On Your Feet

Mastering warfare requires a thorough understanding of tactics. Not just your own, but those of your enemies and allies as well. Because today's ally can become tomorrow's enemy, and vice versa.

We think we're so advanced, here in the United States. We're at the bleeding edge of drone technology, space warfare, and directed-energy weapons. We have the best Air Force in the world, and our Special Forces troops are second to none.

But then why did we lose Mexico?

The truth is, we're not as invincible as we like to think. Each of the major powers can outperform us in their own way. The Reds have the world's largest combined militaries and the atom bomb. The Allies have the largest navy and the best spy network, not to mention the Chronosphere. Even the GLA have displayed an advanced understanding of guerilla warfare and terror tactics for a supposedly minor rebel group. Study the GLA well, cadets, because you'll probably be fighting them inside of the decade.

We dismiss these players as weak or unsophisticated at our peril. Hubris has always been our nation's weakness, and we must conquer that failing if we're to command the future. Any questions so far? Yes, Cadet Solomon.

[Sir. What about the UN's peacekeeping forces, sir? Doesn't the Global Defence Agency function as a-]

Ha! Please, don't make me laugh in class, Cadet. It ruins my image. No, I'm afraid the UN is hardly worth considering as a strategic actor. The vision of a worldwide military may have seemed attainable after the war, but the world has changed. People haven't.

Countries will always pursue their own interests and act according to their own values, not for some world government's idea of the 'greater good.' Real international cooperation for a global peacekeeping force is one thing we will never see in our lifetimes.

-Transcript from guest lecture at West Point by General Leonard Townes, September 10, 1988

November 5th, 1995 - Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USA Air Base Dugan - 0800 hours

As far as prison cells went, Parker had seen worse. The base stockade was clean and served three meals a day. His injuries had been treated, and he even got visitors. So far, this arrest beat the hell out of some other spots he'd been in.

The cell was a cell. Parker knew the drill for these places, and the story was the same even here on the other side of the world: four gray walls, a gray cot, a gray toilet and sink, a barred door between him and anywhere else. A small grated window let in the cold air of Turkmenistan and a square patch of blue sky, a postage stamp from the outside world letting him know that the morning was clear and sunny beyond the cell.

"Good morning, Lance Corporal."

Parker looked up to see the UN guy standing outside his cell in his dumb-looking tan uniform. He regarded Parker through the bars in that way officers had, a file folder held against his hip, parallel to his ruler-straight spine. Solomon Junior, King's little brother.

Maybe I'll call this one 'Prince,' Parker thought, smirking to himself. He leaned forward on his cot, idly scratching the itching bandage on his burned forearm. He did not salute.

"Let me guess. The UN saw that this cruel and unusual punishment violates my human rights. You're gonna write President Fielding a really stern letter to get me out, aren't you Captain?"

Solomon gave a slow, tight smile. "Actually, you're half-right."

"Great. I'll bet you write fantastic letters."

Prince actually chuckled a little. "So I'm told."

He had a nice voice, Parker noted, deep and rich with a threat of thunder lying underneath those resonant words. A hard voice to ignore, but he didn't mind a challenge.

"How's King?" Parker cocked an eyebrow. "Still pissed?"

Solomon Junior frowned. "I'm not here to talk family."

"Yep. Still pissed." Parker flashed him a knowing smile.

Solomon shook his head, and flipped open the folder to start reading.

"Lance Corporal Nicholas Seymour Parker, age twenty-two, from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Enlisted at 18. Marine Raider Regiment, qualified Marine Scout Sniper. Top marks for physical fitness, mental aptitude, marksmanship, infiltration tactics, close-quarters combat, vehicle operation, and demolitions… and holder of the regiment record for non-judicial penalties for insubordination. Currently under arrest pending court-martial for dereliction of duty, disobeying direct orders, and misbehaviour before the enemy."

"That last one's bull," Parker cut in. "I misbehaved toward the enemy. I'd say ask them, but they're all dead now."

"So I hear." Prince Solomon turned a page. "It says here that during Operation Deacon, you abandoned your sniping position to launch an unsanctioned attack on GLA armour, wilfully disabling your radio to ignore orders from Colonel Burton."

