Ch. 7 When are we getting out of here?

[dakota]

[Squad]

The team house door swung open and a scrawning guy with corporal tags followed by a combat borg let themselves in, both toting gearbags. They stopped and looked at the cats drinking. the Borg scowled, "You sure we got the right place, Wilson? Don't remember hearing anything about joining the Rat Patrol?"

The corporal hit the borg in the chestplate hard. "Shut up Arden, would you?" He looked at the cats, "What squad is this?"

[Tori]

Tori noted Takota's dislike of the alcohol. Cats had a body language that was unmistakable. "'Sallright, Tacky. Ya had a drink for our fallen, an' that's good enough." She continued sipping her beer from the can.

"Yeah, a mission would be good. Don't wanna be hangin' round here wif nothin' to do but get into trouble. An' yeah, Tony's gotta go."

She was alarmed when the two newcomers walked in and almost drew on them. She stood up and looked the two newbies down cautiously. "This here's Capt'n Sam Fraser's team. That's our XO, Mr. Carson Trassk, but I wouldn't wake 'em up."

[Janxi]

Janxi gave Takota three nuzzles that would have bowled anything but a killcat over onto his back. "If you ain't a drinker, don't drink.

"And yer right Tori and Tak, we gotta git back to work. I ain't real happy to be a CS slave, but at least we git to rack up a body count!"

Like Tori, Janxi grabbed for pistol when the strangers broke in. She had hers out and drawn and trained on the borg. "Y'all know better than bustin into a squad bay. If yer redshirts are wif us, then good. We're mournin' our last red shirts. If yer her wif a purpose, then we got drinks fer ya. Your hostess is SO-3 Tori, I'm Cpl. Janxi, and this here is Cpl. Takota. We face 40:1 odds and win. We got a tiger we gotta hunt to save our own asses. If you didn't request this detail, go back to shinin' SAMASes. We'll handle it BOYS.

"If y'all are wif us ya gotta put out. Best minimum is commando. We don't want RIGS (regular infantry guys) and we don't want no pogues. So what kinda trooper are ya?"

[dakota]

" This is the best Fraser could get to fill in for us?" the borg said, shaking his head. " I thought Shep was trying to teach her some standards."

"I said quit it, Det." The corporal said with a scowl. " Excuse my friend, he isn't much for newbies. And I hate to tell you this, but we were here first, just we made the mistake of following Trassk lead and got shot to hell on our last mission before they transferred here. Private Arden Granger here was the team EOD before he got rearranged by rail gun fire, and I'm Corporal Wilson Quandry, team sniper. But you can call us Det and Scope. Which bunks are free?"

Det motioned towards Shep," Did you say Mr. Trassk? Did the old fart finally decide to retire and go contractor?"

[Janxi]

Janxi stood up and looked at the borg. Big green eyes locking onto red mechanical eyes. "We're the best there is, period. As fer newbs, we got a body count longer than most Tolkien Troopers, so watch yer fuckin' moufs."

She gave a tepid nod when they introduced themselves. "T-Bone and I are over there and there, and Tacky's on that one. Yew see where Shep's at, and Six, dunno which rack's hers, pro'lly tha one wif gear on it.

"Reckon I know what ya mean 'bout followin' Shep. We done bailed his ass out like four times now. Right regular Danger-Prone Daphne, if ya ask me. As fer tha Mister stuff, I'm Naval Infantry RLT and Otter there's a naval commando. It's our custom to call warrant officers an' low rankin' officers 'Mister.'"

"Smurfette's the team's corpsman, as fer me, I'm weaps and tha designated marksman. Tacky here's another DM, team ninja an' team tomcat. Flea an' me are wif tha shagcat program. Environmentally-acclimated SOG feline enhancement tandems. Swamps and jungles..."

The massive cat remained standing and grabbed four more cups. Two got a measure of bourbon, and two got Scotch. Lastly, she cracked two beers for the human and the borg. "Welcome to the swamp clowder. Drinks'r on us."

[Tori]

Tori eyed the borg up and down. If he joined as a borg, she would have had no respect for him. Bionics and juice were a shortcut to hooya through machines and drugs. Since he came by them honestly, she figured he had put out to get to the team. His attitude sucked, but if he was mending from a full conversion. She would forgive, but only to a point. Tori figured, borg or not, she could probably house him, if it came down to it.

