For any other fans of maybe the greatest science fiction movie of the 90s, I bring you COLONEL JOHNNY FREAKIN RICO! Please be sure to review and tell me your thoughts on my work. Where can I improve, what could I do to better my work? You guys are awesome and please check out my first fan fiction "Straight Outa Angel Grove" for all you Power Ranger, Kamen Rider and Beetle Borg buffs.

Chapter - Klendathu Campaign

"It's a good day to die,

When you know the reason why,

Citizens we fight for is right

(Duty, respect, honor)

A noble sacrifice,

When duty calls, we'll pay the price,

For the federation I would give my life"

"Hey cut that shit off Henderson." A man in a green suit of armor said from across the Drop ship. "That song sounds like a whole lot of bad luck on this planet." The music was cut and silence fell upon the cabin. The only noise was the shaking from the turbulence. Thirty troopers say in silence until the cabin door opened. A man stepped through, his helmet covering his head and face. His breast plate connected to the power pack on his back. The gauntlets on his arms were segmented into his power gloves. His left hand clutched his Morris MK 1 rifle. He swung it up and held it steady in both hands angled down across his chest.

"Officer on deck!" Yelled a man with D12 on his breast plate.

"At ease," said the man in the black armor said and the cabin relaxed. "We have the honor of being the first wave. Our job is to take out the bug batteries and clear as many LZs as we can for the second wave. We will not have any support for three hours according to Fleet command."

"Sounds like we shouldn't hold our breaths sir," Ratsass said from beside his commander. The black helmet and face mask pulled back into his shit. Rico looked over at Ratsass before continuing.

"We smash anything with more than two legs. Once we land we clear the area and bounce to the first objective zone. Remember my rule. Everyone fights, no one quits. Remember your training and you will make it back alive, do you get me?!"

The cabin erupted with a synchronized, "we get you sir!"

As the helmet attached itself and the mask covered his face, Rico took his seat next to Ratsass. A man in a larger suit with a mouth baring sharp teeth painted onto his mask and helmet. Ratsass kept his MK III SAW machine gun by his side, tucked neatly. Rico surveyed his cabin. With his lieutenant at his side, he scanned for his Sergeant who was across from him, three seats to the left. A woman named Elizabeth Harper, nicknamed Harpy. His corporal, an explosive expert named Riggs for his ability to rig together an explosive in record time was working on his home made C4 packs. Rico couldn't help but smile at the bomb with the burning fuse painted on the side of his helmet. The rest of his men looked calm but that was because their faces were hidden. Rico read his HUD to insure he could identify his team.

"Brace yourselves! Coming under fire!" The pilot yelled back as she maneuvered the dropship out of the blasts of plasma. The pilot turned back to yell, "nowhere to land sir, you and your men will have to jump!"

Rico shot up to his feet as his harness released. His men did the same and formed a line as the back hatch opened. Rico turned his back to the opening and clutched his rifle. "Live forever apes," he said before jumping. He could hear his men yell in response as he dropped. They soon followed and within seconds all thirty of his men were in freefall.

Radio chatter was off the charts. He could hear his entire team talking of different subjects. He looked forward and could see the plasma shooting past them. "Evasive maneuvers," Rico said as he swayed out of the way of a blast. His men followed his path, almost creating a single file line before firing the jets on their backs to slow down. They landed hard and formed up quickly. Screeching sounded from all around them then the first arachnid charged from the shadows. It's large pincers held night as its jaw opened to screech for more warrior bugs to come to its aid.

"Contact left!" Riggs yelled before opening fire. The high caliber bullets from his MK I ripped through the arachnid, blowing off one of its four legs and leaving it filled with holes and oozing its green blood. It was quiet for a split second then came the welcoming committee. Arachnids came out of seemingly every nook and cranny of the planet.

"Hostels all around us!" Sergeant Harpy yelled as she opened fire. The entire platoon erupted with gunfire. Ratsass shouting his war cry as he fired his MK III SAW, mowing down bugs.

"Come on bugs," he yelled, "you think I give a rats ass if I die?!"

"Push them back!" Rico yelled. His men spread out a bit, Rugs grabbed a grenade off his belt and tossed it at a group of bugs. When it went off, bug limbs flew in multiple directions. Riggs lived for the sound of an explosion and the dying screech of a bug. Rico's platoon blasted their way through the small horde unscathed. "Roughnecks on me." Rico said as his men formed up. "We push east, blast any bug hole on the way. I don't want any unexpected ambush attempts."

Rico thought back to his first battle on Klendathu. How he was left behind after trying to save a friend from the academy and thought to be a dead man until his old school teacher came to pull him out of the fray. He thought of his losses. Ratzack, Dizzy and Jenkins. His mind was filled with memories and his hatred for the bugs boiled.

"Sir we have activity a hundred meters north." Ratsass snapped him out of his thoughts. "Multiple warriors charging this way."

"Push to that hilltop. We will hold there and kill em all!" Rico yelled as he activated his jet and jumped to the hill. His men followed but Riggs left a little surprise for them. Private Oharah, known as Raid, was the last to make it to the hill. They turned and readied themselves. As the bugs drew closer Riggs grinned behind his mask. An explosion sounded, the bugs were whipped out in a single blow.

