Theirs Not To Reason Why: A Soldier's Duty (15 page)
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Authors: Jean Johnson
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“Terran technology has managed to achieve a 67.19 percent energy conservation ratio in the HK-70, which is the highest crisp for your calorie you will find in a military-grade weapon this small. However, while you are still training in how to target and fire, you will be issued calorie-restricted weaponry. A full two minute’s burn at ten meters
might
set a candle on fire . . . but I wouldn’t count on it. The Heck also comes with a long-range scope, but constant use of the scope will drain the energy off your e-clip, so you will learn to target without it as well as with it.”
might
set a candle on fire . . . but I wouldn’t count on it. The Heck also comes with a long-range scope, but constant use of the scope will drain the energy off your e-clip, so you will learn to target without it as well as with it.”
Handing over the e-clip, he accepted the all-black weapon the supply sergeant dug out of the hover sled’s depths. This weapon, Sgt. Tae made a visible production of checking over, first pointing it down at the ground and pulling back on the bolt lever to check the chamber, then pointing it just as carefully up in the air, never once aiming it at any particular person.
“
This
is the JL-39, affectionately called the ‘Jelly.’ Outside of your body and your wits—assuming you have any—it is the most versatile personal weapon you will ever use. Crafted from a composite of stainless steel and ceristeel, its gas-compression mechanism reduces the kick when firing even as it uses the force to auto-load the next cartridge, particularly during auto-fire. But it does
not
reduce the noise. When we get around to learning this one, you will be issued both earplugs and earphones to protect your hearing during practice sessions.
This
is the JL-39, affectionately called the ‘Jelly.’ Outside of your body and your wits—assuming you have any—it is the most versatile personal weapon you will ever use. Crafted from a composite of stainless steel and ceristeel, its gas-compression mechanism reduces the kick when firing even as it uses the force to auto-load the next cartridge, particularly during auto-fire. But it does
not
reduce the noise. When we get around to learning this one, you will be issued both earplugs and earphones to protect your hearing during practice sessions.
“The Jelly is also the most difficult weapon to learn, despite the fact that it has only two settings, single-shot and auto-fire, and thus is the simplest to operate mechanically of your three new best friends,” Tae reminded them, gesturing at the other two rifles sitting on top of the hover sled beside him. “This is because the Jelly is a
projectile
weapon.”
projectile
weapon.”
Handing it back, he accepted the handful of black boxes the buck sergeant passed to him. Lifting each one, their Drill Instructor displayed the symbols marked on each cartridge’s side.
“The
versatility
of the Jelly comes from its ammunition. There are thirteen basic types of ammunition which the SF-MC uses. Most of the Jelly’s cartridge clips, or c-clips for short, are preloaded at TUPSF munitions factories. The only kind that is not always found pre-loaded, though you will probably receive pre-loaded clips anyway, is what we like to call standards. The c-clips for standards have no designated markings to indicate their type.
versatility
of the Jelly comes from its ammunition. There are thirteen basic types of ammunition which the SF-MC uses. Most of the Jelly’s cartridge clips, or c-clips for short, are preloaded at TUPSF munitions factories. The only kind that is not always found pre-loaded, though you will probably receive pre-loaded clips anyway, is what we like to call standards. The c-clips for standards have no designated markings to indicate their type.
“After that come the shotters, which are filled either with the larger buckshot or the smaller birdshot. These cartridges are modeled after shotgun ammunition and are used in a similar fashion. A laser beam or a standard bullet might hit or miss, depending on distance and aim, but a shotter shell gives you a broad range of attack which is guaranteed to put a serious crimp in the day of anything or anyone that isn’t heavily armored. Shotter cartridges are marked by a scattering of white dots, small ones for birdshot and large ones for buckshot.
“Their biggest advantage is that whatever they hit, it’ll hurt like a son-of-a-slag. Their biggest disadvantage is the SAC drag on each individual pellet, which reduces their effective range somewhat. Not by much, compared to the old shotguns of your ancestors, but enough to make a difference in a real fight.
