The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell by Douglas Howell Read Free Book Online Page A

use some payback. So it wasn’t necessary for you to order me. I would have done it anyway.”
      “Oh... okay then.”
      “Anything else sir?”
      “No. Um... goodbye.”
      “Goodbye sir.”
      Parker was disappointed by Mad Dawg’s reaction. He was certain that Mad Dawg might not be up for the challenge of confronting the EOD yet again. Look at what the EOD did to him a long time ago.
      ‘He’s not mad, he IS insane.’ Commodore Parker thought to himself. ‘Surely he knows that if he helps Vaistll out, far more of his men won’t be coming home this time around. If it is considered a suicidal mission for a Project 21 Task Force, then it would be a slaughter for those Marines. Doesn’t Mad Dawg realize that in all likelihood none of his men will survive? That he himself could get killed? He’s fucking insane.’
      Commodore Parker knew that in all likelihood he was wrong, but he didn’t care. If Mad Dawg helped out Vaistll, then it might not turn out to be a suicidal mission. Project 21 knows what they are doing. That is why they have the Central Command Officers, all four of them. It is Parker that doesn’t know what he is doing. It is they the CCOs, not Parker, who command each branch of the military. Parker’s COs knows that the rank of Commodore is a test of leadership of both spaceships and ground (land, sea and air) forces. Parker is better at commanding ships. Not ground forces. And that is why he can’t achieve the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower).
      Commodore Parker underestimates Mad Dawg and his Marines. They are far tougher than what Parker is giving them credit for. Even if Mad Dawg’s Marines doesn’t show it, Mad Dawg himself is quite responsible. Nowadays when he sees an enemy ship and he say something like, ‘I own him,’ he doesn’t do that because that is a part of his personality. It used to be, but not anymore. He does it for his men. It’s his way of instilling confidence in them. He learned his lesson on that day when both him, and his men, confronted the EOD. He doesn’t want to see what happened to him, happen to someone else. It be humbled him. He’s not insane, nor is he crazy.
     
    (10)
     
      They sat at the table in the club, waiting to hear the news that they have been waiting for since they came out of cryo-sleep. It was the news that told them that their rooms at the Roosevelt Hotel were available. They were indeed an interesting group, so much so that the rest of the members of Task Force ZH-3C called them “The Hollywood Seven.” They are; Petty Officer Second Class Wexler, the only member of Task Force ZH-3C who comes from Mars, Crewman First Class Caparzo, Senior Crewman Behlmer (British), Crewman First Class Mendoza (Brazilian), Warrant Officer (Type Engineering) Brewster (Canadian), Chief Warrant Officer Third Class (Type Intel) Martinez who is the only sniper in Task Force ZH-3C, and finally everybody’s favorite, Senior Chief Warrant Officer (Type Logistics) Ellis.
      Ellis, a black man who comes from Dallas, Texas, is the life of the party. Martinez is the cool headed, soft spoken one. He is tall and handsome with a sexy smile that women just love. Humble to a fault, he never let his looks define who he is. If it wasn’t for Caparzo being an asshole, women would never notice the charm and charisma of Martinez. Both Mendoza and Brewster are the ones that have a way with women. They always end up with their drinks in their face. Wexler is fond of saying, ‘On Mars, you are coop up indoors for such a long time with nothing to do, that you feel like getting butt naked and running around outside just to feel free.’ Whether that is true or not, he does have a bad habit of doing just that when he gets drunk. Unfortunately for Behlmer, it is consider his job to stop Wexler from doing just that.
      “God, I wish that they would hurry it up.” Wexler said, and just like the others, he just couldn’t wait to get off that damn space station.
      They