The barracks were nearly empty. Most of the troopers were down in the common room, or the gym, but here and there someone laid on their bunk reading a book, or with a laptop propped up, casting pale light onto their faces. While there weren't many people, that didn't mean the barracks were quiet. Laughter and conversation rang out from the back corner, where the overhead lights were still on, illuminating four women. On one bunk, SSG Monica de Matos sat, leaning back against the wall with another woman's head in her lap. The reclining woman, Lieselotte Faber, was writing a letter and not taking part in the conversation, though she smiled occasionally at the banter that was going on.
Another woman sat backward in a chair that had been pulled up to the bunk, her legs straddling the seat, and her forearms crossed on the back. Recently promoted SFC Leigh Fahey was a boisterous, loud woman who had a joke and a smile for nearly everyone. On a nearby table, SFC Jade Colman had a cloth spread out, with several rocks and tools laid out on top. At the moment she was examining a promising specimen, looking for the best place to strike to break it open with her rock hammer.
"Heard your last mission was an interesting one," Jade said, never taking her eyes off the stone in her hand, turning it left and right slowly.
"Oh man," Leigh said with an exaggerated eye-roll. "this Van Doorn character." de Matos chuckled as well, absently stroking Liesel's hair.
"Get down here!" she said, affecting a deeper voice, which sounded oddly charming with her Brazilian accent. "Can't let me have all the fun!" Colman glanced at her and laughed.
"Rumor says he's going to be joining us, along with his attache," she said.
"Yeah," Fahey replied. "I checked the roster this morning, after hearing about that. Must be weird for 'The General' to not be in a command position, but they are giving him a field 'promotion' to Staff Sergeant." Her wry expression and air-quotes made it clear how she felt about that decision.
"It was a strange mission overall," Monica added. "The Council intel made it sound like we'd be stepping into an absolute warzone, and the devastation on the bridge was pretty bad, but the resistance wasn't anything, really." She patted her hip, where she normally carried her medpak. "I never even had to open my kit."
"Seriously," Leigh agreed. "We had to chase that last Thin Mint clear to the end of the bridge. It was like they weren't even trying to put up a fight. Why bother blowing the bridge if they weren't going to commit?"
"Who knows why the X-Rays do anything?" Jade asked rhetorically. "Still, I wish we could have been there with you girls." Liesel looked up from her letter briefly, nodding in agreement. "But I get with the Captain just getting his RTD Orders from medical, Command was eager to get him back in the field." Monica nodded; She'd served with him for half of her missions, and she held a great deal of respect for CPT Lindemann. Leigh shrugged; She'd rather have had Jade along, but it was Command's call, not hers.
The conversation lapsed for a few minutes, the quiet broken only by the nearly silent scratching of Faber's pen on the notepad, until Colman took up her hammer, and struck the stone firmly, resulting in a sharp crack as the stone broke cleanly in half. Leigh half-rose to get a look.
"Whatcha get?" she asked, leaning to catch a glimpse around the other woman's shoulder. Jade turned around, presenting her prize with a satisfied grin.
"Amethyst geode," she declared. "A good find." When Fahey held out her hand, Colman passed the stone over, smiling as the American woman held it up to the light, the crystals casting back tiny sparkles that played across the other woman's dark skin.
"Nice," Leigh agreed, reaching out to pass it back. "Amethyst is my birth stone."
"Keep it, then," Jade offered. "I've still got the other half."
"Really?" Fahey's brows lifted in surprise.
"Absolutely," the British woman smiled, suppressing a pang as she remembered the last time she'd given away one of her stones. She wasn't going to let sad memories stop her from sharing her love of stones, though. Leigh's eyes widened further as she saw the play of emotion across Jade's face. Her friend seemed oblivious to her scrutiny, so she said nothing, merely folding her hands around the stone.
"Thank you," she added after a moment, which earned a smile from Colman.
Monica, who had been there when CPL Huismann died, knew a little of what Jade was feeling. She looked down at Liesel who was so focused on her letter that she was actually biting the tip of her tongue absently. She didn't know what she'd do if anything were to happen to Liesel. She looked up then, at Leigh, Colman, and to where she saw someone across the barracks, faintly illuminated by a laptop screen, she thought it might have been SGT Parsons.
"Where would you be," she began, then paused to formulate her thoughts. "Where would we all be if not for this war?" Colman and Fahey looked at her, but didn't say anything, realizing that she wasn't quite done speaking, despite the question. "I would probably be in Manaus, doing some training Op for some cadets or something." She looked at each of them again in turn, meeting their eyes. "I wouldn't know any of you."
"You saying this war was a good thing?" Leigh asked, a certain mischief sparkling in her dark eyes.
"Not at all," Monica answered seriously, not catching the joking nature of the question. "But good ha come of it, I think. Look at the technological advancements we're making, that one day we'll be able to share with the world. Look at us, close friends from different countries, different parts of the world." Liesel looked up at her with a soft smile that was mostly in the eyes, and Monica stopped talking, meeting her gaze.
"I agree," Jade added. "I think that the human race will come out of this stronger and more unified than we ever were."
"I certainly hope so," Leigh said with a sigh. "We've got a lot to make up for. I certainly hope that this is a start." After several moments of silence, she shook herself. "Aren't we a bunch of Serious Susans? Hey, Liesel, you almost done with that letter? Let's go hit the common room and play some pool, first round of near-beer is on me."
The others quickly agreed. The gravity of the moment was seemingly forgotten as the four women made their way out of the barracks, chatting and laughing once more.
