Chapter 9: Planning and Setbacks Part 2

Two days had passed. The sounds of gunfire filled the enclosed hangar. Each of the recruit trainees was firing carbines at a set of targets near the front landing hatch of the Lifen. The rubber rounds would hit the blue projections of sets of silhouetted heads and torsos before falling into a bullet trap.

Stone stood between Enlai and Gavrill, while Ioren stood between Isandro and Dariea. All six stood in a line facing the wall as they were getting their shots at the respected targets. Each of the recruits showed different hints of confidence and composure in the scene.

However, after several trigger pulls, Dariea’s gun stopped firing. She pressed a side button on near the grip base causing the top front of the magazine to pop off. It floated in zero gravity as she grabbed it and tossed it on the deck. It landed with a soft thump where it magnetized into place. She then reached behind her belt and unclipped the other large 60-round magazine, almost the size of half her arm. She then neatly attached it to the top, where a satisfying click could be heard. The carbine’s internal mechanisms then automatically loaded the next round to be fired next. She took aim and began to pull the trigger.

“Continue firing, until you’re out of ammunition!” Stone yelled out. “After that, you will cease firing! Time your shots when you fire in semi-auto. Typically, one shot per second to ensure full accurate hits!”

Enlai watched as he hit the targets in the torso. He felt relatively comfortable with his rifle. It wasn’t the prettiest of firearms but made up for it in practicality. It had two magazines, with the main one being in the front. It had an extendable deploying sight and felt powerful with each trigger pull. However, a part of him felt the growing desire for something more. He pulled the trigger one last time, and he heard a click. The gun was empty. He lowered the barrel and then looked at Gavrill. Stone’s attention had gone to him.

“Still can’t hit the broadside of a barn, Private Farceur?” Stone mocked him.

“Ugh...,” Gavrill cringed. He continued to fire downrange. “I need something stronger, Master Sergeant. Gun’s too small for me.”

“You’ll get it when I tell you you can, private!” Stone pointed at the target ahead. “You’re flinching every time that you pull the trigger.”

“Gavrill never flinches!” He pulled the trigger, but there was a “kink” sound generated. Gavrill slightly twitched forward.

“That’s what we call a dud round, private! Plus, you’re over anticipating your shots. In other words, you were flinching! Afraid of your gun, private!?”

“No, Master Sergeant,” Gavrill yelled out.

“Then pull that charging handle back. Eject that round and keep firing.”

Gavrill took his right hand and reached for a small rubber handle on the left portion of the gun. He pulled it back as it ejected the round into the air. Stone grabbed it as it floated in zero gravity and looked at the back of the burnable primer.

“Hmm...,” Stone said to himself. He then put the bullet into his pocket while watching Gavrill at work. Finally, the gun clicked, and he was out.

Enlai turned to look at Isandro. He could see that the small recruit trainee was still partially determined by the aggressive attitude of Stone. However, after his incident, Isandro seemed to feel a little bit better than before. He could give some pride to this man. His resilience hadn’t faltered since he cried last time. Now, his attitude toward firearms even put Gavrill to shame.

Then there was Dariea. After Isandro’s gun ran dry, she was the last to keep firing. Each time Enlai looked at her, there was a mild hint of longing. Her short-cut hair somehow made her look stronger and more powerful. She even had her hair redone to that of the buzzcut look, which was perfectly allowed for female hair standards. His eyes befell to her chest and hips. Enlai had to shake the thoughts out. Before he knew it, Dariea’s gun had run empty.

“Good,” Stone said as the others turned their heads toward him. “Always remember that when you’re shooting humans with the PDW-20, aim for the torso, unless they are wearing power armor. Same goes for Yutilians and Aksren in their wrap armors. If you’re fighting a person in power armor, you aim for their visor, back, or the ammo belt that leads to their heavy weaponry. Shal’rein, you only have one spot.” Stone pointed at his eyes. “If you have a PDW-20 or any other high-powered gun and a Shal’rein is wearing wrap armor, you must aim for the red eye slits. The clear polymer located there is the weakest area of the armor lining. At least three direct hits with the rifle can penetrate it and blind them. Otherwise, a headshot at an effective range with the Anti-Material rifle is your only hope of trying to take one down.

