TBSO19

==Chapter 19 - The Silent Black Ocean==
Idrmach Star System
Chainelane Isles, Deep Periphery
September, 3165
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"...three, two...one..."
[dIsCoNTiNuItY.............]
The Rim worlds officer shuddered a bit on the stake, making a strangled gurgle.  Saul took a moment and prodded the Rimjob with his bayonet, the body still had enough life to flinch.
"Private Shimon, don't do that, it's needlessly cruel."  Corporal Wendt ordered.
"Needless? did you see what they did? To those people?"
"I saw it.  We all saw it. that's why the Colonel had us stake their leaders, but it's disturbing to the Star Leaguers and we need their support. Come on, we've got a movement order."
'"Kill more?" asked Shimon
"Yes, to kill more." answered Wendt
[dIsCOnTiNUiTy.....]
Lance Corporal Sara Shimon-Gui's vision cleared as the ship came out of jump on the starboard side of the enemy Cameron.  "Ready Four, Eighteen Kliks Range, lock-and-release!!"  Gunny Schwarzchild's voice in her helmet steadied her, and she fastened her tow-strap to the portable booster, then released her boot magnets.  "Fire Team Three, READY!" she announced over the channel.
"Team away!"
The SRB pack hauled them off at ridiculous speed.  Ludicrous speed even.  enough speed that the shock-absorbers built into her legs would get a REAL workout when they hit the target hull.  Already, the Shot from the Evelynn was backlighting the target, while her own ship, the Kelli Whyte was beginning the support run-firing warshots with the ventral tubes at the enemy dropships and spraying down sensor emplacements and small weapons bays with the 208mm augmented deck-gun, a 'sub Capital' cannon mount firing hypervelocity shells at a somewhat slower rate than a proper 'Naval autocannon' would.
She enlisted to become a Marine. She'd dealt with freezing cold and the depths of deep ocean exercises to become a marine.  She'd frozen her ass off in antarctic ice flows, suffered under sadistic desert sunlight from two suns to be a Marine. She'd covered her TDS in interviews and studied her ass off to become a Marine.  Three years of Basic Training; Environmental training, parachute, jump pack, battle armor, sniper, and demolition schools. Endless hours in Parade and Dress kits. Jungle training in places where the insects are lethal and the plant life is trying to kill you, to become a marine.
"Hey-ha gunny, who buys the beer ya?" she asked.  Banter was better than watching that huge armored bulk race toward her feet.
"Last one down buys the beers yah." Gunny Pheltzer answered.
"Race yas?"
"Stick to your spot, Shimon-Gui, we'll all get down in one piece."
"Aye sirrah." she answered
It raced up and then the shockwave as her boots hit. The hydraulics absorbed the impact before the mag-clamps activated.
Pleasantly, the battery levels spiked and leveled off as the kinetic-generators built into the legs of her suit converted impact energy to electricity. They fed it through dampening and charging circuits, slammed the remainder into the reserve capacitors for her antipersonnel gauss rifle.
Jump with a short load, land fully armed.  These guys aren't going to know what hit them.
Her lips skinned from her teeth, Teach you bastards to desert. 
She disconnected from the now useless booster pack. She then began a slow, shuffling trot along the enemy's hull, as the Clan ship's external marker lights came back on.
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