The Drop
Rookie breathes deeply and evenly as hot droplets land on his body. He closes his eyes as he tries to savor this sensation. Being clean is a luxury compared to where he is going.
He gives a quaky sigh as he stops the shower, halting the artificial rain. Yet he stands in the small stall for a few more minutes, allowing the steam to warm his insides. He always gets cold chills whenever they ready to deploy, but this time it's different. This time he will be the one leading the way and the one who his troopers will be relying on. He is no longer part of the squad, he is now the commander the squad.
He thought of all the leaders he served under; Lieutenant Knell, First Sergeant Hall, Master Sergeant Shadwell, and Gunnery Sergeant Buck. They were all good men and women; could he lead like them?
He shakes of the small droplets off his body as if they were the source of his doubts. He steps out of the stall without even checking if the room is clear.
The shower room is bare except for two parallel rows of lockers running alongside the wall, the benches in the middle and the dozen shower stalls fixed within the wall. Rookie does a quick sweep and sees he is the only one occupying the space. Even if there was someone in there with him it wouldn't have bothered him, he, like everyone else in the Corps and Navy, were trained not to get "sentimental" around unclothed people.
With that, he goes over to the locker that is housing his bag and towel but pauses when he reaches it. Leaning against the iron cage is a small black duffle bag; the fabric is being push outward which suggests that there is something rather large lying within.
Curiosity gets the better of Rook as he leans down and unzips it. Within is the black armor and helmet of an ODST Marine. Its dark color is pierced by the grey pattern of the BDU which gives it a light camouflage feature that does its job quite poorly unless it's within an urban center. The helmet is polarized by a light blue color and has a COMM device attached to its side.
Rook stares at the battle set as if they're jewels, and in a way it is for the young officer. Black suit and ties weren't meant for him, he was meant to bear this symbol of the Corps, to be on the frontlines as a Marine.
He opens his locker and removes his towel and clothes. He quickly wipes down his body and places on his garments, a green t-shirt with the UNSC logo on it and black pants. That is when he places his focus on the ODST gear and starts placing it on.
Though it has been a long time, years of practice has him putting on his armor as if it was all instinct. He places on the leg guard, the pads, the gauntlets, gloves and finally the helmet. He walks in front of the nearby mirror and inspects himself.
He is a six foot tall, one hundred percent, patriotic Marine. The ODST that stares back at Rookie looks like the professionals often seen on the posters; a silent killer and expert on fighting. His attire is all black armor saves for the blue faceplate and…something else.
That is when he notices that there is some sort of symbol that has been painted on his arm and turns to inspects it. It is a symbol that is painted in the shape of a bright red shield with a black skull with long fangs staring back. Behind the skull are two double bladed war axes that are crossed behind the skull, making it into an eerie emblem. Decorated around the skull is an array of dark stars, six spread out in the cardinal directions and in between them; giving it an almost sinister appearance. Rook recognizes the image instantly; it is the insignia of one of the ODST Raiders Battalions.
Now Rookie isn't sure whether to be reassured or worried. The Raiders trademark is infiltrating deep into hostile zones. They are made legendary because they show true grit, stubbornness and incredible courage because once they are in they are often cut off from the rest of the military force, which means no support at all.
Rookie is sure after the mission in New Mombasa, he and everyone in Buck's team probably would have been considered Raiders. He knew that they can take on anything, they surely would have made the cut in being Raiders; they were young, patriotic and strong.
But his platoon…he hasn't even met them yet.
The young Marine pups may possibly have energy and stamina, but do they possess the courage and commitment? The older guns, the veterans of the war, they must have potential in order for them to have made it this long, but could their age hinder their ability to fight?
Rookie shakes his head as he stuffs the duffle bag into the locker. Too many questions and not enough answers, he needs to review his platoon and see how well organize they are.
But first he needs to report to the Admiral and see what the Corps has in store for him.
Rila looks over the "Canteen" area once more, but she is still amazed by what she sees.
She is surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of human Marines. They are all of the same specie yet they look so different. They have a variety of fur color, heights, and bodies and, unlike Sangehilos; they are eating side by side each other regardless of their genders. She sees that they are also dressed differently, they are wearing either the same clothing as Rookie, different garments designed for the upper and lower body region, or they are wearing battle armor. There are even some people who doesn't appear to be a part of these Marines, they are wearing a kind of grey coveralls that clings onto their bodies and they aren't wearing any body armor or weapons; she conclude that these humans are a part of the ship's crew.
After sweeping the large hall once more it is then that she realizes that as she studied them, the humans in turn are studying her. They turn away from their foods and slide around their seats until they have a full view of her. Some have expressions of shock, disbelief, confusion, but in most cases, they appear to be filled with hatred.
She gulps nervously and is starting to reconsider her choice when Matthew and Wolfgang joins her. They are both carrying trays of what looks like food, save for Matthew who is holding two trays and hoists one up to her with a small smile on his face.
She nods gratefully and takes the tray, barley even noticing what it is that she has for she is still focused on the hard eyes of the humans. Sensing her discomfort, Matthew gently nudges her and says, "Mind joining us?"
