Terran Marines Ch 03

Terran Marines (Ch 03)

This really isn't a stand alone story as the previous chapters introduce many of the characters and go into the tech details of the suits and the Marine's gear. I have included a list of characters as there are a lot of names and it can sometimes get confusing.

In this chapter, I changed up the order of things a bit. Play first, work second (then play some more!)

Dramatis Personae:

Corporal (Cpl) Claudius Stephen - 1st Fire Team (FT) leader

Lance Corporal (LCpl) Berts - 1st FT member

Private First Class (PFC) Hanaka Watanabe - 1st FT member

PFC Jose Ramirez - 1st FT member

Private First Class (PFC) Becky Johnson (deceased)

Cpl Jackie Bronson - 2nd FT leader (Fab Four)

LCpl Annie McMaster - 2nd FT member

LCpl Mary Jones - 2nd FT member

LCpl Jessica Vuong - 2nd FT member

Cpl Louis Lopez - 3rd FT leader

LCpl Cron - 3rd FT member

Sergeant (Sgt) Kronkit - 3rd Squad Leader

Sgt Bernard Durand - 2nd Sqd Ldr

Cpl Samuels

Sgt Janice Thomas - 1st Sqd Ldr

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Kerwalski - Platoon Sergeant

First Lieutenant (1STLT) Joanna Hunter - Platoon Commander

Capt Samantha Tovington - Marine aerospace fighter pilot

++++++++++++++++

The Basilone settled into its assigned docking port on Heinlein Station, which orbited Vesuvius, Alpha Centauri system, home of the Terran Marine headquarters. The Basilone Sailors were busy, ensuring that the ship was docked properly, umbilicals attached and that they completed all of the thousand and one tasks that were required when a starship returned home. The Marines embarked were a little less busy as they waited impatiently for the Sailors to finish so they could begin their liberty. It was traditional that the Marines would receive a 48 hour liberty period upon returning to home port after a successful mission.

The Marines were gathered in the Basilone's briefing room, animatedly discussing their plans. The Platoon Sergeant, Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Kerwalski, stepped into the room, then took a step to the side and barked, "ATTENTION ON DECK!"

All the Marines stood and snapped to attention as their Platoon Commander, Lieutenant (LT) Hunter, walked into the room. In her warm, rich alto voice, she gave a quick "At ease! Seats, please."

The Marines took their seats and followed her with their eyes as she finished walking to the front of the room. "Congratulations on another successful mission. We took some hits and lost a lot of good people, but we saved over 70 colonists!"

There were a few cheers.

"I understand several of the colonists were very... shall we say, grateful, for their rescue? I hear a few of you had an interesting trip back."

There were some raucous shouts, laughter and a few Marines, both male and female, were pounded on the back. LT Hunter was happy to hear the laughter as there had been a lot of tears when the fallen Marines were given their funeral service and their bodies committed to space.

She held up her hands and the room gradually fell silent. "Ok, one last thing before I turn you over to SSgt K." She paused, "Your liberty brief." There were some grins and one low 'Booooo', but everyone focused on her.

"Everyone will have a liberty buddy. I know that this is Alpha Centauri, but you will have a buddy with you at all times.

"No fighting." She glared at the Marines. She sighed when a hand was raised.

"Yes, Samuels?"

"Ma'am, does that include those pogey Soldiers?"

"Yes, it does. You CAN NOT pick a fight with the Army.

"No teasing the shore patrol." There was a faint sigh which she ignored.

"And no drinking or smoking MJ and driving.

"You cannot partake of any persistent drugs, you've all been informed of the current banned list.

"Everyone will be back in 48 hours. If you're late, SSgt K will take it out of your hide." Next to her, SSgt Kerwalski bared his teeth in a wide smile.

"Questions?" There were none.

LT Hunter turned to leave and gave a peremptory, "Then be safe. Carry on. SSgt Kerwalski."

"Ok Marines, here's the updated list on which establishments are out of bounds. And yes, Sgt Thomas, that means you cannot go in or linger near those businesses. They are..."

+++++++++++++++++

Cpl Stephen stood in a line of Marines, waiting to sign the liberty book and head to the station. The most junior Marine in the platoon, Pvt Ramirez, was at the head of the line, followed by the other young Marines. Behind them were the slightly more senior Lance Corporals, followed by the Corporals and Sergeants. Finally, at the end of the line were SSgt Kerwalski and LT Hunter.

Cpl Stephen ruminated on the traditions that were at the core of the Terran Marines. They traced their history back to a wet surface navy that hailed from one of the larger and more prosperous provinces on Old Earth. It was a Service that was rich in tradition, but it also prided itself on its flexibility, discarding traditions and habits that threatened to keep it from growing and adapting with the times. However, many of the Terran Marines' central traditions remained. One tradition was to take care of the junior Marines first as they carried the burdens of the service. This meant that they were fed and sent on liberty first. This was in contrast to some of the other Services, where the senior officers and Staff Non-Commissioned Officers were the first to leave the ship on liberty. It was sometimes quite the sight to see an Admiral lined up next to a boot Private. In this case, the Navy was still putting the Basilone to bed, so were not allowed to leave on liberty yet, so it was only a line of Marines impatiently waiting their turn to digitally sign the log book and leave.

Stephen and his libbo buddy, Cpl Tre Williams, of 1st Squad, exited the Basilone's boarding tube, made their way through the station and over to the shuttle transit bay. Here they caught a shuttle to one of the smaller cities on farside. Farside, or anywhere that was on the other side of Vesuvius from the space station, was more expensive and a longer ride, but it was away from the Terran Marine Headquarters and training bases. The hope was they wouldn't run into too many other Marines and would be able to enjoy themselves without having to worry about any of their peers. They ended up in a bar in a small town. They walked in and a quick look around revealed that they were the only Marines in the joint. Booths lined a couple of walls, several small stand-up tables filled one corner and a small stage was in the back. A large wrap around bar filled the middle of the room. The bar wasn't too crowded, but there were a decent number of people. Smiling, Stephen and Williams sauntered up to the bar which was manned by two bartenders. They found a couple of empty chairs and settled in.

To their delight, the cuter of the two barkeeps walked up. "Hey, what can I getcha?"

Williams ordered an ale while Stephen went with a rye whiskey.

"Here's your drinks. By the way, I'm Cindy, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks! What else is there to do around here?" Stephen asked.

Cindy shrugged, "You're pretty much doing it."

"Works for me!"

Cindy smiled at Williams, "So you boys just pull in?"

"How could you tell?"

"You've got that pasty look from spending too much time in deep space and in armor."

Stephen could only grin and nod, "You've pegged us right. We're on libbo for a couple of days."

"What made you pick this back of nowhere town?"

Stephen made a show of looking around, "No other Marines around. We can drink in peace."

Cindy laughed, "If you're trying to stay away from Marines, you're on the wrong planet. Half of the people in here are either retired or served a hitch."

"Yeah, but I reckon none of you will give us too hard of a time if we get plastered and make a fool out of ourselves."

"No, you're right about that, as long as you don't tear the place up. So you had a successful deployment?"

Stephen made a face and glanced at Williams, "Yeah, we did. We lost a lot of good people at some shithole called Tau Omega 6."

Cindy's eyes grew big, "No shit! Really? You guys were on Tau Omega 6?"

"Yeah, we were there."

"You guys made all the tri-V newscasts! That was some fucking op. Congratulations on rescuing all of those colonists."

Stephen muttered, "Oh shit."

Cindy turned and yelled at a bunch of guys in a booth, "Hey gramps!"

When they didn't look up, she sighed and yelled, "Hey, Sar'Major!"

An older, balding man looked up and yelled back, "What's up Cindy?"

"C'mon over here."

He strolled over. He was large, at least several inches over 6' and broad. Large, corded biceps and the lack of a gut underneath his shirt showed a man who kept himself in shape.

"What's up Cindy?"

"These two just got back from Tau Omega 6!"

The old man threw out a large paw and shook each Marine's hand, giving them a hug in turn. "Boys, thank you for what you did. I hear you lost some good Marines, but you brought back the surviving colonists. I'm Sergeant Major Paris and while you're here, you'll drink on us."

He saw the look that Stephen and Williams exchanged. "No worries, from the reports you've had a rough time and I'll make sure that you're left alone, if that is what you want. If you need someone to talk to, either let me or Cindy know. We both have a good shoulder if you need to talk about it. If you want a pro, we have a couple of good head shrinks in town." He paused, "Where are you staying?"

"We're staying at the Plaza, Sar'Maj."

Paris turned, "Hey, Tony! These two are staying at your place, can you upgrade them to a suite?"

"The VIP suite is open, I'll have their bags moved up there. No charge!"

Stephen tried to refuse, "Thank you, Sar'Maj, but you don't need to do this for us. We both would just be happy to find a quiet corner and have a few drinks."

"No worries, I'll leave you alone, but when you're done for the night, you'll have a nice room to recover. If you need anything, just let one of the bartenders know and they can get in touch.

"Thank you both again." He nodded to them both and walked back to his booth.

"Damn." Stephen turned to Williams, "I think I might like this place. We may have to come back here next time."

"No shit."

Cindy walked over, "Y'all ready for another?"

"Sure!" "Yeah!"

"Another ale? Or would you like something harder."

"I'll stick to ale. Nothing good comes from drinking firewater."

Cindy laughed and turned to Stephen, "And how about you? How about a scotch?"

"Real scotch? You've got that here?"

"Yep, gramps likes the real stuff. He did say it was on the house. How about Lagavulin 16? Or we have a bottle of Macallan 18?"

"Holy shit..."

+++++++++++++++++++

Stephen and Williams had been at the bar a few hours and as daylight began to wane, the clientele became younger as the older folks headed home and the younger workers came in to relax after work. Cindy had helped introduce them to a couple of young ladies, but at a look from Stephen, she refrained from mentioning their history.

Rhia was cute, of average height with darker hair and a native tan. She was an admin at a local business and she hit it right off with Stephen. Williams was likewise deeply engrossed in a conversation with his companion. After a drink and some conversation, Rhia was becoming flirty, briefly touching his arm and occasionally leaning into him. Stephen was enjoying the company and was finally able to start relaxing.

As they talked, the bar was getting full, was getting loud and a two-piece band was cranking out covers of current hits. People were dancing on a small dance floor in front of the stage. Above the noise, Stephen looked up when he heard a familiar shout. He groaned when he saw the Fab Four walking into the bar.

