Turn 31

[Nick]

Nearest star: Iota Horology
Rendez vous point
Cryo tubes, USS Costaguana
Mission timer: 00:00:00

The humming was very subtle - First it could not be heard by human ear, just felt through the floor. After a while rings started to spread in a glass of water left behind on a steel bench. The rumbling increased and a lockerdoor slowly, protesting midly by squeeking, opened itself. Only a few panels where lit and they where in light saving mode, a very subtle dim light rested over the ship.

As the ship deacellerated down to sub light speed the rumbling disappeared. Instead a subtle crescendo of whining, blipping and clicking started throughout the ship as life support systems went online again. The air started to be heated again, the air cleaned and lightpanels flickered a few times before starting to glow.

The cryo-tubes of the USS Costaguana were started last in the sequence, letting all other systems stabilize everything before waking up its precious cargo.

A screen flickered to life, names, serial numbers and other information scrolled past while relays ticked.

With a unison hum the 12 cryotube lids rose alift, its inhabitants waking up one by one.

The "Easy Eights" had reached the rendez vous point somewhere in black space between Iota Horologi and Epsilon Reticuli - Twenty days travel through the core systems out to the outer rim territories.

[Apachetear]

Getting to his feet, Jacob was numb. He yawned and stretched, before getting his uniform on - then he rubbed his face, grunting hello to the others before going for a cigarette outside the door.

Returning to the room he sat down, looking around - he began to wake up.

He glanced at each new recruit 'I wonder how many more replacements we'll have by the end of this mission' he thought to himself, again concerned of the green-ness of his squad leader. Still - Steel was as good a man as any for sergeant and should see the squad through.

"Food!" He yelled, grinning - he was starving and, facing a bunch of cultists on a pleasure cruiser, that wasn't going to make his day any easier.

Thinking about the mission, he remember asking for a burner...'wonder if I'll get one' he mused 'not instead of, but as well as my pulse rifle'

Looking around he saw Green "Green, fancy getting some eat? This sleep has left me starving!" Then he looked at all the fresh and the familiar faces and called out "Anyone else coming too?" Then he muttered to himself "I could murder a cup of coffee" - he couldn't just exclude everyone, could he?

[HeavyGlenn]

Green woke up and blinked for a few minutes. He stared in front of himself and then stepped out, almost the last person waking up. He stretched and punched the air a few times weakly. The man looked like Frankensteins monsters as he went to Jacob and just followed him. He smiled a little though when he heard the word coffe and decided to talk a little personal stuff with Jacob at breakfast.

[AstroBoy]

Bojan got up feeling refreshed after the hyper sleep thinking to himself, 'I dont know what others complain about' while looking at the pod. Then, he quickly got changed and headed towards the mess for a meal before the mission.

[Pale Rider]

James rolled out of his tube and quickly grabbed his duty roster. He checked off the three gents as they woke up and hit the refresher. He grinned as voices filled the air with small talk. "Con, Ronald, and Jakob we need to go over our equipment and make sure that First Squad is locked and loaded. I'll be danged if we are going to go off half-cocked. Once you have got your gear ready then you can go drink coffee and whatever else you fellas want. But until then you belong to me and "The Easy Eights."
He turned around and began to inspect his gear. Making sure that everything was in place and that it had weathered the ride okay. He didn't turn around to see if the jarheads under his command were doing as ordered. If they had been through bootcamp they knew that orders were orders and you followed them whether you liked them or not. He also knew that as fresh meat, he thought it was Jakob who had muttered something about that when they first arrived. He didn't expect any trouble, but he had been placed in charge and now was as good a time as any to establish the pecking order. Either they would do as told or he would have to show them that he was in charge of 1st Squad.

[Zafubern]

Zarb was sleeping soundly but woke up due to the rumbling and vibrations caused by the stopping ship. He tried to open his eyes but was feeling rather groggy and was a little dizzy as he was jolted awake.

Then he looked at all the fresh and the familiar faces and called out "Anyone else coming too?" Then he muttered to himself "I could murder a cup of coffee" - he couldn't just exclude everyone, could he?

"Sure! I'm starving too after all this travelling and I could do with some coffee too. I am a little groggy though. Give me time to refresh myself and I'll join you at the dining area," Zarb said, half muttering and half whispering.

He proceeded to grab his towel and headed for the bathroom to wash his face and as he was doing so, he walked pass the roster and couldn't resist the chance to have look at it although he already knew the mission plans and roles. After he was done washing his face and went back to his bed, he sat down to check his equipments.

