Dawn of the Mad Read Online Free

long; I—as well as the remaining district governors and, of course, the supreme chancellor—are forever in your debt.”
    Colonel Chuikova nodded, placed his mirror-polished black helmet on the massive desk, and sat down. He quickly removed the thought from his brain and noticed a box of cigars resting invitingly on the marshal’s desk. He couldn’t remember the last time he had actually savored one. His troopers were lucky if they got a hot meal once a week—unless, of course, an attack was planned for which they would need their strength.
    Von Jesonik followed Colonel Chuikova’s gaze and imagined he could read his thoughts. He smiled and gestured at the open humidor. “Go ahead, take one.” He raised his gaze to match the colonel’s, attempting to catch the slightest hint of emotion emanating from the man’s steel-gray eyes. Seeing nothing, he reached for a decanter and poured two drinks of the dark brown liquid.
    “Thank you,” the colonel said. He leaned forward and selected a cigar, holding it to his nose, savoring the intoxicating tobacco aroma. He placed the cigar in a pocket inside his cloak. He accepted the drink and drained it in one gulp.
    “I must ask why you have summoned me away from the front. My regiment is so close to taking Elohim.” There was disdain in his voice, almost as if his regiment had been defeated. “I hope you did not summon me here personally to discuss our lack of ammunition, replacements, and support from divisional command.”
    Von Jesonik turned around and walked back behind his desk. He gazed out of the window, seemingly ignoring his guest. Chuikova reached back into the humidor and selected another cigar, this time rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. His short, spiked gray hair and the lines on his face marked evidence that the war had not aged him kindly. He appeared not to have slept in days. Von Jesonik sat down behind his desk.
    “Johann, I am fully aware of your tactical situation. Your actions on Elohim Prime are legendary, to say the least. Your regiment does the work of an entire corps—perhaps an expeditionary force.” He produced a lighter and promptly lit a cigar. He offered the lighter to Chuikova, who accepted it. “The war has been hard on us all. You are correct that I have not brought you here to discuss strategy or the evolving front.”
    Von Jesonik tilted his head back and blew a puff of gray smoke toward the ceiling. The rosy aroma hung in the air momentarily, before fading away. He continued, “You are here because you are being relieved of your command, effective immediately.”
    Chuikova rose immediately to his feet and slammed his gloved fist down on the desk. “How can this be? This is heresy! My men will be wiped off the face of that god-forsaken planet!” he bellowed.
    “Calm down, Colonel! Do not forget where you are!” Von Jesonik retorted sharply. Chuikova sat back in his chair, his face an angry red.
    “With respect, my apologies,” Chuikova muttered under his breath, barely audible. He thought about lunging across the desk and grabbing the marshal by his throat. Instead he sat back into the chair, lit his cigar, and attempted to relax.
    “This is not punishment, but rather a reward. The front has not been kind to you. Frankly, we are running out of experienced commanders. You are different, Johann, in that you lead from the front. Most commanders prefer to hide underground and commit what amounts to mass murder in sending their boys over the top. I cannot influence battle plans any longer. My position is more political now than ever before. The supreme chancellor plans operations and alters campaigns, and often even I cannot change his mind. He is surrounded by those who crave power, even as our empire is slowly dying. But I digress.” Von Jesonik took another long pull off of his cigar, blowing the grey smoke up towards the ceiling. “You have an immaculate record. You are cunning, daring, and reckless. You inspire