Rhia saw him watching the Fab Four as they sashayed into the bar. "Friends of yours?"

"Yeah, they're in my squad."

"Oh, good friends then?"

"Yeah, but they're a handful when they are out on the town. I was hoping for a quieter night."

"Well, I was hoping for a dance." She arched an eyebrow at him. Taking the hint, he took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. Stephen was entranced with her, the natural sway to her hips, her coy smile as she danced in front of him, the beckoning finger as she urged him closer. She was in her work clothes, so they weren't risque, too tight or too short, but she wore them well. A nice hint of cleavage poked through her shirt and her slacks clung to an amazing ass. The band shifted songs, crooning out a slow song. Rhia pulled Stephen in close, her body melding with his.

"Hmmmm, this feels nice," she whispered in his ear. He was enjoying himself, the horrors of Tau Omega 6 finally fading. The sounds of his autocannon and mortar impacts were replaced by the music and her sultry voice. The sights of friends getting pulled from their holes by the bugs replaced by Rhia's smiling face. The smells of the battlefield were replaced by the jasmine in her perfume.

The song ended and another slow number started. Stephen was content to hold Rhia tight to him, so he was surprised when a hand was laid on his shoulder. He slightly disengaged from Rhia and was surprised again to see Corporal Jackie Bronson standing next to him.

"May I cut in for this song? We're colleagues and I promise to give him back to you afterwards." Jackie had directed her question to Rhia, who nodded and stepped back.

"I'm going to hold you to your promise, I just found him."

"Thank you. Just so you aren't alone, Mary here will buy you a drink. I'll return Stephen in a minute."

Rhia shrugged and followed Mary to the bar.

Stephen looked down at Jackie. Jackie was a brunette and for once he was able to see her with her hair down. She was wearing a sleek, dark blue cocktail dress. A sharp, plunging V neckline emphasized her large chest, leaving much of her inner curves exposed. The dress hugged her hips and fell to about mid-thigh. A high slit on one side indicated that she was most likely pantiless, which matched her lack of a bra. She danced close to Stephen, but left a chaperone-friendly space between them.

"You're amazing! But why are you here and why did you cut in on Rhia?"

"Oh, that's a nice name. As for why we're here, we wanted to see SgtMaj Paris' bar. He was the SgtMaj for my training battalion and he was good people. I heard he had retired out here and opened a bar, so when the chance came up, we took it. You were a pleasant surprise."

"Hmmm, ok. So why cut in?"

"Just to let you know that if Rhia doesn't work out, we're staying at the Plaza. Look us up."

"We're staying there too. SgtMaj Paris hooked us up with a suite."

"Oh cool, we may have to crash your party at some point."

"Now, Jackie...."

"Don't 'now Jackie' me, Claudius."

Stephen winced when she said his name. "C'mon Jackie, you know I prefer Stephen."

Jackie smirked at him as the song ended. "Let's go to the bar and see if Mary has stolen your date yet." Mary liked girls and was known to steal them from the guys.

"Hey, she better not! I saw her first!"

Rhia was talking to Mary and the last two members of the Fab Four, Lance Corporals Annie McMaster and Jessica Vuong, when Stephen and Jackie walked up. Rhia greeted him with a hug and a quick peck on the lips.

She began, "So, Stephen, I have a couple of questions for you."

He shot a glare at the Fab Four, then turned to Rhia, "Anything."

"Ok, first, why did you introduce yourself as Stephen and not by your first name, Claudius?"

The other girls giggled as he rolled his eyes at them, "Well, it's a little obvious. I don't particularly care for my first name. In the Marines we usually go by last names anyways so it's become a habit."

"Hmmm, ok, although I like Claudius and I think that you shouldn't be embarrassed about it." He shrugged in response.

"What else?"

"Well, how did they get the name Fab Four? Mary wouldn't tell me."

Stephen quickly summarized their history and how their unusual longevity as a team despite the odds had resulted in the nickname. Terran Marines were often thrust into perilous situations and were almost always outnumbered, relying on teamwork, skill and firepower to overcome their adversaries. Casualties were often high as a result. Almost a third of the platoon had died on Tau Omega 6 during the rescue of the colonists while the Fab Four had come out without a scratch, despite being in the middle of some of the fiercest fighting. The four were also all female, unusual in an organization where 75% of the personnel were male. They also tended to party together and were tighter than the typical team.

"Huh, should I be jealous?"

Jackie stepped in to place a hand on Rhia's arm, "No, we wouldn't horn in on another woman's man. We're here to party and not looking to hook up." She stepped close to the other woman and whispered in her ear, "But if you hurt him, run. He does mean something to us and he just lost someone close to him." She stepped back, "You two have fun, we may see you around."

Jackie gathered the other three and they disappeared deeper into the bar.

Stephen looked at Rhia nervously. She regarded him solemnly for a minute, "You have some dedicated friends who seem to care deeply about you."

He could only shrug in reply.

She smiled, "Buy me another drink, the night's still young and I want to dance some more."

+++++++++++++++++

Rhia and Stephen stumbled into his suite. The lights were turned down, leaving the living area dimly lit. An opened bottle of champagne was on the table, thankfully stoppered. A couple of used glasses were arranged around it. They both giggled when they heard low moans coming from one of the bedrooms.

Stephen found two champagne flutes in a cupboard, then poured a glass for Rhia and himself. "I guess my buddy found someone too."

Rhia gave him a sultry smile as she sipped at her champagne. "Hmmmm, this is good stuff."

She sauntered over to him and took him by the hand, leading him to the couch. "Let's get better acquainted."

She pushed him down onto the couch, then sat down on his lap and leaned in to kiss him. Their lips met and she leaned into him, pressing her chest against him. They kissed deeply, tongues dancing. She wiggled on his lap until she felt him stiffen. She broke the kiss and looked down at him.

"Hmmm, someone wants to say hello," she purred.

"He really does want to make your acquaintance!"

Rhia adjusted herself, straddling Stephen's legs. She ground herself on his groin as she felt him thicken and harden. She pulled back, then worked on the fastener of his pants and pulled them down. He helped by lifting his ass. She only left him in his boxers for a moment, pulling them off to join his pants on the floor.

Rhia regarded his erect member, stroked it a few times, then licked her lips. "I have to taste this beast!" She took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around his tip, causing him to groan. She slowly suckled on his shaft as she took more of him into her mouth. On the upstroke, she stroked his shaft with her hand.

"Oh fuck, that's good!" he groaned.

She worked his shaft, alternating licking up and down and taking him into his throat. She couldn't inhale all of his cock, but took a respectable amount. Soon, he felt himself approaching the end. He warned her and she responded by cradling his balls and gently rubbing the tender spot below them while increasing the rate in which she blew him. He groaned again as he came, blowing three jets into her mouth before she pulled away and let him finish on her chest. She smiled, opened her mouth to show his load coating her tongue, then stood and walked over to the kitchen sink to spit. She rinsed with a glass of water, then swayed over to him.

Rhia shed her clothes as she approached until she was nude. Her firm, high tits were the perfect handful on her chest and they bounced gently as she walked. Her stomach was flat and she had removed all of the hair over her sex. As she came near, Stephen could see her full labia. He had an eyeful as she stood in front of him, then took his head and guided it to her pussy. He took the unspoken command and planted his mouth on her lips. He swept his tongue through her moist lips. The angle was awkward, so he slid down until he was kneeling in front of her. She put one foot on the couch to open herself up, then grabbed his head for balance. He dove in, kissing around the juncture of her thighs, teasing the side of each lip before taking another long lick up her slit, pausing to twirl his tongue around her clit. She was moaning and grinding her crotch on his face as he continued to eat her. She whimpered when he introduced a finger into her snatch.

"Another! Put another in me!" she demanded.

He smiled as he worked her clit, sucking on it, then nibbling around it. He curled his fingers as he pushed into her, finding that rubbery mass at the top of her tunnel. She responded by pulling his head into her pussy. She came with a scream, squeezing his fingers with her pussy and his head with her legs. She slowly came down and collapsed onto the couch. She pulled him on top of her and guided his cock into her folds. He gently teased her clit, wetting his tip, before gradually pushing into her. He slowly pushed until he was fully seated, then rested on his elbows.

Rhia pulled his head down for a kiss, "Fuck me, big guy, pound my pussy and fill me up!"

Stephen began to pump into her, pistoning his cock through her warm, velvet tunnel. She began to writhe beneath him as the sensations built. She worked a finger between them and diddled her clit until she came again, screaming his name. This set him off and he filled her with his warm baby batter, then collapsed on top of her. He slowly rolled to the side and regarded her fondly.

They quietly chatted, getting to know one another better. When the conversation rolled back to their activities, she blushed and turned her head, "I don't normally pick up a guy and sleep with him the first night. I'm not normally a one and done girl."

"Me either."

"You're not a one and done girl either?"

"Hey, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." She smiled at him, "So, what..."

They were interrupted when the front door opened and Jackie and Annie walked in.

"Hey guys, don't worry about us. Mary and Jessica were starting to get frisky, so we decided to let them have the room and a little privacy. You guys should move to your room, we'll crash on the couch if that's ok."

Rhia was staring wide-eyed at Jessica, while she tried to hide her nakedness behind Stephen.

"Hey Jessica, Annie, why don't you two go powder your nose in the bathroom while we move."

"Don't be silly, we've seen everything already."

Rhia pinched Stephen and gave him a dirty look. He laughed and whispered to her, "Sorry, co-ed showers aboard the ship. There's just not enough room for duplicate facilities and we long ago gave up trying to schedule different times for each sex. So yeah, she's seen everything."

"But not me!"

"Well, you are naked already."

Rhia responded by pushing him off the couch, then with as much dignity as she could muster, she quickly dressed and left the suite. Stephen tried to talk to her, but she just raised her hand to silence him, then walked out.

"Oh shit, Stephen, I'm sorry. Where'd she go?"

Stephen glowered at Annie, "She left. Thanks guys."

"Sorry." He heard her faintly mutter, "Not" and scowled at her. She just shrugged.

Jackie came up to him and helped him up, then gave him a full body hug. "Since she's gone, let's go to your bed where we can all be more comfortable."

Stephen snorted in disgust, but let himself be led into the bedroom. Jackie wrinkled her nose and gave him a gentle shove in the direction of the bathroom, "You stink of sex, go take a shower."

Stephen grumbled to himself, but stepped to the shower and got the water running. When it was hot, he stepped in and used the provided shampoo to wash his hair. He wasn't really surprised when he felt a pair of hands stroke his back, then wrap around his chest. A pair of firm breasts were pressed into his back as she gave him a tight hug.

