Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

The fourth mission
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Pale Rider
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Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Pale Rider » Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:16 pm

Planet: Gliese 876b
Location: Ekylprillion, Lunar Satellite
Date: October 15th, 2080
Mission Time: 0700

Fourteen days had past since the major conflict with the Xenomorphs occurred outside the doors of the Marine Firebase. The Xenomorphs had suddenly disappeared and not reappeared. After being on high alert for 48 hours Quinn had relaxed the detail enough to allow for the Marines to finish unpacking the supplies and repair any damages made by the Xenos. A lot had gone right during the conflict the marines had seen just what it takes to work as a well oiled machine, but the battle had left them shorthanded. They were down three marines:
Pvt. Joseph Eichler had lost his left ear, and most of the skin on the left side of his face as well as the last two fingers on his left hand from the acute acid burns. Sergeant Jacob Honeysett and Pvt. Altair Konterran both suffered from acute Combat Stress Reaction and would undergo the USCM BICEPS program to determine their ability to return to combat. All three had been sent to the Beaufort Naval Hospital in Beaufort, SC. The Snakefighter was scheduled to return in 48 hours with more supplies and hopefully fresh bodies, whether veteran or boots only time would tell.

Weyland-Yutani Field Operative Kalina Jones, had opened up like a whore on the streets of Bangkok. She explained to the Marines and Oksana Barayeva that the race to develop Biological Warfare had begun to advance beyond the Weyland-Yutani Company. Competitiors were already beginning to field genetically engineered dogs that showed a higher compacity for learning and understanding. Simians and Apes that could be used as assassins. Not to mention the various forms of viral and chemical weapons.
When the Xenomorphs were first encountered the Weyland-Yutani group saw fit to attempt and exploit them to their fullest capability.

Ms. Jones agreed to testify before a court of law that these things were occuring and that Ekylprillion wasn’t the only location that such test sites were established. However, in order to back up and support her claims they would need to re-enter the forward observation and site and download the information from the computers provided they were still operational and the Marines had someone capable of extracting the details.

<ACTIONS>
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Whisky
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Whisky » Thu Feb 06, 2014 12:43 am

He had saved the Marines life, small consultation as the Marine was maimed for life now, he had never spoken to Eichler before that day and was unlikely to again. Still, he didn't dwell on it. One of the other greens had reacted badly to the excitement and was being sent off world, what surprised him the most was the other Sargent, a vet by all accounts had buckled under the pressure.

They were five down as it stood. Only one fatality so far. Small graces but still five down. A third of their force.

While the higher ups were locked in with the civie Colson had divided his time between fixing the walls and patrolling. The worst part, the damn rebreather was like breathing through a damn week old sock...

"What I would give for a belt of something decent to drink right now..." Colson grumbled to himself wiping rain water from his mask while trying to keep his weapon dry.

<Tag Anyone>
Pvt. Thomas Colson
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Morse
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Morse » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:58 pm

Three months and four days the platoon had been stationed on Ekylprillion. It had been the longest deployment Morse had ever been on. Such stations were fairly uncommon in the modern state of warfare. Typically the situation was dealt with and the troops were moved on. The only time they generally stayed longer was a force of occupation and transition for those rebel colonies that were brought down.

This place was different though. It was one of the most underdeveloped places one could be. Sure it had life on it, but it was a very hostile place as far as humans were concerned. Ironically the deaths and injuries had not been a result of the environment really. They were human reaction or failure of basic system more then anything. In a way that made it funny to Morse. And his cynical sense of humor was in need of any sort alleviation it could get while they waited for the next move.

Morse was back to maneuvering with a standard M41A Pulse Rifle, since it was regularly impractical to be walking around with a Smartgun strapped to ones-self. He was laying down as the rain came in. He did not mind it so much, as it was so common. You had to get used to it fast, or start suffering panic attacks. It was hurricane force or anything so he was not worried.

Hearing Colson ask for a drink of something, Morse thought it would be an appropriate time to bring out his secondary canteen. ”Eyes up Coleslaw.” Morse said, tossing the large liquid container at him. Morse had since opted for storing up the small amount of whiskey he still had, and went back to his practice of making his own.

