by James Rosone
“They did,” said Pilsner with a nod. “That’s when they made the counterproposal: beginning the campaign to liberate the Sumerian home world and that dead-end chain of other planets and systems.”
Now McGinnis understood why his Army group had just left the conquered territory to travel four months across the depths of space to reach New Eden again.
General Pilsner leaned forward. “What I need to know from you, Ross, is what do you need to liberate the Sumerian home world and this entire chain of systems? From what I’ve been told, there are eight systems with twelve habitable planets for humans. I mean, putting aside the possibility we might need to assault all twelve planets, having this many habitable planets under our control would be a huge boon for the Republic. We need room to grow. But what I need to know right now is, what do you need to make this happen?”
McGinnis sat back in his chair and gathered his thoughts. He ran through in his head what he would need versus what he’d like to have.
“First, I need my Army group brought back up to strength,” he began. “Second, we need better body armor for our soldiers. Third, I need more infantry. We’ve got plenty of support troops, but at the end of the day, we need to take and hold ground, and I can only do that with infantrymen. Fourth, we need better ground support vehicles and more Ospreys. During the Intus campaign, once we landed the brunt of our force on the planet, we realized we didn’t have nearly enough armored vehicles to move our squads around as needed. We had to rely on large-scale aviation lifts or some rather long road marches. Lastly, I need the fleet to do a better job of protecting our ships. We lost a brigade and a half worth of troops and equipment when a couple of transports were destroyed in space.”
Pilsner scribbled some of this down on his tablet. He’d hand these tasks over to one of his aides later. “Let me throw something past you, Ross. General Reiker from SOCOM said he’s been fielding some requests for the creation of a new Special Operations Force.”
“Really?” asked McGinnis, surprised. “It already takes three years to train a Delta member. Can we really afford to make that pipeline even longer or more clogged with bodies?”
“I agree with you on the training pipeline for Deltas,” said Pilsner. “We’re not willing to change that around to spit people out faster. If we do that, they’ll be less trained and they’ll lose their advantage over the Zodarks. No, what they’re talking about is training a new force—a slightly smaller force but one that could handle some of the tasks that are costing us a lot of operators.”
“You mean orbital assaults and direct-action missions?” McGinnis pressed.
“Those are the ones.”
“Yeah, and the Deltas are perfect for them,” said McGinnis. “Their physical enhancements, increased training, neurolinks, and better body armor make them ideal for these tough missions. It’s why I’ve been using them like that.” He could hear the defensiveness in his own voice.
“I know, Ross. That’s why we want to create a second SOF unit that will train specifically to perform orbital assaults and direct-action missions. If we keep using the Deltas, we’re never going to keep up with the losses we’re taking unless we shorten their training, which means we sacrifice their training quality. If we use regular soldiers for these missions, the losses are going to be unacceptable. We need to create a specialized unit to handle these types of missions.”
McGinnis leaned forward as he replied, “Benni, I’ve got the 1st Orbital Assault Division. They’ve been doing a good job hitting in the first wave, either with the Deltas or very close behind them. We could beef up their body armor and weapons and just use them.”
Pilsner smiled. “That’s exactly what General Reiker suggested.”
General McGinnis crossed his arms. “So what exactly do you mean? Just give them better weapons and body armor?”
“No, Ross,” said Pilsner, chuckling and shaking his head. “He suggested we take the 1st OAD, and we convert them to become the 1st Orbital Ranger Division. They’re already battle-hardened, seasoned soldiers and know how to fight. We’d run them through additional SF training, to include giving them the NLs and some physical enhancements. That’ll give us time to train a second Ranger division from scratch, and it’ll free up our Deltas for more specialized SF missions.”
“Well, old buddy, it sounds like you’ve already made the decision. Haven’t you?” asked McGinnis with a hint of sarcasm.
Pilsner smiled gently as he gave a slight shrug. “Now that we’ve talked about it, I guess we have, unless you can offer up a really good alternative.”
None came to McGinnis’s mind. “Just make sure you chop another division to me from AG2 and plus-up my ranks. I need my army at one hundred percent way before this next campaign begins. Oh, by the way, when is the timeline on this next battle?”
“Between twelve and fifteen months is what I’ve been told to plan for,” Pilsner said.
The conversation was much more cordial after that. They finished their drinks, a bit more slowly this time, and had a late dinner together before they parted ways.
*******
Two Weeks Later
1st Orbital Assault Division
There was nothing Sergeant Pauli Smith hated more in the military than standing in a parade ground with thousands and thousands of other soldiers, sweating in the heat as they waited for some general or colonel to speak to them all. Sometimes these events were for a special award ceremony or change of command. Today, no one knew what it was for. That could mean one of two things: something exciting was going to happen, or they’d just drawn the short end of the stick to some new tasking. In either case, they’d been standing in formation as a company now for fifteen minutes.
Don’t lock your knees, don’t lock your knees, thought Pauli.
“When’s this guy going to show up?” chided one of Pauli’s soldiers softly to no one in particular.
“Hey, who says it’s a guy? It could be a woman,” one of the female replacement soldiers added.
