19 June 2034, 19.30 WIB, FOB Merdeka, Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, Banten

Cpl. William

Upon being relieved by a Brimob police company with the area deemed safe enough for the military to pull out, we're back in Rangkasbitung and to the expectation of some, we're given a time off here inside the wire. 

That night, pleasant tunes of guitars and violins fills the air in the common recreation room - if explosions from rebel drones that were shot down were not counted or cracks from the guards on duty - Ranks were diluted as troopers, Indonesians and foreign volunteers alike chattered with each other and shared their exploits. 

Noses were assaulted by smell of various types of cigarettes - including from the Sergeant himself. Outside it was rainy, but warmth was something this room provided to us. Just us, ordinary guys and girls but in uniform, in company of each other.

Especially for Agnes, it was a much needed relief from what we have seen so far, or what our foreign volunteers described about situations back in Europe for example. The verdict? We barely held ourselves against the temptation of their barbarism.

"Corporal, want some? This is what we can give in return of your hospitality." One of the Indian volunteers offered something to drink, turned out to be a milk tea from his own land - Cautious as we all been trained to, I looked at the darker skinned man before taking his offer. Agnes accepted it too, and having nothing better to do, we better get on with the flow.

In between tea-sipping, a question went out from her mouth. "Do you know why we're still here in one piece?"

"Easy" I answered. "We all believe in a Maker" 

"My father said this when I decided to enlist... Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for The Lord is with me... He told me that I must hold on with this."

"Sounds like what Reverend Sujanto will say." I chuckled, referring to our campus chaplain.

The next day, June 20th.

We're back to a routine wake up call at half-past five and sharing the same bath; with obvious separations. Austere, but what do you expect from a war? Even with that situation, we managed to clean ourselves up with strong soap and other hygiene things, some provided, some were personally bought by the soldiers before enlisting.

Afterwise, common breakfast. I owe those combat service support people in the rear who provide us with all of these foods. If hungry, anything will be delicious with regular truck-borne supplies and occasionally, air-drops, citing a need for Air Force folks to exercise their skill in that. 

As usual, during the breakfast, the fort tuned it's TV to the morning news.

"...and that's how you can optimize the growth of your vegetables.." said a reporter finishing a report about a victory garden in Yogyakarta.

"...A fairly successful sabotage attack by the NII in Martapura, South Kalimantan caused a temporary power outage in the city and 15 police and armed citizen killed and 10 more wounded. The rebels lost 35 men in the process and four more detonated themselves, killed 2 civilians in two separate places, both pitchmen (pedagang keliling)..."

"...Representatives from Arab League states meet in Amman, Jordan in another round of peace talks with the fighting factions in its member states. This is the third time since the collapse of the UN-brokered Baku Protocol in 2032..."

"...The NASA Orion SLS-10, a manned mission to Phobos and Deimos, moons of Mars, had been launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying 6 crewmembers, 3 Americans, 1 Russian, 1 Japanese, and 1 Indonesian, Sean Budiman..." 

When the word "Indonesia" mentioned soldiers in the base burst into a joyful celebratory mood. "Yeah!" "Way to go, Sean! 

 "Indonesia! Indonesia! Indonesia!" shouted several soldiers. Later the base commander decided to come to the hall and gave us an impromptu address. 

"You people can and should be proud of our achievement, our country managed to finally put our first astronaut in space since Dr. Pratiwi failed to achieve her dreams back in '86, but please, continue your breakfast and behave yourself. Because the rebels were still lurking out there. Over and out, Merdeka!"

At 06.30 we geared up; the IFS systems had been fully charged. 

Another preventive patrol duty today. 

In the final briefing, it revealed that another reason our battalion was withdrawn from that village is due to intelligence and citizen reports uncovered a planned old-style attack by the NII against critical utility infrastructures (electricity, piped water, telecommunication, and sewers) after our techies behind our lines failed their hacking attempt, and documents seized from Pabuaran village confirmed that attack plan. 

The sabotage also planned to have a follow-up attack, especially by suicide bombers. 

