Zipping around through the gray skies, Group Gamma, the reformed group of trainees with Itsuki that took to the air, were engaging in another firefight. War games were always like this for the CDU and CAU, except this time it was in the air.
No land to stand on or to brace yourself against, just the dead air of the sky as you and your company fight for your life. All the while, bullets flew, the comms filled with chatter, and the crack of your rifle and sounds your enemy made as they tried to take you out, was all that kept you company.
Alpha 1 definitely saw his life flash before his eyes a few times by now. Still, unflinchingly, he aligned his sights and took aim as he yelled into his comms.
[Bravo 1, what is your status? Give me a sitrep!]
[Got a few pursuers on my tail! Can’t really talk!]
[Yeah! I can see that!] He clicked his tongue at the sheer number of them. [We sure poked the hornet’s nest didn’t we?]
[Enough with the witty idioms, I might be a chill girl, but not in a combat situation this intense. Hurry up and get these things off me already!]
[You got it! Stay on course!] Alpha 1 switched his comms. All the while, he was keeping an eye on the combat, his sights on any approaching enemies and formulated a plan. It was multitasking pushed to the extreme and his brain would’ve fried if he didn’t pump it full of core energy.
His training was coming in handy, and while Alpha 1 was not as talented as a mystics or physically gifted as a corebinder, he had own set of skills he could use.
[G1 to G4, move to your 2 o’clock! Prep grenades and wait for my signal! G5 to G9! Give Bravo 1 some cover fire, don’t let them lay a finger on her. The rest of you, get ready to storm them!]
A light in the corner of his HUD winked green and he got back to shooting at the enemy.
“RAHHHHHHH! EAT THIS!” Trainees with gung ho fervor laid into the enemy, giving Bravo 1 some much needed attention. She gave her thanks in her heart and moved.
[Damn, there are still that many!?] Bravo 1 glanced behind her, frowned and engaged her thruster, no rest for wicked, and all that. [They swarm more like ants, except they freaking fly.]
Alpha 1 frowned at the situation for what felt like the umpteenth time. By all means, it was warranted. After their little spat in the sky from before, Alpha 1 and Bravo 1 had agreed on a better structure of command.
Or, if Bravo 1 were to put it into her own words, they got their shit together. And Alpha 1 would agree, though the repeated smacks on his back from her were really unneeded in his opinion.
In the last half hour, they were moving from point to point on the HUD’s map. Firefight after firefight, the newly reformed Group Gamma had succeeded in eliminating 2 groups of patrolling aerial robots. Their purpose was to possibly provide air support for their team on the ground.
A step in the right direction to victory. This war game was a battle fought both on more than one stage, so air support and superiority was just as vital as ground control. By the doctrines of explorer warfare against the creatures of the star depths, both the air and ground needed to be conquered to allow for complete success.
The star depth creatures were of such enormous power, great numbers, and utilitarian physical forms, that they were a menace that humanity had to unite to even have a chance of defeating. For things as powerful as them, controlling how a battle in the air and ground went were par for the course for humanities survival back then.
Currently, this war game simulated a small inkling of the events of the war. A snapshot, so to say, but it was damn well accurate by how everyone was sweating and heaving hard. Alpha 1’s muscles ached from the heavy and straining recoil of his rifle.
It pushed into his shoulder, pressing harder and harder as the battle kept raging. He knew Bravo 1 felt the same, as battle crazed her breed of CAU trained cadets were, they had limits, human limits.
A limit the enemy they currently faced didn’t have. Of a fishy and robotic variety, their enemies were mechanical in nature and resembled the form of a slick sardine. About only as big as his hand, Alpha 1 learned to not underestimate them when one of them exploded right in front of him.
The blast was of course non-lethal, this was training exercise, so injuries were to never pass the threshold of being life threatening.
Well, that would depend if everything went swimmingly. Alpha 1 shook his head. This wasn’t the time for quirky jokes or worries.
[Damnit! You suckers are one heck of an annoying bunch!] Bravo 1, in her mad dash to escape the swarming school of sardine like robots, aimed her rifle behind as she flew.
She let off a few bursts of bullets, downing and scattering the school of flying robotic fish for maybe 5 seconds. But. They quickly reformed and chased her with even quicker speed. She clicked her tongue, still trying to keep them off her.
[That professor sure knows how to program these dumb bots, they’re really a pest.]
