Road Of Advancement

Theodore left the cosy and comfortable office of prof. Wilkinson and immediately found out what being picked up meant.

Second-lieutenant Redford stood with his back to the wall, his hands clasped in a V behind his back, his posture reflecting his military training. Theodore stopped at the door to observe the lieutenant for a bit, but was quickly called out.

"Mr Thompson, from here on out, until the end of your three and a half month training program you will be reporting to me as your senior officer. I'm here to teach you about military conduct and I will not tolerate any slacking, understood?"

"I understand."

"There are only two sentences in which you answer, YES SIR and NO SIR. Am I clear, cadet?"

"Yes, SIR."

"Good man. It is now sixteen-hundred. I will not pick you up every time. I expect you to report at the 22nd hangar bay at sixteen-o-five at the latest in the future. Now follow me, cadet." Redford spoke matter of factly, leaving no room for Theo to interject or refute. The military code was not to ask but to obey and Redford clearly lived by the code.

'Summit, can you look up the military code so I can study it later on, I have the feeling this is going to be the toughest lesson so far..'

'I have compiled a doc.u.ment on the military code as well as a list of military facts that might be able to impress Mr Redford.' Summit replied.

'Wow, initiative! Summit, you're improving! Just that I don't think that any military fact would put a smile on this mans' face. '

'Considering his behaviour so far I estimate there's a 4.31% chance that 2nd Lieutenant Redford will smile.'

Theodore chuckled, 4,31% chance was just asking for a beating.

'What an oddly specific number anyways. '

Theodore followed 2nd Lieutenant Redford all the way down to the 22nd hangar bay and found that they actually arrived sixteen-o-five exactly. This practically meant that Redford expected him to directly make his way to his lesson when prof. Wilkinson dismissed him.

'Would Redford have timed the walk?' a ridiculous thought passed Theodore's mind.

"This is a former military vessel, a 13600-A-Y space carrier. It is mainly used as a shuttle for transport key-personnel. It can transport approximately twenty-five people. These handy little spacecraft are a mainstay in many regiments as they can quickly and safely transport personnel between the various larger carriers and destroyers. They're vital in logistic and support. Today we have the luxury to use this ol' lady to transport us to delta 44." Redford introduces the transport vehicle in his characteristic pragmatic way of talking.

As they entered Redford continued to explain;

"Delta 44 is an area under your families supervision that is used to train your family's forces. As far as I'm aware your family has a rather small cadre working directly as elite forces and a substantial amount of detachments working for their transporting business. From what I've been able to evaluate from footage of battles involving your family's forces, the elites are above average in their abilities. The detachments that work for the transporting business have a rather high percentage of ex-military personnel, so their ability is guaranteed. However, their non-military combatant's performance is very lackl.u.s.tre. "

"Delta 44 houses the training of all your military detachments. Part of your training is to recognise all officers on duty that are currently stationed on delta 44. I also expect you to write an essay on all the regiments we will see in action during our lessons on delta 44. Observation is a mandatory military skill that needs constant honing."

"We will also be discussing military history. This consist of two parts, the early space-age and the following battle for dominance and our nations military history. Both are very important to know by heart if you ever aspire to join the military."

"Thirdly, we will be putting you in a virtual simulation game to drill you in mech piloting. Since virtual reality is only that much, we will also be stuffing you in a mech. Virtual reality simulation is a bit of a game. It cannot simulate a real neural connection or the real movements of a mech. It is, however, a great way to train you in handling stressful situation and getting a feel for piloting in general."

"You're expected to complete an obstacle course in a set interval. You'll be familiar with this as I presume Sergeant Kruys will have put you through something similar."

"Lastly, I will train you in command, leadership, fleet command and logistics. These topics more or less coincide with eachother. Without proper command, you cannot establish good leadership. Without a well oiled logistical plan, you cannot command a fleet."

"Commanding is about delegating, making the correct decisions and prioritising. It is a must for all officers. Leadership is a key characteristic you can train. It's about motivating subordinates, raising morale and effective communication. For officers in the rank and file of a mech regiment, leadership will be their key characteristic. Fleet commanders need both, but will generally excel in commanding."