Dirk had been right, Morse had managed to order in all he needed to make a small and very crude still on their last supply drop. And utilizing what they had on hand, he could manage to make a rendition of his families “Homebrew” that was particularly pungent.

It smelled like floor cleaner, but he managed to get it to taste like cinnamon, with the help of a large amount of the ‘imitation spice’ packets.

”I’m figurin’ I never got round’ tuh getting’ you Dead Shot christened yet.” Morse noted, realizing that the relatively new marine had not yet had a taste of Morse’s infamous drink. Everyone knew he made it, and drank it like it was water. The others in the platoon who were brave enough all had a taste of it. Morse remembered clearly Obi vomiting after half a mouthful years earlier.

”Sip the fucker slow. Don’t wanna spitfly spew all in yer air-muzzle” Morse used a slang for the breathe masks they wore.

He kept his head back, not sure of how Colson would handle it.

< Tag Colson
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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Whisky
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Whisky » Fri Feb 07, 2014 12:08 am

”Eyes up Coleslaw.” Morse said, tossing the large liquid container at him.
Colson snatched the flask out of the air with his free hand and started to unscrew the top.
”I’m figurin’ I never got round’ tuh getting’ you Dead Shot christened yet.” Morse noted, realizing that the relatively new marine had not yet had a taste of Morse’s infamous drink.
Colson paused in the unscrewing and eye'd the marine sideways... "What the hell" Colson figured as he lifted his mask, it wasn't going to kill him...
”Sip the fucker slow. Don’t wanna spitfly spew all in yer air-muzzle” Morse used a slang for the breathe masks they wore.
Colson wished Morse had said that just a moment sooner. As it was he got the stuff to go down but not before gasping and inhaling a lung full of the bad atmosphere. With a hoarse gasp Colson exclaimed "Fuck me Morse!" while holding out the flask to the marine and getting his mask back on. While no stranger to strong drinks it still took a minute before Colson could get himself together, standing back upright he turned to Morse, eyes streaming. "Smooth stuff that." he said hoarsly before breaking into a laugh.

"What did you use to make that stuff, the hell cricket's blood?" asked Coslon now more composed. "Although what I really want to know is why we are still on this dirtball."

<Tag Morse
Pvt. Thomas Colson
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Morse » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:35 am

Morse looked over when Colson started to take his drink. He knew the reaction on anyone’s first drink was a bad one. His own was terrible when he had his first, though that was many years earlier. Now he got the enjoyment of watching others take their first sip, while he happily took slugs even in the middle of combat without much of any effect.

”You’d be pickin’ fer a surprise.” Morse pointed out when he was asked what was in it. ”Upper to ninety-percenta it’s shit yer foodin’ on in a regular day… with some extras the manuals’d say you don’t want in ya.” Morse finished with a chuckle.

The base ingredients never changed. Nor did the way it hit. The solid burn was always present. Just the flavor would alter from time to time.

The second question came as one they all wanted to know. ”Cus fuck-stick politicals aint much fer keepin’ the corps in a place where they’d be useful.” Morse said, letting slip more of his obscene political bias, as he frequently would.

He then sat up, to answer the question more seriously. He took a quick sip from the canteen, let the burn come through, and then brought out his thoughts. ”That’r there’s other shit we gotta squish’n were just waitin’ fer the firepower to do it.” Morse said, hoping that they had a Conestoga-Class cruiser that would give them something along the lines of a tank.

< Tag Colson
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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Duncan
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Duncan » Fri Feb 07, 2014 3:45 am

Duncan waited calmly. After the assault, he thought Quinn would like his opinion. Honeysett was irrelevant at this point. Advance and kill your enemies. Duncan thought. Ignore the assault, I push forward, Duncan thought. I am ready to fight."