“The next most common are the tracers, which can be found in
any
of the c-clip packets, as they are bullets treated with a phosphorescent coating which will flare up and illuminate the ‘trace’ or path of the bullets you are firing. These are usually used for nighttime activities, and the phosphorus bullets are spaced one in every four cartridges. Tracer c-clips are marked with a green diamond on the casing, which may be marked in conjunction with another identification mark for a particular type of ammunition. Once you are ready to start using the Jelly, you will be working with standard c-clips loaded with tracers so that you can see the flight-path of your shots. This means you will see a lot of these green diamonds on your clips.
any
of the c-clip packets, as they are bullets treated with a phosphorescent coating which will flare up and illuminate the ‘trace’ or path of the bullets you are firing. These are usually used for nighttime activities, and the phosphorus bullets are spaced one in every four cartridges. Tracer c-clips are marked with a green diamond on the casing, which may be marked in conjunction with another identification mark for a particular type of ammunition. Once you are ready to start using the Jelly, you will be working with standard c-clips loaded with tracers so that you can see the flight-path of your shots. This means you will see a lot of these green diamonds on your clips.
“After tracers come the screamers, marked with concentric yellow arcs forming a cone shape,” he continued, lifting each c-clip in question, “which whistle at a high-frequency pitch during flight, and are most often used in conjunction with your mechsuits’ echolocation scanners to provide sonar guidance in poor visibility conditions. You will learn to use them after you have learned to use your mechsuits. Taggers, marked with two concentric white circles, fire tracking devices, which can also be used with your mechsuit and other scanner equipment. Tracers, taggers, and screamers are all used for target location and placement purposes.
“The next group involves content-based attacks. Trankers are special darts filled with an anesthetic compound that will work on most forms of carbon-based oxygen-breathing life. Their effective range is the shortest of all c-clip ammunition, but they work for distances up to four times the length of the Mama’s range, and their payload knocks their target unconscious for several hours at a time. They are marked with a blue feather. Stunners are like little beanbags crammed into a bullet cartridge; when fired, the cloth bag and its birdshot contents spread out and smacks into the body of your target for a nonlethal and usually non-bloody knockback attack. I repeat, this is a knockback but
not
a knockout attack. You will recognize them by their blue-dotted rectangle.
not
a knockout attack. You will recognize them by their blue-dotted rectangle.
“Trankers and stunners are followed by gassers; like the trankers, they deliver a knockout punch to their targets at longer ranges than the Mama can, but instead of a single target dart, they fire capsules which break open and spread out as a cloud, knocking out small groups of targets at a time. Naturally, gassers are marked by the green outline of a cloud.
“The last in this group are gaggers. Like gassers, they break open and deliver a gaseous payload . . . but unlike gassers, gaggers are poisonous and are capable of killing anything in their field of effect, particularly if you lay down enough of them in a small area. If they are used in thin saturation, gaggers will simply make your targets very, very sick. Feel free to question your orders if you are issued gagger c-clips, which are marked by a red
X
on the cartridge case.
X
on the cartridge case.
“Splatters are controlled-expansion bullets; when they strike a hard surface, they spread out and stop. When they strike a soft surface, such as living flesh . . . the size of their entry hole is disproportionately small compared to their exit-hole. Unlike standards and shotters, splatters are designed to do as much tissue damage to a single target as possible without endangering too many other targets. Look for the grey mushroom shape on a splatter c-clip.
