sorry for the late update folks, but this is just Sunday for me. I have an obligation during the time I would normally be writing, and so will just be publishing later on this particular day of the week.
This is a very important chapter, although it's rather small comparatively. Izwan, most of the crew she has seen, aside from the ones really highlighted in the story, either trusts Raynor enough to allow her to stay onboard anyway, or is simply waiting to see what happens. cementing trust in an actual combat situation is one of the main goals of this mission as well. as for your final comment in that paragraph, she's still relying on her human training a bit more than her new body, and therefore does not yet have her full potential. in addition she is acting as a combat medic, rather than a frontline soldier, which makes it a little harder to do any real damage. there is a reason Dave distrusts and hates Julia, and I have begun to expand upon it here. I will fully explain the situation in the following chapter.
please read and review, I am starving for more input as to my story.
"Get Down!" another marine, new to our squad, named Matthias yelled, as the attack came again. The dominion forces were trying to push us out with all the forces they had. Matthias was the CO for this bunker, along with another green soldier, Mark, Zeke, Blake and I. this was the best arrangement possible in the eyes of Andrew, and thus he set us up this way. He would keep an eye on Dave, and besides that he was guarding the other entrance. The sixth firing slot in the bunker, I had to take one, and was using that pistol when I wasn't treating stimpack crashes, was taken by a Mech soldier. If the bunker fell, the human soldiers would retreat, while the Mech held the line. Slugs from the Gauss rifles of the enemy, along with heavier attacks from the Marauders' punisher grenades, ping against our Neosteel-constructed bunker. In response, my team fires their weapons, aiming for the glass faceplate of the marine's CMC armor. A few of their number go down, although unfortunately they were all most likely Resocs, and the rest of the forces retreat to prepare for another attack.
For the first while after I had entered the bunker on this burned-out wreck of a world everything had been quiet. Battlefield protocol was in place, so conversations were kept to a minimum to prevent the enemy from sneaking up on us. Then we had our first attack. Frankly I was unsure as to how I would react, given my current condition. That is especially true considering the enlarged and modified Adrenal glands in my body which would likely provoke a Fight or Flight response. Military training won out, however, and I was able to keep my cool, although it was decidedly harder than it was before the change. Swann's innovation and attention to detail were amazing when it came to this suit. He had apparently been given rough estimates of my changed figure, and so was able to plan accordingly. It was modified to accommodate for the ever-accursed heels I have been forced to wear for the foreseeable future, and was spacious enough in places to allow for my natural armor, while still padding me completely to prevent as much impact shock as possible. The pistol I was given is hugely different from the ones I had seen Reapers using. The thing was dubbed a hand-cannon and fires a total of six shots before it needs to be reloaded. It packs enough of a punch to puncture the faceplate of a marine with one hit, and then have enough force left over to breach the back side of his armor when it is done. Its kickback is almost intolerable, even with the suit to compensate, however, and it is anything but accurate at long distance.
After the attack, the Diamondbacks we had gathered zoomed back into the high ground we had conquered. Those hover-tanks looked formidable, sleek and almost Protoss styled with the ominous rail-guns on top. Each driver was also a Hellion pilot, because the controls were similar enough to each other that the trade over was easy. The same thing had happened when we switched from vultures to Hellions, all three using roughly the same system. The maneuverable vessels drop off their loot, and then submit themselves to repairs. They've done the same thing three times now, going off to intercept a train, and coming back looking increasingly beat-up. last time they actually left early to clean up a set of bunkers being deployed around the tracks. I sit down further on the bench provided in the Bunker, and set about clearing up the Stimpack crashes on the marines, who were finally coming down from their last jolt. I move around inside the small building to each firing lane, administering the chemicals based upon what I see and what the readings tell me.