Stone pointed his hand at the weapons rack. Today was going to be a day that Enlai was looking forward to the most. A series of huge weapons were set in place. These guns almost didn’t appear to be guns that could be mounted on the shoulder. They might as well be cannons of some sort. One of the barrels seemed to mount some high caliber to them and measure to the length of Ioren’s height. On top of the other barrel was an emitter of some sort

“Stow your rifles and pick up each one of the M14s ... except for Gavrill,” Stone commented. “Instead, you will pick up the M19 grenade launcher, ... the big one next to the M14s.”

“Alright!” Gavrill pounded his fists together. “Gavrill, get to go BOOM!”

“Just make sure that it’s the enemy that goes ‘boom’ instead of you, Private Farceur. I’m only letting you have access to it because you can’t hit shit if it were standing five meters in front of you. Instead, I’ll let the grenades do the talking.”

Gavrill actually laughed from that comment. Even Enlai knew that the big man was truly coming around. Even if he was beaten by the rather strenuous IT, Gavrill’s attitude had changed for the better. Stone had effectively taken some of the aggression out of the man’s stride.

Instead, Enlai walked up and picked up the M14 from the rack. It seemed like it was heavy and most likely was, but the zero-gravity environment quickly remedied that issue. Finally, he had a chance to look closer and admire the design. They had overhead mounted grips and triggers, almost like you had to carry them from the side hip. There was a computer display screen on them. A fine layer of light dust lined the entire weapon. In the back mid-section of the gun was a drum magazine. It almost appeared to be two weapons in one.

Gavrill’s M19 was similar to the M14 but more massive and bulbous. It consisted of a singular large barrel, and the drum magazine was much thicker. Obviously, the barrel was attuned to the large caliber rounds that would be carried inside the drum. A sense of pride could be seen from the man as he lifted it. He even took his lips and kissed the tip of the barrel as if it would be his new pride and joy.

“Love at first sight, Gavrill?” Dariea joked. She plucked her M14 from the rack.

“Mmm ... I shall call her... ‘Blowhard.’” Gavrill answered.

“Yeah ... how original.”

“Then you enjoy your little popguns. Gavrill’s a real man now ... unlike you tiny babies.”

“I like the PDW-20a,” Isandro said.

“That’s what you will most likely have, Private snowflake,” Stone told him. “Marine medics typically use the PDW-20c models. They mount up on the power armor, so it gives you more freedom for your hands.”

“Nice...,” Isandro said.

“But you still need to learn how to use the other guns, first. Alright, everyone!” Stone’s voice grew even more severe. He waved them to come back to him. “If you’re done proposing to your firearms, come back now and get ready!”

All four of the recruits returned back to the firing line. Stone walked ahead and looked at each of the four.

“Look at each one of you,” Stone remarked with a stern face. “For a few seconds, I actually thought I was looking at marines. Holy son of a bitch, there maybe still some hope for the UHN afterall.”

It was an actual complement that caused Enlai and some of the recruits to smile. Gavrill even gave a contemptable nod as his hands happily gripped the joystick controls.

“We still have work to do for this day,” Stone said as he paced in front of them. “The Captain and I both agreed that you needed more time. Do you feel that you asswipes are ready for tomorrow!?”

“Yes, Master Sergeant!” All four answered. Ioren’s silence was answered with a quick nod.

“I don’t know ... that didn’t sound convincing enough.”

“Yes, Master Sergeant!” the four screamed it louder.

“Hmmm...,” Stone mumbled. He took his fingers and wiped his lips. “Then we’ll see. Behold the might of the UHN marines. With the exception of Gavrill, each one of you holds the M14 LLMAG, the pride of the marine corps ... of course, the guns are fucking old. The Light Laser/ Machine Assault Gun was replaced by the M18 and M19 respectfully, but the UHN has decided to bring these firearms back into service. Can anybody tell me why?”

“Oh...,” Isandro answered. “It’s because of the ... Emphy? Impies?”

“Emphra,” Stone said. “It’s under mine, and the Captain’s opinion that we should have these guns brought back into service to have the adequate means to fight them. The reason why is the nice little emitter barrel on top of the firing chamber. The chief of security has taken the appropriate steps to ensure that each one of the lasers on your guns has been properly tuned to kill the Emphra in their native state.”

