Tales from the Academy
Chapter 21
"So, how are your baby chicks making out, Anny?" asked Alby Vorsworth. Anny was sitting at her desk in the C Company office. She pushed away the report she was filling out, leaned back and stretched.
"Well enough, I guess." It had been a month since she first laid eyes on them. "They're all still here, anyway."
"That's something," grinned Alby. "They getting harassed like you did?"
"Some. Nothing too bad so far. I think the other cadets were taken by surprise the same way they were with me. May take them a while to get organized for the really nasty tricks."
"Or they may think that it just isn't worth the effort anymore. They've got to know that they can't drive you out and that others are going to make it, too. Trying to keep women out is a lost cause."
"Maybe. But I haven't graduated yet. And some may give them trouble just to give them trouble."
"Yeah. And I hear one of them is Vor."
"Abigail Vorburn," said Anny nodding. "And she's from Sergyar. Born there, I understand."
"Kind of amazing her family is allowing this. The Vors have been the ones who most objected to you coming here."
"From what I hear about Chaos Colony it's pretty wild and wooly," replied Anny. "Everyone, male and female, Vor and non-Vor is expected to roll up their sleeves and get dirty when necessary. Abigail's just taking that to the next logical step, I guess."
"You getting any feedback from their company commanders?"
"Some. Mostly questions on how to handle them. Usually I just refer them to Szytko or Byrne. But they've been assigned to the companies in pairs, so each one always has someone to watch their back."
"Why not just put them all in one company?" asked Alby. "Safety in numbers and all that."
Anny shrugged. "I guess they didn't want to put all their eggs in one basket. Split up the targets. Anyway, it seems to be working so far. The girls seem pretty well prepared—both physically and emotionally. I've hardly had to do a thing—which is good, 'cause I've got enough to do keeping you jerks in line." She smiled.
"Come on! This batch of angels? When have we ever given you any trouble?" asked Alby in mock outrage.
"Never, of course. But I am worried about the exercise next week. This isn't a simulation, Alby. It's the real deal and if someone screws up they could get themselves or their teammates killed."
"Well, that's the whole idea, isn't it? Put us in real danger so we don't get all soft and careless from nothing but simulations?"
Anny frowned. Alby was right, of course. While the Academy relied heavily on the simulators to cut costs and save wear and tear on equipment and prevent training accidents it also threw in enough real exercises to avoid the complacency that Alby spoke of. Next week would see the biggest one so far for the battalion. They would be transported to orbit, spend two days on an attack transport, and then make a combat drop on South Continent, go through a three-day live-fire maneuver and then be retrieved back to orbit and then come back to the Academy. They were supposed to have done this last spring as part of their ground-combat instructions, but all the hoopla over the birth of Princess Kareen along with a few glitches in the Fleet's scheduling forced a postponement. They were squeezing it in now.
"Yeah, I know, but it's my job to worry. I've gotten pretty fond of you guys and I'd hate to lose anyone." She smiled and Alby snickered.
"Actually, it is pretty exciting," he admitted. "Kind of looking forward to it myself. A few days away from 5-D math anyway."
"True." They were getting a lot of technical courses this semester and some of the cadets were floundering. Anny was managing to get by, but she realized that she was never going to be a jump pilot or a hyperdrive engineer. A week of dirty, exhausting combat maneuvers seemed almost like a vacation. "But in any case," she continued, "I'm having a full kit inspection the day after tomorrow. We're going to be ready."
"Oh joy," said Alby, rolling his eyes. "But don't worry, we'll be ready."
[Scene Break]
"By squad, board—ship!"
The order echoed across the Academy landing field and the battalion started to move. The eastern sky was a bright blue ribbon along the horizon, but dawn was still twenty minutes away. The field's floodlights had been switched off and the troops and the assault shuttles they were boarding were gray shapes in the early morning gloom. Anny twitched her shoulders in a vain hope that her load would settle into a more comfortable position. A full set of combat gear weighed nearly thirty kilos even without any ammunition, rations, or ordnance. Some of the smaller cadets were definitely waddling instead of marching.
