Part 2 - Preparation
When he saw her in the hall, Katylin was back to her normal self. Sergeant Alexander Dominic, Romeo 3's giant of a heavy weapons expert, had slung her over his shoulder and was carrying her around like a potato sack while she shrieked and laughed at him to put her down, now. Somewhere during the ordeal her ponytail had come undone and her long, dark hair fell around her face.
"Dom, I will cut you if you don't-"
"Kat, talking to me in ghetto is not going to help anything."
"But Aaaaleex..." she whined as best as she could between fits of uncontrollable laughter. "What if I bought you an entire bucket of fried chicken?"
"Really?!" Alex almost shouted, sounding excited. "Just kidding. I think I will just haul your little Chinese ass to the airlock and toss you out."
"But Aleex!"
Jacob watched in amusement as the dysfunctional duo rounded the corner and left his sight. Despite his impressive size, Dominic was a bookish, soft-spoken, gentle giant with a penchant for making philosophical quotes. Katylin brought out the more rambunctious side of him-she was like a little sister to him. When they'd first met, he'd been nothing short of closed off. Eventually, she'd gotten him to open up to the rest of the squad. That was ages ago.
When he followed them around the corner, he was pleasantly surprised to find them holding the elevator for them. Nodding his thanks, he stepped on. The doors slid shut just as someone thrust her hand between them, giving them all a shock. The elevator stuttered open again and a slim, dark-skinned girl hurried to join them.
"Brittany!" he almost shouted. "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me."
"Hey to you too, Jacob," she shot back, barely withholding a smile. Katylin high-fived her behind his back. He rolled his eyes.
Brittany was Specialist Brittany Deane, a skilled soldier and a savant with all things mechanical. She was a tidy, analytical girl with dreadlocks and a sense of humor to match. Level-headed in every sense of the word, she functioned in part as the team's reality check. Though she almost never cracked jokes during missions, she could go barb for barb with the best of them on breaks. Now, she exhaled sharply and cast Jacob a sideways glance.
"Yo Jacob, Jews good at countin', right?" she joked. "You remember how long we been up here?"
He shrugged. "Four weeks, maybe. Might as well have been four months as far as I'm concerned. I'm glad we're finally going out."
"I forgot what fresh air smells like," Alex agreed.
Katylin snorted. "We'll be getting some of that soon, provided 'fresh air' smells like hemorrhoids and bacon."
"How you know what that smell like?" Brittany giggled.
"What, hemorrhoids?" Katylin asked.
"No, bacon." Brittany retorted sarcastically.
"Hemorrhoids have a smell?" Jacob wondered aloud.
"Oh, come on-it's not that bad," Alex protested. "You get used to it after a while!"
"You get used to prison rape after a while, too." Katylin muttered.
Jacob laughed. "Did you just compare Pandora air to prison rape?"
"Anything can be compared to prison rape. Dom would know."
The elevator erupted with laughter. "You're a bitch," Jacob gasped, wiping away tears of mirth.
In time (perhaps more than he initially perceived) the doors opened again and they all spilled out into the locker room. Specialist Adrian Ruiz, a tall, slightly thick Hispanic man, was already there, geared up and chatting with his mother back home via video com. He chuckled at something she was telling him and looked up as they came near.
"Do sharks swim in packs now?" he joked lamely.
"Sup, Aids." Katylin sailed past and pulled her locker open with dramatic flair and a toss of her head.
"How's it hanging?"
"Just talking with family." He motioned to his computer.
"You're on that thing every day," Jacob remarked.
"At least he has good relations with his parents," Katylin quipped.
"At least I have parents."
He ducked as a balled-up sock sailed past his head. "You know, my relationship with my parents is perfectly normal," Jacob added. "They just cut my umbilical cord is all."
"You keep some of that cord to make your dick look bigger?" she tossed back at him as she turned her back and stripped off her shirt.
He laughed. "Well aren't we on a roll, today?"
"Are you sure you two aren't fucking?" Adrian chipped in, raising an eyebrow. Katylin giggled and threw her shirt at him. It landed on his monitor and he flicked it away.
"Jealous, Aids?"
He craned his neck and sized Jacob up. "Maybe."
Brittany cleared her throat. "Stop fucking around, guys. We still have to wire up."
