After being poked, prodded, and trained how to use the implants for almost a month we were finally given the green light to start combat training. It is difficult getting used to my responsibilities changing from primarily being told what my squad needed to do, to being given a task and having to make the plan on how to do that task for the entire platoon. Simultaneously there is tremendous and not a lot of freedom at this level.
"Alice, can you give me a rundown of what the training will consist of for getting us prepared for our assignment?" I asked. Even though we had been spending our breakfasts in silence getting used to the comms implant I still felt more comfortable talking aloud, as did the other soldiers.
"You will be conducting urban assault, orbital insertion, and boarding exercises." She never used the speakers anymore since I received the implant.
"So have they finally decided where we are going?"
"Your assignment has been determined but details are not available. As your unit is deemed capable of carrying out the mission you will be provided more information." She said with a little more life. She was getting better about it as time went on and I talked to her. She must still be learning what she needs to interact.
"How long will we be training for before they make up their minds?"
"Approximately eight terran months."
"That's a little longer than we first thought but it seems like a very short time to learn all that." I say mostly to myself.
"Every member of the expedition was selected because of previous experience and training in the types of mission that fit the profile of the assignment."
That's odd. As far as I'm aware, none of the service members have any experience in orbital insertion because the space infrastructure was not there to do those kinds of things. When I was alive the first time they had just started to get the space infrastructure going beyond novelty.
There had been some debate on how orbital insertion would be done, but the major thing that was always brought up as a problem was the amount of time that would be spent hanging in the air. If you went too fast the possibility of turning into paste, either on the way or at the end, went up exponentially. If you took your time the bad guys had more time to shoot at you. It was always seen as a risky idea. Most people didn't realize that between low earth orbit and the ground started at 2000 kilometers.
"How will the insertion happen?" I asked, my interest peaked.
"It is a complex maneuver where battleships bombard any potential anti-space emplacements before a drop corvette uses its heavy front armor to shield the smaller drop craft released behind it to give them time to slow down and not be easily seen by the enemy."
That makes sense. The more speed you have going in the brighter in the sky you are. Bad times for a combat operation.
"Ok thank you Alice." She didn't reply. I started to write up my plans for the training that was coming up. We would start with urban training to brush up and get everyone on the same page. Scouting would be a little different for me, not to mention handling the medics, but I can adapt. After getting my plans into the Captain she sent an affirmative and I drifted off to sleep.
"Ok so there, here is the plan. I will take first and third and check out the main complex. Staff Sergeant Reigns, you will take your squad and check out those buildings right here." Lieutenant Haynes said pointing to what looked like some small houses between the water and church. "From there, your squad will act as an overwatch element and make sure that no reinforcements come from the water. I don't need to tell any of you how far we have come during this war. We are so close to chasing the Russians back into their own country. Once we free this last town, Latvia will be free and we can focus on the other Baltic states. They are holding up in the Roman Church hoping that we won't knock down a religious building. Looks like they were paying attention during the Iraq/Afghan wars. First and second platoons will be headed into the city to sweep the areas closest to the Church while the rest of the battalion clears the larger parts of the city. After they get done, they will come back us up because intel says something important is in the church. Any questions?"
YOU ARE READING
Reclamation
Science Fiction"You can rest when you are dead" is a famous line from movies and drill sergeants. But what happens when that isn't really the truth. Andre Reigns and hundreds of thousands of military members from wars all through the 21st century are about to find...
