The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history

by James S. Peet

  The screen changed again, this time showing a collage of stacked pallets, shelves of equipment, a bulldozer on an improvised airfield, and a small cargo ship. “Next to Ground, Logistics is the largest branch. It provides all the logistical support to the other branches. Basically, without logistics, you die.

  “Logistics works closely with Aviation to supply Ground, and it has its own navy—small cargo vessels that transport people and equipment between the continents. Along with those duties, they’re also responsible for developing airfields, marine ports, and depots for fuel, parts, food, and medical services.

  “You’ll notice that medical services isn’t its own branch; rather, it’s a part of Logistics. You’ll be happy to know that we’ve got a top-notch bunch of medical care providers, more and more of whom are graduating from our own schools. I think you’ll appreciate having physicians who are more used to the types of medical issues you’ll face than somebody trained in clinics where all sorts of specialized medical equipment are available 24/7.”

  The image on the screen changed again, this time showing a series of photos of people in classrooms.

  “Training is the final, and smallest branch. It’s where you begin, and where you might wind up if you live and gain the experience necessary to pass on to others. Here is where you’ll get updated on our methods and equipment. It’s also the branch responsible for teaching you how to survive on your own if you need to. Toward that end, each one of you will be run through our survival school before going on your first mission. All of your trainers have survived on their own, stranded on an unsurveyed planet, some for several months. Listen to them. They know what they’re talking about.

  “Now, about the rank structure. We’re somewhat of a paramilitary organization that way. As you already know, I’m the Corps Commandant, responsible for the entire Corps of Discovery. Under me is the Assistant Corps Commandant, Lisa Ragnar.” Lewis gestured to a woman who had just walked on stage. She was a trim forty-something-year-old, dressed in the Corps uniform. She waved casually to the assembled audience.

  A table of organization appeared on the screen and Lewis walked briefly through it, announcing the names of each Branch Commander and Branch Executive Commander.

  “Each survey crew will be assigned a leader, but other than that, there are no ranks except Explorers or Probationary Explorers.

  “Okay, that pretty much sums up your orientation. Head out and get outfitted,” he commanded.

  This time all the Probies got up and made an orderly exit without needing a second warning.

  Bill split from Meri, Matt, and Nicole, but not before making arrangements with them to meet for lunch, and made his way to the Explorer holding the sign with the letters “A-D”. He was happy to see it was Luke Kanehama. He hadn’t seen the Explorer since the first week of his arrival on Hayek. The two shook hands and Bill asked where he had been.

  Luke told him he had been on a ground survey and was back for two weeks’ leave before heading out again. Bill was impressed. Luke looked a bit thinner and darker. Must be all that time spent outdoors, he thought.

  Luke asked Bill to hold the sign so he could take roll, then pulled a tablet from his pants cargo pocket. Bill could see a list of names on the screen.

  As each Probie arrived, Luke asked them their name and checked them off.

  Soon there were several Probies surrounding Luke, and nobody else was exiting the auditorium.

  Luke put his tablet away. “I guess that’s all. Let’s head out and get your stuff first, and then you can get your haircuts.” With that, he took the sign back from Bill and began walking. The small gaggle of Probies around him followed.

  Other groups were doing the same thing, all heading toward the logistics center, the same building where they drew their Militia equipment.

  This time the groups separated by matching the door numbers with the last-name letters. Bill’s group wound up at Door Number 1.

  “Okay. Go in, get your stuff, then come out,” Luke said. “Once everyone’s out, we’ll go sit in the shade and I’ll show you how to arrange it. Be sure to read the list of required equipment before you start getting kitted out.”

  As Bill approached the counter, the Explorer behind it, a grizzled old fellow with a gray beard, said, “Last name first, first name last.”

  “Clark, William” Bill responded. The man turned and limped into the bowels of the building. He soon returned with a cardboard box which he set on the table. Without a word, he turned and walked back between the shelves. After two more trips into the building, he said, “Let’s unpack this stuff, go through it, and make sure you’ve got everything.”

