Anachronism Warning: In the opening chapter, I mention a scene from James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. This story is set 2007/2008, but the scene I mention is pretty much what happened to me when sitting in the back of a RAAF Hercules when we landed in Kwajalein and on a different exercise, in Kununurra. The film showed a similar effect and reaction, but with a different consequence.
As of 01 Sep 2016 I don't own Chuck et al.
Chuck Vs. The Australian Army – Reloaded.
A meeting of minds.
It was essentially just a goat track. And it had been for a long time. A rough dirt trail, it must have been at least five thousand years old, as old as the pyramids – more useful, just a lot less grand. It may have even dated back to the end of the last Ice Age, and the beginning of Man's spread across the face of the planet.
The track followed the natural contours of the land, having evolved during that time to find the easiest path to follow. For untold generations, men had moved their animals along this path to find winter grazing, or market. It was only in the last few generations that trucks had begun to be used. Boys and men still moved flocks on foot, but that was starting to become rare.
At first, the trucks were British made Bedfords that had already been ancient when they got here. These were followed by Soviet machines made in factories that had originally made tanks during the Great Patriotic War. Now, American and Japanese trucks were found amongst the mix. Even these looked fifty years old.
Team Bartowski, using the cover name of Carmichael, was in the back of a canvas topped Landrover Defender painted in dull desert camouflage and identified by a coded two color patch that identified the unit. This patch was overlaid by a stencilled kangaroo and boomerang. Dressed in US battle gear, Chuck and Sarah wore Army uniforms, body armor and captain bars. Casey wore his Marine Corps uniform and major's oak leaves. Casey had worn a feral grin when he pulled his uniform from his locker in Castle.
The packs, helmets, armor, ancillary gear and weapons made it an uncomfortable ride for one occupant of the Rover. Chuck hated his gun. He hated having to carry it, hated it for what it represented and most of all, he hated the way the gorram ruttin' thing found every pointy bit of itself and then dug itself into his knees, ankles, or anyplace bony it could find on him to hurt him. The thing hated him back, he was sure. He looked at Casey, and Sarah. They were both sitting in a kind of boneless manner that seemed to swallow up every bump and swerve. Chuck tried to copy them but failed, as was evidenced by his helmet falling off and hitting his knuckles on the way down. He glared at his handlers as he recovered his helmet, 'Show-offs,' he thought to himself.
Not that he enjoyed flashing on terrorists, serial killers and any number of unsavory stomach turning subjects, Chuck did enjoy Sarah's smile when he did. One particular flash had now led them to the Afghanistan war zone, a zone Chuck didn't particularly want to be in. Their actual destination was still further afield. He'd told Ellie and the Buy More staff he was off to Fresno for a conference. Chuck was mildly amazed everyone had bought it. Sarah picked him up from home and she drove him at warp speed to Castle to gear up in Army uniforms and equipment. Chuck noted his uniform had a patch with his cover name, Carmichael, stitched into the shirts. Sarah and Casey both had their own names on their uniforms. Casey led them up to the loading dock and into a Humvee Chuck'd never noticed before for the drive out to Edwards Airforce Base.
The trip to the high desert took considerably longer than Chuck expected. Somehow, with all the mentions of it in the news over the years, he'd always thought it was just on the other side of the San Gabriel mountains. It was also a lot more populated than he'd assumed. The Right Stuff and news shots of the shuttle landings had made it look like a barren desolate wasteland.
Well, it was barren, and a long ways from anywhere else. But there was a reasonable sized town, built for all the soldiers and their families Chuck thought. Airmen, he corrected himself. There was even a golf course.
With less time than it should normally take, Chuck found himself, Casey and Sarah standing on the ground behind the biggest airplane he'd ever seen up close.
"A Galaxy," Casey had called it. The tail ramp lowered and they climbed on-board. Aside from the crew, Team Carmichael were the only people the flight carried. The hold was filled with large things under camouflaged cargo nets and a number of other large things with tank tracks, wheels and/or gun barrels. It reminded Chuck strongly of the scene in Avatar, when they rode the shuttle down to the ground. Passengers on-board a Galaxy were evidently an afterthought. Aligned with the length of the plane, there were frame benches made out of an orange seatbelt like materiel woven into a net. Chuck thought that this was a temporary, made-up thing to accommodate just them, and then he saw it came with airline style seat belts. He realized that was how it was supposed to be.
