Roxanne of Dark Energy

By Dean Marquis

In the US Armys, Field Manual of Electronic Warfare in Operations (FM 3-36), it states that:
Hardware is described as Computers, Relay Stations, Circuits, Radios, Scanners and other things of their ilk.
Software is described as the Programs used to Direct the Operations of the Hardware, to function within a command control system.
Wetware is described as the Personnel that operate or maintain the Command Control System.
It doesnt say why the Pentagon gave Wetware the name it is. I can only use my imagination and assume that Wetware is what happens when People have Anti-Radiation Missiles shot at them. The other fact is that the Human Body is 98 % water. Only the Pentagon could coin a phrase with such an innocent content but has such devastating effect. In Todays Internet Based Environment it rings with a larger intent. It also assumes that Hardware is easier to replace then Wetware. It is also along this same vein, that Roxanne of Dark Energy has been constructed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493158225

Dean Marquis

Dean Marquis was born on September 6, 1961. This makes a Virgo. The sign of Virgo is the Virgin. He grew up in Hamilton, Ontario Canada and went to University at Lakehead in Thunder Bay where he got his Diploma in Business Administration. He served in the Primary Reserves during University and still believes that the Reserves are a great job for University Students. He has been taking the Martial arts since 1987 and will be taking it for the rest of his life. He is a Contract Security Guard and thinks that Unions are the only way to go with Contract Security. He has a Black Cat named Yojimbo which is his friend for life. This is first work of Science Fiction. Is first work is The Art of Strategy Dean Marquis and is available in Hard Cover and on E book. The sequel to Roxanne of Dark Energy is currently underway. The Assault continues...

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ROXANNE of

Dark Energy

(A Construct of Science Fiction)

Dean Marquis

Copyright © 2014 by Dean Marquis.

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4931-5821-8

eBook 978-1-4931-5822-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 12/28/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

142504

CONTENTS

Introduction

Prelude

Chapter One

Deployment

Chapter Two

The Door

Chapter Three

Dismount

Chapter Four

Faster Than Light

Chapter Five

Tannenhauser Gate

Chapter Six

The Barracks Room Ballad

Chapter Seven

The Battery

Chapter Eight

The Battle Of Lutzen

Chapter Nine

The Shrine Of Time

Chapter Ten

Mirror Image

Chapter Eleven

Commuting

Chapter Twelve

The Tercio’s Of Secunderbad

Chapter Thirteen

The Lion Of The North

Chapter Fourteen

The Fulda Gap

Chapter Fifteen

The Infirmary

Chapter Sixteen

The Army Of The Circles

Chapter Seventeen

Yojimbo

Chapter Eighteen

A Large Fish Tail

Chapter Nineteen

Combat Buddies

Chapter Twenty

Hold The Line

Chapter Twenty One

I Think Therefore I Am

Chapter Twenty Two

I Run Therefore I Am

Chapter Twenty Three

Sword-Duty

Chapter Twenty Four

Stand Too

Chapter Twenty Five

The Phantom Of The Opera

Chapter Twenty Six

The Russian Letter

Chapter Twenty Seven

The Casino

Chapter Twenty Eight

Ship To Ship, Fleet To Fleet

Chapter Twenty Nine

Commuting

Chapter Thirty

The Netherworld

Lost are those that abandon themselves. Hans Rudel

I’d like to dedicate this book to my diseased Mother,

Brenda Joan Little

Who made me the man I am today

INTRODUCTION

Time and Space, in Science Fiction are the Means and the End. It is the Medium, in which this Friction takes place. These Two Principles co-exist together in relativity. The Escalation Point was established in Clausewitz, On War. In Science Fiction, Technology is The Escalation Point. The Escalation Point can represent the Culmination Point or not. In Science Fiction, the Level of Technology is the Medium of this Genre. Beyond the Present comes the Future.

Strategy is nothing less than the manipulation of Time and Space. Napoleon

The difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction is the Level of Technology. If the reader compared The Lord of The Rings, to a Comparable Science Fiction Saga, which one would he get? Likewise the opposite is also true; if the reader compared The Foundation Series, to a Fantasy Series which one would he get. The only difference between Science Fiction and Science Fact is Imagination. Evolution means the positive growth of Society over Time. The following, is a retake by the writer, on a pretty well-known joke;

An elf and a dwarf walk into a bar. The bartender says we don’t serve your kind in here. The elf and the dwarf look at each other and walk out of the bar. They walk a short distance and come to a different bar. In this bar there is an Andorian Stripper taking off her clothes. The elf and the dwarf recount their story to the bartender. The bartender replies, Your welcome here, and The Andorian stripper adds I love dwarfs..

