VII: Orthoclase Falls

[Martzin]

Here's the paper sir, casualty report printed. They're all WIA, all sixteen of them.

Thank you, Walker, Carson grabbed the paper from her hand and skimmed through the names. To each one WIA was printed to the right exactly three spaces from the last letter. He stopped at the end of the list, reading over it again.

Daveon Evans...Carlito Pancho...Adan Howard.

Setting the paper aside he laid his hands on the desk and looked down at himself. Thank you, Walker, you can go now.

The SO stepped out through the glass door, returning to her console, sat down on the office chair and placed her hands at the keyboard. Reno, report in.

Reno was sitting in the fox-hole he dug deeper after last night. Topless while shaking sand out of his shirt, he responded, I'm here Lieutenant.
Your squad will go out on patrol tonight. At nineteen-thirty your squad rotates with Charlie and patrols from Pinghai to back, get your guys ready beforehand.

Copy that.
Out, she responded, his headset stopped vibrating and he took it out and rubbed his ear. Hearing the high drone of a drop-ship he looked above himself and saw one flying past the beach into the horizon ahead.
That looks like it's going Southwest, he thought.
Watching the ship drone on for a second zooming over the jungle, it suddenly dived down facing the surface and launched a barrage onto the land, all at once in one single second tendrils of white smoke reaching from the jungle barely touching the drop-ship's tail as it continued flying, bursts of brownish smoke suddenly appearing over the tree-tops, all of this happening far away from where they sat watching. He turned his body to face the explosions as the shock-waves blew shrouds of leaves off the trunks, skinning entire trees that stood behind the molested field of bombed-out nature just before him.

Jesus Christ... Reno muttered.

...

He had sank into the little field bed he was laid on after being put on it just an hour-thirty after midnight. Laying in his fox-hole his buddy shook him up and the shots fired before he could open his eyes. Bryant was laying on the ground firing his rifle into the jungle and in a blurry second he was doing the same thing. At some point in the shooting something had nailed him in the thigh. He still hasn't been told what. Harding pointed it out to him noticing the dark spot on his leg- Hey, Adan, are you bleeding?

He looked at Harding then down at himself. Where? Where am I bleeding?

Your leg. You've been hit in the leg. Harding reached to his belt pulling out some gauze. Put this on your thigh. Roll up your pants and put it down.

Christ Bryant, I can't roll my pants all the way past my knee. It's too damn high.

Take your fuckin' pants off- a shot landed right at the lip of their fox-hole. Sand sprayed Harding in the face.

Adan sighed and slipped his leg out of the trousers. He could finally see the little glistening red hole in his thigh, the flare above illuminating it. He saw all the blood trails leading down from it and the soaked spot on his trousers.

Harding handed him the gauze and he pressed it on himself while the other kept shooting. The firing went on until dawn, but through it all a medic got to him and managed to get him to the field hospital. They knew he'd need to go to one when he tried getting on his knees and fell over. He could feel the femur rubbing inside of him.

Now here he was, in a line of beds lying flat on his back propped up by a little green pillow. He was with a few dozen or so other wounded people. Some of them he recognized, some he didn't.

It was about 13:30. Before they were shipped back to Hawaru Island for treatment, some of his squadmates came to wish him goodbye. Murdoch, Harding, Mikhail, Dubi, and Reno were all there. That was hours ago.

It was quite calm as there weren't many critical cases, and everyone was feeling good, except one man in Delta-- past 0300 he was shot straight through the mouth and had his tongue blown out, with some teeth. They were saying he'd have to get a metal jaw to fix everything, and since he lost his tongue on the beach they'd grow a new one on the ships in orbit, ship it here in a little frozen box and surgically attach it to his mouth. Crazy science shit, he thought. The man's lucky he lives today. We all are.

A doctor opened the plastic curtains covering their wounded section and with a clip-board in hand walked to the other end of the aisle and stopped at Adan.

Doctor Agg, good to see you.

Likewise Adan. We've completed your diagnosis. Your femur was shattered by what seems to be a rock. Shrapnel I suppose. But either way we've removed it and fixed your bones.

So what am I still doing here then? Can't I leave?

The doctor shook his head calmly. No, we can't let you go yet. Your wound is infected. Possibly from the rock, possibly from letting it fester so long. You have to wait, stay on some antibiotics to let it die down and then you can go off.

I don't understand. Just give me the pills and I'll be on my way doc, I don't want to miss out while my buddies are fighting without me.

Once again he shook his head calmly. You need to stay and rest, soldier. To get rid of the infection and make sure you don't crack your femur. The bone-gel in your thigh doesn't harden instantly.

Come on doc, I've been here long enough- his voice was starting to plead. I gotta be with my buddies. I've fought in every battle with 'em cept this one. Just let me go.

You already know my answer, and the Doctor walked off, closing the plastic curtain behind him.

Shit. he yelled. Clenching his fists his mind started shooting with all kinds of ideas. What'll my buddies think? I can't let 'em down. How was it a rock? Fuck the doctor I'll go by myself.

The person next to him laid a hand on his shoulder. Calm down Adan, christ.

He looked at the man- the one he'd met on the ice colony so long ago and was now fighting in the jungle with.

Yeah, yeah, Adan slowly rested his head on the pillow, and looked at the white dressing wrapped around his left thigh. It's gonna suck being here. Doc didn't even tell me how long.

Who knows, but enjoy it. You're not leaving soon anyway.
...

Sitting at the lip of his fox-hole a pink leaf had blown in from the jungle and landed a few inches from his toes. It blended in perfectly with the sand, the purple veins looking like they were of the beach. Reaching over and grabbing it he twirled it by the stem. It had blown all across the jungle and landed right at his feet. Brought to him by the wind.
Nineteen hundred, looking at his watch. Time to get the squad ready. Standing up from the ground he called on radio for the men to form up at his fox-hole. He put his armor on as the troops formed in-front of him side-by-side neatly. Discipline, he thought. Discipline that gets these men through Hell and back and keeps them in check. Thank God for discipline.

...
After some time laying in silence he got his chance again when the Doctor walked by and he called his name. He brought it up and when the doc shook his head again and turned to walk away Adan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in close. The doctor stared him right in the eyes.

Listen to me, you god damn civvie. I'll tell you exactly why I don't wanna be here. I'm gonna be waiting for months hoping this damn infection will go away at some point some-how with a perfectly fine leg. I'm gonna be away in a raggedy-ass field hospital while the campaign changes and moves on without me. I don't wanna come back and find everything I knew is invalid and I gotta learn more shit. Most of all I don't want my squadmates out there fighting the enemy riskin' life and limb while I sit here in this cozy ass field hospital with your thumb up my ass. That's why I wanna go.

Agg studied his face and relented. Okay, he said, and Adan let go of his collar and Dr. Agg walked out again.

Adan was satisfied that he'd atleast made his point. If he still had to stay he'd stay knowing he told exactly what was on his mind to the guy in charge. Resting his head back on the green pillow he shut his eyes and tried to sleep, as the sun outside was setting and evening turned to darkness.

[Nyeshivuu]

The long awaited sequel

[Kavlo]

Very nice work, was worth the wait.