MI - Diversionary Tactics

Day 667, 07:01 • Published in USA USA • by Heather Fuchs


Chapter Five:

Their power assisted suits allowed them to cover the distance and arrive at the isolated silo quickly. As they crawled up to the perimeter they realized the side they had approached was literally crawling with Russian guards. "Now that's some bad luck" yort54 whispers, as they all three calculated it was going to take too long to fight their way through that wall and get to the silo. They knew their countdown timer started ticking several minutes ago.

Before they could even finish that thought the ground they were laying on began to shake. They knew the sound before they even turned their eyes skyward to see Lieutenant maemae piloting that Stratolifter again. Those ships had two modes - "stealth" and "rattler". Rattler was only used when they REALLY wanted to draw attention because that's what it did to everything near the flight path.

She buzzed right over their heads and as she got to the other side of the silo, five capsules dropped. How in the world Command knew they needed that diversion right now was beyond the three men on the ground, but they knew when every Russian in the area dashed for the falling capsules it was just the window they needed to scramble in and set the charge.



Running forward they glanced upward as the capsules popped open mid-air. Len was grinning ear to ear as he noticed the brightly painted helmets. Only Bravo Six used that wild pattern, and from the looks of the hand painted chevrons on one of them, it seems Lt. Colonel Therose had decided to lead this support group herself.

Later it would be confirmed that Len was right. Not only was this the Bravo Company CO, but she brought with her the Bravo Six CO, XO, and two of B6's best soliders - Kulmar and Danny Marks. With perfect precision Therose, Stegeman, and Eric Arndt dropped line after line of advancing Russian guards before they even landed. Kulmar and Danny had bounced in the second wave, so were slightly higher in the sky, expertly picking off stragglers their commanders had skipped.

To an MI soldier there is no time when they are more vulnerable than during that brief period after the capsule opens and before their feet hit the ground. Hanging under that large canopy they can't use all the evasive maneuvers built into their suit, and they can't even use all the weapons in their personal arsenal because of the kickback. So dropping into a known hot zone like this, with the sole intention of drawing fire, takes the kind of bravery you only find in the strongest, best trained soldiers in the world. Fortunately the MI is filled with them, and Bravo Company has more than their share.

As they landed and immediately formed up in a tight defensive position, the single yellow blip on each of their com screens told them Danny never made the ground alive. Saddened by the loss of one of her men, but never slowing for a second Lt. Colonel Therose ordered into the open channel "Stegeman, Eric, Kulmar.. form on me.. we're going to make those fracking Russians pay. Drop defensive, on my mark we forward in OFFENSIVE #7. Ready on 2, 1, GO!"



…continued next week


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Respectfully submitted
Lt Colonel Dania
Mobile Infantry Press Officer

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." Thomas Paine


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