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by Azmodai2 on Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:14 pm
Jason snapped his attention to the blinking cockpit lights and he side off the shoulder of his Serpent, down the side and into the cockpit. He slipped into the black cushioned seat and peered at the display. New orders from High Command. He went over the details in his head and then deleted the message after committing it to memory. Deploy by 2300, touchdown at 1730, attack at 1800, vacate by 1920, extraction at 1930. Strict timing was imperative on this mission, he had a five minute window to get his men out and heād be damned if he was leaving any behind. He brought up the numbers in the roster. 120 Leos, 70 Taurusā and 8 Virgos. He thought of organization, teams of three, two Leos one Taurus in each team. Teams move in units, five teams to a unit. He would form 12 such units. That would leave him eight Virgos and 10 Taurusā. That would be his team. Place five Taurusā in a semicircle in front, Virgos behind them, him at the center of the line of Virgos, five Taurusā to cover his rear. Planet defensers would cover the front and sides as much as possible. Until he had further information that was the best he could do for planning. He rubbed his chin and stared at the screen. This was going to be a hell of a battle. He glanced at the clock blinking to the left of the display, it read 17:10. Just under six hours to deployment. He climbed out of the cockpit, peered out then slide down the boarding ladder to the deck floor. He sighed and leaned into the comm.:
Jason
"This is Sergeant Major Hellan to all active units. Deployment is at 2300 hours. Meet for briefing at 2000 on bridge A1, I expect all pilots to be there. Until 2000 feel free to visit your family or see to other personal needs."
He sighed again and looked sadly out at his comrades. Many would not be there at the extraction point to come home. But heād make damn sure as many as he could bring would be there. He looked around almost unsure as what to do. He had no family on the colony and his Serpent was in the capable hands of the tech crew. Might as well talk to the men. He began to walk through the deck, nodding at men he recognized, greeting those he didnāt. He came to a stop at a Leo, the pilot was sitting on an ammo crate shaking, his face in his hands. Jason walked over to the man, who upon noticing him attempted to snap to attention, tears streaming down his face. Jason waved him at-ease and told him to sit. The pilot couldnāt have been more then 18 years old, he was barely a boy. He looked at the nametag stitched to his flight suit, it read Sgt. Keller.
Jason:
"Whatās the problem? Are you alright?ā
Keller:
āI-itās my first mission, s-sir. Iām not ready, Iāve only been certified in combat training for three months.ā
Jason:
āHey, listen to me. Youāll be alright. Just remember youāre training. I was there on your final exam kid, and you passed with flying colors. You know your way around your Leo quite well⦠Hey you wanna know something? My first mission I had the jitters like no other, but when it was finally go-time I realized that there was no point in freaking out. I had trained for that moment for years and I was damn sure I was going to do it right. I trust you and I know when the time comes youāll do your duty just as well as the next man."
Keller looked at Jason and he seemed to have calmed down a fair bit. He stood and squeezed the young pilotās shoulder lightly then walked away, confident that Keller would be alright. He strolled past row upon row of Leos till he reached the Taurusā. He greeted the commanding officer and began to inspect the troops. They seemed a little more arrogant than the Leo pilots. He supposed it came with the rank, most of these men were low level NCOās, with a few breaking into the upper pay-grades. He saluted as he walked through the frantic activity of preparing for battle. Finally he came to where Virgo Epsilon squad was prepping. As he walked into view the eight pilots and their support crew snapped to a brisk attention and waited till he had given the at-ease motion. These were his pride, his protĆ©gĆ©s, the men he had trained personally. He grabbed a crate and sat down as the pilots he had known and worked with for the better part of a decade sat in front of him.
Jason:
"Well boys, you know how this goes. It wonāt be easy, it wonāt be fun but we gotta do it. Hereās the deal, weāre goinā in hot, one km. from the target and itās going to be a scramble. Lake Victoria is one of the most heavily defended bases on Earth and itās our job to take it out. We have enough forced to eliminate our targets and get out at the allotted time but I donāt know how serious casualties will be. If I go down, for some reason, command falls to Master Gunnery Sergeant Erenbrek. The commander of the Leo contingent is First Sergeant Coprulu, while the Taurusā are being led by Master Sergeant Arguile. Iāve transmitted your role in the mission directly to your Virgoās computers and you are to famliarize yourselves with Arguile and his squad."