She gulps, but nods again in response. He and Wolfgang share a look before they started walking towards the back of the room, forcing Rila to follow after them. As they move more and more heads turn and a hush seems to fill the room. She grew alarm when she sees a few hands reaching for weapons that are clipped to the human's belts, but aside from hostile looks, none makes a move.
Matthew and Wolfgang finally sit down at a table close to the wall and even closer to an exit. She has only met these Troopers, but she appreciates their quick thinking or Matthew's thinking since he appears to be making all the decisions.
She settles herself opposite of the two males who watches her with interest. She does her best not to appear insulted by this action, she suppose she is the first Sangheili they have ever seen up close, but all the gazing is starting to get to her nerves.
She then examines the meal before her. She has eaten only a few units ago, but she thought it would be rude to decline the Trooper's attempt at making friends. The food is of strange assortment of substances; there appears to be a brown square topped by a white blob that is covered in a greyish substance. A smaller plate holds long green strands and a cup in the corner of the tray houses a black liquid. The sight is enough to make Rila's stomach turn.
Suddenly something sits down next to her and says a strange word, "Privyetiki!"
Rila turns and inspect the person sitting next to her. She sniffs the air and determines that the person next to her is a female. The female seems to be the same height as Rookie, but she has a younger face, bright eyes and long fur that seem to fall down her shoulder. She smiles at Rila before looking at the males across from them and nods in their direction.
Rila wonders if the female spoke in gibberish, but before she could ask, Wolfgang leans forward eagerly and says in turn, "Privyetiki Anya."
The female, Anya, smiles again and starts to converse with Wolfgang who responds in kind in the strange tongue.
Matthew rolls his eyes as he sticks a utensil into his food and mutters, "Russians."
Suddenly Wolfgang turns on Matthew and states aggressively, "My grandparents were Russians, I'm from Mars."
Matthew shakes his head, "I know; that's probably the thousandth time you told me that."
Anya chuckles at them before turning to Rila as she puts an elbow on the table and rests her head on her hand. "So," she says in a strange voice with her wide grin, "I heard you wanted to check our new LT out, is that true?"
Rila tilts her head slightly, unsure what this strange female meant.
Wolfgang coughs and she notices he appears embarrassed as he says, "She, uh…she's asking if you are interested in our new Lieutenant."
Rila is curious by this, but she nods, "Yes I am," she says, "he's a peculiar human worth studying."
Anya suddenly burst out laughing and lowers face into her arms as she tries to regain control of herself while Matthew chuckle with her, leaving Wolfgang as the only with a shock expression on his face.
Finally Anya looks back up and bumps her shoulder against Rila's, "You're alright," she says rather cheerfully, "from the way Azim was talking about you I thought you were a stalker or something."
Rila has no idea what this female is talking about, but she recognize one word so she asks, "Sergeant Azim was talking about me?"
"Sure," Anya says as she bobs her head, "She's sitting over there."
Rila follows the direction of the bobbing head and sure enough at the directed table sits the female Sergeant. Rila shivers when she sees that Azim is looking back with a cold glare while everyone else at her table regards her curiously. The only other face she identifies is Alee West, who nods at her before looking back down and starts eating his food again.
Rila looks returns to her table and sees that Anya and Wolfgang are talking again in their weird language while Matthew returns to eating his food.
Rila looks down at her own meal; she shudders before picking at a small piece of the substance with the odd oval shaped utensil with a handle. She lifts the food up, sniffs and does her best not to gag. Slowly she opens her mandibles and gently eases the gooey substance into her mouth. Her jaws then grab hold of the food and push it down her throat.
Rila doubles over and does her best to swallow; the foul food is definitely not meat. Everyone at the table gives a small laugh as they watch her as they easily dig into their own meals with ease.
Rila is sure they didn't mean to sound cruel, but she couldn't help but lower her head, feeling more and more separate from the group.
She is distracted from her thoughts when someone else joins them.
"Finally," the person said in the rough voice of a male, "someone who agrees with me when I say our chow is crap."
Once again the Sangheili turns to see who has joined their small group.
As she already determine it is a male and she couldn't help but marvel at him. He is surely taller than she is, has no fur on his head, a dark complexion and a scowl on his face which, for once, isn't directed at her.
He regards her carefully before asking, "You don't like this stuff either do you?" referring to the food on her plate.
Rila feels herself become weary before slowly nodding in reply. He nods in agreement as he says, "Same here, awful stuff this is, I much prefer MRE rather this crap."
Wolfgang pauses in his eating as he looks up and says, "At least this 'crap' is warm, MREs are stone cold."
The male grunt before looking at Rila and nods again, "I'm Scott, Scott Wiley."
She nods in return, "Rila Sa'u."
"Mind me asking what it is you're doing here?" Scott asks as he pulls a rectangular object from his pocket, which he unfolds, revealing a rectangular brown bar which he slowly begins to eat.
Before Rila could respond, Matthew speaks for her, "She's our new Lieutenant's bodyguard."
This causes Scott to look up, "What? Our LT needs a bodyguard?"
