Fighting With Faith-
Twentieth Entry

Two months later…

“Lent! Lent! Pass me the grenade!” Benlian hissed urgently.

“Huh? Oh sorry, here.” Lent casually flipped the egg-shaped standard issued frag grenade towards Benlian’s grimy outstretched palm.

“Thanks.” Benlian replied. Benlian then proceeded to fasten the newly acquired grenade to his belt harness, making sure the pin was pointing towards him.

Already a dozen recruits had fallen ill to such lack of weaponry discipline. Weapon jams overloads, frag grenade pin-detachment and a plethora of other foolish errors which only trained soldiers would only laugh about. These soldiers, however, were not.

Everyone was wondering why they were issued weapons with live munitions only after two months of training. On a casual visit to the librarium one day, Benlian involuntarily found out that Imperium regiments were only issued live rounds and weapons to their soldiers after the first four months of intensive training and preparation.

Bel Company was arranged along a dust ridge, out in one of the many mock battlefields of Pholorine Boot Camp. Dust curled and whipped at their faces, triggering angry spitting and curses flowing fluently out from their mouths. They were joined together with Easeth Company. In total, they were at maxium strength of forty men.

In this training, Starut Hogrim was chosen as company leader. Tall, slightly tan and rough features made up his physique. Everyone in the company had already gotten to know each other better through the intense tranings and demanding courses they had to endure together.

However, Starut still held a tinge of enigma to his past, his thick jet black hair with a few strands of outstanding white strands, and lastly, the queer markings on his arms and torso which showed a leering skull in purple. A few curious ones had ventured bravely to inquire his markings. His simple answer of, “Nothing, just a hobby.” Easily brushed them off.

Out of the twenty men of each company, they were divided into 2 squads, of ten men each. Each squad is able to survive possibly any tactical situation they were in, as of their various roles of troop types in it. The roles ranged from heavy machine gunner, heavy support, medic, sniper, squad leader, vox-caster and foot soldier. All complemented with each other and their lives were in each others hands.

Currently, Benlian was the acting second in command, after Sturat.

This training required 2 teams of two companies each. It was an annihilate mission: both teams were to outwit, outplay and outkill each other. Both teams were deployed behind two sand ridges five hundred metres apart facing each other; in between the ridges was an assortment of dunes, knolls, and sand pits.

“Squad I and II, advance to mark Oh-two-point-five on your tact-map. Squad Easeth will provide covering fire. Spread-fire formation, medic taking prime space, over.” Starut’s gruff voice came over the micro-bead.

“Mark oh-two-point-five? That pit over there?” Lent asked.

“Yeah, saddle up boy.” Benlian replied as he nimbly stood upright and hoisted his backpack onto him. All along the ridge, the troops of Bel Company were doing the same.

“Go go go !” hissed Starut over the mico-bead.

Immediatley, the attentive and heedful opponents picked up the shifting figures through their dust chocked goggles and begun firing their mock armaments in quick, disciplined bursts.

“Bloody Chabs- there’s so much- AH SHIT I’M HIT!” an aggitated Zeralton spat out in disgust as his reactive laser armour on his torso picked up a stray laser shot from the opponents guns and activated its gravity pull, rendering the trooper lying sprawled embarrasingly on the ground.

“Men down! Medic get to him now!” Benlian howled over the cacophony of mock explosions and sand blasts, all the while making headway towards the nearing sand pit along with the remaning squad members. Already three were down with the two medics frantically running about amidst the thick web of laser fire.

The explosions were defeaning.

The firing was wild.

The shouting was loud.

“ Stratile! STRATILE! Get here and snipe those damn chabas manning the machine guns!” Starut ordered.

“On the way!” Stratile replied at once, making a short sprint from his cover point to Starut’s, waking a trail of laser fire in his path.

The situation was not good, their position was being holed down by the opponents heavy machine guns and in the mean time they were being flanked.

“LENT! Covering fire for me!” Benlian bellowed.

“What? Wh- WHERE THE HELL YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING BEN!” Lent roared back at the distancing figure of Benlian.

Laser fire spat at the sand around him, throwing up curls of smoke and dusts, obscuring Benlian’s view. But he didn’t care. He kept running, occasionally doing side steps to throw the opponents line of fire off-course.

There they are…twenty more steps…

A laser grenade was flung in his direction from the facing sand ridge. Benlian deftly did a leap over it before it exploded in a shower of sand and dust.

Fifteen…

More laser fire spat from the sand ridge, however, it faltered for a moment as laser fire begun firing from his back.

Eight…

Benlian could see their heads now: some were reloading, some firing wildly, obviously shock at the appraoching figure.

Two…

Benlian lept into the fray. He swiftly drew out his laser baton and jabbed at the nearest figure. He fell immediatley. Three more figures approached him. Benlian took out a laser grenade and flung it towards them.

Through the swirling dust, they didn’t know what hit them.

Benlian instinctivley ducked. A laser baton barely touched him.

There were five of them now, circling Benlian.

They fell immediatley.

“WOOOHOO! HERE COMES THE CALVARY” yelled an exuberant Jobash over the micro-bead.

Benlian turned his head over and spotted approaching figures. It was his squad. They were firing wildly as they ran, some falling as they were shot in return. The remaining made to the ridge and leapt over the barricades. Everyone immediately drew out their laser batons and intense, brutal close combat begun. Batons were flung, wrists were dislocated. Ribs were broken.

Benlian slumped to the ground, dazed.

If this isn’t war, just how more worse can war be? He thought.

As the dust settled and sand cleared, Bel Company stood triumphant over their foes. Many of them were mocking the fallen troops as they struggled against the gravity pull of their laser armours.

“Squad leader to all units: threat neutralised. Mission accomplished.” Said Starut.