Annie chuckled, "Got soap in your eyes?"

"Not yet, let me rinse off."

"Let me help." Annie guided him back and helped rinse the shampoo out of his hair. He shook his head when Jackie joined them in the shower. There was a lot of grab-ass as they all cleaned up, but they were all finally clean, inside and out.

They retired to the spacious bed where Jackie pushed Stephen down onto his back. "Mary is going to regret not joining us. She's still talking about sampling your dick."

Stephen was saved from having to reply when Annie sat down on his face.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Replacement Marines had arrived to replace their losses, but a few Marines were shuffled around to help maintain continuity within the platoon. Cpl Stephen kept LCpl Berts, Private First Class Hanaka Watanabe and PFC Jose Ramirez, but lost LCpl Cron who went to the third fireteam under the new third fireteam leader, Cpl Lopez. Third Squad was now organized with Sergeant Kronkit as the squad leader. Cpl Stephen had the first fireteam with Berts, Watanabe, and Ramirez. Cpl Jackie Bronson of the Fab Four had LCpl Annie McMaster, LCpl Mary Jones and LCpl Jessica Vuong. Cpl Lopez had Cron and two new LCpls who transferred in. The squad was back at full strength with a total of 13 Marines.

The rest of the platoon had also been brought up to strength. After a short period of acclimatization, the Marines began to train together to (re)learn how to be a team again. Simple team building exercises gave way to fire team drills. Most teams had their positions shuffled around, so they had to get used to their new spots and new teammates. The training days dragged on pleasantly. The training wasn't too arduous yet and the schedule was light enough that they ended early enough for the Marines to go to town on liberty. Stephen tried to call Rhia, but she never returned his calls.

The easy pace changed when worrying news began to roll out of the Quintel 3 system. Quintel 3 had been colonized over a hundred and fifty years ago, so it had a decent-sized population, but it butted up against the border of an antagonistic alien race. While there hadn't been an active conflict with these aliens in over 30 years, the system was still provided with a decent military presence.

A new Terran governor had been appointed a few years ago and he was proving to be very unpopular with the locals. Unrest had been steadily growing, but the accidental death of a local girl by a Terran Marshal had sparked immediate riots in the capital city, which were put down with a heavy hand by the Marshals and civil police.

As the news turned darker, the training schedule was compacted and executed with a new urgency. Fire team training transitioned to exercises as a squad, then all three squads were brought together and the platoon exercised as a whole. They practiced patrolling in unpowered armor, executed room take-downs and building sweeps. Once the rust had been knocked off and everyone was comfortable, they donned their powered armor and went through all the exercises again, just twice as fast.

The news from Quintel 3 continued to get worse and random acts of violence morphed into not so random acts. The platoon began to receive intel reports on the situation and Terran Intelligence saw signs that an insurgency was beginning to take root. The Terran Governor of Quintel 3 had yet to ask for assistance from Earth, so they were allowed to attempt to handle the situation on their own. News reporting began to show atrocities that were committed by the Terran Civil Police (TCP). Then things began to calm down and no new atrocities were committed by the Terran Civil Police. The number of insurgent attacks fell and the ones that still happened did less and less damage. The platoon began to relax, until the net boards began to chatter about a cover-up. A classified intel brief hinted at corruption at the highest level of the Terran Governor's office, the muzzling of the local press and further violence instigated by the TCP.

A new, modified training schedule was soon posted and the Marines from 3rd Squad gathered around to look at it.

"What're we doing Corporal?" asked Ramirez.

"We're going to practice orbital insertions, or drops," answered Stephen. "Looking at the schedule, we're going to do half a dozen drops in the next two days."

"Whaaat?" Cpl Bronson grabbed the schedule out of Stephen's hands. "That's insane! Six drops in two days? We're all going to be blowing chunks at the end."

"That's not all. Look at the long-range schedule for next week."

"Holy shit! A Company and then a Battalion level drop? Is this for real?"

"Yep." Stephen grimaced, "And we have a set of simulated drops as well."

"Why's that important, Cpl?" asked Watanabe.

By this time, the remainder of the squad had gathered around Stephen and Bronson.

"We usually do a bunch of simulated drops and then a single live drop. I've never done a real drop bigger than a platoon; all of the Company and Battalion drops were simulated," explained Stephen.

"But what does that mean?"

"It means, Watanabe, that the shit is about to hit the fan and we're going to do an opposed drop against active anti-air defenses that probably will have orbital strike capability. I've never done one and if the enemy is on the ball and isn't adequately suppressed, we're going to take a lot of casualties on the way down."

"Damn."

"Damn is right. The kicker is, the drop is the easy part. Once we're down, we'll have to fight the enemy defenses and whatever land-based forces they have. If we don't knock back the air defenses before we run out of go-juice or ammo, then we're going to be hurtin'."

By this point all of the younger Marines had gathered around Stephen. As heavily opposed combat drops were relatively rare, there were a lot of questions from the Marines.

"So, we just get in our drop seat and pray?"

"No," Stephen laughed. "As with anything else, there's quite a bit you can do. You can carefully tweak your thrusters to simulate a piece of falling debris or a decoy."

"Decoy?" One of the new LCpls from the third fireteam looked confused.

"Yes, they will have drone drop boats go in ahead of us and they'll drop a bunch of decoys. They are our size, roughly our weight and they are supposed to act like us. The decoys are supposed to confuse the enemy defenses and give them something other than us to shoot at."

"That should make it easy then!"

"Well, not exactly. If we drop any, we'll drop a lot which means they can't afford to put too much smarts in these things. Sometimes they'll lose control and start to tumble or otherwise not act like a Marine in powered armor."

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yes, but you can use some of that to your advantage. The decoys are trying to act like us, but don't quite get it right, so we can also try to act like a decoy. I wouldn't recommend tumbling or your brain will be entirely scrambled, but you can jink or dodge around a bit like one."

"Cool. But how do we do that?"

"Well, first we're going to do a bunch of sim drops." There were some mutters in the background, sims weren't a lot of fun. "You'll get to watch simulated decoys get released. The sims have gotten good at modeling the behaviour of the decoys, so watch them closely and try to mimic them. Here's how you do that..."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Training was over and the Marines rode a drop boat up to their new transport, which really wasn't a transport but the Terran Navy heavy cruiser TF McCain. It only carried two drop boats, but they were bigger than the boats on the Basilone. The McCain also carried two aerospace fighters in its belly. They were piloted by Marines and were tasked to provide any air to ground support necessary.

A week out from Quintel 3, all of the Marines in the platoon, including the two aerospace pilots as well as the Navy drop boat pilots, gathered in the McCain's briefing room.

LT Hunter strode to the front of the briefing room, "Ok, Marines, this is it. I have the operational order as well as an intel update.

"First, the intel update. For those of you following the net feeds, Terran Governor Crassius is believed to be corrupt and has managed to corrupt the highest levels of the courts, legislature, civil police and Terran Marshalls on Quintel 3. When the citizens of Quintel began to protest the corruption, he started to suppress the protests. Things were at a low simmer until that girl was killed by a Marshall, then shit blew up." Everyone in the room was completely focused on LT Hunter as she presented the information.

"The insurgency kicked into high gear and Crassius fought back with everything he had. He attempted to Federalize the National Guard division based on Quintel 3, but the leaders decided to sit out the fight. They knew what response would be triggered if they rebelled against a duly appointed Federation Governor, but they were able to delay responding to his orders.

"Then the Los Lobos Avienda incident occurred, something that was heavily suppressed by the Governor and only recently discovered by Terran Intel.

"The Marshalls were suppressing a riot with nonlethal chemical deterrents and their fists. Then one of them was shot by an unknown assailant. Almost immediately they went hot and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds.

"This was the catalyst for the National Guard unit to pick sides and they chose their own people. The Commanding General and his staff were full Terran citizens, but they had been on Quintel 3 for decades and had married into the local populace, so it apparently wasn't too difficult for them to shift their loyalties to the insurgency. The end was swift after this. The Marshalls and police were swept away and the Governor was rounded up and put on trial. By now the trial will be over and the expected sentence is death."

One of the Marine pilots raised her hand, "LT, what is the response that the National Guard division was afraid of?"

Stephen smiled, knowing that this was a pre-planned question. The pilot was a Captain, so she outranked LT Hunter. She was also gorgeous and Stephen found himself entranced.

"Ma'am, we're the response. They knew that they'd have Terran Marines dropping down on them from the orbitals if they rebelled against a Terran Governor, no matter what the provocation." A low grumble of approval came from the crowd. The Marines liked the thought that they would be the punishment. The pilot, Capt Samantha Tovington, caught Stephen staring at her and she smiled in return. He returned an embarrassed smile and turned back to the LT.

"It's not known if the entire National Guard division went over to the insurgents or if some or most of the people have decided to sit this one out. They all know the Terran Federation's response and it won't be a polite one.

"An offer to surrender will be made before we drop, but the terms always state that the ringleaders and ALL of the officers, SNCOs and Non-Commissioned Officers in the National Guard unit will be executed as a future deterrent. This, unfortunately, makes surrender unlikely." LT Hunter mumbled something under her breath. Cpl Stephen couldn't hear what she said, but it probably wasn't in support of the policy.

"The NG division has two infantry regiments and an armored regiment. As Quintel 3 is so close to the border, its weapons and C4I systems (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) will be up to date. In other words, their capabilities will be almost equal to a Federation Army unit. Person for person they won't have our firepower, but they will have numbers on their side.

"Each infantry regiment has around 2,500 soldiers and another 500 in support. The armored regiment has around 300 Jaguar Mk VII tanks armed with 15mm rail guns. These rail guns can penetrate a suit's armor, so keep moving if you run into one of them and use your Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. The suits are being loaded with routines that should make it harder, not impossible, just harder, for the tanks to lock in on a suit. The end result is that they will be less accurate than usual, but if one hits you, you're officially having a bad day. Our autocannon have about a 30% chance of penetrating their frontal armor, so use multiple shots and try for a side shot.

"The NG division has an anti-air battalion to supplement the planet's defenses, which are rather formidable. The planetary orbital defenses will most likely not be able to engage our transports as they are programmed not to engage Federation platforms, however, they will be able to try and target our suits. We will have aircover to help suppress the anti-air defenses.

LT Hunter fiddled with her wrist comp, "And here's the drop plan and assigned zones."

