Music was playing in the back round of the transport as it shot through the air, dropping out of the sky in a strait drop down. The drop ship was filled to the brim with men and women, most of them new recruits strait from basic. Neil wasn't in a regiment, he would be reinforcing a platoon on the farthest reaches of the planet. Unlike most, he didn't have his gas mask on. Instead he had a poly-thermo balaclava over his face with a pair of ballistic goggles to protect from the snow. His goggles were strapped to his helmet as it was pointless to wear them in the ship.
"Hey Kasirkin, what to hear a joke?" an older Sargent said to him.
"Sure why not" responded Neil.
"Okay, so this guy is about to close his bar when he gets a knock at the back. So he goes to the back entrence and theirs this bum standing their. "What do need" the guy asks. "Excuse me sir, but may I have a tooth pick?" A bit confused, he gives the man his tooth pick and then he's on his way. Right before he leaves he gets another knock at the door. "Excuse me sir, but may I please have a tooth pick?" another bum asks. Now very confused, the bartender gives him a tooth pick. Not even to steps away from the back door he gets a third knock. Its a bum. "Let me guess, you want a tooth pick, right?" "No sir, may I have a straw?" SO the bartender gives the man a straw and then asks "Why do you want a straw, but the other two wanted picks?" "Well this drunk girl puked up the strait and all the big chunks are gone."
Neil burst out laughing, water jetting from his nose like a fountain.
"Oh shit man that's nasty. Funny but nasty" Neil said.
"Hey, whats the difference between an Armageddon whore and a homograunt?" another trooper asked.
"What?" asked another.
The homograunt has a better sex appeal.
"Ah dude, that's bad"
"I've heard worse" the Kasirkin said as he screwed the cap of the canteen tight before hooking it around his waist.
"Hey, why are you alone and not with a regiment?"
"I'm serving as a replacement for somebody" Neil said.
The rest of the soldiers their got real quite, the only sound was a cough from a cpl. next to him.
"Anyway, who here likes pancakes?" a recruit said in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
Just as someone was about to speak, the pilot broke the silence.
"We're breaching the atmosphere in five, be ready."
Neil looked out the window as thousands of other drop ships preformed the similar thing, fire gusting up around them.
"Well, here goes everything" he said out loud, making sure only he could be heard.
