The World of The Gunny

The Wasted World of Gunnery Sergeant DeShane
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 Post subject: IC To Hell And Back
PostPosted: 25 Jan 2006 16:56 
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Warrant Officer 1
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Joined: 25 Aug 2005 09:47
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Location: Maumee, Ohio
Second Lieutenant Schneider led his men through the maze of passageways and compartments that made up the Union Aerospace Corporation Battleship Protector, into the cryo areas. Stowing all their gear in the locker next to their tube, the Marines prepared for the two weeks on ice that lay immediately before them. After each man's tube had closed, the lieutenant entered his, and the door hissed shut behind him. After he turned around to face the door the cryo gasses entered the tube, and he was out.

It had been more than twenty years since the incidents at the Mars base, the details of which still remained unknown to all but the highest echelons of the UAC management, and the Marines who served there. Whatever had happened there had killed nearly everyone in the base, and scared the top enough to relocate thier experimental operations far, far away from Earth.

The teleportation technology that had been researched on Mars had been finished and perfected, making travel immensely less difficult for people on Earth and Luna. As soon as the first expedition to Omega Base was completed, an enormous teleporter was constructed, linking to a UAC post on Luna, where construction teams had been preparing.

It didn't take long for the enormous research base to be completed, and the teleporter on Luna was dismantled, but the Omega Base one stayed up, although dormant. That was fifteen years ago.

Now Omega Base had stopped reporting, and the Marines had been dispatched to find out why. It wasn't really the first time, UAC eggheads from bases on several worlds failed to report occasionally. When Marines arrived it always turned out to be either due to faulty equipment or forgetful scientists. Omega Base was staffed with first class technicians and scientists, and the Director there was a stickler for company policy. Niether explenation seemed likely.

The first thing that the Company had tried to do was simply reroute the teleporter network on Luna to connect with some of the machines on Omega Base, but no teleporters there seemed to work. As a safeguard, all transporters on Earth and Luna, as well as every major UAC base was rewired to block any attempts at teleportation from any off-world source. This was an inconvenience for people living on the moon but working at Earth and vice versa, but something that everyone accepted without much complaint.

With the teleporters off, the UAC was forced to ship its troops the old fashioned way, by ship.

The cryo chamber was filled with intense light. Every tube opened and the Marines stepped out. Had it been two weeks already? Grabbing his PDA from the locker Rob checked the date. It had only been ten days. The route was traveled frequently enough for them to know exactly how long it would take for the ship to reach the planet. An excited voice came over the PA,
"Thank God you made it, they got to the other Marines before they came out of it. Get to the--oh God, they're in here! God, help!" The rest was incomprehensible screaming. Rob swallowed and started calling out orders.

The Marines dragged whatever could be used as a barricade to the doors and took positions behind them, covering all entrances. The squad had just finished when the doors slid open and all Hell broke loose.

Creatures about half as tall as a man streamed through the doors, trying to maul the Marines with their long sycthe-like arms. Behind them were taller monsters. One thing Rob noticed about them, other than their dark grey skin and long claws, was their eyes. At least eight black eyes shone like polished volcanic glass on each of their faces.

Opening up with his plasma rifle, he was gratified to see some of the hellspawn go down. After about fifteen minutes of constant fire the demons retreated, leaving the Marines to lick their wounds. The squad had suffered no deaths, though several people were injured. Only one was serious, and that could still be treated by what was carried by the squad's medic. Their ammo was running low, however, and they had to risk going to the armory to stock up.

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