“Yes, Ma’am.”
Taylor stood before a vehicle off-road training course that included all sorts of obstacles intended for tanks. He wore Reiter’s powered suit. He didn’t stand a centimetre taller as it was so slimline. The most noticeable bulk was from the thick armour plates on his torso. He took a deep breath as Reyes watched on with a host of scientists and weapon developers.
The Major held in his hands the new launcher Reiter had designed. He’d lifted it in the lab and found it weighed twice what he’d been used to, but now he barely noticed the difference. The exoskeleton fitted all along his key skeletal structure, extending from his feet to his hands and up his spine. He could feel the device, but it didn’t seem as if he was carrying any weight or was encumbered in any way.
The Major stepped forward at a walking pace. He felt as if he was in a low gravity environment, as he knew he was carrying a hundred kilos but could barely feel it. He gradually increased his speed to a jog. The equipment fitted like a glove and didn’t shake or rattle. It operated with his body as if it were his own joints and muscles.
“Run, Major!” shouted Reiter.
He followed the advice and broke out into a full sprint. It shocked Mitch as he sprung into a rapid pace almost double what he had ever managed on a track wearing no gear at all. Up ahead was a five metre wall. He kept storming towards it, and hit the booster button on the cuff of the device. It sprung him into the air, easily clearing the obstacle and cushioning his landing with a combination of boost and suspended landing of the joints. He felt no serious discomfort in his wounded leg. Taylor took a sharp turn and charged back towards the group, sliding to a halt before them.
“I like it. This armour, you’re sure it’ll stop their weapons?”
“Absolutely, Major, but only up to two or three shots, and you’ll certainly know you’ve taken a hit.”
“Well, that’s an improvement.”
Their current armour did little to protect them against direct fire from the enemy pulse weapons, but it did at least save many from artillery and shrapnel. A voice boomed out from behind the group.
“Let’s get to the range, Major!”
Taylor instantly recognised the commanding roar of Eli. She stepped through the group to stand in front of him.
“What are you doing here, Sergeant?”
“Sergeant Parker was not fit for active duty, and so she was dispatched here to assist you,” said Reyes.
The Major smiled and couldn’t believe his luck. He could do little to hide his relief that she was safe.
“We’ve got a job to do, Sergeant. This equipment could substantially change our odds in combat. We need to know if it’s up to the task ASAP.”
“I’ve already been briefed, Sir.”
“Then let’s get to the range.”
“Major, we’ve set up a temporary weapons testing area for you here.”
He turned to see several Mech armours propped up like manikins at two hundred metres away. His heart pounded in shock. The sight of them on open ground had been a thing to fear for them all in the previous days.
“We’ve been able to salvage a few of their armours for testing.”
Taylor lowered his head in relief. For just a split second, he’d thought their enemy had reached them in Ramstein.
“When you’re ready, Major.”
He nodded and turned back to the Mech armours. He’d never had so much time to stare at them before. The sight of the enemy had always required immediate and decisive action, not careful targeting. He lifted the launcher to his shoulder and took aim. With the straight trajectory that Reiter had promised, he aimed it like a rifle, rather than the elevated indirect firing of the launchers they had become so accustomed to.
The Major squeezed the trigger, and a loud crack rang out as a pulse of energy ignited in the barrel of the weapon, sending a grenade hurtling down the range. The round flew faster than Taylor had seen a grenade fly and struck its target almost instantly. It exploded on impact with a relatively small charge.
“You see, Major, with a more accurate round, we can make the ammunition smaller for more targeted shooting. These should be able to replace the assault rifle in combat usage.”
He turned to Reiter quickly.
“And a round from this will take a Mech down?”
“Like a rifle round against a human? Not necessarily. It has the ability to pierce their armour and deliver severe damage, but we do not yet fully understand the aliens’ constitution.”
“What does that mean in the real world?” Parker asked.
“That if the first round doesn’t put them down, you shoot them again until they do,” snapped Taylor.
“Precisely, Major, let’s go and investigate the results of your shooting.”
Taylor released his grip on the weapon and let it rest on its sling at his side. The suit took up the weight, but it was an unsettling feeling not having the weight to reassure him that it was at his side. As they strolled towards the targets, Taylor took a deep breath of the fresh air. He had wondered what had felt so different since they had arrived and finally he realised. Gone was the sickening smell of a burning city, the taste of dust and sulphur, and the smell of electrical burning and red hot metal.
He breathed in slowly and heavily, enjoying the cool and clean air, as he knew it would be a luxury he would soon lose again. He looked over at Parker as they strode forward, glad to have her at his side.
“How is the Company?” he asked.
“Heading to defend the bridge where we saved your ass, last time I saw them.”
He smiled. The north had been one of the safest areas of the city up until now. Then he thought back to his near death experience, realising that it was probably no longer the case. They reached the battered Mech armour. A hole over five centimetres wide had been ripped into the chest plate, and it still smouldered. Taylor pulled out his knife and thrust it into the breach to see if it had cleared the armour. The blade met no resistance and ran up to the guard.
“You see, Major. Small projectiles with enough explosive to puncture. These are high velocity, low calibre armour penetrating rounds.”
He turned and looked down at the experimental equipment he was wearing. He thought about it for a moment, and then peered up at the many faces that were waiting for his comment.
“With this equipment a soldier will run faster and for longer, be better protected, and do more damage. It’ll double our combat effectiveness overnight.”
Reiter smiled. He knew the progress they had made was great, but he still loved hearing it. Taylor turned to Reyes.
“You can give the General my approval,” he turned to Reiter.
“Get this into production. I don’t care what you’ve got to do. Get it made, and get it to the front line.”
Chandra sat back in her chair, resting her aching leg. It was obvious to them all that the intensity of the fighting had increased in both the south and the west. The ground rumbled almost continually as artillery from both sides pounded those positions. Their area was mostly quiet, and the troops were getting what rest they could. She tilted her head back and peered up to the sky, but the silence was broken by the sound of a chair being dragged up beside her. Captain Friday roughly slammed the chair down and then sat in front of her.
“Any news from Taylor?” he asked.
“I assumed you’d be the first to know if we had.”
“You’re still in charge here, Ma’am.”
“Yes, but Major Taylor has made it quite clear that he will treat the rules as he pleases when it comes to his own.”
Friday smiled. Chandra was having a jab at Mitch, but in a friendly fashion.
“We don’t all share a bed with the Major.”
“You know a relationship such as that in the military can only end badly. In this war, it’ll only be harder.”
“So we give up on love because of the risk of losing it?”
Chandra sat up slightly into a less casual position.
“I didn’t peg you as the emotional and sentimental type, Captain.”
