Life On Helghan.
Chapter 4
Before I begin I'd just like to send out a big thanks to Stuch and sirbob6, it's your reviews and criticisms that are helping me to push on and improve so thank you both very much, sirbob6 thanks for your suggestion on the speech spacing, I'll try to do it in this. Stuch thanks for your suggestion of the wiki, I honestly hadn't thought of it lol.
We heard Radec's voice on our radios again. "Men the ISA are now a dangerous distance across the bridge, prepare the defence tower for activation quickly and fall back to the tower controls."
The captain told us all to spread out. "Everyone get to the junction's east building, Lente I want you to man the controls on the second floor I'll stay on the ground floor and tell you when to activate the tower" We all moved out to the building and everyone took up a position on the three floors ready to shred the infantry if anything went wrong with the tower.
We weren't waiting long before the gate opened and ISA APCs trundled through slowly, the captain was in my ear constantly. "Wait...wait...wait."
Then finally "OK activate it." I pulled the lever and watched as the 'manhole' cover opened and a large tower ascended up from the ground, eventually it had reached full height and it was actually a bit smaller than I'd expected. The captain was in my ear again. "OK Lente, power up." I lifted the power dial slowly and electrical arcs began to run everywhere along the tower's exterior.
Then finally the captain said "Light 'em up." I pressed the button marked 'fire' who knew it'd be that simple? And suddenly a gigantic electrical explosion ripped through the vehicles and soldiers on the ground, I remember seeing the vehicles flip and jump about while hearing the soldiers horrible screams of pain, I admit the screams got to me but I knew this was the way to had to be, the bastards invaded us and knew what they were risking so who gives a fuck?
The captain was on our radios again. "Well done men, quite a light show, all right everyone fall back to extraction point Lima." We all went to the evac point and the captian gave the necessary orders and verifications, eventually an APC turned up and we boarded. I asked the captain where we were going this time. "Radec's Academy for debrief." I admit I was scared and excited at the same time, scared to be facing Radec again but excited about seeing this supposedly amazing school.
It was a pretty long trip to the Academy and all the while I was sitting there stewing in silence, eventually we did get there and disembarked the APC, the captain told me to follow him up to the colonel's office, honestly I was disappointed at this since I wanted the chance to look around so I asked him why. "Because you're a private, believe it or not the colonel prefers to get a debrief from a lower rank rather than a rank like captain or segeant, and I'm your commanding ofiicer so I have to be there."
"All right." I said and followed him through the school, it wasn't a total loss since I did get to see some of it and everything I saw really impressed me, eventually we were outside Radec's office, the captian knock and about 5 seconds later we heard "Come in." We opened the door's and went in to find Radec sitting at his desk without his helmet on, his hair was red, I could not believe that probably the most feared man on Helghan was a redhead. I had to stifle a laugh, thank Visari I was wearing my helmet otherwise he'd have seen my face laughing.
The captain stepped forward and saluted. "Sir captain Hakha and private Lente reporting for debrief."
"And who is going to be delivering the debrief?" Radec asked.
I stepped forward. "I am sir."
"Very well private, proceed." I began debriefing the colonel on the events on the bridge even mentioning the four-man unit which i'd seen too many times, this was the first the captain had heard of them as well. When I'd finished the colonel started. "So the test went well and the tower performed beyond eexpectation, excellent men. Now about this four-man unit private Lente."
"Yes sir" I said.
"I think I know who they are, thank you for bringing them to my attention private, anytihng else to report?"
"No sir."
"Good then you're both dismissed."
We left the office and made our way to the living quarters, it had been a long day and we just wanted a shower and then sleep, when we got to the sleeping quarters I was again amazed by the prestige the Academy soldiers lived in. We made our way to the locker rooms to remove our uniforms in silence, neither of us had said a word since we'd left the colonel's office we were both wondering about this unit and what the colonel was going to do about them, after our shower we went to the mess hall for something to eat, the captain ordered grilled Helghan Spider while I asked for charred Cadaver Beetle, Cadaver Beetle was a well-known tasty dish around Pyhrrus but Helghan Spider was a very aquired taste, while sitting at our table eating I finally piped up.
"Captain?"
"Hmm?"
"I had an idea."
"Hit me with it."
"Well Radec seemed a little troubled about the four-man unit I mentioned so I was wondering if you wanted to find out more about them."
"How?" He asked
"Well that's the thing, if we want to find out more we woldn't be able to find out conventionally."
The captain looked up from his plate. "Hahahaha I don't believe it, you've been a member of this army for what a day? And you're already talking about doing things like this."
"Well I like to settle in quickly." I said.
"You certainly do it seems. So what's the plan?"
"Well you know what the patrol routes are after dark in here right?"
"Yeah."
"OK so tonight we both go to his office and see if we can find some files on these blokes."
The captain laughed again and finally said "OK." We both carried on with our meals and then eventually went to the sleeping bloc, we put our heads down for a few hours and were both ready for what was gonna happen later that night.
End of chapter 4.
Now this finally feels like a proper point to end a chapter at, I'm happy with this 1 too. Hope my little bit about the beetle and spider made you laugh, I just thought I'd a little bit of humour in, I won't be keeping it up but I just though it'd lighten this chapter a little bit, anyway as always please leave me a review with your thoughts.