by JR Handley
She continued firing, watching as some of the Cadets got hit in the water, and hoped that the judges wouldn’t let any of them drown. As she sought out another target, one of her Cadets in the tree perch was hit, leaving her with two. After finding where Cadet Dawson Bankolle had fallen, she was glad that he was already unconscious when he hit the ground. From her angle, it looked like he had a broken arm. There was no way the human body is meant to move at that angle. Hopefully we can end this fight and get him to a medic as quickly as possible.
When the enemy Cadets finally crossed the river, there were 13 of them left, and they seemed to have unintentionally angled themselves towards 3rd Squad. When they passed her, she climbed down the ladder which had been carved into the tree and grabbed the last two Cadets in her squad. After a brief second to gather her wits, she told them to shoot the enemy in front of her while the enemy was engaging their peers in 3rd Squad.
— Chapter 38 —
Conteh Assault Force
1st Section, 3rd Squad, Whiskey Company
The battle raged, though most of the enemy rounds struck the trees and foliage around Conteh and his section. After a quick head count, he saw that he was down to four Cadets of the six he started with. Unaware of how many Isabella had lost, he contemplated sending a runner to her when he saw the most bizarre sight he’d ever seen from a defending unit in a training exercise. By Horden’s Hairy Balls, those stupid frakkers are charging us. What in the name of Bardo was their sergeant thinking?
He observed that there were 20 enemy Cadets charging towards the Dynia River. Not bad, we caused more casualties than there were of us. Now that we’re safe from any criticism in the after action review, let’s have some fun. Taking a breath to calm his enthusiasm, he noted that someone had just dropped the Chaos Company sergeant. Without someone experienced to make the call and read the field, things began looking up for his Cadets. Smiling with a glee that bordered on insanity, he reloaded his carbine and swapped out the last ammunition carousel for his railgun darts, before acquiring a target and firing.
During the charge, one of Conteh’s Cadets was hit by a stray round, leaving him with only three. Damn, if I count myself, that leaves a fire team. Trying to find something positive, he noted that after the crazy charge across the river, only 13 of the enemy reached the other side. Realizing that they were angling towards his positions, he could only hope that whatever was left of 4th Squad would hit them from their rear. While the enemy were trying to scan the ground for any firing holes, he fired at them, dropping three more.
A quick inventory told him that he was the last of his unit in the trees, the rest were unconscious from the neurotoxin gel rounds, but Conteh knew that regardless of the outcome they’d more than accomplished their goal for the battle. When he assessed the enemy, he counted approximately ten of them left fighting. As he was reading the field, he saw another enemy Cadet drop. The frakker fell forward. They were hit from behind! He didn’t even get to process that thought before he spotted Isabella and two Cadets charging the enemy’s rear.
Unfortunately, the enemy realized they were being hit from behind as well, and turned around to take out the rest of 4th Squad. Isabella lay twitching on the ground, one of the enemy Cadets stopped to spit on her, receiving a rubber bullet to the head for his trouble. Realizing that he’d been seen by the armored judges, Conteh knew he had to expect issues from his shot. Shit, I’m gonna have to answer for that head shot but, damn you, a Cadet shouldn’t spit on a sergeant of any unit. That’s it, that’s what I tell the review panel. And if they ask, I say remedial training and a few demerits would satisfy the honor of the company.
While their back was to him, Conteh, still on his tree perch and his remaining two Cadets in their firing holes, took out two more enemy Cadets. Sadly, it only took the enemy a brief second to wipe out 4th Squad before they turned around and engaged his unit again. And now there are seven of them left, he smirked as he realized that the odds were looking up. During the ensuing melee of rounds Conteh lost another Cadet to incoming fire. “Damn, that frakking armored lunkhead of a judge gave his position away!” he bellowed into the cacophony of weapons fire.
With the loss of another of his Cadets, Conteh knew the two remaining were only fighting five from the enemy company. They still haven’t bothered looking up? Damn, what was their sergeant teaching them? Shrugging, Conteh used his unexpected advantage and dropped two more Cadets. Before he could even get excited that he had just evened the odds, leaving the 828th with only three Cadets, one of his riflemen, Cadet Samantha Kothari, screamed at her battle buddy, jumped up from her firing hole and counter charged the enemy that was right on top of them.
