[DeathsVirgin]

We waited in almost complete silence with small conversations sparking here and there as the Galaxy soared towards the Dahaka region. My squad consists of me and my 11 comrades. There are two of each class in our squad. The sniper Infiltrator is so shady. She hasn't spoken a word at all. Her helmet hides her face, but I feel like
I'm being watched.

"60 seconds until drop," Adrian says. He is our transport pilot.

We unstrap out of the seats.

I am determined to be the best squad leader that I can be. If I was ranked 2/8 for likeliness to be a squad leader, I would fulfill this duty.

"OK guys…" I really don't know what to say. "So. Just like Commander ordered. A small squad of Vanu are patrolling around Dahaka. We go in, take them out, take the base, and let the main infantry take the Amp Station."

Adrian says,"30 seconds until drop."

"Don't f**up squad leader," Sarah jeers.

"Aw shut up," I say. "And remember our training, guys. This is the real thing"

I open the trapdoor and we enter the low-ceiling bottom floor of the galaxy.

"This is pretty badass," Hazel (Medic) says. There are boxes of supplies and a few rebirthing tubes. Ammo and camera controls for the guns of the Galaxy stun us.

"Hey, focus" I demand. The 11 drop pods lined up await us. I dont hesitate to get in. The four-way doors come up.

"Hell of a tight fit for a MAX," says Killian.

I sit down in the pod and swing down the roller coaster style harness. "Tell us when, Adrian," I say.

I put on my helmet, lay my Guass SAW on my lap, and grip the handles of the harness tightly as I wait for his signal.

"Now! Drop Now!" he yells.

I smash the release button and feel my center of gravity shift upwards. The rush is exhilarating as, but I stay focused.

After about 10 seconds, the pod slows down dramatically and my stomach churns. The landing is hard but nowhere near fatal. The four way hatches open. I'm blinded by the Sun, which my visor adapts by tinting on the inside. I look around and see my squad just landing or standing beside me.

"Adrian, keep that thing in the air. If the medics get killed, we're gonna need you," I warn. "That and you're our ride home"


"Roger that," I hear his voice through my inter-linked com.

I place my spawn beacon down. An eccentric ray of blue light shoots for the heavens.

The infiltrator speaks for the first time. "I'll first a spot to snipe." Her voice is melodic and girly, but professional.


"OK, assume open formation" I say.

We begin to steadily approach the base.

"OK, one capture point. Two generators. One enemy spawn point." I begin. "Here's the plan. Team one [Me, Tolsky(Light Assault), Jeb(MAX), and Sarah(Medic)] will go for the generators. Then, the spawn point where we will camp."

We scan the Indarian landscape vigorously, hot sun roasting us. We are about 300 meters from the base, going from a decline.

I continue, "Team two [Jill(Second-In-Command & Heavy Assault), Quinn(Light Assault), Po(Engineer), Killian(MAX), Hazel(Medic), and Jerome(Short-Ranged Infiltrator)] you guys get down to the spawn point and suppress them for the time being. Marie(Long-Ranged Infiltrator) you cover all of us. Jerome, you cover the generator cloaked"

"Roger." They say.

We have our rifles and pistols up scanning the area.

"Spotted a Vanu Infiltrator," says Marie, "East of your position. He just cloaked and went into that building. Stay frosty."

"Roger." I confirm. "Cover Team 2, we're going inside."

I signal Team 2 to begin their objective.

We have our backs against the wall lined up in single file, right next to the door.

"Watch for proximity mines," I remind.

On my signal we burst in. A glossy figure runs and on instinct I lock onto it with my iron sight, and squeeze the trigger lightly. The body falls to the ground. The figure begins crawling. I shoot the Infiltrator in the head and a pool of blood leaks from the head. The body dissolves into a hologram of green nanites and then is gone.

"Holy sh*t Freddy. I didn't even see that" Sarah exclaims.



"I'm missing all the f***ing fun" Adrian says.


"Stay focused, celebrate later," I say sternly, but inside I am booming. My first kill! My heart is practically beating out of my chest. It's a bit horrific, but I refuse to be influenced by the horrors of war.



"Tolsky, get that generator down," I order. "Jeb cover that door north, Sarah you cover those doors east, I've got the one behind us."


I kneel taking position. We wait for Tolsky to overload their generator. About thirty precarious seconds pass when Tolsky finishes. We begin to hear the alarm of the breached generator and quickly move upstairs.