“Knock it off, people,” said Pauli, just loud enough so that his squad as well as the squads nearby could hear him. “This isn’t the time or place for smoking and joking. Keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself until this dog-and-pony show is done.” The last thing Pauli wanted in a group formation like this was for his platoon to start making too much noise and attract the first sergeant’s attention.
Following the last campaign, they’d gotten a new first sergeant. He was a real ballbuster of a soldier—a total by-the-book no-nonsense training Nazi. Instead of chilling and relaxing during the four-month trip back to New Eden, he had had them drilling hard in the simulators or at the rifle range. Then they’d conduct ship boarding and clearing operations. This first sergeant didn’t seem to realize they had completed their tour of duty and were headed home for some rest.
A group of military officers walked up to the small stage in front of the division. It was hard to see from his position—being the first battalion, first brigade of the division, Pauli’s unit was positioned on the far left. His company, Alpha Company, was the farthest to the left, so they really had a hard time seeing the center of the formation and who all was there. Fortunately, they had a couple of twenty-foot screens on the far sides of the formation, which did help.
“Division! Atten-Hut!” a voice boomed over the sound system.
A second later, a single individual walked up to the lectern to speak. He was flanked by a couple of civilians and several other high-ranking officials. As Pauli watched, he realized it was General Ross McGinnis getting ready to speak, not the division commander.
“Good morning, soldiers! It’s a great day to be in the Army, isn’t it?”
“Hooah!” came the single-word reply every soldier gives when a high-ranking officer asks a question.
“I’m here to speak with your division about a couple of things. First, we have eight medals we’re going to be awarding to highly deserving recipients. Two are for the Medal of Honor; they’
ll be presented by Governor David Crawley in place of the Chancellor, who could not be here. The other three are for the Distinguished Service Cross, which I’ll be personally awarding. With that, Sergeant Major, why don’t you come forward and read them off. When we’re done awarding these medals, I have a special announcement for your division I wanted to personally share with you.”
The sergeant major, who ironically had to be half a foot shorter than the general, walked up and called everyone to attention. He then read off five names and called them forward. Yogi, who was standing behind Pauli, poked him in the back.
“Pauli, wake up,” Yogi barked. “Get yourself up there.”
Pauli hadn’t even realized they’d called his name. He immediately started making his way towards the stage. Like everyone else being called up, he was a bit stunned. As he looked out at the entire division, he couldn’t believe that of all the soldiers out there, he was being singled out for this award. He felt ashamed—he had just been doing his job, and he’d survived when more than half of the two squads he’d been in charge of hadn’t.
When the award presentations were done, Pauli made his way back to his company. As he walked past Captain Hiro, the man smiled and nodded. Even that ornery hard-ass of a first sergeant gave him an approving smile and nod as he took his place in front of First Squad, Second Platoon.
General McGinnis then began his special announcement. “This new war we find ourselves fighting is proving to be a tough one. That said, we’ve never lost a battle against the Zodarks. That’s a feat even our more advanced allies can’t say they’ve achieved. The Zodarks and their Orbot patrons have proven to be fiercely tough adversaries. As everyone knows, the Army is broken down into two key functions. We have the regular Army, or as they like to call us, RAs. Then we have Special Forces, or Deltas. Both of us perform different missions in this war. Right now, our Special Forces brothers are doing a lot more fighting and dying per capita than we are. Their numbers are thinning out faster than they can be replaced, which is why we see a lot of C100s being integrated into their units.
“A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with General Pilsner, the Army Chief of Staff. He told me they’re creating a new Special Forces unit to pick up part of the Deltas’ mission, so they can get back to their more specialized roles. This new unit is going to be called the 1st Orbital Ranger Division. Like the 75th Ranger Regiment of old, this new division will augment the Deltas and carry out more of their direct-action missions and work hand-in-glove with them.
“General Pilsner told me that the 1st Orbital Assault Division has been chosen to take this mission on. As such, in two weeks, the division is going to be renamed the 1st Orbital Ranger Division. Now, this is an even tougher and more dangerous mission than the division has done in the past. And like all Special Forces units, there are requirements to be a part of it. First, you have to volunteer to join this new division. That includes the Special Forces reenlistment contract, which I might add is a very long reenlistment contract. Second, you will have to go through a selection process just like the Deltas. So, just because you belong to the division now doesn’t mean you’ll stay with the new division. Third, anyone who doesn’t want to join this new Ranger division will be reassigned to the new 1st Orbital Assault Division that’ll be built up to take the place of your unit that’s leaving.”
General McGinnis paused for a second as he surveyed the soldiers in front of him. “This is a unique opportunity to be a part of an entirely new Special Forces unit. But please understand, this unit will be seeing a lot more action than the regular Army units. The likelihood of being injured or killed in this new unit is much higher than if you just stayed in the RA.
“So what’s going to happen next? Over the next two weeks, everyone in the division is going to be medically screened to see if you can make the cut to join. Then and only then will you be asked if you’d like to stay in the RA or transition to Special Forces. Don’t take this decision lightly; take a day or two and think about it. As a matter of fact, today is Friday. As the Army Group commander, I’m going to give you all a forty-eight-hour pass to consider this decision. When you come back Sunday night, be ready to make a declaration of what you’d like to do next.”