"I've got no idea how it got broken! Honest." Parker had been using that line since he was a kid. No one had believed him then, either.

"Upon reaching the street, you ambushed a GLA squad and killed six enemy infantry, sustaining two bullet impacts on your body armour without injury. You then…"

Solomon squinted at the page, tilting his head.

"…equipped yourself with scavenged enemy weaponry, notably an RPG-7 and IED components. Observing enemy triple-A fire to your South, you set off several explosions and started fires in nearby empty buildings as a distraction. You then attacked under cover of smoke, engaging two enemy vehicles and supporting infantry. Destroying one Quad Cannon with the RPG, you then commandeered the other vehicle's turret and turned its guns on the enemy, destroying or driving away their remaining forces. Finally, you drove the commandeered vehicle toward an enemy ammo dump in a nearby plaza, despite it being…"

Captain Solomon broke off, shaking his head. "This can't be real."

"Don't stop now," Parker said. "You're just getting to the best part!"

Solomon sighed, took a breath, and continued.

"Despite the vehicle being on fire at the time, you drove it through a damaged barrier and into the GLA ammo dump, sustaining second-degree burns in the process. You then abandoned the vehicle and retreated under heavy enemy fire. The engagement ended when you detonated the explosives you'd left within the vehicle, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed another Quad Cannon, roughly two squads of GLA infantry, and the entire ammunition dump."

"Don't forget the Radar Van parked at the corner," Parker said, running a hand through his prickly crew-cut brown hair. "I think some debris landed on it."

"The explosions were large enough to draw attention from satellite reconnaissance, resulting in a helicopter QRF landing near your position and evacing you to rendezvous with the rest of Achilles Team alongside friendly Chinese forces. At which point Colonel Burton subdued you-" Parker scoffed. "-and placed you under arrest."

Solomon closed the folder and looked up at the commando, looking like he'd found a two-headed fish.

"Lance Corporal Parker, what the hell?"

Parker shrugged, leaned back in the cot, and rested his head on his hands. "Pretty good, huh? Now you know why they called me 'Havoc' back home."

"Yes, I do." Solomon took another deep breath. "Parker, tell me. Why do you think you're here?"

Parker rubbed the tender bruise on his jaw, where the Colonel had slugged him. "Because Colonel Burton puts the 'ass' in 'badass.'"

Solomon raised his eyebrows. "It has nothing to do with the troops who got hit by an enemy sniper while you were off on your rampage?"

Parker's face and neck flushed with heat. He sprang up from the cot, advanced on the door, and pointed at Solomon's face through the bars.

"Hey! Jarmen Kell shot those guys, not me. And he's on my list now."

"I'm sure he's terrified," Solomon said flatly. "Do you deny that you could have stopped him if you had remained at your post?"

"Of course I could have!" Parker threw up his hands. "But that's not the point, 'Prince.' The whole team was gonna get wiped out. The Colonel's plan was to sit around and wait. I did what I had to do to save as many people as I could."

"But you didn't save anyone," Solomon pointed out, giving no reaction to his new nickname. "The Chinese reinforcements and air support did that."

"I didn't know they were coming! No one told me."

Solomon nodded. "Exactly. You didn't trust your CO's plan or accept that you were told things as need-to-know, so you went off on your own and put your teammates at risk."

Parker ground his teeth. Slowly, he turned away from the door and walked back to his cot and sat back down.

Diaz had looked up to him, always asking questions on how to be a better spotter. When Parker had shared his plan to go rogue, Diaz had grinned with his wide smile and gone along without complaint, trusting his sniper completely. Now he was headed back Stateside for hip surgery.

"You're talented as Hell, Parker." Solomon's voice grew gentler, but was still solid as concrete beneath the soft words. "But until you learn to work in a team, you'll just be a renegade. Good for nothing but wreaking havoc."

"So what?" Maybe that's what he was good for. Enough people in Parker's life had told him he'd never be anything else.

"I think you're capable of more. A lot more. And your file says you've never said 'no' to a challenge in your life."