Surprised at the counter-charge, Conteh watched Cadet Kothari drop another of the enemy before she was in the thick of things with her buddy Cadet Kaden Vega. At the extreme close range, the Cadets on the ground found that carbine shots were hard to make safely. Conteh couldn’t get a clear shot either, which greatly frustrated him. As he was preparing to abandon his elevated perch, he saw a smiling Cadet Vega, looking slightly insane, pull out a neurotoxin training grenade. Pulling the pin, he grabbed one of the enemy in a bear hug, taking both of them into a pharmaceutically induced slumber.
Frakk me, I hope he isn’t that crazy in a real battle! We will have to have a long talk about this when this battle winds down. In the confusion, Cadet Kothari was able to shove the male Cadet from Chaos Company away, and as he stumbled back, Conteh shot him in the chest with an electro shock dart, having run out of the neurotoxin gel rounds for his SA-71 railgun carbine.
After taking the shot that eliminated the enemy unit from the field, Conteh gathered up his gear and climbed down from the tree. When he finally got back down on the ground he stretched out and nodded to Cadet Kothari. “That was a good call, counter charging like that,” he told her. “Now grab all the rounds you can carry and let’s try rolling their flanks! We can meet the captain in the middle and steal some of Sergeant Scipio’s thunder!”
— Chapter 39 —
Main Assault Force, Whiskey Company
After pushing through his exhaustion, Lance was able to reach the clearing just in time to see other smaller groups doing the same. Realizing that they couldn’t be seen until they crested the small hill the clearing nestled behind, he had Basil start getting the units to fall in by squad, while directing the sergeants to report to him and the captain. “Basil, once you have the units forming up I want you to find me,” he told his faithful companion. “In the meantime, have them all re-apply their protective gel coatings. I didn’t take that into account when I planned the battle, and we’ve all been out in the sun’s lethal rays for too long. Thanks!”
As soon as he found the captain, he requested permission to let the unit have five minutes to rest and change their socks before the final assault. When the time had come and gone, he rounded up all of the NCOs and had Basil perform a quick head count. Luckily everyone but the XO’s group had arrived, leaving them with 105 Cadets and sergeants for the final assault. That would be plenty Lance thought, if they were able to maintain the element of surprise.
Once all of the sergeants had fallen in around Captain Grigonna, she nodded at Lance and ordered him to begin the briefing. “Yes, ma’am, as I’m sure you all saw, the Dynia River Flank fired their early detection flare about twenty minutes ago. That means we need to launch now, instead of the hour break we’d planned on taking here. I know everyone is tired, but events on the field have changed our plans. If we don’t go now, we risk losing the momentum. What we need is for Sergeant Keita to direct the placement of all four Fermi Cannons. Preferably we can have them slaved together in such a way as to require one operator, if not they’ll have to work without their assistant gunner today. Also, if Captain Grigonna would be so good as to assist Sergeant Keita?”
When both Sergeant Keita and Captain Grigonna nodded their heads in the affirmative, Lance continued. “Good, we need you to scan the field and select targets.
Prioritize them and pick whoever you want in charge of the combined battery of missile launchers and cannons. They need to be someone you trust to read the field and adapt as needed. That should take you about ten minutes, and then we’ll do our final briefing with Whiskey Company, and you’ll sound the charge. In the meantime, Basil and I will check everyone’s equipment and conduct a last-minute PCI. Ultimately this will be the pre-combat inspection that saves the 6907th from the Cull, so it’s important. Unless there are any questions, I will have the company ready for you when you’re done. Ma’am?”
Captain Grigonna stood up to her full height and nodded at Lance. “Thank you, Sergeant, you’ve done a remarkable job planning this exercise. If everything works, I will recommend commendations for all of Whiskey Company’s sergeants. Yes, that means you too, Sergeant Keita. The battalion’s officers have a bet going on as to how many more medals it will take before you can’t walk upright in your dress uniform.” After the laughter died down the captain scanned the group and was interrupted by Basil running over to bring a bit of news to Lance.
