Dog tags
Chapter 1: En Route
SCREEEEEEOOOooooosh, the ISA dropship Vulcan broke through the clouds and came out of a spiral just in time to evade a broken building. It was around 1430(2:30 hours), a typical cloudy overcast day, bits of sun rays shown through and reflected off the war torn city. The battered dropship rocked and swayed in the wind. The hull was painted a standard ISA green that looked all to similar to a sage green, It had plenty of dents and scrapes.
"It's a good thing we have a pilot who can actually fly this screaming piece of slag", a soldier yelled over the loud engines of said screaming piece of slag.
"SHUT YER MOUTH 'FOR I DO IT FER YA JANKINS!", the pilot retorted," BUT THANKS FER TH' COMPLIMENT!"
"'Thanks fer th'compliment' ", Jenkins mocked under his breathe.' "I'LL GIVE YOU A COMPLIMENT, THIS SHIP IS A PIECE OF CRAP AND SO IS THE PILOT!"
The ship jerked harshly as they maneuvered in and around buildings, trying not to put any more dents than there already were on this thing. Jenkins shifted and almost fell out of his seat. Raife laughed at him.
" AH SHUT UP, BOTH O' YA. THIS ISNT THE TIME TO BE BICKERIN, SO YOU BOTH SHUT UP BEFORE I GET INVOLVED…AND I DON'T THINK WE WANT THAT DO WE?" Corporal Ethan Lane cocked an eyebrow towards Jenkins.
" SIR YES SIR", Jenkins yelled back running his fingers through his coarse, sandy blonde, semi-short hair.
"RAIFE DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"
Ethan could practically hear the pilot roll his eyes, "SIR…YES SIR!"
"GOOD."
Ethan looked around the cabin at his troops. They were nervous and he could tell. They had every right to be. Ryan fingered his weapon while others fidgeted. This was war after all, and going up against the Helghast didn't make matters any better.
Ethan shuddered at the thought of the brutality the Helghast were infamous for. They were different than humans, standing a full one and a half heads higher. They were famous for their appearance, bright luminous red, red-orange, sometimes yellow goggles and always clad in black armor. The basic infantry unit wore a breath mask of some sort. They breath something other than oxygen on there home world of helghanHe took a wild guess. They also wore a black helmet. Where as officers where a black, usually with silver or white trim, and oddly shaped beret. Then there were the "elites", they were abnormally taller than the average Helghast foot soldier, with the red-orange goggles but no breath mask and no helmet, just the really, really pale white head that Ethan imagined all of them had underneath all their armor.
The Helghast and the ISA had been at war for several years now and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. The warring factions moved across space with such contention, taking and retaking planets that were lost.
"THE HELGHAST HAVE SET UP PERIMITERS ON THE EAST, THE SOUTH AND EVERY INCH IN BETWEEN! WE ARE TOUCHING DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN MOST PART OF THE CITY. FROM THERE WE WILL MAKE OUR WAY INTO THE HEART OF THE CITY, TO THE ORBITAL DEFENCE STATION. TWO OTHER SQUAD WILL BE ASSISTING US ON THIS PARTICULAR MISSION." The troops gave a grunt of disapproval, they liked working alone. "THEY WILL BE SETTING DOWN IN THE EAST. We WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM LATER."
"WHY DON'T WE JUST GO IN FROM THE NORTH OR THE WEST?" Tyler asked sitting on the floor, his eyes closed.
"OUR MISSION IS TO KILL AS MANY HELGHAST AS POSSIBLE."Ethan briefed the troops because number one, he wanted to make sure they knew where they were and why exactly they were being thrown into this God forsaken hell hole, that…and he just got the briefing himself just as they were taking off, "NOW, THERE IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT…PACKAGE, A BOMB FOR THOSE TO O SLOW TO GET WHAT IM SAYING, WE MUST 'DELIVER'!"
The cabin boomed, as every marine in the ship laughed as the corporal hefted a huge metal…"briefcase" as some might call it, "THIS, LADIES, IS BETTY. SHE, MY FRIENDS, IS ONE HECK OVA BITCH, THAT IS IF YOU PISS HER OFF…SO DON'T PISS 'ER OFF GOT IT! SHE'S WIRED AND READY TO GO OFF. IF SHE DOES, THIS WHOLE CITY WILL GO UP AND THE ODS (Orbital Defense Station)WILL STILL STAND…IN OTHER WORDS, GAME OVER!"
"SIR YES SIR"
"WITH THAT SAID, I WILL BE TRANSPORTING HER FROM THE LZ (landing zone) TO THE DETINATION AREA, SO THAT MEANS I WILL NEED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YA TO WATCH MY BACK AN' KEEP THIS THING FROM PMSING PREMATUERLY, AM I HEARD OR AM I HEARD?
The corporal glared at all his men. MAN he was proud of them. In all the years he's served with them only seven maybe eight ended up KIA. They followed orders to the tee and rarely gave him gruff about them. They were a sarcastic bunch, constantly joking and fighting, but they were all like family now, brothers he guessed. That's why he trusted them with his life, and he was sure that they trusted him just as much.
They were the best of the best. The strong arm of the ISA. They had a thing for battle, nervous one minute devastating the next. They had sort of a, hoo-ahtype of attitude that made their will virtually imperishable.
Maybe that's why he was literally shaking in his boots. This mission will certainly test their abilities. It will be the most important and indeed deadliest one he'd ever gotten his squad into. If they succeeded, they would cripple the Helgahst and eventually drive them off this planet…what ever that was. If they failed though…He quickly pushed that thought aside.
Better not dwell on that now, He somehow managed to think over the screeching engines, a good leader has to keep a clear mind and focus on the task at hand, while still looking after his men.