Boosting her propulsion unit, the jets affixed behind her shoulder blades flared and she zipped off with the robotic fish hot on her tail. There was no hope of downing or destroying all of them by herself. There were probably enough of these fishy robots to supply a sushi restaurant for years.
Bravo 1’s HUD flickered and an indicator locked on to a point in the sky.
[Guess he wants me to go there, about time you decided!] She complained, knowing Alpha 1 was on the comms.
[Stop talking and FLY! Everyone else is ready, we’re waiting for you!]
[On it! What’s my next action?] She asked as she weaved herself to make her a harder target.
These fishy robots didn’t only explode upon getting near them, but they could fire a flashing laser projectile from their mouths.
It singed her a bit. Doing no real damage, but could mess with her equipment. Her propulsion unit was fragile, if she had enough cash or was more along in her training, then maybe she would have been able to use more high-end and durable gear, like that Itsuki guy.
Sour grapes, she knew, and swallowed them down reluctantly.
[Move to the Second Point I’ve indicated after the first.] Alpha 1 ordered. [Then, make a U turn and jump into the fight, go nuts after that. I’ll cover you and free up a group to provide you support.]
Bravo 1 could hear him cringe on the other side of the speaker, and she knew.
[I-I’m-] He hesitated to speak, he shook his head and then forced it out. [I’m sorry for making you bait. It should have been-]
[Oh shut up!] Spat Bravo 1. [Enough with your guilt about not doing it yourself, focus! A leader knows when to take the lead and when not to. Got it!]
[Y-You’re right, sorry! G1! Are preparations Done?]
[Yes sir! Awaiting your orders!]
[Good, fire as soon as Bravo 1 clears the designated point, then move to support from a distance. Make sure to not draw them to you!] Alpha 1 reminded.
[Confirmed! Target is moving into range.] G1 counted down the seconds displayed on his HUD, the knob his scope clicking in to make sure he got the right angle and magnification.
[3, 2, 1! FIRE!]
As suddenly as Bravo 1 flitted across their scoped in sights, G1 and his three comrades fired their grenades from the under rail attachment on their core rifles. Like their modular exo frames,which accommodated their ammo vests and propulsion unit, their core rifles were built to be modular as well.
The M14 Assault Core Rifle, or the M14 A.C.R., was based on the old M14 and AR platforms of the 2000s. It was an American model of firearm that was enhanced by the Explorer Program’s technological advancements. Stronger metal, better weight to size ratio, enhanced optics, and an assortment of gadgets it could be fitted with.
The grenade launcher was a piece of keepsake technology from the time before the Starfall Calamity War, and served well as an explosive grenade launcher. Its form was similar to how it was decades ago, a tube-like piece of equipment that could be slid into the under rail at the front of the gun.
Unfortunately, it didn’t have a rapid fire setting. You needed to load each fist sized round into the attachment one by one. There was a magazine attachment that made rapid explosive fire suppression possible, but those were reserved for more “special” and “fully trained” members of the CDU and CAU.
Still, as slow as they were in firing successively, their grouping of 4 launched grenades made quick work of the hundreds of small sardines like robots. Quickly reloading, they hailed a storm of grenades and the blue haze of fog that followed Bravo 1 now had distinct holes punched into their swarm’s sizable flanks.
[NOW!]
Alpha 1 yelled and G5 and his group of grunts moved in. Alpha 1 fired off his own grenade from his rifle. The range on these were over 400 meters, so it kept Alpha 1 out of the robots’ sensors. Just as he did, Bravo 1 turned around, her gun’s muzzle flashing like a beacon as she dove into the now scattering swarm of robots.
[AHAHAHAHAHA, TIME FOR SOME PAY BACK!]
[I shouldn’t be surprised by how blood thirsty you are.] Alpha 1 sighed. At least she’s on my side, he thought. He wasn’t sure of himself that joining the CDU was the best option. All the training and combat he had gone through the past year was nothing to sneeze at.
By his count, he was 20, and college had been an option. But. There was an obligation he, and many others here he knew, shared with each other. A kind of, commitment?
Alpha 1 shook his head, he didn’t want to think about “that”.
Nevertheless, he questioned if all this violence really fit him or any of the kids under his command. For god sake, they were only 10 or maybe 11 years old. As one of the older ones of their group, he couldn’t help but feel a somewhat overbearing overprotectiveness of them. They weren’t his kids or siblings, but he could be apathetic to their situation.
It was staring into a mirror that showed your past. Their young bodies were most definitely not meant to take on such strenuous fighting. Yet, even with all the pain in their faces, the strain in their eyes, and trembling of their hands, none of them faltered when he gave his order.
