Lt McCarran stepped out of the APC and headed for the group of Colonist and Marines.
"That was a wonderful display of getting your asses kicked." He said walking into the middle of the group. "Slagg you are the only one with real battle experience. Where did the mission go wrong?"
"Well sir we deployed from the APC in a textbook formation and approached the complex with caution." Slagg said.
"Yes that was all well done. But where did you go wrong?"
"Umm we didn't check the parameter before moving in."
"That's one thing but I saw two."
"Two sir?"
"Yes you relied to heavily on this."
McCarran took the scanner from Max and healed it up high for the unit to see.
"Technology is a thing of beauty when it works. But you must know how to function without it. We will be spending the next two weeks on this planet and will run as many drills as be can in that time including a live fire mission. By that mission I want all of you to be able to function without the use of any technology save for your weapons. Now you have exactly one and one half hours until the next simulation find accommodations for the next week and take a nap or whatever you want just be out here no later than 14:20. You are dismissed."
The unit all walked into the complex with their weapons slung over their shoulders. Sanchez was walking beside Julie talking about everything they had missed over the past five years.
"Wait one damn minute." Julie said stopping in her tracks. "Sanchez? You got married and never bothered filling me in?"
"I sent a message back home but you were out at a colony and I had no way of finding you." Sanchez said. "And besides I can do what ever I want and not tell you."
"Well I'm happy for you."
"Yeah I always was the lucky one with love. Unlike a specific sister who never liked the guys I brought home and never did have a boyfriend."
"Hey lay off. Besides I'm "Romantically" involved with someone here on this planet."
"What is he blind? Or are you holding a gun to his head?"
Julie healed out her hands palms up showing that she was unarmed.
"Takes me for who I am."
"Blind." Sanchez said nodding her head and started walking again.
"Oh kiss my ass." Julie laughed and ran to catch up with her.
They continued walking through the complex to the residential district. Little kids were running through the halls being chased by their babysitters or parents.
"So where are you staying?" Julie asked.
"With you."
"What? Says who?"
"I do."
"Bullshit." Julie laughed.
"Bullshit nothing. You have no choice I need somewhere to stay, my little sister lives in the complex so it makes since that I shack up with her."
Julie stopped again and put her hands on her hips.
"If you say anything about my lover I'm going to rip your hair out by the roots and feed them to you."
"Love to see it."
Julie sighed and walked passed her sister leading the way to her small room. It was only the size of a medium bedroom about twenty-five by twenty-five feet with a queen size bed, couch and a TV in the room. The kitchen was not separated from the room by any walls what so ever. There was a small closet that acted like the bathroom with a clothes line strung through the middle.
"Oh lovely." Sanchez said picking up a pair of pink panties off the floor.
"I wasn't expecting company." Julie said grabbing the panties and throwing them in an overflowing hamper.
"Well it's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic. I'd go nuts in this small room."
"It's just fine for the two of us."
"I bet it's just a cozy little love nest."
Sanchez looked at her watch and decided that after the long flight to the planet she had just sat through it was a good idea to get some sleep.
"Hey Jules wake me up in an hour would you."
"I hate it when you call me that."
Sanchez took off her combat armor leaving her dressed only in her BDU's and set it beside the couch. She took a deep breath as she flopped down on the couch. She could hear Julie move through the room and open the door.
'Nothing's changed about her.' She thought before falling asleep.
45 minutes later-
"Hey Andrea wake up." Julie said shaking the whole couch. "I want you to meet someone."
"Get lost."
"Wake up!"
Sanchez reached down to her armor and pulled out her handgun and pointed it at Julie without opening her eyes.
"Their blanks." Julie said taking the weapon. "Give me a hand."
Sanchez wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her and the next thing she knew she was on the floor with the couch on top of her.
"Hey what the hell?" Sanchez said kicking the couch off of her and standing up.
"You said she was hard to wake up." A woman said.
Sanchez turned around and saw Julie standing next to a woman with short red hair that was spiked up. She was around four inches taller than Julie wearing a jumpsuit that was covered with dirt.
