The Making of a Commander

The soldier looked out over the vast expanse of the horizon. The hills, ravines and little draws looked peaceful enough but he knew that was only for the moment. A battle had been raging in this peaceful little valley for some time now. A battle between good and evil, well maybe not good and evil but right and wrong for sure and he liked to think of himself as being on the “ right” side.

“ Sergeant, the troops are waitin orders for the assault Sir!”

He looked at his second in command.

“Ready the fighters corporal!”

“Sir!” She gave a salute and was gone.

He had already told her should anything happen to him she was to take command and try to link up with the nearest friendlies to form a larger fighting force. It was the same thing his lieutenant had told him to do before his death. The Sergeant’s platoon, if you can call eight troopers a platoon, had joined up with two others that were leaderless. They had formed a fighting force of twenty-eight. Like so many other small bands of freedom fights the last orders he remembered receiving were to “Hold the Line”. There hadn’t been much more communication after that. He knew there had to be small groups of fighters just like his. A thousand fighters maybe more. Course their foe had many more. A number he hoped to be reducing here in a very short while.

There was a bunker located in an outcropping of rock just to the left up ahead. A position held by the Alliance for three days right after a browncoat communications post had been overrun. It was time to take that position back.

The corporal returned.

“The fighters are ready Sir!”

“Good! Tell Jorgensen that he is to hang back with his group while you and I take twenty for the main assault on bunker “3”.”

“Right!” was her answer. She turned and he followed.

They entered an area where ten soldiers crouched, ready to spring on command. The sergeant looked at their faces. “God” why did he have to do this? The answer, because he could. He was a leader, it just seemed to fall to him to command, and it was time to do just that.

“ You ten are to come with me. Corporal, you take the next ten swing left around the top of the hill and attack from that side thirty seconds after our assault has started!”

He looked at their faces again. Battered, bruised but not beaten.

“ Questions!!?” There were none. “Get ready!”

In a second he was moving forward. His small assault force advanced quickly to a position just forty meters from the Alliance bunkers. He motioned two fighters to swing right and they took fire immediately. He raised his weapon and belched out fire. The enemy slumped down for cover but he was sure he had taken out the soldier on the left. He rushed forward and motioned for his group to follow. By now the air was filled with the sound of gunfire. Muzzle flashes lit up the night. The private to his left went down but he hadn’t time to stop. Moving forward quickly he jumped the cover of the sentry outpost and surprised the soldier crouched there. The soldier threw his arms up.

“Don’t kill me!!”

With a swing of his weapon the sergeant belted the man across the head. His helmet flew and his mouth opened. He wasn’t dead but he was out of the fight. The sergeant turned and ordered grenades to be thrown at the building ahead. The private to his right stretched her arm to fling her bomb but at that moment there was the blast of a weapon and she fell to the ground.

“ Stevens!!”

The sergeant looked but could see in her face that she was gone. She had been with him for so long., from the beginning. Now it was over. Enraged he took the explosive from her hand and hurled it toward the stronghold. It exploded in the door, dust flew everywhere. There were screams, the noise was deafening. He moved forward and tossed another grenade inside. His soldiers followed him. He heard the assault of his corporal coming from the hilltop.

“Terry, take five coats and work your way around the left. Get to bunker “2” and take it out.”

“Yes Sir!”

“Williams you’re with me! We’ll wait for Harris and Dolby to link up then we’ll advance on bunker “3”!”

“ Rodger that sir!”

The group set to complete their mission. In a moment they were joined by another soldier.

“Harris! Where’s Dolby?”

“ Didn’t make it sir!”

“Damn!!” The sarg hung his head.

“Ok you two follow me!”

The commander leaped forward and in a hail of fire advanced toward bunker “3”. Williams took a hit to the thigh but was still able to provide cover fire. The sergeant blasted his weapon while Harris lobbed grenades. A soldier appeared on the rooftop of bunker “3”, arm back ready to toss an explosive, the sergeant took him down. The Alliance troops looked as if they were pulling back. The crack of a smile appeared on the sergeants face. At the front of the building he and Harris stopped. Pressed tight against the wall they flipped in a bomb and ducked for cover. It was a strong blast. Before the two could enter they were joined by Terry and the two remaining from his group.

“The corporal’s got control of bunker “2” Sir! How’s it goin here?”

“ This baby is ours private.” The sergeant said with a grin. They entered to find no living soul.

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Fifteen minutes later the sergeant was joined by his second in command.

“ Report corporal!”

“ Eleven causalities sir! Three wounded the rest…..” She didn’t finish. “ Also there’s some friendlies coming up from the right flank. Small group but can’t hurt .”

The sergeant looked around at his group of fighters.

“Good work troop! You’ve all earned a…..”

Just then a shot rang out and he went down. The corporal rushed to his side. She looked to the soldiers.

“ Get Richards over here quick.”

She looked down again.

“It’ll be alright sarg, medics on the way!”

The sergeants face looked peaceful.

“I’m fine. Doesn’t hurt a bit.”

He looked up and through a light haze saw the faces of his family and friends, people he hadn’t seen in a long time. It’s gonna be Ok. He stared up into the darkness. The stars were beautiful. One of those somewhere was his home. This all would be over in time and he would be back there. He looked to see to two soldiers approaching him.

“Corporal Hicks who are they?”

“ Sergeant Reynolds and his second, Zoey sir.”

“ Welcome fellow coats.” He smiled. He looked back at the stars, a little dimmer now. They seemed to be fading a bit. In a moment all was dark.

The corporal looked down at the man. A man she had cared for, for a long time. A tear fell down her cheek.

END