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Marooned Chapter 8
Posted By: Steve Ollett<sollett@clydematerials.co.uk>
Date: 18 December 2003, 1:45 PM
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M A R O O N E D - CHAPTER EIGHT
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0545HRS 08-OCT-2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR)
SECOND PLANET OF ACKWAZE SYSTEM.
MAKESHIFT CAMP, DROPSHIP LZ.
The sun was creeping up over the horizon, it's golden rays throwing a slight yellow hue over the landscape, The crashed dropship cast a long shadow over the lakebed.
Private Garrett and Zoran were several hundred metres away from the wreckage, conducting a search for any weapons left by the fleeing Covenant, with orders to survey the entrance to the canyons also.
Apart from the weapons collected at the dropship crash site - where the slaughter had taken place - out near the edge of the lakebed they had recovered only one plasma pistol and two plasma grenades, which now were carried within a large bag that was slung over Zoran's left shoulder.
Garrett accompanied Zoran with his Assault Rifle at the ready, just in case the two Grunts that had made it to the canyons had decided to hang around. He had missed out on the action before and was now eager to unleash a barrage of 7.62mm armour-piercing death if necessary. Garrett still felt like he was babysitting, and wondered if he had offended Ryan in some way in order to have been assigned such a duty again, perhaps as some kind of punishment.
Both men continued their sweep of the lakebed, slowly making their way toward the mouths of the boulder-strewn canyons.
----
Of the weapons recovered At the dropship LZ, there was one Covenant Plasma rifle with an eighty-five percent charge, two fully loaded Needler guns (their previous owners didn't mange to fire off a single round), three plasma pistols in varying states of charge, and eight plasma grenades. The weapons' previous owners - the fallen Covenant - including the 'road-kill' Grunt had been dragged away and dumped at the edge of the LZ downwind of their position, whilst the cache of captured weapons now lay piled up in the passenger seat of the Warthog.
The Warthog was parked several metres away from the wreckage of the dropship, complete with a makeshift desert camouflage-net canopy erected over it. The injured private Murray lay semi-conscious on a roll-mat on the ground underneath the canopy, being tended to by Corporal Stocks and Karen. Several medi-kits lay opened on the ground next to Private Murray. Several white dressings covered a large plasma burn that stretched from Murray's chest to his left shoulder.
Taking a small package out of one of the medi-kits, Stocks removed a pre-packed syringe. As he wiped Murray's right arm with an antiseptic pad, Stocks held the syringe with the other hand and pulled the sealing cap off the end of the needle with his teeth, spitting the cap out of his mouth. Holding the syringe up to the light with the needle pointing up vertically, he pressed the plunger in slightly, whilst flicking the body of the syringe, making sure no air bubbles remained. Stocks then stuck the needle into Murray's arm and administered the sedative. Removing the needle, Stocks finally spoke. "There. That'll keep the pain off for a while."
"Will he be okay, John?" Karen asked as she sat on her knees on the other side of the now unconscious Private Murray. She peered over Murray, using her left hand to steady herself. As she leaned forwards, several locks of her hair, not held by her ponytail fell forwards to obscure her view, which she tucked behind her right ear using her other hand.
"Yeah," replied Stocks whilst busy packing the surplus sealed packs of dressings and medical supplies back into their respective cases, "It's a nasty second degree burn. Thankfully his body armor took most of the blast, but it's made a mess of his chest. We'll have to change the dressing every six hours of so."
"What are we going to do now?" said Karen, "The dropship is destroyed. How are we going to get off this rock?"
"Ryan's working on it. Don't worry, we've been in worse situations than these." Stocks replied, trying to convince himself of his own statement.
A brief burst of static preceded Ryan's voice over Stocks' helmet comms, "Stocks, meet me at the wreckage for a situation update."
"I'm Just clearing up here with Murray. I'll be with you in a minute." Stocks replied.
----
Sergeant Ryan stood with Private O'Shea next to the wreckage.
"Something's wrong," said Ryan as he looked skyward for a few seconds. "Its' over twelve hours since our last radio contact with the Sheffield. They should have sent another dropship to investigate by now... unless..." his voice trailed off.
"Unless the Sheffield has been compromised in some way!" O'Shea interrupted.
"If that's the case, then our options are limited, to say the least." Said Ryan as he removed his helmet and yawned, running his right hand through his hair. "Are you sure that there's no way that we can salvage any equipment from the Albatross and contruct a radio powerful enough to contact the Sheffield?"
"Not possible." said O'Shea, shaking his head. "We can't even get at the black boxes. Me and Garrett have been over this piece of shit already. It looks like The Covenant threw a couple of extra plasma grenades on for overkill and its' melted and fused everything together."
"Problems?" asked Stocks who had just approached the two men conversing beside the Dropship wreckage.
"Nothing that growing a pair of wings and flying back up there wouldn't solve." Ryan replied sarcastically.
"Best leave the sarcasm to me." Stocks grinned, "I'm better at it than you."
"Whatever." Ryan replied.
"How's the patient, John?" asked O'Shea.
"Not bad, all things considered." Stocks replied, gazing into the distance towards Garrett and Zoran, out on the edge of the lakebed. "He's got a bad second degree burn, but he should pull through."
"We're going to have to move him." said Ryan, "We have to follow those Grunts, I think they've got maybe half an hours' headstart on us. If they get word back of our presence, we're in big trouble!"
Suddenly a burst of static came through the comms system. It was Prvate Garrett.
Ryan placed his helmet back on his head. "Garrett? Ryan here. Go ahead."
"Ryan, We need O'Shea out here... We've found something!" Garrett replied.
"What is it?" Ryan replied.
"Another Warthog." Garrett answered.
"Another Wart- The second science team!" Ryan exclaimed.
----
Author's Note: Apologies if this is not as good as previous chapters, this chapter is merely 'a bridge' to more action-filled installments.
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