At long last, the start of my sequel to Empire Beneficiary.
Now just as I mentioned in the last chapter of Empire, I will be using things I plan on having in my novel, that I hope to someday publish, so I don't want to see any of these anywhere else (unless of course you ask first). It took me a while to create simple names for my novel, let alone weapon and vehicle sketches.
Just think of it as a crossover between Half-Life and a kickass book....that hasn't been made.......yet :)
On the outskirts of a forest the sun lay low in the horizon, its last rays striking the Earth before night fell in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The sound of footsteps crunching against twigs and leaves accompanied the movement of five trainees out on an exercise as they quickly traversed the landscape. From a distance, their movements resembled that of a typical soldier. Upon closer inspection, however, it was easy to see that each one was about nine years old. Even so, their muscular conditioning was adequate for carrying an old pulse-rifle, extra ammo, and a side-arm. Woodland fatigues allowed the recruits to blend into their surroundings, an important task for their current assignment.
An upraised right hand from the squad leader made the four others stop in their tracks, they slowly moved to a kneeling position with the added order to stay out of sight. The squad's encrypted COM crackled to life, "Lead to squad, we're in position, eyes on the target area." The squad leader waited for his team's acknowledgement before contacting the other teams in the area, "Alpha One to Bravo."
"Reporting in," Bravo's squad leader responded, "We're at the target location, everything looks fine."
"Do another sweep to make sure, then move to the assault position. I don't want to be surprised this time."
"Right, Bravo out."
With the team update finished, the squad leader trained his weapon on a small clearing about two hundred metres from their position.
The new recruits, totalling about fifty in number, had been split up for this exercise, with only ten of them being selected from their original group. The two squads, Alpha and Bravo, had been tasked with a "search and destroy" operation. Their objective was to neutralize enemy combatants and secure the perimeter for a friendly advance. Since the operation was an exercise, old Combine pulse rifles and resistance developed sniper rifles had been refitted to fire highly potent Ativan tranquilizer darts. One shot was all it took to incapacitate a target for a period of fifteen minutes.
What struck the recruits as curious was the fact that they had been pitted against the 1st battalion of "Barney's Own" Frontier Defenders. Barney Calhoun, an iconic symbol for the military lnext to Gordon Freeman, had trained the original members of the regiment himself when they were only twelve years old. While Barney now trained the new commando group, the Swift Response Force (SRF), the standard army regiment had been nicknamed "Barney's Own."
It was no secret that the most proficient of the fifty nine year old trainees had been selected to form Alpha and Bravo squad, what was secret, was the reason behind the action.
Shaking his head to dispel his distracting thoughts, Alpha's squad leader took a deep breath and mentally reviewed his mission plan. Bravo's task was to point out sentries to Alpha while they advanced. Bravo was only authorized to fire when the enemy had engaged Alpha, in order to maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible.
Since Bravo had just ensured that their rear flank was secure, Alpha's leader was no longer worried about an ambush from that side, though he was far from feeling relieved. The Frontier Defenders had been sent a day ahead of the two squads, giving them more than enough time to set-up defensive emplacements and traps.
Still, Alpha's leader knew his plan was sound and he had confidence in his squad mates. Waiting for Bravo to move to the final position seemed to take an agonizingly long time but a transmission from the squad came five minutes later. "Brave one to lead, firing arcs covered, you can move in now."
"Now that I have your permission, I'll be sure to do that," Alpha One replied with a toothy grin, "Keep an eye out for enemy sentries, I don't want a repeat of the last op."
"Noted," Bravo One replied tersely, "Now get a move on." The last sentence was quickly followed by a closing COM channel.
Alpha team leader's grin widened even further at Bravo One's actions before he steeled himself for the task ahead. "Lead to squad, we are go for attack. Proceed as planned."
Four acknowledgements met his order as the five camouflaged trainees distanced themselves from one another and started their slow descent downhill. Their heels made contact with the ground first before the rest of their foot followed suite. The technique, often referred to as "ghost walking," was used to ensure that the trainees wouldn't be heard as they made their way through the forest floor and the slow pace made it less likely that enemy sentries would be able to identify the advancing squad in the slowly diminishing lighting.
