even three
at times as the PTI pushed us to our limits. I kept my mouth shut throughout -
well, not to talk anyway - not even daring to look at anyone.
After PT the
platoon were sent back to the accommodation to shower and change, while me and
the other new lads were kept behind by the platoon commander. We lined the wall
of the circumference corridor, which had become silent in the absence of the
platoon’s heavy breathing. I listened to the strange and ghostly sounds of the
ship echoing through the superstructure whilst the lieutenant shared a
whispered conversation with the platoon sergeant.
‘Well,’ the
platoon commander began, walking out in front of the five of us. He was a
slight man who appeared a little younger than the platoon sergeant. It was
normal for a platoon commander to be younger than his platoon sergeant, the
latter of whom had climbed up through the ranks from being a private like me.
Platoon commanders came into command directly from their training, but that was
because their training lasted several years and was far more selective than
ours was. ‘I don’t know if I’m the first to say ‘welcome on board’
but…..welcome on board.’
He wasn’t
the first to welcome us , I thought, and I had the bruises to prove it. I
remained still, my hands clasped firmly behind my back.
‘My name is
Lieutenant Barkley and I am your new platoon commander. I apologize for not
greeting you immediately upon arrival, but it was early in the morning, plus
it gives you a chance to settle in and get your heads around it. This platoon
and this ship are your new home.’
Like all
officers I had met during my short time in the army, the platoon commander was
extremely well-spoken, with an accent that I had never encountered until being
conscripted into the Union army. He wasn’t necessarily from a particularly
affluent background, the dropship infantry was one of the few places in the
Union where money and background didn’t count for anything. Officers did, however,
have to be of a certain intellectual calibre, most notably in language, since
they were expected to be able to communicate with unit commanders from any one
of the Union states who might not speak English. He had undoubtedly been to
college, and perhaps even university, a privilege reserved for the gifted - or
the rich.
‘I take it
you all have an inkling of what might be coming?’
We nodded as
one, ‘Yes, Sir.’
The platoon
commander returned the nod, everyone knew that the Union would return to New
Earth and that the time for battle would be very soon indeed, ‘We’re waiting
for an announcement within the next couple of days, and potentially we might
leave the Hope system very soon. Therefore I appreciate that this is a
difficult time for any trooper to arrive from training. You have a great deal
more to learn - and very quickly. No doubt you’re feeling very homesick, lonely
and scared right now, especially with this daunting task laid out before you.
Despite what
you may have heard, at least two thirds of the platoon have never seen combat
operations, neither have they seen New Earth or Eden. That includes me and
several NCOs. Everybody is a little scared, if they say they aren’t then
they’re probably lying. The platoon have been on voyage for four months and
although I know you have spent just over a year away from Earth training, they
too are homesick.
What I’m
getting at is that we are all in the same boat together, metaphorically as well
as literally. Talk to the lads in your sections, from the junior privates to
the senior troopers. Share your burden with them and you will find you become
part of the family very quickly, and you will forge a bond that will give you
the courage and the strength to see the job through to the end.
You’re going
to be busy settling in, I urge you to use the next few days to do so before,
potentially, we go to war. I will try to find the time to chat to you each in
turn very soon. Until
at times as the PTI pushed us to our limits. I kept my mouth shut throughout -
well, not to talk anyway - not even daring to look at anyone.
After PT the
platoon were sent back to the accommodation to shower and change, while me and
the other new lads were kept behind by the platoon commander. We lined the wall
of the circumference corridor, which had become silent in the absence of the
platoon’s heavy breathing. I listened to the strange and ghostly sounds of the
ship echoing through the superstructure whilst the lieutenant shared a
whispered conversation with the platoon sergeant.
‘Well,’ the
platoon commander began, walking out in front of the five of us. He was a
slight man who appeared a little younger than the platoon sergeant. It was
normal for a platoon commander to be younger than his platoon sergeant, the
latter of whom had climbed up through the ranks from being a private like me.
Platoon commanders came into command directly from their training, but that was
because their training lasted several years and was far more selective than
ours was. ‘I don’t know if I’m the first to say ‘welcome on board’
but…..welcome on board.’
He wasn’t
the first to welcome us , I thought, and I had the bruises to prove it. I
remained still, my hands clasped firmly behind my back.
‘My name is
Lieutenant Barkley and I am your new platoon commander. I apologize for not
greeting you immediately upon arrival, but it was early in the morning, plus
it gives you a chance to settle in and get your heads around it. This platoon
and this ship are your new home.’
Like all
officers I had met during my short time in the army, the platoon commander was
extremely well-spoken, with an accent that I had never encountered until being
conscripted into the Union army. He wasn’t necessarily from a particularly
affluent background, the dropship infantry was one of the few places in the
Union where money and background didn’t count for anything. Officers did, however,
have to be of a certain intellectual calibre, most notably in language, since
they were expected to be able to communicate with unit commanders from any one
of the Union states who might not speak English. He had undoubtedly been to
college, and perhaps even university, a privilege reserved for the gifted - or
the rich.
‘I take it
you all have an inkling of what might be coming?’
We nodded as
one, ‘Yes, Sir.’
The platoon
commander returned the nod, everyone knew that the Union would return to New
Earth and that the time for battle would be very soon indeed, ‘We’re waiting
for an announcement within the next couple of days, and potentially we might
leave the Hope system very soon. Therefore I appreciate that this is a
difficult time for any trooper to arrive from training. You have a great deal
more to learn - and very quickly. No doubt you’re feeling very homesick, lonely
and scared right now, especially with this daunting task laid out before you.
Despite what
you may have heard, at least two thirds of the platoon have never seen combat
operations, neither have they seen New Earth or Eden. That includes me and
several NCOs. Everybody is a little scared, if they say they aren’t then
they’re probably lying. The platoon have been on voyage for four months and
although I know you have spent just over a year away from Earth training, they
too are homesick.
What I’m
getting at is that we are all in the same boat together, metaphorically as well
as literally. Talk to the lads in your sections, from the junior privates to
the senior troopers. Share your burden with them and you will find you become
part of the family very quickly, and you will forge a bond that will give you
the courage and the strength to see the job through to the end.
You’re going
to be busy settling in, I urge you to use the next few days to do so before,
potentially, we go to war. I will try to find the time to chat to you each in
turn very soon. Until
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