Tombstone by Jay Allan Read Free Book Online

experienced
private, regardless of how good a team or squad leader they have.  Human
psychology is complex thing, and there are considerable differences in how a
person interacts with a command figure and how they function with a peer at
their own level. 
     

Chapter 6
     

2252 AD
McCraw’s Ridge
Day One
Delta Trianguli I
     
    This was shaping up to be a significant battle.  It started
small, just two patrols running into each other.  They exchanged some fire, and
that would have been the end of it, but neither side backed down.  The
Caliphate sent in reinforcements and pushed back our forces, taking the main
ridge. 
    It looked like worthless ground to us, but the captain
wasn’t going to give it up without a fight, and we got the orders to suit up. 
We were the farthest away, and when we got there the entire company was formed
up, covering a front stretching over five kilometers.  They had already
counter-attacked and retaken the ridge when we arrived, and we fed into the
line, allowing the units that had taken losses to condense their frontages.
    The ridge was named after the megacorp that claimed the
mining rights in the area.  McCraw Resources was a huge mining concern that had
a number of places named after it, including an entire planet on the Rim.  It
was one of several Alliance companies mining on Tombstone, though the only
difference between them was which Corporate Magnate managers got the richest. 
A McCraw may have started the company centuries ago, but now it was basically
owned by the government, just like all the megacorps.  The Magnates who ran it
stole what they could, but in the end they answered to Alliance Gov.
    We dug into our new positions, and the lieutenant directed
the placement of our SAWs and SHWs.  He was very careful about arranging them
to maximize their fields of fire and also to provide mutual support.  Any enemy
attack against one of our heavy weapons would come under fire from at least two
others.  It made an impression on me how he obsessed over the placements
himself rather than just ordering the teams to deploy.  That stuck with me
years later when I was in his position.  I’ve always believed that low-level
heavy weapons are a huge key to victory, and that belief started that day.
    The enemy had fallen back but not withdrawn entirely. 
They’d fortified another ridge about five klicks north, and it didn’t look like
they were planning to leave.  Their position didn’t look quite as good as ours,
but it was strong enough to discourage an attack, at least until we were
heavily reinforced.  We exchanged sporadic long-ranged fire, but it was mostly quiet
for about six hours, with occasional excitement when someone got careless and
was picked off by long-ranged fire. 
    It’s hard to stay alert for hour after hour, especially when
nothing much is happening.  The suit can keep you pumped up on stimulants, but
you have to be careful and save that for when you really need it.  Otherwise
you end up strung out, and you lose as much effectiveness as you gain.  But you
still have to stay sharp.  Snipers can pick off a target at five klicks, no
problem, and we’d lost two people already because they let their guard down. 
Newbs were particularly vulnerable, but I’ve seen veterans lose their focus for
a few seconds too, and that’s long enough to get scragged.
    Finally, we got intermittent scanning reports on approaching
enemy forces.  Normally, we’d have a complete breakdown of anything so close,
but on Tombstone you generally had less information than you wanted, and even
that was unreliable. 
    Fresh troops meant they were planning another attack, and
the lieutenant made his way all along the line, checking and adjusting our
positions.  Physical proximity really wasn’t necessary for communication, but
still, it was a morale boost to have him crouching next to you while he spoke.
    “How’s everything, Jax?”  He put his hand on my back, a
seemingly