The Assault

END NOTE



THERE ARE VARYING ACCOUNTS OF MANY OF THE EVENTS on the Uluru mission. But the key facts are not in question, only some of the finer details.

For example, some historians have claimed that Lieutenant Ryan Chisnall did not fall into the watercourse down the side of Uluru, but rather jumped into it willingly, knowing that it would end up in the rock pool at Mutitjulu. The most reliable account of this particular event, however, comes from Captain Trianne Price, ACOG, Recon Team Angel (Ret.). She states that, in her opinion, Chisnall simply slipped, and that if it was a planned move, he would have said something to the others first.

Price was awarded the Victoria Cross (by the New Zealand government) and the Bzadian War Medal (by the New Earth Council) for her courage in laying the explosives on the monorail track in the face of the approaching car.

There are also varying stories about the role of Specialist Janos Panyoczki (Monster). Historian Hayden Glanville, in his study of the Uluru mission, came to the conclusion that Monster was there to keep an eye on Chisnall. Not even the team commander was above suspicion. Panyoczki, still on active duty, is now a general in the Hungarian Free Army. He has never consented to any interviews about his service during the Bzadian War, so it is unlikely that these questions will ever be answered.

At his parents’ request, the grave of Specialist Stephen Huntington was located after the end of the war, although no remains were found.

Specialist Blake Wilton continued to serve with both the Angel and Demon Recon teams, before he grew too tall for undercover missions and transferred to the Canadian Land Force Command. He served with honor and distinction, earning the Medal of Military Valour and two Sacrifice Medals before losing his life heroically in the Battle of Bering Strait during the Second Great Ice War.

Staff Sergeant Holly Brogan received a pardon from the New Earth Council after agreeing to assist in locating other Uluru children who had already infiltrated human society. She passed on extensive inside knowledge of the Bzadian military, which helped bring about a turning point in the war. She is now considered a national hero of Australia.

Lieutenant Ryan Chisnall returned to alien-occupied territory with other members of Recon Team Angel less than six months later, as part of Operation Magnum. They got out. He did not. An emergency signal was picked up by satellite, but an extraction team found no trace of Chisnall. Official reports list him as missing, presumed killed, in action.

His luck, it seems, had finally run out.



GLOSSARY

Everything about the Allied Combined Operations Group (ACOG) was a mishmash of different human cultures: tactics, weapons, languages, vehicles, and especially terminology. The success of many missions depended on troops from diverse nations being able to understand all communications instantly and thoroughly. The establishment of a Standardized Military Terminology and Phonetic Alphabet (SMTPA) was a key factor in assisting this communication, combining existing terminology from many of the countries involved in ACOG. For ease of understanding, here is a short glossary of some of the SMTPA terms, phonetic shortcuts, and equipment used in this book.

Air mobile: airborne vehicle

Bogie: enemy aircraft

Cal: caliber (of weapon)

Chaff: metallic strips dropped in a cloud to confuse enemy radar

Claymore mine: directional antipersonnel mine

Clear copy: “Your transmission is clear.”

Coil-gun: weapon using magnetic coils to propel a projectile

Comm: personal radio communicator

EV (Echo Victor): exit vehicle

FACC-E: free-fall air-cushioned container—equipment

Fast mover: fixed-wing aircraft such as a jet fighter

Foot mobile: person walking

GPS: global positioning system

Ground mobile: land-based vehicle, such as a car or truck

HAFLP-P (Half-pipe): high-altitude free-fall landing pad—personnel

HMDS: helmet-mounted display system

How copy: “Is my transmission clear?”

Klick: kilometer

LAV: light armored vehicle

LT: lieutenant

Mike: minute

NV goggles: night-vision goggles

Oscar Kilo: okay

Oscar Mike: on the move

PFC: private first class

Puke: military slang for a Bzadian

Rotorcraft: helicopter with internal rotor blades at the base of the craft

RV: rendezvous point

SAM: surface-to-air missile

Sit rep: situation report

Slow mover: rotary-wing aircraft such as a helicopter or rotorcraft

Spec: specialist

Sys-check: systems check

Sys-OK: systems check completed okay

Tab: hike or walk

Three, six, etc.: direction given as per a clock face


NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION

There is no equivalent in English for the buzzing sound that is a common feature of most Bzadian languages. As per convention, this sound is represented, where required, with the letter z.


NOTE ON BZADIAN ARMY RANKS

The ranking system and unit structure of the Bzadian Army are markedly different from those of most Earth forces. Many ranks have no equivalent in human terms, and the organization of units is different. For simplicity and ease of understanding, the closest human rank has been used when referring to Bzadian Army ranks, and Bzadian unit names have been expressed in human terms.