Although he was confident and felt safe inside the wall they had created Elias was unsure of the effectiveness of their new defences. Because of this he also doubled the watch with each squad covering four hours rather than the two they had the previous night. Unable to sleep until he was satisfied they were secure with these arrangements Elias found himself in the northern edge of camp when the first attack of the night occurred.
"Grubs spotted east with one Swarm." Said Cora from squad two.
"Do you need assistance?" Elias was building on their awareness and this was a key part to calling out incoming threats. Rather than berate the recruit by simply asking he knew the message would get across.
"No assistance needed." She replied after a moment's hesitation.
Elias instructed the others to remain in position and moved over to monitor the situation first hand. He watched as she calmly raised her rifle and aimed for the nearest grub taking it down in two shots. She moved on to the next as the small group approaching her grew closer. Another shot and it was down to two grubs and the Swarm which were now coming up to the first ditch. He watched as the grubs were confused by the change in surface, the Swarm adapted much quicker and simply continued up the small incline leading to the second ditch. Cora switched aim as the bulk of the Swarm became visible. The drop to the second ditch made it pause long enough for her to shoot it several times in the chest, its vicious hiss turning to a gurgle and then silence as Elias watched her complete the kill.
He helped take down the remaining grubs which had reached the next area of Crust and rather than try and climb over were attempting to burrow into it.
"Interesting, they seem to have done some damage already." Elias mused as he finished off the last one.
"Sorry Sir?" Said Cora, thinking he was speaking to her.
"Nothing. Nice shooting." Elias started, trying to start with a compliment before continuing on. What had his least favourite manager called it, a shit-sandwich.
"Next time, focus on the bigger threat first. What would you have done if there were two Swarm and you let them get that close?" Elias asked.
"Yes Sir. I would have shot them both?" She hestitated to try and give the right answer. Elias gave her a stern look and decided to let that comment slip.
"Focus on the biggest threat in range. Sometimes that will be a greater number of lesser foes and sometimes it's the big scary thing running at you. You did well to pick the grub first but took too long to swap your focus to the Swarm. Remember for next time."
"Yes Sir." She replied, turning her attention back to the area she was monitoring as Elias walked away.
There were two more attacks, one from the southwest and another from the north that occurred in quick succession. Elias joined the recruits in each area and gave pointers and criticism of their defence. He knew the concentration of people and energy in the camp would attract the nearby Swarm first causing them to appear in what seemed a wave of attacks. Given the directions of approach so far it was likely they would have a break until the Swarm from further afield noticed the attractive nature of the camp and started to arrive. They would draw together as they came, with the outer groups picking up on the pheromone trails of those in front, speeding them towards their target. Rather than wait up for this next wave, Elias headed to his tent, pleased with how effective the defences had been so far.
Elias watched on his command display as squad one switched out with squad three. The overlap of guard shifts meant that squad two had another two hours to their watch. Squad one had a broken shift and would join squad five for the last two hours before they all woke to break camp. The recruits spaced themselves out as he watched with a member at each corner and midpoint of the square camp. The final two squad members were placed atop the carrier for any aerial attacks. Confident they knew what they were doing Elias finally fell asleep.
The second wave of attacks hit around three am. Squads three and four were on duty and were calling in the numbers and directions of Swarm.
"Three Swarm and eight grubs to the south. Requesting one to assist." Came the call from Three-three.
"Five, no, six Swarm approaching from the northwest. Requesting one to assist." Four-two called over the comms almost immediately after.
"Seven Swarm and over ten grubs coming in from east southeast. Requesting assistance." The third call came in from Three-four.
Elias sat at the edge of his campbed and worked out his options on the command display. He currently had a complete overview of the camp and the approaching attacks. He started moving the guards around mentally and filling in gaps as he worked. Biggest threat first he reminded himself.
"Four-five, move down to southeast corner to support Three-four. Four-four keep eyes on eastern direction for additional threat. Four-one, move up to support Four-two. Three-one, watch the west from on high. Three-five, support three-three from above." He noticed the overlapping points of view moving so certain areas became more vulnerable to move support in the directions of the attacks. The risk that the recruits on the carrier would need to address an aerial attack were slim and meant he could keep a three-sixty view.
