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Rumble In The Jungle

Prologue

ONBOARD CHARON-CLASS
DESTROYER UNSCS HAMMERHEAD

GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

VIRIDIS

Sean rolled out of his bunk as the lights came on and Sergeant O'Brian started shouting. He scrambled to his feet and stood at attention at the foot of his bunk as the sergeant marched down the aisle, waking the platoon.

"Get your asses out of bed, girls! Right fucking now!"

The sergeant spotted one man still fast asleep in his bunk and marched over. Grabbing the fitted sheet, he yanked hard, sending the man out of his bunk and onto the deck. The private popped up and straight to attention, but was promptly dropped by the sergeant for pushups.

"Listen up, girls! We are to commence combat operations on that hellhole down there today. The Army couldn't handle their own shit, and planetary HIGHCOM has decided to send in the Marines! Draw combat gear and report to the starboard hangar bay. Move it!"

Sean opened his footlocker and grabbed out a pair of his camouflage fatigues and pulled them on. Sitting on his bunk, he pulled on socks and his black combat boots. Getting out his helmet and chest rig, he put it on. Hefting his pack, he headed for the Armory as the rest of the platoon got dressed and scrambled for the Armory.

Walking into the Armory, Sean got in line. As he moved through the Armory, he was issued a M6C/SOCOM pistol, a M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, and ammunition for each. Slinging the DMR over his shoulder and putting the M6 into its holster, he hustled towards the hangar bay.

Arriving, Sean fell into formation with the five or six other guys that had already arrived. Sergeant O'Brien was standing in front of the platoon, acting as the mustering officer. In the span of a few short minutes, the platoon was assembled and ready to be shipped out. Around the hangar bay, Sean could see the rest of his company being mustered. Sergeant O'Brien called the platoon to attention, and then began to speak.

"Alright boys, we've been given orders. Our battalion is deploying groundside via Pelican to help relieve the pressure on Echo One-Three, an Army battalion deployed to Refuge, a city on the southern continent. The city's militarized, and the countryside around it is in absolute shambles. There's Insurrectionist forces all around, and the Army's getting ambushed all the time out there. So we're going down to sniff out the Innie base and take it out. Squads, load into the Pelicans. First is on the left, and it goes down by numbers. I'll be riding with First Squad, Lieutenant Thompson with Fourth Squad. Corpsman O'Reilly, you're riding in with Lieutenant Thompson and Fourth Squad."

The platoon fell out and dispersed into the four Pelicans, with Sean heading for the last on the right with Sergeant O'Brien.

/ADDENDUM: MARINE SPECIAL OPERATIONS/

Marine Special Operations battalions were formed to fill a hole in Marine combat abilities—the ability to deploy a unit by any method to any place at any time. Marine brass decided the ODSTs were too specialized, and as such, created a unit that could deploy by other methods, such as parachuting and jetpacking. They are the core of Marine elite, with volunteers culled from all branches of the Corps.
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