Drop

"Sir, what can you tell our viewers about what's it like to do a drop?" Private Robert Higgins asked Sergeant Jehal. Jehal was a Finno-Turk from Iskander around Proxima - a swarthy little man who looked like a clerk. Make no mistake, though. He was not someone to be trifled with. Higgins had seen him tackle two berserk privates so big he had to reach up to grab them, cracked their heads together, and step away as they fell. Off duty he wasn't bad - for a sergeant - and if you had done at least one drop, you could call him by his nickname, 'Jelly', to his face. However this wasn't off duty.

Jehal turned to Higgins and answered gruffly, "What have I told you about doing interviews on duty? The Lieutenant doesn't like it."

"Sorry, sir," Higgins replied. This was only his second sortie with the Roughnecks, but he had learned quickly how they worked. Sergeant Jehal could say something in his own person and it might, just might, be up to further argumentation. Not so with the Lieutenant. His was the divine Word and to be obeyed without question.

As Jehal moved past him, Higgins heard Private Juan Rico say to him, "Hey, Higgins. If you want to tell your viewers what a drop is like, why don't you tell them yourself? You've done one yourself, haven't you?"

Juan Rico, was the gung-ho member of the platoon. He had a big brother attitude to the rest of his fellow troopers, especially to the newbies, which in this case included Higgins.

The Fednet Correspondent smiled weakly, "Yeah, but it wouldn't have the same dramatic effect. Besides, until I figure out how to use my camera in a drop pod, I'm stuck with interviews."

"Don't let it get to you. All you have to do is catch Sarge off duty and he'd be more than happy to give you one."

"That reminds me, when does he consider himself off duty?"

"When we're dirtside. Don't worry though, we're due for R&R on Sanctuary soon. Besides why bother with interviews now? Remember, no publicity on this mission?"

Higgins was about to answer when he and Rico heard Jehal saying something. They turned to see him chewing out Private Al Jenkins, "I said fall out! You're not making a drop with a two degree fever!"

"But, Sarge, the surgeon said that I can manage!"

"'But, Sarge!' " Jehal snapped, "The surgeon ain't making no drop. All I care about is what Doc thinks. Doc," Jehal asked Private Richard 'Doc' LaCroix, the platoon field medic, "did you clear Jenkins?"

Doc replied, "No sir. I haven't checked him yet."

"Thought so. Don't bother checking him now, though. Too late for that."

Jenkins protested, "But, Sarge, no one told me that Doc had to clear me!"

Jehal retorted, "Private, do you think I have time to chat with you before a drop? Fall out!"

Jenkins did as he was ordered and sulked out of the drop bay. Jehal continued his inspection of the platoon. When he finished, he stepped in front of everyone and growled, "What a miserable bunch of apes. I wonder how the Lieutenant puts up with you all. Anyway, he'll be here any time now, so look sharp!"

As if on cue, Lieutenant Rasczak arrived. He looked up and down the platoon and asked Jehal, "Where's Jenkins?"

"I ordered him to fall out, sir. Two degree fever."

Rasczak accepted that explanation and turned his attention back to his Roughnecks, "All right, apes, you all are supposed to know the plan, but just in case some of you dim-wits forgot, I'll reiterate: we'll be dropped a mile north of the objective. When you hit, head for my beacon and we will then make our way to the objective. Gossard and Doc will flank in the marauders. We will conduct search and rescue for any survivors and secure any hazardous material. Law's Lancers will do the same from the south. The K-9 Corps will do continual sweeps around us to ensure no bugs catch us by surprise. But as we all know, that is no guarantee, so keep your eyes open. Do you get me Roughnecks?"

The platoon answered in unison: "Sir, we get you, sir!"

"Good. Now as soon as Mr. Coles arrives, we'll be on our way," said Rasczak and then he and Jehal stepped aside and started talking out of earshot of the platoon.

Higgins asked Rico, "Speaking of Coles, do you know anything about that fellow?"

Rico replied, "Not really, but the name does sound familiar. Not that I'm surprised. My father often did business with the Weyland Yantani Corporation so it's quite possible Coles was acquainted with him."