His head hurt at the constant pressure, he swore never to get so close to his men, but dammit these were no ordinary men, they were his brothers…oh yeah and sister. He laughed as he turned his head to face Amber the only female and the youngest soldier in his squad. At age twenty-two, she had silky smooth, blonde hair with bright cerulean blue streaks that made her already icy blue eyes shine with brilliance. She was also skinny and petite with a good figure.
Her gaze caught his and she held up her hand with her thumb extended upwards, in the thumbs up pose. He answered back with a smile and a small playful, two fingered salute. She was his major motivation. Everyone in the platoon loved and protected her, even though she could probably take'em all down in one fell swoop. They all felt obligated for some reason.
"ROGER THAT ALPHA." Raife said over the radio channel. He turned to look at Ethan' "ALPHA SQUAD HAS TOUCHED DOWN AND ARE ENGADGING THE HELGHAST!"
The ship rocked heavily as winds from an approaching storm rolled in. It tossed the Vulcan back and forth seemingly trying to knock it off balance and into a nearby building.
"ALRIGHT MEN..", Ethan heard a small 'ehhem' echo through the cabin, he turned in that direction to see none other than Amber lifting and eyebrow and smiling arms folded across her chest,"… 'SCUSE ME, AND WOMEN, WE ARE EN ROUTE TO THE LZ, ETA FIVE MINUTES, NOW I NEED A QUICK ROLL CALL AND ARMIMENT CHECK, STARTING WITH JENKINS!"
"PRIVATE, SCOTT JENKINS, ASSAULT RIFLE!"
"PRIVATE, TYLER DANIELS, ASSAULT RIFLE!"
"PRIVATE, TY MORGAN, SHOTGUN!"
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, RYAN WILT, SHOTTY!"
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, BRIAN CASKETT, GRENEDIAR (which means he has an unearthly amount of grenades for a captured helgahst grenade launcher and a handgun)!"
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, RICHARD HART, BOOMSTICK, SIR!"(rocket launcher)
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, JACKSON "JAZZ" ELOI, BROTHA WIT A SMG COMMIN THROUGH!"
"LANCE CORPORAL,CHAD PELT, COVERT SNIPER!"
"LANCE CORPORAL, ANDREW PELT, COVERT SNIPER NUMBER TWO BABY!!" He and his twin brother Chad clasped hands and let out three loud woots. They were identical twins and no one could ever tell them apart until Chad was injured do to a grenade that went off prematurely, the shrapnel got him across the face. Now he has a decent sized scar on his head. It started about mid- forehead and traveled diagonally down across his right eye and ended at his earlobe.
"STOW IT YOU TWO!", Ethan reached across the cabin and punched Andrew in the arm, he let out a yelp that made the men in the dropship laugh, "CARRY ON."
"YESSIR, PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, BRENT THOMPSON, NON-COVERT SNIPER!" He shot a competitive glare at the twins and they called back by extending their hands and flexing their fingers in a 'bring it on' style motion. Both the twins and Brent smiled and slapped hands. Brothers till the end.
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, ROB MILLER, BBQ CHEF AT YOUR SERVICE!" He lifted his flamethrower so all could see.
"AH SHUT IT, YOU ALWAYS BURN OUR FOOD, YOUR COOKING SUCKS!!", That having coming from Ryan.
"HEH HEH WISE ASS EH? WHY DON'T I TAKE THIS HERE 'THROWER AND BURN YOU A NEW…"
"GROW UP CHILDREN!" As if on cue, a large boom sounded outside the ship as thunder and lightning cracked the sky.
"SIR YESSIR!"
"LANCE CORPORAL, LEE FOSTER, HEAVY MACHINE GUN, RUNNIN AN' GUNNIN!"
" PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, AMBER NUNELY, MODIFIED ASSULT RIFLE/SNIPER, HEHE HEY KNOCK IT OFF HEHEHE!", she squealed as Brent poked her in the side.
"WELL ARENT YOU JUST THE CUTEST SNIPER IVE EVER SEEN"
THWACK
Jazz winced as he heard a crack coming from Brent's head as Amber decked 'im one. Guess she finally got tired of laughing and finally used that bottled up fury to her advantage. He laughed at the thought. He didn't mean to, but he accidently laughed out loud seeing as though Brent looked like he was staring a freakin hole through 'im. Oops.
"HEH HEH DON'T FERGET ME CHIEF!! WARRANT OFFICER, RAIFE 'PORTIN FER DUTY, MEH WEAPNS' ARE MEH TRUSTY MAGNUM, SHURLY, AN' THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE O' SHIP THE VULCAN!"
"ALRIGHT INCUDING ME THAT'S FIFTEEN. NOW, CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW MANY WE'RE GONNA HAVE AT THE END OF THIS MISSION?"
"FIFTEEN SIR!", They all answered in unison.
"VERY GOOD! NOW RAIFE YOUR GONNA DROP US OFF AT THE LZ, THEN FALL BACK TO THIS LOCATION UNTIL EXTRACTION OR OTHER WISE!", Ethan sent the pilot a fall back point to his HUD.
"GOT IT", the gruff old pilot saluted in the cockpit, "APPROCHING THE LZ, ETA THIRTY SECONDS…GOOD LUCK SIR!"
Ethan looked around at the men, and woman. They all loaded their weapons with a resounding click, as they prepped for battle. They looked back and grinned, they were ready. He still felt a faint sense of nausea. The dropship lurched and touched down. His head turned as the door opened and the blinding light settled. "LET'S GO MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
He felt his adrenaline pump through his body as he ushered his soldiers into hell.