This is a purely Terran exercise, and one that I enjoy, seeing the looks of gratitude on the Marine's faces as I clear up the dreadful haze that settles over the mind after exposure to the dangerous chemicals. The chemicals I administer basically reboot the Marines' metabolism, and prevent dependency from forming. In the early days of the last war, they didn't have medics like me to keep people from dying, and as such we had nearly twice the combat fatalities, and a fourth of those were Stimpack related. Even everything I can do will only slow the eventual destabilization from frequent mistreatment, and that is why a specific squad of real marines only goes out every two or three missions. Raynor doesn't work these men to death. The Dominion, on the other hand, doesn't care about the losses of Resocced marines and other cannon fodder. They also detest the use of mechanized infantry, sticking with the flesh and blood troops. Frankly I'm glad they do, having a mechanized legion coming down on your heads is second only to having a thousand and one Zerg doing the same thing in terms of terrifying. Blake whispers as I administer his treatment "when do you think this will be over?" I don't know. This world probably brought back some very bad memories for him, and I feel sympathy for my friend. He is a marine, and well into his thirties, but some things will make even the most hardened men break, the invasion of Tarsonis is one of them. I pat his shoulder and whisper back "soon" before heading back to my post.
The dominion attacks again soon after I finished treating the Marines I wish they would stay away for a few minutes so I don't have to keep redoing my actions. Nevertheless, the order to stim comes, and Matthias gives out an audible sigh as the Stimulants enter his body. I note that down, knowing he was likely growing addicted in spite of my best efforts, and I would need to recommend withdrawal help when we get back. This wave includes a freaking siege tank, and its attacks hammer against the bunker powerfully. Some of the SCVs come over to reinforce joints on the bunker and engage its automated repair systems, hoping to fix the damage before the bunker deconstructs itself. Bunkers can actually take a lot more stress before they collapse than they do, however to do so would be to put the lives of the marines inside in danger. Like a racecar from earth, when enduring fatal damage, these bunkers actually use the energy to force themselves apart, redirecting force away from the marines inside. That leaves us open to attack, of course, but it's better than them caving in and killing us. The bunker does this before the SCVs can reach us, and as planned, the mech holds its ground in the ruins of the bunker while the living troops escape. Our twin bunker has also fallen, and the Diamondbacks are approaching our position to reinforce us. Seeing this, I put shots into the fire support for the Siege Tank, managing to cut down two marines. I only did this because my HUD stated that no one in my group was injured. The Mech fell beneath a Crucio cannon blast, and it turns its attention towards us. The weapon primes expanding to full as the tank transforms into an artillery unit capable of demolishing entire platoons. I watch in horror, unable to stop the impending destruction which would likely kill at least one of us.
Before It is able to complete its priming, it is hit by a half-dozen magnetically accelerated rounds from the Diamondbacks, The daredevil pilots whooping and cheering as the structural integrity collapses and the entire superstructure devolves into a ball of fire. Their heavy fire support gone, the rest of the Dominion forces are routed in short order. I breathe out deeply, grateful that they were able to make it in time. One of the hover-tanks swerves around our unit, flaring dramatically before pulling to a stop. The hatch opens, and Zeke's sister, Arcia Hopewell, a lithe, excitable girl with fiery red hair, eternally excited green eyes, tan skin, and the ability to drive just about every land vehicle known to Terrans, and possibly protoss as well, although she's still tight lipped about that episode, climbs out of it. An SCV begins exchanging parts, and Arcia runs towards us. She yells "hey Zeke, did you see me take down that tank? That's why you should have joined us vehicle specialists, we get the big guns." Arcia had been trying to convince Zeke to leave the marines for quite some time. I personally think it's some misplaced desire to protect him, as the marines, and consequently us medics, are sent in first to just about every conflict. Zeke professes that he's too good looking to die, I jokingly figure it's just because the reaper doesn't want to put up with his wisecracks on the way down, but, however you explain it, he gets out of almost every conflict relatively unscathed. Zeke answers back "you should come join the Marines, sis, we've got all the guns we need." He says as he hefts the c-14 gauss rifle, "that fancy tank of yours can't even shoot up" she grins and says "don't need to, that's what I've got my Wraith for" oh yeah, I forgot, she pilots a Wraith too, freaking prodigies. She turns around very dramatically, and runs back to her now repaired vehicle.