“Excuse me, Sergeant Scipio,” snarled Captain Grigonna, “might you keep your personal dealings to yourself? We have Marine business to discuss.”
Lance took a deep breath. That tick near the captain’s eye means she’s pretty pissed.
After raising his finger, indicating that he needed a moment, Lance leaned over towards Basil to find out why he interrupted. When he was given the news, he nodded and turned to his captain and passed it along. “Ma’am, the XO has been spotted about two klicks out. They’ve got an injured Cadet with them but Basil ordered our fastest runner to tell Lieutenant Cresil that she needs to report in immediately. The Cadets will get here as soon as safely possible, but the XO should be here in under five minutes. That gives you options, ma’am, as to whom to leave manning the Whiskey Company battery. Obviously they need to keep the enemy’s heads down when they see us coming, providing covering fire until we’re in range, but beyond that they can slash through their ranks if the gunners are well led.”
Giving a reluctant nod, Captain Grigonna acknowledged the interruption. “I’d bet a barrel of the finest Jotun whiskey that the XO makes it here in under three minutes, Sergeant. As for the Fermi Battery, when the XO gets here, she will lead it because she’s an expert on heavy weapons. The rest of you, I want those PCIs done yesterday! Sergeant Scipio, do we have a wager?”
Never one to pass up a good bet, Lance nodded in the affirmative. “Double or nothing says she can’t break four minutes, ma’am” The manner with which she sheathed and unsheathed her clawed hands would’ve scared him when he was a crècheling, but Lance hoped it merely meant she’d not begrudge him if he won… but the XO might have some explaining to do.
–Two Minutes, 58 Seconds Later–
Smirking, Captain Grigonna nodded to Lance. “I believe you owe me two cases of the finest Jotun Whiskey you sergeants have hidden in the NCO Lounge. I trust you’re honorable enough to satisfy your debts, Sergeant?”
Irked at the loss of his prized contraband, he could only glumly nod.
“Good, I will have the XO finish positioning the cannons while we conduct our final PCI and briefing. I expect final movement in ten minutes. Whatever’s happening on the other flanks can’t change our plans this late in the game.”
Once she spoke to the XO, Captain Grigonna nodded to Lance and they headed over to the rest of the company. With an ease that only came of years of training, he was able to thoroughly inspect each Cadet NCO’s combat readiness in under two minutes, freeing them to repeat the process for their fire teams. Four minutes after it began, the PCI was completed, and Basil was able to fix the only two weapons issues they found. Apparently the mountainous trek was too much for these training model SA-71s, noted an irked Lance. I’ll never understand why we abandoned better technology.
With the inspection complete, Captain Grigonna addressed the Cadets who would be following her into battle in a few short moments. “Cadets, this training exercise marks the culmination of your terrestrial training in small unit tactics. Win or lose, it seeks to prove what you’ve learned and determine whether or not you can apply it practically. That said, it’s total ginquin shit to say winning doesn’t matter. Winning always matters, so be careful on the downhill charge. Don’t lose your footing and be aware of muzzle discipline… No friendly fire incidents under my command, that’s an automatic lane to Auxtown. When we are done rolling the enemy’s flank, proving the value of everything you’ve learned, you can congratulate yourselves. Until then, you keep your head on a swivel. Stay alert, stay alive! If it gets to a hand-to-hand fight, try not to kill them but given the choice of you or them, you choose to keep fighting! In a moment we will form up at the crest of the hill, and when the signal is given, we will charge like the very devil is on our heels screaming our war cry. Wait for the Fermi Cannon to signal the assault, now line up!”
With a cheer, muted by a universal fear that the enemy might hear them and cost them their victory, the company lined up at the crest of the hill ready to charge their unsuspecting foes. No sooner were they in position than the Fermi Cannon let loose. Hearing the long report of the cannon, Captain Grigonna bellowed her war cry at the top of her lungs, and while the translation was lost on her Marine Cadets, its intent was not, and they cheerfully followed her as she began running downhill towards the enemy.
