Part 406: FCMM Fluff Update

2014 Forum Catastrophe Mid-Mission Emergency Fluff Update

Tai-iDalton paced so furiously that Colonel Jamie Richards was certain the high-strung man was going to wear a hole in the tatami flooring. The man was polite to the point of insult but once he got lost in a tirade his true feelings became clear. He hated bowing to an officer of the Federated Suns and he hated being outranked by a woman. Colonel Richards had humored him at first but after two months she was thoroughly sick of the DCMS officer and his thousand complaints. This one had begun about the inappropriateness and disrespect of the casual dress of one of Richards’ female lieutenants but had slowly changed into his distrust and dislike of breaking up his command and attaching the six lances still under his control to elements of the 3rd Davion Guards.

“Captain,” Colonel Richards interrupted harshly bringing Dalton’s current harangue to a sudden stop.

“Tai-i,” she repeated a little more diplomatically. “With all respect: this is not the time. I’m aware of your objections to the plan but the Jade Falcons land in three days. You’ve fought them, we haven’t. I have manpower. You don’t. These are your people we’re fighting for, so forgive me if I don’t very much care that you don’t like serving under a woman. Our leaders put me here, take it up with them once this is finished.”

“My orders stand,” she continued without giving him a moment to raise an objection. “And I expect full cooperation from your people. We’re going to do our damndest to keep this rock out of Clan hands. Do you want to be remembered as a man who helped save Shibukawa, or one who helped lose it?”

Dalton hissed in anger, and turned his head aside as though to keep her from seeing the disgusted expression that crossed his face. He took a deep breath, mastering himself, and then bowed low.

“My,” he paused dramatically, as though the words pained him. “My apologies, Colonel. I will—”

Richards slammed both palms down on the desk she’d had brought in. The expensive Tatami where it now rested had been carefully and respectfully stored away so that the neither the flimsy desk nor the wheels of her cheap plastic office chair would damage it and so that the room could be quickly returned to its original condition once Richards gave it up. She’d have been willing to keep a Shogun-style office if only sitting in a lotus position for hours didn’t hurt her back. She was still willing to make concessions to the stubborn Dracs—provided they were willing to work with her. Dalton clearly wasn’t.

“Tai-i, don’t think a platitude is going to placate me this time. I have operational command of this theater and the use of your forces falls under that purview. I know you’re the last survivors of the 4th An Ting Legion. I know you dislike having your command broken up but I cannot risk the remains of your command being wiped out in a single blow. As a cohesive unit you’re vulnerable, spread out among my troops you’re anonymous. If the worst case scenario occurs and we’re forced to go to ground, I want your men with us. The people here will lose heart if they don’t have a Kurita unit defending them.”

“So, I’ll say it again,” Richards finished. “I need you. I need your men, I need your knowledge, but I won’t fight over every decision. If you can’t serve then I want you to take your men and get the hell off this planet. You can suicide or go Ronin or whatever your honor demands but by God as long as you are under my command you will obey my orders. Am I understood?”

Dalton met her stare, and for a moment of surprised confusion managed to actually look contrite. He said simply, “Perfectly, Colonel.”

“Good,” Colonel Richards smiled. “Because this fight isn’t about personal honor or pride. We’re going to protect this world and we’re going to show these Kerensky-forsaken Clans a little slice of hell the likes if which they haven’t seen since Terra. We’re going to beat them so hard they’ll start to think maybe the old general had the right idea.”