Sigma
Inactive Member
"It's going to be okay, Laura. Just take it easy and be yourself. I got your back."
"Yeah? And how's the view, Bernie?" Senior Corporal Laura Romero snapped back her companion. "We get the best damn training and what do they do? They cancel our mission to Gartaga, break up the squad and turn us, me, into a glorified border guard for the Spacers!"
Bernhard kept quiet but smiled slightly. He knew she was nervous. Laura got snappy when she was nervous. She had taken the Squad Leader course for a lark, an adventure. She had not expected CentComm to turn her into a squad leader! Both of them were convinced that she would spend her entire career simply being the Most Brilliant Medic in the Universe, working under Sergeant Volkov. Now here she was, ordered to take command of a Marine squad and its attached auxiliaries. They were supposed to train the Free Spacers into some sort of border guards, showing them how the Marines did things in a ship boarding.
So now they found themselves in an elevator that just opened its doors to the main hangar of the NSS Ulfberht, a carrier version of the Orca-class. Laura wished she was back on the NSS Dauntless, flagship of the 4th Fleet and sister ship of the Ulfberht.
Besides the rows of interceptors and attack craft, a large Freespacer frigate sat in the middle with a bunch of people around it. Three landing skids elevated it higher and Laura could barely make out the shuttle atop the frigate. Some were Navy techs, curious to examine crewless warship in its silver and blue which stood in contrast to the dark greens and blacks of the Navy's ships. The rest, Laura could see, were her squad.
Three other Marines, two of whom were fresh from Boot Camp. Greenies. Another who was supposed to be a veteran of Rok'Veru like Bernhard. She hadn't told him about that and wondered if he would know the guy. Whatever, Marines were Marines and she knew how to deal with greenies.
Attached to them was a Navy woman, supposed to pilot the shuttle and then act as naval inspector for the Marines. Laura summed up that job as telling the Marines what not to touch. As Marines who trained to conduct boarding operations, they ought to know how to spot hidden compartments and such. True, Laura and Bernhard's crash course in that stuff had been brief since all of their work had been as infantry. But what could this Navy girl know which Laura couldn't learn on the job?
Then there were the two Spacers. Officially, they were auxiliaries. Volunteers who were supposed to observe, learn, and obey. One of them was a clunking hunk of metal, supposed to provide electronic and drone support. The other was a straight up Spacer serving in the Corps. Laura had heard some of them did that but had yet to meet one.
And then there was the ship. It was driven by a bloody AI! Her superiors had said that it was the ship but didn't see it that way. All of her squad milled around the ship, waiting for her and Bernie.
"Show time, Laura," Bernhard whispered and Laura tisked in an aggravated response.
"Attention. Chief Greer and Senior Corporal Romero are approaching. I believe the proper thing to do now is salute?" the Phantasm Gunship spoke to the crowd around it using an external speaker.
"Lacking hands, I can only introduce myself as Harmonious Solarsailor 44808-5I, fifth of the gunships produced by your NAM and our Intelligent Design Node. The shuttle attached to me has no name and does not respond to any of my communications."
"Yeah? And how's the view, Bernie?" Senior Corporal Laura Romero snapped back her companion. "We get the best damn training and what do they do? They cancel our mission to Gartaga, break up the squad and turn us, me, into a glorified border guard for the Spacers!"
Bernhard kept quiet but smiled slightly. He knew she was nervous. Laura got snappy when she was nervous. She had taken the Squad Leader course for a lark, an adventure. She had not expected CentComm to turn her into a squad leader! Both of them were convinced that she would spend her entire career simply being the Most Brilliant Medic in the Universe, working under Sergeant Volkov. Now here she was, ordered to take command of a Marine squad and its attached auxiliaries. They were supposed to train the Free Spacers into some sort of border guards, showing them how the Marines did things in a ship boarding.
So now they found themselves in an elevator that just opened its doors to the main hangar of the NSS Ulfberht, a carrier version of the Orca-class. Laura wished she was back on the NSS Dauntless, flagship of the 4th Fleet and sister ship of the Ulfberht.
Besides the rows of interceptors and attack craft, a large Freespacer frigate sat in the middle with a bunch of people around it. Three landing skids elevated it higher and Laura could barely make out the shuttle atop the frigate. Some were Navy techs, curious to examine crewless warship in its silver and blue which stood in contrast to the dark greens and blacks of the Navy's ships. The rest, Laura could see, were her squad.
Three other Marines, two of whom were fresh from Boot Camp. Greenies. Another who was supposed to be a veteran of Rok'Veru like Bernhard. She hadn't told him about that and wondered if he would know the guy. Whatever, Marines were Marines and she knew how to deal with greenies.
Attached to them was a Navy woman, supposed to pilot the shuttle and then act as naval inspector for the Marines. Laura summed up that job as telling the Marines what not to touch. As Marines who trained to conduct boarding operations, they ought to know how to spot hidden compartments and such. True, Laura and Bernhard's crash course in that stuff had been brief since all of their work had been as infantry. But what could this Navy girl know which Laura couldn't learn on the job?
Then there were the two Spacers. Officially, they were auxiliaries. Volunteers who were supposed to observe, learn, and obey. One of them was a clunking hunk of metal, supposed to provide electronic and drone support. The other was a straight up Spacer serving in the Corps. Laura had heard some of them did that but had yet to meet one.
And then there was the ship. It was driven by a bloody AI! Her superiors had said that it was the ship but didn't see it that way. All of her squad milled around the ship, waiting for her and Bernie.
"Show time, Laura," Bernhard whispered and Laura tisked in an aggravated response.
"Attention. Chief Greer and Senior Corporal Romero are approaching. I believe the proper thing to do now is salute?" the Phantasm Gunship spoke to the crowd around it using an external speaker.
"Lacking hands, I can only introduce myself as Harmonious Solarsailor 44808-5I, fifth of the gunships produced by your NAM and our Intelligent Design Node. The shuttle attached to me has no name and does not respond to any of my communications."
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