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Under the sergeant's cap (chapter 1)
Posted By: Traumatised Marine<rbecalick@hotmail.com>
Date: 10 January 2003, 11:02 pm
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<Note from Author: This is my first go at this and I would love some feedback!>
"Marines, this is Cortana, we will enter normal space in two hours, please sit up, cough, clear your tracheas of the bronchial surfactant and swallow."
Sergeant Johnson coughed and spluttered as he bent over in the cryo tube and felt the chilled mist flowing from the tube wash around him, he looked down at his toes until they came into focus. The whole cryo room echoed with coughs followed by the sound of mucus being spat onto the cold cryo room floor,
"They might have been awake for a few seconds but they're as disobedient a bunch of bastards as they've ever been." The Sergeant thought to himself with a brief smirk.
Sergeant Johnson swallowed the fluid. At a time like this he couldn't afford to waste anything, no matter if it tasted like snot. He awkwardly climbed out of the tube and tried to stand straight, but couldn't help but sway. He was a rugged, well built man. His skin was dark brown and his jaw was square with broad cheekbones. He may have been 42, but he hadn't let his physique go in the slightest, he was as fit and muscular as he'd been 20 years ago. His eyes, however, looked out of place in his stone-chiselled face. They were full of emotion, burnt with the pain and suffering of watching his men die and entire worlds being glassed. He surveyed Fire Team Charlie, the marines were clumsily climbing out of the tubes and regaining their balance.
"Urgh, give me a bunk any day" growled Private O'Brian, and shot a resentful glare at the cryo tube he'd just stepped out of.
"Alright you grunts, you heard the lady," the Sergeant addressed the marines, straightening, "we're two hours from our arrival point, the fly boys probably know as much as we do about what the situation will be like when we get there but we ARE GONNA BE WASHED, DRESSED, ARMED AND LETHAL IN THIRTY MINUTES! DO YOU UNDERSTAND MARINES!?" the Sergeant bellowed.
"SIR, YES SIR!!" the marines cried in unison.
The Marines piled into the armoury and started to load up. Spirits rose now the marines were gripping assault rifles in their hands and had pistols in their holsters. Even the Sergeant found it hard to suppress his satisfaction, if he had a gun he was at his most deadly, if he was at his most deadly he would inflict maximum damage on the enemy, if he inflicted the maximum damage on his enemy he would die knowing he had fought to the best of his ability.
"Oh Jesus! I wish there was a Covenant bastard right here now, I swear I'd blow his legs off and kick his ass with 'em!!" cried Private Barclay.
"Enjoy it now Barclay 'cause you ain't gonna have the chance to be cocky when they get here" Private Jenkins shouted from the opposite side of the room.
"Let them all come, man, I'll tear them to pieces!!" He shouted back with a confident grin.
"He might as well be cocky," thought the Sergeant, "it's either that or give up."
"This is Captain Keyes." came the ship com, "All Fire Team Leaders report to the bridge for briefing on the double!"
The Sergeant holstered his pistol and marched out through the automatic doors.
"Bring back some good news Sir!" someone called behind him as the door slid shut.
"Right gentlemen," began the Captain, addressing the 15 or so Fire Team Leaders "We know that the Covenant are tracking us, and if they aren't waiting for us when we enter normal space, they will be soon enough. They're following us because we are an easy opportunity for them to gain information, I don't think I need to tell you the consequences if they get hold of the ships AI; Cortana."
"Actually Captain, I'm not the Pillar of Autumn's designated AI. Operating the Pillar of Autumn is not my primary function" Cortana, corrected.
"Thank you Cortana" said Captain Keyes, with a hint of strained patience in his voice.
"So, I believe we can expect the Covenant to attempt to board, and we're going to need the marines to repel borders long enough for ops personnel and Cortana to get off this ship, it's as simple as that. Questions?"
Sergeant Daux stepped forward, "Permission to speak freely sir?"