"Andrea this is my friend Caroline Jackson. She is the chief engineer of the colony.
"Witch one of you tipped the couch?" Sanchez asked.
"We both did." Caroline said.
"If I didn't have to get ready for the next training mission I'd flush you both down the toilet."
"She seems, nice." Caroline said.
"Wait until you get to know her. "She 's much worse."
"Well I get to get back to work. Join me for some beers later?"
"Love too."
Julie and Caroline walked towards the door as Sanchez was tipping the couch back upright. She picked up one of the cushions and turned around to throw it at them. The pillow slipped from her hand and fell to the floor when she saw a young man in the doorway. Caroline gave him a wave and walked out and Julie wrapped her arms around him and tiptoed to kiss him.
"So how did the assault go?" He asked with his arms still around her.
"They never had a chance."
"How could they with you leading the attack."
"And who is this hunk?" Sanchez asked walking up to them.
"Oh Tommy this is my sister Andrea Sanchez. Andrea this is Tommy Kerkmen my boyfriend."
He was dressed like Caroline only he had more dirt. However through all of the dirt on his face and in his hair Sanchez could see his black short cut hair and handsome facial features.
"Not bad Jules and to think all this time I thought you were a lesbian."
"Hardly."
Tommy laughed and walked past them and into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
"So why are you home so early?" Julie asked.
"Well I was over in sector three inspecting the area they want to build the recreation center when I saw something move behind a pile of rocks. I drove my hover bike over to the rocks to see what it was and saw the biggest damn spider I've ever seen in my life. I was going to try and kill it then bring it back but it jumped at me. I fell off of the bike and must of hit my head because I came too a few hours later."
"Are you ok?"
"My head hurts a little and my throat is a little sore but that's all."
"And what happened to the spider?"
"It was gone. And I didn't want to look for it so I took the rest of the day off."
The door to the bathroom opened and he walked out drying his face. The skin under his eyes was a little black and he looked exhausted. He walked over to the bed and flopped down.
"Now I'm going to catch a quick nap I'm beat."
"Ok well I have to go setup the next ambush."
"Thanks for the heads up." Sanchez laughed strapping on her armor again.
"Anytime."
Julie walked to the bed and kissed Tommy as he was trying to go to sleep then headed for the door.
"Let him sleep come on."
Sanchez shouldered her rifle and picked her sidearm up off of the table where Julie had set it and followed her out of the room.
"Well I guess I should go to the meeting point and wait for the rest of the unit."
"Ok looking forward to killing you again."
"That was luck."
"Yeah well we will just have to see about that."
Sanchez headed for the front gates of the complex and Julie went the other way to set up the attack.
Front gate-
Sanchez walked into the open area where the first skirmish was fought and was met by Roland who was just pick herself off the ground.
"What happened to you?" Sanchez asked.
"Some teenagers just blazed past me in a hover craft and I lost my balance."
"Nice one."
They both walked over to some crates and sat down and waited for the rest of the unit to arrive. Within twenty minutes the whole unit was gathered around the crates.
"Ok we are continuing like the first assault never happened. So this is the situation." McCarran said. "The Terrorist have fallen back to a cave two miles north of our current location. They have taken some hostages with them and are threatening to kill them if we make a move on them."
"Sir what if we circle around them and move in from their blind spot." Sontarow said looking through the maps that were spread out on the crates.
She pulled out a topographic map showing the lay of the land in terms of elevations down to the finest detail.
"Right here sir. It looks like there is a wash way leading up to the cave.
"That could work." McCarran said.
"Wait sir here is something else." Max said studying the map. "It looks like there is another entrance to the cave. It's about a mile away from the main entrance. They may not know about that."
"It's worth a shot sir." Slagg said.
"Ok Alpha Unit will approach from the east and arrive at the alternate cave entrance. Try not to get killed this time."
The unit laughed for a moment before heading for the cave in a large hovercraft.