Showing posts with label Jade Colman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jade Colman. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
OPERATION LOST HAWK - AFTER ACTION REPORT (04 JUN 2016 @ 1337)
OPERATION LOST HAWK - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: SGT JADE COLMAN
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
-
o Friendly Forces
- CPL Jade "Mineral" Colman (United Kingdom)
- CPL Spencer "Leo" Donohue (United States)
- CPL Svetlana "Eclipse" Petukhova (Russia)
- SPC Jirina Markusova (Czech Republic)
- PFC Dean Carter (United Kingdom)
- PFC Edward Dudek (Poland)
- PFC Rainhard Horn (Austria)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Puebla, Mexico, 04 JUN 2016 @ 0332 hrs, IOT disrupt ongoing Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 1300. We were wheels up by 1320 and boots on ground in Mexico by 1337. Markusova was the first to move, while everyone else got off the Skyranger. Immediately she made contact with a pod of Floaters. At her call, PFC Horn immediately slung his rifle and pulled his rocket launcher. Despite the snap-shot, his rocket flew true, and destroyed two of the floaters, as well as a section of the building. I designated the other, so Eclipse and Leo could blow it out of the sky. Once the immediate threat was dealt with, I started advancing the squad on the building, which appeared to be a liquor store.
As we were positioning, a pod of Seekers came into sight, probably to investigate what happened to the Floaters. Markusova, on overwatch, managed to take one down before they'd spotted us, and PFC Dudek winged one. When they advanced on us, I cut loose with a burst and took down the damaged one, while Markusova designated the other so Eclipse and Leo could again take it down.
Once the Seekers were down, we continued our advance on the store. PFC Carter spotted a meld canister inside, and moved in to claim it. He disabled the locking mechanism, so the site exploitation team could harvest the contents. When Carter was through, he and Markusova reported noises from the smaller building, which appeared to be a small bar. We flexed our line of advance to start moving in that direction. When we spotted another canister of Meld, I ordered a team consisting of Markusova and Leo, while Horn, Carter and Dudek advanced inside the liquor store. Unfortunately the Meld canister sealed prior to Markusova reaching it, due to our cautious pace. Using a Battle Scanner might have allowed us to safely advance, in hind-sight.
Once we'd established that the remaining X-Ray threat was inside the bar, we positioned on the near wall, before I moved up to peer inside. The Thin Men inside moved into cover when they saw me, leaving their back side exposed for the other team to assault. Petukhova made the first kill, with Markusova taking the next as the assault team, consisting of Dudek, Horn and Carter moved in the back and cleaned up the third.
Following that, we cleared the remainder of the area, and called in the exploitation team before returning to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Fire team coordination
- Set up and assault a static position
o Improve:
- When you bring a Battle Scanner, use it
- Take calculated risks
PREPARED BY: SGT JADE COLMAN
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
-
o Friendly Forces
- CPL Jade "Mineral" Colman (United Kingdom)
- CPL Spencer "Leo" Donohue (United States)
- CPL Svetlana "Eclipse" Petukhova (Russia)
- SPC Jirina Markusova (Czech Republic)
- PFC Dean Carter (United Kingdom)
- PFC Edward Dudek (Poland)
- PFC Rainhard Horn (Austria)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Puebla, Mexico, 04 JUN 2016 @ 0332 hrs, IOT disrupt ongoing Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 1300. We were wheels up by 1320 and boots on ground in Mexico by 1337. Markusova was the first to move, while everyone else got off the Skyranger. Immediately she made contact with a pod of Floaters. At her call, PFC Horn immediately slung his rifle and pulled his rocket launcher. Despite the snap-shot, his rocket flew true, and destroyed two of the floaters, as well as a section of the building. I designated the other, so Eclipse and Leo could blow it out of the sky. Once the immediate threat was dealt with, I started advancing the squad on the building, which appeared to be a liquor store.
As we were positioning, a pod of Seekers came into sight, probably to investigate what happened to the Floaters. Markusova, on overwatch, managed to take one down before they'd spotted us, and PFC Dudek winged one. When they advanced on us, I cut loose with a burst and took down the damaged one, while Markusova designated the other so Eclipse and Leo could again take it down.
Once the Seekers were down, we continued our advance on the store. PFC Carter spotted a meld canister inside, and moved in to claim it. He disabled the locking mechanism, so the site exploitation team could harvest the contents. When Carter was through, he and Markusova reported noises from the smaller building, which appeared to be a small bar. We flexed our line of advance to start moving in that direction. When we spotted another canister of Meld, I ordered a team consisting of Markusova and Leo, while Horn, Carter and Dudek advanced inside the liquor store. Unfortunately the Meld canister sealed prior to Markusova reaching it, due to our cautious pace. Using a Battle Scanner might have allowed us to safely advance, in hind-sight.
Once we'd established that the remaining X-Ray threat was inside the bar, we positioned on the near wall, before I moved up to peer inside. The Thin Men inside moved into cover when they saw me, leaving their back side exposed for the other team to assault. Petukhova made the first kill, with Markusova taking the next as the assault team, consisting of Dudek, Horn and Carter moved in the back and cleaned up the third.
Following that, we cleared the remainder of the area, and called in the exploitation team before returning to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Fire team coordination
- Set up and assault a static position
o Improve:
- When you bring a Battle Scanner, use it
- Take calculated risks
Saturday, May 9, 2015
OPERATION BLINDING MOTHER - AFTER ACTION REPORT (28 MAY 2016 @ 0332)
OPERATION BLINDING MOTHER - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: CPL JADE COLMAN
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 12x EXALT Forces, armed with conventional weapons and rockets
o Friendly Forces
- CPL Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
- CPL Lorena Kline (United States)
- CPL Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
- CPL Ana Lucia Mardones
o Covert Operative
- PFC Anant Dhalon
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Nigeria, 28 MAY 2016 @ 0332 hrs, IOT extract Covert Operative Dhalon.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 0153, and we were wheels up by 0209, and boots on ground in Nigeria by 0332. We made contact with CO Dhalon, who informed us that he'd been compromised while trying to recover data. He was currently holed up in a small storage room, and he knew EXALT was closing on his location.
Mustang cut left, in the direction his intel said he'd likely be coming. As soon as she reached the , she spotted three enemies who immediately moved to cover. We immediately moved to cover and CPL Kline took a shot, killing one of them. Dhalon called out that he was moving, and that he could disrupt the enemies comms. Shortly after, we saw the EXALT pull back behind cover, fiddling with their weapons.
