Turn 6: Promotions & Downtime

[Shadow]

"We don't need boots on this team." He sighed, "We need decently trained and experienced soldiers..." He looked around spotting a few marines who hadn't seen combat and sighed again. They were talking about how they would've run the operation without a flaw... Hayek only stayed down because his own superior was taking a quick stroll through the ship and happened to be passing through the Mes...

[Mr. Death]

Elias laughed a little
"Boots. . ." He pointed over to them
"Can't keep em alive, can't work with em, can't tell em what shit is goin on, how can you expect to work with shit like that?" He asked, sipping the vodka some more.

[Shadow]

"And they expect us to teach the few that survive..." He patted Elias on the back, "At least they're startin' to realize who's in charge. Great work to both of you, get some rest and I'll see yall in the Rec. Room tomorrow." With that Sergeant Hayek made his way back to his quarters and took a much deserved rest.

[Dire Wolf]

Hoot was originally hesitant to comment on the boots, a couple days ago he was one of them. He was shot up and didnt feel like taking any shit from a group a guys who had their thumb up their ass while robots shot the shit out of him. "Damn FNGs" he said to Elias and Matt as he walked up to the group of Fuckin New Guys. Hoot was pissed, he didnt care if the CO or XO was standing right there, he had been shot to shit and he wasnt gonna let these FNGs talk shit about him or his buddies.

When he got to the group he grabbed the one that said that he would have run 'the operation without flaw' by the collar and kind of lifted him up. His bicep still ached from the bullet that had torn through it but he still found the strength to hold on to the struggling boot. "So, you woulda run the OP with out flaw ehh? Were the fuck where you when he..." Hoot nodded back to Elias "..ran across a fuckin' storm a fuckin' lead to save a badly wounded marine... huh? were the hell where you?"

(OOC: Im refering to the guys Nick mentioned)

((Edit1: fixed something in the post))

((Edit2: OOC2: Im assuming that I was in the group, I just didnt talk))

[Cartwright]

The young Marines backed off a bit from Hoot, not wishing to make a large scene. The last thing they needed was time in the Brig for stupidity. Hoot released the struggling FNG and let him fall to the floor. He arose and backed off quickly, then walked away with the group.

Meyen finished with his cigarette and tossed it in a trash dispenser. He really did not care if it went in or not. The Navy janitorial staff would surely clean it up. He walked up to his squad, Hoot included, and began to converse with them. After awhile, he left for his quarters, which was in reality, a barracks for the Hell Hounds. Only the platoon commander and platoon sergeant received their own personal quarters. Another way of proving they were more important than those without more rank on their shoulders or collar.

Lance Corporal Godchild sat in the recreational room, watching as FNGs and more seasoned Marines enjoyed their time by playing video games and the occassional game of poker. He did not feel like sleeping. After all he had been through or seen, sleep was the least of his concerns. He would await the arrival of his unit and then enjoy some recreational time with them. Even the once distinguished new guys had become somewhat seasoned.

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[Mr. Death]

The cycloptic seasoned medic watched the going ons with a trained and weary eye.
I'm alive. . .Still He shook his head. How? How had he survived? He was sure he would've died with that last stunt he pulled in the Strogg Complex. No. He didn't die. He managed to survive, like all the other times. And yet his squadmates had perished, without him. True, a few of them managed to make it, but not most of them.

"Mr. Death?" A clean cut marine asked. He had the look of a boot, but if you were a veteran, you could tell by the way he carried himself, and the look in his eyes said he had seen some scary shit.
Elias nodded, half listening.

"You knew my father. . .Mattias Regas?" The young man asked. Elias looked him up and down. He was no more than 19, but still he had the look of a seasoned boot.
Elias nodded again, listening a little more intently.

The younger man handed him dog tags.
Elias Godchild that's the name that was on it.
"Where'd you get these?" Elias asked, quite surprised.

The younger man shrugged
"My platoon leader gave them to me. . .Said he'd inherited them from my father, who got them from you. . ." The man shrugged again
"My sergeant said they'd be worth a lot of money some day, right before he died."

"Firefly. . ." Elias looked up at the younger man
"What happened to him?"

