CHS4-13

==Chapter Thirteen - Book 4 – Chappy's Howling Siegers==
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===Plotting the rest of the Conquest===
Kessel Hotel Dragon Penthouse
Temp HQ 4th Skye Guards
City of Shimonogo
Kessel, Draconis Combine
March 3rd, 3030
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Local Time: 0030 GT
General Devlin laid in bed but could not sleep he was restless with numbers and reports constantly going through his mind. O-Dark-30 and wide awake, well might as well get up and do some work he thought to himself. As he got up his bones crackled and pop, reminding him that he was not getting any younger. General Devlin picked up his pad and went to the balcony for some light reading…The Intel report on 12th Sun Zhang Cadre. It has been a little over a week since the last battle, which was for the bridge, and now it looks like if several Cadre companies are on the move again. Devlin thought back to his academy days and remembered how those guys felt…well the ones that lost all the time in Sims, these Sun Zhang guys morale must be on the verge of breaking the general thought. How he thought, how was he going to take advantage of this. He then pulled up the Maintenance report for his Guards and slowly looked at the numbers.
Hauptmann Joshua Ring downed another whiskey as the cheers went up, he thought who knew, that the snakes would have an Irish pub. As he slammed his shot glass down, he yelled out. “1st Battalion here’s to the 2nd & 3rd and the battle they have won. Here’s to the 4th Skye Guards colors the colors that never run.”
Hauptmann Ulric Greymane and Hauptmann Eugen Broadberry both looked at Ring and then looked at the twelve shot class in front of him and started to bang on the table. They both took their shot class and downed theirs saying a similar toast.
Joshua looked at the two his head was slowly starting to spin and said.
“Ulric, Eugen succumb to the liquor you know the 1st Battalion always wins”
“No never Joshua” said Ulric, “they don’t call me Whiskey for my health” he said as he picked up the shot of whiskey number thirteen.
“Here’s to the soldier who fights and loves, may he never lack for either” and downed his drink. The other two cheered and repeated the toast and took their shot, which is when Eugen slipped off his seat and passed out on the floor. Everyone at the pub inside and out started to chant.
The three Battalion commanders just shook their heads and turned back to each other at a table on the second level overlooking the pub’s floor.
“Well, your man is down again, looks like the 3rd lost the drinking wars again.” Hauptmann-Kommandant Ricardo Stedstrom said.
“Yeah yeah yeah, not all of us can have slushes as company commanders can we Ricardo” Hauptmann-Kommandant Kalegg Vogun shot back, all three of them started to laugh as they took shots of their own.
“This down time has been good for the morale and whiskey sales!!” yelled Hauptmann-Kommandant Nicholas Robel, as another round of the whiskey war between the two company commanders in the lower lever went off without someone passing out.
“Yes Nicholas, it will be good to get back on the field!!” Kalegg yelled, as another round went off without a winner.
Ring was now seeing double, and seeing double of Ulric was almost enough to make on puke he took shot number sixteen held it up to block Ulric’s face and said,
“Here’s health to you and the Guard, which we are proud to serve, in many…. That is when Ring head plopped on the table as he passed out, Cheers and boos went out as Ulric was once again the winner and undefeated champion of the whiskey wars.
General Devlin was studying all the maps and Intel report when he heard the soft rippling of cheers and boos coming from the pub down the street. Even this high up he could still hear the drinking games of his men. He would put good money that Ulric won if it involved whiskey. Devlin went back inside and shut the door, he had a plan now, and if this succeeded the Sun Zhang might not recover. If it failed the guards would be crush and he would have to order a withdraw, having six battles stretching over two continents is a risky move but the rewards outweigh the risk. He sent his battle plan out to his three Battalion commanders and set it for execution by 1600 and went to sleep.
The plan was a simple one, instead of letting the enemy out flank them General Devlin sent the 2nd Battalion to deal with the three companies of mechs. He sent the 1st Battalion to attack Firebase Beta located about 200 miles south and then he sent the 3rd Battalion to attack the city of Nobeji. Spreading his forces thin., General Devlin thought he saw another way to push the enemy to the breaking point, he called the armor battalion commander and told him to load up on the DropShip Concordia along with three squadrons of aerospace loaded with bombs and his command lance they set off to attack yet another target. Six targets in one day, yup thought Devlin spreading the guard thin. So, he called up the reserve/training company to tell them they were to join him. With all those pilots ultra-green it should be an exciting time for them in their first battle. Well Devlin thought you got to get your cherry pop sometime might as well be with him in battle.
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Book 4 - Chapter 13