by J.R. Martin
Chapter 5
Sgt. Gallagher knew Doc would be his first team selection after himself. Next, it would be Sgt. Davis for his experience and calm demeanor under fire. The last member of the team would be Corporal Harris. He was third squad’s tech expert. He had an affinity for machines and computers. He could, as Sgt. Gallagher had seen on many occasions, take anything apart and fix it. He had a gift that their team might need on this rescue mission.
A short time later, after checking their weapons and gear, the team boarded the drop ship. Sgt. Gallagher nodded to both of the door gunners as he entered. Their heavy auto-loader weapons sat idle beside them. Their ability to wield those weapons could mean life or death to a team of marines entering or exiting their ship under fire. He had great respect for what they did. Door gunners wouldn't play a role in this insertion, however. They would be parachuting in from fifty thousand feet.
Lieutenant Collins said that FMSB command had confirmed the successful completion of second squad’s mission from an alternate intelligence source. The high ranking official had been eliminated. Even though it hadn't been confirmed by second squad, their mission had been a success.
Sgt. Gallagher's team would be dropped in at night from a high altitude to prevent detection. They would be behind enemy lines without any nearby support. This was something all of the team members were accustomed to. FMSB marines where trained for missions like this. They had state-of-the-art weaponry and the most advanced body armor. FMSB marine body armor was far beyond anything the enemy had themselves. It was equipped with an “Active Cloak” which enabled the wearer to disappear when activated. Due to the massive power consumption, however, it had to be used sparingly. While the team members were cloaked, they could track one another by using their Helmet's Virtual Display (HVD). This gave the team members a lethal advantage, especially in close quarters combat.
The enemy’s culture and philosophy didn't lend itself to research and development. They would simply overtake a culture, kill its people and steal its technology. They had yet to develop anything close to FMSB armor, and it was unlikely that they ever would.
Sgt. Gallagher knew in the end that the FMSB would be triumphant in this war. How long it would take to achieve that victory was impossible to tell. A culture like the enemy’s would eventually stagnate and die, he thought. Stifling people’s creativity and forcing them to live under an unyielding hand could only last for so long. It seemed the enemy had an inexhaustible amount of troops and equipment, and they would rather spend lives than develop technology to save them. He hoped the whole enemy army wasn't sitting on top of second squad.
Sgt. Gallagher looked around the compartment at his team. Their armor was clean and well maintained. Sgt. Davis and Cpl. Harris's names were embossed in black on the left breast of their armor. Their rank insignia was embossed on the right. Doc, however, being an android didn't have either. He simply had a large black caduceus embossed on the chest and back of his armor. This made him easily identifiable as a combat medic. Sgt. Gallagher hoped that Doc would live up to everyone’s expectations. He had a feeling that he would.
“Doc,” Sgt. Gallagher asked, “Are you going to be okay with this jump? This is something we didn't go over.”
“Yes Sgt. Gallagher, I am programmed in many different ways on combat insertion.”
“Just follow my lead and deploy your chute when I tell you.”
“Yes, Sgt. Gallagher,” Doc replied.
“Sgt. Davis, Cpl. Harris, are you ready?”
“Yes, Sgt. Gallagher,” they both replied.
“Let's get this show on the road!! Second squad is down there, and they need us!!” Sgt. Davis said anxiously.
Sgt. Gallagher was about to respond when he was interrupted by the ship’s captain.
“Two Minutes to Drop Zone!! Two Minutes to Drop Zone!! Stand By to Drop!!”