Cpl Stephen looked at it for a moment and couldn't help letting out an involuntary, "Oh shit!"

The LT laughed, "Ok, Cpl Stephen, it looks like you caught the wrinkle in the plan. Explain it to everyone."

"Yes ma'am." He stood and used the movement to gather his thoughts. "Everyone knows that you lead with drones and decoys to soak up the defensive fire before the real suits are dropped. This is our doctrine, well, really, the doctrine for anyone who drops infantry from orbit. This plan will either go down as brilliant or as a colossal fuck-up with massive losses."

Stephen could see various expressions on everyone's faces, ranging from noncomprehension, to incredibility, to worry. "In other words, we're going in before the drones and decoys. The idea is that the defenses will ignore us and try to target the second wave, thinking the second wave consists of Marines and not decoys. If the deception works, we'll drop far enough before their sensors get an accurate read on who-is-what that they won't have enough time to adequately target us once they figure it out, except for maybe an unlucky few. If they don't buy the deception, then we won't have a screen of decoys to shield us and we'll get corn cobbed and there won't be enough left of us to mourn the dead. Hopefully the orbital bombardment and our aerospace fighters," he waved in the general direction of the two pilots, "will keep them too busy to pay attention to their sensors."

He sat down to a stunned silence.

He saw LT Hunter roll her eyes at him while in the back, the pretty Marine pilot was laughing. "Ok, thanks Corporal. I probably wouldn't have been quite so heavy handed in the delivery, but good job."

She touched her wrist comp again and a section of the area around the capital was highlighted. "Here's our target dropzone. Our target is this Command and Control hub. When we take it out, it'll throw the insurgents onto their back-up comms and it'll be easier for us to disrupt them. It will also cut a lot of their optical land-lines, forcing them to transmit, which will make it easier for us to locate those positions.

"Our last intel dump still had the Quintel National Guard unit in their base locations. If that holds true, then we can expect less than a platoon of lightly armed security forces.

"Ok, our drop boats will form up..."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As Stephen left the briefing room, his wrist comp tingled with the arrival of a message. He slipped on his HD glasses to read the message. Meet me in my stateroom, #02-75-3-L at 1900.

He mentally translated the room number into a location, 02 level, frame 75, Starboard, Living space at 7pm. Officers Country, but not LT Hunter's room he thought. He checked the sender's information and was surprised to see it blank. It normally wasn't possible for this field to be blank. Someone had either figured out a way to game the system or they had hacked it. Interesting, he thought. I'll have to see who this is and what they want. He considered that it was an elaborate prank, but dismissed this as they were on the eve of a major combat drop.

He must have been more nervous than he thought as he kept checking his chrono as the evening closed in on 1900.

One of his roommates, Cpl Louis, finally called him on his behavior, "Hey, Steph, what's up? You keep checking your watch. Do you have a hot date tonight?"

"What? No." He flipped his roommates the bird as he stood to leave. They laughed as he slipped out of their shared room.

Cpl Stephen made his way to Officers Country, then found the stateroom. He went to knock, just as the hatch opened. He found himself face to face with the cute Marine Captain, one of their aerospace pilots.

"Cpl Stephen, I'm glad you made it, come on in." She waved him in and he took a few steps into the room. "We haven't been formally introduced, I'm Captain Samantha Tovington." She held out a slim hand and he took it. She had a distinctive accent, he thought it might be from the old Earth district of England.

She ushered him in and he took a quick look around. Her stateroom was neat, but small. A single bed, desk, chair and locker rounded out the furnishings. A door to the side was labeled 'Head' (restroom).

"Ma'am, what can I do for you?"

She gave him a dazzling smile, "Please, sit." She gestured at her chair and he reluctantly took it. She sat on the edge of her bed. Her dark, raven hair contrasted starkly with her pale, white skin. She had deep, blue eyes that drew Stephen in and he had to quickly look away to keep from staring at her.

"I was interested in getting to know the man and Marine that Joanna had such high praise for."

"Ma'am?"

"Sorry, LT Hunter. Us ladies have to stick together and it's been a long voyage, so we've had a lot of time to chat. She was very... effusive in her praise of you."

Stephen felt himself blush. "Uh, what did she say?"

"She commended you on your tactical insight and strong leadership skills. She likes the way you look out for your Marines. She was impressed how you handled yourself on Tau Omega 6. She said you were the complete package." Stephen caught the emphasis on the last word.

"Ahhh, thank you. It's nothing that any other Marine wouldn't have done."

"Non-sense! You were the right person at the right time. You have good instincts and you pay attention to what is going on around you. She mentioned you had some good suggestions during the rescue of the colonists."

He could only shrug, "Yes, ma'am."

"You'll need to lose the formality in here. Please, call me Sam."

"Uh, yes ma'am... I mean Sam!"

"Thank you. Joanna mentioned you preferred to go by Stephen and not by your first name?"

"Yes, ma... er, Sam."

"She also mentioned your relationship with... Private First Class Becky Johnson? She said you were greatly affected by her passing."

Stephen felt a wave of sadness pass over himself, but he pushed it down. "Yeah, she was special. She meant a lot to me."

"I'm sorry if I'm dredging up painful memories. I..." For once, she looked flustered. She blushed and Stephen thought it cute.

"That's ok, I've come to terms with her loss. She meant the world to me and I'll never forget her, but, well, life goes on. As you said, I have to take care of my Marines and keep looking forward." He wiped away a tear, belittling his statement.

Samantha smiled softly and reached over to wipe away another tear. "Joanna also told me about some of the antics you got up to, particularly during the after-mission parties. It sounded like you got a little wild at times."

It was Stephen's turn to blush. "I'm not sure what you're referring to." He looked her in the eye, "Those stories are just stories."

It was Sam's turn to blush again and he saw her squirming on the bed as she looked away.

"Not what I heard." She reached over again to brush his cheek with a slim hand. "Well, maybe you and I can get better acquainted during the next post-mission party, that's if we survive of course."

He stood, "Of course. Nice meeting you, ma'am."

"See you on the other side, stud."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stephen closed his eyes. He hated the waiting. Hated the nervous anticipation that always occurred before a drop. Hated the empty feeling in his stomach as his drop seat was kicked out of the boat. He hated the long fall, helpless in the face of enemy fire, waiting to get washed away into oblivion.

"Two minutes to drop!" called out the drop pilot. "We'll be releasing you at 100k meters." Stephen automatically converted to the old Imperial miles - 62 miles! That was the highest he had ever dropped before.

Stephen opened his eyes and checked the tactical plot. The McCain and three other Terran cruisers had surged ahead of the drop boats and were trading fire with the planetary based defenses. They twisted and turned, dodging incoming fire while spitting kinetic penetrators back towards the ground. Each impact on the ground was marked with a white blossom of fire. One of the cruisers was struck and it struggled to climb out of the planetary gravity well, streaming fire and air as its Sailors sought to restore damaged control lines and patch holes in its hull.

He watched as two dozen aerospace fighters streaked in, dueling with anti-air batteries. They launched their missiles and peeled away, but not before two succumbed to the ground fire and disappeared in balls of fire.

"Stand bye... drop NOW NOW NOW!" sounded off the pilot. In sequence, the Marines automatically fired off in pairs, still cocooned in their drop seats. Even in the seats, the shock of the firing was intense and Stephen's vision blurred and narrowed into a tight tunnel as the g-shock load increased. The g-forces eased as the shock seat steadied and fell towards the planet. He checked his tactical plot again, automatically checking the countdown timer until they reached the ground. Over six long, agonizing minutes. He watched as ground fire started to reach out to the falling suits. No, not their wave, but the decoys above them.

The aerospace fighters had returned, distracting the anti-air defenses, forcing them to protect themselves rather than shoot at the Marines. They were driven away, losing another of their number.

Four minutes... A Marine died, washed away in a flash of light. His icon strobed scarlet in the plot. Stephen wasn't sure if the fire that killed the Marine was aimed at him or at a target above them. It didn't matter.

Three minutes. The decoys were getting hammered and nearly half of their number had been destroyed. The ground fire paused and Stephen almost felt through his suit's EW, the change in the insurgent targeting as his suit was repeatedly washed with fire control lasers and radar. He automatically kicked on his EW in an attempt to hash the enemy sensors. He tweaked the seat's anti-grav, yawed wildly and set a random pattern to change his rate of descent and to make his fall erratic.

"Well, they've figured things out," called out LT Hunter. Stephen noted that a command was sent to all of the platoon's suits to engage their EW. "Going active with EW and evasive maneuvers." He overrode the maneuver pattern and left his own in place. Stephen felt admiration for the LT, by transmitting over her comm, she was painting a target on herself and making her suit easier to find. He hoped she made it down safely.

Two minutes. A Marine in the First Squad died without a sound, the laser frying him and his suit. A moment later, one of the noobs in Third Squad's third fireteam died in a fireball as a missile hit him. Stephen was sweating. There wasn't anything he could do, his EW was run by his suit battle comp and his suit's evasive maneuvering was on automatic. He just had to wait and pray.

One minute. He was close enough to the ground he could start to use his passive sensors to pick out the landing zone and his fire team's assigned targets. He was still too high to use his active sensors or to fire his autocannon as that would attract the defenses. Anything that made him easier to see made him easier to kill. He noted his target and began to edge his descent in that direction.

When he was 500 meters (m) above the ground, he popped his first chute. He braced himself, but the jerk was immense. The chute fell away almost immediately, but it had done its job and significantly slowed his descent. He kicked on his anti-grav to further slow himself. He had fallen far enough where it was sort of safe to energize his active sensors. His sensors quickly detected an anti-aircraft emplacement shooting into the sky and he almost absentmindedly targeted and blew it away with a few rounds from his autocannon. He spun on his vertical axis, letting his sensors take in his surroundings. As targets popped up in his plot, he pushed the data to the rest of the platoon and began to engage the most threatening ones. He highlighted targets for his team to engage as he continued to scope the ground.

100m up, he popped his second chute, kicked his anti-grav chair into full thrust and used his suit's thrusters to further slow himself. The second chute fell away almost immediately. At 20m he kicked away the chair and let his thrusters finish his descent. Once down, he checked his plot and saw that the rest of his fireteam had followed him down and were all landing within 100m of his position.

They had landed less than 200m from their target. He knew that surprise and shock were keys to overwhelming the defenses and part of their orders were to immediately attack the command center and not wait for the entire platoon to land and get situated.