Anny's company was split among three shuttles and she watched to make sure they were all aboard before she and her small headquarters squad followed. She took her place in a padded seat, forward near the control cockpit, and buckled the safety straps. Jer Naddel was directly opposite her. "C Company, ready for lift," she reported. Only a few moments later the shuttle's engines roared to life and with a lurch they were airborne. Acceleration pushed Anny down against her seat, but it wasn't bad, maybe three gees.
"Excited, Skipper?" asked Jer. He used the private circuit that linked captains with their first sergeants.
"A bit," she admitted. "I've never been off-planet before. I guess this is old hat for you, though."
"Not really!" said Jer, his voice strained by the gees. "I had to get here from Komarr, but I didn't come by assault shuttle!"
After about three minutes the acceleration eased up a bit and she was able to lean forward enough to look into the cockpit. She was a little disappointed that the view through the windscreen only showed blackness. She had hoped to catch the transition from sky to space, but she'd already missed it. Well, there would be other chances—she hoped.
Another few minutes went by and then the acceleration cut off completely, leaving them in zero-g. Her stomach felt a little queasy, but she was glad to discover that it felt identical to the simulator and she was in no danger of losing her breakfast. "End of acceleration," announced the pilot. "Free-fall protocols in effect. Rendezvous in thirty-eight minutes."
"Keep your straps on everyone," ordered Anny. "It's too crowded to have you all floating around at once. But you'll all get your chance." She unstrapped herself and carefully pulled herself into the hatchway of the control cockpit. She may have felt weightless, but with all her equipment she still massed over a hundred kilos and if she didn't watch out she could end up crashing into things with more force than she could control. The pilot turned toward her with a bored expression which quickly turned to surprise when he saw her face through the open visor of her helmet. "Permission to rubberneck, sir?" she asked. "A lot of my troopers have never been off planet." Including me.
"Who the hell are you?' he demanded. "The Academy have a cheerleading squad now?"
"Cadet-Captain Payne is the commanding officer of C Company, 2nd Battalion, ensign," said Jer coming up behind her. "And she asked you a question."
"Don't get too big for your britches, snotnose," growled the pilot, who couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than them. But he was real officer, not a cadet.
"Take it easy, Jer," said Anny. "Permission for my troopers to rubberneck, sir?" she asked again.
He frowned but then nodded. "Suit yourselves. But don't touch anything."
"Thank you, sir. Second platoon, by half-squad, unstrap and come forward for a look-see." Her troopers began coming up to take a look out the windscreen. The pilot was even considerate enough to turn the shuttle so that some of Barrayar was visible. Anny went back to her seat and let the others have their look first. She knew they would appreciate her consideration, but actually, by waiting until last, she would have a better chance of getting a look at their destination: the Imperial Attack Transport Stalwart.
The minutes passed and eventually all the others were back in their seats and Anny and Jer took their turns. Barrayar was white and blue and brown below them. The glare from the dazzling white clouds overpowered the stars, so space was a just black backdrop. A few flashes of reflected light marked ships or stations in orbit.
"I… uh… I didn't mean anything by that crack about the cheerleaders, Cadet-Captain," said the pilot quietly.
"Not a problem, sir. I tend to startle a lot of people. Is that Stalwart over there?" She pointed to a white speck that was growing larger rather quickly.
"Yup, that's her." He turned the shuttle so the ship was dead ahead. "Home sweet home. Not a bad ship for a transport. But you boys… er, you folks will only be aboard for a couple of days, right?"
"That's the plan."
"Well, if you have any free time, look me up and I'll buy you a drink in the officers' lounge. M'name's Kershaw, Kev Kershaw."
Anny suppressed a grin. "Thank you, ensign. I doubt I'll have time, but if I do, I'll take you up on the offer." The ship was much bigger now and Anny looked it over while Ensign Kershaw pointed out details. It was nearly as large as a capital ship but carried only a fraction of the armament or defenses to make room for all the troops and shuttles it had to carry. Still, it was impressive.
"Okay," said Kershaw, "everyone strap in, I have to maneuver in two minutes." Anny thanked him and returned to her seat and made sure everyone was secured. Jer looked at her and shook his head.
"I'll buy him a drink, the jerk!" he said over their private circuit.