  The first thing he pulled out was a tablet, similar to the one Luke used. Small, but rugged looking. The man turned it on.

  Handing it over to Bill he instructed him to enter his information to activate the software. Bill entered his name at the prompt, then his Corps of Discovery identification number, which he had memorized. Once the information was complete, a message popped up on the screen. Bill saw it was from the Logistics Center, so he opened it: a list of equipment.

  “Great. Looks like it’s working,” the old Explorer said. Let’s go through the list and ensure you’ve got everything.”

  The two did, and rather rapidly. Bill was surprised at the amount of equipment he was being issued. Not only did he get uniforms and boots, but also flight suits, Nomex gloves, a survival vest, a backpack, a scoped bolt-action rifle with three twenty-round magazines and a five-round magazine, another PDW (why do I need two of these? he thought) with three-twenty round magazines, a hammock with rain fly, web belt with suspenders, a butt pack, a hatchet, knife, and the list went on. As each item was checked off, he put it in a large brown duffel bag, much like his Militia duffel, only a different color. The rifle and PDW were left in their cases. A brimmed hat, with a stiff crown that was vented, went on his head. It reminded Bill of the old Tilly hat his dad had worn for decades.

  The final item he was issued was a phone with a SIM card. “You know how to set one of these up?” the old Explorer asked. Bill nodded and replied, “Yep.”

  After everything was packed, the old Explorer instructed Bill to sign a digital document signifying he had received everything. “That’s it. You own it now, so if you lose anything, you’ll have to pay to replace it.” Looking past Bill, he hollered, “Next!”

  Bill placed his new tablet into his tablet case, which was still slung over his shoulder. Then, with some effort, he hoisted his duffel onto his back, placing his arms through the bag’s shoulder straps, picked up a firearm case in each hand, and headed out the door. Luckily, one of the Probies waiting for her turn to draw equipment held it open for him, because it would have been awkward to do so otherwise.

  Outside, Luke directed him to a large oak tree a short distance away. “Wait over there. It’ll be a while, but you can start by looking at the list of equipment you need to have with you at all times. If you want, you can start assembling it. I’ll be along shortly to help out if you’ve got any questions.”

  Bill walked over to the tree and set his weapon cases down, then shucked off his duffel. Pulling his new tablet out, he studied it. It was lighter than his personal tablet but appeared more rugged. The screen was about twenty centimeters, about the same size as his eight-inch tablet. It also had the words “Waterproof to 10m” on the back. Considering the lifestyle he expected to experience with it, he wasn’t surprised that it was designed to be so rugged.

  He activated it, found the email application, and opened it. There were two new emails, one from the Logistics Center and one from Operations. Bill opened the one from the Logistics Center first and saw it was the receipt for his equipment draw. The email from Operations provided a list of all the equipment Bill was expected to have on him at all times in his Primary Survival Kit. It was rather extensive and made perfect sense for somebody who might have to be on their own for an extended period. The list also provided graphic instructions on th
e best way to assemble the equipment for wearing. The web belt was designed to carry a canteen, a hatchet, survival knife, survival pouch, and a magazine pouch that carried three twenty-round magazines for the bolt-action rifle. Lightweight suspenders were to be used with the belt. Just like his Militia equipment, Bill noticed the canteen came with a cup, but it also came with a cup lid and a small stove, all of which nestled in the canteen cover.

  The hammock and rain fly went into the backpack, along with a mess kit that fit into a small wood-burning stove, a reloading kit with ammunition components, collapsible water bottles, a small hygiene kit, a first aid kit, and his modular sleeping system. The instructions called for clothing to be packed, but Bill decided to wait until he got home before sorting that out.

  The hygiene kit consisted of a small, quick-drying absorbing towel, a small soap carrier, dental floss and a toothbrush, and a small showerhead that fit on the bottles. It was similar to the Simple Shower™ he carried as a Boy Scout at Philmont Scout Ranch, but slightly smaller and without the air tube.