General McGinnis went on for a few more minutes, then the division commander talked briefly before they were dismissed.
*******
Sitting on the veranda of a restaurant overlooking Lake Geneva, Pauli sipped on the glass of water the waitress had just brought him. The cold liquid felt good as it ran down his throat to his stomach. He closed his eyes and lifted his face up to the three suns, letting their warmth soak into his skin.
“You all right there, Pauli?” asked Yogi. “Are ya expecting that beautiful waitress to come over here and plant a big kiss on you or something?” he chided good-naturedly and then proceeded to down half his beer.
Pauli laughed as he opened his eyes. “No, I’m not waiting for her to give me a kiss. I’m just taking in the sun. This last day has been amazing. A few-hour hike through the woods to see that waterfall, a short dip in the lake, and now this. What more could I have asked for?”
“Um, how about getting laid? That’s about the only other thing that’d cap off a perfect day for me,” Yogi said, laughing to himself.
Pauli shook his head. “And you wonder why you’re single.”
Feigning a hurt look, Yogi countered, “It’s not like any of us have been around civilians we could date. You know the captain and Top frown on that inside the company.”
Chuckling, Pauli replied, “Frown on, sure. Stop, not so much. But, yeah, I get it. For us, it’s best if we don’t have a girlfriend or anything that we’re tied to. You see how hard it is on the married soldiers. I can’t imagine having a kid and not seeing them for two or three years as we move around the galaxy like we do. It’d be too tough.”
Yogi nodded, then turned serious again. “This Ranger thing, are you going to join it or still go to Delta school?”
Pauli had been mulling it over all weekend. Since they had arrived on New Eden, he’d been given an official start date for Delta selection. It had been a dream of his for years to join Special Forces. This new opportunity with the Rangers, though, was filling him with second thoughts.
“I’m thinking long and hard about it, that’s for sure,” he finally said.
“That’s what she said,” Yogi countered, trying to control his laughter.
“Damn, dude. I’m trying to be serious here and you’re busy cracking jokes.” Pauli kicked his friend under the table.
The two laughed for a few minutes until their waitress came back over with their food. They’d both ordered a sixteen-ounce Andoran steak, cooked medium with a red wine reduction sauce, twice-baked potatoes, and green beans cooked in bacon fat. The smell was divine, and the dish looked so appetizing.
“Oh, man. This steak looks amazing, Pauli,” said Yogi as he used his hands to waft more of the hot steam up to his nose. The two of them dug into the meal, slicing off modest-sized pieces as they got down to business.
There weren’t a lot of steers on New Eden yet. They were still bringing them over and growing the cattle population. But they had found another animal they’d named Andora as a good substitute. The animals were huge, about twice the size of an American buffalo, so the amount of edible meat on them was sizable. They were also in great abundance on the planet. Even better, the Andora was a very lean, protein-rich meat with other essential minerals and vitamins in it—to the point that many considered it a miracle meat. Needless to say, Andora ranching was starting to become a new cottage industry on the planet.
“So, back to my question, what are you thinking, Pauli? Are you going to stay?” asked Yogi as he held his fork in one hand and his steak knife in the other.
Pauli swallowed some of his twice-baked potatoes. “I’ll tell you in a minute, but what are you going to do?” he said, turning the question back on his friend. “Are you staying in the RA, getting out at the
end of the stop-loss, or staying in to join the Rangers?”
“I’m staying,” Yogi responded, speaking with his mouth full, which really irked Pauli. “I’m going to join this new Ranger unit the SF is creating. I know I complain about the Army, but honestly, I really enjoy the friendships and comradery. I also know what these bastards are capable of, and I want to do what I can to keep them away from my family. Back home, I’m the oldest of seven kids. Like you, I joined at eighteen. The rest of my siblings are six years younger than me and on down. By staying in the Army, I can hopefully prevent my brothers and sisters from having to join. As long as I’m in, with that new family cap policy, the Army can’t draft any of my siblings.”
“What’s the family cap?” asked Pauli, leaning forward. “I hadn’t heard of that.”
Yogi seemed surprised by the question. “Basically, the government has said one out of every four kids in a family can be subject to the draft. That way, no one family could end up bearing too much of the burden of serving the Republic. It’s the only deferment they’re making in the draft. So, because my parents have seven children, I’m the only one that could be drafted. None of my little brothers or sisters have to worry about being drafted so long as I’m still in.”
Pauli nodded as he finished his potato. “That’s pretty neat that you’re doing that for your brothers and sisters, Yogi. I hope they realize how special a big brother they have to do that for them.”
Yogi laughed. “Oh, they do. They ask me every year if I’m still planning on staying in or what I’m planning on doing. None of them want to get drafted. Well, let me take that back. My youngest sister, she’s like ten. She wants to serve. She wants to fly those F-97 Orions. I got her a drone version for Christmas, and it’s all she talks about. My mom wasn’t too happy with me getting her that toy—you know, wanting the baby of the family to always be safe and never go off to do anything dangerous and all. But, Pauli, I thought you had brothers and sisters? I’m pretty sure you’ve shown me some pictures before.”