"Moving for the generator," Jeb says.


I spot a flat, purple Y-shaped object on the floor and Sarah moving towards it. Actions are faster than words, so I activate my Nanoweave shields and tackle her two feet from the explosive.


Motion triggers it and we are knocked back. I struggle to breathe.


"Oh my gosh! Are you OK?" She begins running med-tests on me. I can barely breathe.


"Capture the point,... then worry about me."


"We have eyes on two f***ing squads of Vanu now leaving the spawn!" Jill screams over gunfire.


"I've got eyes on them all. Picking them off like flies." Marie says nonchalantly.


"Remain in...position... as long... as you can..." I mutter. I cough up blood. Sh*t!


Sarah takes out her medical applicator and begins streaming nanites into my chest. I feel them repairing my ribcage and multi-punctured lungs. I suck in fresh air.


"I told you to watch those damn mines" I say. "Cover the doors guys."


"We're falling back to you!" Jill yells.


The rattling gunfire draws near. They sprint up the stairs to us.


"You guys take the control point! Team 1 move to the hallway. Po get a turret on the right stairwell. I want all my MAX's in the other room! Tolsky on the left stairwell! Jerome use the generator for flanking cover!"


"Here they come!" Jerome yells.


I am covering the left stairwell, along Tolsky. Two Vanu heavies appear from the door and they don't hesitate to fire upon us. They both put up their glossy turquoise nanoweave shields up. We use our training to our advantage and utilize the cover. I get hit, but my shields absorb most of it and the plasma just dissipates. It feels like getting slugged with a baseball bat.


The first one falls by Tolsky, a quick headshot, but the second one is still standing. Beams of purple plasma zoom past me, but I am safe in cover. Tolsky is near death with plasma burnt though his chest.


"Medic!" I yell! The heavy stops to reload, which I begin shooting at him. Trying to flee, he puts his nanoweave shields up again subbing for his depleted personal shields, but catches 12 of my precise bullets. Blood splatters the wall.


Before I can get down, I get shot twice. I'm in pain, as the scorching hot plasma continues to eat away at the skin and tissue cells in my shoulder and bicep.


Sarah comes to my rescue shooting the infiltrator to pieces. She goes over Tolsky, who has died and begins reviving him. At the same time, She throws me an injector. I roll up my sleeve and press the injector on my skin. Nanites begin to travel through my skin into my blood and heal me. I watch as the bloody would begins to clot, muscle grows back, and then finally skin with zero scar tissue.


Tolsky wakes. "Oh sh*t! did I die!"


"Stay focused! MAX inbound!" I scream.


"Copy that. Give me a second, I've got some lights to deal with," Killian says.


I take out the rocket launcher I have strapped to my back, take aim, and fire. The explosive shell detonates and knocks the MAX back a feet. The alien looking soldier gets right back up and begins shooting at the cover me and Tosky are hidden behind. Turquoise and purple plasma splashes everywhere as the MAX advances. I dare not get up from cover and I signal an angered Tolsky to stay down.


At the last second, Killian is MAX charging and he tackles the MAX. Killian begins stomping on the MAX's head until it is a purple and red puddle. Infantry swarm him. He falls.


Tolsky and I throw each a frag grenade taking out about eight men.


Over heavy gunfire and lasers, we hear commander.


"You've liberated the facility! The main infantry is already dropping now"


Similar gunfire echoes. The vanu are picked off one-by-one until there is only blue and gold.


************************************************** ************************************************** ******


"You kids really f***ed them up!" exclaims an excited Mercenary Downs of Alpha Squad Leader, Platoon A.


"It was for our right of passage" Adrian joked.


The base is swarming with the entire platoon.


"33 kills 5 casualties?! Even we don't go that hardcore. We're headed to the Amp Station, you guys wanna tag along?" We have earned respect from even the first infantry division!


"Sorry, sir, we've got to report back to the warp" I say.


"Right, Right. Mercenary Downs. Call if you're ever in a pinch." I shake his death grip.


We depart back to the Galaxy. As we fly we talk about how awesome and tactical the mission was.


The Infiltrator sits next to me.


"Great job, Freddy," she says in a teasing tone.


I'm about to speak. She removes her helmet. Even Adrian is gawking.


"Keep your eyes on the sky dumbass!" Sarah yells.


She is gorgeous. She lets down her black hair tied in a ponytail.


"I definitely made the right choice voting for you as squad leader."


I stare into her curious green eyes with a smirk.