Hellhounds vs. Vipers.
Chapter 2.
Velasquez' Vipers were pinned down. They had been retreating up the side of a hill. They had had the advantage, had being the appropriate word. Bugs had flanked them. Now they were backed into a large cave.
The remaining marauder, containing Lt. Velasquez, was on point laying down cover fire as the squad retreated further into the cave. The situation was going from bad to worse. With one of the two marauders MIA along with its pilot Cpl. Flowers the squad's moral was anything but high.
Thoughts of his childhood flashed before Deuce's eyes as the squad ran out of cave to retreat into. Thoughts of when he first enlisted, of his first drop, of his first squad. His squad. He was not going to let the rest of his squad down. Before he knew it Deuce was running full slog out of that cave, out to greet the enemy with vulgar insults and gunfire, as he was once famous for doing.
Somehow he made it to the first foxhole. When he looked around he found his squad tailing him. They huddled in the foxhole together, a squad, a team, a family.
"You disobeyed orders Sergeant!" The el-tee barked at her 2IC. Deuce stared forward not flinching once as the el-tee tore strips of him. Lt. Velasquez looked into her 2IC's eyes and saw the pain and anguish behind them. She looked to the rest of her squad and saw the same expression on each and every face. They were mourning. Plain and simple.
The battlefield fell silent once more, as if nothing had happened. Out of black sky came a kamikaze rippler dive-bombing towards the foxhole in a last attempt to destroy its enemy. The squad was slow to react to the threat, all numb with grief and exhaustion. Wilson and Kortual were the first to reach for their weapons. Taking aim the bug splattered before they could get a shot off.
The el-tee looked to the two trained snipers, both bearing blank looks on their faces. The sound of something mechanical could be heard in the silence. Out of the carnage of bug corpses, a lone marauder made its way towards the foxholes.
The squad cheered for the safe return of their fallen trooper.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Vipers were exhausted. They walked lifelessly to discard their gear. They had been awarded 6 hours downtime for their latest efforts.
Corporal Mandy O'Brien flopped onto her bunk releasing a sigh as the weight was lifted from her aching feet. She rolled onto her back so as to easily access them.
"My feet feel like they've been churned through a skimmer propeller a few hundred times."
At the sound of O'Brien complaining Private Justine McLeod poked her head over the end of the bunk she shared with her.
"Jellybeans are like potatoes." O'Brien sat up on her bunk to give McLeod a blank look.
"What?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Vipers' barracks were dark and silent as the troopers slept. You wouldn't call it sleep, more like dozing. The squad was used to sleeping with one eye open, always alert to their surroundings.
It was Private Dizzy Carter who awoke in the middle of their 6 hours of R+R. She rolled over in her poor excuse for a bed to see a shadow across the floor. Thinking it was the el-tee Dizzy jumped to attention awaking the others. The face that greeted her was pale and unfamiliar. She let out a scream as she realised she didn't know how this person got past the locked and bolted door to the barracks.
When the lights flickered on the sight was of utter confusion. Vipers grabbing for anything they could lay their hands on in a lame attempt to defend themselves. By now, Dizzy recognised the el-tee standing behind the stranger grinning slightly.
Deuce and Flowers relaxed realising they had let their instincts take over. They were both standing defensively in front of Dizzy who was staring blankly at the pale stranger.
"Vipers, we have a new addition. Meet Taine, a Human Replica Android." The Android stepped forward.
"Greetings Vipers." The squad looked to the el-tee in disbelief.
"I thought Android's where supposed to look like CHAS'." Mumbled McLeod quietly.
"I am not a CHAS. I am a Human Replica Android. I am designed to appear like a human. I have pilot's training and a built in NavCom."
Private Rach Kellner stepped forward to inspect the newcomer. As she walked back to the group she raised her eyebrows approvingly.
"You wouldn't guess he was mechanical."
Corporal Christoph Kortual stepped forward and looked Taine up and down.
"You can't be serious Lieutenant? He's not even human!" Private Eric "Dragon" Wilson stepped forward to back Kortual. The two "out casts" didn't usually say much, but when they did it was either questioning orders or arguing with each other.
"I don't care if he's human, Android or a skinnie, he's an extra trooper and he'll give us some extra fire power." The el-tee supported his decision. She knew the squad was apprehensive about this piece of "machinery" joining the Vipers, but she knew she was doing the right thing by them. She refused to go through the feeling of loosing a trooper again. With Taine on the squad they have a better chance of surviving this stupid, god-for-saken war.