"Aww hell, we're about as skittish as long tailed cats in a room full of rockin' chairs. Our first hop started out with a pogue doctor that didn't even have the good sense to learn how to wear her armor 'fore she went on it. We got some smartass dogboy who thought he was a goddamn school teacher, an' we got yer replacement Det. He was good fer 'bout one thing and one thing only, glomming onto the pogue.

"Met a couple of fine troopers out in tha swamp though, but they didn't make it back."

She returned to her seat and poured another measure of bourbon, offering the two men some of their jerky.

"What kinda equipment you snipe wif, Scope?"

[Mierin]

Sam smirks and shakes her head at her brother. "Who says I have?" she remarks. As they are stopped by the corporal, Sam listens to what he has to say and nods. "Understood. Thank you, Corporal." Returning the salute, Sam then gets into line and gets herself something to eat. Once she and her brother both have something to eat, Sam finds a place to sit and she remarks to her brother, "You look like what you wanted to happen just happened."

[dakota]

[Squad]

Scope smiled, accepting the beer. " it depends on the situation Tori, but I'm a bit unconventional. " He walked over to his bunk and opened his oversized duffel, pulling out a double gun case. He laid it flat and popped the tabs. With a satisfied smirk, he held up the first weapon, " PRED-LSR15, with a few minor adjustments," he turned a bow sideways to reveal a crossbow mounted under the barrel. " Got the idea for the bow because I used to use one back home for hunting. I've also got one of those new northern Gum collaspibles to keep in my pack, just in case." He offered the rifle/crossbow combo to Tori to look at.

Det also accepted the beer, looking at Janxi and Takota. He flipped up his faceplate to reveal a baby faced human beneath. "You saved Shep's tail, so you're okay in my book. He's the best XO I've ever had, but takes too many chances. Anyone figure how to keep his helmet on his head?" He noticed how they looked at him and explained. " I'm considered full conversion, but some things I couldn't let them do. Otherwise I'm no different than those Hellfire they brought in on our flight, right?" He took a long drink.

[Sam]

"Well, I kind of requested it." Tim said. " All except you drawing a crap mission already. That village is alot like, well some of them are family. This way I can help them start over and get settled in. And until then, we stay close so I can keep an eye on them." He picked at his food. " My tem is almost up. what would you think if I didn't renew and retired, maybe pack up the family and move them closer to home? I'd never get them citizenship, but somewheres like out in Whykin or something? would I be being selfish?"

[Tori]

Tori examined the weapon appreciatively. "This ain't bad at all." She handed it back to him after a fair inspection and took a slug out of her beer. She then went to her rack and grabbed her own rifle.

"Triax 42 Commando Carbine. The FSE is pointed down. Good short rifle for a short kitten. SOPMODS include an Aimpoint reflex scope with removable 4x magnification, M26A2 automatic shotgun for breeching, vamps and close encounters, AM/PEQ-4 IR illuminator, retractable stock, and 3 point tactical sling. Two remaining Picatinny rails in case I wanna add something else. This is an operator's weapon.

"When I go bow, I carry one of these." She cracked open her still-muddy bow case and produced her bow. It was real-tree camo, and was a deer hunter's bow, not a military weapon. "Bowtech Destroyer 350. Good fer huntin', fishin', takin down rats and dinos, and fer fakin' artillery barrages." The last came with a big twinkle in her eye.

"She launches at 350 fps, has a nice 80 percent dropoff into the valley, and I got her tuned up to about 80 pounds of draw. Even at 100 yards, I reckon I could nail a buck through the heart... Speared many a catfish wif her, and recon, all things considered on this next hump, we're goin' after a gator!"

She purred as Scope scoped her toys. The bow she was especially proud of. Her weapons were issue, save for the bow. That she bought with her own savings, even if the military was kind enough to provide her with arrows.

"I also got a CSN-20 for dives, but I've been leavin' it behind. We only had two swims on tha last hop. One was to rescue Shep from this bigass frog, and the other was to upright a capsized air boat. Most of it's sloggin' through tha mud."

[Takota]

Takota could honestly say he has never truly disliked someone within the first few minutes of meeting them. Scope seems to be an ok sort but the 'borg is another matter. He fixes a steady gaze on the tin-man, a gaze that his old CO said it seemed like he was looking right through someones soul, while his tail begins a steady twitching ... the only outward sign that the borg is on his way to making an enemy within the squad.