I took this opportunity and designated the furthest target with my LMG, which allowed Maschine to put him down. We heard small arms fire from above, and saw PFC Dhalon, hightailing it toward a strange, spinning node. Mardones, seeing that he'd be exposed to the remaining hostile, charged forward, skid in beside the semi truck and took him down with a blast from her shotgun. Dhalon made it to the node, and immediately started fiddling with it. Kline advanced, eyes on where Dhalon had come from, and used her laser rifle to put down one of his pursuers, causing the other to stop and duck behind cover.
Just then, three more EXALT operatives came in on our right flank, and I had to scramble to new cover. Kline, distracted momentarily by this new threat, was exposed long enough to take a burst from the left, right in the middle of her strike plate. She confirmed that she was still combat capable as she moved to better cover. That was when Dhalon shouted that we had other flankers coming in from the left.
Mustang dodged around the rock, and took down one of the new flankers on the left, and Faber managed to take out one of the enemy on the right with a well-placed headshot. Dhalon finished what he was doing, and the EXALT seemed to pull back again; Whatever he did bought us some breathing room. He said he had the data, and I told him to get to the Skyranger, and we'd provide cover.
We started to collapse in toward the LZ, but then Mardones called out that there was another flanker. I gave her the go ahead to neutralize him, which she did, with extreme prejudice. We held position, with Faber managing to wound one of the enemy. When they attempted to advance, Kline took a shot and killed the first mover, which encouraged the others to be more cautious. Their caution was insufficient, as I finished off the one that Maschine wounded. Kline, out of charge on her laser rifle, moved forward and tossed an AP grenade, wounding the remaining EXALT, allows Mardones to charge up and kill him from a flanked position.
Faber called contact from the top of the train yard. I designated the closer of the two, and Faber took him down, while Kline and Mardones advanced under cover. Kline, getting into range, tossed an HE frag and blew the last hostile out of cover, which gave me a clean shot to put him down.
When no further resistance was immediately forthcoming, I ordered a withdrawal to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Coordinate fires to clear threats
- Explosives shape the battlefield to our advantage
o Improve:
- In hostile territory, there is no "front"
- If you can shoot the enemy, the enemy can shoot you
PREPARED BY: CPL JADE COLMAN
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 12x EXALT Forces, armed with conventional weapons and rockets
o Friendly Forces
- CPL Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
- CPL Lorena Kline (United States)
- CPL Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
- CPL Ana Lucia Mardones
o Covert Operative
- PFC Anant Dhalon
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Nigeria, 28 MAY 2016 @ 0332 hrs, IOT extract Covert Operative Dhalon.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 0153, and we were wheels up by 0209, and boots on ground in Nigeria by 0332. We made contact with CO Dhalon, who informed us that he'd been compromised while trying to recover data. He was currently holed up in a small storage room, and he knew EXALT was closing on his location.
Mustang cut left, in the direction his intel said he'd likely be coming. As soon as she reached the , she spotted three enemies who immediately moved to cover. We immediately moved to cover and CPL Kline took a shot, killing one of them. Dhalon called out that he was moving, and that he could disrupt the enemies comms. Shortly after, we saw the EXALT pull back behind cover, fiddling with their weapons.
I took this opportunity and designated the furthest target with my LMG, which allowed Maschine to put him down. We heard small arms fire from above, and saw PFC Dhalon, hightailing it toward a strange, spinning node. Mardones, seeing that he'd be exposed to the remaining hostile, charged forward, skid in beside the semi truck and took him down with a blast from her shotgun. Dhalon made it to the node, and immediately started fiddling with it. Kline advanced, eyes on where Dhalon had come from, and used her laser rifle to put down one of his pursuers, causing the other to stop and duck behind cover.
Just then, three more EXALT operatives came in on our right flank, and I had to scramble to new cover. Kline, distracted momentarily by this new threat, was exposed long enough to take a burst from the left, right in the middle of her strike plate. She confirmed that she was still combat capable as she moved to better cover. That was when Dhalon shouted that we had other flankers coming in from the left.
Mustang dodged around the rock, and took down one of the new flankers on the left, and Faber managed to take out one of the enemy on the right with a well-placed headshot. Dhalon finished what he was doing, and the EXALT seemed to pull back again; Whatever he did bought us some breathing room. He said he had the data, and I told him to get to the Skyranger, and we'd provide cover.
We started to collapse in toward the LZ, but then Mardones called out that there was another flanker. I gave her the go ahead to neutralize him, which she did, with extreme prejudice. We held position, with Faber managing to wound one of the enemy. When they attempted to advance, Kline took a shot and killed the first mover, which encouraged the others to be more cautious. Their caution was insufficient, as I finished off the one that Maschine wounded. Kline, out of charge on her laser rifle, moved forward and tossed an AP grenade, wounding the remaining EXALT, allows Mardones to charge up and kill him from a flanked position.
Faber called contact from the top of the train yard. I designated the closer of the two, and Faber took him down, while Kline and Mardones advanced under cover. Kline, getting into range, tossed an HE frag and blew the last hostile out of cover, which gave me a clean shot to put him down.
When no further resistance was immediately forthcoming, I ordered a withdrawal to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Coordinate fires to clear threats
- Explosives shape the battlefield to our advantage
o Improve:
- In hostile territory, there is no "front"
- If you can shoot the enemy, the enemy can shoot you
Thursday, April 30, 2015
OPERATION FROZEN JESTER - AFTER ACTION REPORT (21 MAY 2016 @ 1653)
OPERATION FROZEN JESTER - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: CPL Jade Colman
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 35X Chryssalids, 4x Thin Men, 3x Zombies
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
- SPC Svetlana Petukhova (Russia)
- SPC Naomi Bowden (United Kingdom)
- PFC Jirina Markusova (Ukraine?)
- PFC Qutuz Safar (United Arab Emirates)
- PVT Dean Carter (United Kingdom)
- PVT Synclair Mallari (Philippines)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Corrientes Argentina, 21 MAY 2016 @ 1653 hrs, IOT disrupt alien abduction operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 1528, and we were lifting off by 1540. We touched down in Argentina at 1653. I moved one fire team to cover and overwatch the restaurant, while the second team, headed by SPC Bowden, moved into a support position. After breaching the main dining room, I put people in place to breach the kitchen. When Markusova kicked the door open, we saw a trio of floaters. My reaction force moved in and Safar and Mallari immediately flanking and eliminating two of the floaters. The third proved to be a bit more cagey, and in an attempt to flank it, Bowden spotted a pod of Thin Men. I fired at them as Bowden withdrew, and they moved into the building to flank Markusova, though she was able to avoid their fire.
