The acceleration shoved Galen back in his seat and then he was jerked sideways by the sudden turn and halt. The main gun sent a bolt of heavy laser right down the beach, burning holes through countless warriors. And again, and again. Galen fired his cupola rail gun and then looked for targets for it, walked the rounds into various groups of crouched and prone warriors. Some fired back, some fled for the relative safety of the drop boats and others chose to take their chances with charging into the nearest buildings. The gunner opened his breach and removed the laser module, put in a chemically-propelled high-explosive round and used it to destroy a drop boat. Then another and a third one. The Mosh in the remaining boats fled from their death traps, ran across the beach and into the buildings.
Galen mowed down many of the Mosh who tried to run across the beach but most of them made it into one building or another. There they were met with defenders inside who made short work of them before retreating to other good defensive positions. Galen keyed his transmitter, “Hey Tad, what’s the status?”
“That was ugly. There can’t be more than a hundred of them left. But be careful going down that beach, don’t outrun your dismounts.”
The gunner let fly a ten second burst from his coaxial rail gun, an automatic, practiced response to hearing the word “dismount.”
“Okay driver, ahead slow. Gunner, watch your lane.”
The gunner put the laser module back into the breach of the main gun. The tank crept along, a squad of Panzer Grenadiers falling in behind as it passed their defensive position. The Mosh tried to fight back but the tank’s rail gun fire was quick and deadly. After clearing the beach, Galen rode the tank over to the civilian administrative building. The Mandarin office workers came out to greet him, so he opened the hatch and stood tall. They were back to wearing men’s clothes and very grateful to the mercenaries for rescuing them. As the tank rolled around the corner of the building, Galen saw half a dozen captured Mosh sitting on the ground cross-legged, hands bound behind them. Two mercenaries stood guard. He recognized the Mosh leader who had been in charge of trying to transform the Mandarin men into drinky girls.
“Halt, driver.”
The tank stopped. Galen saw the cattle prod lying on the ground and picked it up and turned it on. Then he went up to the Mosh leader and poked him with it.
“Guard, untie this one.”
The guard helped the prisoner to his feet and then used his bayonet to cut the disposable handcuffs from his wrists.
Galen poked him again. Black spandex clothing littered the ground along with several pairs of high-heeled shoes. “Pick that trash up and bring it here.”
The Mosh didn’t move so Galen shocked him again. The Mosh slowly picked up all the items and dropped them at Galen’s feet. Galen shocked him again then told the guard, “Bind him.”
The guard put a new set of disposable handcuffs on the Mosh and forced him back into a sitting position. Galen squatted down in front of the Mosh leader, locked eyes and said, “You are the most disgusting man I have ever met.” Galen stood, shocked the Mosh one more time and laid the cattle prod on the ground right in front of the tank’s track. “Here is what I’d like to do to you.” He signaled for the driver to pull forward a half meter. The cattle prod was crushed. Galen climbed back up into the cupola and called Tad.
“We clear yet?”
“Roger. Come on back.”
The driver turned and drove toward the TOC.
Galen sank deep into his seat, relaxed. “What about the boarding parties, to capture the transports?”
“The slave crews already rebelled and surrendered the transport ships. Fleet wants to buy them and the drop boats. Oh, and Mandarin’s defense minister sent a message asking if there is anything we need from them.”
Galen thought for a moment. “Tell them to send more Mosh.”
Galen sat in the command chair of the TOC and the key leaders sat around the conference table. He looked at the fleet Commander and asked, “Now what?”
“Well, this is unusual. Right now your unit is the only one with no commissioned officers. First order of business is you need to be laterally promoted to Command Sergeant Major and your new job title is Commandant. An enlisted commander.”
“Okay, can you help me with that?”
“Sure. I’ll run it up through the bonding commission to make it official.”
Command Sergeant Major Galen Raper then said, “Civil Affairs, what’s the deal with you?”
“Well, Commandant, we have eighteen Mosh prisoners to deal with, and Mr. Theil.”
“And what is your plan?”
“The prisoners can’t go home because they’re disgraced from being defeated in battle. I suppose we could drop them off on Hobart with the little ex-pat Mosh enclave there. As for the Mosh commander, we need to take him to Ostreich along with Mr. Theil, as a witness for the trial.”
“That’s fine. Make it happen. Master Sergeant Sevin, anything from you?”
Sevin leaned back in his chair. “Well, I can hold down the fort here while you’re gone to take care of business but I’d like to get relieved in six months or less. Also, we need two battle cruisers here to control both jump points.”
“All right, I’ll see what I can do. Foreman?” Galen addressed the senior builder of the Mandarin construction company.
“Yes. We’ll repair the damage and finish the construction in about three months. That is a firm estimate so I’ve already signaled for Myung Jin to begin operations from their end; it will take them about four months to get everything here, up and running.”
“Very well. Anything else?”
Tad said, “The jump ship is done downloading. We can leave as early as tomorrow.”
“Good. We’ll go to Ostreich for the trial of Mr. Theil and then I’ll get back to Mandarin and settle in as the commander of this Brigade. Anything else? Anyone?”
Silence. Galen stood and the key leaders stood and Galen went into the TOC’s office and sat at his desk.
Epilogue
Six months later, Galen sat at his desk in his office at the welcoming center on Mandarin and went over the numbers again. He was able to re-structure all of the unit’s short-term, high interest debts into low-interest long-term debt by selling thirty year corporate bonds. With all seventeen of the commissioned officers across the Brigade buying back their contracts, plus their resignations, it meant not only revenue from the buy-back but the termination of financial obligations as well. The Brigade no longer had to pay them salary, and no longer had to factor in the long-term obligation of their pensions because they forfeited that when they resigned. Mandarin renewed the contract for the defense of Alamo for another year. Galen negotiated a higher rate and bargained with Fleet to base two battle cruisers there to keep the space around it clear.
Mr. Theil was found guilty of treachery by the bonding commission, which stripped him of his rank and banned him from any form of military service. However, he was free to walk away, although disgraced, with the Mosh gold. No doubt, some of that gold found its way into the pockets of the bonding commission members who adjudicated his case.
The combat loss of fifty-four enlisted personnel was a double-edged sword. Short term, it saved money. An outside agency paid the death benefits of their life insurance, but life insurance costs for the Brigade would go up. Plus the costs of having to recruit and train replacements…the human cost, the death of comrades. No amount of money could make up for that, but enough money could help the Brigade live on and honor their service.