“Joe! Joe! Come in!” shouted Montes through the static coming from Joe’s headset. “Newgate-Three-two, please respond.”
“Newgate-Three-two here. Go ahead, Montes,” said Joe into his headset.
“Joe! Where are you? Hoàng said you went after a Birnstein from the crashed shuttle.”
“Ginke and I are fine. I’m sending our location now. Are Hoàng and the others okay? Are they with you now?”
“Yes,” said Montes, which brought Joe relief. “We’ve secured the crashed shuttles. The Birnsteins are down, and the fighters have fled. What about you?”
“We found the Birnstein. He was the admiral in charge here.”
“Deceased?” asked Montes.
“Yes,” said Joe. “We’ll secure the body.”
After a moment, Montes said, “We’re on our way. Go ahead and let command know.”
“Yes, sir,” said Joe before he switched to the general communication channel and listened to the traffic.
“Enemy squadron designate alpha eliminated,” said one voice over the channel. “Enemy squadron designate beta retreating to the north.”
“Let them go, but stay on alert,” said another voice.
“Anyone have eyes on the shuttle?” asked a third voice. “We see another smoke plum in the forest.”
“Newgate-Three-two to all forces,” said Joe over the general communication channel. “The Birnstein commander, Admiral Worc, has been identified and eliminated. I repeat: the Birnstein commander, Admiral Worc, has been identified and eliminated. I’m sending coordinates now for pick up. Please confirm.”
The channel went quiet for a moment as everyone silently reacted to the news.
“Copy, Newgate-Three-two,” said command. “Kaida-Bee inbound to your location. E-Tee-A is six minutes. Confirm?”
“Confirm,” acknowledged Joe.
As he waited, Joe continued looking down at Worc. Joe felt relieved, but his adrenaline was still high, and that hopefully would change when he was out of the warzone.
Montes and the rest of Squad Newgate-3 arrived and created a perimeter around Joe and Ginke.
“Friends,” hissed Ginke with a smile. “You’re all okay.”
“I’m glad both of you are, too,” said Montes as he lowered his auto-rifle and came to stand next to Joe. The major looked down at the deceased Birnstein and then turned toward Joe. “Good job, corporal,” added Montes after a moment.
“It was the mission, sir,” said Joe, finally looking away from Worc. “A shuttle will be here soon.”
“We copied,” said Montes.
“Any more Birnsteins after you?” asked Joe.
“No, sir. They’re all dead,” said Meinhardt proudly.
“Or scattered,” said Hoàng.
“Our fighters destroyed their shuttle, and they ran off after that,” said Montes. “We came after you to help.”
“Thanks, Montes,” said Joe with a small grin.
“Joe,” said Montes with a motion of his head for Joe to follow him a few steps away from the others. “I can’t argue against the results, but it was reckless for you and Ginke to go after that Birnstein.”
“That was our mission, sir,” said Joe. “You and the fighters had the enemy covered at the shuttle, so I chose to go after Worc to complete the mission. Also…,” Joe paused to take a deep breath. “I had a personal matter to finish. I stand by my actions, and I’ll accept any punishment you believe necessary.”
Montes saw the resolve in Joe’s expression. Montes nodded once and said, “I understand. You did complete the mission, which changes everything here. I will support you and your actions, but I’d prefer you not to be so reckless in the future.”
“Yes, sir,” said Joe.
A few minutes later, a shuttle arrived. After it landed, a handful of soldiers hurried out of it with a stretcher to collect Worc’s body while Montes, Joe, Ginke, and the rest of the squad filed into the shuttle. Once everyone was onboard, the shuttle rose up and headed back to SHB 7.
***
The shuttle returned to SHB 7 with a majority of the base’s soldiers standing around the landing pad to welcome the ones that eliminated the Birnstein commander. After the shuttle landed and lowered its ramp, Joe exited and recognized various members of other squads and squadrons applauding. Montes and Joe led the others off as everyone started to cheer. Joe couldn’t help but smile as he shook hands with soldiers as he followed Montes to the main compound.
Inside, Commander Hino, with Lieutenants Alverda and Mousavi flanking her, welcomed Montes and his squad. The members of Newgate-3 snapped to attention when they stopped before the base’s commanding officers, and Hino returned the salute.
“At ease,” said Hino with a smile. “Congratulations, Newgate-Three. You did exceptionally well on this mission. I will expect full debriefs from all of you. Who delivered the final blow?”
“Corporal Steel, sir,” said Montes.
Commander Hino stepped forward and held out her hand to Joe. Joe took it and returned the firm grip as they shook hands. As they did, four soldiers walked by with Admiral Worc’s body covered on a stretcher.
“Good job, corporal,” continued Hino after she watched the stretcher go by. “You and the rest of your squad will be recognized for this accomplishment. Take the next few days off.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Joe with a smile. “We will.”
Chapter 28 Coming Soon!