The floater moved out of the kitchen, and Carter managed to wound it, with Bowden finishing it off. I followed up by taking down the boldest of the Thin Men, while Safar moved to claim the meld canister he spotted on the back side of the building. Unfortunately it closed as he approached. Meanwhile, Markusova fell back to cover, while Petukhova took down one of the remaining Thin Men. PVT Mallari then advanced and tossed a frag grenade, taking down the wall and exposing the Thin Man for Bowden to eliminate.
Before we could move, a pod of Sectoids with a Drone came into sight. The Sectoids scattered for cover, but the Drone took a shot and grazed Mallari behind the table. He returned fire and spanged a few bullets off of it, but did not seem to cause damage. Petukhova's shot was more effective. We advanced on the two Sectoids, which remained in place, waiting for us to come to them.
Once in range, I was able to designate one of the Sectoids for Bowden to kill as the rest of the squad advanced on the last X-Ray. When it ducked out to take a shot at Markusova, I put it down with a burst from my LMG.
We proceeded to secure the rest of the area, but encountered no further resistance.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Clear lines of fire
- Prepare and breach
o Improve:
- Increased operational speed to recover more assets
- Use of full cover over improvised cover
PREPARED BY: CPL Jade Colman
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 35X Chryssalids, 4x Thin Men, 3x Zombies
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
- SPC Svetlana Petukhova (Russia)
- SPC Naomi Bowden (United Kingdom)
- PFC Jirina Markusova (Ukraine?)
- PFC Qutuz Safar (United Arab Emirates)
- PVT Dean Carter (United Kingdom)
- PVT Synclair Mallari (Philippines)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Corrientes Argentina, 21 MAY 2016 @ 1653 hrs, IOT disrupt alien abduction operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
The mission alert came in at 1528, and we were lifting off by 1540. We touched down in Argentina at 1653. I moved one fire team to cover and overwatch the restaurant, while the second team, headed by SPC Bowden, moved into a support position. After breaching the main dining room, I put people in place to breach the kitchen. When Markusova kicked the door open, we saw a trio of floaters. My reaction force moved in and Safar and Mallari immediately flanking and eliminating two of the floaters. The third proved to be a bit more cagey, and in an attempt to flank it, Bowden spotted a pod of Thin Men. I fired at them as Bowden withdrew, and they moved into the building to flank Markusova, though she was able to avoid their fire.
The floater moved out of the kitchen, and Carter managed to wound it, with Bowden finishing it off. I followed up by taking down the boldest of the Thin Men, while Safar moved to claim the meld canister he spotted on the back side of the building. Unfortunately it closed as he approached. Meanwhile, Markusova fell back to cover, while Petukhova took down one of the remaining Thin Men. PVT Mallari then advanced and tossed a frag grenade, taking down the wall and exposing the Thin Man for Bowden to eliminate.
Before we could move, a pod of Sectoids with a Drone came into sight. The Sectoids scattered for cover, but the Drone took a shot and grazed Mallari behind the table. He returned fire and spanged a few bullets off of it, but did not seem to cause damage. Petukhova's shot was more effective. We advanced on the two Sectoids, which remained in place, waiting for us to come to them.
Once in range, I was able to designate one of the Sectoids for Bowden to kill as the rest of the squad advanced on the last X-Ray. When it ducked out to take a shot at Markusova, I put it down with a burst from my LMG.
We proceeded to secure the rest of the area, but encountered no further resistance.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Clear lines of fire
- Prepare and breach
o Improve:
- Increased operational speed to recover more assets
- Use of full cover over improvised cover
Monday, April 13, 2015
In Memory (01 MAY 2016)
"It was the dodgiest squiddie I'd ever seen," de Matos said. She was lying in bed, her upper chest a mass of bandages, while Faber leaned against the side, listening. "It took three shots from point blank range, and still it kept coming. It was Hassan that finally put the caralho down. We were all so focused on it, we never even saw the bastardo Thin Man until he was almost on top of us. Daiwa was the first to react, but not fast enough. Huisman didn't make a sound. He just.. he.."
"Shh," Faber turned and caught de Matos' hand, lacing her fingers through it and squeezing tightly. "Monica, you don't have to talk about it right now." De Matos reached across and covered Faber's hand with her other hand, but she didn't stop talking.
"There was nothing I could do. I heard the shots and Daiwa called that it was down, but before I could even get Houston out of my way, I knew. The hole went straight through, Kevlar, alloy vest, everything. His eyes were still open. They were green. I never realized they were green." Her voice started to choke up and she finally stopped talking, as Faber leaned in to stroke her hair with her other hand, making soft soothing noises.
"But you made it count, Schätzchen," she murmured into Monica's ear. "You went on, and you put the rest of those fickeren into body bags, and you brought him home. More importantly, you brought the rest of them home alive." Faber glanced down the line, where most of the rest of the squad rested. She saw SGT Lindemann visiting with Houston and Maillet, the most severely injured of the survivors.
"Thank you, Liesel," de Matos said, pulling Faber's attention back. "Gata, could you get me some water? My throat is dry." Faber nodded, reaching out to stroke de Matos' cheek before moving away to grab the pitcher and a cup.
"Shh," Faber turned and caught de Matos' hand, lacing her fingers through it and squeezing tightly. "Monica, you don't have to talk about it right now." De Matos reached across and covered Faber's hand with her other hand, but she didn't stop talking.
"There was nothing I could do. I heard the shots and Daiwa called that it was down, but before I could even get Houston out of my way, I knew. The hole went straight through, Kevlar, alloy vest, everything. His eyes were still open. They were green. I never realized they were green." Her voice started to choke up and she finally stopped talking, as Faber leaned in to stroke her hair with her other hand, making soft soothing noises.
