A lack of response from the Corporal wasn't reassuring, but he figured asking a third time wasn't likely to do anything but annoy and distract the only person within five feet who could actually do something if things were to suddenly go pear-shaped. So he shoved aside his impatience while the man spoke quietly into the comm unit and checked his watch. 0214 hours, military time and 2:14 am according to the rest of the country. They'd been on the road barely six minutes from the compound and there'd been no forewarning. If this was an ambush it was either something pulled together at the very last minute by an unprepared group or the result of some kind of nasty leak in security.
Or a third option that sat and festered disturbingly at the back of his mind.
Warrick's ears perked at the muffled response from the comms. A random body in the road, because that wasn't suspicious at all.
"Staff Sergeant Tillotson has been requesting aid with the Automatic Target Recognition software. Specifically the IFFs, which haven't been responding correctly to interrogation commands with the correct sequence because they are cheaply made and outdated-" Warrick paused and shook his head. This definitely wasn't the time for a lecture on how the military spent its budget. "Basically I am here to reprogram your drones so that you aren't accidentally blowing yourselves up because the sensors couldn't identify the proper targets."
Proper targets being enemy military installations and not schools and hospitals, both of which Warrick had already seen fall victim to drone strikes, although whether that was the fault of broken sensors or simply lazy recon work remained to be seen. It made little difference to the devastated township why they were being bombed. That twinge of unease started again and Warrick considered whether or not it was worth expressing his concerns.
"I'm...not sure it's important information," he said finally, his voice hesitant, "but we've received several written threats. Or Simtech has, anyway. Since the project began. Most of them having to do with being a Western research operation out here, and nothing ever amounting to more than the equivalent of a nasty letter. It's never been serious enough to do more than entertain our security team, really."
no subject
Or a third option that sat and festered disturbingly at the back of his mind.
Warrick's ears perked at the muffled response from the comms. A random body in the road, because that wasn't suspicious at all.
"Staff Sergeant Tillotson has been requesting aid with the Automatic Target Recognition software. Specifically the IFFs, which haven't been responding correctly to interrogation commands with the correct sequence because they are cheaply made and outdated-" Warrick paused and shook his head. This definitely wasn't the time for a lecture on how the military spent its budget. "Basically I am here to reprogram your drones so that you aren't accidentally blowing yourselves up because the sensors couldn't identify the proper targets."
Proper targets being enemy military installations and not schools and hospitals, both of which Warrick had already seen fall victim to drone strikes, although whether that was the fault of broken sensors or simply lazy recon work remained to be seen. It made little difference to the devastated township why they were being bombed. That twinge of unease started again and Warrick considered whether or not it was worth expressing his concerns.
"I'm...not sure it's important information," he said finally, his voice hesitant, "but we've received several written threats. Or Simtech has, anyway. Since the project began. Most of them having to do with being a Western research operation out here, and nothing ever amounting to more than the equivalent of a nasty letter. It's never been serious enough to do more than entertain our security team, really."