Native state ... Enlai’s mind wandered about that. He almost had no knowledge of the Emphra except Isandro, who always studied hard. Were they just an Itrean species, an abomination, or something else? Apparently, the threat of them was enough.

“The M14’s primary armament is its 12.7mm barrel capable of firing 50 caliber RPSS rounds at a rate of fire of 1,500 rounds a minute. However, I don’t want any of you getting any ideas that we will be unleashing hell upon our door or blowing our load of rounds. Today, you will know the basics of using this, when to pull the trigger and when not to. Just because you are a marine walking around in power armor with an ammo belt strapped to your back container doesn’t mean you hold an infinite amount of rounds. How many rounds will your drum container hold? Anyone besides private Snowflake?”

“Umm...” Enlai tried to think.

“I’ll give you a hint. Both the M18 and M14 use the same backpack drum magazine. There’s also different new sets being made.”

“I think it’s supposed to be 200, Master Sergeant?”

“Close 250. The internal magazine of the M14 is 30. That’s why we always follow the rules of firearm engagements. You fire in Semi-automatic and burst fire modes. The M14 has the same amount of options as the M18. The biggest issue with the M14 is that it can overheat much quicker than the M18. I usually recommend keeping your settings on semi-automatic or burst fire of three rounds. The laser cannon operates on a simple point and click. Keep in mind that the lasers are pretty much useless against Itrean wrap armor unless they decide not to use it. For the training exercises, you won’t be using the lasers for safety reasons.”

Stone walked up to Gavrill and looked at him. He stood side by side with the recruits, turned around, and faced the targets in the distance. Stone pointed at the display screens.

“Your computer display on the M14s to M19s will be in sync with your power armor. It is designed to serve as a secondary display in case your visor display goes down. In the tactical training scenario, you may possibly lose your visor. If that happens, you still have a backup. Note the size and mass of the guns that you are holding. They are quite heavy depending on the environment. Your power armor will do most of the heavy lifting for you, but it doesn’t mean that you lean on it as a crutch. I expect each and everyone of you to maintain a good physical exercise routine. I want you strong enough that you can lift one of these guns and shoot the enemy. It can be a difference between life or death. Is that understood!?”

“Yes, Master Sergeant,” they replied.

“Private Farceur,” Stone addressed him. “In every marine squad, it is common to have one that utilizes the M19 Grenade Launcher. It is one of the most versatile heavy weapons platforms for the marines. You are the heavy artillery, the sledgehammer amongst those that wield the knives. Your squad will look upon you to help serve as that weapon for tomorrow. It will be important for you to know when you are to start lobbing explosives against your enemy and where the risk of collateral damage can occur.”

“Ah ... yes, Master Sergeant,” Gavrill nodded. “You can count on me to do it.”

“Which is why Private Crinkle will be the leader of the team tomorrow and for the rest of your training. What he says goes. Failure to adhere to him can result in the destruction and death of your squad mates.” A look of surprise filled their faces as Gavrill had a disappointed look. “That goes for all of you! Tomorrow, Private Enlai is your team lead. Is that clear!?”

“Yes, Master Sergeant,” all replied in earnest.

Enlai had to process all of this information. He was going to be the leader of the division under Stone. It had been a grueling two weeks, but the fact that a divisional leader hadn’t been chosen yet, might have been a sign that there weren’t enough people to make it viable. However, Enlai could clearly see that Stone had been waiting for one to come through for some time. Now that responsibility would fall to him. Dariea turned her head and gave a questioning look to Enlai. She wasn’t against the idea as she considered it. Isandro had a happy look on his face as he looked at the new leader. But it would be Gavrill that may have the most protest out of all of them. Enlai looked at him, and the towering recruit lowered his head to him as a form of submission. It was his way of letting him know that he was going to comply with everything.

“Private Enlai,” Stone told him. “You will find that being a leader is shitty but rewarding work. I won’t be like the other drill instructors and pretend that it’s grandiose work that is praised in your permanent record. The rewards are great, but the risks are higher for you. Disappoint yourself, and you disappoint them. However, your actions and choices can not only save yourself but save your squad from certain death. Do you understand?”

