Training Day (GALSAF)

*It was the third day. A day most of these recruits should call the day of reckoning. Their moment was on that planet. They would learn everything they needed, even the four of the clones that stood there together in formation. A small sense of unity. Battle would be different as well as keeping yourself alive. The squad lived in their clone armor issued to them from day one. A small change in outfit, weapon tech and goal which they fought for and nothing has changed them. They stayed the same, but their brotherhood would remain in an evolved state, continuing to evolve. They stood their with hands against their backs and heads pointed at the gunships. John had already noticed the one their battallion would use but frowned when he saw the gunships previously. He didn't like them one bit, not after his incident on Geonosis. Everyone who knew him or researched up his file on Kamino knew what happened. He never told anyone except his squad. Of course someone still spilled a black paint on his background. He intended for no one to know his past. Their commander might give her sob story and the truth to others, but he would never tell.*

*A sniper and an excellenct shot at that, Thomas knew all about refits, but he never received one so this was no different then his past missions. Crystaall would leave him on the ground with the clips on his belt and had him cover her and the other three. He never complained... but this was a new territory. He had more people to watch over, more to keep track of... more people that could easily lose their lives because of sudden impulse or the immidiate decision to longer keep walking. This was something he never paid heed to. Never had to watch it happen, but now it was forced. There had to be a few or just one who would be foolish enough to take off their helmets, one's who had bad memmory leaving a rifle in a forest and returning to their commander's wrath. He would never witness that wrath. His pride and honor would take over once he hit the ground with boots clanking against the turf. He would watch everything he could and he knew if anything, Max or himself would be the better out of the four. He would make no mistakes.*

*Rick chuckled at the words Ander spoke. He was going to pilot a gunship. He wouldn't be surprised by Max's possible fear. He was a gun-ho man at best and kept moving forward. Why John took him in during the war, he never knew, but he killed a lot of droids with his rifle. But piloting was not his strong suit, if anything he'd be in a laser cannon with Max flying, Thomas sniping out an open door and John watching for the LZ and picking out straggling soldiers with a pistol opposite of Thomas. But they were to do this to get in... to be a GALSAF commando. An average man fighting for the average person. He wished it was more of a glory thing but he understood John's reasons for getting them involved, and he didn't like it.*

This was the toughest part... standing here like a brick of many stacked together to form a symmetrical wall. It was a pain in his ass, he wasn't as good as the other three, but he was smart. A strategist, a medic and a mechanic. A jack of trades and master of one. He bested everyone in hand-to-hand combat. The piloting Ander spoke of was that of nothing but boring... and there was already a pilot. He bet he couldn't even touch the controls. The rest of the squad spoke of refits, but he never witnessed it during either war, surprised by how long they have lived. But he couldn't blame them for dragging him here. He would truly learn a soldier's point of view. This would be a great moment for him. And as they all stepped in the Larty, keeping close together, he smiled. They would suffer or strive. The latter would be the best outcome of this training.*

Abo Dreth. A Corporate Sector world. Sparsely habited, nitrogen-based atmosphere, flat terrain lined with silver rivers and lakes. The atmosphere required the majority of GALSAF's recruits to remain sealed within their armor for the duration of their stay, or else risk inhaling the poisonous air. The world was home to only a few widely dispersed settlements; Ander doubted anyone would even realize they were present on the planet.
He was standing behind Delmani Altic and his son, Calo Tagira, his trusted companions and fellow commanders. The pair had split the entire force into its four respective battalions, which would be named at some point during their training. Their LAAT gunships had landed on the surface of the world only an hour before, and now recruits were milling about, awaiting further orders. In advance of their arrival, Ander had designated a route for them to take across the planet's primary continent, which was several thousand kilometers long and wide. The oceans on Abo Dreth were small, but GALSAF's journey on the world would end at one of them, far to the West. Delmani was standing before the recruits in full armor and gear, his pack resting on the ground at his feet.