"But you made it count, Schätzchen," she murmured into Monica's ear. "You went on, and you put the rest of those fickeren into body bags, and you brought him home. More importantly, you brought the rest of them home alive." Faber glanced down the line, where most of the rest of the squad rested. She saw SGT Lindemann visiting with Houston and Maillet, the most severely injured of the survivors.
"Thank you, Liesel," de Matos said, pulling Faber's attention back. "Gata, could you get me some water? My throat is dry." Faber nodded, reaching out to stroke de Matos' cheek before moving away to grab the pitcher and a cup.
-
"How are they?" Constance asked. She was chafing at being stuck in medbay after her collapse, but the medics said she'd be out in a few more days, at most. Oskar came to visit her regularly, though today he'd spent most of his time visiting the member of the squad he'd just brought back from Oklahoma.
"They're very out of sorts. The pain medicine is very strong," he replied. "Still, they remember what happened."
"It was a good mission," Constance replied. When Oskar's face clouded, she said it again. "It was a good mission, Oskar. Your squad faced the biggest threat we've had, and you brought back enough materiel that the research and engineering teams are going to be busy for months."
"It was not worth the loss of a man," he replied, bitterness thickening his accent.
"It never is," she agreed. "It never is, but you're a soldier, as was Hidde. He knew what was at stake, and he made us all proud." She waited a moment, gauging the expression on his face. "So did you, Oskar. You wouldn't be wearing those stripes on your shoulders if the Commander didn't agree." She reached out for his hand, and after a moment, he extended it, letting her wrap her calloused, slender fingers around his larger hand. The contrast between her nearly black skin and his pale skin never ceased to intrigue him. She squeezed, hard, and he looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time since he'd sat down by her bed.
"It is harder, somehow," he admitted. "When I was KSK, it was human enemies. Even with the terrible things they did in Afghanistan, it wasn't so bad." Oskar clenched his fist, his jaw tightening as well, until he heard Mak make a small sound of discomfort. He relaxed his hands, and gave her an apologetic look, to which she smiled slightly. After a deep breath, he continued. "When I saw Huisman fall, I was scared," he said quietly. He glanced around to see who was near, but no one appeared to be listening in. "It was so much, I wanted to order everyone back to the LZ. We'd barely moved twenty meters, we were still outside the craft. I didn't know what else awaited within, and I didn't want anymore blood on my hands." Constance made a sound of protest, but he overrode her. "Hidde..." he paused, seeking the words. "He was quiet. Barely spoke to anyone, but always willing to help out, if needed. But on the battlefield, he was a monster. He charged in where brave men would hesitate, and he was a virtuoso with that shotgun."
"Oskar, you forget who was with you on that last mission," Constance interrupted. "I knew him, too." Lindemann nodded as she continued. "You couldn't give up, because you knew he wouldn't, in your shoes." Oskar just nodded again. He couldn't dishonor the man's sacrifice by giving up. "You know, he'd be proud of what you accomplished. This is a solid win, and Hidde's contribution helped bring it home, but it was your leadership that saw it through to completion."
Oskar just nodded again, no more words to be said. Mak seemed to know this too, and she just held his hand and closed her eyes with a small, sad smile.
-
The day room was quiet, but it wasn't empty at all. Most of the troopers were there, those not on duty or in medbay, but even the inevitable hum of packed bodies wasn't enough to cover the occasional cough. The small table by the memorial was lined with empty shot glasses, and all of the tables and chairs were occupied with small groups sitting quietly, some drinking, others talking in hushed tones, others still just sitting in silent contemplation.
Most of the troopers didn't know CPL Huisman well, but he was the first casualty since they got here. Some remembered Jensen, but they'd all been so new that his death hadn't made the same impact. Since then, there'd been injuries, even serious ones, but it had begun to seem like XCOM was invincible, that the war was inevitably theirs. Now, the reality of what they did was pinpointed by the photo on the memorial wall, and no one felt like celebrating the strategic victory that the mission represented.
Jade Colman didn't sit with any of the groups clustered around the room. She stood alone at the memorial wall, a full shot of whatever whisky had been going around clutched forgotten in her hand. She hadn't really known Hidde all that well either, but she'd been starting to. After he'd approached her the other day, she'd asked around, and learned that he didn't talk much. Most of those who'd been on mission with him expressed surprise that he'd managed to string so many words together as to actually hold a conversation, let alone the several they'd had before he'd gone on mission. She'd prattled on about rocks and geologic pressures and he'd listened without ever giving any impression that he wasn't really interested. When she'd prodded, he'd revealed small details about his life in Rotterdam, and had told her a couple stories about his brothers in Amsterdam that had her roaring with laughter. He had been a friend, and she'd thought maybe there was more.
But there was no more. Not now, not ever. No more quiet conversations. They'd never go digging around in the tunnels like they'd discussed. This was war, and war tore friends away and ended possibilities. This was the greatest enemy humanity had ever faced, and she'd be damned if Hidde died for nothing. Those bastards wouldn't win this, no matter how many others fell. With that thought ringing defiantly in her mind, Jade lifted the shot glass of whisky, raised it slightly in salute as she stared at the photograph, and drank it down in a single swallow. She placed the glass on the end of the row, then opened her other hand, looking down at what it contained. She blinked several times, then set it down on the shelf, below his picture. It was a geode, broken open so the purple and green crystalls within caught the light, casting tiny ovals of color against the wall. Jade turned away then, approaching the nearest group, who made room for her without a word. Tomorrow was another day, another battle. Tonight, however, she planned on forgetting everything.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Geodes (28 APR 2016)
PFC Jade Colman sat on her bed, towel spread out carefully below her as she worked. She picked up the knobby round rock, looking at it carefully, trying to find the right spot. After several moments of inspection, she nodded absently to herself, and picked up her rock hammer, keeping her eyes on the spot she'd selected. A couple long, slow breaths, and she brought the hammer down sharply, hearing the satisfying crack as the stone split, exactly where she'd wanted it to. She brushed the chips off of her lap, and picked up the stone to look at the freshly revealed inner surfaces.