Sun Tzu, stated in the Art of War, Imagination is the Acme of Skill. It helps the Sage Commander, transform from the Orthodox to the Extraordinary. Once something is known, it becomes Orthodox and the Circle begins again. The use of Imagination is critical in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Medium. All of the above occurs in Strategy and in Science Fiction. The only difference between the two is that in Science Fiction the End has been written by the writer. The reader is only a passenger, on a journey set by the writer. In Strategy, the Strategist is the Player and the End has yet to be written. It would be pretty easy, to write a book that’s better than the Science Fiction Pulp Novel. It would be pretty hard to write a book that’s better than Joseph Conrad’s, The Heart of Darkness.

The below is a Quote from Sun Tzu and the Art of War.

"In sum, when in battles,

Use the orthodox to engage

Use the extraordinary to attain victory,"

The Art of War, Sun Tzu, Shih

Sun Tzu and The Art of War are as useful today as they were 2500 years ago. Twenty Five Hundred years ago, did Sun Tzu think about the lasting effect his manuscript would have? I’m sure he thought about the future but I’m positive that he was only worried about, was the unification of The Three Warring States. I’m sure he had no idea of cars and planes. The one constant about Sun Tzu is that if you Read it, you make it your own. The reader interprets The Principles inherent in the Art of War and interprets it into his own paradigm. The art is the usefulness it has today.

When you are going to attack nearby, make it look as if you are going to go a long way; when you are going to attack far away, make it look as if you going just a short distance.

The Art of War, Sun Tzu, Appraisals

In the Japanese Martial Arts of Budo a life long journey takes place. The Thousand Mile Journey begins with the first step. This is also the same journey a writer takes. The Japanese have an expression Bun bu Ichi; this translates into Pen and Sword in Accord. The longer the writer writes, the better his writing becomes. There is no restriction on the writer in the Science Fiction Genre. The only constraint is the medium that the saga is being told in. If or when a book is written with an open ending, I believe it will be a Science Fiction writer that will do it.

Reality is an illusion. Abet a permanent one,

Einstein

My favorite Fiction Novel is The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. The Hero, Marlow travels up river to rescue Kurtz, an Ivory Trader who is reportedly to have gone mad. This is the same basic plot in a lot of stories. The most popular example of course is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. I’ve always held the high opinion that the Heart of Darkness was a journey for the reader. In this writer’s opinion, the judgment of Kurtz’s character by the reader was and will always be a reflection of the reader’s character. The line between genius and insanity is a fine one.

Those who cannot remember the Past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana

The concept of a ship going throw space that was made popular in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek was a concept taken from W. H. Foresters, Horiatio Hornblower series. The Hornblower series was written about a character named Horatio Hornblower, who was in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic War. The Concept, that the Strategic Unit is held together by the Charisma of a Leader or a Common Purpose, is a key Concept in Strategy. The Strategic Unit doesn’t have to have bulkheads to contain it, only the common will of the individuals and the leader involved.

"Lost Ground, I can regain

Lost Time, I can never regain,

Napoleon

In the US Army’s, Field Manual of Electronic Warfare in Operations (FM 3-36), it states that:

Hardware is described as Computers, Relay Stations, Circuits, Radios, Scanners and other things of their ilk.

Software is described as the Programs used to Direct the Operations of the Hardware, to function within a command control system.

Wetware is described as the Personnel that operate or maintain the Command Control System.

It doesn’t say why the Pentagon gave Wetware the name it is. I can only use my imagination and assume that Wetware is what happens when People have Anti-Radiation Missiles shot at them. The other fact is that the Human Body is 98 % water. Only the Pentagon could coin a phrase with such an innocent content but has such devastating effect. In Today’s Internet Based Environment it rings with a larger intent. It also assumes that Hardware is easier to replace then Wetware. It is also along this same vein, that Roxanne of Dark Energy has been constructed.

