by Saxon Andrew
The five platoons moved as quickly as possible and reformed their ranks. Halley said, “The warrior that was running with me at the end, come forward now!” A young man ran out of ranks and stood at attention in front of the company. “Soldier, what’s your name?”
“Rizzo, Sir but I’m a warrior, not a soldier.”
Halley smiled, “Do you know the difference?”
“Yes Sir, I do.”
“Mr. Rizzo, you are promoted to Captain and will assume command of this company. I expect you to submit the names of those who will lead it with you.” Halley looked at the Company, “Are you ready to learn how to kill Gracken?”
“YES SIR!!!”
“We’re going to start the process here in the open. Everyone activate your combat helmets and scroll to the alarm app.” Halley waited and after a moment said, “I want you to set the alarm for eight seconds. Once you have it set, drag it to the force field menu and drop it on the force field sensor.” Halley waited and after three minutes said, “Now, every time your force field is hit with a Gracken you’ll receive an alarm eight seconds later. If you are designated number one, you will ignore that alarm and wait for the next one. If you’re designated number two, you will step behind your designated partner and wait for your force field to achieve full charge. On the second alarm, you will step up next to your partner and go full auto. Once you’re covering your fire zone, which should be done in two seconds, your partner will step behind you and wait for their force field to completely recharge. Are there any questions?”
“What if our force field is not close to being drained?”
“You will still step back. This is a pattern that you will have to coordinate with your fellow warriors. Now activate the force field menu and pull up the sensor icon.”
Thirty minutes later, the warriors in A Company had their alarms and force fields set properly. Halley used Rizzo to demonstrate the pattern and then had them do it slowly for an hour. Then she speeded the process up.
At the end of the day, the company was doing a pretty good job of stepping up and back. On the third day, she had them go in the armory and practice against a Gracken charge. It was on the tenth day that they completed the program. Of the five hundred Warriors that started the training, twenty nine were washed out; they just couldn’t maintain the rhythm consistently. Halley drove the company hard and in three weeks they had perfected the Aman Square. At that point, Halley called the company together and had them stand at attention in front of the armory.
The fort’s senior Staff Sergeant stood beside her and she smiled. “As most of you know, I have been given a regiment to train to take on the Gracken. What all of you probably don’t know is that you were selected to be a part of this first company that completed initial training. You were selected based on your intelligence, leadership abilities as well as physical skills. Captain Rizzo is promoted to Major and will command the first Battalion in my Regiment.” Halley looked at the clip board Sgt. Allen was holding and said, “Lee Jennings, you are also promoted to Major and will command my Second Battalion.” Those standing around Lee began slapping him on the back. Halley saw the shock on the new Major’s face and smiled, “Don’t act surprised, Major. You’ve worked with many of your fellow warriors to improve their performance on your own time. You deserve this.”
Halley smiled, “Sgt. Allen will be announcing your new assignments. Ten of you are going to be blessed to be in the best regiment on the planet…mine…and you will be given a company to command. The rest of you are being sent to fifty regiments to take command of a company of ground troops. You will start getting your warriors ready to fight. You just completed training and while it’s fresh on your minds, you will begin getting your commands ready. Two companies have been trained simultaneously to get our commanders prepared. We have a thousand companies and now we have the company commanders needed to move us forward. I expect all of you to make me proud. Congratulations and don’t waste any time getting your units ready for combat.”
The men in A Company were stunned by the announcement and then they began celebrating as Sgt. Allen announced their regiments. Halley waited and once her ten captains were announced she called them together. She looked at Rizzo and Jennings and said, “The two of you decide which five will report to you. The transports will be arriving in three hours and your ten companies will be assigned to the barracks on this end of the fort. Rizzo, you have seniority on Jennings but I expect your two battalions to be evenly balanced in their leaders; you got that?”
Rizzo shouted, “Yes Sir.”
“Your companies have five platoons of a hundred men each. I expect you to select the absolute best candidates to promote to Lieutenant to command one of your platoons. Your company commanders will run your selections through your battalion commander before bringing them to me. Be prepared to defend your choices. I also expect the new lieutenants to select their squad leaders and follow the same process. You’re going to have to examine the videos of your units training and look for the ones the others are deferring to and attempting to imitate. Those will be the ones you’ll want to focus on. That is how you were chosen to be here. Understand that I will be keeping a close eye on all of you and if you don’t have what it takes, I will replace you.” The twelve new officers looked at Halley and their respect was quickly turning into admiration. Halley smiled, “Rizzo, you and Jennings are going to have to go to Colonel Bowen and learn how to coordinate the mobile arms that will be used with your battalions. You will learn how to use the artillery, blaster, tank, and air assets against a Gracken attack. I will also hold you accountable for getting your battalions trained properly.” Haley stared at her officers, “I got to keep the best in my unit. I know you can do this. Now get organized and come up with a plan on setting the correct climate for our new warriors.”
Rizzo shouted, “Attenshun!” The twelve went to attention and saluted Halley. She returned their salute and walked away.