“In the same grouping as standards and splatters, we also have piercers, which are marked with a red triangle.” Tae paused and gave his cadets a solemn, grim look. “If at
any
time you are issued piercers while in space, it is your
duty
, above and beyond obeying the orders of your superiors, to
question their issue
,” he emphasized. “Piercers are sharp enough to pierce a standard ship
hull
, if you hit it in a thin or otherwise vulnerable spot. There may come a time when they
will
be issued deliberately; if they are and you have questioned your orders and received confirmation, make absolutely sure you, your fellow teammates, and all allied personnel within effective range are wearing lifesuits at the very least before opening fire with a red triangle marked c-clip full of piercers.
any
time you are issued piercers while in space, it is your
duty
, above and beyond obeying the orders of your superiors, to
question their issue
,” he emphasized. “Piercers are sharp enough to pierce a standard ship
hull
, if you hit it in a thin or otherwise vulnerable spot. There may come a time when they
will
be issued deliberately; if they are and you have questioned your orders and received confirmation, make absolutely sure you, your fellow teammates, and all allied personnel within effective range are wearing lifesuits at the very least before opening fire with a red triangle marked c-clip full of piercers.
“Space is
not
the place for ammunition mistakes.” Handing back the black c-clips with their various marks, he accepted two more c-clips. They were not black, however, unlike all the previous cases. One was a striped dun yellow and burnt orange just a little too bright to be mistaken for brown, the other a checkered bright orange and black. Lifting them, Tae displayed the distinctive cases. “The last two types of c-clip ammunition are the HEs and the SHEs . . . and as most sentient species will tell you, SHEs are more deadly than HEs.”
not
the place for ammunition mistakes.” Handing back the black c-clips with their various marks, he accepted two more c-clips. They were not black, however, unlike all the previous cases. One was a striped dun yellow and burnt orange just a little too bright to be mistaken for brown, the other a checkered bright orange and black. Lifting them, Tae displayed the distinctive cases. “The last two types of c-clip ammunition are the HEs and the SHEs . . . and as most sentient species will tell you, SHEs are more deadly than HEs.”
For a moment, the normally sober, semi-grim sergeant smiled. It unnerved most of his recruits, Ia included. A few managed to chuckle, but that was all. Tae dropped the smile and continued their lecture.
“This is because HEs stand for High Explosives, and are marked by this striped yellow and orange c-clip casing. SHEs stand for Shrapnellated High Explosives, and are marked by this black and orange
checkered
casing. They are not only identifiable by sight, but also by a subtle difference in touch. Like the piercers and the gaggers, you should also question
any
orders to use these. HEs and SHEs can be used to pound through an interior bulkhead or a ship’s hull, set cabins on fire, and blow up sentients, so make absolutely sure you question any orders which cause them to be issued to you while on board a spaceship. Just like gassers and gaggers, HEs and SHEs are capable of hitting not only your target, but others as well. Exploding with enough force to cover a diameter of up to nine meters in the SAC, they can hit your target’s nearest neighbors, and potentially your own sweet self if you’re close to your target. So be very careful where, how, and when you use ’em.
checkered
casing. They are not only identifiable by sight, but also by a subtle difference in touch. Like the piercers and the gaggers, you should also question
any
orders to use these. HEs and SHEs can be used to pound through an interior bulkhead or a ship’s hull, set cabins on fire, and blow up sentients, so make absolutely sure you question any orders which cause them to be issued to you while on board a spaceship. Just like gassers and gaggers, HEs and SHEs are capable of hitting not only your target, but others as well. Exploding with enough force to cover a diameter of up to nine meters in the SAC, they can hit your target’s nearest neighbors, and potentially your own sweet self if you’re close to your target. So be very careful where, how, and when you use ’em.
“Which brings me to the Four Fanaticals.” Passing back the clips, Tae accepted the first weapon once more from the buck sergeant. Cradling the black-and-white bulk of the 40-MA stunner rifle, he met each recruit’s gaze in turn as he continued. “The Four Fanaticals refer to the Rules of the Range. You will abide by these four rules at
all
times when handling all forms and sizes of projectile, laser, and stunner weaponry, whether they are rifles, handguns, mechsuit machinery, weapons mounted on your various modes of transport, or even the occasional infantry mortar.
all
times when handling all forms and sizes of projectile, laser, and stunner weaponry, whether they are rifles, handguns, mechsuit machinery, weapons mounted on your various modes of transport, or even the occasional infantry mortar.