Katylin snuck a glance at Jacob and flashed him a smile before disappearing into her locker again. Jacob smiled back and changed into his battle dress. Even though it had been upwards of a month since he'd done so, the routine was still familiar to his fingers. After hooking his night vision goggles up, he straightened up and examined himself in the mirror. His standard, Ranger desert camouflage was clean and tidy, having been hanging in the locker unused for so long. As with all Rangers, patches were sewn neatly into the fabric. Over the heart was a black bar with the tan words DAHL in the well-known stenciled format. The left shoulder bore the Dahl Special Operations insignia, a pair of crossed swords over a skull set in a golden wreath. Just below that was another patch bearing a falcon in flight, its talons gripping a strip of parchment upon which the word "Rangers" was written. The only part of his uniform that different from those of his squadmates was the red cross patch over the right bicep, indicating his status as a medic.
"Hold up," Jacob paused. "Are we just coming back to the station after this?"
"Nah," Brittany commented, her upper body out of sight behind the locker door. "Fort Aries. We're on the ground."
"Yeah, put all the gear we're not using on this op in that crate. They'll drop it down to the fort." Adrian pointed.
"Nice." Jacob smiled, turning back to his locker. He carefully folded his jungle and winter uniforms. Along with the rest of his currently unneeded belongings, he then stowed them carefully in the crate that Adrian had indicated.
"'Bout time." Katylin muttered, walking up next to him and tossing her clothes haphazardly into the crate on top of Jacob's.
"I thought Asians were experts in folding laundry." He grinned.
Katylin lightly slapped him on the cheek before returning to her locker wordlessly. Jacob did the same, checking his combat backpack. All of his medical tools and accessories were there: bandages, disinfectant, pain killers, a sealed box containing blood packs, surgery kit, and more. He returned to his locker. Reaching inside, he drew a sleek, black, Dahl M4 semi-automatic shotgun. A deep, fluorescent green line ran along the barrel, indicating its corrosive specialization. He slid it into the holster on his back and ensured that it wouldn't get in the way of his pack. He returned to his locker, drawing a dark grey .45 pistol, and stowing it on his hip. Finally, he grabbed his third and final weapon, an SMG, which he hung around his neck by its strap. After patting his combat vest down and ensuring he had ammunition, he kicked his locker door shut.
Jacob grabbed his medical pack and dragged it over to his bunk before sitting down.
"Now we wait for Jones, right?" Jacob asked, looking around at his squadmates.
"Yup." Adrian acknowledged, closing the top of the laptop and swirling his chair around.
Jacob nodded and, almost mechanically, removed the coin he had been spinning earlier from his pocket. Though he had done this since his youth, he found that it helped him significantly as a medic, the habit increasing the dexterity in his fingers.
Adrian looked over at Alex, who was quietly absorbed in a book titled 'The Prince'. "That any good, Alex?"
"Fascinating." Alex answered. "Quite different than the other writings of Machiavelli."
"Right." Adrian nodded awkwardly, not having the faintest idea what Alex was saying. Brittany had carefully connected her collapsed turret onto her pack, and was now lovingly making sure it was strapped in.
Katylin strolled over and sat down cross-legged on the floor near Jacob, her sniper rifle across her lap. She watched Jacob flip the coin for several seconds before a smirk appeared on her face. She opened her mouth, but hadn't gotten a sound out before Jacob spoke up.
"Save the jacking off joke." Jacob glanced at her. "Adrian got there before you."
Katylin closed her mouth and shot Adrian an annoyed look. Adrian gave her "jazz hands" in response.
It seemed they had all barely gotten ready before Captain Jones' voice came over their ECHOs. "Alright, we're set. Get your asses down here."
"Wooh!" Jacob jumped up from the bed and put his pack around his shoulders.
Airlock seven, right?" He asked.
"Yeah. We all good?" Katylin asked. The squad all stood up, glancing at each other.
"Okay. Let's go!" Adrian said brightly. With that, the soldiers all filed out of their quarters and headed for the elevator, making small talk along the way. As they entered the elevator and it took them to the bottom of the space station, the subjects ranged from what the problems on the outpost could be to the curiosity about the floating city of Sanctuary. The elevator doors opened, and the squad quickly jumped on one of the massive space station's trams, shouldering their way through other bustling Dahl employees.
It quickly took them to airlock seven, where a Bluebird shuttle was in the final stages of being fueled.
A Bluebird shuttle was a small, quick, dark grey transport used for quick deployments and extractions. It had a sleek body, slightly bulky in the center where it carried its soldiers. It's tail ended in three, flat fins. At the other end was a rounded, blunt nose. The wings held two powerful engines that had a vertical motion range of 180 degrees, useful for quick, hovering deployments in active battlefields.
Bluebirds were the choice shuttle for most Ranger companies, specifically Romeo 3. This was due to the fact that they were some of the only shuttles that could handle rapid drops. The burning effect of entering the atmosphere at the speeds needed for a rapid drop would destroy a larger shuttle like a Chukar, which traded speed for an increased load of soldiers on board. Bluebirds, however, were built specifically for those atmospheric conditions. In addition to this, their versatility at making landings almost anywhere if truly needed made them an idea vehicle to work in tandem with the Rangers of Romeo company.