  The modular sleeping system was made up of several layers of sleeping bags, each providing a different level of comfort, from the silk liner that served as a lightweight summer bag, to the heavier bag that was designed to keep him warm at minus 18 degrees Celsius. It also had a radiant barrier that was designed to work with his hammock. Even though it consisted of several bags, the entire kit weighed less than a kilo.

  Strapped to the outside of the pack was to be a small ax, an entrenching tool, almost identical to the one issued by the Militia, and a bush knife that looked more like a small Japanese samurai sword.

  Equipment he was required to carry in his pockets included his tablet, a pocket knife, spork, fire starter, basic sewing kit, small toothbrush, dental floss, compass, bandana, and several means for killing small animals. Fishing line and hooks he already knew about, along with snares, but he had also been issued a bowstring along with several break-away arrowheads and fletches to make a bow and arrow set. He suspected that the rubber tubing was designed to be used to turn a forked stick into a slingshot.

  In the survival vest pouches, there was more built-in redundancy, with more survival equipment, including another knife, more instruments of death (as he termed the equipment necessary for killing game), and a couple of 1-liter collapsible bottles. They must really love knives here, he thought: he had been issued four knives, a sword, a hatchet, and an ax. One very interesting item that went into a pocket on his vest was a small waterproof paperback book entitled CoD Survival Guide. Flipping through it briefly, Bill discovered it was a veritable treasure trove of survival tactics.

  The final item on his list was a chronograph watch with a nylon web strap. That made sense, considering all his duties were supposedly in the air. Bill was pleased; his watch was not only old, but the crystal was scratched and getting hard to read. He took off his old watch, stashed it in the duffel, then put the chronograph on his left wrist. Checking his tablet for the exact time, he then set the chronograph. The instructions indicated that it was an automatic mechanical watch. This meant it had no battery and never needed winding, but operated off the kinetic energy of his arm and wrist.

  One web belt, the butt pack, a canteen setup, the PDW, and a poncho and liner were extra emergency equipment that was attached to the crash couch of whatever aircraft Bill would be flying in.

  Bill realized there was redundancy built into the equipment, not only for killing game, but for water, fire, health care, and personal hygiene.

  He decided to assemble those items he could easily wear until he went back to his cabin before lunch. He assembled the web belt and suspenders to put his personal equipment on. As the instructions had said that the placing of many items was at the wearer’s discretion, he decided to put the knife on his right side and the hatchet on the left. The canteen setup went over his left rear pocket, while the ammunition pouch went on the front, to the right. He was surprised to find out how light the canteen, cup, and stove were, and then he saw they were made from titanium. They don’t spare any expense, he thought.

  The final item, the survival pouch, went on the front, to the left. Snapping the suspenders in place, he felt ready to try the whole thing on. By this time several other Probies had joined him under the tree and were reading their tablets.

  Opening his rifle case, Bill extracted two of the three magazines and put them in the magazine pouch on his belt. He looked at the remaining one and wondered why he was given a five-round magazine. Seeing a curled sling in the case, he picked it up and unfurled it. He then pulled the rifle out of the case and, after checking it to ensure it was unloaded, attached the sling to it. While doing so, he noticed that there was space in the bottom of the stock that looked like it was designed to fit the five-round magazine. On a hunch, he picked it up and inserted it into the space. Sure enough, it fit like a glove, clicking into place.

  He also noticed that the rifle’s forearm had an integrated bipod. While scoped, the rifle also had iron sights, the rear one being a ghost ring type. Looking at the barrel he discovered that his rifle was called an ER-1, and fired a 7.62 mm by 51 mm round, basically NATO ammunition. Huh. I wonder why they’re using NATO ammo here, he thought. The 7.62 NATO was the standard round for light machine guns and was used in rifles before the lighter 5.56 mm NATO round, fired in guns like the M-16, was adopted.