As he did, he zoomed his sights in and noticed their guest making quick work of the enemy as well. Itsuki was an explorer, so of course, this practice fight didn’t seem to faze him. To Alpha 1, without the armor, he looked like a middle schooler, but with it on, Itsuki was a completely different person.
Alpha 1 had had the opportunity to speak with him before. He seemed to be everywhere in the colony, always having some business to do or some errand to run. A busy body. Virtuous as that outward trait of that guy’s daily life was, he was abrasive and was more like sandpaper everytime he interacted with him.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Except, when Alpha 1 got past all that, Itsuki seemed like a responsible guy, though, the look in the guy’s eye told him that a weight was on him. Perhaps he felt the same as he did in this situation, that those kids shouldn’t have to fight.
Finishing off a group of swarming robots as his magazine emptied, Itsuki unloaded and then loaded a full magazine from his storage rings that were under his augment suit. His current kit was only the standard core assault rifle with a few added attachments.
A grenade launcher, scope, and forward grip. It had a few other minor tweaks here and there. Too small to notice with your eyes from a distance, though it was different enough that the gun fired the way he wanted. He sighed in refreshed relief as his magazine slipped in and the bolt release locked in.
Sighting a group of robots swarming to reform another large contingent, Itsuki followed the plan Alpha 1 had set out. He was to accompany the remaining trainees and run a storming maneuver on the enemy after laying into them with concentrated explosive suppression.
Bravo 1 had gathered the enemy and kept their attention on her. She was hogging all the glory, a statement she’d likely proudly take. Because of her, G1’s and G5’s team scattered the swarm into easier and smaller groups. Groups that he and the rest could take out with focused fire.
It worked and now, if they played their cards right, this firefight would come to an end soon. To his knowledge, which he was so assured of after so many years of experience, the robots they were fighting were of the S-type drone Professor Cyno had invented a decade ago. They made for great scouts and disposable support troops.
They had limited firepower and a self-destruct feature. In the field, he would usually use them to patrol the skies or hide using the terrain and their small frames. With them, it was like he always had eyes anywhere he could see to. If it got discovered, then the enemy would be in for a surprise.
Though now, these robots were obviously downgraded and obsolete in Itsuki’s opinion when compared to Cyno’s latest creations. For training purposes, on the other hand, they were great.
Their laser projectiles were adjusted and had less kick to them. Their explosive features were reduced to just a small shockwave and flash that blinded you if you didn’t look away in time.
However, as weak as they seemed, facing hundreds of them was an issue. He fired, going full automatic with his rifle and increasing his flight speed. He charged the still reforming swarms of robots, who swam in the air in groupings, shaped like streaming lines of blue flaking scales.
Weaving his head and actuating his propulsion system’s thrusters, he zipped left and right, getting under and around the bots as they tried to shoot at him. He was moving much faster than the trainees and zipped around like a black wasp.
Flashes of red passed by his helmet’s side and he ducked a few times to evade by a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, he held the trigger down as a rapid burst of 1200 rounds a minute tore their way into the blue metallic scales of multiple robotic fish. Dropping like flies, Itsuki rounded himself and launched a grenade into another cluster of them.
They fired back, another light show of red lights warming up to zap him with their blasts of heat. He dove for a cloud, using it as cover and to throw off their sensors. As they were about to fire again, their outer shells cracked and sparks sputtered from the gunshots they suffered to their flank. G1 and his team worked in step, trying to keep up with Itsuki.
Itsuki didn’t need to cooperate with G1. As long as he caused a commotion in the enemy’s formation, he’d be doing his job. He’d let the trainees pick up on what they could do.
He didn’t tell them if they were doing well or not. Doing so would only cloud their judgment. Real experience could not have any bias, not even his own, and it was always the best experience they could get and was a cure for their naivety.
Let them choose and don’t interfere. Have them find their way.
For a bunch of young kids who knew little of the world, adversities of real life were a neat and convenient eye opener in becoming an adult. Harsh as it was on their psyche and physical bodies, Itsuki knew they’d need this medicine to face what the future held.
A 90% casualty rate. He recalled and kept firing his weapon.
If this was the war, maybe only 1 of these trainees would’ve survived their first deployment during the war.
The star depths had the same casualty rate and while he had said this to Amanda before as a show of determination, and cryptic warning of his own making, in truth the casualty rate had decreased.
