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Trials and Tribulations: Intro
Posted By: Capn Rasc<Rasculia38@msn.com>
Date: 28 April 2006, 8:23 am
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I hunkered down deeper in my foxhole, pulling my cold weather jacket tighter around my soldiers as the icy winds began to pick up again. The planet, if the lump of ice hanging in space rated such a title, was aptly named "Hell's Freezer." It was cold as hell, snow was always getting into gear, and our weapons had to be modified with specially designed heaters to prevent the components from freezing. All in all, it was without a doubt one of the shittiest duty posts I'd ever drawn. I rubbed my gloved hands together and idly wondered if I should waste time putting in another transfer request and which Admiral I had pissed off enough to get this assignment. The only good thing about the job, was that it didn't involve much fighting. Guarding a listening post and minor dockyard in the middle of an otherwise dead system that nobody cared about tended to promote longetivity, since the Covenant were not likely to show up here for a long time.
I actually missed fighting sometimes, and yearned for a few plasma bolts to flash by, if only for the brief heat of battle. I was hardly suicidal, far from it in fact, but that didn't mean I missed the adrenaline and rush of battle, all Marines did at some point, at least, all the REAL Marines did.
My radio crackled with static and voice called over, "Cold Jack?"
"No Command," I replied dryly, "in fact, I'm so hot I'm thinking of stripping to me skivvies and trying to catch a tan."
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cot this morning."
"Try the wrong side of the galaxy," I muttered, "You want something control?"
"Actually yes, sensors reported anamolous Slipspace readings at the edge of the system, there's a possibility the Covenant are snooping around the system. Your being placed on high alert alpha until further notice."
'Roger Control, we'll keep our eyes open," I said, inwardly feeling a thrilling rush of fear and excitement. I switched the radio from base to squad frequency, "You guys heard that? We might actually get to earn our pay today."
"Boss," replied Private Jessie Pommler, "Personally, I think we get paid way too little to sit in holes and freeze our asses off babysitting some listening post."
"I agree, but at least now we might get to shoot something."
"And get shot ourselves," put it Corporal Mike Malarkey.
"Only if you don't duck Marine," I replied, "Don't worry it'll be fine, probably just another false alarm anyway."
"What are we supposed to look for anyway?" asked Private Tom Willard Dropships? We won't see them in this mess. Soldiers? They'll probably fall into our foxholes before we notice them or they notice us. Plasma bombardment? All the forewarning in the world won't help against that."
"We're supposed to watch for anything that doesn't know the proper clearance codes, and then shoot it, and then tell base that we shot it. That simple enough for you?"
"You left out the not getting shot part," put in Jessie.
"Well then it would have gotten too complex for poor Tommy to understand," I said.
"Ha Ha guys very funny," said Tommy, "I'm being serious."
"So was I, at least when I answered your question."
"Hey Lieutenant, why'd you join the Marines?" asked Jessie suddenly, "You could be in the Navy on the bridge of a cruiser sipping fine wine in comfort, or in the cockpit of a longsword. Why'd you join the Corps?"
"Because its personal, I'm not fighting some obscure blip on the sensor board or a faceless nameless, shapeless pilot in a fighter. I'm fighting someone I can see on the ground up close and know for a fact is the enemy. Or, at least I could fight them if they ever showed up...."
"So how'd you end up on this hellhole though with your record?"
"You've seen my record?"
"Sir your something of a well-known figure these days, after the battle for Earth and all."
I sighed, "Honestly I don't know why I was transferred out here, nor do I care I just want to get transferred OFF the Freezer and back to some civilized and comfortable war zone."
"Amen to that," said Tommy.
"I know how that is sir. I wish something exciting would happen around here."
"So do I," I said, "So do I."
Looking back on it, I didn't realize just what kind of mess I was getting into....
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