Elias waited for his men to engage the Swarm. It was fascinating to see the dots on the overview indicate which recruits were firing; showing the Swarm numbers decrease as they approached and allow Elias to ensure no-one was being overwhelmed. The ability to watch three fights at once was so much greater than it would have been if he had left his tent to support one group. It was the first time he truly appreciated the benefit of commanding remotely.
"Four-two; check your battery." Elias could see a red flashing notification to tell him that they were down to their last shot. While being on the Crust gave a slow recharge to the batteries they would still run down if used constantly, something the new recruits were not compensating for.
"Three-five, disengage, let Three-three finish the group. Sweep a three-sixty overview to double check for any new threats." Elias could see his map update as the small areas between the current cover were reviewed.
Soon all the Swarm were eliminated and everyone back in primary positions. Elias woke twice more as two larger groups of Swarm attacked the camp. Both came from the south and given the additional support the two recruits on the carrier could give, they were wiped out without any trouble.
A third night with poor sleep meant Elias had to rely on a stim drink to get going in the morning. He could have managed without but wanted to be switched on from the start, they had a lot to do today. First things first though, they needed to salvage the spoils of the night.
Four squads took a cardinal direction to clear as the fifth broke camp. Once the fifth group had cleared their area they helped Mouse clean and store the valuables from the Swarm kills. The other four squads broke camp as Mouse and his group finished their work. Soon all five squads were stood at attention in front of Elias minus the four men who were facing out of the camp to watch for any approaching Swarm.
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"Well done last night. We will have the same challenge tonight, but first we will continue training today. As we move towards our destination for camp we will likely run into Swarm attracted in this direction since we arrived. When we spot these groups approaching we will take the opportunity to form an offensive line and engage with them. On command squads one and two will swing to the left of the carrier; squads four and five to the right. Squad three will form up in front of the carrier. Once in position your display will show the line to follow. If you leave this line, your neural link will force you to return to it." Elias knew he had to get used to enforcing his commands as much as he didn't like the need. It was their first time acting as the aggressors and a break in the line could lead to the recruits getting hurt or killed.
"Well, what are you all standing there for? No time like the present to practice." Elias pointed at the rear of the troop carrier and waited for the recruits to jump in. Getting in the driving seat Elias drove them out of the gap that had been made in the defensive wall, the Crust replaced just wide enough for the vehicle. Soon the defensive wall and ditches had been left behind.
"Squads one and five. Watch for command to fold in to protect from flanking. At my command the end two men will need to move behind those next in line." With the basics in formation covered Elias was taking them through some more complex commands.
"Three-three, get back in line." With the overview on his display Elias found it frustrating that certain recruits seemed unable to see and act on an updated position without him voicing the command. They were getting better though.
"Switch short range. Odds, front line, shield and blade; Evens, back line, rifles." They had already shot down the approaching Swarm but Elias made them practice formations rather than get back into the troop carrier. He had split the troops by the unit number with one, three and five in each squad being Odds and the others Evens. Uneven groups of ten and fifteen gave him the flexibility to have a denser protective front line or higher fire power depending on the situation. Slim had also pointed out that seven of the ten recruits yet to activate the Rifle skill had odd numbers, meaning Elias had a way to increase the chance these recruits would be shooting at the Swarm and gain the skill. He quickly checked the platoon overview and was pleased to see the tactic had worked.
"Ok, we're coming up to the carcasses. Set up in utility crews and salvage." The groups of three the recruits had broken into for cutting Crust had been renamed utility crews. Across the platoon each member belonged to a utility crew; a squad and a line as well as the platoon as a whole. Elias was pleased with how they switched from a line to small units of three on his display. He had marked specific Swarm for them to salvage on his overview and each of the individuals had acknowledged their target moving smoothly into position. The recruits completed their work and piled back into the carrier which accelerated up to max speed, sensors pinging to look for the next target.
"Slim, can I ask your advice?" Elias asked once they were underway.
"Yeah, sure." Said Slim
"What about me and my advice?" Asked Mouse.
"Fine, both your advice." Elias just accepted that Mouse was now going to get involved either way, easier to let him have his say.
"We're progressing well with the training. Only eight recruits haven't activated their Rifle skill which is amazing compared to what I was expecting. The trouble is that none have any other skills activated." Elias started.
"Go on, what do you want the advice on?" Prompted Slim.