"Berts, Watanabe, Ramirez, on-line. Follow the ball!" He began to move forward as his team fell into formation, forming a line facing their target. A bouncing ball was superimposed on the Heads Up Display (HUD) within their helmet, pointing the way. As they pushed through the high brush surrounding the facility, a guard tower came into view. Berts took it out with a few rounds from his autocannon. The Mk18A Shoulder Cannon fired a heavy duertonium needle and imbued it with a plasma charge. The needle alone packed a heavy punch and was capable of punching through heavy armor. The plasma charge added an extra kick and left a white streak behind the round as it zoomed towards its target.

As they came within range, Stephen used data from his previous sensor scans to designate targets, then passed them out to the team. The 15mm grenade launcher/mortar sat on the suit's other shoulder and they all thumped repeatedly as grenades were launched, landing within the command center's perimeter. Vehicles, guard posts, communications arrays and sensor equipment were targeted and destroyed. He didn't need to use the gauntlet-mounted flamethrower or his combat blade.

He checked the tactical plot in his HUD. His team was in the lead, ahead of the rest of the platoon, which was moving quickly to catch them. Beyond the guard towers, no other threats had materialized yet.

"Berts, make a hole in the fence."

"Aye Corporal." A few shots blew out a couple of fence posts and the four Marines entered the compound. The command center, a low ceracrete structure stood before them. Most of the external antenna arrays were already damaged or destroyed and the team quickly finished the remaining arrays.

"It looks like an entrance on the side there. Let's go say hello. Wedge formation."

There were insurgent soldiers milling around the inside of the compound, but none looked like they wanted to mess with the four armored combat suits, so Stephen ignored them. The wedge formation was shaped like a diamond and gave good firepower in all directions. It was a good one to use in a fluid situation where the threat could come from any direction.

"Roger, Corporal."

Berts took off, Watanabe and Ramirez taking their place behind and to either side of the streaking Marine. Stephen took his place behind the other three, providing overwatch for their movement.

As they neared the entrance, it opened and disgorged half a dozen insurgent soldiers. They immediately spotted the approaching armored suits, went down to a knee and opened fire. They were firing Mk56 Needle Rifles, a smaller version of the Marine's shoulder autocannon and the exact same model that the Marines used when not in powered armor. The needles were smaller and didn't have nearly the same punch, but a lucky hit could still penetrate the suits. The soldiers had barely started to fire when Berts, Watanabe and Ramirez blew them away. Berts took a few hits, but his armor shrugged off the fire and he didn't pause as he continued to the entrance. A few rounds from his autocannon had the doors hanging by their hinges and he plowed through the remains and into the building, followed by the rest of the team.

They paused in the foyer, "Which way, boss?" asked Berts.

Stephen zeroed in on a convenient sign, indicating the control center was straight ahead in the center of the building.

"Straight, follow the signs to the control center."

"Aye aye." Berts took off. At the end of the hall were two steel doors with the word 'Command Center' conveniently painted on them. Berts didn't bother to waste any rounds on the doors, just lowered his head and plowed through them with a screech of tortured metal. He was firing a moment later as the rest of the team entered the command center and spread out.

Seeing the armored suits in their midst, most of the personnel manning the consoles threw their hands up in immediate surrender. The ones who went for weapons were quickly dispatched. The prisoners were quickly herded out as Stephen updated his squad leader, Sergeant Kronkit, on their status. As soon as the prisoners were clear, the team began to destroy the consoles, shooting or smashing them with an armored fist as the situation dictated.

With the entire platoon working together, the facility was soon under control and the communications equipment destroyed, crippling the insurgent's local area command and control capabilities.

LT Hunter had the three squads set security around the perimeter of the facility, then went into a quick pow-wow with her leadership team, SSgt Kerwalski and the three squad leaders, Sgt Thomas (1st), Sgt Durand (2nd) and Sgt Kronkit (3rd). In the midst of their conference call, LT Hunter pushed out a FLASH intel report.

Stephen glanced at it as LT Hunter started to rattle off orders, "Ok, Marines. It looks like we have signs that an insurgent tank company with roughly 14 Jaguar tanks is headed in our direction and they'll be here in about ten minutes. The planetary defenses have temporarily chased off our orbital support, so there's no one to interdict them before they reach us. We're going to set an ambush to get these guys. 1st Squad will be the base, 2nd on the left flank and 3rd on the right flank. We'll set a very shallow U-shaped line. It looks like they have the traditional two platoons up front with the third in reserve, so our line will be stretched wide.

"Initial volley will be a mass mortar barrage to mess with their sensors. There should be enough of us firing to confuse their back angle calcs. If they do start to zero in on your position, move! The flanks will then engage with direct fire. Once they turn to engage, 1st Squad will then hit them. Wait for my command to fire.

"Get'em moving squad leaders!"

The Sergeants had been prepping their own orders and as soon as LT Hunter gave her command, they slugged their own instructions to everyone in the squad. Stephen took a quick glance at the layout in his HUD, then waved for his team to follow him. The main line was set 200m in front of the command center and the flanks were pushed even further out. A command came through from the Platoon Commander, setting every suit's EW to passive. They'd automatically go active when the engagement began.

Cpl Stephen set the Marines in the locations assigned to them, shifting them around a bit to take advantage of bits of micro-terrain and cover. He swapped Berts and Ramirez, giving Ramirez a spot that had a nice depression to take cover in. Berts had much more experience while Ramirez could use any possible help. When he finished, Watanabe and Berts were busy digging in as much as possible. Stephen didn't have time to dig in when the first alert came over the platoon net.

"Tanks in sight."

Stephen knelt behind a large tree, it was better than nothing and provided a little concealment for his large, armored form.

"Everyone freeze! We're going to let them into the kill sack before we start the engagement."

The Jaguars had slowed as they neared the insurgent command center, knowing that the Marines were likely nearby. The lead tank's main gun swiveled unexpectedly and took a shot. One of the 1st Squad Marine's icon went yellow as the LT calmly ordered, "Engage!"

Almost 40 Marines let loose 4 mortar/grenade rounds and even spread out over the lead eight tanks, each Jaguar was struck by a deluge of explosions. None of the grenades had a chance to penetrate the tank's armor, even the lighter armor on their top, but the combined pounding would disorient their crews and play havoc with the lightly armored sensors and gun sights.

The battle was not all one-sided as another 1st Squad Marine was struck and this time the Jaguar's armor penetrating round found a weak spot, killing the Marine.

Another command quickly followed the first, "Flanks, direct fire, engage!"

Cpl Stephen stepped out from behind the tree and triggered a burst into the flank of the nearest tank. The duertonium needles easily penetrated the thinner side armor of the Jaguar and it burst into flames. He switched targets and was about to engage when that tank was hit and destroyed. The next two tanks had already pivoted to face 3rd Squad, surprising Stephen with the speed of their response. As he was up and visible, both Jaguars targeted him, lashing him with their fire control sensors. He jumped to the right just as both tanks fired. The wake from their rounds shook him in his armor, but he was already moving again. He faked left, then moved right again.

Stephen highlighted both Jaguars, setting them as targets for his suit. He then set his grenades to autofire, switching between both tanks. As he moved and jinked, he triggered his autocannon and let his battle comp take care of aiming while he concentrated on moving. Despite his efforts, a glancing blow from a tank round knocked him backwards 10 feet, spun him around and dropped him to the ground. Another round went over his prone form, rocking him where he lay. He scanned his armor's Built-In Test routines, but there was only minor damage to some sensors.

1st Squad opened fire, taking both of the remaining tanks in the flank and quickly reducing them to piles of flaming wreckage. On the other side of the ambush, 2nd Squad quickly took out the four Jaguars on their side. All that remained were the four tanks of the trailing platoon and the two tanks that formed the tank company command team.

The remaining six Jaguars, seeing the quick destruction of their brethren, turned about and headed back the way they came. LT Hunter called a cease fire as the Jaguars sped out of range.

Sgt Kronkit came over the squad push, "Ok Marines, you have five minutes to fix any damage, cross-load ammunition and prepare to move out."

Cpl Stephen replied for his team, "Aye, Sgt."

He then checked the ammo loadouts for his team, noting that Ramirez had expended the most rounds while Berts had shot off the least.

"Berts, go ahead and pass 50 needles to Ramirez."

He switched to a private channel, it was a leadership maxim to always praise in public and scold in private. "And Ramirez, pay attention to your fucking targets. You're shooting way too much and your hit percentage still sucks ass. Take the time to properly designate your target and ensure your suit locks onto it! This is basic Suit 101. If you can't get your fucking head out of your fucking ass, I'm going to take your fucking ammo and pass it out to those who can hit something."

Ramirez gave Stephen a subdued, "Yes, Corporal."

Stephen sighed to himself, unlike some, he never enjoyed giving someone an ass chewing, but sometimes it had to be done.

"3rd Squad." It was Sgt Kronkit on the squad push again, "We're moving out to a secondary objective which is one of the planetary defense centers. It's about 20 kilometers from here, so we're going to move at a jog. To expedite movement, the platoon will form a squad of columns and we will lead, followed by 2nd, LT Hunter, then 1st. Stephen, your team has lead, followed by Louis and then Bronson. Cpl Louis, make sure your team keeps at least 100m behind Stephen. If he runs into something, I want you to have a few seconds to think before you react.

"If we encounter any significant defenses or insurgent forces that cannot be swept aside on the move, Stephen, your team will form a base of fire. Louis, depending on the situation, you will form up on either side of Stephen and add to the base. The Fab Four will be our maneuver element and I'll direct.

"If it is something that we can't handle as a squad, we will be the base of fire and the other two squads will maneuver around us."

He paused, "Questions?"

There were none. "Ok, Stephen, move out. Follow the ball."

Stephen toggled his team channel, "Ok Berts, step off. Wedge. Go."

The wedge formation was a good compromise to all around situational awareness and fire while being easier to control. It didn't provide maximum firepower to the front, but it was easier to maneuver in this formation than on-line.

Long movements were tiring, even in suits. The suits would do the hard work, their servo-muscles could easily get the suit up to 55 kilometers per hour (KPH) (34 MPH) for short sprints and maintain 30 KPH (18 MPH) for longer distances. If the Marine really needed to get somewhere quickly, they could use the suit jumpjets to 'skip' along, hitting nearly 75 KPH (46 MPH) for very short distances. The jumpjets only had about 30 seconds worth of fuel, so their use had to be husbanded.