"The morphine and bandages had better still be there, they are the most important basic items that a medic has to have at all times," Zarb thought to himself.

[StConstantine]

"Con, Ronald, and Jakob we need to go over our equipment and make sure that First Squad is locked and loaded. I'll be danged if we are going to go off half-cocked. Once you have got your gear ready then you can go drink coffee and whatever else you fellas want. But until then you belong to me and "The Easy Eights."

Con checked through his gear, not because he was ordered to but because he didn't want to be in a fire fight with a faulty weapon and armour. Con quickly ran his hands over his armour checking for any checkinf for any weak points that could comprimise his safety. Finishing the check and finally satisfied Con looked at Lt Cpl Screaming Eagle and waited for orders.

[HeavyGlenn]

"God f---ing damnit!" Ronald talked to himself loudly as he went over to his equipment, he worked bad since he was hungry and still half asleep. Most of the time he muttered about how damn bad the new leader was and that he was gona drink his damn chocolate as soon he was done and as soon he was done(Which took several minutes longer for him then anyone else) he stood up and looked over at their slavedriver. "Sir im done now sir! Sir, can I go and eat some breakfast before I starve to death sir?"

Ronald was pissed off and he wanted hot chocolate.

[pants]

It was the noises of his fellow marines moving around the cryo chamber that bought Nick out of his induced sleep. Sitting up he briefly stretched by lifting his arms above his head and arching his back. He could hear popping noises as he completed his stretch. Oh well, he thought, I'm still young enough that I don't need to worry about getting arthritis yet.

Looking over the rest of the chamber he noticed Lt Cpl Screaming Eagle had first squad checking their gear. Nick was impressed by his initiative and it showed that first squad looked like they were in capable hands. Standing up Nick watched the rest of the platoon leave there cryo chambers each of them working the kinks out in their own way.

"Ok marines, listen up! You have 30 minutes to get ready! In 30 minutes I expect everyone to be up to standard, that means all of your gear checked, you've sh*t, showered and shaved. At the end of that 30 minutes I expect everyone to be in the mess ready to rock and roll. Questions?"

[Pale Rider]

"God f---ing damnit!" Ronald talked to himself loudly as he went over to his equipment, he worked bad since he was hungry and still half asleep. Most of the time he muttered about how damn bad the new leader was and that he was gona drink his damn chocolate as soon he was done and as soon he was done(Which took several minutes longer for him then anyone else) he stood up and looked over at their slavedriver. "Sir im done now sir! Sir, can I go and eat some breakfast before I starve to death sir?"

James walked over to the taller and heavier man, "Listen up marine. You can go have your breakfast anytime your ready. And I will say when your ready. I may not be your former Squad Leader, but by God, your Marines feel that I am more than capable of leading this squad. If you have a problem about the way I do things you can either speak to me in private about them or you can voice that deficiency out loud, but you will not, I repeat you will not run around muttering under your breathe about things. You will thank me in the long run for my diligience in making sure your gear is combat ready." James stripped his standard issue t-shirt off. Across the front of his chest were six ragged yet parallel scars. "I might not have been in combat and may be green behind the ears in respect to leading a squad. but I have seen my share of combat. These scars," indicates the set across his chest, "came from a fight with an Alpha Fornacis equivelent of a Kodiak bear. If I hadn't had my knife handy, I wouldn't be here today. So, don't moan and complain to me about being starving, you obviously don't know the real meaning of the word. So if you are finished I will inspect your gear and you can go have your hot chocolate." He turned and inspected Pfc Green's gear. Other than a dark stain, which he assumed was hot chocolate on the corner of his first aid kit all was in order. "Pfc Green you are free to go get your chocolate."
James moved down the line to inspect Con's gear. Everything was in place, it was very obvious that like James, Con had just finished Basic Training. "Private Con you are free to hit the refreshers and get some chow."
His last responsibility was Jakob so he moved to where the marine's gear was stored.

[Apachetear]

Hearing his new squad commander talk in this way to Green. Jacob felt incensed and enraged. He'd got his stuff together as quickly as possible - so he could go for breakfast.

He was in full combat gear, faded dark red smily faces covered his armour, there was a dent in one part of the chestplate and a centimeter deep furrow on the side of his helmet where a bullet had skimmed it, by his side lay both an incinerator unit and a pulse rifle, as well as the normal kit and kaboodle in as near perfect nick as possible.