Within moments Takota questions himself on his reasoning behind his feelings. Normally words would never get to him. People could say whatever they wanted to without him caring one way or the other. Competition perhaps. He glances at Janxi and then Tori before once again turning his gaze on the borg but remains silent.

[Janxi]

Janx watches Takota's tail. She knew he was getting angry, and a kill-cat vs. a borg was still not much of a contest, but would be time consuming and noisy. Her hand wrapped around his scruff, and she squeezed, gently and firmly, as a mother would grab an unruly kitten to restrain him, then began to massage, pulling him closer to her and nuzzling. The massive paw just offered a hint of claw, reminding him of mama's teeth. Her eyes locked onto his, a subtle cat signal for no, to prove she was serious.

Then came her voice, directly in his mind. She was a telepath.

"Naw Takota, not him. He ain't never gonna be our human, but he's angry, bitter an' 'shamed cuz he lost his body. He's gittin' used to a new one, an' we're the newcomers in his home. He's 'ceptin' us now, so let's 'cept him. If he stays a pest, we'll use him for a wishbone. Right now, he's reachin' out, oohrah?"

While she was telepathically speaking to Takota, she looked at Det and spoke aloud. "Well, technically, tha pogue doc saved him the first time, but I reckon she couldn't'a been done it if we hadn't shot tha velociraptors. Then, there was tha time where that big frog gobbed Shep wif his tongue, and zipped him off tha boat. Like T-bone said, we jumped in, put a hurtin' on ol' Kermit, and herded him up to land. Spat Shep out like Mama Cass tried to spit out her lass cheeseburger. T grabbed Shep an' gave him CPR.

"Then, round here, ol' Shep picks a fight with three fox-faced punks. Well, Lil Girl there ain't havin it, kicks one stooge out cold, then uses the second like Bam Bam Rubble uses a club. So I reckon that's four we got, less I'm missin' somethin'."

Janxi gave Takota three licks on or about the nose and squeezed his hand. When she overhears Tori telling the bit about wanting to hunt a gator, she laughs, unfortunately, she was slugging a beer at the time, with predictable results. Beer+laugh=nose and pain!

"Owww, cut it out T-bag tha fleabag. Yer killin' me! We already done fought a gator! It was tha frog that stoled Shep!" She wiped her face with a long pink tongue and laughed harder still. "Snaggletease schoolin' us on aquatic predators. Man that's rich.

"As fer keepin his brain-bucket on, I think he's gittin' better, but we're thinkin' of maybe some rivets 'er sumthin... He ain't a bad XO, but, and all due respek... He ain't no cat. Plays fast an' loose when he outta watch an' plan. He's learnin'. We gottim on tha right track.

"We're gittin a Hellfire? Don't git stuck in the mud. An' don't worry Det. You got one Shag on yer six that'll pull ya out, juss fer bein human..."

She watched the show-and-tell between Tori and Scope, then looked over at Takota, giving him another nuzzle. "Tha two of us kill cats... We're mostly JA-12 shooters.... But I do got this. I know I said I would show it to you, Tacky, so here it is."

The massive cat was easily the biggest thing in the room. She gave Takota's hand one more squeeze before she rose, and went to her bunk. The JA-12 on top was ignored. She instead produced a long-gun case, that was long enough as she was tall. She unlocked it, opened it up and produced a CTT-P40. It was a particle beam meant for a SAMAS. On top was the scope from a C-10.

"This here is Sampson. Does almost as much damage in one shot as a JA-12 does in a burst. Range is piss poor, but I'm thinkin of bringin' him along." She passed the 90-pound rifle to Scope for inspection.

"I got a bow, too, Martin Firecat, tuned WAY up. An' Tori ain't lyin' bout fakin' a mortar barrage."

She stroked Takota up and down his back using just a hint of claw. Not enough to shred his utilities, but plenty to feel divine.