Rila thinks for a moment before speaking, "Well, he's an experienced warrior, but he saved the Arbiter," she explains carefully, "In return for his actions, the Arbiter has ordered me to be his bodyguard, for life."
The table is silent before Anya bumps into Rila's shoulder again, "Well that must be great for you, especially if you're sneaking peeks at his body."
Rila feels herself grow warm as everyone laugh at this. She doesn't know what it is, but this laughter sounds different then the one before, they weren't laughing at her, more like they were laughing with her at her own honest mistake so she allows a smile to break out on her expression.
"So what about you," Matthew suddenly asks, "Have you seen much combat?"
Rila suddenly becomes shy again as she shakes her head in negative responds.
"Well that's a surprise," Anya says as she nudges the Sangheili again as if it's some sort of nervous twitch she suddenly developed, "from the way I hear it, Sangheilis are naturally born fighters."
Rila thinks for a moment before saying, "Indeed, but since we became allies with your race and the Covenant hasn't appeared on Sangehilos, hardly anyone is tested by conflict."
"Are you scared," Wolfgang suddenly asks in a dead serious voice as he eyes Rila strangely.
She regards the human before answering, "I'm nervous, but no, I'm not scared, I'm eager to embrace battle."
The humans all stare at her as if she has done something rash and she starts to wonder whether she said something wrong.
"So you never been in combat?" a new voice asks from behind.
Rila looks around and sees it is Sergeant Azim who is still glaring at her. She wonders what it is she has done wrong to cause this human to dislike her so much, but she is sure they are the same reasons as those the other scowling humans are carrying.
Rila nods her head in confirmation, "Yes," she says gently, "I've never been in battle before."
"Then you don't belong here," Azim says fiercely as she steps forward with complete malice in her voice, "We don't need you, a suicidal split lip throwing us all off our game," her eyes narrow as she continues, "I've seen your kind, you're willing to put your whole squad in jeopardy just so that you can win yourself one ounce of glory that won't mean crap to anyone."
Rila is stun by this accusation, she would have argued, but she stares transfixed by this female. She is surprised, not because the human is saying this, but because she is saying it with complete and absolute conviction.
Azim leans forward as she continues, "This is Raider squad Epsilon, we are supposed to be the best of the best and that is what we are, we don't need the likes of you joining us, not some half-wit who has never experienced battle or what it means to kill," her eyes bore into Rila as she finishes, "This is a platoon for real warriors, something that you're not and clearly will never be."
With the initial shock over, Rila now feels the rage starting to take over, but before she could unleash it, somebody steps in between the two females.
"Enough," Alee says as he looks between the Sergeant and Rila, "You're talking about warriors when you're acting like little kids."
Azim glowers at him, "But West-"
"That's Staff Sergeant West to you Sergeant," Alee suddenly said as he turns to her, "and may I remind you that you haven't experienced combat either, so who are you to start throwing around accusations?"
Azim is fuming, but she does not say a word.
Alee then looks around and that's when Rila realizes that everyone on the Canteen has stopped talking and are now all watching her.
"That goes for the rest of you," Alee commands, "In the Raiders Battalion we judge ourselves by skill, not by how many engagements we have been in" he scans the tables before saying, "We're all in the same boat together, I don't want any mindless morons causing leaks in it simply because they can't keep their personal drama out of it, is that clear?"
Marines and Navy bobs their head, but their hard stares never waver. One by one, people turn their backs and returns back to their trays.
Alee then looks at Azim and demands, "Anything else you wish to say Sergeant?"
Azim seethes but mutters, "No…sir."
"Then fall out," he commands in a hard voice.
Azim holds her ground for a few more moments before turning and marches back to her table and sits down, casting a grimace at anyone who looks her way.
Alee shakes his head before turning away as well and walks after her, but this time he sits on the far corner of the table.
Rila looks down at the floor as Azim's words float through her mind. Is she worthy? Why is it that she would not be considered a real warrior? Has she made a mistake in coming here?
She stares at her clawed hands and for the first time in her life, she regrets being a Sangheili. She just wants to belong, she wants to get along with these people, but that seems impossible for they all hate her just for being. How can she befriend these people?
She feels her shoulder being poked and looks up to see Anya giving her a kind smile as she says, "You know, I've never been in battle before, yet here I am," she then gestures at a strange emblem that is patched to her shoulder on her shirt.
"Same here," Wolfgang voices in, "this will be my first combat drop."
Rila then turns to Scott, they lock eyes and he shrugs his broad shoulders, "I've only gotten into one scrape once, it was so short I'm sure it wouldn't be considered a fight."
Finally she looks to Matthew, who old weary eyes answers her silent question before he spoke, "I've seen one too many engagements, but I'm ready for the next bout."
Anya than places her hand on Rila's shoulder, "Don't worry about it Rila," she says softly, "by the end of the week, we're all be warriors."
"Yeah," Scott says, "and in thanks we're receive more crappy food than we can ever imagine-"
"Oh would you give it a rest with the food already," Wolfgang suddenly blurts out.
Rila chuckles at this, but she suddenly feels better. She looks at each person at the table, they might not have fully accepted her, but it's a start.