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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by maxvale76 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 1:43 pm

Samantha stretched her muscles and then proceeded to take a little stroll around the compound; more for a bit of daily exercise and something to do than for any real purpose. She had been more than a little surprised at the use of tactics by the xenomorphs but she was proud of the fact that she had managed to do her part in taking out a dozen or so with her Pulse Rifle and 30mm grenades. She hoped that the Platoon would be getting some new members to help fill out their depleted ranks.

As she passed by her companions; she said Hello and exchanged a few friendly words with everybody; but mostly she was feeling restless; tired of waiting; not looking forward to another combat mission; but anxious to do SOMETHING besides hang out in the fortified camp....
ImageSGT Samantha "Sam" Hall

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Quicksilver
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Quicksilver » Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:50 pm

Mark sat with his feet propped up on the empty USCM standard issue material shipment crate that made a surprisingly effective footstool. He was where he’d been spending nearly all this waking time since the attack – at the base security systems table. In truth, the marine was paying little attention to the machine calmly beeping away at the sweep of its radar arm beside him. His attention was, instead, on the e-reader in his hand and its library of compelling fiction about FTL drives and humanoid aliens.

Hitting the end of a chapter, he took the opportunity to put the book down and stretch. It was his nearly his fifth straight hour in the chair. Leaning forward, he took a sip of the cappuccino on the desk (product of the mini-machine that had been the majority of his own personal effects), and gave the sensors a glance over before settling back into the next chapter.

<Security Systems, sorta>
Pvt. Mark Giosso
3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
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Quinn
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Quinn » Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:22 am

For the first week, Quinn had the platoon on high alert, with active rotating watches every half hour. The second week was much calmer, but he had suspended all operations outside the wire until reinforcements could arrive. Notably a second APC and repair parts for the other that was left outside.

He had moved operations to inside the bunker, especially the remote gun systems. He'd pulled everything he could from the wrecked APC and stored it inside the hardened bunker. He was now in his impromptu command center.

"Any more of that Morse?" he asked as he walked by with his cup of coffee.
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Morse » Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:13 pm

Morse heard Quinn walk by. Had it been another officer he might have been more concerned. But Quinn had been one of them. At any given year he had only really been a single rank above Morse until very recently. He’d gotten promotions in recent days faster than an elm tree grew leaves.

He wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled his canteen, but Morse had more, he always did. He’d just have to wait and see. ”Couldn’t even up the one with the burn juice.” Morse said tossing the canteen over to Quinn. ”So fer the love a shit, don’go Dugan on me” Morse begged, referring to the time Dugan threatened to demote him for having a few sips here and there while on deployment.

The demotion really never scared him too much, the loss of money and responsibility was not realistically enough to be a problem. Worst case scenario would be that Morse’s time in the USCM ended with a dishonorable discharge. Most in the galaxy would say that was a good thing. Being deployed to the most dangerous places in the universe simply to get shot at and watch people die was not most people’s preference for a life plan.

But Morse, like many marines, had gotten well used to the routines and higher status afforded by the Marine Corps. And his placement of Corporal kept him just above the mouthy trash that some Privates were when they came in.

Still, for the moment he hoped he wouldn’t lose his ‘homebrew’

< Tag Quinn
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Quinn » Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:27 pm

Quinn fielded the canteen, set his coffee down and added a small amount of Morse's homebrew to the steaming cup. Screwing the cap back on, he tossed the canteen back to the Corporal.

"Too good of an antiseptic and engine degreaser to throw away. Just don't be drunk on duty, oorah?" Quinn left, patting Morse on the shoulder as he did and walked back to his command center. He sipped the drink in his hands, grimacing as he did. The fact that Morse's booze made Marine coffee better didn't bode well for the coffee.

<tag Morse & Colson>

"Whatta we got Private?" the LT asked as he walked into the Operations center. "Duncan, sight of anything out there?"

<tag Giosso & Duncan>
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Morse » Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:42 pm

Catching the canteen, Morse nodded with a smile. He wasn’t sure how well the coffee and the ‘homebrew’ would mix together, but he couldn’t imagine it would be much worse then the coffee already was. In particular coffee was especially synthetic. Other elements were at least partially better flavored. That however was not a good imitation by any stretch of the imagination.

