"It's looking bad."
BatCom Lakhrov says as he closed the door as I sat down a chair across his table. His face looking grim.
"What do you mean with the 'bad' part, sir?"
"Coming from both our side and theirs
He bitterly smiled as he tapped on the table. "Over to their side, they had been delaying by making the whole negotiations last this long for the arrival of their FPVs."
"How many are we seeing here?"
"…A lot. News on the line are they're intending to bolster loitering munitions by 200% this month for a major offensive."
I grimaced as I received that news.
FPVs, or more easily known as kamikaze drones, have been a weapon used on both sides quite extensively throughout this conflict.
What's worse is that this war is basically a test-bed for this generation of warfare—unmanned drones capable of dropping mortar or grenades in a target, or those larger ones used to take out tanks and other vehicles.
The extent of their use has been great, and many casualties on both sides came from them as well.
"…if what you mentioned was on the enemy's side, what about ours?"
"Gah! I want to strangle that old rag so much!"
Lakhrov cried out as he put his hands on his face before answering, "…The pidpolkovnik (lieutenant-colonel) wants to probe enemy positions across the river."
"…Am I hearing that right?"
"Yes. You heard it correctly."
"We're to probe and skirmish enemy positions across the river…knowing they have allowed them to entrench for DAMN WEEKS?!"
He nodded, seemingly defeated as he knew how useless that is
Frankly, I'm so angry that I could accidentally drop a grenade on his car when he visits with his smug face around here again
But I kept that to myself. I imagined shooting that bastard multiple times in my head before I exhaled to calm myself down.
"…Can't you outvoice him this time?"
"No. He's got too many friends up in command. I doubt if I spoke up against it, he'll just blow that up to throw us somewhere where the fighting is the hardest.
Damn office politic
They're not just playing with office politics here; they're playing with actual fucking people!
I only noticed my hands tightly gripping my knees after the commander coughed lightly, perhaps to remind me that I'm still there.
"…I understand." I said finally as I stood up, "I'll prepare my squad later and we'll move in the evening to make sure we remain hidden."
"…I'm sorry it had to come to this, son.
"It's okay." I resigned as I turned to leave, "This…isn't your fault."
War is a cruel thing.
There are a lot you can attach to it that has definite negative connotations. I've seen it both demonized and romanticized in all sorts of various things.
And the worst part is most of it are true. Nothing is sacred, countless rivers of blood have been shed
The BTR-60 we rode on, decades old enough that this vehicle is probably older than I am, rumbled on through as we moved to our insertion point. The task only falls on my squad, since we're the only one with specialties capable of carrying this out.
"Do we have any tissues left?
Lukas, stuffing his nose with tissues as we're struck with the biting cold wind as he asked for more tissues, looked like he's not ready at all.
Oh, and of course it won't be a classic issue if the doors of the IFV wasn't straight up removed because it won't close at all before.
"Here."
The one who got him the tissues he needed was none other than Mira.
She's the same age as me, and also the one who had been with me first before any of them.
"Thanh yu..."
He blew into the tissue once again, as Karl looked at him with a slight pity as he held a PKM
"You shouldn't have joined us if you'd just end up sick like this." Sabel says as she sighed
"No way, why would I be given a pass?"
He says as he wiped his nose, causing him to speak with a funny tone.
"Besides, I don't want to just be alone in that tent."
"Kaz does it all the time though?" Mira mused as she chuckled.
"Well, that's Kaz." Sabel shrugs,
"Though, I'm surprised they let you go.
Speaking towards Mira, Sabel looked slightly surprised.
"Lakhrov came there himself to tell them. Besides, I won't like it if I've been left to dry like that." She sighed, her eyes moving towards mine, "I guess him coming there was your request?"
"…He ordered our squad, the whole squad moves." I gave her a light shrug as I turned my eyes away.
Silence permeated into the vehicle until we abruptly stopped, which got us wary.
I heard a shaft opening, which is probably the driver. I decided to motion to them that I'm disembarking first and walked out.
"What happened?" I asked as I moved towards the driver hatch.
"Look."
Across the road that should be leading to a blown-up bridge, we found instead several lights.
What the fu—
They…they aren't fording right now, right?