I'm back at it again. Yet another Aliens fic. However, this one is going to deal with something that is the most famous part; The Colonial Marine.
Also, his immediate thoughts are in italics, while his narration is in normal font. Titles and signs that are read are in bold, and underlined are the names for the ships. His name is Joshua Choka.
The story is basically his story about becoming one, and the missions he did. It's also in first-person view, and will be in his constantly. One of the important things I could know is how good the first-person is. It'll help to hear that in a review.
That being said, enjoy…
Colonial Marines
By Warlord Darnell
Chapter 1: Combat Drops
I always get nervous before a drop begins, in the moments when you're in the APC, resting inside of the bay doors of the Dropship, waiting to start heading down. It's not the drop itself that gives me the nerves, so much the moments in waiting for the dropship to be released.
I usually try to distract myself by thinking about what they teach you in Basic Training, hoping to make the moments go by faster. This time, I think about when you learned to use the Pulse Rifle.
Short, sharp, shock. The words they use when telling you about the way to fire a Pulse-Rifle. The first thing they tell you when you learn how to use the guns.
Short bursts of fire, so that you don't waste ammo. Sharp, for the accuracy needed. Shock, for the kickback that you get when you fire the gun.
If they ever had a way to keep your nerves down before a drop, I'd have known about it. Hell, I've tried just about every way they tell you.
Deep breathing makes the time crawl. Humming just makes you stick out. A few people in the Corps actually take a short nap during the drop.
However, I find that none can really help me. The Psych-docs tell you the nerves are perfectly normal. They say that after your first year of the tour, they actually go away.
I've been with this outfit, the 57th Brigade, Squad Echo, for six months. If anything, the drops only get more nerve-racking each time.
However, I try just to think until we land. I'm a Corporal, I'm supposed to think, right?
In Basic, they tell you that you need to save your thoughts for debriefing, and that you should let the officers and the Specialists think.
I laugh at one of Brown's jokes, this one about the pope and a state trooper, back in the day.
I'd heard it a million times, yet it never grew old. It's one of the longest jokes Brown knew. I remember my personal favorite, a riddle-type.
"Hey guys," Brown whoops "what's the difference between pornography and art?"
Everyone pauses. "What?" I ask, playing along.
"A government grant" Brown explains.
We all laugh at this. It's the one that's my personal favorite.
"Hey Choka" Sarge yells, bumping my shoulder "You're out first this time"
"yes sir" I reply, masking the fact that I am secretly cursing my luck. The first one out always is the first one to get shot.
I know not to worry, as long as I can secure cover. Hopefully, the landing is in one of the yearks. Somewhere where there's a barricade.
I know that the op is for the disposal of an FTK cell. FTK, or Free-Trade Knights. These guys are always trying to bring Weyland-Yutani down. To take down the giant megacorporation that owns everything, including our government, they resort to terrorism.
This time, they took over BG-189. "Burgess' Grids" as it is referred to. It's where most of the hardware the company makes is manufactured. All of the big stuff at least.
I was told that in briefing, the "Knights" have the civilian population hostage, and have shut down the factory.
Our Op is to kill the cell leader, Gates, who is in the control complex. And take out the guards strategically.
"Prepare to drop on my mark" Waters, our pilot, announces over the com system.
She's nice, graduated flight-school with top honors. She's certified to fly anything that has a pilot's seat.
We al are in her care now. As I feel the APC shake slightly, the dropship being carried over the bay doors.
I can feel my nerves mount. The nerves usually go away once we start flying. However, when we're waiting for Waters to release us, it's like time comes to a standstill.
It try to think about my girl, Kotone Tanaka. She's currently back at Terra, or "Earth" as it was referred to back in the day.
After this op, we get a month's leave. Frankly, it can't come sooner.
I think back to the box in my locker, the one containing a ring I bought for her. Cost 3 month's pay, and I'm going to use it to propose to her.
"…One, mark" Waters' voice announces.
As I was thinking, I managed to beat the nerves once more.
And once more, the rush of being in a drop courses through the APC, shaking from the rough air ahead.
The cycle's going to be complete, and I go out and free some colonists with my squad.
I look over my pulse rifle, and see the 50 in bright LEDs. I have a full clip, and 5 more just like it stowed with me. I'm Death In A Can, and nothing can stop me.
"Circle for dustoff" Hughs calls from the watchbox.
I realize we're almost going to land.
"You know your places" Sarge replies, standing up.
Everyone follows suit.
Grave and Barrow remove their SMART guns from their stowed positions, and prime them.
