Page 22 of The Broken Dawn

"For today's tactical exercise," Christian announced, "we'll be conducting a defensive position assessment. Each fire team will have one hour to fortify their assigned position. Then Teams Beta and Delta will attempt to overrun Alpha and Gamma's defenses." He smiled thinly. "The objective is to hold your position for thirty minutes once the assault begins. Teams will be evaluated on both their defensive preparations and tactical execution."

He held up his clipboard. "To maximize the educational value, we'll be mixing experience levels and backgrounds across four fire teams, designated Alpha through Delta. Fire Team Alpha will be commanded by Prince Harald."

Harald stepped forward, forcing himself to stand straight despite the weight of everyone's stares.

"Joining him..." Christian made a show of selecting names. "Cadet Eliasberg."

Jakob moved to stand beside Harald, his face carefully neutral.

"Cadet Stensson, Cadet Rydberg, and Cadet Dahl."

Erik Stensson's lip curled as he took his place, positioning himself as far from Jakob as possible. Otto Rydberg glanced nervously between Harald and Christian, while Magnus Dahl clutched his tactical manual to his chest like a shield.

Christian continued assigning the remaining teams, each one stacked with his supporters and experienced upperclassmen. "Now for positions." He gestured to the training ground that stretched before them. "Alpha Team will take the lower ground by the stream. Beta will hold the ridge..." He continued, but Harald had stopped listening, staring instead at their assigned position.

The stream had overflowed its banks after yesterday's rain, turning the surrounding ground into a muddy mess. What few defensive positions existed were half-submerged in water. They'd be fighting uphill, in the mud, against better-equipped teams holding the high ground.

"An interesting tactical challenge," Christian said, that damned smirk still in place. "An excellent way to test innovative thinking, wouldn't you say, cousin?"

Harald met his cousin's eyes. "Indeed."

"You'll find your equipment allocations at your assigned positions." Christian's gaze swept over Alpha Team. "I trust you'll make do with what you have. Dismissed."

As they trudged toward the stream, Harald heard Erik Stensson mutter, "Great. Stuck in the mud with a farmer and a bookworm."

Otto Rydberg laughed nervously, too loudly. "Well, at least we know what Cadet Lieutenant Vasa would do in this situation..."

Harald glanced at Jakob, who walked silently beside him, eyes already scanning the muddy ground with an intensity that suggested he saw something the others didn't. God, I hope he does, Harald thought, because we're going to be defending against Christian and his hand-picked squad of upper-division cadets.

"Any great ideas?" Hal asked his team.

Magnus and Erik shook their heads. Otto looked woeful. But Jakob was clearly thinking.

"We'll have to use the advantages that we have," Jakob said after a moment. "including using the terrain itself."

"The terrain itself?" Magnus looked up from his textbook, brow furrowed. "But that's not⁠—"

"Friction," Jakob said quietly. "Remember what Clausewitz wrote? About how the simplest things become difficult in war?"

Harald nodded, warming to the idea. "And Christian's team will be moving downhill, in formation, trying to maintain proper tactical spacing..."

"While fighting mud and uneven ground," Jakob continued. "The more precise they try to be⁠—"

"The harder it becomes," Erik finished, surprising them all. He was looking at the ground with new interest. "And Christian always tries to be precise."

Otto shifted nervously. "But Lieutenant Vasa will expect us to perfectly execute the standard tactical doctrine in the textbook..."

"Which is exactly why it won't work here." Harald felt more certain with each passing moment. "He'll try to make reality conform to theory⁠—"

"And that's where friction kills you," Jakob said. He knelt, pressing his hand into the mud. "Look here. See how this patch seems solid, but..." He pushed harder and his hand sank suddenly. "If we can map out where these soft spots are..."

"We can use Christian's own precision against him," Harald said. He turned to Magnus. "What does your textbook say about defensive preparation in marshy ground?"

Magnus flipped pages frantically. "There's... nothing specific, sir. It just says to avoid such positions where possible."

"Well." Harald smiled grimly. "I suppose we'll have to write our own chapter."

For the next forty minutes, they worked with a precision that would have impressed even Christian—though not in any way he would have expected. Jakob showed them how to test the ground with long branches, marking safe paths with small stones while Harald sketched a rough map of the treacherous spots.