Was he lying? Yes, but the number, 90%, stuck with him. Why? Because he had people he knew caught up in those numbers. People long gone by now and only remained in his heart and perfect memory.
Shit! I’m getting emotional.
Itsuki gripped his gun, both hating what he did in the past and finding some sick enjoyment in the thrill of this fight, as if it were a hard liquor that cut the edge off a bad day.
This was just so much fun! They pop like balloons and crash and burn like fireworks!..But..if this was real.
Red entered his head, his mind becoming caked in blood. With the slightest sensation of rubbing between his fingers, the slick and vicious sensation of warm blood coursed and coated him. It gave him chicken skin, a sudden outbreak of goosebumps.
Battlefields of the past flashed in his mind. He tried to take himself off of those images and glanced at the trainees from time to time.
Bravo 1, the lax and wild girl, was hammering her way through robot after robot, their nuts and bolts falling and clattering off as each robot found itself ruthlessly disassembled. She suddenly dove, letting gravity take her and flaring her propulsion jets for slight adjustments.
He swore he could hear the snapping click of her rifle chambering another bullet, and he knew for sure she was laughing happily. He could hear it over comms and even heard Alpha 1’s groan of exasperation at Bravo 1 expense.
Itsuki chuckled, finding their dynamic heartwarming. Then the other trainees, the kids, caught his attention. Sticking together in small packs like wolves did, they surrounded and decimated group after group of smaller robotic swarms.
For a bunch of kids, in his opinion, they knew how to scrap and handled their weapons very well for only children. Some had grimacing smiles on their faces while others grinned in excitement, likely relishing the fight in the same way he did.
He sighed. Seeing good times like these, even in a chaotic war game, was easing his weary heart. They all seemed crazy, and Itsuki had no doubt about that. This situation was odd, pear shaped from the history of mankind.
When do you think these kids can put the toys away? He asked himself and shook his head. He didn’t know. As long as the star depths were still around, there would always be a need for explorers and people who unlocked their core energy.
He hated that. He didn’t grow up in the times before the war. Even still, he knew that today’s reality wasn’t normal. Kids didn’t need to get military training at such young ages back then, nor did people unlock or obtain powers that made them into living weapons.
Stella came to mind and so did Amanda, Ikki, Shisuki, and Richard. Such young adolescent teenagers, who should be in school reading textbooks, gossiping, and falling in love. Instead, they went to a school that trains them to be “fighters” and “defenders” of humanity. For the “GOOD” of Humanity.
Itsuki smiled derisively at that. There was nothing wrong with the idea, but humankind has done many atrocious deeds in the name of such similar ideals.
We’re doing this for all our sakes, don’t you understand? That’s why we fight, that’s why we kill. We kill and kill and kill and kill and kill.
The voice of the fanatics, or maybe himself? Went on and on in Itsuki’s head, all the while he kept fighting. Pressing both the enemy to yield, and his own thoughts about himself to a place tucked away in his head.
Am I any better? Hmph! I doubt it! Look at me, an explorer? I’m more like a gun for hire. But I have my role, my role in this place. But why? Why couldn’t I have just stayed the way I was back then? I bet I would have been fine in that other role.
As perturbed as Itsuki was, he already knew what events had led him here. He could always remember everything he did, it was clear as day.
I’m here because I choose to. I accepted the contract, so I’m going to follow through. I don’t give any room for negotiations or slacking. Not in myself or others. The job gets done, no matter what. Do the job and do it because you choose to do it!
His magazine clicking empty again, Itsuki regretted not utilizing everything he had. With his usual assortment of weapons tucked away in his storage rings, these robots would have been mopped up in a few seconds. Instead, he was dragging the fight out so that these green trainees could get their feet wet.
Plus, using up his ammo in such an overkill method of attack would drain his expenses. He had made plenty of money as an explorer and would make a lot after Operation Hidden Assassin, but he wasn’t flagrant in his spending.
He was sure that people like Amanda would call him a cheapskate for his line of thinking, so it was a good thing she didn’t know how much he made. He was paying out of pocket for her assistant work, a secret he’d hold onto to incentivize her in the future.
Clipping in another magazine, he made sure to this time load a more sophisticated piece of hardware. Unlike the other 60 round mags that the trainees had slung on their vest and ammo pouches, this was one made with storage ring technology, so the amount of rounds it could hold were more than 600 rounds rather than 60.
This was a piece of hardware that every grunt would want, though they would need a fortune to obtain it. Everything made with core materials was so expensive, costing thousands of dollars, and that was just for the magazine.
