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Chapter 86 - What Could Go Wrong[]
6 March 3042
Inner End (Federated Commonwealth)
Sergeant Major Chester Pullman was ready to pull his hair out. It was a mini flood of new arrivals every day. They had just picked up the newest arrivals and brought them to the already crowded compound. He met the unloading bus outside the now crowded second warehouse. Any more arrivals and I am going to have to start moving people into the apartments, he thought. He was deep in thought when he heard "Are you in charge here?"
He turned to look at who was addressing him, officer for sure, his brain said "Sergeant Major Pullman. I run the rear detachment when the Colonel is away on mission. You are?"
"Colonel Alfred Dortman, formerly of the 5th FedCom RCT. Commanded the 5th FedCom Jump Infantry Regiment during the 39 war. Where are the officer quarters?" Colonel Alfred Dortman said
Great, a damned Lyran officer at that, Sergeant Major Pullman thought before saying "We do not have officer quarters sir. Everyone lives in the same buildings. Yours are still under construction and at the moment, we are billeting the new arrivals in the two warehouses."
"Your are kidding?" Colonel Alfred Dortman asked and then saw the look "Your not kidding. Dreadful."
"Best we can do on short notice sir. I barely got a weeks notice before the first group of over 400 arrived out of the blue. I have been treading water ever since." Sergeant Major Pullman said
"Almost as bad as being in the field. I assume the Colonel in charge is on deployment?" Colonel Alfred Dortman asked
"He is. Hopefully he will return soon." Sergeant Major Pullman replied as he caught Corporal Delvany's eye "Corporal Delvany, will you please locate Colonel Dortman a suitable place to stow his gear and get him a cot."
He pulled a sheaf of papers from his pocket and checked his personnel totals so far of the new arrivals.
Battlemech Pilots - 36
Aerospace Pilots - 36
Armor Crew - 180
Infantry - 112
Engineers - 56
Senior Mechanics - 31
Mechanics - 152
BM Senior Techs - 36
BM Techs - 162
AS Senior Techs - 28
AS Techs - 247
Jumpship Pilots - 11
Jumpship Nav - 5
Jumpship Eng - 7
Jumpship Crew - 51
Dropship Pilots - 27
Dropship Eng - 15
Dropship Crew - 157
Marines - 51
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Wolfhound Light 'Mech
He refolded the roster and put it back in his pocket. The only good thing was that they would be able to fully crew the Titan Fighter Carrier Dropship, but he was not about to do that until the Colonel said so. He walked by the Hanger and saw the Aero Techs hard at work on the Samurai Aerospace Fighter. Repairing damage, working on the coolant system and they had already bench tested the fighter's engine, soon they might be able to get it back in the air. We ain't got no Regiment of Infantry, only a Battalion, wonder how Colonel Dortman is going to like a demotion, Sergeant Major Pullman thought with a smile before returning to his mental workload.
He had given in to Major Woodall and on his advice, he had put in an inquiry on purchasing 12 WLF-1B Wolfhound Battlemechs with TharHes Industries. He was not expecting good news, even he knew the AFFC was rebuilding after the War of 3039 and was probably eating up every production run. He knew from experience that he would have to put down 10% when he placed the actual order, pay in full on delivery. He had the 10% in the bank, but no way could he pay in full unless the Colonel got back with a fortune. It was just a matter of time before Captain Julie Venlue, the ranking Armor officer, caught wind and demanded something.