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The room was dark, and only a few lights from the controls gave texture to the faces of 7 companies hidden in the dark. Men, women, black, white, all were present before him. They began to listen, taking in information like an antenna for later use. These Marines, would be jumping into the biggest hell hole this war has ever seen... their home.

Anthony stood in front of a large blue wall monitor. On it, was a map of the entire area of New Mombasa and the region around it. Lines and specks of color were skirted across the map like confetti, and Anthony, was the one throwing it.

"Now Marines, we're going to be dropping in hot. And I mean, 'Holy-s**t-I-have-a-Brute-up-my-a**' hot. Now, Able Company, will be landing over near an old Slag Depot." He pointed to a section of a mountain. "Once here, Ourselves and the boys of Charlie are going to regroup down on supply Causeway 2." He began to move his finger in the directed path of where he was mentioning while he talked. "Now, Causeway 2 is left over from when New Mombasa was leveled. Its still used along with Causeway 5 as a supply route. Now, we are going to meet with Baker and Easy, over at the intersection of Causeway 4 and 5 right where the industrial section of town should be now. As you can see, we have a fairly large structure in our view..." He tapped it twice, and a real-time image came up. "This is the remnants of a 6 story parking garage left over from the leveling. Its still somewhat intact, but its going to suffice from now. Any other Companies not called and specified, your objectives are to make it from your drop point, to 'Fox Hole One' with minimal to no casualties. That means NO unnecessary firefights. Secondary Objectives will come soon, all Primaries will be posted as you leave."

He stood for a moment, soaking in the glory of running his first actual mission. He felt a sense of pride and joy for what he had just accomplished. Anthony felt his position in this war has gone from a order taking lackey, to someone issuing them.

"Dismissed. CO's and XO's, mission objectives being linked to your COM's now." He said, stepping down from the podium like front of the briefing room.

In the back of his mind, Anthony could tell the next 36 hours were going to be hell. The soil he once praised to be the last piece of rock they could set ground now would determine if he would walk among it with his fellow solders, or lay against it with the fellow corpse's. Any other way, one thing could be certain...

...This was not going to be easy...

Anthony gave a nervous smile to his CO. "Sir, I am always nervous. But I keep it in check. Because I know what happens when I get nervous in the field." He gave him a salute. "Lieutenant, do think my plan is going to work?"

While traveling in slip-space most of the UNSC Monterey would have been in cryo-sleep. But not Able Company, they were hot on their feet and cold in the mind, ready to fight whatever came at them. The air about the Monterey for those several days they were in Slip-space was tense and unreal, but it quickly subsided with the mystery of Dr. Halsey and her SPARTANs disappearing. A few of the men on board knew exactly what happened, Commander Hammer and Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez among them. But all that was in the past, and with the upcoming mission, they were in for some s**t.

Commander Hammer stood up from his chair after the briefing was over and moved out with the crowd silently, ushering himself towards the armory to begin suiting up. Many of his officers had reminded him that going into the line of fire wasn't exactly standard protocol. What the hell did he care? That's where he belonged, on the front lines. Unfortunately he had received orders from Lord Hood to drop three clicks south of the Crow's Nest, and then make his way there.

It had been a long, difficult sojourn through the slipstream sub-dimension, but ever since Dansmith had seen Lee in the high-security ICU room, his mind had not been at ease. It was almost as if the man was made of stem cells, for the speed his tissues repaired, and the voracity with which they denied disease. He just couldn't figure it out, for the life of him. Either way, the Captain would be needing a lot less attention from him, even during battle.

Well, so much for sleeping, huh, Dansmith? What now, Mr. Insomniac?
Hey, the only ones among us who've gotten any sleep are the ones who've been in comas, or otherwise unconsious, since that damned Hell Shell.
True, but even so, everyone needs to be at the top of their game. The covenant most likely still have a death-hold on Earth, you know. You're not a machine, Dansmith: you need sleep.

Ignoring her insistings, he slid another magazine into the pouch on his vest, then strapped his med-kit to his side, and slung his medical scanner across his waist, opposite his pistol. His BR55 was slung across his back and magnetically anchored securely in place. His IV hookups were sterilized and clean where they met his flesh, and he had special-ordered anti-histamine alloys for his now-irritated A.I. port in his skull: the changed and swollen skin around his implant was starting to reject the strange device, and he needed to keep it securely attached. He had bolted it in with multiple heavy-grade ostio-anchors, made for just such instances, and he hoped they would do the trick.

They had taken on a few more soldiers at a relay-refuel station in some remote outpost, a derilect station, really, but the A.I. was stil functioning enough to give them the goods they needed (mostly extra ammo and pelicans). Needless to say, they had high-tailed it out of there a.s.a.p.

Now, however, Earth drew nearer, and nerves grew tenser, tempers hotter. Oh, this is gonna be a blast. Asthon thought sarcastically to himself.

Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, Master Gunnery Sergeant Catherine Lynne Kaiser, a new transfer to the UNSC Monterey was in a bad mood.

I try to get an idea of what in the world this strange new assignment is suppose to be and that little girl gives me the run around! She was thinking about her conversation with the girl in charge of transfers on the Monterey. The LITTLE girl (She had to be eighteen or nineteen at the oldest) told her to report to Commander Michael Hammer, well he was nowhere to be found, then she said to report to Captain Kiang Hao Lee he was in the infirmary, then the little b***h said to report to Lieutenant Seth Adams, and if he wasn’t around his number two First Sergeant Anthony Karr (to think she’d report to a First Sergeant! Little girl didn’t know her ranks) In fashion with the rest of her day, of course it turned out NONE of them were around! So now she was supposed to track down some Lance Corporal, this was absolutely ridiculous! “No good, useless, dillydalling, phillyfaddling little...” She snarls out of frustration and quite accidently almost bumps into several people.

“Move it.” She snapped at them, they looked confused and saluted at her looking put off. Her ODST armor and her ranking seemed to have caught them off guard… First they put me on some s**t-outpost with a bullshit assignment, first good thing is that we get picked up by a ship and put back onto duty…And then all of this happens!

She found herself quite by accident walking into an active armory, there were many marines and people arming up. Her brow was furrowed and she felt angry she looked around sizing up the room with her clear penetrating blue eyes. “HEY!” She shouted over the loud sound in the armory, “ANY OF YOU SOBS KNOW LANCE CORPORAL DANSMITH!?” Catherine Kaiser was very very very frustrated.

From where he was standing, Anthony couldn't help but notice the ruckas that took place in the middle of the mass of troops. A female ODST, a Master Gunnery Sergeant from the looks of it was pushing through looking for Dansmith.

He began to approch the Commander, who was getting geared up for the drop.

He saluted. "Commander, who is the new girl? And why is she looking for Dansmith?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"I don't know, Karr but I'll find out. Finish getting suited up, and double check your gear" said Michael watching the girl.

After he had sent Karr on his way, he assessed Dansmith by standing up straight and tall and reaching into his front pocket. "Command ordered me to give you this." He placed the silver campaign bar on Dansmith's chest, "congratulations Sergeant." He slapped him on the shoulder and then looked over his shoulder at the women, "I believe this would be the man you're looking for."

He nodded, and moved away; having already triple checked everything.

Karr walked over to the Lieutenant, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lieutenant sir, I'd like a word alone if it wouldn't be too much trouble sir."