Alright, this is what's going to happen! He called, the vocoder in his helmet amplifying his voice for all to hear. We will be moving here soon. Our journey will take us from this location, two thousand kilometers West, to a coastline. Only once every recruit has reached the final destination will we pack up and leave this world. Leaders have been designated from amongst our existing staff to take command of each unit. They will be your guides. They will be your teachers. It is important that you listen to them if you want to live. It is absolutely vital, however, to listen to them if you want to succeed.
Delmani let the weight of his words hang in the air for a brief moment, before taking control of the HUD systems of every recruit on the ground. Their displays all began showing the same information, a large overview of the entire 2,000 kilometer landmass.
Our location, or insertion point, is that blue downward facing arrow dubbed "First I-B-C-T." Our route is displayed in that dotted green line. Our final destination, or extraction point, is that blue upward facing arrow. The dotted green line, our route line, has a series of bright red "X" marks along it. At each of those locations, we have set up a training ground. These training grounds will cover every single type of vehicle, weapon and tactic you will need to learn in order to leave this world with a full arsenal of knowledge and skills. Languages will be learned along the way, and specific locations have been set up to test you on that knowledge before allowing you to proceed. Each and every recruit must pass these training locations before their entire Company can move on.
Delmani paused for a moment, allowing the 3,000 recruits to get their bearings and review the information he had pointed out to them on their HUDs. He continued shortly after, outlining their training regimen. There will be no physical training in the usual sense. We will not stand about in a formation and stretch our groins or jump up and down in the air, or lift heavy rocks. We will get our physical training through our real training. By the time you have completed this maneuver, you will be in a physical condition well beyond what you are currently capable of,. This I promise you.
Delmani zoomed the HUD system of every recruit in on the first objective, which was roughly 50 kilometers away. Our first stop will be to this location here. Delmani highlighted the objective, replacing the "X" with a blue square symbol, marked "B." Note that Objective Able is not listed on this map. Objective Able, which covers the operation, maintenance and repair of our helmet and armor systems, we already conducted on the Basterd's Hand. We will continue to train in these areas along the way. Along the way to Objective Baker, we will learn to move as members of a fire team, and how to conduct our operations according to the Rules and Regulations of the GALSAF Charter. You will learn these things, and remember them.

Delmani gave the recruits another moment to catch up if they needed it, then reached for his gear pack and slung it over his back. The pack was light to Delmani, but filled to the brim with everything he would need to complete the mission on Abo Dreth. Literal decades of experience benefited his mind and body greatly. The rest of the recruits were likewise equipped, though not all of them ready to carry such a heavy load. Delmani had no worries though; eventually they would all either succeed or fail.
The old Clone Wars veteran hefted his rifle in one hand, clipping it to the left shoulder plate of his armor, then stepped into place in front of 2nd Battalion's recruits. He opened a closed channel with both Tagira's, elder and younger. We're ready to go. Who've you got covering First Battalion? Ander's reply came in immediately. I've got Marsburq on it. Delmani nodded his approval. Aachen Marsburq had served with the Empire for over a decade before defecting to the New Republic at the onset of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Tagira had recruited him to Yavin IV some years later, to help lead the Yavin 4 Defense Forces. The man was brilliant, as only the best leaders were. Delmani turned on his booted heel and spoke directly to his Battalion as Ander, Calo, and Aachen stepped before their respective units.

Ander stood before 4th Battalion, his gear back settled on his back and his weapon clipped to his shoulder. His sidearm was holstered at his hip and his lightsaber, untouched for months, remained tucked away at the small of his back, just below the rear plate of his beskar'gam. He watched Aachen Marsburq signal for 1st Battalion to follow him, marching away into the distance as they began their 50 kilometer trek to their first objective, where their recruits would learn how to move as a team on many different levels. Once they reached Objective Baker, they would be tested in their knowledge, and then begin their weapons training. Ander waited silently as 2nd Battalion also stepped off, and 3rd Battalion after them. The minutes turned into an hour as he allowed the rest of the force to get a good amount of distance ahead them. Each Battalion now had at least 5 kilometers between them, minimal spacing for such a large maneuvering element.
As he watched 3rd Battalion fade away into the distance, Ander held a gauntleted hand up in the air, his fist closed. After a moment, he waved it forward, signaling for 4th Battalion's recruits to follow him. Now he activated 4th Battalion's open-channel communications frequency, so that he could speak to all of the recruits as they marched. With every step he offered knowledge and insight, teaching his recruits how to become commandos even as they literally stepped into the role.

There are many different sizes of what we call "elements." An element is a section of a unit, whether it is an individual commando, a squad, a platoon, company, or in this case, battalion. Ander explained, turning to face his soldiers as they marched. He walked backwards for quite some time, using the 360º HUD system to watch his backside.
The most basic element we have is the team. A team consists of three commandos. A machine gunner, an ordnance commando, and a rifle commando. A squad consists of two teams, plus a Squad Leader. When you decide how to move as a team, look at the terrain, the situation you're in, the likelihood that you'll run into hostiles, and so on. There are many different ways to move. We can move as a Point Formation, Diamond Formation, File Formation, or a Line Formation. The goal of a formation is to balance fire power with maneuverability. If you place all your fire power on one end of a formation, you won't be able to react to fire coming from the other side. It also makes it difficult to maneuver through certain areas, if you are not employing the right formation style.

