Robot Jazz

  [The following is another short fiction inspired by a session with one of my favorite 'Cold War gone hot' wargames, this time WARNO.  I'm sorry: I just have too much fun with these games not to memorialize the session! As ever, don't expect any of these World War III chronicles to tie together in any sort of sensible way. I am not writing a novel. I just look at the battle's events and try to come up with a backstory.] East German Border Incident  GDR claims West Germany launched a cross-border night raid West Germany denies the accusation Many casualties reported [EuroNewz] Today, the government of the German Democratic Republic accused its neighbor, the Federal Republic of Germany, of engaging in cross-border hostilities. The incident allegedly occurred overnight in the sparsely-populated Zhornhorst region. "We are outraged by the unprovoked hostilities of the criminals in Bonn," said Jens Wirtz, spokesman for East Berlin's Ministry for Foreign Aff...

  In this city so proud Full of noises and crowds This once was a monument Now, it's a grave And they warned us about When reason gave out Now, it's too late for miracles There's nothing to save Armageddon Armageddon It came too soon - “Armageddon” by Planet P Project (1983) Private Lance Nigels starred intently at that “Woodland” camouflage pattern on the BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) trousers on the soldier seated beside him inside the M113 APC.  Black swirling to brown swirling to green swirling back to black again, round and round, he thought.  You can’t escape the black. Nothing can escape the black.   The M113’s Detroit V6 two-stroke diesel engine suddenly roared, as if in warning, and the entire vehicle lurched to a halt, causing the soldiers inside to bump into each other as they sat side by side on the twin benches that lined the interior of the aluminum hull.   The vehicle commander, perched on his elevated seat for better visibility from outside th...