"Problem solved sir," Riggs said as he lowered his weapon and stood proudly.

"Always full of surprises," Harpy said.

"Roughnecks, Rico looked around, proceed on mission." The Roughnecks moved in a faster pace. A field of plasma bugs was close and another platoon was already engaged. Reports of heavy losses were heard. Henderson was the first to make contact by firing at a bug that was in position to strike down a trooper. The roughnecks piled into ice supporting fire. Rico recognized the color scheme of the troopers as Alpha team who also went by The Exterminators. Rico could also recognize a voice on coms.

"We got backup boys! Let's make these bugs pay for the lives they've taken!" A trooper in black armor shouted as he fired his MK III SAW into the horde of warriors trying to protect the Plasma Bugs. The Roughnecks charged up, mowing down the horde.

"Rockets up," Rico yelled, "fire, now!" Rockets launched from the canisters on the shoulder of Riggs, Henderson and another private named Jones. "Fall back! Clear the blast area!" Rico yelled.

"This is gonna be freaking huge!" Riggs yelled in excitement as he turned heel. The Exterminators followed and both platoons jumped a hundred meters away and continued to run several hundred meters more as the exploration sounded. A bright flash of blue light was followed by exploding plasma that pushed the troopers onto their stomachs. They groaned as they stood to their feet.

"That was fun." The Colonel of Exterminators said as he stood next to Rico.

"Will I'll be damned, if it isn't Ace Leavey!" The two clasped hands and pulled their helmets back.

"Johnny Rico, the hero of Planet P!" It's been too long. I expected you to be bug food by now."

"I can say the same about you but instead the old wolves are still pushing. Mind if we tag along for the fun?" Rico smiled.

"We could use the help, we lost a lot of good men down there, ten if my math is correct." Leavey had a grim look on his face. The two platoons pressed on. Rico keeping his thoughts to himself while managing his platoon. Leavey keeping his men in tight formation. His newly appointed lieutenant, a woman named Deadeye holding a Morita Triple X sniper rifle, was on his flank. The combined numbers put them at fifty strong. Private Henderson returned from his scouting trip to stop them at a ridge.

"Sir we have a major issue." Henderson said with fear in his voice.

"Spit it out son." Rico replied.

"Multiple platoons whipped out just beyond this ridge. It leads to an ambush and currently another platoon is heading into the trap." Henderson blurted out. Still three hours until air support or any drop ships brought more troopers. They had to push to the final two zones to clear the area for Fleet to land their boys.

"Alright listen up you apes!" Rico yelled. "Behind this ridge is a trap. We are going anyway. M.I. does the dying and Fleet does the flying. We will kill everything down there, pull the sorry sons a bitches who walked in there out and push forward to our next objective, do you get me?!"

"Sir yes sir." They echoed in sync.

"Good, Roughnecks, prepare to engage!" RICO yelled. He could see Leavey tense up in his suit. They were on their own coms network at the moment but he knew they were going in with them. "Engage!" Rico yelled as he jumped two hundred meters out to catch up to the unsuspecting platoon. He ran until he could hear their coms chatter and yelled for them to stop but it was too late. The screeching started and bugs poured into the canyon. The troopers fired but there wasn't much they could do. An arachnid opened its jaws and grabbed a man in them. His fellow troopers fired as it bit down, ripping him in half. Rico opened fire on the bugs as they tore through the platoon. One stabbed its pincer through a man's chest and held him high as he continued to shoot it. As the bug died, it dropped the body. One arachnid rushed a trooper, knocking him over before biting down on his leg and tossing him behind it. The trooper was quickly ripped to pieces.

The Roughnecks formed a line taking up the open space of the canyon and started to push the bugs back, leaving what was left of the platoon to join their ranks and mount a comeback. The gunfire only attracted more bugs. Leavey gave Rico a look he knew all too well even if he couldn't see his face. They continued to fire as they heard more nearby screeching.

"Push them back!" Ratsass yelled.

"There's too many." A trooper screamed.

"We're gonna die, we're all gonna die!" They continued to fire.

"Hold the line!" Leavey and Rico shouted together. Riggs activated the canister of rockets on his shoulder and started to let loose. Bugs flew in different directions after the explosions. Body parts flying and impaling other bugs. Then, a plasma bug peaked over the ridge.

"Shit!" Rico yelled

"Take it out!" Leavey yelled louder as he focused fire on it. His Lieutenant Dead Eye was three hundred meters behind them firing down with cover fire.

"Nine hundred and three. Nine hundred and four. Nine hundred and five." She counted her kills. "Nine hundred and six. Nine hundred and seven." She heard footsteps behind her and drew her pistol. An arachnid almost got the drop on her but she fired into its nerve stem four times. As the bug dropped she stepped back and emptied the clip to ensure it was dead.

The battle lasted hours, ammo was starting to become scarce and bugs kept spilling in, pushing the troopers back to the ridge. Rico heard the sound of their salvation coming closer. He looked up to see four drop ships and troopers jumping from the hatch.

"Hey Rico, looks like you could use a hand!" A voice said. "Clear those bastards out!" The troopers landed and pressed forward. Leavey breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the ammo crates.

"Just another day as a trooper huh Rico." Leavey said.

"Yea, just another day."