“I do, Master Sergeant,” Enlai answered.

“Good,” Stone changed the discussion and looked at Gavrill’s grenade launcher. “Private Farceur. For today and tomorrow, the grenade launcher is fitted with flash pulse simulation grenades. They produce a soft flashbang where the computers and gadgets of our equipment register the damage inflicted. It represents the 40mm HE Mark 12 grenades that are common in the launcher that are used in real life. The M19 is a sophisticated piece of equipment capable of alternating between different types of grenades. You will only have one type for tomorrow. The nice thing with the M19 is that it is one of the weapons that can make Shal’rein wet their pants. It carries a high enough explosive that can damage their armor. However, it has to be a direct hit. Their armor is strong enough to withstand indirect explosions.”

“I won’t miss, Master Sergeant,” Gavrill said defiantly.

A gunshot echoed in the room, that slightly startled everyone. Stone quickly turned his head. His eyes registered a direct hit on one of the targets in the storage bay. It was a clean headshot directly in the center of the forehead and just above the eyes. Ioren momentarily tensed up as her tail straightened out on the lookout for the source of gunshot. For half a second, the Master Sergeant turned his head to see if one of the recruits had mistakenly fired their gun, but this wasn’t a typical gunshot sound. It was something slightly unique. Stone’s thought process had brought his attention to what was happening to the back and left of the firing line. Ioren and the rest of the trainees had turned their heads to the source of the gunshot.

It was Shira. The captain had been amazingly quiet in her approach to the firearms training that was taking place. Not even Ioren or Stone had taken notice of it. Perhaps it was a gift that the captain of the ship was quieter than most human footsteps. Not even the magnetic wrappings on her feet generated any sound to them from her approach. In her hand was her handgun. The powerful auto revolver magnum had a trail of smoke coming from the end of her barrel. With one hand, she fired from the hip and hit the target with pinpoint accuracy. She had done this at an even further range than everyone else. There was no emotion on Shira’s face. It was almost as if she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she could do it.

“Uh ... Attention on Deck!” Gavrill yelled out. He tried to tense up, but Stone lifted his hand up.

“I told you before, dumbass!” Stone lightly slapped him on the forehead. “If you are armed up, you don’t need to be at attention unless told otherwise! That’s everyone else’s responsibility!” Gavrill lowered his head and nodded before the rest of the recruits looked upon the CO.

“Captain,” Stone addressed her.

Shira holstered her firearm and walked forward and to the side. Stone had prepared to step out and speak to her privately if need be, but she subtly held her right hand to halt his advance. She instead focused her attention on all the recruits. Her one shark-like eye peered through their souls like a hot knife through butter.

“I want you to take notice of what had just happened,” Shira methodically explained to the trainees. She pointed at the target. “Where did I hit the target with my shot?”

“The head, Ma’am,” Enlai answered.

“And where was I located?”

“Behind us and to the left.”

“And how the shot was made?”

There was a slight pause. “From the hip, Captain,” Dariea answered.

“Tomorrow, all you will be fighting Shal’rein in this tactical scenario. Most Shal’rein know how to assemble and disassemble guns at the age of six. We train with firearms, play with firearms, turn it into a sport, have competitions, and decide our future leaders depending on our skill with the gun. I built my first gun when I was seven.”

Stone seemed tempted to say something, but he kept quiet. Ioren could spot it. It was a sense of pride or perhaps envy. She always knew her mate as a fellow gun lover. To be on a world of other gun lovers or a culture that worshipped them would have been paradise to him.

“Our skills and experience are what makes us, not just our physical strength,” Shira said. “The warriors that you will face are all expertly trained in firearms and physical combat. Private Gavrill will be the first target that they will take out.” She pointed at the target. “From there, the rest of you three would be dead in less than two seconds.”

Enlai’s face was agape. If the Captain could have that amount of insane accuracy, then it was obvious that the scenario planned for tomorrow was going to be horribly difficult. They weren’t just fighting Itreans but soldiers capable of taking down his entire team in mere seconds. Was it a joke? Why would the CO plan for something that was impossible to win? Even with the knowledge and briefing brought from Stone, nobody could laugh at what they had just seen. Suddenly he felt a wake of dread as he looked at his gun. They were trainees going against odds that would make a UHN marine team sweat bullets.