The lift around the world took an age. Chuck never knew if they travelled via Europe/Africa, or over the Pacific and only Casey was invited to the cockpit to watch the mid-air refuelling.
When it came time to sleep, Casey stretched out on top of one of the cargo netted pallets, and promptly began to snore loud enough to be heard over the engines. Sarah and Chuck slept head-to-head, using the webbed seats as best they could. Chuck slept poorly. He thought that even travelling coach would have been better. In fact, as time dragged on, he began to think that steerage on the Titanic would have been a step up in comfort.
The cargo master flight sergeant who'd been the world's ugliest stewardess yelled at them to buckle up, and then the plane began to descent. After a series of what seemed to be pretty steep turns and rapid changes of attitude, the big jet made a surprisingly gentle landing.
When the tail ramp opened, it felt like an oven door had been opened, and Chuck wanted to take his sweater off, but there wasn't time. The air smelled different. There was a kerosene smell of jet fuel, but underlying that, there was a dusty dry smell. Chuck couldn't identify it and it made him uneasy. The light seemed different too, and there was a liquid yellowness to it that reminded him of the Planet Hell scenes in Star Trek. 'I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore,' he thought to himself.
Their gear was dumped unceremoniously beside them as they stood near a cluster of obviously temporary buildings, Casey said, "I'm gonna organize our next flight. I'll meet the pair of you in the mess over there," pointing to another prefabricated building in the middle distance.
Chuck had no idea where in the world he was. Afghanistan, he knew that much, but further than that, not a clue. And, it seemed, their little group were about to be going somewhere else he had no idea about.
After what turned out to be a pretty good meal, they were told their new ride was ready. This plane was smaller than the Galaxy, and was propeller driven. "A good ol' Herc," Casey announce in an approving tone. The same sideways mounted woven orange seatbelt seats were waiting for them inside.
After another couple of hours flying, the Good Ol' Herc landed. Again, the tail ramp lowered, letting all the cold air out. As there was a clear line of sight to the opening ramp, Chuck could see the hotter air roiling to the cabin, and Chuck was again reminded of the landing scene in Avatar.
A different Army was waiting for them when they got off the plane, and the base itself seemed a lot smaller than the previous one. There was a soldier waiting for them, who enquired, in a slightly yelling voice, "Major Casey?"
Casey nodded, as the engine noise from the plane made talking a little more along the lines of screaming.
"The Colonel is expecting you," she yelled, holding her hand out to indicate the direction before leading him away.
The whole rank thing was difficult to follow. Chuck had watched enough MASH to know a sergeant was lower than a captain, but it still flummoxed him. He stood when Casey and Sarah did. He didn't know what to do with his gun. He tried to copy Casey and Sarah, but he just didn't know, it had never occurred to him to ask Sarah while they were in flight and they really hadn't had alone time since then so he could ask her.
When they were on the American base, Casey, and the officer would salute each other. Chuck assumed from the few salutes he'd observed that the lower rank saluted first. But now, on this base, the Aussies didn't seem to salute them. They saluted each other, Chuck had seen that, but not the Americans. They'd stood to attention when talking to Casey, but no salute. Chuck was confused. Maybe you were only supposed to salute people in your own army.
Sarah was well aware that Chuck wasn't comfortable, but there hadn't been a chance to speak since getting off the Galaxy transport. She'd got him to copy what she did. The quicker they got to their destination, the better. Chuck was a dead giveaway. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but that was never going to make up for his not having gone through basic training.
Casey emerged with a soldier, about the same build as himself. "Walker, B…. Carmichael," Casey said when he was within range, "This is their battalion second in command, Major Wiley, he's going to get us as close to…" Casey's eyes swivelled to glare at Chuck for an instant, "… our target as he can. Hat up, we're on the move."
Chuck was pretty sure that major was higher than captain, seeing as how Casey seemed to outrank himself and Sarah.
Major Wiley took them to what Chuck thought of as the motor pool (he had seen some MASH), and it was less of a used car lot than Chuck expected, most everything was truck sized. Another soldier joined them, and the team loaded into the back of the little off road car as it began to drive off.