Just as she'd expected, it was a geode, with traces of amethyst inside. She held it up, letting the overhead light catch on the tiny crystalline points inside, sparkling brightly. As she turned it back and forth, she heard a polite cough behind her. She set the stone down and turned her head to find one of the other troopers standing a respectful distance away.
"Can I help you, Corporal?" she asked.
"I did not wish to interrupt," he said somewhat diffidently, with a small smile. "I've noticed your small collection, and wanted to see how you do them."
"Oh, quite alright," she replied, smiling. "It's always nice to share my hobby." She flipped back the towel, and gestured toward the foot of the bed. "Have a sit, and you can look at this beauty I just opened up." The Corporal sat down, and she caught a glance at his nametape. Huisman. She'd seen him around, and he'd just come back with de Matos on the mission before hers. She'd heard he'd been quite the gung-ho on that mission, but in person he seemed kind of shy. She handed him the half-geode she'd just been examining, and he took it carefully, raising it to the light as she'd done.
"How do you know what will be in it?" he asked as he looked at the crystals. "The outside looks like any other stone."
"Well you never really know for sure, until you break it open," she said. "But you can usually tell a good candidate." She reached out, touching the backside of the stone he held in his hand. "Do you see here, how it's knobbed and bumpy? That, and its mostly round shape are good indicators that it's a geode."
"It is very pretty inside," he said quietly. "You wouldn't expect it with the boring exterior."
"Oh, rocks and minerals aren't boring," Jade said, excitedly. "There's just so much that most people don't realize." He turned his eyes toward her, lifting a brow and smiling slightly. Jade blushed a little. She'd often had this problem, most people weren't quite so enthusiastic about rocks. Still, he didn't seem like he was mocking her, so she continued in a more calm tone. "The processes to create various stones and such are interesting to me. For instance, you know how a diamond is formed?"
"I have read in school that they come from coal," he said.
"That's not actually true. Coal forms when carbon, from some sort of living thing, like a plant, is buried before it can decay, and then compressed over a long time into coal, which is why it burns so well. Diamond, on the other hand, is usually formed much deeper than you'll find coal, and are usually much older than the history of plant material." Huisman's gaze did not waver, but Jade started to feel a little self-conscious, and smiled and waved it off. "It's not interesting to everyone, but it's been a hobby of mine since I was a child."
"I did not know about that," Huisman said. "I am usually interested in pretty objects, so your collection of stones and crystals caught my eye. My mother used to collect such things when I was a child, back in Rotterdam."
"Oh, I got the love of stones from my father," Colman replied. "He was a geologist, always assumed I'd follow in his footsteps."
"But you became a soldier, instead?"
"Surprised everyone," she confirmed. "Even myself, a little bit."
"Why is that?" he asked, setting the rock down on the towel to listen.
"Well, I was in college, studying geology. I had a fiancé, had even moved into his flat. The future seemed pretty clear."
"So why did you enlist?"
"It was few years ago," she said, her eyes going unfocused. "I was on Easter holiday in southern France, when Merah shot and killed several people in Montauban and Toulouse. I had actually been in the shopping center the day before the attack in Montauban. It made it seem quite personal, you understand."
Huisman nodded. "So, you enlisted after that?"
"Yes," she said, her eyes coming back to the present. "I will tell you, my father and my fiancé did not take it well."
"Did you end up marrying him anyway?"
"No," she said, shaking her head and smiling wryly. "As it turned out, a girl in the Army was a little too much for his sensibilities. Last I heard, he married a first-year, who's already given him a daughter."
"Not your dream, I take it."
"Not even a little," Jade laughed. "Even if I hadn't joined up, I still would have wanted to travel, and continue my studies."
"I hear that there are a few troopers alive because of you, from that drop in Toulouse." Huisman said. Jade blushed again, but didn't bother to hide the pride in her eyes.
"Oh my, that was certainly different than my last visit, yes. A couple of the squiddies had grabbed Yusuf and Donohue. I took care of them." There was a certain malicious satisfaction as she spoke, and it made Huisman smile, and Jade smiled back.
"I'm glad you didn't settle down to be a geologist."
"Me too!"
Just as she'd expected, it was a geode, with traces of amethyst inside. She held it up, letting the overhead light catch on the tiny crystalline points inside, sparkling brightly. As she turned it back and forth, she heard a polite cough behind her. She set the stone down and turned her head to find one of the other troopers standing a respectful distance away.
"Can I help you, Corporal?" she asked.
"I did not wish to interrupt," he said somewhat diffidently, with a small smile. "I've noticed your small collection, and wanted to see how you do them."
"Oh, quite alright," she replied, smiling. "It's always nice to share my hobby." She flipped back the towel, and gestured toward the foot of the bed. "Have a sit, and you can look at this beauty I just opened up." The Corporal sat down, and she caught a glance at his nametape. Huisman. She'd seen him around, and he'd just come back with de Matos on the mission before hers. She'd heard he'd been quite the gung-ho on that mission, but in person he seemed kind of shy. She handed him the half-geode she'd just been examining, and he took it carefully, raising it to the light as she'd done.
"How do you know what will be in it?" he asked as he looked at the crystals. "The outside looks like any other stone."
"Well you never really know for sure, until you break it open," she said. "But you can usually tell a good candidate." She reached out, touching the backside of the stone he held in his hand. "Do you see here, how it's knobbed and bumpy? That, and its mostly round shape are good indicators that it's a geode."
"It is very pretty inside," he said quietly. "You wouldn't expect it with the boring exterior."
"Oh, rocks and minerals aren't boring," Jade said, excitedly. "There's just so much that most people don't realize." He turned his eyes toward her, lifting a brow and smiling slightly. Jade blushed a little. She'd often had this problem, most people weren't quite so enthusiastic about rocks. Still, he didn't seem like he was mocking her, so she continued in a more calm tone. "The processes to create various stones and such are interesting to me. For instance, you know how a diamond is formed?"
"I have read in school that they come from coal," he said.
"That's not actually true. Coal forms when carbon, from some sort of living thing, like a plant, is buried before it can decay, and then compressed over a long time into coal, which is why it burns so well. Diamond, on the other hand, is usually formed much deeper than you'll find coal, and are usually much older than the history of plant material." Huisman's gaze did not waver, but Jade started to feel a little self-conscious, and smiled and waved it off. "It's not interesting to everyone, but it's been a hobby of mine since I was a child."