Is the Pentagon good or bad? If the same building was built with Eight Sides, it would be called the Octagon. The Octagon represents something far different. The Pentagon is a representation of their Commander in Chief. In Theory, He or She is elected every Four years by the Citizens of the United States. That being said, now I am targeted by an Anti-Radiation Missile, it will de by design and not an accident. I have four of their books. Two I bought at Barnes and Noble when I was in New York on vacation. The two other books others I got off the Internet. The books I own are a good Read. I spent Six Years in the Army Reserve in Canada and I admit that they were six pretty good years in my life. It’s true what they say about army buddies. People with shared experiences, carry them with them there whole life. These buddies may never see each other again.

It would be hard to wright a novel better than The Foundation Series but it would be easy to write a novel better then Berserker Wars. This doesn’t stop writers from trying to Assault the Tower. It’s now my turn, with Havildars and Landsknechts, I will Assault the Tower.

PRELUDE

Cowboy and I were staggering out of the Beer hall. I looked at me watch. It said 2:35 am. I looked up at the West German Night Sky and I could see a billion little stars. It was a clear cool night. The Beer hall was open till 4 am but Cowboy and I had to catch the last bus to base. I looked at Cowboy and he was ogling some West German Fraulien who was going by.

Watch it Cowboy, we don’t want to get arrested by the Polizi, I whispered.

Ahhh whouuuu, Cowboy retorted. I caught hold of Cowboy and we began to stagger back to the Bus Stop. This Bus would take us back to base. I was grateful that Uncle Sam at least gave us that.

Cowboy weighed a ton, not a wimpy metric ton either.

You got to stop drinking that Dark Beer. It’s weighing you down, I demanded.

She whoa novo, Cowboy replied. We staggered back down the street. We didn’t have enough money to take a taxi. We turned left and went down a different street. I had to adjust my body weight a couple of times because he was going to fall down. I could see the Bus ahead of me. The other US servicemen from the other Divisions were lined up to get on. Then it happened. Cowboy fell down and started vomiting.

Is he sick, a little voice asked? I turned to look at the source of the little voice. I saw a Ten Year old girl with long blonde hair and azure eyes. She was wearing a dress. Yak, he is sick, I laughed.

Will he get better, The little girl asked.

Isn’t it kind a late, for a girl like you to be out, I added. I heard him throw up. Maybe it will do him some good. Maybe he can walk back to the bus on his own to legs.

You are a nice man, The little girl said.

Yes, I try, I responded. I stood with my hands on my hips looking at the bus. I was figuring out what to do next.

You try, The little girl took a step backwards.

Well sometimes people are not nice too you and you got to be not nice to them, back, I said. Are you an army man, the little girl asked?

Yes, I replied. I knelt down and looked the little girl in the eyes. What’s your name, I asked?

My name is Roxanne, She smiled coyly.

What are you going to do about your friend, Roxanne asked? I’ll get him back to base. He’ll be fine tomorrow, I replied.

Roxanne smiled and looked at my shoulder. You have a horsy on your on shoulder, Roxanne said. That’s my unit. The Black Horse Regiment, I said proudly.

Someone’s coming, Roxanne pointed over my shoulder. I looked behind me and I saw Elvis and Bush mills walk up.

What are you doing, Elvis said. He had his hands on his hips. I’m talking to this little girl, I said.

What little girl, Bush mills asked?

Jolene is young but you never had to get down on your knees, for sex before, Elvis added.

I looked over my shoulder for Roxanne but she was gone. I scratched my head. I’m sure she’ll be okay West German Society is very orderly.

You got to help me get Cowboy back to the bus, I exclaimed. We know the Universal Code of the Army, Bushkill’s said. Which one, I replied?

Never leave a man on the field, Elvis laughed. Elvis and Bushmills picked up Cowboy and dragged him back to base. Two men were better than one. I gave a quick glance for the little girl and I saw nothing however the street lights went out.

Budo, we’re not going to do this by ourselves, a voice said.

I’m coming, I said. I turned and went back to the bus; we had to Cowboy back to base. I looked at my watch again. It said 2:50 am. In only two hours, we had our Five mile run!

CHAPTER ONE

Deployment

Shhhhhhh, Cowboy had his finger and moved it across his throat. I’ve never seen anyone recover from a hangover that completely in so short as time. It was unfair. I thought that there was some guy with a hammer in my brain. He was hammering something on an anvil. How do I make him go away?