”Well it keeps this engine good’n revin’.” Morse said hitting the M2 flak vest that was on his chest. Then when he got the more definitive reaction to what he’d offered Morse maintained his smile. ”Never was a day, never’one’d come… Lieutenant.” Morse concluded, addressing Quinn by his rank as a minor show of respect. A very rare one for him.

He took a drink from his canteen himself, let the burn settle in and reattached it to his belt where it always stayed. ”So’ whats the secret their keepin’. Em’s liars’n lookin’ at you.” Morse started to sing quietly to himself a song he liked layin’ back on the ground.

< Tag Quinn
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
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Dirk Pitt
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Dirk Pitt » Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:37 am

Dirk sat on the ground outside the small operations building. He had been awake for twenty four hours straight, like most of the Marines. One emergency or another to tend to, Repairs to be made and shipping out the wounded. Quinn allowed them to stand down from high alert allowing the men and women of the unit to relax a bit, as much as they could relax with a Xeno hive somewhere close by that is.

Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket he lit it with his old battered Zippo. It was one of the few things he owned that was older than he was, even with all the hyper-sleep. Lighting the Dunhill he shoved the lighter back into his pocket and stood back on his feet. Sighting softly he thought about the request from the civilian woman. She wanted to to re-enter the forward observation and site and download the information from the computers. Not a major problem except all the damn new types of Xenos running around the area.

"Hay, don't put that away just yet. It's been too shitty of a week not to top it off." Dirk said to Morse, motioning to his canteen. "And before you tell me, I'll keep the smoke away from it. Don't want to have it explode in my face before I get a drink"
<Tag Morse>
Cpl Dirk Pitt
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Pulse Rifle w/ 4 grenades, 8 canister shells
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Morse » Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:02 am

Morse rolled his eyes and took the canteen back off of his belt. It was not lightening up really. No one ever took a very strong drink from it, since that would likely make someone pass out. Either from the smell or the taste, and if not that, the burning sensation would probably finish them off.

He started to get up to his feet, and tossed it over to Dirk, who was a little further away. ”Shit, whats’fer me to care if ya blow yer face off?” Morse asked rhetorically. ”You die, all I gotsa worry bout is dealin’ with Quinn. N’ then I’m on the top a the pile.” Morse said regarding the chain of command as it was.

Morse got a smile on his face. His slipped his thumbs into the arm holes on his M2 Flak vest, and did a mock high brow politician walk. ”Firstly we nuke this rock clear to hell, n’ head back to Earth.” Morse began. ”N’… we never leave there again. And when ems ask us to deploy again… we tell em were busy… n’ that’s it.” Morse concluded.

He of course was not thinking of actually taking over. The idea of that was insane even to him. And they all wanted to go home. Morse had grown accustom to deployments to terrible places however. At this point he was making a career out of it. So if he went home forever life would just be boring.

< Tag Dirk
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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Re: Turn 4: Turning Marines into Rats

Post by Dirk Pitt » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:42 pm

Dirk took a short drink from the canteen and tossed it back. The familiar burn shot down his throat and into his stomach. Then running his hand through his sweaty hair he shook his head at Morse's thoughts on the command structure.

"Lieutenant Morse, that would be interesting. The only problem is that you live to bitch about everything. With Quinn and I gone, who would you have to bitch to?" He said, laughing. "But I do like your plan. I'm not too sure that command would go for it, bit I like it"
<Tag Morse>

"What's the plan, sir? The APC is almost ready to go, but I'm not sure about going to the forward observation without the snakefighter to give us close air support. Things could go very bad very quickly with that big bitch running around out there. She has tactics that the others hadn't used before."
<Tag Quinn>
Cpl Dirk Pitt
First squad leader

Gear
Pulse Rifle w/ 4 grenades, 8 canister shells
M1911 Colt .45 caliber Sidearm
Smoke Grenade x2
KBAR Combat Knife
Portable Welder
Ithaca Shotgun

Non Combat Equipment
Zippo lighter
Cigarettes

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