Fortress Alpha. World Alpha.
From the 1,000 Generation III Phasewalkers marching across the Portal to the 1st Phasewalker Battalion being redrawn to new hardware being deployed, the entire process of transformation took over two weeks.
The 1st Phasewalker Battalion was upgraded to the 1st Phasewalker Regiment. Regiment Commander Colonel Caity Hunter. Regiment Commissar Ryan Carlson.
The entire Regiment contained less than 1,800 Phasewalkers. 1,000 Generation III. 500 Generation II. The rest were Generation I veterans.
The Battalion Security Platoon became the Regiment Security Platoon. It now contained 70 Security Troopers. The commanders were the same, with Ryan being the commanding officer and Charlotte Williams being the Platoon Commissar.
The 1st Armored Company became the 1st Armored Battalion. With 400 Armored Troopers, it was commanded by Major Jack Nelson. It was armed with 6 Predator II tanks, each of which could hold 30 Armored Troopers inside. The Predator IIs were supplemented by made-on-Earth M2A1 battle tanks.
The 2nd Airborne Company became the 2nd Airborne Battalion. It now held 400 Airborne Troopers. It got a slice of the Fort Sentinel cake as well. A type of new flyer was added into its ranks. The Arbiter X, a type of low-altitude support craft with turbo engines. But for now, since no one could pilot the Arbiter X, the 2nd Battalion had to stick to their attack choppers. Major Blyfield wasn't quite satisfied with that.
The 3rd Artillery Battalion, with 300 Artillery Troopers, was the only one that didn't get anything special from Fort Sentinel. For some reason, artillery didn't seem to be such a major part in the UEC military. The commander of the 3rd Battalion was Major Olsen.
The 4th and 5th Motorized Battalion each held 300 Assault Troopers. They received a large count of Leopard Armored Personnel Carriers. These vehicles could carry 30 troopers each, but if anyone thought they were just transports, they would be painfully mistaken. These APCs were equipped with a main cannon and double Gauss machine gun turrets. This was more than the firepower of a M2A1 main battle tank.
The commanders of the two Battalions were Major Lilywhite and Major Fox.
At this point, it has become painfully obvious that the whole individual-major thing wasn't quite working out, so there have been some modifications. Instead of assigning the Phasewalkers to different majors, each Phasewalker became a specialized trooper of a certain category.
Security Troopers. Security Troopers could be recognized by the bright red markings on their shoulders. They were the best of the best, whether in terms of attacking, defending, or just carrying out day to day orders. They usually acted as an extension to the Commander's or the Commissar's will throughout the unit. Many of them were chosen from elite Special Forces major Phasewalkers. They were armed with Guardian IV Armors and Defender Gauss Rifles.
Armored Troopers. Armored Troopers were the hammer of the Phasewalkers, designed to attack an entrenched position with the support of armor. They carried the standard Defender Gauss Rifles and wore Guardian IV, but they also brought a large number of grenades and mortars. Due to their designation on the battlefield, Section X ripped a few Archon I Power Armors from the grasp of their scientists and gave them to the Phasewalker Corps.
After seeing the Archon I Armors on the training field, Caity decided it was worth pissing off the scientists to get those armors.
Armored Troopers could be identified with their grey shoulder markings.
Airborne Troopers. With their sky blue arm markings, Airborne troopers specialized in using aircraft in combat. It could mean anything from using attack choppers to mow down enemies from the sky to getting deployed to the battlefield via aircraft. Due to their very nature, they were created with the expectation of using hit and run tactics against numerous enemies with little support.
Artillery Troopers. These Phasewalkers with orange markings were focused on using artillery weapons to lay down death and destruction on the opponents of the Phasewalker Corps. They carried some firearms, but most of them were conventional weapons. If the artillery unit had to go into firefights, then things have gone terribly wrong.
Finally, Assault Troopers. Assault Troopers had green markings. They were the general-purpose troopers in the regiment. They weren't as elite as Security Troopers, as mobile and efficient as Airborne Troopers, as academically talented as Artillery Troopers, or as determined as Armored Troopers, but they were still willing to use their Defender Rifles to teach a lesson to those that undermined them.