Then she flinches when she hears a loud piercing whistle sound throughout the ship. It strikes her hearing hard and causing her senses to ring; she feels like clamping her hands on the side of her head when the sound ceases as a loud voice suddenly barks, "All Troopers report to designated launching area; all Troopers report to designated launch area." There is a click and all is silent.
The room is completely still for a moment before all the Marines jump to their feet and races for the exit. Everyone at Rila's table remains seated however.
"Launch area?" Wolfgang finally asks nervously, "We can't be there already can we?"
Matthew checks his watch, "We might be going to a different battlefield or there's been a change of plans," he then stands and stretches, his old limbs releasing loud cracks in protest, "either way, we're going."
Rila looks at them one more time before asking rather timidly, "Where should I go?" No one has ever talks to her about a "designated" launch area.
Scott shrugs as he stands up, "Well you're second platoon's LT's bodyguard, so I guess you'll come with us."
Anya slaps the armor on Rila's back as she happily declares, "Welcome to the Orbital Drop Shock Raiders," as she displays the symbol on her arm again.
The sight of a black skull against a crimson red setting suddenly makes Rila feel sickly.
Rookie walks around on the podium as he reviews his speech.
He isn't happy about the arrangements, but when the Corps makes the decision he has to follow them, even if he is an officer now.
He looks up at the small circular terminal before him and runs a quick diagnostic. The preloaded holographic map is there at the ready, he just needs to press the button and it'll appear.
He inhales deeply in nervousness, barley acknowledging the smell of grease and oil. The launching room he is in is huge, as it's meant to be. There's enough space for the troopers to walk around, a miniature armory in the side of the wall and the SOEIV pods on the opposite wall.
Rookie looks up briefly and gives them all a rundown. The drop pods are all line up in a neat room, exactly forty eight miniature insertion vehicles for forty eight Marines. He then notices that at the front is a modified pod, built larger than the others. He guesses that one is for Rila, the Ambassador must have called ahead and inform the ship of their Sangheili guest.
The hatch is open on all of them, offering a view of the single seat within, the handlebars on the side and the small computer for communications. They are tinted pitch black except for the ODST logo which displays a skull with angel wings before the outline of a miniature pod behind it. Rook notices that somebody has quickly etched on the Raider's coat of arms directly above the ODST logo.
He stares at the skull and hopes that everyone will make it. The SOEIV's are what makes the shock Troopers so well known; it's their signature mark to crash onto a planet within a burning metal box, ready to fight. However what most people don't know is that the pods offer disadvantages as well. A Trooper could get stuck inside, they could drown if the pod lands in a body of water, they could break every bone in their body upon crashing or, in most cases, they get cooked while they enter a planet's atmosphere. The SOEIVs are ODSTs life and joy, but it is also their casket as well.
Rookie knows the greatest way to show his commitment to Earth is by stepping into a SOEIV. Only the strong, the brave, or the crazy, would be willing to step into a pod. This just goes to show how tough a Trooper is, by standing on the line before death itself.
The sound of a door being slid open brings him out of his thinking and he turns to look at the Platoon; his platoon.
The men and women that stroll in practically display all the cultures of Earth. Some are wearing civilian clothes, while others are wearing their black armor set. He notices that they are all a mix, there are the jokers, the serious faces, the mild, the tough and the people who have good poker faces. Their ages mingle with one another, but the one thing he notices is that most of them are young; leaving only a few older generation soldiers out. If he has to guess, the youngest appears to be eighteen, maybe even seventeen while the oldest seems to be approaching fifty. They all file in and mill around like lost sheep before a small number of people sorts them out, when he spots West among the group, Rook guess that these people are his NCOs (Non-Commission Officers).
He then sees Rila who is position in the back of the group. Despite her miniature size, she actually stands well above average human height. Save for one guy who is almost the same length as her, the very same one who is holding her attention. That is when he notices that she is enfolded within a small group of Troopers, he identifies Wolfgang and Matthew, but there is now another woman and the tall guy as well. He hopes that they aren't bothering her, but he assumes from her smiling face that she is doing alright.
He waits a couple more of minutes before the Troopers are spread out and they now have their focus on him.
Rook gulps, but other than that he doesn't move an inch. He can't show his platoon that he is nervous. As their CO he is to be their pillar of strength, their voice of reason in a sea of chaos. He has to earn their respect while also being able to draw the line, be protective of them yet accepting should their time come. The responsibility of being a leader is a hard and treacherous life, he has to keep the men's best interest first whenever possible, but in the end it all boils down to serving the UNSC. He needs to lead them, to serve them as a leader, only then will they truly follow, not because they have to, but because they want to.
He gives the group one last sweep, meeting some of their eyes before moving on. However his eye gets caught when they land on Rila. Her slit eyes came out as a shock from the ocean of round pupils, they hold their brief connection for a few moments, in which time she smile at him. He couldn't return the show of affection without starting rumors of favoritism, but something goads him forward and he nods in her direction before putting his focus back on the group before him.
He breathes before speaking in a loud voice, "Morning Raiders."
The group stands up straight and bellows back, "Morning sir."