Solomon edged forward, putting his face right up against the bars, eyes boring into Parker's.

"So you've got a choice. You can rot here until your court-martial, and never soldier again. Or you can volunteer for my unit, and help save the world. First mission's tonight if you're interested."

"Save the world, huh." Parker snorted. "What's the opposition?"

"The entire GLA. And possibly some kind of shadow faction we know almost nothing about."

"Oh, just that. And just how big's this unit?"

"Counting you and me? Five people."

"Ohhhhh." Parker leaned forward. "I get it. You're crazy. See, you should've led with that."

He grinned wolfishly.

"I like crazy."

"Nice plane," Parker said, boarding the Rorqual later that day. "You get in-flight movies?"

"Naw, no such luck," Keller called back from the cockpit. "On my wish list, though. Welcome aboard. I'm Keller, the pilot."

Parker ambled toward the voice and poked his head into the cockpit. "Hi there. Parker, Lance Corporal. But you can call me Havoc."

Keller laughed, his gold tooth glinting. "Havoc, eh? They warned me you were a real madman. You'll fit in great here."

The newly-released sniper was now wearing the same tan-and-brown desert camo fatigues that were currently standard for Echo Nine. Despite the uniform being brand new, Parker had already managed to make it look as rumpled and worn as though he'd slept in it. In an alley.

Trailing behind him, Solomon watched closely as Parker made his introductions. He and Keller seemed to hit it off within seconds, bonding over the rough macho charm both men exuded.

Lieutenant Toyama's first words were to ask whether Parker was hungry, which immediately put her on his good side. He lost no time requesting ramen from the plane's galley. He even said 'please', the first time Solomon had heard the word from Parker's mouth.

Then there was Black Lotus. Parker found her working on her laptop within the Rorqual's meeting room, uploading data to the presentation screen for their upcoming briefing. Unlike the rest of the team in their tan fatigues, Lotus still wore her civilian clothes and long dark coat everywhere she went. In the room's dim lighting and neutral colours, she almost faded into the shadows.

"And who's this?" Parker loomed over Lotus as she typed, leaning across the long metal table. "Team tech support? Think you can help me find my password?"

She didn't look at him. "I'm the person who can erase your identity if you get in her way. That's all you need to know for now."

Parker grinned like he'd opened a present. "Oh, me and you are gonna have fun. I can tell."

"Bring it in, people," Solomon said. "We've got a mission. Now that we've got an assault specialist on board, it's time to hit the field."

Parker sprawled himself into a chair as Lotus punched in a final keystroke, then shut her laptop. A couple minutes later, Keller and Toyama entered as well. The latter placed a steaming box of ramen in front of Parker, who immediately dug in.

Solomon took his place at the head of the table and cleared his throat for the briefing. Behind him, an interactive map glowed on the presentation screen displaying the Battle of Bishkek, with blinking icons indicating known allied and enemy positions and key points of interest. In front of him was Echo Nine. His team. Finally ready for their first mission.

"Here's the situation," he began. "Airborne PLA forces have established a base to the North of Bishkek, here." He flashed a laser pointer at a cluster of red dots to the north of the map. "They're under the command of General Liang, who parachuted in with the second wave."

"Badass," remarked Parker, his mouth half full of noodles.

"The Chinese have moved into the city and taken over the airport and train station, backed by heavy air and artillery support. They're using them to bring in reinforcements and supplies. Unfortunately, civilian casualties have been high."

Solomon pointed at the relevant areas of the map as he continued.

"Outside Bishkek, Chinese armoured formations under General Kwan have entered Aldastan from the East and are pushing hard to link up with General Liang here in the capital. Black Lotus says we should expect him within the week."

"If not sooner," Lotus added. "General Kwan favours especially rapid offensives with his tanks."

"We'll see," Solomon said. "The GLA has been fighting hard for every inch of ground. This is a major departure from their usual guerrilla tactics, which implies there's something here they want to defend. It looks like Dr. Thrax has recruited numerous foreign fighters from cells all over the world and fed them into this theatre. He's making a major stand, and he wouldn't throw away this many resources without a plan."