I guess, that’s why they call it a hangover. We were Ten Armored Cavalry Troopers in an M113. We heard the order, Stand To Stand, Stand To. Alert, Alert, This is no drill. We were serving on the border between East and West Germany. We took nothing for granted. The 8th Soviet Guard Shock Army was on the other side of the border. The Russians never forgave a mistake.

EMCON was on, we had subdued Lighting. We were Tactical, as per SOP. Silence, Hurry up and Wait. It was always Hurry up and wait. The Russians were fucked, but not that fucked. This was life in the Fulda Gap. We had drills, we had drills and sometimes we like today, we had no drills. Someday we had the real thing. This was life in the 11th ACR, the Black Horse Regiment. In exchange for the threat of Nuclear Destruction, we got West German Beer and Frauleins. I looked over at Cowboy, he saw me and grinned. I looked at Elvis he still looked a little green. I looked at Bushmills he made a face. He didn’t look green at all. In fact he looked a little brown. West German Beer and Frauleins were a good exchange. I think I might re up. What was life like, on the Civie Street?

We checked out the Armored Personal Carrier (APC) the day before. The vehicle passed inspection. The Gas Tanks were full, the M113 was loaded. My M-16A2 was fully loaded, one hundred rounds of 5.56 was in my webbing. Two frag grenades, plus one smoke grenade was in my grenade pouch. The M-72’s were locked in their clips. We were ready for Red Bear.

Specialist Johansson was calm, the red light from the subdued lighting made him look crazy, even Psycho. Psycho looked at me, then back to his watch, the defaulters didn’t seem too bad now, the army makes sense… . sometimes.

Van Rigel had the M203 Grenade Launcher. He carried the extra 40 mm Grenades to boot. You would think that mech infantry carried less equipment then leg infantry, but the converse seemed true. We carried the NBCW kit; we just didn’t have to wear it, unless we had to. We carried extra M-72’s and we carried extra belts for the 60.

I was the longest serving trooper in this squadron, I had the most experience. I have my Third Degree in Karate. No one knew why I didn’t get promoted, that is no one but me. Screwing the Colonel’s Daughter will, do it every time and every time I get a chance to, I’ll do it. You’d think I’d stop but she likes it too much for me to stop. Either, she likes doing it with me or doing it to me. Since the Colonel despises me, maybe this is some kind of excuse to keep me from being promoted. Maybe Jolene uses me to get back at her father. Maybe the Colonel used Jolene to keep me from getting promoted. Maybe I was even using Jolene so that I would not get promoted. That was one sorted love triangle. I suddenly got paranoid. I thought this might be a conspiracy. I remembered watching a TV show in the PX, psychologists don’t have a word for someone who is a victim of a conspiracy but doesn’t know it. I didn’t think too long on the topic. I started to feel bad, because I was a very bad man, Jolene was a very bad women or the, the Colonel was an asshole, which of course he was. So I stopped my line of thinking there. It wasn’t of me or her; it was because the Colonel was an asshole which of course he was. I looked around the APC.

Specialist Wendell Johansson was from Galveston Texas. Cowboy got into trouble with the law. He had trouble with driving; it wasn’t that he was a bad driver. In fact he was an excellent driver. The trouble was, all the cars that he liked to drive weren’t his. Cowboy was facing the three times and you’re out rule. He could get fifteen years minimum at a Texas State Prison, for not paying for a coffee. His Parole Officer said he could get put back in the system, for even looking at a cop the wrong way. It happened one day that a cop in Dallas caught him, looking at him the wrong way. This cop wanted to do him a favor, aren’t all cops selfless individuals who give of themselves for free. It just so happened that this guy was a Vietnam Vet, in the 1st Air Cavalry Division. The Cop drove him down to the recruiter and told him to join the Armored Cavalry because than he could steal Russian tanks. Cowboy now figures he did him a favor although he never got any Tanks. The Cop was right, being confined in an APC in a nuke war, was a lot better than working a chain gang.

Bobby Van Rigel was from Arkansas. Razorback played high school football; he played defensive end. His grades weren’t high enough for him to get into college, so he couldn’t play on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Now he was in the Army. Razorback was a big guy, so the army gave him the Grenade Launcher to carry. It was that or the GPMG. He wanted to break out of that small town, before that small town broke him. Van Rigel was chewing gum and looking at his hand, maybe it was too late.