"Granted"
"Can't you see that getting that AI off is not going to change anything? And that's provided someone can actually get it off the ship! The Covenant will get it sooner or later, whether you get it off the ship or not. Why? Why try to get it off the ship? Just destroy it, that'll ensure the bastards won't get it." Sergeant Daux put his hand through his closely cropped hair in bewilderment and waited for the answer.
Captain Keyes took out his pipe and examined it for a moment before answering the Sergeant.
"Sergeant, you may or may not know that Cortana was designed with the purpose of breaking into the databanks of a captured Covenant ship and discovering the Covenant home world, so that we may try to get onto it and capture it's leaders."
Seargent Daux listened,
"Now with the fall of Reach, humanity's options are few, Cortana may be the human race's last chance." Said Captain Keyes grimly.
"But sir" protested Sergeant Daux desperately "That's just nonsense! Who could possibly pull off something like that?"
"The same person who will get Cortana off the Pillar of Autumn, Sergeant, the last remaining soldier from the SPARTAN II project - the Master Chief."
"Of course" Sergeant Johnson thought to himself, he'd clean forgotten the Master Chief was onboard somewhere. Sergeant Johnson had escaped from an orbital space dock orbiting around Reach with the great armour-clad Supersoldier, along with Private Jenkins, Bisenti and O'Brian just before Reach was destroyed. The SPARTANS were legends in the UNSC, surely if there was one human who could pull off such an insane mission, it was the Master Chief.
"Sir" began Corporal Davies , "the Master Chief would be a huge aid in repelling the ship's borders-"
"I'm sorry Corporal, the Master Chief is too important to risk getting into any more battles than he has to. He is still in the freezer, and will remain there where he is safe until the very moment we need him. Then we shall get him out, but he will have to take Cortana and get straight off the ship and that's all I'm afraid."
"Sir" Cortana announced, "we will be arriving in normal space in 20 minutes"
"Alright men, this is it, get your marines ready and prepare to repel borders!" ordered the Captain
"Yes sir!" the Fire Team Leaders saluted and marched off.
In the hangars in the lower belly of the Pillar of Autumn marines scrambled to and fro, loading up Pelicans with ammunition and equipment and preparing vehicles for transportation. The Captain had issued the order to abandon ship. Ops personnel were being loaded onto Pelicans to be evacuated, (the escape pods were reserved for the marines repelling borders and remaining Ops personnel who wouldn't have time to get to the hangar to escape on Pelicans.)
Sergeant Johnson had gotten a message that the bridge officers had found a ring structure of unknown origin, which was earth-similar and hospitable for them to land on. What the hell it was and why it was hospitable the Sergeant didn't know and neither did he give a shit, that was way back in his mind. The point was that once the Captain gave the order that the marines could evacuate his men had something to land on.
"Think of us while your asses are safe in there, huh guys?" Private Bisenti called to some Ops personnel who were strapping themselves in to the seats. There was enough time before the vacuum door sealed shut to see their ashamed faces.
"All military personnel stand by to repel borders." came Cortana's voice.
"YOU HEARD THE LADY! MOVE LIKE YOU GOT A PURPOSE!! Bellowed the Sergeant, his marines may have been a wily, but they snapped right into order when the Sergeant raised his grinding voice.
They scrambled and formed two perfectly straight lines facing each other.
The atmosphere was electric now. The Sergeant could feel adrenaline rushing through his body. Every fiber of his being was alert and ready. His heart felt like it was trying to thump it's way out of his chest. His trigger finger was ready to clench at the first sight of a four-jawed face or the glint of a gas mask.
"This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill."
"So back to this shit again" thought the Sergeant "how many men do I have to watch die this time?"
"ONCE AGAIN IT IS OUR JOB TO FINISH WHAT THE FLY BOYS STARTED. WE ARE LEAVING THIS SHIP PLATOON, AND ENGAGING THE ENEMY ON SOLID GROUND. WHEN WE MEET THE ENEMY, WE WILL RIP THEIR SKULLS FROM THEIR SPINES, AND TOSS 'EM AWAY LAUGHING!!!
- AM I RIGHT MARINES?"
"SIR, YES SIR!!!!"
TO BE CONTINUED
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