“ Yes sir, Corporal Greystoke, sir.”
“ That was some fight you put up last night corporal, how long have you piloted dominators?”
“ Five years sir, me and Bertha go everywhere.”
“ Bertha?”
“ The name of my dominator, big Bertha,” Greystoke motioned for Vargev to follow where he revealed an airbrushed picture of a voluptuous woman in a tight red dress and holding a machine gun in one hand. Underneath the image, it read Bertha in scarlet italic. The corporal had carefully painted the image on the rear power supply cowling.
Vargev smiled, “quite an artist too corporal.”
Greystoke silently nodded, patting the exterior of the machine. “Don’t worry Bertha, we’ll get you patched up in no time.”
“ I’m going to see to it that you’re promoted to sergeant, Greystoke, when we finally get out of here.”
“ If I may sir, I would rather prefer to stay at the rank I am sir.”
“ Why?”
“ If I remain corporal, I simply go where I’m sent and fight where I’m needed, there is no command decision to make sir.”
“ I see,” Vargev replied, eyeing the young corporal, concerned about the young man’s lack of aspiration. “You don’t want to be in command, to lead men out into the field?”
“ No sir, I am quite happy being the man at the bottom, without all the rigours of command sir.”
“ You know corporal, you’re a wiser man and a better soldier than most of my senior Lieutenants.”
“ Thank you sir,” Greystoke replied with a warm smile.
The two men saluted once more, and Vargev went to leave, but at the last minute he turned back, “corporal.”
“ Yes sir?”
“ I want you to assist in the defence of the main gate, as soon as Bertha is ready.”
“ Yes sir,” Greystoke nodded respectfully.
They saluted once more and Vargev left the building.
Now he angrily strode over to one of the vast munitions factories, and picked up an Armschlager heavy machine gun from the armoury inside the factory, he had business with someone. He asked the quartermaster of the armoury, “Where’s Kalidis?”
“ Last I heard he was up in number 3 tank factory sir.”
“ Thanks,” Vargev replied as he left the building; figures, the furthest tank factory away from the fighting.
He hefted the heavy Armschlager with one hand as he strode out of the munitions factory towards number 3 tank factory, the sling dragged slightly on the ground. The second equally important task had come upon the colonel.
He walked slowly and purposefully towards the tank factory, Kalidis was an engineer and not a soldier, however he was still an E.D. F general and in command of the facility, if not the defenders. And while Nikolai’s men were giving their last breath to defend it, Kalidis was hiding out in a factory saving his own ass. The general’s cowardice infuriated Vargev, and if he could not convince him, the Russian was not above putting a bullet in the general; court martial be damned.
Inside the building it was dark, the power supply must have been cut to this area. He slowly looked around, allowing his senses time to adjust to the gloom.
Nikolai listened intently for any sign of movement, for the slightest inkling of Kalidis’s presence. There was nothing, carefully Vargev made his way further into the factory, continuing to look around him and taking in his surroundings.
He quietly made his way up a series of aluminium steps, in order to get a better view of the interior, and continued along a long gantry which ran the length of the factory, giving access to a series of four overhead cranes which lowered the heavy turrets onto the partially built Apollo hulls lined up below.
Vargev continued to make his way along this gantry, careful that his footsteps did not give away the colonel’s position. The metal grating he walked across creaked slightly, still no sign of Kalidis, I bet the fucking coward’s ran off, he thought, pursing his lips in anger.
From behind him he heard the faint, almost imperceptible shuffling of feet.
“ You’re getting old Vargev, a commando colonel surprised like that is not good,” Kalidis scoffed.
He was holding a single shot laser pistol directly behind Vargev’s head. Nikolai could just about feel the cold steel of the barrel resting against the back of his skull.
“ Drop the gun!”
Vargev had no choice but to comply, and the Armschlager fell onto the gantry with a loud metallic clatter.
“ You know, you really are underestimating me Kalidis,” Vargev said calmly.
“ I don’t think so, not this time, especially since I’m the one with the pistol trained on your head.”
Kalidis’s voice was thick with venom, he hated Vargev, hated the fact that he was this perfect commando; built for war, and he was little more than a glorified mechanic, Vargev seemed to get all the plaudits; where were his?
“ You’re underestimating me if you think you surprised me.”
Kalidis blinked, and in a blur Vargev spun around and simultaneously swiped the weapon out of his hand. It sailed through the air and over the gantry railing, skittering off one of the tank hulls below.
Without even leaving the general a chance to react, Vargev cuffed Kalidis across the mouth, sending the commander of Echo base sprawling onto his backside and rattling the gantry. Blood streamed from his cut lip.
“ I’ll have you up on charges for that, you bastard!” he snarled as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
“ For what?” Vargev replied, “a piece of shrapnel flew off the tank factory wall in the firefight. Besides I wonder what charges you’ll face,” he said as he casually walked over to the struggling general.
“ The head of Echo base letting the entire facility fall to the enemy, and like the coward you are, not lifting a finger to prevent it. Pretty unbecoming of an E.D. F senior officer don’t you think?” Vargev retorted, he was ice cool and wasn’t playing around, Kalidis was a coward and he hated cowards especially those of the higher ranks, and he had no problem shooting Kalidis for it if he was pushed.
Kalidis slowly stumbled to his feet as Vargev approached, swinging a vicious right hook towards the Russian’s chin. The blow was slow and clumsy, the colonel easily caught his fist and smashed his elbow into Kalidis’s nose, the general staggered backwards; his shattered nose pumping blood down his mouth and chin.
Kalidis turned and made to run back down the gantry, desperately trying to escape. He realized that he was grossly outmatched. Vargev was the faster however, and the Russian charged after him, their heavy boots making the gantry shudder as they ran.
Nikolai quickly caught up with the general and rugby tackled him to the ground, the entire gantry rattled violently under the force of the two men slamming onto it. Kalidis attempted a wild kick at Vargev’s head, but completely missed the colonel. Nikolai then crawled over the prone form of Kalidis, using his powerful muscles to hold the cowardly general still as he clasped his hand over the general’s throat.
Breathing slightly heavier, he lowered his face close to the Kalidis’s, his eyes bored into him and he bellowed. “Listen to me, you little prick!” the colonel’s voice boomed as it echoed around the deserted tank factory. “To me, you’re nothing but a fucking coward! And I would kill you right now, but I need every man I can get, even a snivelling little waste of space like you.” He squeezed a little tighter as if to emphasise his point, Kalidis coughed and gasped for breath as he writhed in a desperate bid to escape Vargev’s clutches.
“ What would you have me do!” he spluttered, “I’m an engineer, not a fucking soldier! I fix vehicles, not fight wars.”
“ Well tonight, you’re both.” Vargev replied sternly, not letting go just yet. “I want you to lead your engineers as you would any other day. I want you to work them like they have never been worked before, repairing the vehicles that are helping to save your sorry ass.”
