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Force 81 Part I: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Posted By: NobleWard
Date: 16 December 2002, 6:51 pm
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"I NEVER did appreciate your driving sergeant!" yelled a rather rattled Cpl. Steven Dobbs as the Transport Warthog he and his buddies where in jostled about violently. "I wouldn't trust you with my Grandpa's beater, yet alone a military issue troop transport!" A hearty laughter broke out among the six spec ops marines seated in the back as their compatriot mercilessly taunted their company's designated driver. "How in the name of everything good and holy did you get a combat driver's license anyways sarge?" The Sgt. smiled from behind the wheel and cocked his head to the passenger in the seat beside him. The passenger cradled his battle rifle and smiled good naturedly back at his upbeat sergeant, anticipating the witty comeback that such a comment rightly deserved.
"You try and drive a truckload of mouthy greenhorns like yourself around for as long as I have corporal, and see if the UNSC brass don't recognize that as a feat worth recognition!" The sarge made sure he spoke loud enough for the whole of the squadron to hear his response, and was rewarded for his effort with good number of "he dogged you comments" aimed towards the Cpl. coupled with a good number of belly laughs from the nervous soldiers.
"I get you to where we need to go Marine, so I would quit your belly aching." The sarge added on as an after thought, as he refocused his attention on the hard gravelly terrain before him. Red canyon walls surrounded him on either side and forlorn stretches of desert lay in front of him. The rumbling of the other Warthog Transports accompanying him in the convoy was the only noise he could hear, except the occasion jibe from the back from the corporal. In a drive such as this , the comments Steven was so well known for were more a blessing than a curse. Steven and his word jousts kept the troops from growing grim. And demoralized troops was the last thing Sgt. Max Meldon wanted right now. With the Covenant pressuring down on the remaining Earth colonies after the Fall of Reach, the dim hope of survival had become even more dim. And with the apparent obliteration of the SPARTAN troops still fresh in everyone's mind, it seemed the Marine's plight to fight off the powerful Covenant had become positively hopeless. Except here. On Shunt III, one of the few planetary colonies still standing a chance against the incoming Covenant onslaught. The Marine forces on Shunt were some the best trained in the UNSC, apart from those stationed at Reach itself. Sgt. Meldon prided himself in this, knowing that he and his troops made up a small part of what was left of the UNSC's elite forces. While defeat loomed so close on the horizon, he was the type of person who saw the light before he noticed the darkness seeming to consume it. His company knew this and they trusted him. They had never once found themselves in a situation where their commanding officer could not find a way out.
"Hey Max." Meldon's comm went on as a familiar voice came over the radio.
"What's up Greg." he replied as his close war buddy opened the comm links.
"Headquarters just called, said that the Pelican supply convoy were just dispatched and will be landing as we arrive."
"Good to hear. How's your company holding out over there Greg."
"We're plugging on with the rest of you guys. Lt. Adams is regaling us with another war story. You heard about the one where he wrestled an Elite to the ground on his own while we were in retreat from a covie ambush?"
"Yeah, it hasn't been awhile since he told that one. The newbies will be impressed."
"I still get a kick out of the fact that he leaves out the part about me blowing the critter's arms off before he bullrushed the thing to the ground. I don't want to bust his bubble though."
As the convoy jostled to and fro in the desert terrain of Shunt III, one of the outer perimeter's Warthog Jeeps sped ahead of the group to take over the Alpha perimeter position. The Warthog's LAAG gunner peered out over the large convoy as the whole moved forward towards one purpose, one intention. The young man made notice of every driver's expression from behind his visor guard, brought down over his face to protect his eyes from the harsh sun and pebbly sand being blown into his face. By observing each Sgt.'s expression, you could make a good conclusion about his entire squadron's demeanor. Sgt. Meldon's face cracked into a huge grin, apparently at another one of Steven's comments and the much looked forward to cut back. Sgt. Greg's face, while not smiling, was still positive in his own way. Sgt. Gregory Legusama was much more serious about his work than Meldon was, but he still tried to keep his troops on the up and up. At the moment he seemed rather bored. Adams was probably relating another one of his stories. The trooper chuckled from under his visor. He was familiar with each squadron's workings and personality's. He had, at one point or another, worked with each of them to one degree of sort, whether they knew it or not. Captain James Veer was a recon and sniper specialist. He was well known in the Marine Corp of Shunt III, and well used at that. Of all the troopers in the Shunt III Spec. Ops. battalion, he was most commissioned and most mobile of them all. His commanding officers shifted him from company to company, using his skills not only in the missions he was most needed, but also in having him impart some of his talent onto each company's own recon specialists, in the hopes that such giftings can be taught as well as born into. As of yet, no one had come to the same level of excellence that Veer seemed to reached with such ease. Oh yes, there were many a skilled sniper in the Corp trained under Veer, but no one had yet usurp the master. Of course, at 28 Veer was also very envied among his older peers who had been doing his line of work for years. But Veer held his position over no one. He didn't want to be commanding officer, and looked down upon rank. The only reason he was a Captain was because the upper Officers couldn't let such skill go unrecognized. Veer's keen eye had saved more than one company in his relatively short military career from becoming Covenant target practice. Often times unknowingly. Veer humbling accepted the position he found himself in. He did not look for honor, although he rightfully deserved it. He had a passion for his work, however, that few could equal in the Corps. He trained in his off time and studied the Covenant mindset and military practices diligently so as to do his job to the best he could. He was a fine soldier, and everyone knew it.
Veer took one last cursory glance over the convoy before pivoting his gun to the front of the jeep. The noise in his position was deafening, so it would be impossible to communicate to his comrades in front. He didn't mind, of course. He preferred to be alone. Which was his most major downfall. He kept himself detached from intimacy of any kind. A blessed curse it is, for in war you lose to much to try and hold on to anything. This was Veer's philosophy. It's what drove him to see the war through. Off in the distant, he could see the beacons of Beta Base warmly glowing blue, with Pelicans touching down in the nearby sands. The canyon walls slowing faded out from the background; first on the left, then on the right, as the vast desert opened fully before them with Beta Base looming in the background. The base, while not large by any standards, was not small either. It's only real purpose before the Covenant became so eminent of a threat was as a staging ground for desert warfare training on Shunt. The varying environments on the planet allowed for a large array of training to take place across it's surface. Training bases could be found in every biome under it's atmosphere, from the artic south to the jungle terrain of the north. The versatility of the UNSC battalion on Shunt came from their extensive and various training. This is what made them a force to be reckoned with. This is why Earth now hoped Shunt would supply a final stand point to stifle the Covenant onslaught. And this is why the convoy was now heading to Beta.
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