Rook waits for a few moments before stating, "I'm your new and first Lieutenant, you may address me by rank or by the name Rookie or Rook."
He sees the Marines looking at each other in confusion, but he pays them no mind as he continues, "We are a newly formed platoon, but we are part of the Raiders, which means we are seen as some of the best that the UNSC has to offer." The Troopers nod in agreement and the younger Marines looks ecstatic at the praise, "keep that in mind," he continues, "you are the best train Marines in the whole galaxy, it's time we show the world that."
He steps to the side of the platform and clicks on the holographic projector. The light beams are activated and points to the center of the holo-tank. The Emblem of the United Nation Space Command appears first in bright blue light, an Eagle with spread wings with the acronyms UNSC displayed and their meaning beneath them. The symbol flashes away and a sphere takes it place, within seconds lines, dots and blobs digitally appears, slowing constructing an image of a miniature Earth.
"I'm sure you are all aware of what is happening in the northern hemisphere, but here are the cold stone facts." The image zooms in until it shows the upper portion of Earth where eighteen Covenant ships are floating. "The Covenant lacks the power and energy to glass Earth," Rookie explains, "however, they have more than enough troops to destroy it though," here the holographic ships release smaller vessels which descends and divert in different directions as they land on the planet. "As far as we know, the cities of Juno, Moscow, and Nuuk has been completely destroyed." Here great flames are shown, so great that they appear from space as the mega wide metropolises burn. Rook sees more than one angered face, this may be cruel, but now the troopers are getting motivated.
Rook clicks a few more buttons and the image retreats further south, as it does so, Rook continues speaking.
"Our original plan was to get dropped into the city of New York, but that changed."
Finally the holographic image pauses over an urban center that covers miles upon miles of land.
"We are, instead, going to be deployed to Grand Rapids, North America."
Here some Marines begin to whisper among themselves, and not for the first time does Rookie wonder if any of them are from the area or have relatives living in the city.
Rook waits for a moment before continuing, "Grand Rapids officially became a part of Chicago during the grand expansion period, but this portion has always remained so named because it is built alongside the Grand River." As if to agree with him, the hologram highlights the blue wavy line that snakes through the center of the city.
"Here's what's happening people," Rook says, "The Covenant is engaged with the Navy in the upper atmosphere, but this doesn't stop them from sending down enemy combatants." The image changes to one full of smoke and fire while antiaircraft weapons fire sparks and plasma into the air.
"This is the fifth day since the Covenant entered this portion of Chicago, we have them detain, but unless we do something real quick they're going to break through our defenses, storm through the rest of the metropolis and farther down into the South, ending many more lives."
The Lieutenant lets his words hand suspended in the air for a moment before saying what they are waiting for him to say, "This is what we're going to do."
The hologram closes in on one area close to the river, with skyscrapers place on either side of it.
"The UNSC infantry was able to halt the siege and form a defensive line, with Covies on one side of the river," the land on the right turns red, "and our forces holds the other side," the said section is lighten in a blue hue.
"Command wants us Raiders to become security guards more or less" Rook gestures at one of the skyscrapers that is in the middle of the screen, "and this will be our outpost, Outpost Phoenix."
The building is a large structure whose windows have been tinted black, it still stands tall and seems to have obtained little damage, except for the huge gaping hole in between the fifteenth and seventy second floor, other than that, the one hundred fifty floor skyscraper is unscratched. Another thing that is standing is a massive sign on the front with the fainted letters, "Amway Grand Plaza Hotel" hanging from the second floor.
"We're going to occupy, fortify and eventually repel any Covenant forces," here the scene shifts further down until it is at the river. Blue dots light one side where miniature figures and Scorpion tanks are shown while the other shows a mass red signal.
"The 67th Infantry and the 501st Armor Division have been fighting the Covenant since the first day," Rook explains, "Command wants us to reinforce them, both in number and power. This is going to be prolonged deployment," he looks up at the crowd, "which means we may be here for a while, so make sure you have plenty of ammo and MREs, it wouldn't hurt to take an extra weapon as well." He pauses before asking "any questions?"
There is a second of silence before a voice from somewhere within the Platoon asks, "Sir, what are we waiting for? I mean what are we holding the line for?"
"We are waiting for the Sangheili fleet to join us," Rook answers, "with our combine fire power we'll have more than enough force to wipe out the Covies, both in the air and on the ground."
When the Lieutenant becomes silent, another one asks, "When will the Sangheili get here sir?"
Rook shrugs, "Unknown, hopefully by the end of the week."
Another question immediately follows next, "Sir, we're Raiders," among the Troopers people nod in agreement and swell with pride, "so why don't we attack the enemy directly?"
Because you're green, Rook wanted to admit, but instead he says, "We don't have the means to go on the offense, we barely have enough weapons and ammunition to put up a defense as it is, so if you want to lead a charge you have to do it with your bare hands."
Again quiet before a familiar voice asks, "Do we have to deploy with the Sangheili sir?" This question caught the most interest and almost out of reflex, everyone turns their heads to peer at Rila, who answers this by keeping her eyes on Rook and trying her best to ignore them.