Rizzo watched her go and looked at the others, “Alright, I want you to line up in the order of your overall effective score during combat simulations.” Jennings watched the ten new company commanders line up with the best score first followed by the others in descending order. Rizzo looked at Jennings, “How do you want to do this?”
“Their scores are not that far apart. We’ll flip a coin; heads you get odd; tails you get even.”
One of the Captains said, “Sir, why don’t you allow us to decide?”
Rizzo and Jennings looked at the speaker and Rizzo said, “What’s your name?”
“Bates, Sir.”
“Do you think you could do a better job?”
“Sir, the two of you probably don’t know that we all trained together in second platoon. Our platoon’s score was the best of the five. Five of us worked together most of the time during training. I suspect we’d be better off to stay together, Sir.”
Rizzo smiled, “Lee, I think he makes a good point.”
“I agree.”
Rizzo looked at Bates, “Alright, get it done now. We have work to do.”
• • •
Halley watched the officers on the display in her carrier and smiled. They did what was right and weren’t trying to impress each other with their new ranks. This was a good initial step forward. Now keep them focused and moving in the right direction.
• • •
General Armstrong looked at Mike and shook his head, “There has to be a better vehicle to attack these creatures from the air.”
Mike looked at the former Air Force Chief of Staff and shook his head, “Unfortunately, that is going to require extensive development and construction of manufacturing facilities to bring a new aircraft into existence. The time required to do that is far too long for practical purposes. We’re modifying the aircraft we have and will have to make do with them during the early stages of this war.”
Armstrong looked down and slowly shook his head, “What will a Warthog be able to do against a technologically advanced enemy?”
Mike lifted his left shoulder and said, “More than you think. The enemy’s blasters will not damage the structure of the A-10. We only have to put a force field around the pilot’s canopy.”
“But their heavy blasters blow through the smaller force fields. The pilot will be disintegrated as soon as a heavy blaster platform hits his plane.”
“No, not instantly; the plane is lighter than it was before and is much more maneuverable. It won’t be easily hit.”
Armstrong stared at Mike, “Are we talking about the same aircraft? The A-10s aren’t dirt slow but close to it.”
“They’ve had their jets changed to modern Assembly Thrusters. They also have mini-thrusters on the wings and fuselage. They are incredibly nimble. As a matter of fact, the old A-10 pilots aren’t able to fly the modified Warthogs.”
“Then who is flying them?”
“The best pilots are the young men who have been raised on video games. They appear to be able to use the atmosphere in conjunction with the thrusters to really make the A-10 incredibly nimble.” Mike paused and smiled, “And since the canopy is the only place that needs to be protected, we’ve been able to put a full power force field in the plane.”
“How long can it withstand a Heavy Blaster Platform?”
“About thirty seconds.”
“Thirty seconds!?! They’ll be shot out of the sky before they can do any damage.”
Mike shook his head, “General, the A-10s can come in and deliver ten thousand heavy rounds in less than twenty seconds. In another ten seconds it can be two miles away and outside the range of the Gracken heavy blasters. It will recharge its force field in ten seconds and get back into the fight.”
“Mike, I know you’re one of the most knowledgeable about combat aircraft but do you honestly think this plane will survive in this new type of battlefield?”
“It really doesn’t matter what I think, General. They’re all we have and they’re going to have to protect our ground forces from the Gracken heavy blasters.”
“Where did you find the pilots?” Mike looked uncomfortable and Armstrong’s eyebrows came together. “What are you not telling me?”
Mike blew out a breath and said, “Most of them are between fifteen and seventeen years old.”
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??”
“They are the only ones with the reflexes to get the most out of the Hogs. The kids have flown circles around the old timers in all the training exercises.”
“Old timers?”
“Older than twenty.”
“What parent in their right mind is going to allow their children to go into combat?”
Mike sighed “My grandson is one of them, General.” Armstrong just stared at Mike. “Adams’ son is also in the wing.”
Armstrong slowly shook his head, “May God have mercy on them.”
Mike nodded. Some of the choices being made were almost too much to bear.
• • •
Mike walked into Sparta’s main communication center and saw Tilly asleep at the main console. He shook his head; she had been forced into shouldering so much of the load. He wondered if he had what was needed to do this. He walked up to her chair and stared at her. Her brown hair was starting to show some grey. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. Tilly smiled, “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to do that.”
Mike smiled as Tilly wrapped her arms around his neck, “I smelled you when you came in.” Mike held her tight and she felt the tension in his shoulders, “What’s wrong?”
Mike sighed, “I just don’t know if I’m up to this, Tills. I’m second guessing myself on everything I decide.”
“I heard John was given a Warthog.” Mike lowered his eyes and shook his head. “Mike, we don’t have the luxury of just sending anyone out to face this enemy. If the pilots of the Hogs aren’t good, we’ll lose all air support for our troops. I’ve seen the tests and the kids are going to have to carry that particular load.”
“What did Jeff say?”
“He was ticked off that John was better than he was.”
Mike snickered, “That sounds like Jeff.”
“Sit down, Mike.”
