail as soon as he could. “The others sort of feel sorry for you, too.”
“Then why aren’t they here?” Daivid asked reasonably.
Her eyebrows went up. “Permission to express an opinion? Because you gave them an order.”
Daivid felt outraged. “What? But that’s my job! And it’s theirs to obey!”
“Yeah, it is, in a way, but you haven’t earned the right. The one thing that’s missing in any military is a way to make sure that officers are worthy of leading the troops under them. You’ve read history—officers used to be nobles, who bought their commissions. The peasants under them didn’t have any choice but to follow. It didn’t matter if the officers could lead their way out of a one-way door. Times have changed over the last few millennia. With few exceptions, the service has been all volunteer. We’re better educated, more experienced, and have more to offer than any army humankind has been able to muster since they started carrying sticks and stones. You’ve got guys in here who have been in the service since long before you were born. Look at Jones. How old do you think he is?”
Wolfe thought about the chunky man, mentally counted the few white hairs shot through the dark curls. “Fifty.”
“Seventy-two. He’s been in fifty years. He’s going to go easier on you than a five-year spacer will, but why should he? He’s buried about one officer every other year since he joined up.”
Wolfe brushed at his tunic thoughtfully. “I had no idea troopers thought that way. Every other unit I’ve been in everyone is so young and inexperienced. All our officers were older than we were, and their CO’s were older and had been in longer than they had.”
The look Borden gave him had sympathy in it. “Well, the real thing is more messy than that. Once you really get out into the void you’ll be serving with sixty-year-old recruits and twenty-year-old colonels. Nothing wrong with that. But if it was me walking in here I’d download the company records as a bedtime book. Sir.”
“Don’t mess with them, huh?”
“In my personal opinion. Sir.”
“Well, that’s good advice, but it goes both ways,” Wolfe said, straightening his shoulders. “I’m here to do a job, and I’m serious about it, so they’re going to have to respect that. If we have a little rough going on the maiden voyage, so be it.”
“Fine, sir,” Borden said tonelessly. “We’ll see who breaks first.”
“Yes, we will, lieutenant,” Wolfe said, with some satisfaction as Thielind led the sheepish-looking troopers back into the barracks. “Remember the Vortex.” He smiled at the smug looks on the faces of his company as they looked around at the spotless room.
“Lieutenant, why did they go off without cleaning up? Don’t they want to look good for the brass? You’d think that they would want to gain some points, not lose them. Don’t they give a damn?”
Borden hesitated, her cool eyes wary. “Permission to speak freely?”
Wolfe nodded.
“With respect, we,” and Wolfe understood that he wasn’t part of the ‘we’ yet, “really don’t give a damn.”
Wolfe eyed her. “Then why are you helping me?”
The harsh face softened just a little. “Permission to continue speaking freely? Because I feel sorry for you. You’re so gung-ho. You’re an idealist.” Pain etched itself between the perfect eyebrows, then smoothed out again. “I almost remember what that high feels like, before it got wrung out of me by … circumstances.” Ouch. That stung Daivid, remembering the bogus reasons that he had been sent here to X-Ray. The others all had similar stories to tell, probably worse than his. He had been sheltered from a lot of bad treatment because of the command’s fear of his family. He promised himself he would read the personnel records in more detail as soon as he could. “The others sort of feel sorry for you, too.”
“Then why aren’t they here?” Daivid asked reasonably.
Her eyebrows went up. “Permission to express an opinion? Because you gave them an order.”
Daivid felt outraged. “What? But that’s my job! And it’s theirs to obey!”
“Yeah, it is, in a way, but you haven’t earned the right. The one thing that’s missing in any military is a way to make sure that officers are worthy of leading the troops under them. You’ve read history—officers used to be nobles, who bought their commissions. The peasants under them didn’t have any choice but to follow. It didn’t matter if the officers could lead their way out of a one-way door. Times have changed over the last few millennia. With few exceptions, the service has been all volunteer. We’re better educated, more experienced, and have more to offer than any army humankind has been able to muster since they started carrying sticks and stones. You’ve got guys in here who have been in the service since long before you were born. Look at Jones. How old do you think he is?”
Wolfe thought about the chunky man, mentally counted the few white hairs shot through the dark curls. “Fifty.”
“Seventy-two. He’s been in fifty years. He’s going to go easier on you than a five-year spacer will, but why should he? He’s buried about one officer every other year since he joined up.”
Wolfe brushed at his tunic thoughtfully. “I had no idea troopers thought that way. Every other unit I’ve been in everyone is so young and inexperienced. All our officers were older than we were, and their CO’s were older and had been in longer than they had.”
The look Borden gave him had sympathy in it. “Well, the real thing is more messy than that. Once you really get out into the void you’ll be serving with sixty-year-old recruits and twenty-year-old colonels. Nothing wrong with that. But if it was me walking in here I’d download the company records as a bedtime book. Sir.”
“Don’t mess with them, huh?”
“In my personal opinion. Sir.”
“Well, that’s good advice, but it goes both ways,” Wolfe said, straightening his shoulders. “I’m here to do a job, and I’m serious about it, so they’re going to have to respect that. If we have a little rough going on the maiden voyage, so be it.”
“Fine, sir,” Borden said tonelessly. “We’ll see who breaks first.”
“Yes, we will, lieutenant,” Wolfe said, with some satisfaction as Thielind led the sheepish-looking troopers back into the barracks. “Remember the Vortex.” He smiled at the smug looks on the faces of his company as they looked around at the spotless room.
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