"I have to tell you this" said the sergeant in the sudden. "Remember, never comply to any unlawful order."

Our objective was to guard the city's water treatment plant in Kuncoro Jakti road, near the bank of the Cisadane River. The river was not unguarded either - someone had supplied us unmanned boats with machine guns and grenade launchers for this purpose, and our high command somehow went hush-hush on that.

Well, not our place to know... I sighed.

Soon, at 0920 hours our drone operator called "All forces, be advised we have suspicious movements near the woods up north, 2 klicks"

One unmanned boat passed us, and beyond the horizon, it's miniguns went to live.

"This is Kerapu 1-2, we're engaging bandits in the bank of the river near At-Taqwa Mosque," reported a eerily cold voice from the boat operator. It means the enemy had approached the houses near the plant. 

The Lieutenant then ordered all squad to respond to another report that armed self-defense locals have engaged the terrorists. 

Lead by a War-2 ground combat drone drawing fire from the unseen enemy - even in many cases from our unmanned air companions - the settlement area was already in flames. 

Every fiber was chock full of adrenaline with the fact that those terrorists are not above shooting unarmed people trying to save their properties! 

Machine guns were set and network connections were reinforced - to the point that in a push of a button, we can call armor assets to support us, or a quick reaction reinforcements. Janice, meanwhile, had taken a position on a top of a tree across the paddy field and his fire had silenced part of the enemy's gunfire.

"They will be grateful on us..." I mumbled, as my SS2 went to life once more, raking on at rebels who tried to crawl sideways ready to attack our flanks.

"I can saw hostile crawled towards us try to hide, but they are in range, engaging," I said unlocked my SS2 safety and start firing at the enemy well hidden in the field. 

With the arrival of reinforcements - a company worth of Jayakarta Div. regulars, we were allowed to head back to the water treatment plant, only to found the rest of our company being engaged.

"Fire in the hole!" Rudi said firing his grenade launcher towards one non-descript house near the plant where a group of NII rebels tried to set up a machine gun. It landed straight and true. "Yeah, how's that, monkeys?" he taunted.

"One less bad guy," said Agnes as one NII fighter with suicide vest was dispatched with a single headshot, while Handy terminated the trailing wannabe martyrs. 

"What.a.waste" mumbled Fujita as the all-foreign fireteam took their turn in opening fire while some of us were reloading. "Some of them could be anything but murderers."

"Clear the backblast!" Abe decided that it's time to use his RPG when the fast moving hums indicate the soon to be arrived technicals of theirs. 

"Where are the ground drones?"

"Bad news" the lieutenant answered. "Those bastards shut it down... it can be much worse..." 

"Give it to me" said Handy, giving his machine gun to Wang who accepted it. One of our recon drone was quickly inspected just as a multiple boom indicated the destruction of enemy vehicles.

30 minutes elapsed and the enemy seems to be losing. "Target is eliminated," said Abe gleefully after dispatched two rebel fighter with his FN F2000. 

"Man down!" said Sidik. Handy's MG went silent. 

"Handy!" I shouted. He laid down there in his firing position in the window of an abandoned house, his left leg was bloodied and unable to support his weight. 

"Don't worry, he'll make it," Sidik said tending Handy's wound. I was relieved. And so I covered them both with my rifle and resumed the engagement, until the cavalry arrived in Macan Kumbang IFVs to help drive out the infiltrators, with three of them continued further north after discharging fire from it's coaxial MG and autocannons. Handy was soon evacuated by the Red Cross safely. 

"2nd squad, regroup on me near the smoke flare!" said Stephen. The 2nd squad soon regrouped near the smoke flare and begin searching every house and patrolling the street with the help of Brimob and Marines. Sporadic gunfire is still there, however, and then from the trees beside me in front of a school, unknown to me, a young NII fighter burst out from his cover and managed to fire two shot at me with his M4 rifle before being killed by a marine.

But that rebel nailed it, a sharp pain shot out of my body, and I can hear Agnes shouted "William!" as my world went black...

A/N: 

(1) Small unit riverine craft; a rigid-hulled and armored patrol boat for riverine and inland waterways usage.