"Now, now, he was only being polite."
"Polite my ass! He has other things in mind, Anny."
"Well, I suppose I can't blame him for being attracted. I'm sure he was impressed by my figure." She smiled and gestured to her bulky combat armor. Jer snorted, but then smiled, too. Anny's smile faded. Was Jer actually jealous? He'd never made even the slightest romantic gesture toward her… Which was a little disappointing somehow. She had set aside any plans for romance until after she had graduated, but she hadn't set them aside forever…
Her musings were cut off by the muted roar of the shuttle's thrusters. With a jerk, a lurch, and a bump, the vehicle found its way into its docking bay and was clamped down. A few minutes went by in silence and then the artificial gravity in the ship switched on and the command to debark came over their helmet speakers. The rear hatch swung open and Anny led the way out.
Enlisted ratings, members of the ship's crew, were waiting for them and directed them to the barracks compartments which, amazingly enough, were located almost directly adjacent to the shuttle bays. The accommodations were cramped, but reasonably comfortable with bunks stacked four-high and rows of lockers to stow gear. There were separate compartments for the company officers which in this case were actually quite spacious. The Academy, for reasons of tradition, had kept an older, long-abandoned table of organization for the cadet companies. A modern infantry company had four platoons and six officers while the cadet companies had only two platoons and three officers. So Anny found herself with her two lieutenants in a compartment designed for six. It had its own attached shower/toilet for which she was grateful. So far she'd never found herself in a situation where the only facilities available had been communal. She supposed that if she ever did she'd just have to arrange some sort of schedule…
She tossed her gear on her bunk and unbuckled her combat armor and piled it there as well and then found Jer. "Have everyone stow their gear and then stay here and wait for orders. All the officers have to meet with the ship's exec at 0800 to go over the schedule."
"Right," said Jer. "I'll get your stuff put away, too."
"Thanks." She collected her lieutenants and then spent ten minutes trying to figure out how to get to the briefing room that was mentioned on her orders. She had deck plans of the ship on her hand computer, but they seemed to bear no relation to what they were actually finding. But by following the others and with the help of a merciful Chief Petty Officer, who reminded her a bit of Sergeant Major Szytko, they finally arrived and not even late. The room—compartment, she tried to switch mental gears to Navy-speak from Every-one-else-speak—was about half filled with the thirty-five cadet-officers of her battalion, Captain Ramsey, the Academy officer who was overseeing the operation, and a couple of officers wearing Navy black. Ramsey introduced one of them as Commander Vorserran, the ship's executive officer.
"Welcome aboard the Stalwart, gentleman," said Vorserran. "As I'm sure you know, we have a lot of work ahead of us. While I know you are all excited about your upcoming maneuvers on South Continent, for the next two days all of your asses belong to me. I intend to make you as familiar with this ship and our shipboard procedures as it's possible to do in fifty-two hours. Starting at 0930 hours we will begin a series of drills as outlined on the display you see here. We will commence with…"
Forty-five minutes later Anny and the others left the briefing. Her head was spinning with all the information Commander Vorserran had thrown at them. She hurried back to the barracks and called her company together and began briefing them on what they had to expect. She was still at it when an alarm began to blare with noise that would have woken the dead.
"General quarter! General quarters! All hands, man your battlestations!"
"All right!" shouted Anny. "For us that just means vac suits! Helmets and gloves! Move!" Her company exploded into action, heading for their lockers. Anny found hers and pulled out her helmet and gloves. Fortunately, they were all still wearing the close-fitting one-piece garment that went under their combat armor. By attaching the gloves and helmet it could function as a space suit. She clicked them into place and then assembled her company. Jer was grinning at her.
"Welcome to the Navy!" he said.
[Scene Break]
Eight hours later Anny stumbled into the mess hall—galley, eating compartment, whatever the hell the Navy called it—and got a tray of food and sat down. There was actually a window in one wall—bulkhead—and she found a seat near it. Jer, Alby and Patric followed her.
"Cripes!" exclaimed Alby. "I'm beat! And here I thought we were going on a relaxing cruise."
"Boat drill, damage control drill, evacuation drill, loading, unloading," said Patric, "I'm surprised they don't have us scrubbing the decks, too!"
