Breaking Ranks

Samantha: Squad Leader

"My thanks to you, great spirits of the Core. The Emperor is ever in my thoughts," The baron said with a courteous bow.

"We didn't do it for you," the lieutenant said, his flat voice echoing through the keep. I thought that it wasn't very diplomatic of the lieutenant to say so, but I kept my thoughts to myself. I wasn't too diplomatic either. I found myself thinking of the first passenger I had seen die. There didn't really seem to be much right or wrong to us being here. But it was right for the Empire to influence the outer rim, I knew that at least. Wasn't it?

"Great sir, I wish to introduce you to my daughter Claribel. Claribel, come over!"

On light tapping feet a young woman, a girl really, detached herself from the hushed courtiers that encircled us and hesitantly joined the baron. "Great sir. I wish to offer you my daughter's hand in marriage," he said in a formal tone.

The lieutenant scoffed. "We are not men like you. We are higher beings and we serve the Emperor and the Twelve. Blessings upon them."

"Yes... yes, of course," the baron stammered. "Blessings upon them. Of course. But..."

"Well let's not reject that out of hand," Kaltran said over the squad comms. "Is this offer open to all soldiers?"

Henderson chuckled. I had the sense that the lieutenant must have been seething at the chatter but he was still talking with the baron.

"Hey, now, Kaltran. Come on." Potter said.

I almost rolled my eyes. I had the distinct feeling this weak protestation was some sort of performance for my benefit.

But the lieutenant had finished speaking with the baron and was leaving. At some urging by the baron I heard a band strike up their crude instruments, and our departure was followed by the discordant fanfare of the baron's personal musicians. We reached the Port Gate just as the other squads joined us, having mopped up the rest of the force outside the walls.

If there were any harsh words for the lieutenant I certainly wasn't privy to them, and instead kept my attention focused on scanning for potential threats. The walls were low and not particularly impressive, and what defenders I could spot seemed mainly townsfolk playing at soldiers. Even so, they had held out for a while, though if the war chief hadn't been so stupid as to flagrantly violate Regulations I had little doubt that the town would have fallen.

"We're moving out, squad," came the lieutenant's curt command, and I wondered if he had been lambasted or praised by the commanding officer. You could never really tell with the Empire. They praised aggression and obedience both. They were also desperately short of manpower, and I had even heard of debate within the Senate about allowing promising Mid Core recruits to join the Imperial forces. Fighting alongside people from the Mid Core, though? I was quite dubious about that. My training had been grueling and intensive, but it brought a good deal of comfort to know my squadmates had gone through the same level of training.

We had been walking for some time, the day drawing to a close as we once again approached the nearby forest, the trees providing some manner of cover for us.

"You did well out there," the lieutenant said abruptly, his voice coming over on a personal channel.

"Oh. Thank you, sir."

"Good thinking to blow up their leader like that," he said with a chuckle. "You're not afraid to get your hands dirty. I like that. Some of the recruits we get from the Academy are of a much softer sort. An easy Inner Core upbringing doesn't always lend itself to our kind of work. They don't always realize the things we have to do to keep them safe."

"I thought it would send a message," I said modestly.

"So I know you want to win a post as sharpshooter," he said all of a sudden. I didn't really know how to respond to that. "If you keep up the good work I will recommend you for it. But I'd like to keep you in this squad."

The silence stretched out as I thought of what to say, as we trekked along through the grass. It was a funny way of talking, from helmet to helmet, and to an observer it wouldn't seem like we were talking at all.

"I like this squad," I said finally. "It's just... I don't think I'm suited to be a medic." Fortunately I hadn't had to make use of my skills in this area.

"How about squad leader?"

I stumbled for a moment. Potter swiveled his helmet at me but said nothing. There was no way for the others to know what the lieutenant and I were talking about, or that we were talking at all.

"Uh," I said.

It seemed the lieutenant was in a talkative mood, because he didn't let this stop his line of thinking. "You'd need to earn your place, of course, but you're already doing well. Can you see Kaltran or Potter as squad leader?" He gave a humorless chuckle. "Henderson would do in a pinch but I think he'd prefer to stick to his machines."

"But... but you," I stammered. I wasn't sure what the lieutenant saw in me. I couldn't even respond to this properly.

"I just received a transmission from the Colonel. I have a promotion pending, he says. Wants me as one of his company commanders. It would mean leaving the Outer Rim, leaving this squad and fighting through the Core against the Empire's enemies. But I'm going to take it."

"Oh."

"It'll be a few months away. Red tape and all that, and besides, I asked for time to train a replacement."

A long pause followed.

"The rest of the squad won't like that. They've fought with you for years, haven't they? They wouldn't accept a rookie as their new squad leader."

"You're right. That's why you have a few months to prove yourself. Otherwise I'm picking Henderson."

Now that was something to think about...