Wes Redtree
One Mind Any Weapon
AARIS III
Local time: 0830 hours
Galactic Standard Time: 2047 hours
Sweat clung to them like crude oil to a water fowl as they walked quietly through the jungle. Mist rose from the ground in hot clouds like steam from a hot shower as they passed through the underbrush. Trees stood tall and proud above them like sentries and spread out their foliage to blot out the majority of the light from the local luminary. They had been here for ninety days already fighting a a war against a group of escaped prisoners that had taken refuge on the jungle world. How they had become so well armed and organized was anyone's guess but they had their orders.
Wes took a worn green rag from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow leaving a patch of slightly less grimy skin behind before plunging it back into its place. His grey eyes squinted through the low light as the sounds of local primates and birds called from the jungle canopy.
'Good to hear.' He thought, knowing full well by now it was when the creatures went quiet that something was wrong.
His platoon was on a patrol, this one three days from base camp so far, and already they had lost two to guerilla attacks and three more to a local predator they had yet to get a good look at. The butt stock of his rifle found its place against his shoulder as they walked on alert for the inevitable. Chatter was non-existent on the comms and had been for days now. He gave it little thought, noise brought attention, and attention brought death.
A motion in the trees caused his hand to flash up in a fist over his shoulder causing the others to freeze. A palm down moving toward the geound caused all to slowly get into low firing positions. He motioned for two scouts and sent them out to circle toward the location he thought he saw something and then the waiting began.
Local time: 0830 hours
Galactic Standard Time: 2047 hours
Sweat clung to them like crude oil to a water fowl as they walked quietly through the jungle. Mist rose from the ground in hot clouds like steam from a hot shower as they passed through the underbrush. Trees stood tall and proud above them like sentries and spread out their foliage to blot out the majority of the light from the local luminary. They had been here for ninety days already fighting a a war against a group of escaped prisoners that had taken refuge on the jungle world. How they had become so well armed and organized was anyone's guess but they had their orders.
Wes took a worn green rag from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow leaving a patch of slightly less grimy skin behind before plunging it back into its place. His grey eyes squinted through the low light as the sounds of local primates and birds called from the jungle canopy.
'Good to hear.' He thought, knowing full well by now it was when the creatures went quiet that something was wrong.
His platoon was on a patrol, this one three days from base camp so far, and already they had lost two to guerilla attacks and three more to a local predator they had yet to get a good look at. The butt stock of his rifle found its place against his shoulder as they walked on alert for the inevitable. Chatter was non-existent on the comms and had been for days now. He gave it little thought, noise brought attention, and attention brought death.
A motion in the trees caused his hand to flash up in a fist over his shoulder causing the others to freeze. A palm down moving toward the geound caused all to slowly get into low firing positions. He motioned for two scouts and sent them out to circle toward the location he thought he saw something and then the waiting began.