Dominic Carboni came from New Jersey. Domino, grew up in Atlantic City. Domino doesn’t talk much about home or growing up. It’s probably because we always joke about Jersey. If I had a dime for every Jersey Joke I’ve heard, I can tell you, I wouldn’t be here. Domino does like sports, actually Domino loves gambling. He just uses sports as an excuse. We all saw "Enter the Dragon in Hamburg once. I remember the scene where everyone was betting on the Two Fighting Preying Mantis’s and John Saxon Gave Bruce Lee Red Five to One. Dominic said he would never give anyone Five to One, not even my mother. I looked at him and replied, I believe it. Domino calls his bookie every Thursday and checks the odds for the week.

Washington Steel grew up in the Projects, in the Bronx. Bronxy was trying to get out of town, just like all of us. We all had stories, even if no one knew them. Bronxy was trying to make it big on the Pro Boxing Circuit. He was a Heavyweight who was 20 and 1. This match came up and his trainer told him to take a fall, in the sixth round. The sixth round came, then the seventh, then the eighth. It went to the end of the fight and the end of his career. He lost on a decision. His trainer wouldn’t take him anymore. When he went to renew his boxing license, The New York Boxing Commission refused. So here he was, it was a life of Crime or the Army. It wasn’t very wise to commence a career in Crime; it wasn’t very wise to commence a career in the Army. However since he had already pissed off organized crime, the chance of him being successful in that vocation would be slim. Both careers could kill you however in the Army; at least there was someone on your side. That and the army buried you and sent the Flag home to your mom. Bronxy carried the GPMG. Usually the biggest trooper in the squad carried it, in our squad that would be Reiter. That decision fell between Reiter and Bronxy. The difference was that Bronxy said he was a fighter and he needed the training. Reiter said he was a weight lifter and it would screw up his Cycle.

Harrison Lee grew up in a small town just outside of Memphis. Elvis saw Elvis in Concert at least ten times. I say at least ten because; the truth is, he went to so many concerts he forgot. He has an Autographed Guitar that Elvis signed. Harry brought it to Germany with him. Harry had always played guitar. The other item that Harry had of worth was a Cherry Red Dodge Charger with a 440 under the hood. Harry had a picture of his car and his girlfriend. I must admit she had great lines. I don’t know whether his girlfriend’s name was Tricia or the cars. Needless to say Harry and Cowboy got along very well. I didn’t know whether it was an honest interest in cars or an interest in other pursuits.

A heard a couple of Cobra Gunships fly by; the Air Cavalry Squadron was integral to the Armored Cavalry Regiment. The Eleventh Armored Cavalry Regiment was a storied regiment. No ACR Regiment had a more famous history except for The Seventh. The Seventh ACR Regiment was at the Little Big Horn. Custer got then into a situation that they couldn’t get out of. Custer was out scouted and out maneuvered. The Indians had more fire power and more numbers. Sitting Bull had so many Force Multipliers that he probably lost count. The Little Big Horn was a Masterpiece of Strategy for Sitting Bull. If Sitting Bull wanted to leave a Tribute of his abilities in Oil and Canvas, he could not have left a better one, than the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Bun Bu itchie is a Japanese Word, that means the Pen and sword in Accord. It said that an accomplished Strategist should practice the Way of the Sword and other Arts as well. I don’t know if Sitting Bull was an Artist, but I am willing to bet that Sitting Bull had an Artistic bent and I don’t need Domino to check the Vegas odds on that. If Sheridan was there, the battle would not have happened. A paraphrased quote of Sun Tzu states;

"Know your Enemy

Know Yourself

And you will always be Victorious."

I looked around at everyone, they were either asleep or looking around, as impatient as me. Drills happened all the time; it was part and parcel of being in the Fulda Gap. I guess Ivan, was up to his crazy old gambits again. A Nuke War, nobody wants. Nobody would be crazy enough to escalate to nuclear weapons. The Concept of Mutually Assured Destruction was designed to prevent that. In this way any Superiority in Nuclear Weapons was designed to prevent a Conventional one. This was the cornerstone of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Magruder was a Reservist from Des Moines, who was posted here on Call out. Call outs were strictly voluntary. He looked pretty nervous; he had good reason to be. I asked him why he did it and he said he wanted someplace different. Imagine volunteering to serve in the Breakthrough Point. Imagine volunteering for this shit. Soviet Doctrine recommended a low yield nuclear weapon, at the Breakthrough Point. We were stationed at the one of the most likely Approach Points of Soviet Attack. The West German Army had Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicles, which had the ability to withstand Biological and Chemical Warfare. Unlike the M113 which everyone else had? This weakness made us a more attractive target for Biological and Chemical Warfare. That didn’t leave out the Nuclear Option for them and the Biological and Chemical Option for us. Still Magruder was more likely to survive an All-out Nuclear Confrontation on Active Service, then as a Civilian. I just don’t think that here, was one of those places where the probability of survival was the highest. The best place for survival in a Nuclear War on Active Service would probably be Alaska. Although the Male/Female Ratio there was pretty low at 40 Males to 1 Female. I ought to know I asked Domino for the odds. If we get through today, maybe Magruder will ask for a transfer. Then again here in West Germany, the Fraulien to guy ratio is approximately 2.1 to 1. I don’t know about Master but I’ll risk a Nuclear Winter to get Euro Babes any day.

