Tomorrow's Troopers

MEN, MACHINES, AND TOMORROW’S BATTLEFIELDSWar is planned violence . . . or, at least, it starts out that way. And even if plans go awry, the violence is indispensable. Today’s soldiers have far more firepower on a per-man basis than the doughboys of a century ago, and there is no reason to believe that this trend will not extend into the future. Imagine a revival of suits of armor, but with structural strength undreamed of by medieval knights, and powered by built-in motors, giving each soldier the invulnerability of a tank, but even more mobility, and mechanical muscle strong enough to carry light artillery, rocket launchers, laser cannon, and weapons not even on the drawing boards yet. Add on the ability to fly, or at least jump for a kilometer at a time, using rocket boosters, or even powerful leg motors, or a combination of both. The stuff that superheroes are made of, hanging in every fighting man or woman’s closet, ready to wear. If it’s possible, history teaches us, it will be done. But don’t expect a nation or planet possessing such battalions of super-powered soldiers to not worry about attack by an enemy . . . there’s no reason why the enemy won’t have its own armored infantry. Keep the midnight oil burning and the R&D rolling. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek by expert dreamers putting the battle-hardened reader at the sharp end of tomorrow. Praise for anthologies edited by Hank Davis and David Afsharirad:“This intriguing anthology explores the human race’s violent potential [but] also bends toward exploration and the triumph of the human spirit, with brave tales [that] take the reader on a fascinating, thoughtprovoking, enjoyable journey . . .” —Publishers Weekly on The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera, starred review