  He inspected the rifle a bit further, removing and replacing the bolt several times just to get the feel of it.

  After surveying his new rifle, he placed it back in the case and snapped the latches secure.

  Bill stood up, picked up the assembled gear, and put it on. The belt was a bit loose, so he adjusted it, but not so snugly as to not fit over other clothes.

  Then he loaded the backpack with all its prescribed equipment. Thinking about his days spent backpacking, he tried to pack it the same way he did then: heavier stuff to the front, lighter stuff further from his back. Even though it would all be going into his duffel bag until after lunch, he wanted to get a head start on getting it ready.

  The ax, machete, and shovel were attached to special straps on the pack, making the ensemble complete.

  Next came the survival vest. This took the redundant equipment for gathering game, the second survival knife (smaller and lighter, not the heavy-duty version he wore on his belt), and a host of other items, such as first aid, sewing, hygiene, and fire-starting equipment. The two water bottles had clips on them that would allow them to attach to the vest, a web belt, or a pack. They rolled up and went into separate pouches on the vest. The final item was a pocket chainsaw; a tool that looked like a chainsaw chain, but was designed to be held by grommets at each end and worked back and forth like a regular saw.

  Looking back at the email from Operations he figured out how to pack his Secondary Survival Kit. Another web belt with a canteen, cup, cover, and stove went into it, along with a survival knife, the poncho and liner, and a lightweight mesh hammock. The final items were the three PDW magazines and ammunition. The PDW stayed in the case. Bill figured that he’d put it in the butt pack when he had to.

  Finally, with the exception of the boots and clothing, the backpack and butt pack were packed, and both placed next to the duffel. He decided to place the butt pack and the PDW case in the duffel bag, leaving him with only three things to carry back to the cabin, rather than five. I guess I’ll have to wear the pack and carry the duffel. Damn, that’s gonna be a bitch.

  By this time, all the Probies had arrived under the tree. Several were getting organized as Bill had done, while others were still reading.

  Luke arrived, looked over the crowd, and said “Your attention please,” then waited until everyone was looking at him.

  “Everyone take a look at Clark,” he said, pointing to Bill. “As you can see, he’s got most of his gear together. Notice how his belt is configured. Yours should look the same, or similar.”

  Luke had him come over and stand in the center of the group. “Clar
k, you stay here and act like a display model. The rest of you, take a good, hard look at how his gear is arranged and then do the same. We’ll work on your packs next.

  “After you finish up here, you can swing by the barber and then take off for lunch. After lunch, you’ll go directly to training. You should have an email telling you where to go. Be sure you show up in uniform, carrying and wearing all the gear you’re required to have, that means survival vest, belt, backpack, and rifle. You don’t have to carry it when off duty, but you better have it with you at all times when you’re on duty.”

  Luke indicated to several Probies with two gun cases. “If you’ve been issued both a rifle and a PDW, along with a backpack and a butt pack, carry only the rifle and the backpack. If you’re carrying the PDW and the butt pack, that means things went seriously wrong. They’re the backup for the backup for those of you on flight status.

  “Any questions?”

  Nobody raised a hand.

  “Great. Also, when you get into your uniform, the absolute minimum is boots, socks, shorts or pants, shirt, and bush hat. You can wear shorts and long-sleeved shirt, or pants and short-sleeved shirt. It’s up to you. The only time we require specific attire is at formal events and ceremonies. Uniforms are required during working hours and when on surveys, but when you’re off duty you can wear whatever you want, or don’t wear anything. Your call.”

  After several minutes, Luke told Bill he could leave if all his gear was in order. He told him how to get to the barber along with the advice of doing it sooner, rather than later.

  Bill thanked him and decided to follow his advice. Before doing so, he sent an email to Meri with his new tablet, with the simple word “Lunch?”

  Picking up his pack, he shrugged it onto his shoulders. The weight wasn’t too bad. Then again, there’s no food, water, or clothing in it, he reminded himself.