'But you are an officer now.'
'No excuse to drill them any lighter. I wasn't born an officer. Hell, I never asked to be one.'
'But you've done a damn fine job of it.'
'It's just the job of a sergeant with snazzier uniforms and better pay.'
Taylor laughed and nodded in agreement. He'd always had respect for the senior NCOs of his unit, and most others he had met.
'You can join me, if you like. The help would certainly be appreciated.'
'I will join you also.'
Taylor recoiled slightly in shock to see Jafar standing behind them.'
'Jesus.'
'You see what I mean,' added Grey. 'I bet Jafar he couldn't get to within knife distance without you spotting him.'
Taylor nodded humbly. It was a harsh lesson the Captain had played on him, and had it been almost anyone else, he'd have been less kind about it. Jafar still awaited his answer.
'Yeah, you'll be damn useful tomorrow. Can you get access to a Mech suit to use for training?'
'Yes,' he replied confidently.
'Then it's a date. Time to shake these Italian boys up and get them into fighting shape.'
Taylor looked at his watch. 0800 hours on the dot, and he could see Gallo staggering towards them. His face was pale, and he looked like he got gotten no more than two or three hours sleep. A hundred of his battalion followed him to the drill square. Grey was shaking his head at the display before them.
'Form up!' he yelled.
It was a booming voice that even Taylor couldn't manage.
They shuffled into a vague order, which Grey wasn't impressed with at all.
'Stand up straight!' he shouted.
Taylor lifted his hand to stop the former Sergeant Major before he reverted to old ways and tore them apart for their slack behaviour. Mitch continued.
'I am not here to be your drill sergeant, and I am not here to be your friend. I am here to make you the best you can be in a fight. To give you the best chance of survival in face of the enemy!'
He turned away and walked a few paces back to a doorway of one of the vehicle storage bays that surrounded the grounds. He hit the entry switch, and the door slid open, revealing a rack of Reitech equipment.
'I have ten suits here. These are spare units carried for our Battalion, so look after them. You may use them until your own arrive. I want ten volunteers!'
Despite their drunken and hung-over state, a flurry of volunteers stepped forward, eager to get their hands on the equipment they had all desired since first setting eyes on it. Mitch grabbed the remote for the dolly rack the equipment lay on and drove it out on the parade ground, pointing for the first ten who had come forward to continue.
They set on the gear like locusts and were quickly strapping themselves in. Many of those still standing watched, yawning and swaying from the lack of sleep and excessive drinking. The volunteers were ready within a few minutes, but as yet had no weapons. Taylor reached down to the dolly and pulled out what looked like the Assegai they carried.
'This is a training version of the Assegai. Same weight and size, but it uses an electric shock through your opponent. It will hurt a human, and even drop them to the ground if it hits bare flesh. To a Mech it will shock them for a second or two.'
He passed out the training weapons and then walked over to another door. He hit the button, and it slid open almost causing a heart attack to half of the Italians. A full armoured Mech stood in the entrance. It was the closest they had ever been to one, and they were speechless.
'Don't worry, our own Jafar is at the controls. This is all part of the training exercise. Well, maybe you should worry.'
Jafar stepped out into the daylight and stood with Taylor, who even though wore a Reitech suit, was half the size.
'The standard Mech suit is as heavily armoured as light reconnaissance vehicles and some APCs. Only well aimed close range fire can harm them with your current weapons. We soon learned in the first war that what you are using now simply isn't up to the job. I will not teach you how to fight the enemy with your old gear. It would be a waste of time.'
'Colonel?' asked Gallo.
'What is it, Major?'
'This is a war of guns, bombs, and artillery, yet you teach us first to fight with, well, a sword.'
Several of the Italians sniggered at the response, but Taylor didn't see the funny side of it.
'If you do go to war against this enemy, there will come to a time when you have to face them without a firearm. You mightbe out of ammunition, or not able to change your magazine in time. You may need to take them down quietly. Do not be under any illusions. This weapon was created out of necessity and experience. Think of it as equivalent to the bayonet.'
'A what?' joked one of the Italian volunteers.
Taylor strolled up to the man. He looked down for his name, but it had been covered by the Reitech armour. He didn't care.
'You’re pretty confident for a man who's never had to face an enemy in battle. I wonder if the hundreds of thousands of young men and women killed in the wars with these aliens shared your same confidence when they met their end?'
The man did not reply.
'This is an enemy who should never be underestimated. The 2nd Inter-Allied have become expert at taking them on, and are now able to punch far greater than their weight would suggest, but that didn't come easy! We lost many friends to get to this point. We are here to help you the easy way so that you may not have to lose lives unnecessarily as a learning curve.'
The man swallowed his pride and finally responded.
'Sorry, Sir.'
'You will be if you aren't ready when your time comes. For now, you have volunteered yourself to go first. What's your name?'
'Rizzo, Sir,' he said cautiously, as he looked at Jafar standing in the hulking Mech suit.
He handed one of the Assegai trainers to the man.
'The Mechs carry large weapons and may try to swing them at you at close quarters, but they are unwieldy. They are more likely to drop their weapons and use the power of their suit. Jafar will begin with open hands, whereas you have a weapon.'
Rizzo seemed utterly shocked at the prospect of fighting the metal beast with such a small weapon and having to use his own hands.
'A real Assegai will push right through their armour like a cutting torch, but you have to place a good sturdy thrust into the armour. In this particular situation you, Rizzo, have the advantage. The Mech suit still has a lot of power, but with the Reitech equipment you have speed, flexibility, and a weapon which can bypass their armour entirely when used correctly.'
Taylor moved back and gestured for the others to do so, spanning out in a crescent shape to watch. Rizzo's confidence seemed to vanish, as he stood alone against Jafar.
'I have instructed Jafar to simulate the fighting style of one of the common enemy soldiers. He will try to strike and fight as they could, and to minimise the risk of injury. However, be under no illusions, you are in danger.'
'But you have not given us any training yet.'
Taylor smiled back.
'A few minutes ago you were all too eager to get face to face with the enemy and prove your worth. Clearly, you think yourself up to the task. In order to win here, you must land a thrust into the torso or head armour.'
