The corporal looked the document over. “Fifty pages? In two eight hour days? Whose brilliant idea was to write this thing in Polish anyway?” he groused.
Petyr looked at the man. “It makes no difference. Get it done in the time frame we set out,” he said calmly.
The corporal turned in his seat and looked at the screen. “See if he gets it in two days. He’s not even an American,” he muttered under his breath.
Ricks heard the remark and was about to say something when Petyr opened up. He reached down and jerked the seat back so the man was facing him. That was when Ricks found out that Petyr had picked up a lot of extra language while working with the Americans.
“Corporal, I didn’t ask you, I told you. You are talking two eight hour days, well I’ve been writing this shit for forty eight hours straight. So you better have that complete in two days or I’ll shove my boot so far up your ass it will leave in imprint on the back of your tongue,” he growled.
The corporal turned and began working rapidly as Petyr turned and grinned at Ricks. “Now I guess I can go get some sleep,” he said.
Ricks held up his hand. “Hang on a few minutes. A friend of mine is coming down and wants to meet you,” he said.
Petyr’s eyebrows lifted and he gave a tired look. “I may not stay awake.”
There was a knock at the door and Roger Hammond stepped into the room. Both men came to attention and saluted, but Hammond extended his hand to Ricks. “Good to see you, Master Sergeant.”
Hammond turned and saw a stunned look on Petyr’s face. He smiled and extended his hand to him as well. “You must be Sergeant Kursov,” he said. “We’ve been hearing a lot about you.”
Petyr shook his hand, still too stunned to speak. “Yes, sir, I’m Petyr Kursov,” he stammered.
“Thanks for working so hard on this project. Have you met General Pol?”
Pol had followed Hammond into the room. He was gratified to see a very professional looking young man standing before him. “Sergeant Kursov, you have made the Army of Poland proud,” he said.
“Me?”
Pol almost laughed. “You’ve turned out to be one of the best people we have in the drone program. You have been an effective leader and have come up with a number of innovations on the use of military drones. We especially like your ideas on taking prisoners. I hope you got that down in your operations manual,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” said Petyr.
“Good. Now, while the Admiral and Master Sergeant talk, let’s sit down for a few minutes,” Pol said. He led Petyr to the opposite side of the room and sat in two seats. “Sergeant, I know you have only just turned eighteen, but I was wondering if you had plans for after the war,” Pol said quietly.
“Well, sir, I wanted to go to the university. I am interested in biology, but after all I’ve been through I am thinking more about becoming a doctor. After all this killing, I feel like I need to do some healing to make up for it,” Petyr said.
“That is a fine thing,” said Pol, “but might you be interested in staying in the Army? We might be interested in making you an officer.”
“I’m not sure, sir. I appreciate the offer, but I also have someone I want to marry. I don’t know if I could give my career the kind of attention I have to give it now.”
Pol smiled. That was an answer far above a mere sergeant. “Just remember that in peacetime, the work is not nearly as intense. Besides, the Polish Army has doctors too. Think about it and let me know. If you decide to stay, I can make sure all your education is taken care of,” he said.
“I appreciate that, sir.”
Pol reached into his pocket. He handed over two rank insignia for Technical Sergeant. “Now put these on. You are doing an amazing job. When this is over, come and we will talk,” he said with a smile.
Petyr stared at the two stripes on the insignia. He was already far above what he thought he would achieve. This would mean more authority and more pay — something that would come in handy when he returned home. “Thank you, General. I wasn’t expecting this, but I really do appreciate it.”
“You do our nation proud, Sergeant. I am glad to have you with us,” Pol said.
The two got up and went back over to Hammond and Ricks who were joking about past experiences. Hammond looked up and grinned. “General, are you ready?”
Pol nodded and Hammond and Ricks stood. Pol turned to Petyr. “Come to attention,” he said.
Hammond came forward and produced a rectangular box from his uniform pocket. “Sergeant Petyr Kursov. It is my distinct honor to make this presentation to you on behalf of your native Poland. For conspicuous service in the war against Russia, Poland awards you the Meritorious Service Medal. You are being singled out for your unwavering devotion to duty, skills demonstrated in a new kind of warfare, namely ground support drone operations, your superb abilities in leadership and your ability to grasp difficult situations and find intelligent and unique solutions in stressful combat situations. You have earned the admiration and respect of your superiors and fellow soldiers alike. Your actions are consistent with the highest standards of the Polish Army. We congratulate you on a job extremely well done,” Hammond said as he pinned the medal on Petyr’s chest. “In case you are wondering, your recommendation for this medal came from the officers over you, not just because you are the friend of this guy over here,” he said nodding towards Ricks. “When General Pol told me about you, I asked if I could make the presentation myself. I am proud to have you serving with me,” he said as the two turned to pose for a photograph.
After a few more pleasantries, Hammond and Pol left the room to return to their headquarters in the next building. Petyr sat in a chair and looked at the medal on his chest. In a moment he looked up at a grinning Ricks. “But I didn’t do anything special,” he said.
“Oh yes you did. I remember when we got started and you jumped right in, helping when needed and teaching some of the slower trainees so they would be ready. I remember you making suggestions along the way to make things run a little better. I remember watching as you led platoons of people into densely packed areas and clearing them out for our troops to follow up. I watched as you worked with others who were having problems dealing with what we were doing. These are things a much more senior person might do. They are things even officers do. These kinds of things get noticed. I noticed them and I know the Colonel noticed since he often mentioned them to me. That’s why I ask you for help. That’s why I like hanging around with you. You are special, Pete. Don’t worry about it, just keep doing it,” he said. “Now, the Admiral just told me about a great seafood place. If you can hold off sleep for another hour, we’ll go eat a bite, then you can sleep for three days if you want.”
Petyr laughed. He shook his head. “It’s too much to take in. It’s also got me wired up. Let’s go eat,” he said.
Ricks slapped him on the shoulder and led the young man out the door.
Borodin sat down opposite Marshal Phillipe Andropov and studied the man. After Pusko’s assassination, Andropov had been the unanimous choice to be his replacement. He had never been one of Borodin’s insiders and he had a reputation of being totally honest, but he also had a reputation of getting a job done. Borodin needed that now more than anything. A drink was offered, but declined. Borodin had forgotten that the man didn’t drink at all. He might not have even been Borodin’s choice, but he needed the Army support and Andropov was their favorite. It helped that his great grandfather had once been the head of the Soviet Union. He sat, resplendent in his uniform as Borodin looked through his service files. “Your record is impressive, Marshal Andropov. I appreciate you wanting to meet with me privately so that we can get acquainted,” Borodin said.