The drop itself was a quick maneuver, yet one that took a skilled pilot. At certain points during the drop, communication would temporarily drop out due to the speed and high temperatures. It was a tough ride, but one several chalks of November and all of Romeo were required to deal with.
The squad all paused on the catwalk that overlooked the hanger to admire the shuttle before making their way down the metal stairs.
"Right on time, ladies and gentlemen." Captain Jones stated. He was standing next to the shuttle, speaking with the pilot. The squad knew him well.
"Yo, DiTomasso!" Brittany smiled.
"Hey there." Vincent DiTomasso waved. He was barely approaching thirty, but was already one of the most experienced pilots Dahl had in its employ. Though he was slightly shorter than Jacob, he was much more stocky, with thick muscles cording his arms and wide shoulders. His brown hair was in a buzz cut, a sharp goatee was on his chin, and a large scar ran down the right side of his face. With his cut, attractive looks, and maverick demeanor, he was well liked by most of the women and some of the men on the space station. Romeo 3 had worked with him before on several fast deployment missions, and he was always there for deployment and extraction on time. His dark green helmet hung by his side, and his signature aviator sunglasses were folded in the front pocket of his flight suit.
"What's with the night drop, guys? Wanna clue me in?"
"We don't know all that much ourselves, to be honest." Alexander said.
"We're the ones going into that outpost. You're just dropping us off." Adrian grinned, blushing slightly. He had always had a rather large crush on DiTomasso.
"That's kind of what you guys said when we dropped off on Titan Blue… Right before my wing was almost torn off." DiTomasso laughed.
"Boo hoo," Jacob laughed, shaking hands with the pilot, "We had it worse. We jumped into gunfire… literally. I had to start working right away."
"Sorry to make you do your job." DiTomasso snickered, smacking Jacob's helmet.
"Romeo 3, this is Den Mother." The soft, calming voice of Lieutenant Raygan Hayes came over the squad ECHO. Jacob grinned stupidly at hearing the Lieutenant's voice. Katylin smacked him in the stomach. "Tell Greenberg to wipe that stupid grin off his face." Lieutenant Hayes added.
"Already taken care of, Den Mother." Katylin laughed. Lieutenant Raygan Hayes was the communication officer that was always assigned to Romeo 3. She was a very good looking woman in her mid thirties and had an attitude to boot. Jacob had become slightly infatuated with her rather quickly, a topic which was the subject of a lot of teasing from his squad and Lieutenant Hayes herself.
"How'd you know I had a stupid grin, ma'am?" Jacob asked with a laugh.
"Because it's you… you always have a stupid expression on your face, Corporal." Lieutenant Hayes transmitted.
"Ouch." Jacob put his hand to his heart and pretended to stumble. Katylin hit him again.
"What's the word, Den Mother?" Captain Jones asked, attempting to keep an amused smile from forming on his lips but failing.
"Mission is confirmed. Good luck." Lieutenant Hayes said.
"Roger that, Den Mother." Captain Jones responded.
"Bluebird 1-7, drop is a go. Put 'em in." Lieutenant Hayes commanded.
"Yes ma'am." DiTomasso donned his flight helmet and grinned. "Let's rock and roll, Smartass 3."
"Rangers!" Captain Jones yelled. "Load up!"
"HOOAH!" The squad yelled. With the sound of their boots hitting the metal floor, they all quickly entered the shuttle and took their various seats.
"Are we the only Rangers going in?" Adrian asked Captain Jones as the soldiers of Romeo 3 pulled their launch harnesses shut. DiTomasso took his place at the flight console.
"To that specific outpost, yes." Captain Jones nodded. He walked between each squad member, making sure they were strapped in. "Commodore Taylor was busy, so I got the sit-rep from Commander Chase."
"Pft." Jacob snorted derisively, then changed his voice into that of an old Earth Brooklyn accent. "We don't need ayia suhpoht in the Themis cyapital! Yoo'll be alraight! The tangohs are dumb as dohgs!"
Several of the others on the shuttle snickered.
Jones shot Jacob an annoyed look before continuing. "He said that several other Ranger companies have been deployed. November 2 was sent to a tiny town called Desert Spring, and all of Zulu is headed towards the Dust."