At that moment Nestor Coles, fitted in a suit of power armor, entered the drop bay. He walked up to Rasczak and said to him, "I apologize for my tardiness, Lieutenant. I had some things to organize."

Rasczak answered flatly, "Apology accepted. We're short a man, so I want you to pick up the slack there. You'll be using drop capsule 5. You'll be in Sergeant Johnson's section and in Corporal's Greene's squad. Understood?"

"Completely, Lieutenant."

"Good," Rasczak replied, and then turned to the rest of the platoon, "O.K, people, let's get rolling. Five minutes for the Padre."

Some of the Roughnecks broke rank, went over and knelt in front of Section Sergeant Migiliaccio. It didn't matter of what creed one was, whoever wanted a word with the Padre, could do so. He'd bless any of them.

Higgins, in the meanwhile, was recording all this on his video camera. He glanced at Rico and saw that he was shaking. He was doing an awfully good job of hiding it and Higgins had barely noticed it but it was there however subtle it was. Then he realized that Rico had had the shakes the last drop too. Higgins pretended he didn't notice but it certainly made him feel better that he wasn't the only one scared of making drops. The only way he was able to keep himself from shaking too was to focus on his filming which unfortunately was impossible while in the capsule.

Rasczak called out, "Tenn...shut!" and the Roughnecks snapped to.

Jehal yelled, "Platoon!"

Migiliaccio and Johnson echoed, "Section!"

"By section-port and starboard-prepare to drop!"

"Section! Man your capsules! Move!"

"Squad!" came the call from Red Greene when it was his squad's turn to enter the firing tube. Higgins entered into his capsule. Rasczak checked each trooper as they were sealed in. When the top closed over Higgins, he, with the loss of his filming ability, was no longer able to contain his shaking. Then he heard Rasczak's voice in his earphones, "Bridge! Roughnecks ready to drop!"

"Seventeen seconds, Lieutenant. Good luck, troopers." came Captain Deladrier's cheerfully contralto reply.

"Thanks, Captain."

"Brace yourselves! Five seconds."

As the Rodger Young braked, Higgins' shaking stopped as he was too concerned with the slamming force of eight gees. Higgins could then hear the capsules being ejected from the ship, a bump! every second. Then came the clang! of his capsule slamming into the firing chamber and then the WHAMBO! of the explosion shooting the capsule out of the ship.

Then came the silent, pressure less, and weightless free fall. As Higgins entered the atmosphere, he could feel his weight return as he reached terminal velocity. The outer shell sloughed off and things got rougher as the turbulence brakes on the second shell kicked in and eventually burned away with the second shell. The first chute opened with the third shell. It broke away and was replaced with the second chute which lasted longer. After the third chute broke away, the third shell peeled apart. After getting a proximity reading for his landing, Higgins flipped a switch and the fourth and final shell exploded away from him. Now all that was between him and the atmosphere was his power armor and he was finally able to see the planet he was going to set foot on. Higgins shot his chute and when he was close enough to the ground, he unloaded it and finished the rest of the descent down with his jump jets.

When he landed he pulled out his Morita Smart Rifle while scanning for Rasczak's beacon and headed for it when he got a fix. When he arrived, he saw that the rest of the platoon was already there. He swore to himself thinking, Some trooper I am. Even Coles got here before me.

Rasczak quickly scanned his platoon and satisfied that all were present ordered them to form four lines, one squad in each. Private Jeff Gossard and Doc in their respective Marauders took their places at the platoon flanks. These bipedal tanks were sight to behold and Higgins was quick to capture that sight on film. They were bristling with weaponry, armed as they were with machine guns, missile launchers, mortar fire and plasma fire throwers to provide awesome fire support for the M.I. Gossard was in a Type 1 or 'Duck' Marauder so called because of its bird-like chassis. Doc was in a Type 2 or 'Ape' Marauder, its namesake once again due to the chassis. Although not as fast or as big as the Duck, the Ape Marauder was more agile and mobile, so the two balanced each other nicely.

Higgins rejoined his squad which was the rear line and Greene placed him to his left next to Rico. Coles and Private Dizzy Flores were to Greene's right. When the formation was ready, Rasczak gave the signal and the platoon started on its mile long walk to the objective.