“Permission to speak freely, Ma’am,” Enlai requested.

“You may speak,” she answered.

“This mission ... it’s ... how are we supposed to win, Ma’am?” He tried to remain composed as he asked it.

“All of you are going into an unfair scenario. The enemy will not fight fair. The Itreans have fought longer than the human race ever existed. No doubt, it is very likely that you will lose. However, what Veleshar’s warriors’ lack is experience against fighting humans. It is your one and only true benefactor to achieving victory. In our society, we have a saying... ‘Gevtre so click Gevtre’see tot.’ It is a meaning that the champion that is expected to win faces their own stress when facing an opponent that is expected to lose. In a sense, their emotion dictates that they must win. To lose against an enemy that is significantly weaker than you is a grave insult. They are afraid that they will lose just as much as you are afraid that you will lose.”

It was an interesting point that each of the recruits took to their own hearts. While it wasn’t the most comforting words to hear, it was at least something that had them all nodding in some way or another. Shira then turned to face directly at Stone. She used her hand to gesture to him to come forward. He did so and stood next to her. Enlai was wondering what the captain was trying to bring up to the master sergeant. Obviously, she didn’t come to the shooting gallery to participate. Maybe it was something else ... perhaps both?

What she did was reach in her pocket and pull out her tablet. She turned it on and then flipped it over to hand it to Stone. Enlai’s augmented eye could track some of the words that appeared on the device. It was something along the lines of “death ... instructor,” but Stone inadvertently shifted his body, blocking Enlai from adequately reading it. There was a moment of pause as the master sergeant began to read the device carefully. Finally, after half a minute, Stone nodded.

“You may tell him,” Shira stated. With that, Stone did a 180-degree turn and walked toward Isandro. Enlai figured that there was some sort of message that was meant for somebody. He observed the master sergeant as she stepped in front of the person.

“Put the gun down and read this to yourself,” Stone ordered the recruit. Private Isandro did as he was told. He placed his gun onto the deck and picked up the tablet. He received the tablet and began to read it intently.

It was here that Enlai was being careful. The others didn’t have the vision that he had. If he turned his head too much, it was possible that others would catch onto it, and it would be a world of pain for snooping. However, his peripheral vision, in addition to the augmented eyes, could pick out a few additional words. It went along with “Drill instructor ... murdered” along with the name “Longwei” and other words of “suicide.” There was nothing else that he picked up as he kept his gaze away from the tablet. What was so important about this message? Was this a possible news report about a drill instructor’s death? Enlai would have to figure that out later.

Instead, Enlai’s peripheral vision was showing him how Isandro was reacting. At first, he mouthed off the text to himself as it set into his mind. With one hand, Isandro placed it to his mouth in surprise. His face was flushed, but it was only temporary. Then there was a replacement reaction of relief. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from the private. His face returned to normal, and a tiny tear appeared in Isandro’s eyes. He didn’t break down and instead quickly wiped it away. Stone and Shira remained composed as the others were left to their own thoughts.

“Master Sergeant,” Isandro said as he handed the tablet back to him. “Respectfully request that I may go to the medical bay for one hour. I’m alright, but ... I just need to...”

“Granted,” Stone said. “Ioren, accompany him to the medical bay and have the doctors check him out. Half an hour, private and not a minute more, is that understood?”

“Yes,” Isandro said. For a brief moment, the recruit’s eyes peered at the Captain. For him, it was like gazing at an ominous statue. She purposely came there to bring that message to him. Isandro was no idiot, and Enlai caught onto it lightly. The silence in the room was foreboding for a brief time, but it quickly lifted. Stone took that tablet, approached the captain, and returned it to her. She then turned around and began to leave.

“As you were,” Shira said. The last they saw was her tail swinging in the zero gravity. Ioren was next as she gave a quick nod to Isandro. It was time for him to go and speak with the doctors.

As Isandro was leaving, Enlai could see more of that reaction of relief. Stone wasn’t going to let the scene carry forth in this manner. He quickly resumed his instructions as the others left the room.

