Title: On the Bounce
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: All Harry Potter Books/Movies excepting the epilogue.
Rating: MA
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Starship Troopers.
Summary: After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Harry decides that he is done with the Wizarding World, and Hermione goes with him. Welcome to the Mobile Infantry. Crossover with Starship Troopers Book. AU
Hermione was sitting at her usual table in the Mess Hall of OCS. There were a few regulars who always sat at the same table as Hermione, which included her three bunkmates and four male Candidates. One of the male Candidates, called Sampson, was almost forty and Hermione strongly suspected that Sampson was an Officer before he had come to OCS, which would have meant field promotion if it was true. It was the way he held himself, like Captain Wildman had.
One of the Officer Cadre, a Captain, walked into the Mess Hall and tapped four Cadets, including Hermione and Sampson. The cadets grabbed their kit bags from their rooms and made their way to the Commandant's office. The Commandant, Colonel Nielssen, was sitting in his wheelchair behind his desk as the four Cadets stood at attention before the desk.
"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen." Nielssen said. "I have your Orders, and your Temporary Commissions."
The Colonel explained that they would be Temporary Third Lieutenants, Supernumerary and Probationary. The commissions were to get the Cadets into the Chain of Command, as a Cadet had no legal status in the Military and could not legally give orders.
"Mister Sampson, Mister White and Miss Tyler, can any of you tell me what a Mustang is?" The Colonel asked.
The three other Cadets shook their heads and while they noted that Hermione was not included in the question they were not surprised. Hermione taught several of the classes so the other Cadets were used to her not being included as the instructors knew she knew the answer.
"It used to be an old Military term, particularly in the old US Military, for an Officer who started out as Enlisted Personnel." The Colonel explained.
"But Colonel." Hayley Taylor said. "All Officers start out as Enlisted."
"In the MI, that is correct however in the Navy there are certain career tracks that become Officers right out of training such as Pilots." The Colonel explained. "Back in those days, when the majority of Infantry Officers went to a Military Academy and were Commissioned and given command without ever seeing combat, Mustangs were looked down upon by other Officers but generally respected by their troops. Some of those fine upstanding Officers turned out to be cowards in combat. We know that none of you have that affliction as you have all been in combat. Even given your combat experience, I still feel a chill every time I send off a half-baked Officer Candidate to a Combat Team."
Colonel Nielssen looked over all four of the Cadets, his eyes lingering on Hermione for an extra moment. The Colonel had a permanent rank of Retired Fleet General, one he would revert to if he ever decided to retire again, and as such he would have been fully briefed on Fifth Battalion and M Class Personnel. He also would have had full access to Hermione's real dossier, with the fighting against Voldemort and everything, not the sanitised version that normal MI Officers would have access to.
"Miss Granger, why is it both important and so dangerous for us to send out Cadets as Third Lieutenants?" Colonel Nielssen asked.
"It is important because it takes a certain type of person to lead people in battle, knowing their lives are in your hands and every decision can cost lives, and still make the best decisions for the mission and the team. It is dangerous because you can teach someone every theory and skill needed to lead but the candidate can still fail, either freezing up or unable to make the had call in battle. The problem is that is a test you can only face in combat and when a potential leader can't deal with it then people pay the price, and far too often it is the troopers who pay the price." Hermione explained.
That sent a shudder through White and Tyler but not Sampson which semi-confirmed Hermione's assumption that Sampson was a field promoted Officer. The Colonel soon swore the four Cadets in as Temporary Third Lieutenants, warned them to listen to their Platoon Sergeants and then began handing out the pips and orders for the Combat Units they would go to, giving the highlights of the history of the Pips, including notable former wearers and any supposed jinxes on the Pips. Hermione was the last one to receive her Pips and Orders, standing alone in front of the Colonel after the others had left.