-o0o-
Corporal John "Dizzy" Goodsir squinted into the glare towards the oncoming dust cloud. The radio call had come through a few minutes prior warning him and his section that they were about to get visitors. Even so, when the sound reached him, he relaxed a little. Not a truck, but a Rover by the sound of it.
Shortly later, an Australian Army Landrover clattered up to the check point and stopped. Goodsir recognized the driver and front passenger. That was the battalion 2IC and his driver. The passengers in the rear wore different uniforms. American he judged.
"G'Day Dizzy, all good?" asked Major Wiley.
"Living the dream sir, livin' the dream. Stone fire."
"Cold stubbie," the Major replied to the password challenge with a grin. "I have some visitors for Mr Moore, can you escort us?"
"Of course sir," Goodsir replied, and turned to call for his own 2IC using field signals, tapping his upper arm with his index finger and then patting the top of his helmet for the 'come here' sign.
Chuck mostly fell out of the Rover. He was grateful just to be standing again, and he nodded to the Australian soldier standing at the check point. This guy was Chuck's height and roughly the same age and maybe a skooch heavier. He wore glasses and was apparently left-handed from the way he held his gun. The Aussie's gun was different from Chuck's and it looked futuristic, like something from a Dr Who episode.
Chuck almost laughed when he saw the Aussie's reaction to Sarah getting gracefully out of the Rover. He knew that look, it was the 'Sarah Walker, slow motion, invisible wind machine' look. Chuck still suffered from it.
Sarah noticed Chuck's wry smile. She smiled to herself, this was the first real expression he'd shown since leaving Burbank. Chuck caught Sarah's smile, and his disappeared with a guilty micro burst, followed by what Chuck thought was a poker face. She made a mental note to find out what happened, but she was glad. Chuck was back. Mostly.
Major Wiley said, "Corporal, this is Major Casey, Captains Walker and Carmichael, you'll be seeing them around for the next few days."
"Sir. Major, Captains, I'm Corporal Goodsir."
Casey made a noise. The grunt might have been interpreted to mean, 'Corporal'
When Cpl Freeman, Goodsir's 2IC, turned up to take over the check point, the group set off to the platoon's command post.
"Top of the ridge, ma-am, sirs" said Goodsir as he lead them along the road past the check point, and then off the trail, and up a rocky hill. Chuck thought that the man's accent wasn't as strong as the examples he knew from TV.
Chuck followed the group up the rocky climb. The two Aussies, Casey and Sarah moved quietly and quickly over the rocks. Chuck couldn't find a safe place to put his feet without at least three loose rocks rolling around. He came perilously close to twisting his ankle frequently. He banged his gun twice against the rocks. He put it back over his shoulder. He knew everyone was looking at him, and it felt like it was the same way Casey always looked at him.
It was only about a one hundred foot climb, but they were all breathing hard as they reached a natural depression that was the reporting point for entry to the command post (CP). Chuck was gasping, and leaning over, hands on his knees. Chuck knew he was nowhere as fit as Sarah and Casey, but still, he should be able to do this. The rest were breathing hard through their noses. Goodsir rather liked the way Sarah wore her sheen of sweat. Both she and Casey were scanning the surroundings. They'd obviously picked the camouflaged CP, Goodsir went over to Chuck and said, "It's the altitude, sir. You'll get used to it, just try not to run a marathon for the next few days, OK?"
"Thanks," Chuck gulped, and flashed the corporal a grin.
Goodsir called the CP on his headset, "Zero three, this is three three. Party of," he paused to double check his count was correct, "five for Sunray."
Chuck heard a buzzing in the corporal's ear which was evidently permission, since he motioned for the group to proceed.
-o0o-
A.N. I've based my visualisation of the terrain on two areas. In 1986, I was part of the Pacific Reserve exercise in Hawaii, in the Pohakuloa Training Area, located in the high saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. This gave me the altitude shortness of breath, and the rocks rolling underfoot (how no-one broke an ankle during the ex is a mystery). The general landscape is based on the area surrounding Kununurra in West Australia. Both are stunning areas for different reasons.