Experimentation

The post below is a work of fiction, pretty much - I'll probably start doing more of that, since it's my blog and I can, but I'll always identify it as such. If for some reason, I ever go so far as to post poetry, I promise to post a prominent warning in plenty of time to click next. If you're not interested, just skip over it.

A short story, not translated into English

(A note on pronunciation: Terms that are in all caps, should be pronounced as individual letters, eg RPG is pronounced are pee gee. Lower case has been used to indicate that the term is pronounced as written, even when common military usage is to put the term in all caps. For example, TIC is rendered tic and pronounced as "tick.")

Viper Six Zero, Viper Six Zero, this is Cobra Four Seven Dismount. Troops in contact. I say again, troops in contact. Taking heavy machine gun, small arms and RPG fire from the northeast. Grid to follow. Break...

Viper Six Zero this is Cobra Four Seven Dismount. Grid is Two Six November Mike Delta Three Seven Five Four Two Six. I say again Two Six November Mike Delta Three Seven Five Four Two Six. How copy, over.

Viper Six Zero copies Two Six November Mike Delta Three Seven Five Four Two Six.

Roger, good copy. We are taking fire from a ridgeline approximately three hundred meters to our northeast. Enemy is maneuvering at least two squad size elements towards our position. They are continuing to engage our position with machine gun and RPG fire from the ridgeline, over.

Roger, Cobra Four Seven, we are working cas now. Break... Death Magic Seven Six, this is Viper Six Zero,over.

Death Magic copies all. Diverting Banshee to tic, approximately three zero mikes out from Cobra Four Seven's position, over.

Death Magic Seven Six, this is Cobra Four Seven. Good copy and thanks, over.

Cobra Four Seven this is Viper Six Zero, what is your situation, over.

We're a little busy here for sitreps, Viper Six Zero. We are returning fire. We have the elements that were maneuvering in our direction pinned down for now. All fire so far is from the northeast. Enemy does not appear to have NVG capability. No casualties at this time, over.

Roger, Cobra Four Seven, we'll have Predator on station in five mikes. Viper Six Zero standing by.

Four Seven Dismount, this is Four Seven Mobile on Fox Mike. We are moving blacked out, east on Route Green towards your position. We will attempt to take up a flanking position, over.

Mobile, this is Dismount, Fox Mike. Call when due south of our location, and we'll try to vector you in on the bad guys, over.

Dismount, Mobile, wilco, out.

Cobra Four Seven Dismount, this is Viper Six Zero. We have Predator on station now, break... ISR reports approximately twelve pax on the ridgeline at Mike Delta Three Two Four Six, break . . . There are two groups of approximately four pax each in the rocks to the southwest of the ridgeline, approximately one hundred and fifty meters from the main body, how copy, over.

Roger, Viper Six Zero, we have visual on all three groups. The map shows an east-west road running two hundred meters to the north of the ridgeline - can the Pred tell if we can get our mobile element up in there?

Wait one, Cobra Four Seven . . . Cobra Four Seven, this is Viper Six Zero, roger, there's a turnoff approximately two klicks east of your location. If the mobile element turns left there, it will take them about seventy five meters behind the ridgeline to the north. Be advised, ISR reports two bongo trucks parked on the road near the main body of the enemy. It looks like there may be six or seven pax with the vehicles, over.

Roger, Viper Six Zero. Dismount, this is Mobile, Fox Mike. We copied last from Viper, and will bypass your location and make for the road north, over.

Mobile, Dismount, roger. Call when making the turnoff, over.

Dismount, Mobile, wilco, out.

Cobra Four Seven, this is Death Magic Seven Six. Banshee reports three mikes out. Will push to your fox mike, over.

Good copy, Death Magic.

Dismount, this is Mobile, Fox Mike. We are making the turnoff now, over.

Roger Mobile, We are taking sporadic fire. The bad guys still haven't moved closer to us. ISR sees two vehicles and several pax on the road to your front, over.

Roger, Dismount, approaching the vehicles now.

Viper Six Zero, this is Cobra Four Seven Mobile. Troops in contact. We are driving up the road to the north of the woodline and taking fire from the bongo trucks to our front, break . . . Appears to be AK and PKM fire. We are engaging, over.

Cobra Four Seven Mobile this is Viper Six Zero, roger, over.

Cobra Four Seven this is Viper Six Zero, Predator reports that the two elements closest to you are withdrawing to the ridgeline, over.

Roger, Viper, we are engaging them at this time, over.

Cobra Four Seven, this is Banshee, Fox Mike. We are over your location now. What is your situation, over?

Roger, Banshee, we are still taking sporadic fire from the ridge line to our northeast. Our mobile element is engaging two vehicles on the east-west road to the north of the woodline, over.

Roger, Cobra, we have the enemy pax on the ridgeline, over.

Roger, Banshee, this is Cobra Four Seven Actual, fire mission, over.

Send it, over.

Banshee this is Cobra, from my position Two Six November Mike Delta Three Seven Five Four Two Six marked by IR strobe, six five degrees at five hundred meters, marked by tracer and lasso, you are cleared hot, over.

Roger, firing one oh five.

Good hit, Banshee.

Cobra, Banshee. Remaining pax are fleeing north off of the ridgeline.

Banshee, this is Cobra Four Seven Actual. You are cleared hot as long as PID is maintained.

Roger, Cobra, engaging forty mike mike. Pax are fleeing north towards the vehicles.

This is Cobra Four Seven Mobile. We have movement off of the ridgeline towards the vehicles and are engaging.

Cobra, this is Banshee. One of the bongo trucks is moving west with approximately one zero pax. The other truck appears to be disabled and burning, over.

Roger, Banshee, you are cleared hot for the moving truck.

Roger, firing one oh five, break . . . truck is stopped. No movement.

Mobile, Dismount, Fox Mike. We are going to sweep north up the ridgeline at this time, over.

Dismount, Mobile, good copy. We will hold our position on the road, over.

Mobile, Dismount, roger, break . . . Banshee, this is Cobra Four Seven Dismount. We are moving north on foot to the ridgeline at this time, over.

Cobra Four Seven, this is Banshee, roger, how are you marked, over.

Banshee, this is Cobra Four Seven Dismount, a single group marked by IR strobe, over.

Good copy, Cobra.

Mobile, this is Dismount, Fox Mike, we are cresting the ridgeline now, over.

Dismount, this is Mobile, we have your strobe, over.

Mobile, Dismount, roger, we are going to look around here and then move to your location, over.

Dismount, Mobile, roger.

Banshee, this is Cobra Four Seven, Fox Mike. We have consolidated at the humvees and are preparing to withdraw. Thanks for the assist, over.

Cobra Four Seven, this is Banshee, roger, we will maintain cover until you withdraw, over.

Banshee, this is Cobra, roger and thanks, out.

Viper Six Zero, this is Cobra Four Seven Mobile. We have consolidated with the Cobra Four Seven Dismount element and are RTB at this time. We estimate approximately fifteen to twenty EKIA, two crew served weapons and two bongo trucks destroyed. All men, weapons and equipment accounted for. Thanks for all your help, over.

Cobra Four Seven, this is Viper Six Zero, roger, good copy on the sitrep. Glad everything is OK out there. Viper Six Zero, out.