Solomon hit a button in front of him, and a new series of teal dots appeared on the map. "The USA and China are trying to coordinate their operations… despite some tension. While China pushes the GLA out of the city, the USA is focused on hunting Dr. Thrax himself. Colonel Burton's Special Forces have carried out further raids, backed by airstrikes, but they're no closer to finding him."

"Which is where we come in, right?" Parker shoved his ramen aside and leaned forward, smirking. "Just let me at him. I'll bring in Thrax with a nice bow on him."

Solomon shook his head. "Unfortunately, we're still an unproven element. Bluntly put, Colonel Burton doesn't trust us and doesn't want us anywhere near his objectives. I tried to talk to General Townes, but the closest I could get was his aide, Lieutenant Eva. She threw us a loose end that we can help tie up - and cleared me to recruit you, Parker."

Another button push. Toyama gasped softly as images started to fill the screen, arrayed around a point on the map labeled 'OPERATION DEACON.' The images showed dead bodies: decapitated, mangled, burned, sprawled over the floors and tables of the Black Market that Burton's team had raided.

"Fuck a duck," Keller muttered.

"This is the part that didn't make it on the news," Solomon said. "Someone tried to kill Dr. Thrax just before Colonel Burton arrived. They wiped out everyone with almost no resistance, made off with five million in American cash, and didn't leave a single trace except for a statement signed with this symbol."

A final image appeared at the center of the bodies. A squared-off triangle, with a scorpion's tail arched within.

"So they killed a bunch of terrorists," drawled Parker. "We sure they're not the good guys? If they had gotten Thrax, I'd send them a fruit basket."

"We don't know who they are or what they want," Solomon said. "Or even what kind of fruit they like. But this massacre showed signs of a tech level that we've never seen before. Generals Townes and Liang both agree that's worth looking into. And since they're busy with the main battle, that is where we come in. Black Lotus?"

Lotus rose from her seat and took her place by Solomon's side, at the head of the table. She touched a control, and the images of dead people were replaced by a blurry photo of a live person: a bearded middle-aged Kyrgyz man with a strong jaw, sharp nose, and heavy brow.

"We have one lead. I intercepted communications from a local arms dealer reporting a special captive to Dr. Thrax," she said. "This man, Adilet Kulov, worked at the Black Market. He was present at the massacre, and escaped shortly before Burton's forces engaged. After he fled, he was captured by fighters loyal to Thrax, under suspicion of desertion. They are interrogating him about the attack as we speak."

Toyama looked offended. "The GLA are really that paranoid?"

"Dr. Thrax is," Lotus responded. "It's said he never sleeps in the same bed two nights in a row. Suspecting Kulov of betraying him is a typical reaction."

"It's a slim lead, but it's all we've got," Solomon stepped in. "Kulov's being held at a garage and machine shop near a bazaar in the West end of the city, deep behind enemy lines. The name of the game is hostage rescue, people."

He paused to let it sink in, and swept the room with his eyes. Toyama and Keller looked worried. Parker looked like he'd won a ticket to Vegas.

"We're assuming that we don't have long before Thrax's people kill him or move him, so we have to act tonight. Our job is to free Adilet Kulov and find out what he knows about this scorpion symbol."

"Airspace over the city is still hectic with anti-air," Keller observed. "Wouldn't recommend a helo ride."

"GLA fighters often hide their faces," suggested Lotus. "It should be easy to dress ourselves as their soldiers-"

"Not happening." Solomon cut in, shaking his head. Lotus closed her mouth and pressed it into a thin line. "Dressing as the enemy is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. This unit may be secret, but we're still going to follow the rules and act like soldiers."

"How the hell are we supposed to get there, then?" Parker demanded, leaning forward. "Ask the GLA nicely?"

Captain Solomon grinned at him. This time, he showed his teeth.

"It's already taken care of, Havoc," he said. "Trust me. You're going to love this."

A/N: General 'Kwai', the Chinese Tank General, has been renamed General Kwan for this story. The author's research indicates that 'Kwai' is not a real Chinese name, but rather a pun meaning that the General is very fast.

Next time: Echo Nine's first official mission!

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter!