All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War
They always seem disorganized, crazy, and chaotic. That is until you put them into combat.
- Lieutenant Colonel Seiji Kakashi, Commander 32nd Special Panzer Battalion PRAFC commenting on his 1st Special Panzer Troop
19:31:45 Zulu April 21, 2080 � Totaku Military Base, Japan, Pacific Rim Alliance
Every Vertical Tank is equipped with what is called the �Shot Box�. It is a unique variation on the traditional black box used in aircraft and other vehicles. In the event a VT�s plasma bottle is cracked and detonates there is little probability that anything housed within the main body unit would survive, including a black box. Therefore the Shot Box is designed to transmit all data contained within it in a huge encrypted radio burst of data. Any nearby transports will instantly receive the data. Even friendly orbiting satellites can collect the data and transfer it to where it needs to go. Warrant Officer Toji Kageru�s data was received in this fashion. In fact, WO Kageru�s data was the only data received by PRAFC forces on April 19th. This was a puzzle to Major Kim Young Sam and he hated puzzles. Never in the history of the PRAFC had their VTs been wiped out apparently so quickly and with no trace or substantial clue as to what had happened. However, Kageru�s data had provided the answers to one of the usual questions � who.
As he approached Lt. Col. Kakashi�s office with the report from HQ, he already knew what the colonel would say after he read it. But he would never say it to his commander�s face. Sam did not always like the answer, but his reasons were personal. In this case the question plaguing his mind was, Would they be enough?
�Come in, Kim.� The colonel said before Sam�s knuckles could hit the door.
�I have the report from HQ, sir.� Sam said at near-attention. The colonel had his back to the door as was looking out over the parade grounds across to the far side of the base where the VT hangars resided. The colonel stood at parade rest and appeared absolutely motionless.
Colonel Seiji Kakashi was not your typical Japanese. Kakashi stood at nearly 6�1� and seemed carved from stone. His salt-and pepper hair was the only indicator of his age because his face was practically smooth and seamless. This at times made his moods and expressions nearly impossible to read.
�Just place the papers on my desk, but hold on to the disc.� He said still facing the window.
�Sir?� Kim knew when to play dumb. He had already guessed the colonel had been informally briefed. This must have been given more priority than Sam was even aware. Something else must be going on that he couldn�t glean from the report.
Kakashi turned to face his second-in-command. Sam appeared ordinary enough, 5�8� with a medium build. It was his eyes that set him apart from others. While they were a dark-brown they seemed to shine from some sort of inner light. It was as if the intelligence of the man could not be contained. Although Sam had spent very little time in a VT or any combat for that matter, Kakashi could not help but respect the man�s mind. It was this element of Sam that had kept him from being transferred on more than one occasion. They often had brief but heated exchanges on the operation of the battalion and Kakashi was well aware of Sam�s desire to run the show, but despite their differences they had some unspoken admiration for one another and knew when to set their differences aside. This was definitely one of those times.
�General Quan and Colonel Tran have already spoken with me. I also watched the video on the secure net. I take it you�ve already read the report yourself.� Kakashi leaned on his desk and looked at the major inquisitively.
�Of course, sir. There�s a lot of buzz over in the Intelligence section.� Kim stated to see his commander�s reaction. There was none.
�Then I�m going to assume you already know what my orders are?� Kasakshi�s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Sam knew this was what could be called his �I Know What You�re Thinking� look.
�I believe so sir. However, they officially started a three day leave almost 24 hours ago.� Sam almost began to smile.
�Steven is still on base. He usually never leaves. Give him the disc, brief him quickly, and have him recall his troops. I want them deployed in 48 hours. I imagine he�ll want to brief and prep them for a day on this one.� The colonel said as he stared at the unopened report folder as if it were a live cobra.
�Of course, sir. Anything I should add?�
�Yes. HQ has upgraded us somewhat. His Troop will receive seven Prominence M-1s and two Blades within the next 12 hours. I also need you to do something before you brief him.� The colonel�s look became almost mischievous. �Steven and his team retrieved some stolen cargo of ours a few days ago. I want you to secure three of those items for them and this mission. Tell Supply the orders come from General Quan�because they do.�
If Sam had any doubts about how serious this situation was, they were now completely shattered. Only Command and a few others knew what was in that retrieved cargo shipment. Kim knew, and it gave him goose bumps.
�Y..Yes, sir.�
�That should do it, Kim. That�s all for now. You and I will go over the deployment details after you get Steven started. Dismissed.� No salute, just a simple nod.
�Sir.� Kim saluted and left the office quietly as the colonel continued to stare at the unopened report.
Serious doesn�t begin to describe this, was all Sam could think as he headed for the officers� quarters.
The Dancing Bear
20:21:07 Zulu April 21, 2080 � Totaku Military Base, Japan, Pacific Rim Alliance
In 2060 the United Nations proposed the Allied Military Exchange Program. This program was designed for �friendly� nations to exchange troops at a grade of O2 and lower. It was meant to allow these exchanged troops to not only learn about another military, but to build bonds between allied nations� militaries. Since the development of plasma technology in early 2045, the U.S. military was no longer the big kid on the block. Many countries began innovating battlefield technology to frightening levels. Also many nations began to follow the lead of Europe in the late 20th century by forming alliances. Now you had not only a united Europe, but the Pacific Rim Alliance, the Arab Confederation, the United African Republics, and a re-emergence of the Soviet Union minus the Communism. This exchange was a sort of check and balance program to try and keep things exceedingly civil between friendly groups.
However the program was now considered by many a joke. It was secretly called the Allied Military Exile Program. It�s where allied military groups pawned their undesirables off onto others. Disciplinary cases, security risks, and those just flat-out hated by the brass were �nominated�. 1st Lieutenant Steven �Grizzly� Wisdom was considered by the U.S. brass as one of those problem cases. But he couldn�t help admire how the PRAFC had carefully collected what Kakashi jokingly called �the best of the worst�. The Exs (exchangers) making up the 1st Special Panzer Troop 32nd Special Panzer Battalion had transformed it into one of the best VT groups in the PRAFC. As the saying goes, one man�s trash is another man�s treasure. He was called Grizzly for the obvious reasons. He was big, hairy, and often grumpy. To some he was a teddy bear and to his enemies a raging beast.
In Steven�s case his crime had been assaulting a superior officer. Although if asked he would have said the officer was superior in no way to anyone at all. Steven had gotten his start in �normal� tanks. He had served in almost every capacity in every type of the tank the U.S. had ever built, from the single-manned Scorpion tanks to a twin-turreted Beowulf. He was somewhat skeptical about Vertical Tanks when his colonel nominated him to be one of the first to train for and pilot VTs until he saw one. It was like something out of the old cartoons his grandfather had told him about. They were huge. Over 24 meters tall and brimming with weapons, sensors, and armor, it was as if someone had combined all the tanks he had ever operated into some mechanical monstrosity. He had watched the demonstration as a VT leveled a building with one shot from a 315 mm cannon then left the area at almost 80 km/h. A building that runs! After that he had been sold.
Steven served for over 6 years with the United States� first and perhaps most elite VT Battalion, the 13th VT, affectionately known as the �Death Dealers�. He was leading a troop at that time when the U.S. sent in VTs to help stop the Great Oil War which had been raging for over two years. During one of the battles their colonel, a bean counter from West Point, had mistakenly sent the battalion�s Support/Supply group to the wrong rendezvous point. The inevitable delay in receiving ammo and armor replacements from the Wagonmasters led to half of Steven�s troop running out of ammunition as enemy reinforcements were air-dropped in. They were hammered. Although they lost only two pilots, it was two too many for Steven. The loony-bird colonel even had the nerve to say that his men should have held them without the losses. He then made the mistake of saying his men had gotten sloppy. That was the last thing the colonel said for three months. Steven punched him so hard; the colonel�s jaw almost shattered and had to be wired shut. Fortunately, Division HQ wasn�t ready to court-martial one of their best. Instead they placed him into the Exile program to let things die down for a year or two. His Division commander then arranged a meeting between Steven, Colonel Vong Tran, and Lt. Colonel Seiji Kakashi of the PRAFC. After a few drinks and talk about the plans they had for their 7th Division, Steven quickly overcame the bitterness he felt towards the U.S. for exiling him and saw a chance at a fresh start with some interesting possibilities. Plus Steven felt a strong kinship towards Kakashi as a fellow tank and VT jockey. The rest as they say is history.
Steven had already started a 3-day leave almost a day ago. He spent most of those first 24 hours lounging, having a few drinks at the officer�s club and talking to Kakashi about their previous mission. He had just finished dinner when the �Snake� arrived to brief him on the new mission. Most of his troop referred to Major Sam as the �Snake� both as an insult and compliment. He was certainly as clever, intelligent, and as patient as a snake. Unfortunately he also had the cold-blooded nature to go with it. This did not serve to endear him to his troops. Also Sam secretly resented that a group of foreigners were some of the best VT troops the PRAFC had to offer and the 1st Troop knew it.
The fact that Kakashi had sent the Snake and not simply called him to his office meant this was immediately serious. As soon as Sam told Steven what had happened to the 34/6th, he knew that Kakashi wanted to maintain the chain of command and play this by the book. It also meant he was too busy to brief him as well. Steven and Sam watched the video and then printed out most of the telemetry and radio information to look over. Sam did play fair in the sense that he divulged everything he knew to Steven, and also did not presume to tell him how to proceed. Sam only relayed the standard orders of the mission and left the tactical planning to him. This meant that things were especially serious if the Snake wasn�t going to interfere in some way. The fact that Sam could set aside his own ambition and work with everyone was a welcome albeit confusing aspect of his personality. Sam finished his brief and actually wished Steven good luck although Steven didn�t think he sounded sincere.
There was something Steven deducted from the briefing that Sam didn�t get. Sam felt their enemy was secretly stationed and training there. But Steven knew his opponent better than that.
Those guys don�t need training. Something important is going on in those mountains, and they�re the bouncers.
�Time to rally the troops.� Steven sighed as he picked up the phone and dialed the Mechanical Bay and talked to his chief Tech. Then after two more calls he dialed the officer�s club. There was a card game he had to interrupt. The 1st Special Panzer Troop 32nd Special Panzer Battalion, the Grim Reapers, were about to be assembled.
The Dark Horse
20:28:07 Zulu April 21, 2080 � Totaku Military Base, Japan, Pacific Rim Alliance
�Lt. Casucci, phone for you.� The bartender held the receiver up.
�Be right there.� She grimaced. Damn, I�ve got a good hand here.
2nd Lt. Elise Casucci was up 50,000 New Yen in a fairly serious card game. She had opted to stay on base for this leave and make up some of the money she spent on her last trip to Tokyo. She was guessing by the caliber of men she was playing she could easily walk out with 150,000 before midnight. Best to quit while she was ahead.
Oh well, there�s always tomorrow night.
�Sorry, boys. It�s probably my boss. See you later.� She collected her winnings and made her way to the bar. She could feel the look of some of the officers on her back and knew they were not pleased to have been taken by a woman. Elise could only sigh. She got those looks a lot.
Elise �Dark Horse� Casucci hailed from Washington D.C. by way of New York and was what many people referred to as a man�s woman. She had never truly enjoyed �girly things� and loved to be in the outdoors riding a horse, climbing a mountain, kayaking rapids, or anything else she felt was adventurous. It was no surprise when she joined the Army from college. During her basic training she impressed all of her instructors with her athletic ability and her no-nonsense approach to things. Given Elise�s intelligence and physical condition, she was groomed for helicopters. She initially preferred to enter the Special Forces program, but once they showed her the new Navajo attack helicopter in action, she fell in love with flying. During just two years of flying she had engaged in 26 major sorties and had even shot down 4 enemy jet fighters. Her career was blossoming. It would reach full bloom when she was approached to enter the Vertical Tank program.
At the time Elise had no real interest in Vertical Tanks. She felt they were too big and slow for the modern battlefield despite their heavy armor and weapons. She also felt they left too much collateral damage in their wake. But it wasn�t the Army that convinced her as it was one man who persuaded her to sign up. His name was Jon Cocks. He was a lieutenant and had already earned a reputation as an outstanding VT pilot. The two shared many interests and immediately a friendship developed. It didn�t take much convincing from that point in order for Elise to enter the VT program. With the occasional bit of advice from Jon, Elise became one of the top pilots in her class and the relationship between the two of them grew into love.
Not long after her graduation from the pilot training program, Elise began serving with the 22nd VT Division. Jon had distinguished himself as a pilot during Elise�s time in training and led a Troop in the 15th known as the Wild Cards which were earning a reputation that rivaled many other VT groups. The two saw each other as often as they could and Jon hoped to transfer Elise to his Battalion within a year. Unfortunately it never happened.
Although Jon was an outstanding pilot, he was also considered a maverick and hothead by many in the community. During the Battle of Qatar during the end of the Great Oil War, Jon�s reckless attitude led to his troop into an ambush that cost his men their lives as well the lives of two other pilots sent in to rescue him. Jon had ejected after destroying 4 enemy VTs and survived the battle, but his career would not survive the ensuing backlash from the brass over his actions. He was court-martialed, but due to his performance record was not discharged from the service. However he was given a sentence that was harsher than discharge, he was permanently barred from piloting VTs for the remainder of his career. As with many pilots, this is a fate worse than death and he could not bear to continue serving so close to VT. He immediately resigned his commission and left the service. Without even a good-bye to Elise, Jon headed to Europe where military intelligence later learned Jon was piloting VTs in the Soviet Union. This clear breach of protocol by both Jon and the Soviets became a stigma for the Army and later, for Elise as well.
As Elise began to develop a promising career as a VT pilot, word spread of Jon�s �defection� and soon many viewed her past relationship with him as a potential security risk. Only a few days after taking charge of her own VT troop, she had rejected the advances of a drunken colonel at her base�s officer�s club. The colonel happened to be both an intelligence officer and a prick. Within two days she began to be called in for a number of �inquiries� regarding her relationship with Jon as well as his current activities although she and Jon had not communicated since his resignation. For reasons she couldn�t understand HQ had decided she was a security risk as a VT pilot and was about to delegate her to a desk job when a former pilot of the Death Dealers accompanied by two officers from the PRAFC stopped by and talked to her company commander. After leaving her commander�s office the burly pilot simply walked over to her and smiled as he said, �Welcome to the Exs.�
�Hey, Steve. I hope you realize how much this call is costing me.� She sighed.
�Well I�m sure you made back the 12,000 NY you owe me from your Tokyo excursion with the general�s car. It�s not easy to find body shops open that late,� She grimaced as he reminded her of the bet she had made with Aaron before their last leave. �Anyway, Elise, this is important. We�ve got an op.� Steven suddenly sounded serious, even more than usual.
�I understand, when do we report?� She was a little surprised at the sudden recall.
�We�ve got six hours to get everyone back. The MPs are on their way to Osaka to pick up Aaron, Kricket, and Rick. I�ve already talked to Sung. Stevie�s still on base and the Snake sent someone to get him. I�m leaving in a minute to go get Erka. I need you to pick up Ryan and David. Sung mentioned the last time he saw them they were lurking around the motor pool which can mean only one thing.� He sighed with that last comment.
�Yeah, I think I know where they went as well.� She said.
�I�ve arranged your transportation. It�s waiting for you at hangar E-12. I take it you still brush up on your old skills from time to time? Especially when it comes to an �old friend� of yours?� She could almost see the smile on his face as he said it.
�Yes, sir. I think my �old friend� and I will get along just fine.� Elise too was smiling now.