"A fleet commander will always be responsible for the general plan and execution as well as decision making for the full scope of the fleets activity. A mech officer will implement the plans in the best way he sees fit. Regardless of where you serve, it is always important to know and report to the designated chain of command."

"Logistics determine how long and how active a regiment can be in combat. Without good support, a regiment will crumble. Mechs and sh.i.p.s need servicing, oil and exotics need to be well-stocked, the food needs to be prepared. Logistics are vital to any military operation. It is absolutely crucial to study logistics if you ever want to be successful, whether in the military or in a civil capacity."

"Lastly there is Fleet command. Fleet command is an extremely challenging subject. It requires you to excel in leadership and command as well as logistics. The ability of a fleet commander greatly impacts the strength of a regiment. They are vital to the operation of a military regiment and only the most brilliant and capable become a fleet commander. Usually, their rank would at the least be master sergeant. There are some who manage to become fleet commander as a lieutenant colonel. Colonel de Ruyter is living proof of this."

"The colonel, however, as we speak, is being promoted to rear admiral. He skips the commodore rank as he has served the nation with valour and has shown his competence. Currently, he is the fleet commander of Jeopardy, a small but elite detachment, but he will likely be transferred to a greater detachment after his promotion. I will naturally follow my mentor."

The second lieutenant continued to stress the importance of each subject as he introduced them.

He did not expect Theodore to actively participate nor did he want him to be.

He meticulously relayed pre-prepared information as he explained the basics and what Theodore was to expect of each of his subjects during the next three and a half months.

By the time the shuttle landed, twenty minutes of monologue had passed.

"Great we're here. Now follow me, cadet. Keep your eyes open! And try and not look like a kid in a candy store."

Incredible. That was the only word that rang through Theodores' mind as he embarked from the shuttle.

The massive area that was delta 44 was littered with buildings, aircrafts, shuttles, mechs' and various transportation vehicles. He was instantly enamoured with the grand scale of the various machinery and the imposing sight of all the menacing-looking mechs. Just the idea that each of these war-machines could potentially destroy a city in his former life blew Theodores' mind.

Even as Theodore could hear the audible sigh of second-lieutenant Redford, he couldn't help but geek out a bit. He really couldn't help being inspired by the state of science that this era had.

"Cadet, don't start drooling on me now. We're heading to that small trailblazer. It was designed for transport between ground bases during ground-warfare. It's an all-terrain vehicle that, though dated, is very capable of traversing in rugged terrain. It can only hold a platoon of twelve, but that's more than plenty of space for the two of us. "

"Today we will be spending the next ninety minutes observing a simulated battle between various detachments of your family forces. Next to tutoring them, your grandfather has asked me to evaluate them and possibly teach them a thing or two. We will be analysing their teamwork, command structure, and their individual abilities."

"This will also give you a good opportunity to learn about your family forces and give you material to write your essay on."

"You'll find that their respective commanders have a huge influence on their performance. Try and find their reasoning and judge by yourself whether their decisions are correct."

"The detachments will all be able to field a standard composition of a regiment in a varying landscape. The commanders are allowed to change the composition of their regiment after the environment is known. This will be their first strategic choice, which will definitely reflect their own preferences. They are allowed to choose mechs from your family catalogue, so they are familiar with their design. They have half an hour to accomplish their goal. The goal is to defend or conquering a strategic location on the map."

"By giving them this objective we're forcing them to clash. Normally, a commander would never choose for a forced clash. Being on the offensive with such limited time severely favours the defenders. Normally a commander would only engage when the odds are in his favour. Otherwise, he is more likely to disengage and await back up or try to starve the defenders by draining or targeting their supplies."

"We will see three battles in the ninety minutes that we're spectating today. One of the matches will see your family's elite cadre facing off against a regiment with many military veterans. It will be interesting to see what their approach to this problem will be. "

"Normally they would be able to leverage their superior equipment, now they will really have to depend on their abilities. They are bound to win, as their abilities, in general, are way higher. The question is what price they will have to pay. To me, losing half the cadre would be a loss. We'll see how their commander will engage this challenge."