Always Faithful: A story from the After the Fall extension

1st Marine Division
Commanding General's Officer
1330

"General, Colonel Arcturus to see you."

"My XO doesn't need to be screened Sergeant, let him in immediately from now on."

"Aye aye sir."

General Kilpatrick came out from behind his desk to greet his new XO with a firm handshake.

"Colonel Arcturus, glad you could join me today, please have a seat."

"Of course General, I believe you had mentioned wanting to discuss "boot camp" for the new units?"

"Quite right, as we discussed the other day I think we both know it'll be the best way to get them integrating, even over species nevermind culture, the common grounds and culture of a military fighting force, something to be proud of together should be a positive influence for all of them, human, quarian and turian alike."

"I agree General, I don't think some of them are going to like having to play recruit again though, especially with the Turians. All three regiments are hardened soldiers, been through hell and fire then back again."

"I know Colonel, which is why we've been working so extensively on this new Standard Operating Procedure for the Drill Instructors, it's going to be an interesting first cycle... but they should come out ok. We're not minting any new DIs for this, there's enough former Drill Instructors we can pull from the Division that we'll be staffed with men who have all done this for hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, they'll adapt and overcome."

"Have you determined a course of action for the officers?"

"Yes Colonel I believe we'll send the junior officers through a revised Officer Candidate School and a short form of the Platoon Commander's Course that we normally do at Quantico. Getting everyone on the same page is going to be vital to get them all working together properly and being able to drop a Lieutenant from your ranks in front of a platoon means he needs to know how to fight'em the Marine way. For staff level officers as we discussed the other day we'll set a course up once command reforms the Naval War College, for now you'll have to learn it the hardway."

"I always did like a challenge General."

"Well the universe certainly seems to provide, we have a pretty grand one here, make all the species of the known universe coexist and work together in harmony."

"Well like you said the first day we sat down and talked General, a common culture will go a long way towards that."

"Goddamn I hope so Colonel, I hope so."

Two weeks have passed
Ground Transport en route to Edson Range, Camp Pendleton, CA
0104

The Turians and Quarians who'd been picked as the "first wave" to go through the revised boot camp program slept the way only experienced soldiers could, most of them passed out immediately upon taking their seats, they were relatively safe, no one was trying to kill them and they didn't know what was coming, that means time for some sack time. They didn't know it but they were going to need it.

The busses drew to a halt alongside a swath of concrete, yellow foot prints adorned it, an old tradition now, but one that remained for the singular group of humans waiting for the busses. They were immaculate, every single one. Their camouflage utilities sharp and creased, their boots shined and polished to a mirror finish. The campaign covers on their heads at a perfect angle. Most wore a wide green belt with gleaming brass buckle around their waists. Embossed with a crisp eagle, globe with stars and anchor. Another mark of their authority. Six differed from the rest, black patent leather shining as they stood at the front of the ranks of the other Drill Instructors. Even compared to their juniors, the Senior Drill Instructor is a force of nature contained. Perfection is not an option, it just is. No questions.

Drill Instructors were at the bus doors the second the vehicles came to a complete stop and vaulted up the stairs to deliver a single order that cracked like a whip.

"Get off my bus!"

The Turian and Quarian veterans moved with the quickness that only a combat veteran can when given an order by a ranking superior. Drill Instructors were on them like sheep dogs on a flock and quickly herded them into a formation on the yellow footprints.

A chiseled rock of a man exited the building in front of the formation, the red and yellow sign on its bare metal walls proclaiming it to be 2nd Recruit Training Battalion HQ. He wore the same cover as the rest of the Drill Instructors, but he's older and more scarred than any warrior of any species present. The heavy black rank insignia weighing down his collars marks it for those who weren't sure from his bearing, this is the man in charge. The Senior Drill Instructors bring their charges to attention and report in crisply, already having taken roll call by omni-tool without a single word to the massed troops.

"H company, Platoon 2161; All present!"

"H company, Platoon 2162; All present!"

"H company, Platoon 2163; All present!"

"H company, Platoon 2164; All present!"

"H company, Platoon 2165; All present!"

"H company, Platoon 2166; All present!"

The hard faced gentleman in front of the formation calmly salutes each Senior Drill Instructor in turn and takes a step forward.

"Good morning, my name is Sergeant Major Castle, and I am your battalion Sergeant Major for the duration of your brief stay here at Edson Range as members of H Company. We have a month with you, a month to make you Marines. You are already combat veterans, hard and proud. This is good and we respect your sacrifices and your skills. However you have been sent to the Corps. The Corps shall be your family now, no matter your species you belong to the Corps and the Corps shall belong to you. No matter what we all bleed green here. Any individual who doesn't want to get here, we don't want you here. We're an elite, and our pride and devotion to each other is what sets us apart. All you have to do is resign and we'll send you to an army unit or something. I don't think any of you will resign though. I've read the dossier on every single one of you, you're used to being the best, all you have to do is do it again."

Sergeant Major Castle spins on his heel, parade ground perfect and returns to his previous position barking an order out to the DIs.

"Senior Drill Instructors! You have them! Carry out the plan of the day!"

The plan of the day was close to seventy two hours of organized chao and sleep deprived confusion for the new recruits of H company as the Drill Instructors rushed them through gear issue including new envirosuits for the Quarians, a mound of paperwork and a mind blurring variety of other tasks.

Training Day 1
Recruit Barracks
Platoon 2165 - H Company

"Lights lights lights! Everybody get online! Move move move!"

the eighty members of platoon 2165 hauled ass up out of the rack and got online in a heartbeat and went through a quick roll call. The Quarian Fleet Sergeant who was acting as the Platoon leader as the senior NCO present calling it off in a quick and clear succession. Senior Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Tobias Slane nodded with approval, working with veterans like these had it's own unique challenges but it certainly had it's benefits.