Mike went and pulled a chair over to the main console and Tilly held his hand, “Mike, the forts are growing quickly. Most of the populations have settled into their new homes and though a number of manufacturing centers have been built, there’s not enough work for many of those that want to contribute. The number of warriors being trained will soon be a million and I suspect it will be two million in less than another six months. We are slowly getting back up to speed on learning how to fight.”
“What about the regulation that everyone on the planet older than twelve has to wear a portable force field and carry a Sliver gun?”
Tilly’s brown eyes twinkled, “The little bit of crime we had vanished. It appears no one wants to take on anyone with warrior training. The crazies that came here have been pretty much eliminated.” Mike smiled. “One more thing.” Mike looked in her eyes. “You know we brought a huge number of tanks here from Earth?” Mike nodded, “Salter and Anotoly have developed a tank round that is pretty devastating. It appears the tanks will be the artillery platforms for our warriors.”
“But how will they stand up to the heavy blasters?”
“The tanks can carry a Q ship’s force field. They’ll give much more than they take, Mike. You should take a look at the initial trials.”
“Tilly…I need to see you more often.”
Tilly laughed, “Then do it! I’ve missed you more than you know. Oh, and one more thing?”
“What is that?”
“The communities have stabilized and we don’t have to spend so much time getting them working together. It is coming together, Mike. You just can’t see the whole picture when you’re standing so close to it.”
“I’d be lost without you making this happen, Tills.”
“Well, you can thank Janet and Eric as well. I couldn’t have done this alone.”
Mike stared in Tilly’s eyes and sighed, “I wish we had brought our old music collection with us. I miss dancing with you.”
Tilly smiled and turned around to the console and pressed a button. She scrolled down a list and pressed the button again. The speakers in the room began playing a solid rhythm and Mike smiled and sang along with the old Gene Pitney song as he took Tilly in his arms and began slow dancing.
“I hardly ever thank the stars above, for sending me your very precious love.”
“You’ll never hear me say a prayer thanking some one way affair for sending such a lucky break…oh no darling…it’ll be with every breath I take.” Tilly leaned in and kissed Mike deeply. They continued holding each other until the song ended and then they heard clapping behind them.
“I think you two should get out of here and let the professionals work.”
Mike and Tilly turned and saw Janet and Eric standing in the doorway. Mike smiled, “Thanks, guys. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
Janet smiled, “Yeah, yeah, yeah; now get out of here and take some time to catch up.”
Mike took Tilly’s hand and walked out of the main communication center. He was ready to work the next day. Tilly always brought the best out of him.
Chapter Eight
Josh banked the Warthog at an impossible angle and used the wing’s upper thrusters to push the plane into a descent that was stopped with the lower thrusters on the wing. He absently thought that the hog would have lost a wing in its previous configuration. The new fuselage was incredibly strong and the gravity units relieved much of the stress on frame. He saw the target maneuvering a mile ahead and lined up the shot in his helmet.
The cursor started flashing and he gently pushed the firing button on the steering wheel. He immediately released the button but two hundred rounds hit the target and exploded it into fragments. He whipped the Hog hard left and then back to the right as training beams from other mobile targets began to re
ach out. He pulled up and went to full thrusters as he pressed the mass button under his left thumb. The plane flashed into the atmosphere and Josh saw that he had been hit by two beams making his escape. He shook his head and knew that maneuver was not one to use. “If the targets could hit him…” He sighed. Getting in to attack ground targets against modern computer guided beams was extremely difficult. He read the intensity of the training beams and saw that his Hog would have survived…but barely. He checked the playback and saw that he was hit when he went vertical. Ummm…what if he had just stayed low and flew away close to the ground. He looked at his threat display on his helmet’s visor and saw two mobile targets separated by two miles.
He dropped the plane’s right wing and applied thrust from the two Assembly thrusters on top of the fuselage. The Hog screamed down to the surface and Josh added mass to stabile the flight pattern. He was twenty feet off the ground and watched the first target getting closer. The cursor flashed and he pressed the trigger and the mass button simultaneously as he banked the plane ninety degrees to the left and then flattened his approach at the second target. He added mass and began firing as the target began moving toward the cursor on his visor. The stream of shells walked across the target and caused it to explode. He reduced mass and broke hard left. He applied full thrusters and went supersonic instantly. The sonic boom roared across the landscape as he flashed away from the area of the exercise. He pulled back on the wheel and the Warthog went vertical. He looked at his scanner and saw that he had not been hit by any training beams.
He sat in his plane cruising at seventy thousand feet above the surface of Sparta and felt the steering wheel begin to feel like a part of his hands. The old pilots had screamed at the removal of the sticks that were once used to fly the old warplane but with so many new systems, the stick just wouldn’t have worked. The old veterans wouldn’t buy into it until Josh and six other youngsters shot down twenty of them in an exercise. They tried to match the kids but just didn’t have the reflexes to pull it off. Josh knew the Assembly engineers were working hard to build a new airframe but they were at least two years away from having it completed and in production. Until then, the former aircraft of Earth’s Military were going to have to be modified and sent into combat.