Pete was the son of a school teacher. He knew that he didn’t want to become a school teacher. Magruder stated that his Dad did eighth hours of work a day. After that he did two hours of coaching the high school chess club. If that wasn’t enough he marked papers for an hour on top of that. I don’t think that he wanted to do anything with his life yet. Magruder stated that the two months that teachers got off every year wasn’t worth it. I think under those conditions I’d probably agree. So here he was at The Fulda Gap, finding himself. The only thing besides New Wave Music he liked was of course Chess. I say of course because his father taught it. Everyone needs an adversary. When you’re growing up how many times it turns out to be your Father and I should know. Magruder stated he was rated at 1500 points. It didn’t mean anything to me, until he told me that he needed 500 more points to become a Chess Master. That meant something to me. I told him that there was only a handful of Masters, in the Japanese Martial Arts. You had to be Japanese and a Sensei. I told him I missed it on both accounts. Naming Magruder, Master for this reason was easy. Master told me that there were quite a few Masters in Chess. Masters winning against other Masters was the only way to become a Grand Master. He taught me how to play; he got me a book of opening moves. I could see a lot of Strategy in both Chess and Karate. I saw them having the same principles. Someday maybe, I’ll write a book comparing the two. The oxygen was getting pretty stale. I was starting to sweat, not a lot but enough to be uncomfortable. The other half of the squad, who were asleep, was doing alright. Now it didn’t feel like we were Second Troop, Tiger Squadron, It felt like we were Ten Troopers in a Tin Can.

Raymond Reiter was a Weight Lifter from California. Whenever we had time off he was in the gym pumping iron. In the mess he was always going back for seconds, when the food wasn’t up to military standards, he would fill up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Reiter has to fill up, to get his 3500 calories a day. We gave Raymond Reiter the nickname Reiter because Magruder told us that the word Reiter also referred to a sixteenth to seventeenth century armored horseman. I went to the base library and found out that a Reiter would move up to within 40 paces of the enemy, fire a pistol than retire, reload, and then fire again. The reload time wasn’t fast in those days, so they were basically sixteen ranks deep. Meaning it took sixteen ranks to reload. At first it was funny, how could they think that there was an advantage in bunching up that much. One well-placed 106mm mortar round and they would all be hamburger. The library stated that at that time, everyone fought that way. At that time they were quite popular as mercenary’s. We all agreed that Reiter was someone who was already named. Reiter had a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his underwear, on his locker. We asked him if he was a fag. He replied that it was for inspiration. Elvis said what kind? and Domino stated if he wanted that kind of inspiration he’d look at a Raquel Welch. Then Reiter showed us a picture of his girlfriend, Veronika Speedwell. I told him he better put both pictures on his locker, so that way people like us, won’t think he’s gay.

Jerry McConky was an Irish kid from Boston. He swore a lot, fought a lot and drank a lot. We had a disagreement once and he got a bruised rib. Bronxy had a fight with him and left him a black eye. You can hide a bruised rib; you just walk very carefully and stay away from the cause of that bruising, namely me. A Black eye was impossible to conceal. He got a very painful ribbing from everyone in the squad. Only I knew how painful. Bronxy had a big smile on his face. I stayed away from Bronxy and Bronxy stayed away from me. I didn’t piss him off because that means that I would be a bad martial artist and had no self-control. Bronxy stayed away from me, mostly because boxers can’t understand kickers and kickers can’t understand boxers.