— Chapter 40 —
Front Lines, Whiskey Company
Mosi Okeke had just sat down to rest his feet, having made numerous treks up and down the line to motivate his Cadets, when the distant sound of a Fermi Cannon crackled in the distance. Knowing the battle was finally here, he jumped and spread the word down the line to prepare to charge. Moment of truth, how much better was the ancient relic of a crècheling sergeant than what I learned as a Cadet?
After standing up and donning his Mini, Mosi screamed ‘charge’ at the top of his lungs. As he bounded over the barricade his Cadets had spent the last day and a half building, he screamed the war cry which was always just below the surface. He didn’t even have to look over to know that his Cadets were following him, but he was impressed to note that the AuxTechs had kept their collective words and followed into the fray. Glancing left and right as he fired, he was gratified that his Cadets were using the craters to leap frog forward. And not a one was bunching up! If we win this, I think I’ll owe the Cadets a party…but the captain is gonna foot the cost of the grok.
When the Cadets got to the halfway mark, having left a few twitching on the ground to enemy rounds, they stalled out. Mosi realized that they were hunkering down and hoping to avoid the electroshock darts. As he was about to extol them to push forward, go the last bit to buy the captain time to roll the flanks, Holly, one of the AuxTechs stood up firing her rifle from the side. It took a moment for Mosi to catch what she was screaming. “Follow me, you louts. Forward to Victory!”
Deciding they couldn’t let an Auxie outfight them, not if they sought to remain in the Marine Cadet Corps, they rose as one and charged, screaming with her. “Forward to Victory!”
— Chapter 41 —
Front Lines, Chaos Company
After pacing the line for a few hours, Captain Arahi mused to himself that he just might win without the enemy ever really fighting. I’ve never heard of a unit sitting out a CCTE, but their time is running out. He wasn’t fazed at the distant sound of a Fermi Cannon going off, since another battalion in his regiment was supposed to do a live fire exercise today. However, when the enemy gunners charged his front, he paid attention. Whiskey Company is sending in their new gunners to weaken the line. Interesting choice, but it’ll cost them.
As soon as those foolish Cadets began their charge, his sergeants jumped into action and the battle was officially engaged. Arahi screamed to his Cadets to get their heads back to the task at hand. “Watch the front, that’s where they’ve massed their guns. Make them pay for such an idiotic strategy, make them pay!”
&nb
sp; The Cadets of Chaos Company didn’t need much encouraging, they were bored, and the apparent stupidity of the charge convinced them that they’d already won. A few, if they were honest, would admit they were already planning their celebrations, counting the barrels of grok the captain would surely allot them afterwards.
When the enemy gunners stalled out in the craters that littered the field, having taken some casualties along the way, the sergeants began to echo the captain’s orders. “Cover those craters, their assault’s broken. Use your grenades and cover the craters.”
The tactic, however, was only marginally successful. Too many grenades ended up in the same crater, leaving large swaths of the enemy Mini gunners still in the fight.
Looking at the enemy in front of him, Captain Arahi gleefully noted the armored Marine judges stopping in several of the craters. Each one of them meant a confirmed kill for the event. By the Holy Mother, those humans think they can take me! My Cadets made them bleed for it, one third of their new practice guns for a mere half of the field. Just when he was convinced that the assault was going to break, giving him targets to hit while they retreated towards their lines, a solitary figure stood up and charged. He couldn’t hear what she said among the confusion and momentarily brilliant flashes of the muzzles, but whatever it was motivated them, because shortly afterwards the rest of the enemy rose and followed her.
Preoccupied with taking out the enemy Mini-guns, the Cadets in Chaos Company missed the weakening of their Akoni Mountain Flank. Captain Arahi, having glanced down towards his extreme right flank, fleetingly thought that Sergeant Tapaka needed to regain his squad’s disciplined defensive posture before re-engaging the enemy immediately in front of him. After a second thought, he grabbed one of his Cadets off the line and ordered him to be his runner.