Starfist: Firestorm Read Online Free PDF Page B

Bass said into the circuit, informing Conorado he was there. First platoon’s Ensign Antoni had already reported, and Lieutenant Rokmonov of the assault platoon sounded off right after Bass. Ensign Molina of second platoon was the last platoon commander on the circuit.
    “Don’t ask for details,” Conorado said when all four platoon commanders were on, “because I don’t have any. The only word I have, and I stress only word, is ‘Stand down.’ That came direct from Commander van Winkle. He said that was all he knew. I’ll let you know what’s up the minute I have any information to impart. Six Actual out.”
    Bass was left with the nearly inaudible hum of a radio on standby in his ears. Slowly, he lifted his helmet and looked around the platoon area.
    “Third herd,” he called out, “gather ’round and listen up.” In a moment the Marines were standing in front of him, but in a group rather than a formation. “Don’t ask, I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” he said to the the faces looking at him for information or instructions. “All I know is, the battalion has been ordered to stand down. So go back to your bunkers. I’ll let you know when I know more.”
    Questions began pelting him.
    “Ensign Bass, is the war over?”
    “Has the breakout been postponed?”
    “Did the army decide to use its own troops for the spearpoint?”
    “Did that lieutenant general show up, was that what the Essays were?”
    “Is the Marine general in command now?”
    “I said don’t ask!” Bass roared. “ I don’t know! Now get back to your damn bunkers.” He turned to Hyakowa with an expression of feigned disbelief.
    For his part, Hyakowa held back the grin that was trying to split his face. “You knew they were going to ask, no matter what you said about not knowing anything else.” He looked at the backs of the heads of the Marines returning to their bunkers, then back at Bass. “Now that they’re gone, you can give me the rest of the word.”
    “Not you too, Wang!” Bass said in a tone of shocked disbelief.
    Hyakowa could no longer restrain himself and burst out with a belly laugh.
             
    “Corporal Dean, what do you think is happening?” PFC John Three McGinty asked his fire team leader on the way back to their bunker.
    Dean shook his head. “All I know for sure is, the ritual sacrifice of a Marine FIST has been called off—at least for now.”
    McGinty swallowed. “What do you mean, ritual sacrifice?”
    Lance Corporal Godenov snorted and asked, “Can I hit him?”
    “No, you can’t hit him. That’s my job.” Dean reached out and smacked Godenov on the back of his head.
    “Hey, what’d you hit me for?” Godenov squawked, rubbing the back of his head.
    “For not knowing that only the fire team leader gets to smack the new guy upside the head for asking dumb questions.” Dean smacked the back of McGinty’s head. “All right,” he said before McGinty could object, “now that the head smacking is done with, I’ll answer your dumb question.
    “General Billie wants a frontal assault to break through the middle of the Coalition lines. He knows that whoever goes first will get chewed up, maybe totally wiped out. He also knows his soldiers can’t do it, so he wants us to go and get killed to weaken the enemy line enough for his soldiers to finish the job. That’s what I meant by ritual sacrifice. Understand?”
    “He couldn’t want that!” McGinty gasped.
    Dean smacked him upside his head again. “Billie’s a doggie. Doggies don’t like Marines. Billie particularly doesn’t like Marines. You better believe he’d want to get us wiped out.”

    Corporal Doyle was visibly shaking when he and his men reached their bunker. PFC Lasha Summers had seen his fire team leader like that before, and he understood that it didn’t necessarily mean anything. Nonetheless, he found it unnerving, so he went directly to the bunker’s aperture and stared out over Pohick Bay rather