McConky said that the British should get out of Northern Ireland. He bragged that he knew someone who was in the struggle. I said what struggle. He said that struggle. I said I don’t care it’s not my fight. He looked puzzled and walked away. He was a tough guy to pick a nickname for. He drank a lot of Irish whiskey. Then Razorback figured it out when he was looking through a pair of Drinking Binoculars. His drinking Binoculars said Bushmill’s and the name stuck. It was karma. He complained a lot but he passed the Test. This was the only Test that mattered in the military. It was the only Test that could prove how far you could run with a fifty pound rucksack.

Basil Khati was from the South Side of Chicago. He was a second generation immigrant from South Africa. His father came here to escape Apartheid and to get a better future for his kid. He joined the Army on the G.I. Bill to try and get free money so that he could go to college. His father told him stories of South Africa; he said they were pretty horrible. I didn’t know whether he was talking about South Africa or Chicago. I asked him if he was a Hawks Fan, he said he didn’t watch soccer. He did say, his father was from a Zulu tribe. Don’t ask me which one I couldn’t pronounce it even if I knew it. Picking, Khati’s nickname was easy as well. Since Zulu was already in the military phonetic alphabet, Zulu was it. We might have had problems if the Soviets named their armored fighting vehicles Z-72 and Z-64 but lucky for us that they didn’t. The driver of an M113 had to take the driver course. This was on top of the courses of the basic infantry course. The machine gunners had to go through a special course as well. Cowboy said he didn’t want to be a driver. I asked him even on the autobahn? He said the M113 didn’t have the pickup that the Porsche had. I said is that zero to sixty or as a babe magnet? Elvis replied that the M113 was an anti-chick magnet. Master said it depends on the chicks you’re looking for. Domino grinned lustily and replied, No wonder why this guys play chess!

Johnny McAlister was from New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in the French Quarter. Every Mardi gras, he was there. He spoke Cajun, and Cajun was part French. Whenever we went to Switzerland, he spoke for all of us. He could ask for beer, say Hello and ask where is the dog’s breakfast. Mind you, that’s what we could do too. Since he spoke for us and grew up in the French Quarter, his nickname just had to be, Frenchie. He didn’t mind or care. I said just don’t give me any crawfish. Frenchie didn’t say why he was here. When he was drunk once in Hamburg he told me that he got his girlfriend pregnant. He never got any letters from home like Reiter, so I assumed he took off on her and joined the Army. I didn’t care. I didn’t think I was qualified to instruct anyone on religion, just the missionary position. I just hope the Colonels Daughter doesn’t get pregnant; otherwise I’ll become an officer, get married or get killed in a training accident. Frenchie liked Jazz Music, it was okay. Just don’t play it louder than War Pigs, by Black Sabbath or I’ll be annoyed. Frenchie liked to eat. He didn’t eat because he had to, like Reiter, Bronxy and me. He just liked to eat for the pleasure of it. I guess it was all that Cajun cooking. He loved chocolate bars, he loved schnitzel and he even loved octopus, although it was too tough for me Frenchie said octopus tasted like chicken. I didn’t know what he was talking about and I didn’t even want to know what he was talking about. Whenever he could he was shoveling food in his mouth. It’s a good thing he was in the infantry otherwise he would blimp out. Those Five mile runs before breakfast were good diet aids.

Alexander Annapolis was the M113 Commander; he had the job of Commander and Gunner. This gave him access to the M2 Fifty Caliber. He only had command of the vehicle. Cowboy still commanded the squad. Alexander was a Greek immigrant from Sparta. He was born in Sparta that makes him a one hundred percent bona fide Spartan. We called him Spartacus, he said Spartacus wasn’t Spartan. We said Deal with it. Who’s going to argue with Kirk Douglass?

