The first words that came to Nathan’s mind by way of response were not the ones he used. Still unsure of where he stood with the company executive officer, Nathan chose, instead, a more tactful response. “Oh, pretty good, I guess.”

Having read Nathan’s expression and sensed the internal conflict, Wahler’s grin widened. “I figured as much.”

“Any particular reason,” Nathan asked, “you felt the urge to wake me?”

Looking about, Wahler judged that there was sufficient room on the crowded nylon seat behind him to squeeze in between two of Nathan’s troopers. “Excuse me,” Wahler shouted to the soldiers even as he began forcing himself into the space they had yet to make for him. The company XO ignored the vicious looks hurled at him by the soldiers on either side of him. Instead, he turned his attention back to Nathan. “The CO wanted me to go over things with you one more time.”

Nathan, having been required to regurgitate the concept of the operation and plan of execution multiple times before departing Pope, was miffed. It was like being home all over again. First his father would tell him over and over again what he was expected to do. Then his mother would ask Nathan just before he left or she departed if he understood what his father wanted done. Biting his tongue, Nathan struggled to push aside the most unchristian thoughts he was harboring toward his company commander and pay attention to what the XO was saying. Going over things, one more time, a voice of reason in the back of his head whispered, couldn’t hurt.

“Our company has the mission of neutralizing those National Guardsmen already assembled at Gowen before the bulk of the battalion comes in.”

Nathan smiled. “Neutralize.” What a wonderful, simple, and useless term. What exactly it meant in terms of what they were expected to do to the Guardsmen was still a question that Nathan’s tired mind had yet to resolve.

“If we’re successful,” the XO went on, missing Nathan’s cynical smirk, “the rest of the battalion will land conventionally and taxi over to the portion of the airport where the Idaho Air National Guard is. We’ll link up there, secure the entire airport, and await further developments.”

“And if Idaho’s finest decide to resist,” Nathan enjoined, “we secure the drop zone we’re going into and hold it till the aircraft carrying the rest of the battalion close up for a mass jump.”

The grinning XO nodded. “You got it LT. Any questions?”