The battle for Gateway

Chapter 8: Curse of a fallen soul

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody.

Authors note: Did anyone spot the fear & loathing in Las Vegas quote in the last chapter?

Nabiki walks into the mess hall and finds Rogue squadron sitting at a table talking as Nabiki walks over to them when the siren goes off and all the pilots run to their fighters and get in them before they launch "this better not be a drill!" Jonesy said as Ranma and McQuade flew on either side of his fighter "below us" Ranma replied as he dived and the rest follow his lead descending on enemy fighters and open fire "they're short range fighters." McQuade said before Ranma tipped his fighter to one side "looks like a transport ship." Ranma replied as he spotted the transport ship "looks like supplies for a base, let's head back." With that said they head back and land and head to the showers.

The crew of Rogue squadron walk down one of the many corridors on the Sulaco talking "you know we could have attacked that transport ship." Jonesy said "yeah, but we need to follow it." Ranma replied as they headed to the reccy room to play some pool when a messenger arrives for Ranma "captain wants to see you Ranma" the messenger said making Ranma put down the pool cue and follow the messenger to the captains room "you wanted to see me sir?" Ranma asked, "yes, please take a seat." The captain said before Ranma sat down "you see we need your squadrons expertise on a raid… you see the Razorback if running out of fuel and supplies."

"We could drop magnetic mines on whatever you want destroying?"

"That's what I was thinking myself, how soon can you get your techs to rearm your fighters?" the captain asked "a few hours." Ranma replied before he left the captains room and went to find Rogue squadrons techs and finds them tuning up the engines on their fighters. "HEY SHIGO, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU TO REARM OUR FIGHTERS!" Ranma shouted making the techs stop and Shigo turns round to look at Ranma.

"What do you need?"

"Magnetic mines." Ranma replied.

"How many?"

"Two on each fighter." Ranma replied before Shigo turned round to look at his men "five hours… maximum." He replied before Ranma left "ALRIGHT! YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID, LETS GET THE STUFF WE NEED!" Shigo shouted before his men run to get the tools they need.

Ranma gathers his squadron minus Nabiki head to one of the spare hangers and explains the situation at hand "oh great, just great… we're all going to die." Jonesy said "relax, it should be lightly armed." McQuade said.

"How long will it take to rearm our fighters?"

"Five hours Maximum." Ranma replied before they head to the mess hall, on the way they pass a team of marines and Ranma recognises one of them and walks over to them "excuse me, are you Jonathan 'Johnny boy' O'Hara?" he asked. "Who wants to know?" said person asks.

"The wild stallion."

"Jesus, Ranma I heard you got shot down at the battle of Pluto."

"I did, landed perfectly and got a lift to my airstrip." Ranma replied before they head to the mess hall where they rejoin Ranma's squadron at a table "what's with the marines?" Whistler asked.

"This here…" Ranma said pointing to the person before continuing "is the legendary Johnny boy."

"As in the same person that managed to rewire an unarmed missile to explode?"

"They still talk about that?" O'Hara said laughing.

Later

Rogue squadron sit in their fighters going over their system before they wait for clearance to launch and do so when the order is given and fly in formation until they see the re-supply station and see the turrets open fire and they break formation and fly over the main parts and drop the magnetic mines and head back to the Sulaco when one of the turrets fires and hits McQuade's undercarriage system. When they land the others land and get wheeled into their spots "I can't get my carriage up." He said and crashes his fighter into the back wall and all the techs and pilots run to the crashed fighter as the medics arrive just as they pull out McQuade's body out and puts it on a stretcher before taken to the infirmary.

Ranma and his squadron stand in the infirmary looking at McQuade hooked up to life support when Nabiki, Kasumi and Ranko walk in "we came as soon as we heard." Ranko said when the life support machine flat lined making the medics run to the body to try to resuscitate him but one turns round and shakes their head. "The curse of a fallen soul." Ranma said before they all leave and prepare for McQuade's funeral as the medics note the time of death

Several hours later

Everyone gathered in one of the spare hangers dressed in their best uniforms standing in front of McQuade's coffin for his funeral as Ranma stood behind the coffin and gives a speech about McQuade before he took off McQuade's dog tag and walked towards the front of the coffin and turns towards and salutes with tears in his eyes and running down his face as everyone else salutes and he marches off as the coffin is jettisoned and everyone leaves, Ranma goes to McQuade's quarters and starts to pack up McQuade's things in boxes and comes across a photo of himself and McQuade as drinking buddies and sits on the bed before he puts it in a box and takes them to an empty hanger and puts them in one of the storage boxes before he leaves and goes back to his quarters.

Authors note: This is a rewrite of the original chapter 8… R&R