"Alpha, freeze!" Bravo One urgently cried into the COM, "Enemy sentry patrolling near the clearing, fifty metres to your left of arc Alpha Two."
"Seen, wait out." Only those close to Alpha Two were able to hear a soft hiss from the ejection of two Ativan-darts. The projectiles struck their target dead centre, making him crumple to the ground. "This is Two, target down."
"Alpha Team you have three minutes before the next patrol passes through," Bravo One reported after a brief pause.
"Copy," Alpha leader said to Bravo before addressing his squad, "Alpha Two, hide the patrol in the forest. The rest of you, follow me."
Making sure that the clearing was free from any obvious enemy traps and ambushes, Alpha One silently moved out of the forest and headed deeper into enemy territory. Making a point of taking in his surroundings, Alpha leader could see that the area was filled with a few small tents that blended with the surroundings. Stopping at the side of the closest tent, the squad leader noticed that a small system of trenches had been created at the corners of the camp.
Luckily, Alpha Team had followed their squad leader's plan to the letter, emerging through a small blind spot in their defences that Bravo Team had spotted during their initial reconnaissance. Alpha One waited for Two to rejoin before issuing commands. Looking to Three, Alpha One pointed to an area close to the centre of the enemy camp and flashed four fingers. The squad leader pointed to Alpha Four and Five, motioned to the closest trench, and then held up three fingers. Alpha Two's command came in the form a circling finger and a direction to the left of the camp.
The appointed recruits nodded and moved to accomplish their objectives. Alpha One watched them go before moving to the right of the encampment, ensuring to stay hidden as he did so. His main battle plan was based on luring the camp's occupants to the trench Alpha Four and Five were about to raid, where Bravo Team would have a clear line of fire.
In order to accomplish that Alpha Four and Five were to quietly neutralize the sentries in the trench and then place remote detonated flash charges around the area in under three minutes. Alpha Three would sneak into the centre of the camp and place a sonic charge, on a four minute timer, at the centre of the camp in order to wake up those still sleeping. A warning flare would be fired in the sky from Alpha Four and Five, letting their enemies think that an attack was coming from that area. From there, Alpha Three, Four, and Five would fall back into the forest while the camp diverged on the mined trench. Once the majority of the camp was close to the flash charges, they would be detonated. Bravo Team, along with Alpha Three, Four, and Five, would open fire. Alpha One and Two, on the other hand, would subdue the few stragglers, who would undoubtedly stay behind at their posts, and ensure that the perimeter was secure.
Letting out a deep breath, Alpha One tried to do something he was never good at: wait. He was fairly patient for his age, but he never liked sitting around and waiting when he knew that his squad was engaged in battle. Still, he had assigned his squad mates tasks based on their skills. Alpha Three had a knack for moving about unseen, Alpha Four and Alpha Five were known for being able to quickly neutralize targets. Though it was a skill shared by the entire team, the two of them combined took it to a whole new level.
Alpha Two was an accomplished marksman; he was the only one on the squad who could fire a weapon accurately for distances longer than the established specifications listed. The only reason he wasn't on Bravo Team was for the simple fact that he preferred engaging targets at close range. He was something of a paradox.
The squad leader was proficient with nearly every skill, though he excelled with observation. An important skill for any leader to have, being as observant as Alpha One was allowed for quick snap decisions to battle plans in the heat of combat. The ability to quickly adapt to the unpredictability of combat was often all it took to claim victory. Of course, the skill was also helpful in detection, the main reason why the squad leader was always on point.
A click from an open and closing COM channel let Alpha One know that at least one of the teams were in position. A couple of minutes passed before two more clicks resounded on the COM. Even though the rest of Alpha Team could attack now that everyone was in position, Alpha One knew they'd be waiting for his signal to go, and so he gave it with a rapid flurry of COM clicks.
Checking to make sure he was in an obscured position, Alpha One knelt in the shadows at the side of one of the tents and waited.