At 30 KPH, the platoon could have been at the objective in less than an hour, but that was for flat, even terrain. To avoid ambushes and random encounters with insurgent forces, the platoon stayed away from roads. This slowed them down and after an hour, they were about half way there. Stephen kept an eye on his point and used his HUD tactical plot to keep an eye out on the rest of the platoon. When Berts broke through some difficult terrain and out into the open, Stephen kept him from speeding up until the entire platoon was in the clear. This kept the platoon from getting strung out and becoming vulnerable.

Unfortunately, armored combat suits are anything but stealthy and their route did not go unnoticed by the insurgents. The first inkling that someone was tracking them was the crack of a railgun round. The round took Berts left leg off at the knee and he screamed once before tumbling to the ground. His suit immediately administered a pain killer and did its best to cut off the flow of blood.

"Ambush front!" Stephen reported over the platoon push. He noted that the insurgents were 100m out. Another railgun round passed overhead and he saw the smoke trails from rockets being fired at the Marines.

"Team, down! Return fire!" He crashed his suit to the ground and started to designate targets. As his suit serviced the targets, Stephen passed other targets to his team. The rest of 3rd Squad fell in line with his team and returned fire with their grenades and autocannon. Railgun and rocket fire lashed their position, but failed to hit anyone else.

Stephen noted that LT Hunter had 1st Squad pushing way out to their right flank before sweeping back onto the flank of the ambush. 2nd Squad was kept back as a reserve, but they contributed to the fight by dropping grenades onto the insurgents.

"Shit!" Stephen cursed when he saw 1st's advance grind to a halt as they ran into a defensive buzzsaw. Two Marines were killed outright in the initial exchange of fire and three others took damage, their icons turning yellow in the tactical plot.

"Yo, Sgt K, we gotta do something! 1st is getting killed over there!" He scanned the plot. A good number of the insurgents facing them were either dead or dying. There were enough left to be dangerous, but the tactical plot was showing that the threat was reduced.

Sgt Kronkit replied, "Shit, the LT was with 1st and it looks like she's pinned down as well."

Her icon turned yellow, "Sgt K, she's hit, no idea how bad. We gotta move." Stephen was already standing up. "Watanbe, Ramirez, up!"

"3rd Squad, up and assault through the enemy line. Up and at them!" called out Sgt K.

Stephen was the first to move, closely followed by his two remaining Marines. They engaged their boosters and bounded across the ambush zone, firing at anything that moved. They crossed the space in seconds and then were in among the insurgents positions. Dead bodies littered a line of hastily dug trenches that twisted around a rough line. They were shallow, about 1 meter (3 foot) deep, enough to provide protection from most direct fire. However, the autocannon needles with their plasma charge had glazed much of the dirt from the heat bloom of their impacts. Small craters from the suit's grenades pockmarked the area around the trenches. From the number of bodies, the defenders had had a rough time. Among the dead were several crew-served rail guns and numerous single shot anti-tank rockets. He was vaguely aware that 2nd Squad was moving up behind 3rd.

Once in the trench line, Stephen turned Watanabe and Ramirez to the right, towards the beleaguered 1st Squad. "Watanabe, take point. Don't stop until you've cleared the trench in front of 1st. We'll be right behind you."

PFC Watanabe didn't bother to reply, she just took off running in her suit. The ZZZZ of her autocannon firing the only notice that she ran into an enemy. Ramirez trailed behind her, ensuring that any survivors were not in any shape to hit her from behind. The trenches were too shallow to provide any protection to the suits, so Stephen trailed the other two Marines and kept his sensors trained to their left flank. He took out a few heavy weapon's emplacements and used his grenades liberally to help cover their movement. He mostly ignored the rifle fire directed their way, unless someone was particularly accurate. His tactical plot indicated that an insurgent infantry company with 200 soldiers, reinforced with heavy weapons, faced them.

The resistance to their charge dramatically increased as they came closer to 1st Squad's position. A rocket blew Watanabe off of her feet and a glancing blow from a railgun round spun Stephen around. His shoulder and upper arm servo-muscles were reporting some faults. They were still working, but were slower and lacked their normal strength. However, his grenade launcher was damaged and non-operational.

"Everyone down!" Stephen found a shell hole and dove into it while Ramirez and Watanabe found cover in the trenchline. He directed their fire back at the insurgents while checking the plot. He grimaced when he realized that his suit was strobing yellow, indicating damage.

The good news was that their thrust towards the insurgents shooting at 1st Squad had done its job, distracting the insurgents and dividing their fire. 1st Squad had been able to back off into better positions and the remaining Marines were beginning to gain fire superiority. He noted that the LT was up and moving, so she must not have been injured or her suit wasn't too damaged.

He took a moment to check up on Berts and squirted him a quick message. Berts was being helped by 2nd Squad and it looked like he would be ok.

The fire from Stephen's fire team was intense enough that the rest of the Third Herd was able to join them. The insurgents were caught between 1st and 3rd Squad's fire and they began to die.

Sgt Kronkit came over the squad channel, "Ok, we're going to assault through the insurgents. On my call, fire team rushes."

There was a lengthy pause until the insurgent positions were deluged by grenades launched from 2nd Squad.

"Stephen, go!"

Stephen was quickly up, urging his two Marines to their feet. They were up long enough to recite, "I'm up, he sees me, I'm down." The three dove into what cover they could find and began to fire at the insurgents, providing cover as Kronkit called out, "Bronson!"

The Fab Four charged forward until they were even with Stephen's team.

"Lopez!"

"Stephen!" Stephen's team was up again, moving forward in a brief burst of speed.

"Lopez!" The insurgents were caught by surprise, expecting Bronson's team to move and their fire slackened momentarily.

"Squad assault, go!"

Every Marine rose to their feet and charged the remaining insurgents. The sight of the suits moving forward, autocannons blazing, unnerved the insurgents and they began to throw down their weapons and surrender. The surrenders became a wave until the whole position had their hands in the air.

The LT called out, "Cease fire!" and an uneasy quiet descended on the battleground.

SSgt Kerwalski, the platoon sergeant, was quick to reorganize the platoon. The dead and wounded Marines were placed under the care of 1st Squad, who moved everyone back into the thick brush. The surrendered insurgents, numbering around 50 soldiers, were left to sit in the middle of the field, away from the trenches.

LT Hunter came up on the platoon net, "Ok Marines. Finish conducting your personal prep, spread-load the ammo and make what repairs you can. We're moving out in 10 minutes. Third Squad will lead, followed by 2nd Squad. 1st will remain with the wounded and prisoners. I've relayed a request for a medevac. One is being organized, but it might be a few hours and longer if we can't take out that planetary defense center. Hunter, out."

Stephen was starting to get low on grenades, so he stole almost all of Bert's grenades and remaining needles. He distributed the haul between Watanabe and Ramirez as well. He also took Bert's grenade launcher and swapped it out with his damaged unit.

The reduced platoon was soon moving again. It took them 20 more minutes, but they were soon approaching the defense center.

"We have an incoming tactical update," called out SSgt Kerwalski. Stephen grumbled to himself as the icons of a Jaguar tank platoon, an anti-armor platoon and company of infantry began to speckle the area around the planetary defense center. He didn't see any anti-air defenses, but they could be present, just not spotted. Most of the defenders were oriented towards the direction the Marines were coming from.

LT Hunter called a halt and passed word that she was requesting air support to suppress the enemy forces. Stephen set his Marines into a quick defensive posture while they waited. He scanned the tactical plot again and saw that LT Hunter's icon had a small antenna superimposed, indicating that she was communicating with someone.

"Ok, we'll have two aerospace fighters in support in 7 minutes. We're going to hang here for about 6 minutes, then advance. As we move, we're going to fire a 9-round ToT (Time on Target) suppressive barrage. Stand-bye to receive fire mission." This meant that each suit would fire three 3-round bursts at different angles and charge. This would result in all 9 rounds impacting at the same time. With all the remaining suits firing, this would help keep the insurgent's heads down as the aerospace fighters approached. The LT was setting up the fire plan and would transmit it to the suits, which would automatically fire the mission. This would allow the Marines to concentrate on moving and firing their autocannon at the defenders.

"Standbye!" called out LT Hunter. "Advance!"

The two squads advanced on-line, 2nd to the left and 3rd to the right. The Marines were spread out as they moved towards the facility. As they broke through a line of brush, the planetary defense center came into view. The defenders saw them and opened fire. A timer on Stephen's HUD counted down to zero and his suit fired three grenades almost straight up in the air. A few moments later another set of three were fired at a reduced charge and finally the last set of three grenades were fired.

"Double-time, move!"

Stephen increased his speed, occasionally stepping from side to side to make himself a more difficult target. He fired back as targets presented themselves. He also kept an eye on Bronson and Lopez, keeping his team aligned with them. As they approached the perimeter of the facility, the ground fire thickened while some of the defenders began to fire into the sky at the approaching aerospace fighters. The defensive fire stuttered to a halt when the grenades simultaneously landed within the perimeter. The fighters screamed overhead, dropping their ordnance on the defenders. Explosions rocked the compound and Stephen felt his armor buffeted by the shockwaves. Not all of the defenders were stunned by the attack and defensive fire clawed one of the fighters out of the sky.

Stephen absently noted that the pilot of the disintegrating aircraft was able to punch out safely. His suit tracked the pilot as they tumbled to the ground on the far side of the facility.

Then he was among the defenders. A brave, but foolish soldier raised an anti-tank rocket, but Stephen bounded forward on his jumpjets and backhanded the soldier, casually crushing his skull. He put three rounds into a railgun and used his grenades to disperse a squad of infantry attempting to flank the platoon.

The Jaguar tanks made an appearance, rounding the far corner of the main structure and a Marine from 2nd Squad died. The Jaguar's 15mm railgun rounds cracked through the Marine formation, forcing them to take cover. The Marines returned fire and a lucky duertonium needle found a weak spot, causing the Jaguar to brew up. However, its three platoon mates shrugged off the rest of the Marines' fire, pinning them in place with their return shots.

"Cover me!"

Stephen watched in shock as LT Hunter broke cover, streaking at max speed in an attempt to get around the Jaguars and take them in the flank.

Fucking junior officers, always doing something brave and foolhardy. She's going to get herself killed.

He stepped out of cover and lashed the nearest tank with his autocannon, directing his mortar at another Jaguar. He danced to the side as a Jaguar fired at him, the railgun narrowly missing. He was happy that he was distracting the tanks, but he realized he was doing the same damn stupid thing as the LT and he cursed himself for being a romantic fool.

