Chapter 1: Rucidia Island Pt.1 of 4
The paratroopers are lined up, two columns of sixteen, facing the ramp. They wait nervously for the jump signal, some shifting their weight from one hind-paw to another, others tapping their fingers on the gear strapped to their chest. All are wearing oxygen masks to stay alive at such high altitudes, and proper gear to fight off the cold. Among them is Fredric, standing near the back. The plane is a little under a minute away from Rucidia Island, or at least that's his estimate. The two turboprop engines create a loud hum in the background, impairing the wolf's ability to hear clearly. Fredric is a citizen of Trunicia, which belongs to the Alliance of Nations, or AON. Tensions between the AON and the NSU, National Socialist United, have escalated significantly. Most nations of both sides are located in East Contreal, turning the region into a bomb. No one knows what little incident will blow it up.
Around ten years ago, a global recession had shaken the world. It was only seven or eight years ago that the crisis had loosened its grip. The economies of most countries, including global powers like Trunicia, wrecked leading, to spending and budget cuts. This included military spending. Other countries, which had fared much better, then had the opportunity to catch up to the superpowers. Relatively peaceful countries became belligerent, and some took on imperialism and become war mongers. One such country is Arcania, which already had a powerful industry to start with. Now Arcania is trying to develop new weapons, which is the reason the small platoon is in transit to Rucidia Island.
Just two weeks ago, the intelligence agency discovered that Arcania is working on something, is trying to get that something out of Rucidia Island, and Arcania doesn't want anything to happen to that something. Fredric doesn't know much beyond that, except that the something is a weapon. Almost everything behind this operation is confidential. He takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly and quietly while reflecting on what has happened in the last month. He enlisted fairly recently, and was supposed to be a standard paratrooper. During training, he showed exceptional skill during various exercises and war games. It was because of this that Fredric was chosen for the high-risk mission. The wolf was actually a reserve, but one of the soldiers chosen for the operation was disabled in an accident while practicing the HALO insertion that he himself is about to do. Secretly, he didn't want to be part of the op. Fredric has never done a HALO jump before. There were only two practice jumps for the mission, and he didn't make the first one (the previous soldier was injured on that one). Above that, the wolf dislikes deviating from his planned course, especially if it puts him in extremely deadly situations, like this one. Strange that I enlisted in the airborne troops, where you jump out of perfectly functional planes. This is also his first combat jump, but then again just about all the soldiers are about to make their first combat jump. Of course the platoon leader, the large wolf who is standing at the front of the downsized platoon, has already made several jumps in real combat situations.
"Thirty seconds out, lowering ramp." the pilot says through the intercom.
The cargo plane's ramp slowly lowers, opening up to the midnight sky outside. The black emptiness beyond is gradually revealed. On the ground it is hot and humid, but ten kilometers up and the temperature drops below zero. The cold outside air rushes into the cargo hold. The suit Fredric is wearing, specialized for HALO drops, blocks the majority of the cold, but not all. The wolf feels the freezing wind through the suit and his fur combined. The platoon leader at the front turns around.
"Remember, this is not a skydiving lesson! Watch your descent. When you land, get to your designated rally point and avoid contact! The Arcanians don't know we're here yet, so we have the element of surprise and I want to keep it that way!" he shouts, choosing not to use the radio.
His last sentence is almost completely drowned by the engine's noise. When he faces front again, the ramp is all the way down. Fredric clenches on to the gear strapped to his back and chest.
"Fifteen seconds till jump time. Good luck, boys!" the pilot says.
His words are barely audible over the combined forces of the engines and wind. The fifteen seconds creep by slowly, as if to test the patience of the thirty-two about to embark on their first real combat operation. Fredric shivers slightly in the subzero temperature. This is not a practice run, nor an exercise. No one is using blanks. No wooden or metal targets. Everything is real. There are real enemies, real rounds, a real mission. If you happen to screw up, you die. There is no instructor to grade your landing or performance except the enemy who wants you dead. Of course there still is a CO who'll tell you how stupid you are when you do screw up. The platoon leader starts to turn around. Fredric's entrails knot up. The moment has arrived.
"This is it! First combat mission, don't screw it up!" he shouts mockingly.
Of course, the platoon leader has already participated in real combat operations before, so he has the privilege of saying that. The wolf faces the front again, right before the green light goes off. At first the others around him start at a slow run. When a sufficient gap is made, they speed up and one by one jump out the back of the plane. Fredric takes a deep breath right before he sprints down the ramp. He reaches the end and jumps into the darkness. In the distance, he could vaguely make out the lights from buildings belonging to the civilian population on Rucidia. The wolf descends with his fellow soldiers, instantly consumed by the inky abyss below.