Chapter Thirty-One
Fort Stewart
Commander’s Office
Late 26 Sept 3030
Colonel Geddes looked at the Major, taller and leaner than his father he was however the spitting image him in the face, hair, and mannerisms.
“Look, Colonel I do not like what is going on here on the planet with the commander of the First, but it is not my place to voice my concerns nor my grievance, that is up to you. I will however make sure that if you decide to file a complaint it goes straight to my father, and rest assure it does not matter who it is, if there is a wrong that was done, he will correct it.” “Also, I neglected to tell Colonel Scragg that two DropShips full of replacement parts, units, and men are five days out. I am redirecting all of them for you to use as you see fit. It’s not much, around 40 mechs, 30 armor, and 24 of the newly redesigned Nighthawk PA(L). Most of them are fresh out of the academy so they will require training, I have already sent a report to my father for an updated battle plan suggesting that your unit needs a few weeks to get the newbies combat ready.”
The Colonel looked at Major Chapman for a few moments then said, “You know you are going to catch hell from Colonel Scragg for this, while I thank you, I don’t envy you nor will I start with the preparations until I know for sure she is going to honor your decision, she is after all the overall commander on planet and you are overstepping your authority.”
Mobile Base Alpha
1st Regiment Chappy’s Revenge
Conference Room
Weekly Battle Movement Briefing
Colonel Scragg tried to stay focused, especially in front of all her Company and Battalion Commanders, but she was still fuming at the gull of the little punk. Had she known then what she knew now when she babysitted for the General she would have found a way to drop kick Jr. out the window. The brief continued to move along showing the advances of her troops it was only a matter of time, maybe 2 weeks in some estimates of complete planet control by her troops. The briefer was rounding up the brief when the monitor turned on in the front of the room with a loud static boom.
“What the Hell? Who turned that on shut it off” the colonel said a little louder than she meant.
Then a voice started to talk along with an image that cleared up, it was General Chapman.
“Sorry, for the intrusion, pull the stick out of your ass Colonel I order your comm team to push communication to you, besides everyone should hear this.”
She just looked at him. “Yes sir”
“Good, now I have read your report, and the six reports from different sources one was even from the enemy, and while I am happy with the progress you have made, I am very concern about the Duncan Renegades unit, and their situation.”
Colonel Scragg cleared her throat, “Sir, Colonel Geddes has…”
General Chapman raised his hand, a signal to shut up.
“I am not doing this live emergency signal to listen to anything else that has or has not been put in the six reports that I have in front of me. You all know me, some more than others and all of you know I hate to micromanage, but when it comes to drama or the combat effectiveness of my units I will step in, therefore I am. Colonel Scragg you still have operational control for the planet. However, the Duncan Renegades are going to bed down at Fort Stewart for the next three weeks with no interference from you. The Regulators will be leaving the planet as soon as they are ready, I have urgent need for them elsewhere.” I want all prisoners, whether they are in the position to change to the Federation or stay loyal to the Alliance moved to Fort Stewart, Major Chapman has a use for them. Also, there are two DropShips with reinforcement parts, units, and troops they are all going to the 4th Group Duncan Renegades to replenish their loses.” “Is that clear Colonel Scragg?”
“Yes sir”
“Good, just know that our friendship no matter how close will not interfere with the war effort I will remove any friend or relative that is not performing the expectations that this office has.”
With that the screen went blank and she ordered the brief over and everyone out. While everyone was exiting, she thought to herself six reports, Major Chapman and Colonel Geddes she was sure were two of them, how they sent it without her knowledge of using the HPG she did not know. That was not the worse part that meant that three other reports might have been from her own unit, the traitor and who, how and why did the enemy sent the general a report. What did the reports say, “Comm Controller, Col Scragg report to my office at once.” She announced over the intercom, she had to get to the bottom of this.
Yesterday
Hija Yoofi, had read all the unclassified documents about the military units, government, planets, history of the Chapman family and decided, finally write a report, a report that was only about four pages long, did not go into much detail or specifics, clicked on the link located on her compad and hit send. She was commented now.
Two Days ago
Doctor Thuy was not happy with the conditions his prisoners were in and thus wrote a long detail report and sent it through medical channels to his close friend, the Chief Medical Officer stationed with the General’s unit.
Three days ago
Lt. Commander Alena Shashikanth the Fleet Task Force Commander received a communique from Lt. Colonel Archie MacPhail Commander of Killers Battalion and Command Sergeant Major Bima Eng the Highest Ranking Enlisted member of the Chappy’s Revenge asking her to send the reports that they wrote to Command back on Niles, no questions asked.
