Becker took a deep breath and thought about it for a moment.
“No, I am as confident as I can be.”
Becker pulled out a hip flask and took a drink before passing it over to Kelly.
“No, not tonight. Not until I have seen this through.”
Becker didn’t mind and took the drink for him.
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said as he got up and left. Kelly swivelled around in his chair to see Reynolds waiting at the door for him.
“Something you want to talk about, Captain?”
“Not really.”
“Then what can I do for you?”
“Just be yourself, Sir. We have a few hours before all this kicks off, can we not get a coffee and chat like it were old times?”
Kelly smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
He would say anything to calm the nerves of his people, but this time he actually welcomed the proposal to sit with old friends before it all began. They headed for the canteen where they found over a hundred personnel sat about socialising. They took a seat and soon found Corporal Berlin heading for them.
“May I sit with you, Sir?”
“You don’t need to ask. The old rank structure is not what it was. I lead because I am good at it, but not for any other reason. You treat me as your equal.”
It was clear she didn’t see his point of view and responded, “Thank you, Sir.” She sat down opposite him.
“What can I do for you, Corporal…”
“Berlin, Sir.”
“I know that is your family name. But what is the name you choose to go by, what do your friends call you?” he asked.
“My name is Letta, Sir, and that is what they call me.”
“And am I a friend? Would you have me call you Letta?”
“If that is your preference, Sir.”
Kelly shook his head. He opened his mouth to respond but decided he wasn’t going to get anywhere and stopped.
“Sir, what I wanted to ask you is what many here are asking. What are you doing in Germany? You are colonists of the Moon. Why come to Germany?”
Kelly laughed. “It wasn’t by choice, I can tell you. Not that I had anything against the country, but I knew little of Earth, except for what I learnt at school. We were placed here by the UEN. They chose the spot. We just went where they told us.”
“And that was okay with you?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? You are born some place that isn’t of your choosing and you learn to get on with it, and hopefully like it. So we got another place that wasn’t of our choosing, and we got on fine here, too. I’d certainly appreciate a warmer climate in winter, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
* * *
A day had passed and Taylor and Jafar stood before Reiter once again.
“One day, Taylor? One day? Do you know how long it takes to develop an idea and experiment and trial? I’ve barely begun to draw up some ideas.”
“Come on, Doc, you work fast. You’re famous for it. We need a solution; you must have a few ideas. Throw them at us.”
He shook his head, muttering under his breath, but went over to a display console and activated it so that a projection displayed before them.
“I have thoroughly tested the 50CMG against these new armours and have come to the conclusion that they possess the appropriate operational requirements.”
“No shit, Doc, they’re fucking cannons. That ain’t the problem.”
“No,” he replied, “We have the right weapon. I cannot at present substantially reduce the weight of the weapon, without compromising its effectiveness. And so we are left with just one choice; to find diverse ways of making it operationally viable to men and women like yourself in the field.”
“Okay,” Taylor replied. He sounded suspicious, “But we already decided it isn’t viable to use as a personal weapon in combat.”
“No, it is not. So then we must surely stop looking for complicated solutions to our problem, and start looking to far more primitive and proven ones.”
“A retrograde step?”
“Not exactly, Colonel. Think of the weapon you carry on your side that you now know as your Assegai. It is a useful weapon in combat, yes?”
He nodded. “More than useful.”
“And yet for all the technological marvel contained in that weapon, it is for all intents and purposes little more than a sword or small spear, is it not?”
“Yes, Doc, but come on; stop talking in riddles.”
“Riddles? This is no riddle. I am merely trying to make your simple minds understand some simple logic.”
Taylor looked carefully at the plans projected before him. The principal image showed a simple metal tripod with the gun mounted atop it.
“What is this primitive crap?”
“A tripod. A simple device yes, but one that enables the use of heavy weapons by mobile infantry forces in the field. This is not my invention. It is nothing new or revolutionary. But why reinvent the wheel? You need the ability to take heavy ordnance into combat by foot. Using a three-weapon fireteam, where two men carry the weapon from shoulder to shoulder and another carries the tripod, you have your solution.”
Taylor rubbed his chin as he thought it over.
“There are surely other ways to solve your problem, but they will take time, and resources we may not even have. This method will enable you to make use of current weaponry. Tripods are an elegantly simple solution to a big problem. I can have a handful of prototypes built within a day, and full production within a week. It requires nothing more than steel and simple machinery.
“This is your answer? You have nothing more?”
“Overall, I think this is the best solution to your problem. However, I am working on a revision to your shields that would enable them to be used as rests for the 50CMG and allow quick deployment in close quarter battle.”
“Go on.”
He walked across the room to where a shield lay clamped in a work unit. At the top, a section had been cut out in a U shape, approximately thirty centimetres wide and deep.
“This simple modification will allow the wielder to deploy a rest for the 50CMG that will make it immediately combat effective.”
Taylor laughed. “A shield with a barrel shape cut in the top? Doc you really are working on some primitive levels here.”
“Yes I am, Colonel. Time is of the essence, more important than anything else. I want you to have a useable means of operating these weapons and defeating these hideous monsters before you have to face them again. You keep us all alive, protect us all, Colonel. I am well aware of that fact. I would not recommend second-rate equipment. This is my recommendation to get the best kit into the field as quickly as is possible.”
Taylor nodded his head, thinking about it a little longer. He thought of the Juggernauts and how vicious they were. He remembered how much he would give to have had an effective way to take them down.
“Do it,” he stated.
“You are sure you want to proceed? You have not sounded too keen, Colonel?”
“If this is the only way we can get it done right now, then very well. I want three of your tripods and three of these modified shields by morning, can you do that?”
“I believe so.”
“Then do it, and we shall find out if your old ideas still work in today’s war.”
* * *
Once again Kelly found he was in a dug out. The snow had begun to settle, and the temperatures seemed to be dropping every day. He had sat there for hours and was starting to feel numb.
“We’ve been here for too long, Kelly. This doesn’t feel right,” said Becker.
The Captain sat next to him.
“I’m surprised you aren’t in one of those tanks,” he replied.