Starship Troopers: Bring A Knife To A Nuke Fight

A purely made-up tale during Rico's training. The scene with Ace is rewritten for realism.

Camp Arthur Currie

During combat training

During training the boots were required to learn to throw and use knives. Ace raised a point which a number of others, having been accustomed to advanced tech all their lives, had thought of. "Sir, I don't understand. Who needs a knife in a nuke fight, anyway? All you gotta do is press a button. Sir."

Zim was prepared for the question; he'd heard similar doubts from many a boot. "Put your hand on that wall, trooper."

Ace hesitated.

Zim scowled. "PUT YOUR HAND ON THAT WALL!"

Hurriedly (and nervously) Ace complied.

The Sergeant expertly retrieved a throwing knife (Rico's; he'd been proud of getting it in the centre) and tested its balance for throwing. "Mmm, it's a little off, Rico," he observed.

Rico nodded. "I compensated when I figured that out, sir. It's still a good knife, you just have to watch the balance."

"You've had practice?" Zim inquired.

"If you count reading The Dumarest Saga as practice, sir," Rico grinned. "The protagonist - the novels were written pre-spaceflight - favoured a knife. He said you can't be taught, only shown."

"Exactly right," Zim nodded. "Some people have natural skill. Others don't." In a rare display of camaraderie he looked wry. "Generally I get the latter."

They laughed. Sergeant Zim was like this: hard as nails, especially if you crossed him, but show him you were willing to try and he would pull out all the stops for you. And though the general opinion of sergeants was that they weren't born but made to order by the government (assuming they didn't fission like bacteria), occasionally he would show himself to be as human as anyone.

"Now, Levy," he addressed the nervous Ace, "if I were to throw this knife - don't worry, trooper, I am not going to! - but if I were to throw it, with the skill you've seen from me, what would happen?"

Ace gulped. "Uh, you would spear my hand, sir."

"Damn straight," Zim agreed. "Result?"

"It would hurt like hell, sir, so I really hope you don't."

More laughter. Zim barely smiled. "Not what I meant. Would you be able to use your hand?"

Starting to realise Zim's point, Ace answered, "Most likely not, sarge."

"So...would you be able, then, to push the button you mentioned?"

"No, sir."

He yelped as Zim threw the knife. But such was his skill, it went not into Ace's palm but between his fingers.

"And that," the sergeant finished, "is why we teach you how to use and throw knives. Stand down, Levy."

"Yes, sir!" a relieved Ace said.

"A knife," Zim told them, sitting, "has several plus points. Flores! Name me a standard-issue M.I. weapon which is too heavy for one man to carry unless he's from a high-G world or has a counter-grav unit!"

"The AF-24 Heavy Duty Tankbuster, sir!" she answered immediately.

"Correct! A useful weapon some ways. A powerful one, definitely. A heavy hitter - if the bad guy takes a hit from a 'Twenty-Four, he damn well knows it. But it's a two-man weapon. Takes a hell of a lot of power. But a knife is a very low-mass weapon, requiring only your muscle power.

"Niler! Name me a weapon known for its accuracy!"

"RBS-12 Needlebeamer, Sarge! Can shoot the antennae off an ant at 1000 metres!"

"Always thought that claim was extravagant," Zim noted, "but yes, the weapon is accurate. However, it has moving parts. If even one part seizes up, as they are occasionally prone to do, you are screwed, because your weapon is down. But a knife has precisely zero moving parts. Therefore it cannot jam, or misfire. It does not need to be charged, loaded or otherwise prepared. It is ready at all times.

"Breckinridge! A weapon with a high load capacity!"

"M-52 standard M.I. rifle, sir! Capacity of 600 standard 10mm rounds, 300 armour-piercing, 300 sniper or 200 high explosive, depending on combat config!"

"Or 100 missile rounds," Zim supplied. "The ideal all-rounder, descended from the ancient M-16 favoured by many military forces in the 20th and 21st Centuries. An excellent weapon...as long as you have ammo for it. But what if you're out? What do you fire then?"

Rico whipped out a knife and threw it into the exact centre of a target. "You don't, sir. You use the knife or knives you're also issued with."

"Exactly right!" Zim applauded. "You fall back on the one weapon that is as old as warfare itself! The one weapon which is highly unlikely to let you down! The one weapon which requires minimal maintenance and which, most importantly, is every bit as efficient, effective and deadly in skilled hands as any firearm you have named today! True, it requires skill. But so do your firearms.

"There is, however, one quality we have not discussed as yet: durability. Properly looked after, a knife or sword can be serviceable for centuries. Name me, if you can, any modern weapon which can make that claim." He paused. "You can't. Neither can I. Such a weapon does not yet exist, and may not ever exist. So believe me, troopers, there are sound and logical reasons why we teach you how to use knives. When you graduate, if you do, and you serve in the Mobile Infantry, you will be issued with a standard set of knives.

"Finally...Levy, name me a use for a gun other than killing - either by firing it or, if it jams, misfires or runs out of ammo, as a club."

Ace thought hard, but confessed, "Uh, I can't, sir."

"No, son," Zim said almost kindly, "there isn't one. A gun can be used for one purpose, and only one. But a knife? Let me count the ways:

"You can, of course, use it for killing.

"You can use it to strike sparks against a flint, and so start a fire for protection, warmth or cooking a meal.

"It can be used to get that meal.

"By making use of the reflective properties of steel, you have a silent signalling device - we'll teach you different signalling techniques.

"You can punch holes in various materials, so as to make them into clothes.

"Some knives have a heavy pommel, which turns them into clubs.

"I've read Tubb, too. As I recall, Rico, Dumarest used his knife to hide the affinity twin in the empty handle." Rico nodded. "He also used it as a makeshift piton. Not recommended, as the blade has a tendency to snap, but as a last resort..." He shrugged. "You do what works.

"Some blades favoured by various armies possessed a serrated edge, which could be used to saw bone or other materials.

"You can use it to shave off fine flakes of wood for kindling." He grinned. "Or, if you guys feel daring, your beards.

"Thus," he concluded, "a knife is a superb multi-use survival tool. There may be other uses." A savage grin. "You'll likely devise them when we drop you off in the wilderness as part of your training - the only equipment you will have will be a knife and a canteen. For three days, your only task will be: Live off the land. The scenario will be that your ship blew up and took your supplies with it. Let's see if you can cope." He stood. "But first, you've listened to me jawing for long enough, you lazy apes! Back to practice! Flores, you're up! Show me what you've got!"

Dizzy saluted and grinned. "Copy that, Sarge!" She grabbed six knives and proceeded to throw them into the centre of one target each.

"A natural! Good! Levy, you're up!"

And so it went.

THE END