The younger man nodded
"Firefly. .. That's what you called him wasn't it?" Elias nodded

"The. . .Flame thrower he had. . .Looked like a firefly I guess" He laughed and scratched his head
"We were high half the time. . .Didn't really occur to us how fucked up it was I guess"

"Well. . .I don't know what happened to him. . .He sort of vanished. . .My C.O. won't tell me. . .No one will. . .This was the last thing he gave me" He shrugged
"Musta meant a lot to him"

Elias played with the dog tag, then threw it across the room, leaving it for some random person to pick up
"Like your sergeant said. . .It'll be worth a lot of money some day" He winked and let the boy leave.
"Where are you stationed?" Elias asked

"Earth. . .I'm leaving this place" He looked around
"Yeah. . .I'm leaving. . .Too much death here" He patted Elias on the shoulder
"Well. . .Mr. Death. . .It would seem you have seen too much of it too" He smiled a weak and tired smile and left.

Mr. Death had an epiphany right there in the doorway to the barracks. . .He would die here. . .No one to remember him. . .No one to go to his funeral and carry his casket. . .He would die alone. . .He would die. He had always wanted to die since his first year in the service, but he never thought about what it meant to die. . .Now he knew.

[Shadow]

Sergeant Hayek came back from the gym after a quick spar with some of the seasoned marine and one brave, if not stupid boot. He had a sadistic grin on and some blood on his uniform he didn't care to wipe off. It was well worth beating the shit out of the over confident ones. He spotted Elias and patted him on the back. "Where you off to, mate?"

[Matt]

Meyen was excited to go back to Earth but he didn't depend on it. At any moment they could go on an emergency mission of some sort. One thing he has learned in the Marines, 'expect the worst'.
He layed on his bunk, smoking a cigaratte and reading a book. Not all the Marines in the platton were in the Barracks with him. Some were working out and others were out and about on their own bueiness.

[Mr. Death]

Elias watched the young marine walk around a bend
He shook his head at Sergeant Hayek
"No where. . .Hopefully my grave" He laughed and patted Shadow on the back. Only the Sergeant really understood his suicidal behavior, so he may get the joke.

He walked over and picked up the dog tags and handed them to Hayek
"Take them. . .You'll need them more than I will"

[Dire Wolf]

Hoot got back from the mess hall with a full stomach. He felt a helluva-lot better. As he was heading to the rack he practically ran into Hayek and Nightengale, or uhh what was it the boots called him? Mr. Death?"Hey Sarge, who did ya knock the piss out of this time?" Hoot smirked

[Cartwright]

The Marines went off to the ship mess hall. They all acquired their favorite chow and sat down at the tables, conversing amongst eachother as a platoon. The food the Navy provided was more than delicious. Luckily, the Navy knew how to cook their food. The Marines were admist their friendly conversations. No matter what rank or status within the Corps they were, they were becoming stronger friends. Stronger comrades.

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[Matt]

Meyen enjoyed, yet another great meal provided by the Navy. The whole platoon was at chow, eating away and talking amongst eachother.

"This is some good shit. Heaven-like compared to those ass-like MRE's." Meyen laughed.

[Cartwright]

"Hello, U.S.S. Normandy. This is your captain speaking. I would like the crew to take a moment of silence for the men and women who gave their lives in the defense of humanity."

The Marines sat silently, some standing and saluting. Those were the ones who had seen it the worst. After some time, the captain came back on and informed them they could return to their normal activities.

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[Dire Wolf]

Hoot already ate during an earlier shift, he was silent even though he was sitting next to his squad mates. Hoot relived the whole thing, getting transferred into the hell hounds, the ambush, the complex, and the things that sent a chill down his spine, the Strogg. They may not have been all that smart, well except the Tact. Transfers, but they were brutal. He had heard the stories, what they do, how they do it.

Hoot's hand was shaking, not because of fear, but from what he had been through. 'Why the hell am I alive while others arent? Why am I the lucky one while others die... or worse...' Was just about all that had been going through his head since he came back to the normandy. That was the reason why he snapped when he heard the FNGs....

He shook his head, cleared his mind he didnt want to think about that. "yep, gud shit" was just about all he could say.

[Shadow]

Nick nodded, saluting the dead then let out a sigh when it was over. "I know it's respectful, but I doubt the dead are watching us if they're in th perfection that is heaven... And for anyone who thinks they should've died, it's not your time. Just like it hasn't been mine for countless missions like that and much worse. Wait till we find a stroggification facility to take down before thinking about how sick the strogg are... Yall have hardly seen anything compared to what the strogg arsenal has."