Sept 26th 3030
Tarmac
Prisoner 1228, Hija Yoofi, was being escorted to a VTOL. She had twenty minutes to get what little possessions she had and moved to the Tarmac, she noticed though that it was all the prisoners and not just her. Once she was secure along with some of the other prisoners a Freedom Federation troop gave her a compad with a headset and simply stated that someone wanted to talk to her. As she placed the headset on the screen lit up and showed a man and what looked like a mech cockpit smile up at her.
“Hello Section Leader Yoofi, or should I call you Arlie Cooper, before you say anything, we verified your claim and welcomed your report. Once I get back to the fort, I want to debrief you, and find out more about you, Major Chapman out”
Well, she thought, the cat is out of the bag, she wondered if this was the right thing to do breaking cover, but she saw no other way.
ten years ago….
Bastrop
Federated Suns border planet with OutWorld Alliance
Three days after a raid by Suicide Kings
A little girl holding on to her last possession, a teddy bear her daddy had bought her just last week for her birthday, in which a week ago, the bear was new, clean, perfect now with one arm missing, dirty with soot looking like it was ten years old, she was holding on to it and alternating between crying and screaming for daddy or mommy. Her parents were part of the planetary defense force both killed in the latest raid and even though the ten-year-old knew that because she saw both of her parent’s mechs ripped apart and was staring at them right now though the ashes, smoke and blood that used to be the main street of the base, she still cried out to them.
A man that was from another unit on the other side of the planet saw her and went to comfort her. As he slowly got on his knees to be at her level he started to talk.
“Hey sweetie, I am Captain Thomilson tell me what’s wrong where is your parents.”
In-between the sobs she just pointed to the two mechs that were twisted together and simply said, “There”
The Captain slowly followed her outstretch arm, his eyes fell upon to mangle mechs, he could see the blood stains running down from the cockpit area, he also recognized the unit symbol and who’s those mechs belong to. He twirled around and took the little girl by the shoulders, he had not seen his brothers little girl in 5 years, “Arlie, Arlie Cooper?”
She looked at him half in shock for him knowing her name and half in shock about her parents. “sniff sniff yes that’s my name,”
“I am your fathers’ brother, I am Uncle Lester, your family, come with me. My wife and your cousins, Mary and Joseph will take of you.”
Arlie looked at the man did not recognize him but she knew Mary and Joseph, their mother was nice.
Present
VTOL Flight 234
On course for Fort Stewart
Arlie snapped out of her memory and had no idea why that would come back to haunt her now. She looked out the small oval window at the landscape. Thinking of how things changed, how she failed at her original goal, and how she was going to correct that. She drifted off into another memory.
Five years ago
Sakhara Academy
0900 GST
Robinson
Federated Suns
Arlie stood at parade rest and looked out into the crowd with just her eyes since it was not permitted to move during the graduation ceremony. She was looking for her uncle and found him with his wife and her cousins. At 15 and graduating Flight School was a major accomplishment and she saw that what remained of her family was very proud of her.
Later that night at the reception
A tall slender man walked up to Cadet Cooper and did the customary bend at the hip to show respect, even though he was a General. He straightens back up and looked at her family, “Colonel Cooper may I borrow your niece for a few minutes I have a job opportunity for her.”
The General led the Cadet without a single word to a room that was down a hallway just outside the ballroom. He placed his thumb on the screen and then placed his eyes on the optical reader. The door opened with a hiss and Arlie wonder what the heck was going on. As soon as the door shut and locked a green laser ran over her shutting her communicator off.
“Cadet please have a seat, let me start off with that I have an opportunity for you to avenge your parents, do you want in?”
She sat there flabbergasted but only for a second because then the anger and rage started to swell up and she blurted out. “Yes, sir I want in.”
The initial brief only lasted 10 minutes she was then back with her uncle all she could tell him was that she had a mission with the General and would be gone for some time. The next day she boarded the Dropship The Judas with the General. That was the last Colonel Cooper saw his niece.
The mission was simple a female a few years older but an exact look alike minus the hair color and eyes had just started a career as an aerospace pilot in the Outworlds Alliance but died tragically without anyone knowing. The goal was to take her life over, and be a spy for the Federated Suns, her secondary goal was somehow get assigned to the unit that had killed her parents and kill the leader.
Arlie snapped out of the memory due to the VTOL landing at Fort Stewart, she thought to herself she succeeded in the spy mission but failed in the revenge of her parents since the commander of the Suicide Kings killed himself. So, what now as she walked with the rest of the prisoners what now what can she do, the history of the Chapman family was similar with General Chapman’s parents being killed by Kurita and she liked what they were doing but why was she here now.
She walked up to the building where everyone was being herded until a young female stopped her, “Are you Arlie Cooper.” “Yes I am.” “Please come with me.” That was the last time she saw or was with the mass group of prisoners.