"Miss Granger, I am offering you a choice for your Third Lieutenant Pips. We rarely have more than one M Class Candidate here at OCS at any one time, but we have two sets of Pips issued to previous M Class Cadets, or you can start a new M Class set of Pips. One of the sets of Pips was worn by Colonel Li and the other was worn by Captain Wildman." Colonel Nielssen said. "The choice is yours, but I am aware of your history and reputation amongst most M Class Personnel. Yours and Corporal Potter."
Nielssen did not have to say any more. Colonel Li meant little to Hermione, he was simply a Senior Officer who had debriefed her after Mantrax. Captain Wildman on the other hand had earned a lot of respect from Hermione, but it was clear, both from her own experience in Boot and what Colonel Nielssen said that, if she took Wildman's old Pips and did not royally screw the pooch, her own name being associated with the Pips would forever overshadow Wildman's.
"I'll take the new Pips, Colonel." Hermione said after a moment.
"I thought you might." Colonel Nielssen said as he slid one of the boxes with Pips across the table. "I started a new set of Pips myself. They seem to have picked up a hoodoo since then. You have twenty minutes until your shuttle boosts. Carry out your orders, Lieutenant."
Hermione saluted sharply, picked up her kit bag and left.
"… shines the name of Rodger Young."
The music came over the PA to indicate that the shuttle to Hermione's new billet, the Second Platoon, George Company, Second Battalion, Third Regiment of the First Division, on a ship called the Rodger Young was about to launch. The new unit was not an M Class Unit, no Third Lieutenant was ever sent to a Fifth Battalion, Second Regiment M Class unit for instruction. Any M Class Third Lieutenant would be familiar with Fifth Battalion's Operations and would need exposure to other forms of MI Operations while non-M Class Third Lieutenants were not cleared to know what Fifth Battalion did.
Picking up her kit bag she made her way to the shuttle alongside four Navy Ratings, a Navy Ensign and two MI Privates. All of the others looked like they were returning from 24 or 48 hour passes rather than a transfer of duty. Hermione took a seat by herself near the front of the shuttle, the two MI Privates sat at the back of the shuttle, with the Navy personnel scattered in between.
Once the shuttle landed, the other passengers disembarked first as Hermione got her kit together and walked out onto the flight deck. The other passengers were half way across the deck and the Shuttle's Flight Crew were doing post-flight checks with Naval Mechanics when she walked down the ramp. There was an MI Platoon Sergeant waiting on the deck for her.
"I am Sergeant Jelal." The Platoon Sergeant said, without saluting. "I'll take you to The Lieutenant."
Hermione was not insulted by the lack of a salute, as most Third Lieutenants were considered about as useful as a hole in the head to most Combat Teams and anyone who did salute a Third Lieutenant would probably be sent to a Medic to have their eyesight checked.
The Sergeant showed Hermione into the Lieutenant's small office where the older Officer was sitting behind the desk.
"Miss Granger." The Lieutenant acknowledged. "Your record is impressive. I am sure you could quote every regulation and probably any strategy in the book verbatim. If you want an up-check from me I want you to watch, listen and implement. As you probably know, the Rodger Young only carries a single MI Platoon. Your new Command Power Armour should be powered up and ready for calibration tomorrow or the day after, depending on how busy it is down in the Armoury. It will have a dedicated channel just for you, Sergeant Jelal and myself. When deployed, if you have any questions or suggestions, use that circuit. If I decide you are ready to lead troops in Combat, Sergeant Jelal will be with you the whole time. If you screw up, he'll take over."
"Understood, Lieutenant." Hermione said, genuinely meaning it.
Given her experience during the War against Voldemort, Hermione did not expect to have any trouble leading the Troops, but having the Platoon Sergeant there to take over if she dropped the ball would be a comfort, of a sort, to the Lieutenant.
"Dismissed." The Lieutenant said.
Both Hermione and Sergeant Jelal turned and left, the hatch to the office closing behind them as the Lieutenant returned to his paperwork.
"Well, Miss Granger." The Platoon Sergeant began. "Welcome to Rasczak's Roughnecks."
TBC….
A/N: Before anyone asks, no, Hermione is not going to meet Johnnie Rico right now. This is still before Rico joins up, by at least a few years.