“Rule One: Always point your weapon in a safe direction until you are ready to fire. Rule Two: Always assume your weapon is loaded and ready to fire until you yourself have personally inspected it . . . even if you just saw someone else inspect it and claim it to be safe before handing it over to you. Rule Three: Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. Don’t mess around with it even as a joke, particularly in conjunction with Rule One. And Rule Four: Always be aware of what is downrange of your target, in case you miss. Failure to follow the First and Third Fanaticals can result in being charged with Fatality Thirteen, ‘Friendly Fire,’ as can failure to be aware of the consequences of Rule Four.
“Remember, the effective range of the Heck is two full
kilometers
in the SAC. If you miss your enemy in the foreground, you could end up scorching a civilian somewhere down the road. Or hitting the hull of a ship, or the edge of a dome. It’s not one hundred percent likely that you may cause harm from that far way, but it
is
possible. It is
very
possible if your inadvertent target is situated somewhere close behind your missed target . . . and you
can
be held responsible for whatever you do in a misfire situation.”
kilometers
in the SAC. If you miss your enemy in the foreground, you could end up scorching a civilian somewhere down the road. Or hitting the hull of a ship, or the edge of a dome. It’s not one hundred percent likely that you may cause harm from that far way, but it
is
possible. It is
very
possible if your inadvertent target is situated somewhere close behind your missed target . . . and you
can
be held responsible for whatever you do in a misfire situation.”
Accepting the e-clip the buck sergeant held out to him, Tae slotted it home in its socket on the back of the rifle. He flicked the power switch, letting the weapon warm up audibly. He also cranked the nozzle from narrow to wide, though he kept it pointed up into the sky.
“Remember: Always point your weapon in a safe direction until ready to fire. Always assume the weapon is loaded until you yourself have checked. Always be aware of what is downrange of your target. And always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.”
Snapping the weapon down, he pumped the trigger, spraying the startled recruits with a
zzzzzt
of white-flashing electrosonic static . . . all who were within the 120 degree range of the wide-open cone and its accompanying ten meter maximum range. All who had been lulled into complacency by his long-winded display of all that weaponry.
zzzzzt
of white-flashing electrosonic static . . . all who were within the 120 degree range of the wide-open cone and its accompanying ten meter maximum range. All who had been lulled into complacency by his long-winded display of all that weaponry.
Bodies slumped to the ground.
B and C Squads, sitting in the front rows, simply toppled over to one side or the other, since their owners were already seated. D and E Squads, caught kneeling behind the other two, flopped over as well. A Squad, standing at the back of the group, crumpled from soles to heads. They landed in a tangled jumble on the dusty ground of the firing range, some on top of each other, some at awkward angles which would be uncomfortable upon awakening, whenever the effects the stunner rifle wore off.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Ia forgot to slump as well. Frozen by surprise, but still trapped by it, she swayed a little as Mendez’s slumping body bumped against her shins. She almost dropped herself on top of him a moment later, but knew it was too late. Both Tae and the buck sergeant were already staring at her. Blushing, she cleared her throat and remained on her feet, hands clasped behind her back in the At-Ease position they had all learned in their first three days of training.
Frowning, the first sergeant checked the settings on his rifle. Lifting it, he shot her again with another flash of white. Unfortunately, it was still too late.
Knowing the damage was done—but believing it was correctable—Ia didn’t bother to fake unconsciousness. She just stood there while Tae frowned, ratcheted the cone narrow enough to single-target her, did something to its power setting, and fired again, this time aiming high enough that the white pulse-beam avoided the others. The tightly narrowed field tingled against her face and shoulders as the pulse passed through her, but did nothing to knock her over.
Scowling, he lowered the weapon, pointing it at the ground. “Why the
hell
didn’t you fall down, Recruit?”
hell
didn’t you fall down, Recruit?”
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