Ander began pointing out recruits to join him as the unit continued forward. He grabbed Dominik Malsk, Zimmy, and @kaytra, signaling for them to march alongside him. He pointed them each out to the rest of the battalion, who could see him through the off-set displays of their HUDs. Dominik will serve as the machine gunner. Zimmy, the ordnance commando. Kaytra will be the rifle commando. Ander began to arrange the three recruits into an arrow-head formation, placing Kaytra at the front, and the other two behind her, slightly spread out.
This formation helps you cut through reasonable terrain, like forests and plains. Our machine gunner, Dominik, can focus his attention on the left and rear of the formation, Zimmy the right and rear, and Kaytra can maintain her focus forward of the group as well as slightly left and right. All around security, is the goal folks. Ander added, gesturing with his arms to encompass the area around him. You want a gun pointed in every direction, so you can spot and kill the enemy before they spot and kill you.
Ander waved the three recruits off, returning them to their locations within the Battalion. As they continued forward, Ander outlined the other formation types, their advantages and disadvantages, and the types of situations they were typically used for.
File formations are terrible for anything other than dense forests, mountains, and tightly packed urban locations. He explained, pulling another three recruits from the formation, two of them being Max and Rick. He oriented the three soldiers alongside the battalion of recruits, in a single-file line. This formation is weak in defense because it does not allow the group to maintain a full view of the area around them. We have our men all in a line, and that means the enemy doesn't have to shoot as long to kill them all.
The battalion continued forward at a decent pace while Ander explained and demonstrated the various formations, adding to the wealth of information the recruits had already absorbed. These formations also apply to larger elements, like platoons, companies and entire battalions. All we have to do is imagine that each individual soldier in these formation types represents a larger unit. Instead of sticking one commando in the front of the Point Formation, we use an entire platoon, or company.

Ander demonstrated this by slowing their pace enough to organize the entire battalion into their respective companies. Jig, King and Love Companies were now marching alongside one another, with King Company taking point, and Jig and Love Companies somewhat behind and spread out, forming an arrow-head with the entire battalion. Ander trotted ahead of the large formation so the recruits could see him. He opened his arms, gesturing to the unit as a whole. Makes sense, doesn't it? Now we're using what's called the Company Point Battalion Formation. It's a Battalion Formation, with a Point made of each Company. He clapped his hands together, then spent several moments reorganizing the unit once more, so that Jig Company marched first, with King and Love Companies each behind Jig in a line.
This would be a Company File Battalion Formation. For the time being, Ander left the unit in that method of organization, marching forward and back of three companies as he further explained. Even inside a Battalion formation, we can have Companies produce their own arrangements. As I mentioned before, it all depends on the mission you have to conduct, the enemy you are facing, the terrain you are operating in, the troops you have at your disposal, the time constraints you may have working against you, and any non-combatants you might have to worry about. All these factors affect how we operate in the moment. They're all important, though some more so than others depending on the situation.

Ander continued speaking and demonstrating, linking his HUD system with the helmets of the entire battalion to show them outlines of the formations, how they are organized and employed, as well as a variety of other things regarding how GALSAF Commandos were expected to conduct themselves during myriad different mission profiles. He went over reacting to hard contact, approaching an enemy-held objective, clearing urban areas, and setting up cordons with vehicles around an objective. These are all things we are going to cover here on Abo Dreth, and will continue to train in during our missions to other worlds. This is but a taste of the training we are going to force on ourselves, on each other. Continue practicing these formations amongst yourselves. Start on the team level, three recruits at a time. Keep marching as you do so, you need to learn how to shift between these formations with ease. We'll rarely be able to stop a maneuver just so we can stuff our panties back into our pants. Once you're comfortable with the team level, get together with another team and work as a squad. Then get three other squads and work as a platoon. After that, get all four platoons together and work as a company.

Ander made his way quickly to the front of the formation, so that all could see him. I refuse to give you leaders. I have already given you the knowledge you need. Now embrace it. Work together, learn what works best for you based on what I've taught you thus far. These skills will save your life some day, and more importantly, they'll save the lives of countless innocent people throughout the Galaxy. Become the best of the best. Become chiefs, all. Because with GALSAF, there are no followers!

*This had to be expected. They land, and they weren't given even a single break from either lectures or marching forward to the objectives on their helmet's HUD. He didn't wish to speak out so he just listened and assumed his position with Zimmy and Tatham, away from the others. He assumed his position and did as he was told. He noticed that everyone watched the three of them until they were put back into formation to watch another three. They were put in a straight line. It was a good example for a bad strategy. He continued to listen but he could only focus on bits and pieces, but he tinkered with his helmet earlier to allow it to take Audio recordings constantly, so if he missed anything, he could play it back. He noticed Kaytra having trouble, but he knew he couldn't fix that problem. He'd never worked with cybernetics having problems with regular equipment. He hoped someone could fix it for her.*

Max: -Whether he was a pirate or not, he sounds like a wise man.-

*Max remained silent after those words and watched as most people switched to meet new people and assume a different position of the three man formation on occassion. He noticed that his 'brother's tried their best to stick near one another as he remained with Kaytra. It was probably best for him to stick with someone, lean who they were as a person and move on, but something told him he shouldn't just learn who she was and leave for another.*