"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you find a rock." -Will Rogers

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -Mark Twain

Same copyrights still apply. The authorities, Clancy, Greenburg, and Berkley Press still hold the legal rights to most of this. Extend rights to Dr. Steve Pieczenik, because Ruzhyo comes from Net Force. Note: Ruzhyo's name should have an accent mark over the O.

Chapter 3
Ex Post Facto San Jose, California
It is the December of 2003. UpLink decides to integrate their Sword operatives with guys like Robin Molina and Paul Evens into the force, but spend time integrating them in before flying to Kuwait City.
Tom Ricci spent the days between Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukah showing these two the special weapons and vehicles to be used in Iraq. Robin, who'd studied up on some of Sword's special tools, inquired about the VVRS, the Variable Velocity Rifle System, and the special functions he'd only read about.
"We don't need to get into that," said Ricci, "because we'll combat test the Alliant Techsystems XM8 carbine. This gun will find use within the regular army taxpayers normally pay for. Enjoy the guns. We'll actually get a DARPA grant for using them."
Good deal
, Molina thought, aiming one down range, but surely a coalition member would willingly do this for free. Well, ours is to do and die, with the coolest toys.
"Mind if I shoot the rifle version, too?"


Later that day, the team drove across the border to ride some desert vehicles in Baja. For the longest time, they didn't see much but mesquite and all the other things that reminded Molina of home, until Tom signaled left to a barb wired plot of garages, the source of a loud diesel engine. Ricci parked the hatchback where they could see just what caused that sound.
"That looks like a seriously caliber-deprived tank," Robin deadpanned, after glancing at the tracked vehicle.
"Those are our wheels. Scully made the call that Iraq is too dangerous a place for us to drive around in light-skinned vehicles," spoke Ricci, referring to UpLink's risk assessment analyst, Vince Scull. Paul hazarded a question.
"And exactly what is his definition of a thinly armored vehicle?" Tom Ricci politely chuckled.
"Same as mine."
They kept a respectful distance, as one lumbered around the obstacle course. It took the first hill, a four foot sand berm, pretty well.
"We've been kicking the idea of copying the Israelis for a long time, but didn't do it until now," Ricci shouted over the mechanical uproar, "but once the coalition- you know- the one Iraq's denial minister said would never come? When the coalition liberated the country, we hired some Kuwaitis to organize our own "liberation" of some old Soviet hardware for us. We're doing a lot of the same things the Israeli Defense Force did with their Nagmash'ot and Nakpadon heavy APCs, except we're building up from T-72 chassis, instead of the old Centurion tanks they used." The tank, no, armored personnel carrier (APC), faced them, and rushed forward. "Isn't that Pete?" Ricci didn't answer, but Paul was pretty sure. "Those cars- is he nuts?" The big Shield armored car jumped a dune adjacent to the cars, and destructively drove along. "So, ah, do you like monster truck rallies?"
It was merely a crash course, as the operatives, ever the punsters, classified it. They adapted well to the top-mounted gun, the old "Maw Deuce," the Browning M2. "Now for the music piracy enthusiast" Pete Nimic triggered another chain-fed gun from his APC. "This is the MP3 another .50 (12.7mm). Electrically fired. The firing rate is a lot higher, but we shouldn't need it. We'll field the battle tested Maw Deuce instead. Best not to carry too many experimental eggs in one basket."
Nota Bene: The Browning M2 dates back to the later years of World War One. A lot of critics out there state the Iraqis were defeated with Bill Clinton's military. I only wish our stuff were really that new. "So what are we calling these vehicles?" Robin was curious. "A fortiori. The boss named them. It means with stronger reason. Latin."

I don't think this is the time for a mea culpa just yet, but I meant to write more before now. One shouldn't bore readers with a full-blown erratum page, but I've noticed errors continue showing up on these chapters. I'm trying different means of making the submissions look right, it'll suffice to say.

One acknowledgement/shout-out before moving on to the meat of the matter: The one called sYnergy's Duality, thanks for not lurking. Authors like feedback. I'd reciprocate the favor, but I'm not familiar enough with the fandoms you write in.
Typewriter King, September 11, 2004 Anno Domini