A couple of hours had passed. A serenity permeated the CO’s stateroom of the Lifen. The room was partially dark to allow the full undistorted view of the projector of a glowing yellow star. Shira was sitting behind her table. Her working eye was closed. The ambient converted sounds of stars echoed inside. It was that of a slow reverberating heartbeat. Her fingers would dance across the panel. She gently swished her finger to rotate to the different themes that each of the stars created.

“Where ... are ... you?” Shira calmly asked.

She took a deep breath through her nostrils. There was no sign of impatience but that of searching for the truth. Most of the star’s radiation and their echoing converted sound themes were generally the same with the exception of the larger and smaller stars.

However, one caught her attention as she strolled through the different themes. She shifted her head lightly to it. Her fin-like ear seemed to process everything. Her finger pointed at the image gently as she was contemplating.

“Yes ... the cosmic melody brings us closer,” she said. “It is the sound of loneliness ... distant ... longing.” Her one eye opened. “Closer ... but you are not the one.” She took her finger and began to shift to new images. The red dwarf stars were small, so many that even the computer databanks didn’t have them all.

“Limited exploration ... limited information ... the curse of Itrean latent exploration. The desire to find new worlds for their value and nothing more. The humans have made far greater effort than even us in our attempt to search the galaxy, with a fraction of their existence. In a few hundred years, their technology will even surpass us ... then there are others...”

An enormous star map of the Milky Way Galaxy was seen on the projection. Shira’s eye looked at the star that was named M-130-883849. She took her fingers and closed her hand to zoom out. It highlighted a particular cluster of stars. The star’s location showed it to be hundreds of light years from colonized Itrean space. It was like looking at a wall that was ever so slowly moving towards UWA territory, like an enormous tidal wave.

“So close ... yet...” A small ringtone erupted on the desk. It interrupted her from her thoughts.

“Hmmm...” She pressed a couple of buttons to shut off the tones and the star map. The room lit up to its normal illumination. She leaned back to her backrest, and her fingers were pressed together.

The face of Admiral Hazer appeared on the screen. The officer had his gloved hands wrapped down to his wooden desk. He didn’t seem apprehensive in any way. Unlike his previous conversation with Shira, he didn’t carry a big smile on his face, at least not at first. The background that Hazer resided in was his grand stateroom. It consisted of blues, reds, and a yellow star emblem in the center.

“Admiral,” Shira calmly addressed him. “What brings you to contact me?”

“Captain Shira, good to get a chance to talk to you again,” Hazer said. “I almost didn’t know if you would be available to talk.”

“The Lifen has not departed to Gu’ii’lo’trelda yet.”

“Ah ... I understand. Weren’t you supposed to be already involved in the training exercise?”

“You appear to be watching my progress rather closely, Admiral,” Shira pointed out. “The exercise is under mine and Lesser Adjunct Veleshar’s jurisdictions.”

Hazer held his hand up. “It’s alright. I was just curious. We rarely have UHN vessels commanded by non-humans, let alone have them go frolicking around the galaxy with it. No offense was intended.”

“The training exercise will commence tomorrow, Admiral,” Shira said.

“To be honest ... I feel that more Captains should do what you’re doing,” Hazer leaned back on his chair. “With the dangers that persisted out there, it’s good to involve more ... allied exercises ... prepare for the worst.”

“It sounds like you would have someone to follow as an example. My recommendations have been adequately passed for all the top officials to read thoroughly. It will help guarantee victory or, at the least, survival for the UWA.”

“Noted ... unfortunately, I’m left to question the ethicacy over the set of events that just occurred,” Hazer’s face contorted a little bit into a frown. “Possible events that ... might have occurred due to your actions.”

“You obviously went to lengths to contact me, Admiral,” Shira calmly said. “What seems to be the issue that warrants my attention?”

“About a few days ago, we received a notification over the murder of Master Sergeant Jack Longwei,” Hazer explained. “From the report given to us by UES and CIB investigations committee, Longwei was shot while departing from his shuttle to New Beijing. It appeared that a Shal’rein by the name of...,” he paused as he seemed to be looking at some documents. “Westrat’gobrein ... had managed to escape from the Environmental Cleaning Colony C-2. She had managed to secure a firearm, found Longwei, shot him, and then used it to end her life.”