Exactly three minutes after Alpha One had given the command to move in, a bright streak arced into the sky, illuminating the entire encampment for ten seconds before winking out, The enemy sentries were instantly on alert as a few made their way towards the source of the flare. Freezing in place, Alpha One made no effort against the soldiers who passed him. As soon as he was sure the last sentry was gone, the squad leader moved to through the encampment. Though he hadn't specified it in his initial mission plan, he wanted to subdue the remaining patrols and sentries before Alpha Three's sonic charge went off.
Slipping through the campsite with barley a sound to his name, Alpha One moved to a trench on his side that was still manned by four sentries. Three of them were looking away from him, while one was looking in his direction. Alpha One stopped himself from hastily raising his modified rifle and opening fire, he was confident that the patrol hadn't seen him. Moving incredibly slowly, from his position alongside some bushes, the squad leader brought his weapon to his shoulder and took aim at the sentry looking in his direction. Knowing that he would have to subdue all four fairly quickly, Alpha One practiced panning his weapon to each individual target. When he was sure he could do it quickly, he aimed at his first target and double tapped his rifle. Without even checking to confirm a hit, he moved on to the other targets. Two bodies seemed to hit the ground simultaneously, before the other sentries could turn around to investigate, Alpha One squeezed off another burst of Ativan-darts, rendering the remaining sentries unconscious. A quick survey of the visible perimeter let the squad leader know that no more patrols were active, either they had gone to investigate the "attack" or they had already been neutralized.
Moving toward the sole remaining trench, it was obvious that Alpha Two had already accomplished his task, the young recruit climbed out of the defensive emplacement with a grin on his face. When the two were close enough to clearly see each other, the squad leader pointed to his watch and then toward the nearest tent. The silent command being to neutralize the soldiers, that would awaken from the sonic blast, when they left their tents.
Thirty seconds after the command was given, a loud explosion seemed to resound from the centre of the encampment. The previously sleeping soldiers were instantly up, moving out of their tents with weapons ready. Some of them must have seen their companions under fire, they pointed the scene out to the rest and they moved off in fire-teams.
The squad leader cocked his weapon, he turned to Alpha Two and they both shared a grin at the scene. Both trainees advanced forward, their movements not even registered by the soldiers until the young recruits were firing at them.
Fifteen minutes later, their mission was complete; the encampment was secure and all of the unconscious soldiers were bound and lined up where they could be monitored. With the camp secure, Alpha's squad leader used the long rang antenna on his radio to transmit a simple message, "Alpha One to Eagle Eye, eviction complete."
The roar of an approaching aircraft could be hear just ten minutes after Alpha One's transmission. Resembling an old Combine Hunter-Chopper, the grey armoured aircraft could reach speeds of 400 kilometres an hour. Its primary armament consisted of both a forward and aft pulse turret. Previous Combine missile ordnance mounted on vestigial wings had been replaced with updated Tantus-class missiles. The laser guided ammunition acted as a cluster bomb. In addition to carrying a ten kilogram warhead payload, the missiles also contained several large-scale pulse bombs the Combine had favoured. On impact with a target, the warheads detonation propelled a series of energy bombs outward, destroying any organic components within a fifty metres radius. The chassis had been upgraded from the old model, the centre of the helicopter had been hollowed out to act as a carrier bay, in order for it to function as a troop transport and conduct supply runs in and out of the battlefield.
Hovering just three feet off the ground, a single figure jumped from the chopper and moved to the recruits who now stood and rapt attention as they recognized the approaching person. "Major!" Alpha One shouted as he snapped off a crisp salute, only lowering it once the officer returned the gesture.
"At ease Private," The female officer replied, her close cropped brown hair flowing from the helicopter's still rapidly moving rotors. Her sharp green eyes locked with his and a smile formed on her face as she continued, "Or should I say congratulations, brother, you passed the test."
"Test, Kate?" The younger soldier couldn't help but say as he looked around at the encampment in confusion before he caught his slip and straightened back to attention.
Kate waved him off, however, and said, "Yes Jacob, test. Barney has been impressed with your team's progress and he wanted to see if you were ready."
"Ready for what?"
Kate smiled wider at her brother and said, "Ready to join the SRF."
Your opinoin? I strive to perfect my writing.