The leftmost tank turned its turret to take the LT under fire, but as its turret rotated, the weaker side armor of the turret was exposed and Stephen took advantage, peppering it with fire until the turret belched flame. His focus on the tank was almost his undoing as a rocket slammed into his chest, throwing him back 20 meters. He was left lying on his back as his HUD flickered, then went out. The suit froze on him and he was unable to move.

Cussing to himself, he pulled his right hand out of the gauntlet, found the safety switch and flipped it.

Booting...

A single word floating in his helmet display was never more welcome, but it seemed to take forever for the suit to reset. Basic sensors and movement capability came back first and he rolled behind a burnt out vehicle. Comms came up next.

"Stephen? Cpl Stephen? You ok?" It was Watanabe, trying to check on him.

"Yeah, shaken, not stirred over here." Lame joke.

"What?"

"Nevermind. I'm ok, just rattled."

The tactical plot came up in his HUD. He quickly scanned it, but it appeared that the last two tanks were destroyed and the rest of the defenders were dead or running.

Cpl Jackie Bronson came up on the platoon channel, "Hey Cpl Stephen, you ok?"

"Yeah."

"So, does Rhia spit or swallow?"

"Spits."

Howls of laughter came back over the platoon push, only ceasing when SSgt Kerwalski growled at everyone.

Second Squad was directed to destroy the Planetary Defense Center's command facility while 3rd secured the perimeter. LT Hunter unexpectedly came up on the squad's comm channel, "Sgt Kronkit, I need Cpl Stephen and his team to retrieve the aerospace pilot that landed a kilometer to the north." It was unusual for a platoon commander to direct the action of an individual fireteam and Stephen frowned, wondering why she did so now.

He heard Sgt K acknowledge the order and direct him to track down the pilot. Cpl Stephen widened his tactical plot, looking for the pilot's survival beacon. When he spotted it, he plotted a course to the pilot, gathered up Watanabe and Ramirez, then left the platoon's perimeter.

They were in a hurry to get to the pilot, but the pilot's beacon was green and there were no hostiles nearby, so it wasn't an emergency. They moved quickly, but not recklessly and within 10 minutes, were approaching the pilot.

Stephen was surprised when Capt Samantha Tovington stepped out from behind a bush, waving them down. She had lost or ditched her helmet and her flight suit was looking rough, but she looked uninjured.

"Hello!" she called out.

Stephen keyed his external speakers, "I'm Cpl Stephen, I'm here to rescue you."

She laughed, "My knight in shining armor!"

"Yes, ma'am. We are here but to serve. However, there are hostiles not too far away, so we should head back to our platoon. It's not too far away, but I suggest letting me carry you."

She backed away from him, "Now Corporal, I don't think that is necessary. And I'm heavier than I look."

Stephen laughed, "Ma'am, the suit will do all of the hard work. I'll lock the elbow and shoulder joints and it'll be like I'm carrying a feather."

She reluctantly agreed and let him pick her up. "Is this how you pick up all the ladies that you meet?"

He turned down the volume on his speakers so they were barely loud enough for her to hear, "Just the beautiful ones who drop out of the sky and into my arms."

She laughed and slapped his helmet, "You're incorrigible!"

The journey back to the Planetary Defense Center was uneventful and Stephen dropped Capt Tovington off with LT Hunter. Stephen could almost hear LT Hunter smirking at him when she thanked him. She had to know about their meeting prior to the mission. He was then directed to find his squad and get his suit charged.

That evening, LT Hunter updated everyone on the day's events. "To start with, our dead and wounded have all been medevaced to hospital ships in orbit. Our favorite pilot, Capt Tovington, has been evac'd and is back on the McCain." Cpl Stephen thought he detected a note of mirth in LT Hunter's voice, but he wasn't sure.

She continued, "Today's assault was successful and all major objectives were achieved. We did suffer some grievous losses and our fallen brothers and sisters will be sorely missed.

"The planetary defense network has been smashed and the Terran Navy holds the orbitals, so, according to the brass, everything is over but the crying. We all know that the job isn't done as the National Guard division hasn't completely surrendered. We'll still have some work tomorrow to root out the diehards, but it looks like much of the National Guard leadership have not given themselves up.

"Tomorrow morning we will be picked up via drop boat and dropped in the vicinity of an insurgent battalion holding out in the capital city. We'll be resupplied with ammunition prior to landing.

"SSgt Kerwalski..."

SSgt Kerwalski took over and reorganized the platoon. The 2nd Squad Leader, Sgt Durand, had been killed in the fighting, but the platoon had suffered enough losses that they were short a squad's worth of Marines anyways. Most of the 1st and 2nd Squad Marines were combined into 2nd Squad, led by Sgt Thomas. A few Marines were placed into 3rd Squad. Cpl Stephen picked up LCpl "Benny" Bennitz to replace Berts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A week later, Cpl Stephen backed his armor into a suit slot in a temporary armory, keyed the appropriate command and the suit opened up, letting him out for the first time in a week. He gingerly disengaged the plumbing, cleaned up and reached for a set of shorts that were provided for him. He almost gagged at the smell coming off of his body. The platoon had just been transferred to a garrison detachment near a National Guard base. They would help hunt down the surviving insurgents who had refused to surrender. Most were complicit in some way to the murder of Terran Governor Crassius. Personally, Stephen felt that he deserved it, but no one was asking for his opinion.

"Hey Corporal, how long are we going to be stuck dirt-side?"

"Well, Benny, that depends on a few things."

"Like what?"

"It depends on how long it takes for the Terran Army to arrive in force and if they'll need us to stick around to hold their hands."

Benny and PFC Hanaka Watanbe laughed. Making fun of the Terran Army was an old habit. An undeserved one (in most cases, not all) and it overlooked the Army's many strengths.

"While we wait, what are we going to be doing?"

"We're going to look for the remaining insurgents. A company sized force of them have gone to ground in the local jungles and we've been selected to find and eliminate them."

"Uh, how are we going to do that?"

"Benny, we are going to do it the old fashioned way. The jungle is often too dense for our sensors to penetrate, so we're going to have to go in and look for them. We can't do it in suits as they'd hear us coming a mile away. Without the suits, we can do multi-day, extended foot patrols to really run the insurgents to ground. The suits can't go that long without recharging their batteries."

There were nods around the room. The Fab Four were listening as were the remaining Marines in the squad and some from the other squads. Sgt Kronkit and Sgt Janice Thomas were in the back of the room, grinning to each other as they listened to Stephen hold court.

"Now you all, turn to. Armor maintenance, weapons maintenance, then get cleaned up. Y'all stink!"

"Yes Corporal!" the group chorused.

It took several hours, but maintenance was almost complete and Stephen was chivvying the few remaining stragglers to finish up.

Sgt Kronkit walked over, "Cpl Stephen, go get cleaned up, I'll keep an eye on the last of these miscreants. I believe the party has already started in the showers."

"Thanks Sergeant."

Stephen found his way to the shower area, stripped down in the vestibule and walked into the shower. He was thinking about Mary, one of the Fab Four and a confirmed lesbian. He wasn't sure if she'd ever slept with a guy or not, but he knew she was interested in him. He hoped that they would get together today.

He spotted Watanabe and Ramirez in a back corner. She was facing the wall, bent over with her hands supporting her as Ramirez took her from behind. He had both hands on her hips and was pounding her hard, her tits flapping with each thrust. There were various other pairs, threesomes and groups mixed together. He spotted the Fab Four together, horizontal and intertwined under a shower head.

Stephen started to head in their direction when a slim hand was laid on his shoulder and a sexy voice he had only heard a few times whispered in his ear, "Hey Claudius, I told you I'd see you on the other side and I need to repay a debt."

Stephen turned to see Capt Samantha Tovington standing in front of him. He could only stammer, "A... a debt?"

"Of course, you're my hero! You rescued me and returned me to safety. I owe you big time!"

Sam ran a hand down her side, "And how should I repay my hero? The traditional thank you a damsel in distress gives her white knight?"

"Oh, I think I could handle that."

"Buster, I'm not sure you can handle me, but let's go try. But first," she waved a hand in front of her nose, "you stink. Let's get washed up." She stripped down and Stephen ogled at her body. She was slim, but a hard core of muscle lay under her skin. Her arms and legs were well defined with muscle, but not bulky. Her abdomen rippled with a six-pack, sitting below two small perky breasts. A small patch of hair, neatly trimmed, covered her mons. A hint of her clit was visible at the top of her slit.

Sam saw his gaze and shyly covered her tits, "I'm a little small up top."

Stephen smiled at her, "Nonsense, you're perfect! I'd hug you, but I'm pretty rank right now."

He let her lead him to an empty shower nozzle, allowing him to study her tight ass. She put an extra sashay in her step as she could almost feel his eyes. They proceeded to get wet, then soaped each other up. She ensured his rock hard erection was super clean while he explored every hill, valley and hole.

When they were both thoroughly clean and aroused, she whispered in his ear, "How about we go someplace a little more private? I can feel everyone's eyes on me. LT Hunter promised me I could use her room today."

Stephen nodded his ok, happy go someplace more private, and comfortable, than the showers. As they were walking out, Mary intercepted them.

"Hey Capt Tovington, Cpl Stephen."

"Mary, what's up?"

"If the good Captain doesn't completely use you up, come find me?" She gently ran a finger up his cock, causing him to shudder in pleasure.

Sam gave Mary a sultry smile, "Sorry honey, I plan to use him all up tonight. If he surprises me and wears me out first, I'll send him to you."

Mary smiled back, "Thank you, ma'am! I hope he surprises you as I'd like to sample his cock."

Sam smiled back and led Stephen to the vestibule where they toweled themselves dry. Then they padded, naked, to LT Hunter's quarters. They slipped in without knocking, pulling up short as they walked in on a nude LT Hunter.

"Oh, I'm sorry Joanna!" exclaimed Sam. She started to push Stephen out of the room, but he was rooted, staring in shock. He had always wanted to see LT Hunter naked again, but hadn't had a chance after the one time. She had full, perky breasts with small areolas and small, but erect nipples. Stephen stared at her breasts for a moment, then let his gaze slowly travel down, over her tight tummy, down to her neatly trimmed patch of pubes covering her full, rounded labia.

"Oh, hey, no worries. You don't need to leave, just let me get dressed."

Sam stopped and turned to take a long, appraising look at the younger Lieutenant. "I can see why our young Cpl Stephen is entranced. You're gorgeous and have such a tight, delectable body."