"That comes this evening," said Anny.
"You're kidding!"
"Probably. But they do have more stuff scheduled until 2500 tonight. I forget what all it is."
"Is there any sleep on the schedule?" demanded Jer. "They keep this up and we'll hit South Continent flat on our faces!"
Anny frowned and chewed on her lip. "Sleep won't be a problem," she said quietly. "I understand they'll be issuing Dynatrim to us before the drop."
"Bloody hell!" snorted Alby.
"Really?" said Jer.
"Yeah, really," said Anny. Dynatrim was a powerful stimulant drug sometimes given to troops going into combat. It could keep them alert for days on end—but at a price.
"Come on, Alby, it's not that bad," said Patric.
"Bad enough! The last time they gave us that crap I felt like shit for a week afterwards!"
Anny had, too. She wasn't looking forward to it, although it was quite a rush while the drug lasted. While the others complained, her gaze drifted out the window. Barrayar slowly turned below them. Her eyes widened when she realized that she could recognize the landscape. Usually, in the pictures she'd seen, the swirling clouds made it hard to spot landmarks, but today large portions of North Continent were cloudless. "Hey, is that Vorbarr Sultana down there?" she asked, pointing. The others turned to look.
"Yeah, I think so," said Alby. "There's the river and Lake Serg, yeah it must be."
"The Academy would be right about there, south of that big forest, wouldn't it?" asked Jer.
"Maybe. Can't really see it from this high."
"There's the delta," said Anny. "Can you see your house, Alby?"
"Sure, it's that teeny-tiny speck right there. Can you see your home?"
She followed the river back the other way and then southward toward the Dendarii Mountains. She could pick them out easily enough, but they were far too high to see any details. "It's over there… somewhere." She stared, but she couldn't even find Hassadar. Unlike most of the continent, there were some thin, wispy clouds drifting across the mountains from the southwest, obscuring parts of the district. Oh well, tiny Red Rocks wouldn't have been visible on the clearest day.
The respite for dinner was all too short and they were soon back at it. More drills, including one where the hanger bays were opened to space putting them in real vacuum, not just simulated vacuum. It was a little scary knowing that just on the other side of some thin fabric was… nothing at all. But everyone made it through all right and the drills were concluded for the day. They all gratefully stowed their gear and headed for their bunks.
Anny was just negotiating with her lieutenants for first crack at the shower when the intercom came to life: "All cadet-officers, report to the briefing room immediately. Repeat, all cadet officers…"
"Oh hell, what now?" Wearily they headed out of the barracks. At least this time they knew how to get to the briefing room. A few minutes later they were all there, including several additional navy officers. Anny perked up when she spotted the captain's tab on one of them. The ship's skipper. What was this about?
"Attention," said Commander Vorserran. "This is Captain Vorwallace." The man nodded at them.
"Evening, gentlemen. There's been a change in plans. Your combat drop has been cancelled." A low groan ran through the compartment. "Oh, don't look so disappointed. You've been promised a live-fire exercise and that's exactly what you're going to get!" He gestured to Vorserran and the Exec activated a large display screen. It showed an image that displaying a section of a planet's surface. For some reason it looked very familiar to Anny and with a start she realized it was the very section of the Dendarii Mountains she'd been looking at at dinner!
"Most of you probably haven't heard," continued the Captain, "but there's a major forest fire that's broken out in Vormuiran District. There's been several years of drought in that region and the place is like a tinder box. Frankly, there's been nothing like this happen in living memory and the locals are completely unable to cope with it. The winds are driving the fire northeast into Vorkosigan District and unless it can be stopped the damage to the forests will be immense. Generations of work could be lost. The Emperor has ordered the military to provide whatever assistance it can in meeting this crisis. We are moving assets there as quickly as possible." He paused and looked them over.
"As luck would have it, your battalion is one asset we can get there very quickly, indeed. You'll be dropping at 0800 tomorrow morning to help fight this fire. Alert your troopers and then try to get what sleep you can between now and then. We'll have another briefing here at 0600 with details on your specific assignments. Dismissed."
"Good Lord…" whispered Anny.