Kara Discovered: Episode 17 Back Lash

Jeffries reports his failure.

Jun 08, 2025

Jeffries, Johnson, and Johnson’s timing couldn’t have been better. The three joined the tail end of the platoon as it passed, heading for base camp. Excited voices came out of the blur, triggered by the platoon’s appearance.

Sloppy. It was damn Sloppy. The platoon’s appearing out of the blur had surprised them. They had been making so much noise in the camp that his men hadn’t even been detected before they came into visual range.

Silence spread as every man stopped what they were doing, came to attention, then saluted the body of Sergeant Michelle, the first man killed in combat in three thousand years. Jeffries knew his brothers would hold that salute until the men carrying him had passed. It is what he would do.

Damn it. He should not be walking naked, escorting Sergeant Michelle. It was disrespectful.

Twenty more steps and Major Wilson blocked his path, holding out a canteen. “I and my men will see to it that this man gets proper treatment. Your men are being sent to the infirmary for treatment for exposure and dehydration. If you are up to it, you need to report to Colonel Lipton.”

The thirst that his discipline had been suppressing surged to the front, and Jefferies took the canteen and began gulping it to soothe his splintered throat.

“You know better than that,” the Major chided him. “Slow sips to start.”

Damn, he did know better.

With regret, he made himself put the cap back on the canteen and hand it back to Major Wilson, even though his thirst screamed for more. “I’ll get more as soon as I get across the gate.”

The major’s eyes shifted to the two Johnsons taking drinks of water from the men who were here to take over carrying the body of Sergeant Michelle. Wilson ordered, “Drop your belts here. Once across the gate, step on the hoverpads. They are preset to take you to the infirmary. They will just slice that uniform right off you once you arrive there.”

Jeffries handed Wilson his staff, then his belt, and headed for the gate.

The cool air washed over him, and he sighed. A hand steadied him, and only then did he realize he had been swaying.

“Here’s a robe, sir. Colonel Lipton is in his office awaiting your report, if you can make it there,” said a private.

“I can make it,” he said, slipping on the robe. He used his toe to flip the hoverpad from autopilot to manual before stepping on it.

Two guards in the traditional Seventeenth Legion of Armstrong’s blue on green dress uniforms that he didn’t recognize stood guard outside Lipton’s office. Their presence here testified to the fact that there were more platoons now on station than when he left on the rescue.

Irritation flashed through him. He hated not recognizing all members of the legion he was now in. But he hadn’t even met all the officers, much less the other members, since they transferred him from Heinlein and the Seventh to Armstrong and the Seventeenth to command this mission because of his weapons skills. These men didn’t even bother coming to attention as he stepped off the hoverpad and walked between them and into the office.

Buy me a coffee

Fury burned in Colonel Lipton’s eyes. “Where do you get off ordering a man to kill prisoners? Wes had to kill two, and one more died on arrival. The station commander had already arrested Corporal Wes and handed him over to the law on Armstrong before word of what had happened had even reached me.”

“The order was perfectly legal. If leaving behind prisoners constitutes a threat, and they cannot be transported, then executions are allowed.”

“That is an archaic law from pre spaceflight. It has never been ratified by the government of Armstrong, or any other planet for that matter.”

His own face heated with anger. “Combat is also pre spaceflight, barbaric and archaic. If you are going to bring back combat, you have to bring back the laws governing combat. By Armstrong sending my men into combat, they brought back both combat and the rules that govern it.”

Surprise, then a grin passed across Colonel Lipton’s face. “I like that and will pass that on to the legal team. On that grounds, I will also refuse their order to arrest you and prevent the station commander from doing so until that has been ruled on. Start your report.”

So it hadn’t been because he was not in uniform that no one came to attention but because he was in disgrace.

“Failure sir. They could run faster than we could follow.” He reached for the glass and pitcher of water sitting on the colonel’s desk.

Then he was falling and the world going gray.