Rookie releases a small sigh, "Rila Sa'u is a fellow warrior and an ally Sergeant Azim," he says patiently, "she'll be dropping with us and she will fight alongside us."
"But sir-"
"Is this going to be a problem Sergeant?" Rook suddenly demands and begins scanning the room looking for the Sergeant in question. When he found her she has her eyes lowered and not meeting his gaze.
"Is it Sergeant?" he asks again.
A heartbeat later she mutters loud enough for all of them to hear, "No sir."
Rook nods before looking up, "If any of you have a problem, then speak up now and I'll have you transfer to another unit." The Marines look among themselves, their eyes silently asking one another the same question until a few seconds of silence has finally past.
"No problems?" Rook asks. A few Troopers nod their heads while a few mutter confirmation.
"If there is any, then suck it up," Rook orders, "You're Marines, so don't come crying to me if life is too unfair for you."
The Trooper says nothing, as if they really didn't know what to say.
Rook checks his watch before informing them, "I know it's rushed, but we're dropping in fifteen minutes," he sees some of the younger faces looking worried so he says, "you know the drill, no personal belongings, bring warm BCUs for the wet climate and gear up."
The Platoon stands there for another a moment before Rookie says, "now."
That did it. The NCOs turn on their heels and starts barking, "Alright, everybody, fall out, you heard the L.T! Let's get moving!"
Rila stands in the back as she watches her comrades get ready for battle.
There are metal containers on the wall, it is from there that most of the humans pull out their armor and weapons. She watches in fascination as Anya puts on her black metal attire. She observes Wolfgang as he takes his weapon apart, cleans it and starts reassembling it. She gazes at Matthew as he opens a box on his hip and places in vials, long sheets of white clothing and a bottle with a nuzzle within. Scott meanwhile is packing a bag full of clothing material; some were lace with a fur while the others are colored in a grey and black pattern. She is aware she is the only one not performing any duties so she sits on a nearby long chair, a bench she reminds herself, while her...friends she suppose, finish preparing themselves.
Finally, Scott says, "So that's our new Lieutenant huh." He says this more as a statement rather than a question.
Wolfgang pauses in his work to say, "I like him, he looks like he knows what he's doing."
"Got that right," Matthew injects, "Especially with the way he handled Azim, he drew the line and earned at least some respect from the men."
Rila thinks about that statement before asking hesitantly, "Does that bother you?" The humans' pauses with what they are doing as they look at Rila questionably. She swallows before asking, "does it bother you…working with me?"
The four humans look among themselves before Anya says, "Konechno, net, it'll be different, but I'm for one am not bothered."
Wolfgang and Scott shake their heads while Matthew just gives Rila a friendly smile.
This small acceptance however doesn't make Rila feel better. She cranes her head over her shoulder, and sure enough, at least three Troopers were staring at her before they quickly look away. She knows these humans are now her comrades, but what about the rest of this…platoon?
Scott drops the bag he packed on the floor before picking up another one and starts packing things into it as well while saying, "I don't know."
Rila looks at him and wonders if they are still talking about her.
Scott notices her questionable look and says, "Not you Rila, I mean I don't know what to think about the Lieutenant."
Rila wonders for a moment before saying, "Well he's been in combat before so I suppose he has experience."
Anya shrugs, "I guess we'll all find out when we're all on the ground together."
"No," Scott says, "What I'm trying to get at is how do we know he isn't a glory hound or something. How do we know we can trust him?"
Rila gives him a worried glance before asking in a small voice, "Is it wise to be speaking about your leader like this?"
Matthew laughs, "Just as long as you don't get caught."
"I'm serious," Scott insists, "We are entrusting our lives into the hands of a guy who just came back to the Corps. How do we know if he still got it? How we know he's a good leader? How do we know if he hadn't gotten soft over time?"
"Something tells me he hasn't gotten soft," Matthew says suddenly serious, "I heard it in his voice, and he's as ready for combat as the rest of us are."
Scott scoffs at this, "Matt we don't even know his name, how can we rely on someone who won't tell us his own name?"
Rila tilts her head at this, "He told you his name," she says rather defensively, "His name is Rookie."
Again the small group pf humans give her a strange look. She hates it when this happens; it makes her feel like a youngling who is just now discovering the workings of the world.
"Uh, Rila," Wolfgang finally voices, "Rookie isn't a name, it's a term we use for new people, like us," he gestures at himself, "We're Rookies because we're new and never experience combat…so I guess that makes you a Rookie as well."
Rila stares at him as she feels her intestines tighten. Rookie had lied to her. She shakes her head. No, Rookie isn't his name…so what is it? And why doesn't he tell her? She doesn't know why, but she suddenly feels betrayed.
Almost as one, the small group turns their heads and look towards the podium. There is their Lieutenant as he checks his weapons, a rifle and submachine gun before placing on his helmet, oblivious of the searching eyes that are upon him.
Matthew holds up his hands as if to calm their minds, "Now wait a minute," he says slowly and carefully, "there are a lot of people with odd names. Maybe Rookie is his nickname or something."
"At least people with nicknames tell you their real names though," Wolfgang points out.
"Who knows," Anya says with a sly grin, "Maybe his name really is Rookie."