[dakota]

Det looked at the bow and nodded. " Nice. I'm not much for playing Roben Hood, but then my days od sneakin are pretty much over. Ja-12's a nice gun, especially on a snoop. I have to requesition a rifle, but for now I've just got these." His thigh popped open to reveal a concealed holster, and he pulled out a Skelebot's Dead Man Rail Pistol that was connected to him, " Internal magazine gives me twenty five bursts, but I can switch to the one on my pack for extra." He reholstered the weapon. and it vanished inside. " Hope that warning ain't meant to worry me, Jansy. I got cut in half by a railgun when the captain got me evaced and they rebuilt me, so you'll pardon me if I don't take threats seriously."

"Hellfire's are to bump up base security." Scope said. " Heard there's a Skysweeper coming in next and we're getting some EPCs to get around. It sounds like the firebase is digging in for a longhaul. I bet that's what the General is here for." He handed back the weapon to Tori. " Nice piece. Gator's are okay, but them croc's that live around salt water, now those are mean. Heard they taste like chicken if you barbeque them." He grinned. " Anyone heard what coming up for a our hop? The airmen that reported to said not to get too comfortable."

[Tori]

(I uh, think Janxi was talking to Tacky telepathically to calm him down, not threatening Det aloud.)

"Dunno when we're shippin out. I'm hopin' tomorrow or so."

She gave a distinctly feline moan about all the firepower. "They're turnin this place into tha Alamo. Sounds like they're right serious 'bout containin' an' es-terminatin' them rats.

"What tastes like chicken is a dino, but their wings are like huge!"

[Janxi]

(What she said, that was telepathed)
Then came her voice, directly in his mind. She was a telepath.

"Naw Takota, not him. He ain't never gonna be our human, but he's angry, bitter an' 'shamed cuz he lost his body. He's gittin' used to a new one, an' we're the newcomers in his home. He's 'ceptin' us now, so let's 'cept him. If he stays a pest, we'll use him for a wishbone. Right now, he's reachin' out, oohrah?"

While she was telepathically speaking to Takota, she looked at Det and spoke aloud.

(Just saying, but not aloud)

IC:

Janxi relaxed her grip on Takota, and proceeded to do something very human, she gave him a kiss. Not too deep or gratuitous or indulgent in front of Tori and strangers, but a kiss all the same.

"Yeah, T. This FOB is tha cornerstone. We're tha screen. I ain't sure, I mean like real sure, how many rats we toasted and roasted lass time, but it had to be north of 100. Between booby traps, grenades, an' our 'shellin,'' we schwacked like an entire company.

"Foxed up thing is, we housed a company, Tori, me an' Capt'n Sam, wif an intel soldier and a green beret. An' there's like 3,000 more where they came from, mebbe more.

"But like we was sayin', dere's a rogue tiger out there. Every dickhead on this FOB is gonna be shootin at every feline he sees til dat tiger gets got. Dat means a midget like Tori is a target cuz of her ears and stripes. Dat means a Mae West like me, cuz apparently yew humans don't know cats got tits, too. And dat means Tacky here, for being anything BUT orange, an' havin whiskers and sharp ears."

She took another shot of bourbon and looked to her feline partners, Little Tori, then Takota, then at the two new humans. "Tonight's his night, but come tha morning, we stalk. When Sam gets back, we make our case."

She looked at the Deadman railgun and winced slightly. "Ya know, that ain't bad. Does a lot of chewin, and has good range. But putting it in terms of a side arm an' stoppin power, T's CP-30 don't have tha range, but shreds cabbage inta slaw 'bout tha same, and is mebbe 10 times lighter... Juss sayin..."

She plays a little music to inspire lighting up Tony the Tiger

[Mierin]

Mar 11, 2012 7:53:04 GMT -5 dakota said:

[Sam]
"Well, I kind of requested it." Tim said. " All except you drawing a crap mission already. That village is a lot like, well some of them are family. This way I can help them start over and get settled in. And until then, we stay close so I can keep an eye on them." He picked at his food. " My tem is almost up. what would you think if I didn't renew and retired, maybe pack up the family and move them closer to home? I'd never get them citizenship, but somewheres like out in Whykin or something? would I be being selfish?"

Sam listens to Tim and shakes her head. "No it's not being selfish to want to settle down and raise a family. Though I'm sure you realize it may be a little tricky." Sam clearly isn't being disapproving of her brother's choices and, instead, is just pointing out the challenges he would be facing. "I know I don't want to do this forever and want to settle down with a family at some point." Sam starts to eat her food as she waits for a response.