However, even in that, they won't fire, no matter how much they pull the triggers. The guns won't start working until activated by Hughs.
I take the front of the line. I'm out first this drop. I can only imagine what it's like there.
I feel a bump through the APC, as the dropship sets down. The APC then shifts forward. Obviously from Archer's steering.
Being special forces, our ship's android was a new "Archer" Model.
I feel the APC come to a stop, and upon Sarge's orders, open the door.
We've landed on a platform, one they used for unloading supplies.
I rush out, gun ready, then take cover behind a crate, only 30 feet from the APC.
There's no sign of life around.
"It's clear!" I yell back.
Out comes the squad. We disperse and quickly take the entrance.
Fisher, our Tech Specialist, runs a bypass on the door, opening it up.
On cue, I toss in a Flash-Bang, as the grenade goes off, we find our first hostile.
This one was of Hispanic descent. In his daze, he dropped his cigarette that he'd been smoking, while on guard.
We move as one, surrounding him.
As he's coming to, he realizes we've got him surrounded. He leaves his M-60 around him, and raises his hands in surrender.
Ellis takes out the binders, and she secures his hands behind his back.
"Take his walkie" Sarge commands to me.
I remove his walkie-talkie from his vest, and place it in my bag.
"Are there any more of you guys around here?" Sarge asks.
"Que?" the man replies "No Hablo Ingles"
"Fernandez, what's your status?" A voice replies from my pouch, in perfect English.
"Sounds to me like you do" Sarge replies to the man, smacking him with the butt of the gun.
"Fine" the man concedes "The other two are guarding the hostages in the atrium. Gates is in colony control."
"There's only 4 of you?" I ask.
The man, Fernandez, nodded "We had more at first, but they were killed by the guards when we took over. We're all that's left of our cell."
"You lyin'?" Sarge asks "Cause I highly doubt that there's only 4 of you"
"I swear on my kid's lives that it's just us four" the man replies in fear "Both of them are on the upstairs of the atrium. We barricaded off the rest of the place. Right here's the only way into where they are."
"He's telling the truth" DiFerva, our Corpsman replies "If he were lying, he'd be looking to one side. His eyes never moved."
I cut his gun from him
"Larson, West" Sarge orders, turning to the men behind us "You guard him. Everyone else, let's go"
We follow, and go down three corridors, following the open doors, easily spotting where it was welded.
We immediately come to the first stairwell, which is spiral. It leads to the atrium second floor, and Colony Control.
"Choka, you take Grave and DiFerva to the second floor, and take out the two guarding the Civies. Everyone else, follow me."
I go up the stairs in the second group. Upon the second floor-landing, I stop, and let Grave walk ahead of me, and turn around the corner.
We see the two FTKs standing there, on each end, carrying an M-60. They're attentive, and constantly looking down on the Civilians.
All 75 of them are in the Atrium, huddled together, fearing for their lives. If anything would go wrong, the FTKs would begin to kill off the hostages. That wasn't going to happen on my watch.
I hold up three fingers, looking past the corner, and slowly count down.
On the final finger, I make the "Forward" gesture; index and middle finger extended, swiping down slowly.
DiFerva and I rush out first, and advance towards the guards. They reach for their guns, and begin to shoot.
The one on the left gets a glancing shot first, the bullet bouncing off. The second shot gets me in the thigh.
I keep going forward, and tackle him. He falls straight to the ground, having attempted to draw a knife. In bringing him to the ground, he attempts to stab me in the chest.
Instead, the knife slides across, and I push his knife-arm down.
After a few minutes, he's on his back, and I have him in binders.
As I had done this, I heard an exchange of fire.
Looking up, I see that DiFerva and Grave had to kill the other guard.
I hear struggling, and on turning around, I see the squad leading Gates down the stares.
At this point, the man, though dressed in a business suit, complete with Italian boots, who's black hair must have been well kept, was now a sorry-looking thing. Dignity lost, his brown eyes shamefully looked down. He had a defeated air about him.
Once again, the op was a success. I had nothing to really worry about.
"What's your status?" Sarge asks, turning to face us when he arrives at the landing.
"One was killed in the line of fire" Grave explaines "The other one we captured."
"3 for 4" Sarge replies "A good capture as ever. Take them up with us. They're going in the brig"
As we leave, we make sure to restore the situation to the head of the colony, who was in the center of the hostages.
We head back, put the FTKs in Prisoner-Cryo, and head back to Terra. The drop was a success. This was only a sign as to what was truly to come though.