I respond to the exchange with a sigh, and turn back to the bunker being reconstructed as I watch. The raw material for the construction is provided by the loot the diamondbacks brought back from their latest escapade, the minerals are put into an Autofabricator, which the SCV then manipulates into the outer shell of the bunker. The inner firing chamber did not have to be replaced, which saved on costs, and soon we pile back inside.
The Diamondbacks are out on another mission, the eighth train that was being sent out, and everything seems quiet. Then an emergency transmission from the other bunker is heard, "-eed assistance, repeat, we need assistance. This is Andrew Cole, they're attacking all-out on my position." We receive the order to go aid him, as we are the only competent force in the area, and exit the bunker, rushing to the aid of our CO. it's a warzone outside, and by that I mean more than it was before. The dominion has completely breached their barricade, and is now being met by very little resistance. My unit and I rush to the aid of the rest of our Squad, but not before one of our new recruits is cut down by a siege tank blast. Blake shoots down its firing chamber while it repositions, and the chain reaction detonates the unspent ammunition, destroying the vehicle, meanwhile I am repairing the damage to the suits, and the people inside them.
I only count three men holding the line when we reach it, but I can see Tim's suit, horribly mangled, near where the bunker fell. The three living ones are in cover, as the enemy continues to pound the area. I rush over and help out with the injuries sustained by the surviving members of our squad, Andrew, Nathan and Richard. I reach Andrew last, and he indicates the bunker's remains, "Dave is still down there." He says over the communicator, his faceplate closed. My throat constricts, "he's still alive, I'm going to try pushing forward to him." A bullet whistles by our cover, I nod, knowing that we never leave a man behind, and hoping against hope that my helping him will let him trust me a little more. "Oorah" came the general response, and we move partially from cover to take shots at the force assaulting us. Eventually we thin them out, and begin advancing. I stand behind the main line, now concerned with treating wounds instead of fighting.
Finally, we reach the Bunker again, and I jump inside the wreck. Dave is pinned beneath a beam which had not blown clear. He was wounded in several places, including one nasty gut wound. I lift the beam off him, and begin treating his wounds. When he sees who is treating him, he flinches and backs away, unable to do much from the blood loss, but also unwilling to accept aid from me. I glare at him and say "hold still, I'm trying to save your life." I say, unused to someone giving me this much resistance. "no…" he coughs blood "don't lie to me, Zerg. I… I'm dead anyway, especially with you as my caretaker. You'll take my life," he coughs uncontrollably, as I continue applying the lifesaving bandages, when he controls it, he continues "and you'll go back to your infiltration unhindered. I… I only wish… I was good enough… to stop you… before you hurt someone." I look at him and say "if I were going to kill you, would I really start by dressing your wounds?" "have… have to make it look convincing… so there's no… suspicion." I glare in frustration, "what will it take to make you believe that I'm on your side?" he coughs, and answers "nothing. The Zerg… they don't let people come back home. They… they're too good at… what they do." I shake my head at this "while I'm still not certain what happened on that asteroid, I know because of the tests I've performed that I'm still me, now stop fighting and let me fix you" he laughs then, a wheezing, death rattle like sound, "you… really are good. You… act like her… somewhat at least. So… kind. If I… didn't know… it was an act… could almost swear…" finished with the wounds, I look him directly in the eyes, "I am me, I always have been. This isn't an act." And with that, I sedate him for the ride back. His last word before drifting into the unconscious is "maybe." After that, the Diamondbacks return with their loot, a Confederate Adjutant. We load into the transports, I with the unconscious Dave to make sure he remains stable, and we head back to the Hyperion.