Scott rolls his eyes, "Chances of that are pretty low, not unless his name is Rook, like the bird, that would make sense."
"Why don't you just ask him," Rila finally asks, though, even in her own mind, she can hear the almost pleading sound in her voice.
Scott shakes his head, "I ain't asking," he then looks at Rila, "Why don't you do it? You're his body guard, isn't he your best buddy?"
Rila slowly shakes her head, "I thought we were," she partially whispers. But she stands up and starts walking in the direction of their leader.
She is barely out of earshot when she hears Scott says, "He probably doesn't even drink."
With the delicacy of a mother, Rookie inspects the weapons before him.
The first one he loathes yet loves at the same time. It's the modified version of the M7 Submachine Gun. A small gun specifically designed for close quarters, it packs a powerful punch along with its sixty round magazine. He has outfitted it with a silencer and a smart uplink scope so it'll be easier for him to view objects from afar. With this little weapon he can kill enemy combatants in one room without alerting any of their comrades in the next room. This SMG is strong and silent as Dutch would say, however it has its drawbacks. It takes nearly an entire magazine just to destroy a Brute's shield and it's nothing to boast about if range is needed.
With that Rookie shoulders the SMG before turning his attention to the rifle being held in his other hand. It is a DMR, a Designated Marksman Rifle, the crack shots favorite gun. It can be used in close quarters and long range engagement. It doesn't take a lot of shots to bring down a shielded enemy and the enemy himself as well. It is fitted with a 2X scope, multiple firing modes and it never jams. The design isn't seen often anymore since the UNSC has switched to using the new BR55 rifle, which only fires three round bursts, a feature that Rookie isn't fond of, which is why he is practically jumping with joy when he found this rifle.
He hears timid footsteps behind him and someone saying shyly, "Rookie?"
Rook holds the rifle in one hand as he turns and isn't really that surprised to see Rila.
However what did surprise him is that she isn't looking at him in the eye nor does she seem too happy at the moment.
He regards her for a moment before asking, "Yes Rila?"
She is silent for a moment before looking up at him and asks, "Why didn't you tell me your name?"
Rookie just froze on the spot. Of all the questions he expected her to ask, this wasn't one of them.
He thinks for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell her delicately, until finally he just says, "People call me Rookie all the time, so I just live with it."
She steps forward, "but you didn't tell me this was a title…do you not trust me?"
The sound of her delicate tone suddenly struck at Rook's core. He doesn't know what is causing him to react like this, so he just says, "I do trust you Rila, I really do."
Then, for the time, he hears her growl, a sound that he is all too familiar with on the battlefield. It took all of his restraint not to tense or show any signs of alarm.
"Then why would you not tell me your name?" she demands, "I told you mine."
Rook breathes deeply before answering, "Rila…we both come from different backgrounds, for you a name is a common thing, one that you share frequently with others, but for me…" he looks into her eyes, silently pleading for understanding, "Rila…I've lost everything that was dear to me, my family, my home, my friends, my name is the only thing that I have left and…"
He just sighs and shakes his head, "I don't know, I just…I don't like telling people about myself or giving anything away," he looks up at her, "I do trust you, but for now…can you just call me Rookie?"
Rila still doesn't seem satisfied but she hisses, "As you wish…Rookie."
With that she turns around and stalks back to the small group of troopers in the back, leaving Rookie on the podium as he sighs. Rila doesn't have a temper, but when she gets mad…well it looks like he just saw a small peak of the raging inferno she could become. He wonders if all Sangheili are like that.
Staff Sergeant West appears out of nowhere and steps up next to Rookie with a grin, "having trouble with your girlfriend sir?"
He turns to the Sergeant, but before he could say anything all the lights shut simultaneously off with a thud that causes the whole level to shudder.
Everyone freezes with what they are doing, all waiting to see what happens next. Suddenly the emergency lights spins up to full power and red light fills the room.
The PA system switches on and Rookie recognizes the voice of Captain Xeroxes.
"Attention ODSTs," booms a deep voice, "We ran into a little problem so we're deploying you now."
Rookie checks their position. They are close to their Rapid City…more or less. The interior of the ship suddenly groans and it shudders again. Something really is off.
He looks back to the platoon who seems just as confused as he is.
"West," Rookie says as he turns to him, "get the other NCOs and get the Troopers into the pods now."
"Copy sir," West says obediently, all traces of his previous humor is now gone as he turns and sprints off the podium and into the crowd of soldiers.
Rookie does one last check on things when a thought enters his mind.
He quickly makes his way through the crowd heading to the back. It isn't long before he sees his guard and he calls out to her, "Rila!"
She turns at the sound of his voice and makes her way towards him. He gestures for her to follow and together they head to the pods. As they move Rookie notices that the chaos is slowly changing as the Sergeants calm their soldiers and gently guides them in their duties as they are directed to their selected pods. The more experience Troopers already have their weapons and gear squared away, but the more green Marines were having difficulties. He needs to do a quick check with his men to make sure that they are all set for the upcoming drop.
Finally they reached the costumed built SOEIV. He turns to her and asks, "Give me your weapon."
