0830 Hours, November 5, 2545 (Military Calendar) \
Karn, Epsilon Galilei System
UNSC Lady Fortune
ODST Spec. Ops, Phillip Aitken
Doelp, the quartermaster, was waiting for us at the armory. He handed Behm a bunch of grenades, some trip mines, his rocket launcher, and his magnum. Behm called his magnum "Panama Red," because one time he got shot in the hand by a Brute's spiker and ended up getting most of the blood on the gun. It hadn't washed out in three years. I never knew where he got the "Panama" part from, though.
Pillsbury was just in front of me, and I was in the back of the line. We waited patiently for our kit. I crossed my fingers in the queue. Hopefully my new toy requisition had been approved. Being vehicle specialist, I loved having them on the ground. This would be my first time in one of these things, though.
Pillsbury got an SRS 99C sniper rifle. I'd used one a few times, and I could appreciate the appeal, but it wasn't for me. As I stepped up to Doelp, I held a hand out to Pillsbury. "Hey, Pillsbury, wait up a sec."
To my surprise, he obliged, even if he looked puzzled. Well, I did technically outrank him, being a Private First Grade, so maybe he thought it was an order. Doelp got my trusty M90 and "Good Ol' Boy," my battered MA5B Assault Rifle. "Hey, Doelp, what's the status on the toy I asked for?"
Doelp cracked a tiny smile. "I have a feeling you'll be very pleased, Aitken."
"That's what I like to hear, Doelp." I returned the smile and patted his shoulder in a friendly way before moving down the hallway once more. Pillsbury followed, trying to keep up. It was a difficult feat, being that his rifle was longer than he was tall.
"You got that, rookie?" I thought I'd ask to be polite, but Pillsbury took it a bit more personally than I thought he would.
"I can carry my own gun, Aitken."
"Alright, sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I was genuinely offering." I had Good Ol' Boy slung across my back and carried my boomstick in my right hand, my helmet in my left. "Where ya from, rook?"
"Reach. In the Epsilon Eridani system."
"Oh, yeah! That one with all the bases, right? I'm from New Jersey, back on Earth. Right across from Philadelphia. I always wanted to be up here, in space."
"That's cool." Pillsbury was bored, that much was clear, but at least he was trying to be polite.
We walked mostly in silence the rest of the way, to where we'd get in our HEVs. I decided to try again. "You ever been in a pod, Pillsbury?"
"Simulators, yeah."
"Oh. Well, forget almost everything you think you know about the HEVs from the sims." He tried to smile, testing if I was joking, but when I remained serious, he sobered. "You'll be in number five. That was McGraw's."
He put on his helmet and went inside the staging room, looking a bit uncomfortable. Someone had to tell him. I wish I'd known the simulators were nothing like the real thing on my first drop. "A rookie? You going soft on me, Desperado?" A beautiful voice referred to me by my callsign. I turned around to see the beautiful face of the girl to whom it belonged.
"Orders are orders, Angel," I remarked, smirking and walking over to hug Tori. She returned the embrace, looking around before she gave me a peck on the cheek, having to stand on her toes because I was taller and in my armor.
Tori Fero was a blonde, green-eyed Philly girl who found her way onto the Lady Fortune as a comms officer. We'd actually known each other before; our dads were pretty tight because they went to high school together. I always thought she had a thing for me, always masking it behind glares and cold shoulders. Well, when I finally got aboard the Lady six years ago, a rookie right out of training myself, I was surprised to find her on the bridge.
I expected her to pretend she didn't know me, but I can only imagine the look on my face when she came to my quarters that night and kissed me, spilling her guts about how she always really did love me. Well, to be honest, I didn't really give it a second thought and our relationship started, just like that. Commander Brown, the Lady's god (his term, not mine), didn't mind as long as we followed the PDA regs.
"Do you have your charm?"
I thumped my chest. "I always do." About four years ago Tori had carved a good luck charm for me while the Lady was being refitted with some improvements back home on Earth. She made me promise to always wear it.
"Good. Be careful out there, Desperado." We kissed again, and she left me to put my helmet on and follow Pillsbury.
Everyone else was waiting. I noticed I wasn't the only one who was running late. "Where's Cap?"
Miller shrugged. "You got us. He said he'd be back soon, though."
"Yeah, and 'soon' has become fifteen minutes," Jacobs said as he checked over his Battle Rifle for what I guessed was the nineteenth time.
Right on cue, Captain Shepard waltzed right through the door. "Alright, men. Strap in. We're jumping feet first straight into Hell."