"I did not know about that," Huisman said. "I am usually interested in pretty objects, so your collection of stones and crystals caught my eye. My mother used to collect such things when I was a child, back in Rotterdam."
"Oh, I got the love of stones from my father," Colman replied. "He was a geologist, always assumed I'd follow in his footsteps."
"But you became a soldier, instead?"
"Surprised everyone," she confirmed. "Even myself, a little bit."
"Why is that?" he asked, setting the rock down on the towel to listen.
"Well, I was in college, studying geology. I had a fiancé, had even moved into his flat. The future seemed pretty clear."
"So why did you enlist?"
"It was few years ago," she said, her eyes going unfocused. "I was on Easter holiday in southern France, when Merah shot and killed several people in Montauban and Toulouse. I had actually been in the shopping center the day before the attack in Montauban. It made it seem quite personal, you understand."
Huisman nodded. "So, you enlisted after that?"
"Yes," she said, her eyes coming back to the present. "I will tell you, my father and my fiancé did not take it well."
"Did you end up marrying him anyway?"
"No," she said, shaking her head and smiling wryly. "As it turned out, a girl in the Army was a little too much for his sensibilities. Last I heard, he married a first-year, who's already given him a daughter."
"Not your dream, I take it."
"Not even a little," Jade laughed. "Even if I hadn't joined up, I still would have wanted to travel, and continue my studies."
"I hear that there are a few troopers alive because of you, from that drop in Toulouse." Huisman said. Jade blushed again, but didn't bother to hide the pride in her eyes.
"Oh my, that was certainly different than my last visit, yes. A couple of the squiddies had grabbed Yusuf and Donohue. I took care of them." There was a certain malicious satisfaction as she spoke, and it made Huisman smile, and Jade smiled back.
"I'm glad you didn't settle down to be a geologist."
"Me too!"
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Echoes (22 APR 2016)
This was not, Corporal Lindemann reflected, the worst thing he'd had to do in the military, but it was near the bottom of the list. He re-crossed his arms and shifted around so the outcrop didn't dig into his shoulder as much, and eyeballed the group of privates toiling away before him. He didn't guess he really blamed them, but he'd be damned if he let them see that.
Nearly two months had passed since they'd arrived, and these troops still hadn't been out of the HQ. Lindemann had been out three times on mission, and even he felt a little stir crazy. He'd been spending more and more time in the hangar with Constance, just so he could get a look at the sky regularly. No, he didn't blame them at all for cutting loose a little bit.
It had all started a few days ago, before the latest abduction. Glynn and Oksenov had started talking smack back and forth, both of them expecting to be selected for the next mission, each bragging about how many X-Rays they'd bag. With only ten troopers left who'd yet to go on mission, their chances were good. The rivalry got a little out of hand, and they'd ended up tussling on the floor of the barracks, and had to be broken up by their peers.
When they'd received the mission alert, neither one of them were on the roster. That night, while Parsons and his squad were in Australia, they'd convinced the rest of the privates to conspire in the prank. It'd been a pretty good one, as such things went, but they'd been sloppy, and got caught laughing about it in the day room afterward. Steps had to be taken, mostly to assuage the outrage from the kitchens. Sectoid fingers didn't look that much like spaghetti, anyway.
De Abreu set his shovel aside, and arched his back, producing several audible pops. Oskar winced at the sound and shifted again. As he did, he caught movement coming up the corridor behind him, and turned swiftly, his whole body alert and ready. He needn't have bothered, he realized a moment later as he realized it was another trooper approaching. Unfortunately, it was far too early for SPC de Matos to take over on supervising the punitive detail. He squinted in the dim light as she approached.
"Who comes?" he called in a challenging voice. The woman paused, obviously not having expected to be challenged, then adjusted her path slightly toward him.
"PFC Colman," she replied. "What are you doing down here?" After a second, she seemed to recognize him, because she quickly added "Corporal," and drew herself up. "Apologies, I did not know you at first."
"I should put the same question to you," he said, bristling a little bit. "This is a punitive detail, and you're neither on the detail, nor are you scheduled to supervise."
"I didn't even know this was going on," she replied, hands raised in defense. "It's usually just the engineers. I made friends, and they usually let me come sift through the excavation piles for interesting stones and rocks. It's kind of my hobby." As she spoke, Oskar relaxed a little bit. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.
"Well, it's not a good time, now," he said, tossing his head back over his shoulder at the laboring troopers. "These idiots decided it'd be fun to play pranks, so they're working it off." Colman glanced past him, then turned her eyes back toward him, a slight glimmer appearing there.
"Is this about the spaghetti?" she asked. "I heard the kitchens were in an uproar." Oskar didn't say anything, but she must have read confirmation from his expression, and she giggled under her breath, a surprisingly throaty sound. "I wish I could have seen their faces on that one."
Lindemann allowed himself a brief smile, though he kept any amusement out of his tone. "Biological research material doesn't belong in food service areas. Who knows what could have happened?"
"Yeah," she agreed after a moment, then leaned against the wall. "Bet it's no fun having to stand watch, eh? You didn't even do anything wrong."
"Rank has its punishments," he replied. He was the first to achieve the lofty rank of Corporal, which meant he was at least nominally in charge of the barracks. It was an honor, but a dubious one.
"Privileges, too?" Colman replied. "I did note that you got to customize your gear a bit, when I was in the readiness room last."
"Ja," he confirmed. "I've been told it's something of a tradition."
"What's Armarnis?" she asked, shifting her weight. The stone of the wall didn't agree with her, either.
"It's a bit of a long story," Oskar demurred.
"Well, if I'm not allowed to dig through the excavation site, and you're not allowed to leave until your relief shows up, it seems like we've got some time, Corporal."
