Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) by Chris Hechtl Read Free Book Online Page A

my clan packed up and headed higher into the mountains. I
took the family stash and took the long way to the space port.”
    “ How...”
    “ Another
story. Let’s just say it's hard to say no to a bear,” he
said. He wrinkled his nose and then raised his lips as he yawned. The
lynx flinched at the sight of the massive jaws and teeth.
    “ Yeah. I think
we get your point,” Jethro chuckled.
    The giant mouth
closed with a clomp. He licked his lips and then rubbed the side of
his muzzle. “Glad you do. We've got an inspection in ten, let’s
get this one right.”
    “ Yeah,”
Jethro breathed. “That'll be the day. Chicken shit. That's what
they're dinging us on.”
    “ Chickenshit
it may seem, but they want a zero defect, zero excuse mentality. In
combat you don't get a second chance,” the bear pointed out
eying the panther. “Something tells me you knew that already
though.”
    “ I thought it
was you don't get a second chance to make a first impression?”
the Gahsg Zebo said turning an eye stalk their way.
    “ You’re
mixing your human metaphors up again,” Jethro snorted. He
checked his rack, making sure the sheets were tight and wrinkle free.
Valenko took a credit coin out and bounced it off the rack. He
grunted as he caught it and then moved on.
    ...*...*...*...*...
    Jethro didn't look
right or left as they jogged the corridors between the barrack
modules and the park deck. He was used to the sidelong looks
pedestrians gave them after five weeks of this. He rolled his
shoulders, feeling the weight of the ruck sack on his back.
    “ Come on, move
it, I don't have all day,” gunny Schultz snarled at the lock.
Jethro stepped it up. He had to slow down to let the smaller Hurranna
go first or he would have run her down.
    His eyes
automatically adjusted to the darkened module and he groaned softly.
Many of his comrades did as well.
    The park was
changed. Gone was the oval jogging track and center playing field. In
its place was an obstacle course from hell. He shook his head as his
troop fell into place.
    Schultz walked up
and down the lines, eying the troop. After so many weeks of day in
and day out drill they were used to the chickenshit. Now it was time
to work on other things. He stepped back so they could all see him
clearly.
    “ All right,
listen up! By platoon fire teams you will enter the course. By teams
you will run the course, handle every obstacle and ring the bell. The
team with the best score gets the night off.”
    There were a lot of
hurrays to that. He smiled. The troops quieted. They knew when the
gunny smiled someone was in deep shit. “Then again, the three
teams with the slowest times get to run the course again. And again
and again until only one is left.” He looked around to the
group.
    Jethro studied the
course carefully. He adjusted his stance, readying himself to go.
They were running two troop bays at a time through the course. He
looked back to Valenko.
    “ Don't worry
about me. Just worry about your own tail kitty,” Valenko
growled. Jethro shrugged. He could get through the course fast. He
looked over to a cheetah. Maybe not as fast as one of them though. He
shook his head.
    Di's were stationed
at various obstacles, chewing the teams out. He watched as some of
the troop muttered to each other. “God this is going to be a
bitch,” Hurranna growled.
    “ Pity you,”
The Gahsg coughed turning to her. He indicated the ten meter high
wall.
    “ You mean pity
you,” she indicated the barb wire section, men and women were
crawling through as rounds went over them. “I'm small enough to
get through that no problem,” she snarled.
    “ Yeah, with
your height you can walk under it no prob,” Jethro said. She
glared at him. “I wonder what inspired gunny?” he asked.
    “ Old
recruiting movies. Or old war movies in general. I heard Corporal
Jefferson muttering about them the other day,” Hurranna said.
    “ Wonderful,”
Jethro growled. Somehow though, he wasn't at all