There was a simultaneous āYes sir,ā from the men when Jason was done talking. When he stood the men also stood and snapped to a salute, which Jason promptly returned. He gave them a deep, hard look and then turned on his heel and walked out. He headed back through the Taurusā and the Leos to his Serpent and sat down on a crate an checked his watch. 1952. 8 minutes till briefing. Men began to gather around his Serpent and they found seating where they could. A few sat on supply crates, others on the sparse amount of chairs or benches in the area.
By 1959 the area was filled with pilots, who had naturally formed into groups by their rank and MS of choice. Idle chatter filled the air around him and he caught the ends and middles of some conversations. They were nervous, unsure and their confidence level needed to be boosted. He let the hubbub die down before beginning to speak.
Jason:
"I know all of you are nervous, and frankly, I understand, but right now you have to steel yourselves for the battle ahead. It wonāt be easy, it wonāt be simple but you can bet your asses weāre going to do it and weāre going to do it right. Now listen up. We hit ground at about 1740, and we have a 1 km walk to the target. At 1800 the attack commences. Iām giving us a 20 minutes buffer because Iām sending a third of our forces south of the base as a secondary attack. They will move in at 1800, and the main force will attack at 1810. Force B, the southern force, will steadily commence a fighting retreat directly south drawing away the enemy defense force. Meanwhile Force A will move in through the eastern side of the base and seek out the specific targets. We have eight targets gentlemen, and they MUST be destroyed to ensure the success of the mission. Three pilots barracks, three mobile weapons hangars and two weapons caches. The barracks and hangars are primary targets, the weapons caches are secondary. We have to be out by 1925 sharp. Extraction drops in at 1930 and we have a five minute window to be there and get out. Force B you will charge through the base directly towards the extraction zone, whilst Force A catches any survivors from your attack in their retreat. Timing is CRUCIAL. I will transmit squad make-up en-route to earth, and expect the battle plan to be updated as new information comes to my attention. Lake Victoria is one of the biggest threats to the colonies and if we take it out weāll be one step closer to securing peace. I know all of you will perform to the utmost of your ability to ensure this attack is a success, because if we donāt succeed then the colonies are going to have one hell of a fight on their hands. Remember boys, weāre fighting for our right to a peaceful existence and to hell with anyone who gets in our way!"
He had a holographic tac-map up displaying the plan as he talked. The two forces were represented by large groups of green triangles while Lake Victoria Base was a simple large red rectangle. The triangles moved and adjusted to imitate the plan of attack and Jason pointed out specific movement patterns. After he had finished there was a stunning silence then applause broke out among the Leo pilots. It slowly rose, like a typhoon of sound until the clapping was a deafening roar. Jason stood and bowed slightly to his men. When the applause finally died down he saluted to the gathered soldiers, who returned the salute in unison. A small wave of his hand dismissed them and the men slowly began to file away. Jason turned and climbed slowly into the cockpit of his Serpent and began to run a cross-diagnostic. The systems check came up 100% and he sat back satisfied. Three hours till launch time. He set the alarm on his clock for 2215 and leaned back in the seat, letting his eyes drift closed. He began to let his thoughts wander to past times. The blue and gold uniform of his Oz days, the burgundy and khakis of his Mariemaia service. And now his black, the black of the colonial military. He drifted off to a fitful sleep as his dreams reflect his angst over the upcoming mission.
He awoke to the harsh beeping of his alarm. He glanced at the clock, 2215. It was go-time, the boys would be suiting up and moving to the loading bays of the drop ships. He grabbed his helmet and snapped it into place over his head, then pulled the harness over his chest and pushed the buckle together, letting it click closed. He gave the signal for the crewmen to clear out, as the warning klaxons for the docking bay doors began to sound, and he hit the button to close the cockpit. The thick neo-titanium hatch hissed shut, blotting out all light save that emitted from his computer panels. His fingers moved across the control panel as he booted up the complex control system necessary for piloting the enormous mechanical engine of war. He gave the joysticks an experimental tap and felt the Serpent move forward. He wrapped his fingers around the joysticks and guided his suit to the edge of the docking bay and looked out into the dark star scattered sky.
Jason:
"Mount up! Everyoneās to be inside their designated carrier vessel by 2235!"
He moved towards the command carrier ship and maneuvered the Serpent inside, where he was greeted by Master Gun. Sgt.Ernebrek and his Virgos. He flashed a green acknowledgment signal at them and let his suit lock into place inside the ship. It was a long ride down to earth from L02.
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