Jacob glanced at Katylin, raising his eyebrow. She answered with a shrug. Jacob's thoughts were interrupted however, as the shuttle doors sealed and the hanger opened into space. Pandora looked beautiful from up here, its atmosphere giving the planet the appearance of being wrapped in a soft blue light. The sun peeked out from the other side of the planet. DiTomasso squinted briefly before putting his sunglasses over his face.
"Engines warm." He went over the checklist as Captain Jones finished prepping his squad and strapped himself into his seat. "Fuel supply full. Carbon filters at full power. Air pressure is normal. Den Mother, Bluebird 1-7 is prepped and ready."
"Bluebird 1-7, launch orders confirmed." Lieutenant Hayes transmitted. "Launch orders confirmed. See you on the other side."
"Let's rooooock!" DiTomasso yelled as he hit the thrusters, and the shuttle rocketed out of the bay.
Jacob felt the unpleasant sensation of G-forces pushing against every inch of his body. It didn't affect him much, but no matter how many drops he had done, he still disliked the feeling. He gritted his teeth and glanced through the window behind him, watching as the Rocky Heights Space Station became smaller and smaller. DiTomasso was focused as the shuttle neared Pandora's atmosphere, the planet growing larger and larger until it took up the entire windscreen and nothing else could be seen. "Hang on, we're in for some chop."
His warning came mere seconds before the shuttle began shaking as it made its way through Pandora's upper atmosphere. The vibrations seemed to rattle Jacob right down to the bone and he could have sworn he felt his brain shaking. It was rough, but nothing Romeo 3, or any other Ranger chalk hadn't experienced before. Romeo 3 sat quietly and patiently, waiting for a chance to be on real earth. Though Jacob was concerned about what they'd find in the outpost, he had to admit that Alexander was right: the feeling of his boots hitting dirt again would be incredible. Romeo 3 had been on the space station far too long. Jacob began to feel a pull on his body as gravity began to affect the shuttle. DiTomasso leveled the shuttle out and began to slowly descend through the clouds.
"Communication re-established, Bluebird 1-7." Hayes voice came through their radio again. "Status?"
"We're in the pipe," DiTomasso answered. "Five by five."
The transport broke through the lower cloud layer to reveal a vast expanse of ocean. The surface twinkled in the moonlight. A peninsula of land jutted out in the distance, at the edge of which sat a four-walled outpost. Two towers reached into the sky. The outpost became larger and larger as the shuttle headed towards it. It was serene and almost beautiful.
"There it is." Captain Jones said, indicating the outpost. He unhooked himself and moved to stand behind DiTomasso's seat, his hand gripping a handle on roof of the shuttle.
"How's the water?" Adrian called to the front.
"Yeah, it's nice and warm." DiTomasso scoffed, glancing down through the cockpit. "And loaded with sharptails…" His attention returned to the outpost. "Wait… Wait, wait, wait… What the hell…? Where's the damn beacon?"
"Uh… There." Captain Jones peered through the pointed. "Next to the shield tower."
"It's off… Why is it off?" DiTomasso frowned.
It was Katylin this time who glanced at Jacob first. Jacob simply threw his left hand up in a "who knows?" expression.
"Power outage?" Alexander suggested.
"Nah." Brittany spoke up. "All Dahl outposts got solar panels… Beacons only s'posed to be off during electrical storms."
"Something's really wrong here." Katylin spoke up.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough." DiTomasso grimaced. "Let me make a flyover fir-"
He was interrupted as a small yellow indicator on his control panel blinked rapidly.
Before anyone could ask, Hayes voice came over their ECHOs.
"Romeo 3, advance scans show seven scavengers in the outpost. Clear out all tangos before proceeding with original mission."
"Roger that." Captain Jones responded.
"Bluebird 1-7," Hayes continued. "Silent drop on the rocks one hundred meters out."
"Acknowledged." DiTomasso responded. He turned the shuttle left and began to cut its speed.
"Alright, get in position, now!" Captain Jones stated. "Go, go, go!"
There was a rush of movement as the squad unlatched themselves and gathered near the deployment door.
"Good to go!" Captain Jones gave DiTomasso a thumbs up and the shuttle slowed even more.
"Dropping down. You'll have a one meter jump." DiTomasso transmitted as he slowly lowered the shuttle closer to the ground. Jacob felt the shuttle lower. DiTomasso's voice came over the comm again. "Opening deployment door in five. Four. Three. Two…"
The door opened and dust flew in all directions out from the shuttle due to the burn of the engines.
"Let's go, Rangers!" Captain Jones commanded.
Author's note: This chapter was originally twice as long, but I decided to split it up into two separate chapters. This one is going up tonight (it's 8 p.m. in Japan right now, where I live) the other one will follow about 12 hours from now after I get some sleep and do one more quick run through of Chapter 3.