"My weapon?" she asks confusingly.
Rook nods in confirmation right when the ship shook again. He's starting to have a sinking suspicion that he knows what's happening.
Rila holds her plasma rifle out to him without aggression; she appears to have pushed her agitation aside for now. Rook takes the gun carefully, unsure if it even has a safety, and turns to the pod. On the right side are two slots where a weapon can slide in, he wonders if it can hold non-human weaponry as well. His question is answered when he gently pushes the gun in and snaps into place. He tugs at it but is satisfies when it doesn't budge an inch.
He turns back to Rila and with a near formal sweep of his hand, gestures for her to enter. She is hesitant as she gazes at the pod; the insecurity in her eyes says it all.
Rookie restrains his growl of frustration as he walks up to her and says, "It's alright Rila, humans do it all the time, I'm sure you will be fine."
She still looks uncertain. Rookie isn't sure what makes him do it, but he suddenly reaches out and takes Rila's hand into his own. She appears startle by this, and Rook is sure he looks just as shock but thankfully the helmet hides his expression.
"It'll be alright," Rookie mutters softly, "I'll see you on the ground when we land, alright?"
She breathes softly before nodding in acceptance. She takes her hand back, but he notices she did it slowly as she walks forward. She inspects the pod with a critical eye and even smells it before eventually sitting inside it. It appears to be a bit snug with her having to lower her head slightly, but at the moment Rookie is just happy to see that she fits.
He walks up and inserts his head into the pod and starts to point out the different machinery and functions.
"These are the handle bars," he points at the horizontal steel cylinders close to her hands, he is slightly surprise how large these ones are, looks like it was made for Sangheilis, "you hang onto them when the trip gets bumpy…and it will get bumpy."
Rila nods as she places her hands on the devices, getting a feel for them.
"These monitors will allow us to communicate with one another," he continues, "and do you see these red buttons?" he gestures at the five crimson dots that are on either side of the door opening, "if the door gets stuck all you have to do is press them all down and it'll cause a small explosion to occur that'll help get you out, got it?"
Throughout the whole tutorial Rila has remain silent and just been nodding, so Rook steps out of his comfort zone again and rest a hand on her shoulder, "you alright?"
She finally looks at him and says, "I'm just…"
"Scared?"
She hisses and stares at him with hard eyes, "I do not get scared Rookie."
Rook tilts his head, "Rila, it's alright to feel afraid," he gestures at the people around them, ""Everybody here is scared, even I'm scared," he admits, "having emotion is just showing people that you have feelings you know."
She looks away and simply says, "Maybe…"
Rook sighs explosively, he hopes Rila's Sangheili proud won't cause any trouble.
"Just wait for a moment," Rook says, "when everyone's in their pods, then we'll seal the hatches and we'll be on our way."
Rila nods in understanding, her hands clutching the handles tightly.
Rook merely shakes his head before walking down the line of pods. Most of the Platoon is all set to move, but some of the newer people still needed help. He has to help one trooper fit her SAW machine gun into her pod, help squeeze in gear and basically find a way to talk young and scared "rooks" to enter their pods. Occasionally he would run into a unique problem though.
"Reiter," Rook says, causing the young Wolfgang to become paralyzed with fear before Rook simply reaches into his SOEIV, "never leave a clip in your weapon as you drop," he instructs as he pops out the rifle's magazine, "even if it's on safety, the constant shaking could cause a bullet to go off."
"Yes sir," the young Corporal says with his eyes downcast. Rook nods to him is about to walk away when the Marine says, "sir."
Rook turns back to Wolfgang, "yes Trooper?"
The young kid is quiet before looking up and asks embarrassingly, "do you have a mouth piece sir?"
Rookie is silent for a heartbeat before saying, "What?"
Wolfgang offers a shrug, "back in boot I almost bit my tongue off when we practiced dropping in by pod, so the instructor told me to make sure I have a mouth piece and…well I lost mine…" he trails off as he looks away.
Rookie wonders what to say, he doesn't have a mouth piece, but then he sees that Wolfgang is still holding the magazine and he holds his hand out, "let me see that."
Obediently the young Marine gives Rook the clip. Without missing a beat, Rook pops out a single bullet and looks at the Trooper, "open your mouth."
Wolfgang appears confused but he obeys and opens his jaws. Rookie then places the bullet in between the astonished Trooper's teeth, "see if that works," Rookie says seriously before continuing walking down the line.
Finally he reaches the end and nods in satisfaction; the platoon is ready. All shock troopers are set to drop, all except for him and one other Marine who rushes up to him.
"Sir," West says, "The Raiders are all set and ready to drop."
Rook releases a held in breath and nods. He's so nervous that he feels rivers of sweat already pouring down, but he doesn't show it. Instead he slaps the Staff Sergeant's shoulder and says, "Very good Sergeant."
He then gestures to the final two pods, "Then let's get going."
Alee gives Rook a grin before placing his helmet over his head. He then turns his blue visor to Rook and says, "Copy that Lieutenant."
AN: with school back on and my other stories, I'm sorry to inform you that updates will be slower; I hope you can understand and be patient. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.