Invasion by David Guenther

Author:David Guenther [Guenther, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Published: 2017-09-01T07:00:00+00:00

Planet Zia

18 June 2129

Young stood on top of the Beater to check out the camp. Everywhere he looked, there was activity. The guard units turned out to be better disciplined than expected, making it easier to guide them through the training. Groups of the tiny soldiers were constantly running punitive laps around the encampment. Entire groups shared the punishment for minor infractions or mistakes made by individual. The anticipated sound of gunfire had not yet started. Young could see the firing range had the first guard unit of fifty soldiers lined up on the firing line, weapons in paws, ready to go. To the side of the range, a red flag rose to the top of the flagpole. The crack of the first shots fired was not as thunderous as full size weapons but it did distract the rest of the camp from their training for a moment and then the instructors ensured the trainees gave them their undivided attention or they found themselves running. Young climbed back into the ship, deciding to monitor a few of the classes.

The first group he stood behind was reciting the nomenclature of each part of the rifle. Turning off his translator for a moment, he listened to the soldiers chirp and squeal unintelligibly. The avatar conducting the class had a bowl of peanuts and made a game out of reciting the weapon's parts. When one of the soldiers won a peanut, the others clapped and congratulated the winner. Young thought it strange that they did that, and he remembered the fierce competition he had gone through in his training. The realization hit that the soldiers before him had an entire different psychological set of needs. The groups running, he noticed, were actually enjoying what should be punishment. He thought he would have to get with the instructors for their opinions on what to change in the training to make it more effective for these little ones. The firing range was one of the best surprises of the day. The hand-eye coordination of the soldiers was beyond expectation. The soldiers fired close groups and quickly comprehended what they had to do to overcome their initial mistakes. Young grinned at the appearance of the little soldiers wearing their combat vests while handling their weapons. He looked carefully for a safety violation but couldn’t find one. He did notice the soldiers had stuck the fired brass into their ears to use as hearing protectors, further impressing him. He walked over to Sgt Polanski.

“How’re the rats doing?”

Polanski continued to watch the firing line as he replied, “The little guys are actually impressive. They are very group-oriented. If you punish the group for the sins of the one, they don’t appear to hold a grudge. Discipline is good; they seem to love to march. They learn dang fast. They have a little trouble with loud noises, but they grabbed some spent brass and then stuck it in their ears and are having no problems. They all shot a minimum of marksman, almost half would qualify as sharpshooters, maybe ten percent shoot expert.

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