"I suppose that is so," Oskar shrugged. "It came from my time in Afghanistan. My team was part of a joint operations task force, and I had a workout buddy from Iceland. He'd run for an hour straight, never seemed to phase him, while I usually stuck to lifting." He paused, thinking about it, remembering. "I used to call him Langbein because he was tall, and ran so often." Seeing her confusion, he elaborated. "Langbein is long legs in German. In return, he'd call me Armarnis. I didn't know for a while what it meant, and he'd never explain. After a while, it just stuck, and others started using the same nickname. It wasn't until after he went MIA on mission that I bothered to actually look it up. It should have been obvious, of course."
"Big arms?" she guessed.
"Nein, just arms." Oskar looked back into the cavern where the men toiled, but his thoughts were far away. "I never saw him again, they never found a body. I've kept the nickname since, in memory."
"Makes sense," Colman replied quietly. For several minutes, the two of them just stood there in silence, with only the sound of the picks and shovels echoing through the cavern. After a while, Colman quietly excused herself, leaving Oskar there to watch the troopers.
Suddenly, claxons began to sound, deafening in the enclosed caverns. Oskar listened carefully to the pattern, until he was certain. It was the All-hands alert, which meant everyone needed to be in the barracks, ready to be called. They'd only heard it once, during orientation. This was the first time it'd been sounded in earnest.
"Shovels down," he roared above the din. "Get to the lift, everyone to the barracks."
Nearly two months had passed since they'd arrived, and these troops still hadn't been out of the HQ. Lindemann had been out three times on mission, and even he felt a little stir crazy. He'd been spending more and more time in the hangar with Constance, just so he could get a look at the sky regularly. No, he didn't blame them at all for cutting loose a little bit.
It had all started a few days ago, before the latest abduction. Glynn and Oksenov had started talking smack back and forth, both of them expecting to be selected for the next mission, each bragging about how many X-Rays they'd bag. With only ten troopers left who'd yet to go on mission, their chances were good. The rivalry got a little out of hand, and they'd ended up tussling on the floor of the barracks, and had to be broken up by their peers.
When they'd received the mission alert, neither one of them were on the roster. That night, while Parsons and his squad were in Australia, they'd convinced the rest of the privates to conspire in the prank. It'd been a pretty good one, as such things went, but they'd been sloppy, and got caught laughing about it in the day room afterward. Steps had to be taken, mostly to assuage the outrage from the kitchens. Sectoid fingers didn't look that much like spaghetti, anyway.
De Abreu set his shovel aside, and arched his back, producing several audible pops. Oskar winced at the sound and shifted again. As he did, he caught movement coming up the corridor behind him, and turned swiftly, his whole body alert and ready. He needn't have bothered, he realized a moment later as he realized it was another trooper approaching. Unfortunately, it was far too early for SPC de Matos to take over on supervising the punitive detail. He squinted in the dim light as she approached.
"Who comes?" he called in a challenging voice. The woman paused, obviously not having expected to be challenged, then adjusted her path slightly toward him.
"PFC Colman," she replied. "What are you doing down here?" After a second, she seemed to recognize him, because she quickly added "Corporal," and drew herself up. "Apologies, I did not know you at first."
"I should put the same question to you," he said, bristling a little bit. "This is a punitive detail, and you're neither on the detail, nor are you scheduled to supervise."
"I didn't even know this was going on," she replied, hands raised in defense. "It's usually just the engineers. I made friends, and they usually let me come sift through the excavation piles for interesting stones and rocks. It's kind of my hobby." As she spoke, Oskar relaxed a little bit. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.
"Well, it's not a good time, now," he said, tossing his head back over his shoulder at the laboring troopers. "These idiots decided it'd be fun to play pranks, so they're working it off." Colman glanced past him, then turned her eyes back toward him, a slight glimmer appearing there.
"Is this about the spaghetti?" she asked. "I heard the kitchens were in an uproar." Oskar didn't say anything, but she must have read confirmation from his expression, and she giggled under her breath, a surprisingly throaty sound. "I wish I could have seen their faces on that one."
Lindemann allowed himself a brief smile, though he kept any amusement out of his tone. "Biological research material doesn't belong in food service areas. Who knows what could have happened?"
"Yeah," she agreed after a moment, then leaned against the wall. "Bet it's no fun having to stand watch, eh? You didn't even do anything wrong."
"Rank has its punishments," he replied. He was the first to achieve the lofty rank of Corporal, which meant he was at least nominally in charge of the barracks. It was an honor, but a dubious one.
"Privileges, too?" Colman replied. "I did note that you got to customize your gear a bit, when I was in the readiness room last."
"Ja," he confirmed. "I've been told it's something of a tradition."
"What's Armarnis?" she asked, shifting her weight. The stone of the wall didn't agree with her, either.
"It's a bit of a long story," Oskar demurred.
"Well, if I'm not allowed to dig through the excavation site, and you're not allowed to leave until your relief shows up, it seems like we've got some time, Corporal."
"I suppose that is so," Oskar shrugged. "It came from my time in Afghanistan. My team was part of a joint operations task force, and I had a workout buddy from Iceland. He'd run for an hour straight, never seemed to phase him, while I usually stuck to lifting." He paused, thinking about it, remembering. "I used to call him Langbein because he was tall, and ran so often." Seeing her confusion, he elaborated. "Langbein is long legs in German. In return, he'd call me Armarnis. I didn't know for a while what it meant, and he'd never explain. After a while, it just stuck, and others started using the same nickname. It wasn't until after he went MIA on mission that I bothered to actually look it up. It should have been obvious, of course."
"Big arms?" she guessed.
"Nein, just arms." Oskar looked back into the cavern where the men toiled, but his thoughts were far away. "I never saw him again, they never found a body. I've kept the nickname since, in memory."
"Makes sense," Colman replied quietly. For several minutes, the two of them just stood there in silence, with only the sound of the picks and shovels echoing through the cavern. After a while, Colman quietly excused herself, leaving Oskar there to watch the troopers.
Suddenly, claxons began to sound, deafening in the enclosed caverns. Oskar listened carefully to the pattern, until he was certain. It was the All-hands alert, which meant everyone needed to be in the barracks, ready to be called. They'd only heard it once, during orientation. This was the first time it'd been sounded in earnest.
"Shovels down," he roared above the din. "Get to the lift, everyone to the barracks."
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