LT Hunter snorted, "Says the kettle. From Claudius's reaction," she pointed to his rampantly erect member, "I think he's looking forward to getting to know you better."

Sam smiled and reached down to stroke Stephen's member, "From his reaction, I think he'd like to get to know you a lot better too. Maybe next time we can all have some fun, but for now, I think I'd like to get to know him one on one."

Joanna turned and picked up some boyshort panties from her bunk. She bent at the waist, pushing out her tight ass at the pair. Her ass cheeks beautifully framed her plump, swollen pussy lips.

"Oh you naughty temptress!" laughed Samantha. "I oughta spank that cute little ass of yours!"

Joanna looked over a shoulder and daintily wiggled her ass at them, "That would be fun! Like you said, maybe next time." She quickly dressed, then gave Samantha a quick kiss on the cheek and surprising all of them, she gave Stephen a much longer, deeper kiss on the lips that left them both panting.

Sam gave Joanna a friendly shove out the door, "Go! Before you steal my man-toy away from me."

LT Hunter walked away, laughing, as Samantha shut her room door.

"Now, how about we get to know each other a little better."

Stephen took the hint and pulled Sam tightly against his body, then put a hand on the back of her neck and kissed her deeply. She parted his lips with her tongue. She whined when he broke the kiss, then spun her around until he held her from behind. He nuzzled behind an ear, then cupped a soft breast, slowly rolling her nipple, which hardened under his gentle rubbing. His other hand ran down her flank, tracing her hip, then up to her abdomen. He played with the small patch of pubes on her mons, teasing her by gently pulling on them. She moaned when he dipped down to run a finger through her warm, wet slit.

"Let's move this to the bed," she whispered. He nodded his agreement and led her to the bed. She took control and had him lay down on his back. She straddled his hips and guided the tip of his cock to her swollen labia. She rubbed his head over her wetness, then notched him into the entrance to her wet tunnel. She slowly impaled herself, rising up and then settling down again until she was finally able to take him to the root.

"Oh fuck, Sam. You're so god damn tight!"

"Well, your big fucking cock is stretching out my tiny kitty! I'm going to be walking funny tomorrow and everyone is going to know that you banged me good."

Samantha leaned forward and rested her hands against Stephen's chest, then began to slowly piston herself up and down his cock. "That's it baby," she crooned. "I'm going to ride your joystick and fly you around!"

Stephen started to laugh at her corny talk and she joined in. "Ok, I'm sorry. No more. Let me just fuck you silly."

She rode him, grinding her clit on his pubes. As she approached her climax, Stephen reached down to work her clit with his thumb. The added stimulus drove her over the edge and she shivered, squeezing his cock as she came. She collapsed on top of him, murmuring her satisfaction. Still needing his own finish, Stephen flipped her over onto her back. He wanted to taste her first before he filled her with his cream, so he began to kiss her breasts, working each nipple as she moaned her pleasure. He worked his way down her tight abs, past her mons and to her red, swollen labia. He kissed one lip, then the other. Samantha squirmed at the sensations and tried to direct his head to her clit.

He looked up at her, "Oh no, not yet!" He tongued the bottom of her slit and pushed into her, causing her to lift her ass in response. He lapped at her pussy, then grabbed her legs behind her knees and bent her in half, her pussy and winking asshole staring at him.

Stephen rimmed her ass and she exclaimed, "Oh hey, ohhhhhh, what're you doing?" He tongued it directly and she moaned, "Oh shit, that feels good!"

He looked up and met her eye, "Should I stop?"

"Oh fuck no. No one's ever kissed me there, but I'm finding that I like it!"

Stephen smiled to himself, he always enjoyed eating the ass out of a gorgeous woman. He continued to tongue her, then slowly began to worm his tongue into her sphincter. As he broke through, to a loud moan from Sam, he slipped a finger into her pussy. He rubbed at the spongy bit of flesh at the top of her tunnel with a second finger, her juices making a squishing sound as he pushed in and out of her wet tunnel. He could tell she was getting close and knew it was time to add the last two things to bring her over the top. He added his thumb to the mix, rubbing her clit. He pulled back his head, licked his other thumb, then rudely pushed it into her ass. Samantha screamed out her orgasm, jerking wildly and forcefully straightening out her legs as the final intruder into her ass brought out a sensation she had never experienced before.

Stephen let her legs fall to either side of him. Grabbing her hips, he positioned his cock at her center, then drove in with a smooth stroke. She cried out again as she felt him push inside her, her folds giving way to his rock hard member. Stephen began to pummel her pussy, slightly changing the angle of his cock until he found the spot and angle that gave her the most pleasure. He then worked that spot with his dick until she thrashed underneath him with another orgasm. Her warm, clenching pussy finally set him off and he filled her womb with his cream.

Stephen collapsed on top of her and they wiggled around until he was spooning her, a hand gently caressing a soft tit.

"Hmmm, thank you, that was nice."

"Nice? Just nice?" Stephen propped himself on one elbow and looked down at her. "I gave you what, three orgasms, one of which had you screaming out loud. And it was just nice?"

"Aw, sweetie, it was four, I think two of them rolled right into one another. I didn't mean to heap a disparaging remark on you. It was just a bit of the Brit Province habit for understatement. So if I said it was nice, I meant fabulous."

Stephen was somewhat mollified, but only somewhat. "Ok my beautiful pilot, I'll accept that for now." Samantha smirked at him, but let him continue. "So why did you pick me? Why did you come down from the cruiser to hang out with us grunts?"

Sam frowned, "I'm not sure why you intrigued me that day of the brief. Perhaps it was your confidence or the way you just laid down the plan and its risks and rewards. Joanna and I had talked about you and she had nothing but praise. She talked about what you and Becky Johnson shared and your reaction to her loss." She paused to watch the emotions play over his face: pain, loss and then a softening as he recalled their short time together. "I guess she got Jackie Bronson to spill a bit about how you took on the Fab Four, so I was definitely intrigued before I even saw you." She took a deep breath, "Then in my room, well, at that point I knew I wanted you. My panties were damp by the time you left and I had to jill off." She blushed at oversharing.

Stephen laughed and she swatted him on the arm, "Stop! I'm trying to share."

"That's ok, I was laughing because I immediately found an empty head (restroom) and jerked one out after I left you!"

Sam shook her head at him, "And then you picked me up in the forest and rescued me? Yeah, that solidified it for me. So I messaged Joanna and asked to let me know when they finally let you all have a post-mission party. I pulled a few strings and here I am."

"So here we are. You know that LT Hunter picked me for that mission, it wasn't a coincidence."

"Yeah, she told me. She's a bit of a stinker, that one." She shrieked when he unexpectedly swatted her on the ass.

"She's not the only stinker.... Nice huh? I'll show you nice."

Stephen picked Sam up off the bed, then dropped her feet-first next to LT Hunter's desk. He pushed her face down onto the desk, then (gently) kicked her feet apart. "Ok, ma'am. Now I'm going to fly you with my joystick." He pushed into her sopping cunt and she groaned.

"Oh, that feels good! Now fuck me!" Stephen grabbed both her hips and began to stroke her hard. She moaned with every thrust, his hips clapping into her ass. He groaned at the sensations as her warm, wet tunnel gripped his cock. He could smell the musk of her arousal and the juicy slurping noises as his cock speared her pussy. Stephen pushed into her and watched as his cock disappeared into her cunt. On the outstroke, he could see the lips of her pussy distend as if it were gripping him and trying to keep him from leaving her sex. He watched in fascination as her pussy sucked in his cock.

Sam began to grunt in time with his thrusts as her arousal grew to the point she was about to cum again. Stephen pulled almost all the way out, then dipped a finger into her quim to wet it, then began to piston into her again. He slowly worked his finger back into her ass, causing her to scream into the desk as she lost all muscle control. Stephen held her up as he pumped his jism deep into her tunnel. He slowly pulled out and watched in satisfaction as his white cream leaked out of her pussy and down her leg, to pool on the floor beneath them.

Sam was breathing heavily, sprawled out on the desk. Stephen gently gathered her up and brought her back to the bed. She sleepily opened an eye as he laid her down, "I think you've ruined me... No other cock is gonna do the job."

He chuckled as he lay next to her. She rolled on her side, pushing her delectable ass back at him. He spooned against her and they were soon both asleep.

They both woke up to a knock as LT Hunter walked into her room. "Hey love birds! It's late and I'd like to get some sleep... in my own rack."

"Yes, ma'am," said Stephen as he crawled over Samantha. "And thank you, for everything." Before leaving the bed, he gave her a passionate kiss goodbye.

Stephen started to hunt around for his clothes, then remembered that he had walked in nude. He sheepishly grinned at the LT, said "Thank you," then started to walk out. She stopped him with a touch on the arm, then brought him in for a hug.

"Anytime!" She gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek, then let him go.

Sam started to climb out of the rack, but Joanna pushed her back down. "You can stay. I know that you don't have a room here, plus I want details! Give!"

"Well, lay down then! He was...."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The story isn't over! Cpl Stephen and his team will have to hunt down the last of the insurgents in the next chapter.

Dramatis Personae:

Corporal (Cpl) Claudius Stephen - 1st Fire Team (FT) leader

Lance Corporal (LCpl) Berts - 1st FT member

Private First Class (PFC) Hanaka Watanabe - 1st FT member

PFC Jose Ramirez - 1st FT member

Private First Class (PFC) Becky Johnson (deceased)

Cpl Jackie Bronson - 2nd FT leader (Fab Four)

LCpl Annie McMaster - 2nd FT member

LCpl Mary Jones - 2nd FT member

LCpl Jessica Vuong - 2nd FT member

Cpl Louis Lopez - 3rd FT leader

LCpl Cron - 3rd FT member

Sergeant (Sgt) Kronkit - 3rd Squad Leader

Sgt Bernard Durand - 2nd Sqd Ldr

Cpl Samuels

Sgt Janice Thomas - 1st Sqd Ldr

Cpl Tre Williams - 1st FT leader

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Kerwalski - Platoon Sergeant

First Lieutenant (1STLT) Joanna Hunter - Platoon Commander

Capt Samantha Tovington - Marine aerospace fighter pilot

Marine Squad structure:

4 Marines per Fire Team

3 Fire Teams per Squad plus Squad Leader

13 Marines total in a squad

3 Squads in a Line Platoon plus the Platoon Commander and Platoon Sergeant

41 Marines total in a Platoon