"Well tomorrow we will come up against the ziggurat. It will be a challenge either way and I'm not sure if we should risk pushing to get more prepared today which might help tomorrow. Or stay safe." Elias said.
"Well what's the worst case scenario? That's how I normally think things through, and then work back from there." Slim replied.
"Maybe it's better I explain. Tomorrow the Swarm are likely going to get in close range at some point. So the recruits will need to swap to melee with shields and blades. When that happens there is almost no way we won't take an injury or two." Elias stopped to check Slim understood so far, she nodded. "We could face the next Swarm we meet in a similar way, intentionally allow them to come close range rather than play safe and shoot them down. It's an unnecessary risk, but might gain a couple of squad members a new skill, plus allows them to experience that form of combat in a more controlled environment."
"Difficult one. I assume they will have encountered this in their basic training in sim?" Slim asked.
"Yeah, but in real life it's very different. There's smell and taste and the physical presence of the Swarm is more... real." Elias said.
"No right answer mate." Mouse joined in. "The fact that you're asking means you want to try. So my vote is you give it a go."
"He actually makes a lot of sense. If you didn't think the experience would be worth a try, you wouldn't be discussing it. Worst case some recruits get injured or killed. Even that will teach them something before tomorrow." Slim said casually.
"That's a pretty bad worse case." Elias said, a hint of shock in his voice.
"No Elias, it's not." Slim countered. "Normally we would have lost at least a recruit a night. It's only your planning and care that is keeping them all alive. Gods, most senior officers call them Fodder for the reason that they are cheap and good to throw against the numbers of the Swarm. You need to take a little risk and make sure they're up to the task tomorrow." Her look implied that he needed to be up to the task as well. She was right. If he worried about a recruit being injured or killed with every decision in a situation that was less one-sided then he could end up being too careful and causing more deaths because of it.
There were only five Swarm coming in towards the carrier. They were far enough away that it was unlikely they had been aware of the camp the night before but had pinged on the sensors north of their position. On stopping they had turned their attention towards the new energy source in their area. It gave plenty of time for the recruits to form up in two lines all following the strict instruction to set their energy weapon to shield and blade. Even from inside the cab Elias felt the buzz of anticipation as the Swarm approached.
"I think they're excited." He said to Slim as they peered through the windscreen at the line of recruits. "Normally at least half the recruits would be shit scared. The commander has to hold some in place to stop them running."
"Have you been listening to them the last day or so?" Mouse asked, butting in again. "They are raring to go; when you announced this exercise Four-three started giving out odds for who would get the first kill. You know how skewed the books were when you announced Odds would be front. Some of us are hoping to make money from this."
Elias wasn't sure what to say about this. Had he told Mouse his plans on positioning the recruits? Rather than dwell on the answer he reminded the recruits that any who broke line and moved forward early would be digging and filling the latrine pit. He shot a smug look at Mouse as a couple took a purposeful step back into the line.
"Hold." Called Elias. Watching as the Swarm focused in on the centre of the line. "On my mark; fold both ends at third man. Second line, remember blades over front line shield shoulder only."
He watched and waited as the first of the Swarm slammed into two of the recruits, their shields flaring blue-green as they dispersed the kinetic energy that would have otherwise pushed them back several paces. The second and third Swarm hit soon after with the recruits taking advantage of their disjointed charge.
"Fold ends." Shouted Elias in excitement. The first Swarm was missing a limb and facing pressure from a recruit in the second line who was expertly thrusting his blade past the shield of his team mate in the front. The balance maintained by Swarm attacking with both jaws and blade-like appendages was shattered as the flanks of his formation swung in to attack them from the sides. It wasn't a pretty spectator sport but Elias found himself giving a cheer and high-fiving Mouse as they took down the last of their opposition. It took a moment to compose himself as he switched on the comms.
"Well done platoon. Utility crew one through five, lets salvage and get on our way. Time to make camp for the day." He said after allowing a moment longer while the group outside the cab shared some celebrations of their own. A quick glance at the command interface showed him that the success was not limited to the morale boost it had provided.
Name
Gender
Squad
Member
Skills
Kills
Cleo Fuller
f
2
1
B
2
Hashim Webb
m
3
1
S
2
Muhammed Burnett
m
4
3
S+B
2