Chitin bullets weren’t cheap either. Buying them from exporters like Russka and Chinsui was highway robbery for his wallet, so Itsuki kept to sourcing his own materials from the jobs he did.
He’d process the monsters he killed into cash or equipment, always stocking up and managing his expenses, like any hard working adult.
Punching hole after hole into robot after robot for minutes, Itsuki looked at his HUD’s map.
As the last red dot in the local map disappeared, he sighed and listened closely over the comms.
[Good work everyone! Regroup with me. Check your gear and get ready to move out in 3 minutes. We have about 20 minutes left to get to the objective. Let’s not be late.]
By Alpha 1’s assertion, they had provided enough aerial support for the war game. The nearby air enemies were downed and wouldn’t cause the ground troops much trouble. Ammo wise, they had close to 50% of their total munitions left.
A good result if anything unexpected happened in the next 20 minutes. Still, a little over half of their ammunition gone in 40 minutes? That was a ludicrous speed of consumption. There was no place they could refill their ammo since this exercise had them dropping in unannounced.
It was sudden and a challenge to think they could do anything with only what they had on them. It was a good thing that their ammo vests allowed them to carry such a large amount of magazines and grenades. Not to mention how the battery packs on their exo frames and propulsion jets gave them long distance and high-altitude flight for durations up to half a day.
[We should head south, and reach point Bravo. We can make the distance in 10 minutes at our pace.] Alpha 1 informed the group.
[Shouldn’t we stick around and fight a few more robots? Plenty of ammo to spare, right?] Bravo 1 cocked her head in a way that Alpha 1 could tell meant she was still raring for a fight.,
[Can you stop that, you told me to get serious so I am! Get your head out of the clouds already. The objective comes first.]
[I can’t, we’re all the way up here.] She grinned and cheekily pointed out the obvious and literal clouds around them.
[Tch! You know what I mean. Just shut it!]
A round of laughter passed around through the younger trainees.
[Both of you sound like a married couple.] A kid said and then another smacked him in the head.
[Don’t fall out of line, Kid! They’re still our seniors, so show them some respect.]
[Hmph! You CDU guys are so uptight.]
[And you CAU guys are so dang lax.] The older kid jabbed back. [You’re like bears who only get up when it's time to eat, only in this case, you get up for fighting like a crazy person.]
[Well excuse me!] The CAU kid scoffed. [At least I’m not a turtle like you CDU guys. So used to always making us fight at the front while you fired guns at the back.]
[Alright! You two! Stop it!] Bravo 1 cut in. As lax as she was and uncaring of the chain of command, some amount of discipline was a trait she’d abided by at times. She’d make a few comments here or there but wouldn’t ever let herself come to blows with a comrade if needed.
Getting the kids settled, she turned on Alpha 1, whose eyes were darting around, likely perusing his HUD’s map.
[So? What’s the plan? Got our flight path mapped out? Or are you programming some inflight entertainment for us?]
[Heh, funny, but no.] Alpha 1 blinked a few times and then nodded, as if answering a question from someone. [Looks like you’re getting your wish Bravo 1.]
[What? I thought you said we’d get going?]
[Disappointed?]
[Nah, just surprised. Thought by now the other groups would have cleaned up the scraps.]
[Well, they did. We did pretty well for our area as well, but looks like more red is appearing on the long range.] Alpha 1 rounded to a position further south east of their position and Bravo 1 looked at her map, the relevant data streaming in from Alpha 1’s sensors.
[Oh! So we’re doing one of those?]
[Yeah, it will be a dangerous close encounter. Hey! Everyone! I’m sending the relevant information! Look it over and get ready, we move in 3.]
[Got it!]
[Understood]
The minutes flew by quickly and Itsuki was ready to set out with everyone else. By the situation on the map, a group of explorers and trainees had gotten themselves surrounded. With how close Group Gamma was and how they were transmitting their location, it seemed that Alpha 1 caught a request for air support.
Their ammo levels hadn’t dipped to a dangerous point yet, and as battle fatigued as they were, Alpha 1 noticed how everyone still did have some fight in them.
Itsuki kept silent, letting the chatter about. Some were excited to continue fighting and others more concerned at how hungry they were. Such common reactions you’d find in people their age, but Itsuki found them in a battlefield.
A mix of, this is wrong and this is weird, crept across him. Did he look like this back then? Perhaps, or perhaps he didn’t show much emotion like how he did nowadays.