A Chink in the Armour

by Roi R. Czechvala
July 30th, 2010

Author : Roi R. Czechvala, Staff Writer

“Don’t show it, please don’t show it, for the love of all that is holy, please don’t show it.”

“Gentlemen, as you can see from the footage, the XA – 4 reactive armour system is effective against all small arms ballistic ammunition as well as low wattage phased plasma weapons.”

“Pleasedontshowitpleasedontshowitpleasedontshowitpleasedo…”

“… and this gentlemen, best exemplifies one of the smallest, yet one of the most devastating bugs in the new reactive armour system.”

“OH GAWD, PLEASE DON‘T SHOW IT!!!”

“As you have seen, the armour becomes rigid when struck by ballistic ammunition. The problem being that the entire suit becomes rigid as opposed to just the area of impact, thus immobilizing the soldier for up to 45 seconds after impact. This was not a problem under combat situations in which the individual could be pulled to safety by his squad and the armour relaxed. Indeed, it had not really been noticed and had not been considered a problem but rather a minor inconvenience. The footage you are now about to see was taken from a scout camera drone of one of our soldiers taking part in the study on solo patrol in a “safe” zone.”

The holovid image switched to that of an up armoured soldier taken from approximately fifteen feet above. He carried his M-68 varical smart weapon low, but at the ready. He was making his way down a rubble strewn street, when something caught his attention. Out of range of the camera a loud yelp could plainly be heard. The soldier spun and raised his weapon. He quickly dropped it and walked in the direction of the disturbance.

The drone’s camera followed him and soon a group of children came into view. They appeared to range in age from eight to fifteen. He spoke with them, when one gave him a sharp kick in the shin. Instantly the armour became rigid and he toppled over.

The street urchins were surprised for a moment, but only for a moment. Having known nothing but war and hardship their entire lives, they quickly stripped the soldier of everything they could, the fifteen year old snatched up the rifle.

The armour soon gave up its grip and the soldier began to rise. The child with the rifle delivered a butt stroke to the head and the soldier went down again. Though lacking a traditional education, the kids were smart. They quickly put two and two together and began a barrage of blows and kicks on the downed man in an effort to keep him paralyzed.

The oldest unzipped his fly and began to urinate on the soldiers face. Soon the others were drenching the prostrate fighting man in urine, laughing merrily all the while. The holovid ended just as the oldest pulled his pants all the way down, bared his grimy ass, and began to squat over the soldiers head.

Somewhere in the back of the room, amidst muffled titters and outright guffaws, could be heard the low, quiet words, “Kill me now, Lord.”

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