He immigrated to the US to find a better life. Like a lot of people right now he couldn’t find it. So he joined the Army just like Zulu to get an education through the G. I. Bill. The INS said he could do it, as long as he didn’t leave the country until he was fully naturalized. The Army accepted him on the Warm Body Principle. That is the more Warm Body’s they have, the more M113’s they can fill. The INS said you can fill all the APC’s you want, but Alexander Annapolis can’t leave the country. The Army said they would watch out for him, after all, no one’s better at watching you, than the Army. Spartacus volunteered for a medic course so that he could be trained in First Aid. Spartacus volunteered for everything. The Army has a tried and true principle that no one ever volunteers. This has been true in any army at any time in history. However when Spartacus volunteered for West Germany, the Army placed their Principle higher than the INS’s Rule. In its infinite wisdom, the Army sent the warm body to the place where they needed the most APC’s filled, which is the Fulda Gap. Not only is he an immigrant who is not a landed Immigrant, but he is also a non-US citizen serving on the border between East and West Germany. Just think what the guys in S-2 would think if they knew, they would lay an egg, a really big Easter egg. I grinned, thinking about it. Lastly, Spartacus had to meet our Law. The Army Buddy Law, this Law supersedes all others. It supersedes Rules, it supersedes Principles. Spartacus was a stand up trooper, who not only pulled his own weight; he helped carry everyone else’s weight. He was the Squad Medic; the Law says not to leave someone on the field of battle. We all knew this and being the Medic this met his Job Description. Spartacus went out of his way, to pull other troopers weight besides his own. The last reason why we wanted him to stay was purely selfish, he takes us back to Greece to visit his Family using his still valid Greek Passport. He visits his Folks in Sparta and he hooks us up with the Topless Beaches on the Aegean Sea. S2 must consider that the funniest of all the Greek Tragedies.

I looked around the APC and everyone was clouded in an eerie red glow. Some troopers were asleep. Some were deep in thought, like me, others were twiddling their thumbs. The engine shut off. I looked at Cowboy, he looked at me and shrugged. There was no point in wasting fuel.

That’s the Squad. We’re part of Tiger Squadron, of the Black Horse Regiment. When we dismount the crewman fires the fifty and acted as mobile fire support. Our job is to win the fire fight, our job is to fight through the objective together and rally at the RV Point. Bronxy and I are the GPMG team. He carries the M-60 just like he wanted. I assist him with Fire Support and pick up the slacks in case Bronxy gun jams or he gets hit. We Reorg where Cowboy tells us to. Cowboy asks for an ammo and casualty count. We tell him, in our prearranged numbered order. When this is done we mount the APC and continue on our merry way, just like elves. That’s the plan and the more we do it the better we get. However once a real combat situation develops and such things as Fear and Pain are introduced, everything gets degraded. Hopefully our training supersedes all of this but there’s always a difference between theory and practice.

If we lose the Firefight, Cowboy calls in for fire support from battalion and we wait for reinforcements. If Cowboy is unable to give orders for some reason, as 2ic, I take over. As the longest serving member of this squad, that job just naturally fell to me. Even the Colonel couldn’t prevent that. We eat together, we sleep together, we get drunk together, we get into fights together and we visit the Red Light Districts in Hamburg together. In a lot of ways the Army was like the Martial Arts. Enemy Contact and Fighting through the Objective were disciplined acts. We do it without thinking, if we hesitate, were finished. When we hesitate, the enemy seizes the initiative and uses it to their advantage. They counterattack in order to gain a better position. In the martial arts we attack and defend to gain a better position. In the military we attack and defend to gain a better position.

The only variable are Force Multipliers, which consist of quality and numbers. If we attack in the face of a Soviet Brigade we would face qualitative disadvantage and quantitative disadvantage. In that case they would have numbers and T-72’s. If we alone run up against a BMP, we would have a hard time. The BMP is more advanced than our vehicle. The BMP has more armor, a 73 mm canon, a Sagger missile, gun ports for small arms and breathing apparatus to ford rivers. If that isn’t enough advantages they also have the ability to fight in NBCW environment without suits. I thought why the Russians don’t attack us with chicks.

Í want a Cold War Adversary, I laughed. Uh huh, Cowboy grunted.

Cowboy, why don’t the Russians use Chicks on us, I mean I’d talk, I exclaimed. Jolene’s going to kill you, why would you want a Russian chick to do it as well, Cowboy retorted.

I’m going to call my Cold War Adversary, Ivanna Dimitriov, I said to no one in particular. Everyone who was awake laughed.

My legs were getting cramps. I stretched often just not for high kicks but for muscle development and to get rid of lactic acid build up. Both Reiter and Bronxy stretched, even though neither of them uses their legs as weapons. I looked around the APC and massaged my legs. Nothing had changed, Razorback fell asleep. His chest was expanding and contracting so I guess that means he didn’t swallow his gum. Elvis and Bronxy were both in never never land.

The APC got silent. Master coughed, I looked at him and he looked away. Even if this turned out to be just a drill, we were still tactical. Discipline had to be maintained. Frenchie