Standing rigidly to attention, more than was strictly necessary - Jacob brought his height up full, he was somewhat taller than this new person, and he didn't want to appear like a guy who would bow down and accept him before he'd proven himself.

The other new guy in the squad...Con...he seemed ok - he had his head screwed on right, checking his gear and whatnot - before being ordered to.

Honestly, ordering someone to check their equipment - it's instinct to a marine - he needn't ask.

And so he stood there, stubble covering his chin, and a cigarette behind his ear...Jacob may not have looked all too presentable - but any sensible person who knew him would realise that looks aren't everything.

Anticipating the squad leaders possible reaction to him, Jacob stood and waited - whistling between his teeth very softly.

[Pale Rider]

Standing rigidly to attention, more than was strictly necessary - Jacob brought his height up full, he was somewhat taller than this new person, and he didn't want to appear like a guy who would bow down and accept him before he'd proven himself.

James moved in front of PFC Honeysett, he had seen his kind before on the rez. A man with a chip a mile wide. He could handle things one of two ways: Dress the man down in front of his peers or he could handle things in private. Not wanting to come across as a butt kisser he chose the later of the two. "PFC Honeysett, thank you so very much for putting yourself together this morning. I trust you and I can find time to settle our differences before we make land fall. I have nothing against you personally and if the Sarge and LT think your gear is acceptable as presented then I have no problem. Maybe all of us should put on the smiley faces, and we could leave smiley face stickers as our call sign." In this he was dead serious! He had read of a special forces unit that served in some war called Vietnam that left Aces of Spades as their call sign. "You are free to report to chow."

[Apachetear]

"PFC Honeysett, thank you so very much for putting yourself together this morning. I trust you and I can find time to settle our differences before we make land fall. I have nothing against you personally and if the Sarge and LT think your gear is acceptable as presented then I have no problem. Maybe all of us should put on the smiley faces, and we could leave smiley face stickers as our call sign." In this he was dead serious! He had read of a special forces unit that served in some war called Vietnam that left Aces of Spades as their call sign. "You are free to report to chow."

Smiling, Jacob respected the squad leader somewhat more now - he'd been sensible not wanting to get off to a bad start of commanding. Maybe after a little while out of boot camp he'd loosen up a tad.

"The smily faces are one for every enemy I have thus far killed, Sir. I fear that the smily faces may have to remain personal to me - I know others openly sickened at my use of them" There was no point in causing conflict when the other had been fairly civil...'just wait 'till combat - I gotta know if he can lead...'. Thinking to himself, he went and got some food and sat down next to Green "So, what d'ya think so far?"

[tashw]

Eileen climbed out of her cryotube trying not to trip over her own feet. She'd never liked mornings and waking from cryosleep was like downing a concentrated triple strength tablet of morning. It was cold too, and there was noise of two squads of marines tramping about, the smell wasn't so great either and... god she wasn't going to feel remotely human until she got a coffee.

Shaking her head to clear it Eileen headed to her locker and had just begun to pull on her uniform when Priest's voice sounded over the speakers, "Lieutenant Vincent, you're needed on the bridge."

[HeavyGlenn]

Ronald felt like strangling something, he left his new leader without a word and those who knew him well (Jacob and Steel) knew that their red haired friend felt like ripping his eyes out and throw them at his squadleader. He sat down in the messhall and was just about to drink his chocolate when Jacob came out from nowhere and Ronald turn to him almost screaming "Damnit, let me drink my god damn choc..." he calmed down and sighed "Sorry pal, I thought it was.. You know who! He is insane, I mean, dont I have the right to eat so I can concetrate with energy in my belly and fix my equipment without a problem!? He is gona get his personal talk as soon im done with my meal and then.. Then I gona be polite and tell him what things I like" He nodded sure of himself and then drank his chocolate, even if it was slightly to hot and he burnt himself on it he just drank it. He would regret it in about ten minutes but damn he felt alive. "And what do you think of these cultits? Its gona be so damn easy I gona shoot everthing that looks hostile to me. And that guy! He got ears like a fox, hears everthing.."

Ronald then listened to what Jacob sat and tried to get their discussion to change to about red haired girls, if he asked about their girly leader Ronald slapped Jacobs shoulder and said to him that he would never ever think a leader like her would be hot, Ronald was a bad lier though. When he saw Steel he shouted good morning over the room and waved at him.