Chapter 2.
Velasquez' Vipers were pinned down. They had been retreating up the side of a hill. They had had the advantage, had being the appropriate word. Bugs had flanked them. Now they were backed into a large cave.
The remaining marauder, containing Lt. Velasquez, was on point laying down cover fire as the squad retreated further into the cave. The situation was going from bad to worse. With one of the two marauders MIA along with its pilot Cpl. Flowers the squad's moral was anything but high.
Thoughts of his childhood flashed before Deuce's eyes as the squad ran out of cave to retreat into. Thoughts of when he first enlisted, of his first drop, of his first squad. His squad. He was not going to let the rest of his squad down. Before he knew it Deuce was running full slog out of that cave, out to greet the enemy with vulgar insults and gunfire, as he was once famous for doing.
Somehow he made it to the first foxhole. When he looked around he found his squad tailing him. They huddled in the foxhole together, a squad, a team, a family.
"You disobeyed orders Sergeant!" The el-tee barked at her 2IC. Deuce stared forward not flinching once as the el-tee tore strips of him. Lt. Velasquez looked into her 2IC's eyes and saw the pain and anguish behind them. She looked to the rest of her squad and saw the same expression on each and every face. They were mourning. Plain and simple.
The battlefield fell silent once more, as if nothing had happened. Out of black sky came a kamikaze rippler dive-bombing towards the foxhole in a last attempt to destroy its enemy. The squad was slow to react to the threat, all numb with grief and exhaustion. Wilson and Kortual were the first to reach for their weapons. Taking aim the bug splattered before they could get a shot off.
The el-tee looked to the two trained snipers, both bearing blank looks on their faces. The sound of something mechanical could be heard in the silence. Out of the carnage of bug corpses, a lone marauder made its way towards the foxholes.
The squad cheered for the safe return of their fallen trooper.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Vipers were exhausted. They walked lifelessly to discard their gear. They had been awarded 6 hours downtime for their latest efforts.
Corporal Mandy O'Brien flopped onto her bunk releasing a sigh as the weight was lifted from her aching feet. She rolled onto her back so as to easily access them.
"My feet feel like they've been churned through a skimmer propeller a few hundred times."
At the sound of O'Brien complaining Private Justine McLeod poked her head over the end of the bunk she shared with her.
"Jellybeans are like potatoes." O'Brien sat up on her bunk to give McLeod a blank look.
"What?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Vipers' barracks were dark and silent as the troopers slept. You wouldn't call it sleep, more like dozing. The squad was used to sleeping with one eye open, always alert to their surroundings.
It was Private Dizzy Carter who awoke in the middle of their 6 hours of R+R. She rolled over in her poor excuse for a bed to see a shadow across the floor. Thinking it was the el-tee Dizzy jumped to attention awaking the others. The face that greeted her was pale and unfamiliar. She let out a scream as she realised she didn't know how this person got past the locked and bolted door to the barracks.
When the lights flickered on the sight was of utter confusion. Vipers grabbing for anything they could lay their hands on in a lame attempt to defend themselves. By now, Dizzy recognised the el-tee standing behind the stranger grinning slightly.
Deuce and Flowers relaxed realising they had let their instincts take over. They were both standing defensively in front of Dizzy who was staring blankly at the pale stranger.
"Vipers, we have a new addition. Meet Taine, a Human Replica Android." The Android stepped forward.
"Greetings Vipers." The squad looked to the el-tee in disbelief.
"I thought Android's where supposed to look like CHAS'." Mumbled McLeod quietly.
"I am not a CHAS. I am a Human Replica Android. I am designed to appear like a human. I have pilot's training and a built in NavCom."
Private Rach Kellner stepped forward to inspect the newcomer. As she walked back to the group she raised her eyebrows approvingly.
"You wouldn't guess he was mechanical."
Corporal Christoph Kortual stepped forward and looked Taine up and down.
"You can't be serious Lieutenant? He's not even human!" Private Eric "Dragon" Wilson stepped forward to back Kortual. The two "out casts" didn't usually say much, but when they did it was either questioning orders or arguing with each other.
"I don't care if he's human, Android or a skinnie, he's an extra trooper and he'll give us some extra fire power." The el-tee supported his decision. She knew the squad was apprehensive about this piece of "machinery" joining the Vipers, but she knew she was doing the right thing by them. She refused to go through the feeling of loosing a trooper again. With Taine on the squad they have a better chance of surviving this stupid, god-for-saken war.