The new designations looked cool and all and the brand new weapons from Fort Sentinel was a huge boost to the Phasewalker firepower, but the fact was that out of the 1,800 Phasewalkers, less than 300 had been in combat. All the Generation IIs and Generation IIIs were no better than ordinary recruits.
The Phasewalkers needed time, but time was hardly on their side.
---
Three Lav-25s moved along a scouting path near the perimeter of Fortress Alpha. Despite the initial slaughter, there would always be Mutant Animals wandering into the proximity of the fortress and posing a threat. Thus, Caity ordered the four Battalions in the newly formed Regiment, excluding the 3rd Artillery Battalion, to deploy scouting parties and locate and exterminate such threats.
It was also a precious opportunity to give the Generation IIs and Generation IIIs some battle experience before whatever major move the Phasewalker Corps would make in the near future.
In one of the Lav-25s, Lieutenant Alex was sitting with her legs crossed. Actually, it was Captain Alex. After the Battalion-to-Regiment expansion, most of the Generation I Phasewalkers were promoted to lead their less experienced brothers and sisters in arms.
But the promotion didn't make Alex smile. If anything, she seemed annoyed.
What were the higher-ups thinking? The addition of 500 Generation IIs already lowered the combat ability of the Phasewalker Corps by a significant level, and now 1,000 Generation IIIs?
The 42nd Company Alex commanded included 60 Phasewalkers, but only 4 of them were Generation Is. The rest haven't seen a Mutant in real-life, and haven't even killed anything or anyone. In the event of a firefight, they would break faster than a camouflage uniform in front of a Defender-I Gauss Rifle.
Speaking of Gauss Rifles, Alex looked down at the Defender-I resting on her laps.
Between guns on Earth, there were handguns, rifles, machine-guns, sub-machine guns, sniper rifles, and a hundred more variations. Likewise, there were differences among Gauss Rifles as well, from the general-purpose Defender-Is to the heavier, more powerful Defender-IIs that were practically machine guns to the Defender-IIIs given to snipers.
The weapon Alex was holding, and the one given to most of the 4th and 5th Assault Battalions, was a Defender-I. The Defender-IIs and Defender-IIIs were mostly given to the Security Troopers, Armored Troopers, and Airborne Troopers.
Honestly, the Captain of the 42nd Company didn't mind this much. Yes, having better weapons and tougher armors meant a better chance of surviving, but those with the best weapons were expected to do the most. In the case of danger, the Armored Troopers and the Airborne Troopers would probably be the first line of defense against potential threats.
Alex was a decent Phasewalker, but she wasn't as loyal as the Security Troopers, Armored Troopers, or Airborne Troopers. Those troopers were completely brainwashed by the Commissars and the so-called cause. They wouldn't hesitate to die a thousand deaths for the greater good. That was how they were chosen in the first place. As for Alex, she would fight for Earth, but if the situation really got too deadly, she couldn't promise to hold her ground until the end.
She wasn't qualified for a position in those factions. However, as Alex's gaze landed on a trooper beside her and her grim look turned soft, she suddenly realized someone else might.
"These armors are really...restricting," Chelsea complained as she twitched in her seat. She was talking about the Guardian-IV armor. The Guardian-IV was definitely a life-saver, but its designer wasn't really intending the wearers to be comfortable. Especially, for the more well-endowed women, things could be a little painful…
Alex smiled softly. Suddenly, the Lav-25 came to a screeching stop.
"Captain, we've got a convoy in front! Three SUVs! Unidentified!"
"Follow the protocol!" The soft look on Alex's face disappeared, and she was immediately turned back to the experienced Phasewalker captain she was. She turned to the others in the vehicle, pausing slightly on the medic. "Get ready!"
All the Phasewalkers put their helmets back on, making sure to lower the bulletproof glass face shields. After that was done, they reached for and readied their Defender-I rifles.
Their green shoulder markings shined under the lighting inside the Lav-25.
For a moment, all the Phasewalkers looked identical.