"Ears 2165!"

"Open sir!"

"Damn that's what I'm talking about, I wish I could get a bunch of raw recruits to pick things up like this. Now then let's get shit started, you all have five minutes to get dressed and get outside so we can march off for some PT, we got shit to do today people!"

The day that followed was busier than any of the recruits had expected, PT was followed by a rushed chow, weapons maintenance and drills and endless classes about the customs and courtesies of the Marine Corps and the new rank structure the recruit's present ranks would be translating to. Finally they managed to get back to the barracks, worn down and slightly overwhelmed and were left under the care of a Drill Instructor for an hour of free time before lights out, which is when the whispers began.

"Sarge I don't get it! Why the hell are we doing this boot camp crap again? We're all combat experienced soldiers!"

"I don't like it any more then you do but we need to fit in with the humans I suppose..."

"Hold it right there!"

The gathered Turian and Quarian recruits snap to attention as the Drill Instructor strides through their midst, Sgt Lopez is not an imposing man physically, but his creased utilities, campaign hat and polished black leather boots shine with the unmistakable mark of a professional warrior, all of it comes together with his attitude to create the dominating air of man in complete control of his surroundings. He takes his cover off and sets it on a footlocker nearby.

"Cover's off, so I can talk to you like adults, school circle around me! Now!"

The unit moves to comply, instant obedience to orders is nothing new for these soldiers, unlike the recruits Drill Instructors normally have to "educate". The DI settles himself on a foot locker and looks out at his charges, about seventy Turians and five Quarians.

"First off Private Jaelenius, I heard you call Sergeant Seranu "Sarge" we ain't the army here, this is the Corps, and he is a Sergeant, not a "sarge", knock that crap off even if you're on good terms personally with someone, the rank is the rank. Now then there seems to be a slight misunderstanding about what's going on here, and I'm going to correct that for you."

The DI points to Sergeant Seranu with a sharp motion of his hand.

"You were saying that we want you to act like humans, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Anyone else think that? Show of hands or equivalent appendages."

Most of the platoon reaches a hand up.

"Well you're all damn wrong. I thought maybe Sergeant Major had made it clear the day you all got here but apparently you need to be refreshed. The last thing we want you to act like is a human. Bunch of nasty, average civilians. We're making you into Alliance Marines, inducting you into a many centuries old tradition that dates back to when humans took to the seas on sailing ships with wood and canvas, instead of taking to the skies and stars in ships of metal. Yes we want you to assimilate our culture, because the culture of my Corps, and shortly, your Corps is what unites us from all our cultures. Over time the Corps will assimilate from you as well. That's one of the ways the Corps has always done things, adapt and overcome, learn from anything and everything. Word from the top is we're already working some Turian hand to hand techniques into our close combat curriculum. When we're done here it won't matter your home planet, your former unit, your job, your clan name, ship name or species. You'll be Marines first and foremost and wherever you are with the Corps, you'll be home."

The DI watches his slightly stunned charges, and reaches for his cover.

"You have until I get my cover on to be in online for roll call and lights out."

Training Day 7
Range 38 - Camp Pendleton CA
Company Level Field Exercise
2337

The Drill Instructors stalked amongst their units like wraiths in the night, correcting on the finer points of doctrine and new tactics with the NCOs in whispered conversations, relaying new objective points to the same over the platoon and company radio nets and occasionally making life interesting for the troops they were observing. Sergeant Lopez of 2165 was no exception as he came up behind a foxhole with one of his Turians and one of his Quarians in it. While the two seemed to be working well together watching their sectors, there was a tension and unease there that Lopez knew needed a little "fix". He jumped into the hole with them in a flash and manipulated his omni-tool, killing Quarian Fleet marine private Kar'heshen's comm systems and informing him he was a casualty with a private commwhisper. Lopez was pleased to see that the other man in the foxhole was Jaelenius.

"Jaelenius!"

"Yes sir?"

"Your battle buddy just became a casualty! He has two major suit seal failures as well as his actual injuries! The Corpsman might not get here in time, you have five minutes to save his life!"

The young turian looked flustered.

"But sir we haven't gotten training in Quarian first aid!"

"Like that matters in combat, this wounded man is your brother, your family, it doesn't matter what species he is, adapt and overcome and save the life he entrusted you with when he went to battle at your side!"

Jaelenius jumped to the fallen Quarian's side and began to rummage through his trauma kit, injecting a heavy dose of simulated medi gel and looking to get a seal patch.

"Time, too damn slow Jaelenius, he's dead, and given the amount of time it took to patch him up so are you. You'd be flanked and eliminated by the enemy. You say you haven't gotten classes on Quarian first aid eh? Ever consider talking to the man you're sharing a foxhole with? swapping info on how to work together at the very least if you won't want to be super special friends. Think about it while you're sitting around dead waiting for the exercise to end."

"Ahh... yes sir."

Jaelenius's log

I swear Lopez is out to get me. He was telling us about Marine Corps history the other day and mentioned he had something like five relatives in the First Contact War, maybe he hates Turians? I admit... he had a good point about to talking to 'heshen we've been rack mates and in the same fire team for a couple days now and I didn't know anything more then his name. We talked after we got "killed" in the exercise and then some more when we got back to the barracks... he's a pretty cool guy, showed me a picture of his little daughter. She's in one of the life ships in orbit with her mother, already helping out with the agriculture details...

I always thought Quarians were really different then we were... I haven't been off Palavan much so I really haven't met many of the other species till now any way but... maybe we're not so different.