Alex could hear Chelsea breathing heavily beside her. Anyone else would be expecting it to be the sound of fear, but Alex quickly recognized it. It wasn't of fear. It was that of excitement. How did she know? That was the sound Chelsea made while the two were in bed together. Chelsea's cheeks were bright red just before she put her helmet on.
The door of the Lav-25 was suddenly brought open, and the Phasewalkers poured out of all three vehicles. Weapons in hand, they had their faces covered by the dark face shields, along with their fear and their anxiety.
How they would do on the field of battle was another matter, but for now, they looked really like quite a force to be reckoned with.
Each Lav-25 could fit 12 troopers, with 3 being in the pilot seats. In the face of combat, the three vehicles got into combat status with all their guns armed and ready. The 9 troopers in the back, 27 in total, fanned out around the Lav-25s, half surrounding the 3 SUVs.
Finally, Alex raised her voice.
"Unknown vehicles! You are trespassing on the property of Fortress Alpha! Identify yourselves!"
Across the past weeks, there have been patrol squads that spotted local human refugees. Sometimes these were humans who were banished by their settlements. They did serve some purpose for the Phasewalkers, including providing them with some information on the surroundings, but it was obvious a party of three SUVs wasn't just some random refugee seeking shelter.
The door to one of the SUVs opened up, and a man walked out.
"My name is Aryan. I am from Camp York. I have urgent business to discuss with your leader."
---
"Thank you, Captain. I will take it from here. You may proceed with your patrol mission."
Cara Mason said quietly.
A Generation III Phasewalker, Cara gained some distinction among her for the strength and loyalty she demonstrated. In a sense, she was like Caity and Ryan, except she was a bit late to the party.
Nonetheless, her performance as a recruit caught the attention of Colonel Hunter, who happened to be lacking an assistant. After a brief interview, Cara became Caity's new secretary.
After Alex called in the news of the visitors, Cara was sent to bring the Camp York Tier 2 Mutant to Caity.
Cara came with one SUV, escorted by two more Lav-25s and a whole squad of Security Troopers. Proudly bearing the bright red markings, the Security Troopers radiated confidence. Indeed, they had the right to do that.
"Mr. Aryan. Please follow me." Cara pointed at the SUV she came here in and invited. "Colonel Hunter is waiting for you."
Aryan glanced at Cara before nodding and changing his vehicle. He wasn't as arrogant as the late Jacob, but he was fairly confident he wouldn't fall victim to a few dozen ordinary human soldiers. He got onto the passenger seat and Cara went into the driver's seat. The convoy went into action again with Cara's SUV leading, the three York SUVs following it, and the two Lav-25s full of Security Troopers at the end.
As Cara drove, Aryan quietly observed the surroundings. First of all, these soldiers looked completely different from when he last came. Their green camouflage uniforms were replaced by black UEC Guardian IV armors. Defender Gauss weapons replaced the automatic firearms they once had. And Aryan didn't need to be omniscient to realize there were a lot more soldiers here than before.
Fortress Alpha was growing. Improving. Caity Hunter wasn't lying when she said her faction was expanding in terms of power.
Suddenly, the Tier 1 Mutant saw Cara pressing a key on a mounted radio.
"Fortress Alpha Central Command. This is Lieutenant Mason. I am traveling across position 3A with six friendly vehicles."
"Copy that."
Ah...Aryan was even more impressed. Fortress Alpha must have had some sort of surveillance across this area. If anyone tried to move across this area to Fortress Alpha without reporting in, they would no doubt be bombarded by either artillery or some other deadly defense mechanism.
He wasn't wrong. In the event of an invasion, whether it was by Mutated Animals or by other human factions, the 3rd Artillery Battalion would rain down fire and fury on any invaders within five minutes. Even aside from the artillery...mines were deadly weapons and Caity got thousands of them from Section X. These mines were programmed to remain dormant, but if the situation called for, one command from the Fortress Alpha Central Command could reactivate them and turn this entire place into a minefield.
The convoy kept on moving, and finally, after coming across multiple other scouting parties, it arrived at Fortress Alpha.