Planet M12748 Pt5 by Hetchtechmechanic on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Yup...we're discussing firepower in our nightclothes.

It's a nervous situation for our life partners. Casey's done lots of things the last decade, but nothing like a rescue. Jool hasn't done a lot more and most of it has been with Casey. She's confident in his abilities, but nervous about what she will contribute.

We're about to put boots on the ground and hopefully not sink up to our butts!

Thank you for the 1000 views!

Continued from: Planet M12748 Pt4

Casey had expected Jool to come quickly down the narrow aisle of the plane... but he was disappointed. He got to the arms cabinet and opened it before she showed up, still dressed!

"Roz meant to tell you the storm is abating with the sunrise!" stated Jool with a smile. "And you're right, we need to get on the ground." "Although... I will miss the us time this morning!"

"We should have plenty of time for us." answered Casey as he started to check over his choices of weapons. "This should be a simple operation.... get in, get the survivors, get out, and rendezvous with a quorum ship to do a transfer."

Casey pulled out his Carbine, the 6.8 SPC chambered weapon he usually carried, and cleared the chamber to be sure it was empty.

"Well, if it works out that way." stated Jool in a factual tone. "Does it ever work like that with us?"

Casey sighed and paused a moment. Then he reached in and grabbed Jools carbine and cleared it, then handed it to her.

"No, but it would be nice if this were that time!" "BTW, you're extra sexy holding that carbine!"
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"A weapon?" she asked and rolled her eyes. She knew he was teasing, but carrying weapons would never be her idea of "sexy".

"Sorry." offered Casey. Jool didn't look at him, but she smiled. She knew he was trying to be "funny" in what might be a stressful situation. She already knew how he much he cared and has always been thankful he taught her to shoot!

"Maybe you should take your handgun and leave that here." he offered.

"I will take this, if you'll carry the medical bag. It will be quite full, just in case."

"A fair trade." was his response. I'd rather have the extra firepower and not need it..."

"... then need it and not have it." was her response. A mantra her Casey lived by, as often as he could!

"I suppose we should get dressed before we load up?" asked Jool.

"Indeed, and eat some breakfast." was the answer. Casey offered to take the long gun back and he placed it in the rack but left the cabinet open. They'd be back soon enough.

After a generous breakfast, the couple dressed and returned to the arms module cabinet. Casey decided to keep his Tan look rather than gray. It would blend better down on the surface. Roz teased him about having fashion sense!

Roz also informed the couple that the sky had cleared and the sun, a white-yellow ball of fire about the same size as the sun in the Terran system, was warming the planet's surface quickly.

At this point, it was Casey's call. He decided to wait one solar hour and try to at least get himself on the ground, even if he had to jump from the plane's lift a few feet.
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Chapter 2

He asked, "What's your ground sonar read for surface solidity, Roz?"

She answered "Well, it says the ground is solid, but that doesn't mean it can't be soft and we can sink in." "All I can say is that it isn't oatmeal or gravy in consistency!"

"Thanks Roz!" was all he said, and as nicely as possible. He didn't need her getting snarky.

"Okay, here's what we'll do." stated Casey. "We're gonna come in low and slow along the higher ground about three hundred yards from the actual wreck." "I'm going to hold the plane off the ground with E and lower the lift so I can jump. It'll only be about four to six feet, and my body should take the impact!"

"What!" exclaimed Roz. Even Jool looked up and grimaced, but both knew better than to protest.

"It'll be alright Roz; the gear will be down too."

"Well, that's a comfort, to say the least!" quipped Roz. "I mean, you 're not attempting this from fifty or one hundred feet, so you should be ok, right?"

"Rozzzzz!" he teased. "Relax, I got this."

"And I've heard that before!" she spoke. "But you're the commander, Colonel!"

"I got Rozattude today!" laughed Casey. "YeeeHaah!" And he got up from the pilot's seat and headed to the back.

Jool and Roz heard him say "I'm going to pack my kit." " I'll grab the medical bag on my way through!"

"Oh hezmana!" growled Jool. "It is not packed yet." "Roz, can you...?"
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"I got the plane sis!" chuckled Roz, who started taking the plane a bit higher and started a gentle circle.

And Jool thanked her and headed of the medical area near the rear of the plane.

"Roz has the plane!" she exclaimed into the comm as she walked quickly down the hallway.

She went passed the sleeping area, gallery and living area and saw that the unfinished bag was still on the floor unzipped. Casey had discerned the bag wasn't done and left it. So Jool started adding the last few items, including the body bags.

"I'll check with you when you're finished, no biggie." he told her by telekinesis.

Casey knew that most extraterrestrials didn't use words like please, thank you, or I'm sorry. It wasn't in their vernacular. It didn't make them ill-mannered savages; in fact most were quite mannerly.

Terrans tended to abuse the words, lessening their positive meaning with sarcasm or brusqueness.

So, seeing his wife wasn't finished yet, and, knowing he was rushing her a little, he headed back to the arms module, where he finished packing his kit and would likely start on hers.

"Hey Roz, have you encountered any life signs in your scans?" he said through his comm.

"Why yes, but nothing significant, and....to top it off, no transponder signs or readings either!"
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"That doesn't surprise me sweetie." he answered. Implants aren't required unless that individual has implants or other (ahem) unique talents!"

Roz: "So Captain Jorgensen wouldn't?"

"I don't believe so, maybe an "I've fallen, and I can't get up necklace!" he said with a laugh.

"That would be funny." quipped Roz, "But I know you're older than she is."

"I should have a help, I've done something crazy, and I can't get up, right?" responded Casey. He knew Roz was teasing, but so was he. Some people are easily butt hurt though!

Roz laughed. It was nice to hear her musical laugh again. He'd missed it, and frankly so had Jool.

Roz started humming over the sound system, and that made both Jool and Casey's morning complete!

Casey asked for the time. They had about thirty minutes before they'd break from orbit and try to land.

He started carrying ordinance and supplies back to ramp and securing them. He considered bringing the flare/grenade launcher but decided to save it for the second drop should one be required.

Instead, he grabbed four Torgan stun grenades and an equal number of remote detonation and throwable T'rrl stun nets. Both were excellent non-lethal devices, ironically from two of the most warlike quorum races!
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He crammed them in his day bag among the food he'd stored.

His plate carrier (sans armor plates) was ready. The last piece would be a freshly charged armor shield, a quorum issued personal force field device. It was effective enought to replace body armor, and he liked having it even with his E shield.

Satisfied with his load out, he started on his wife's kit. That didn't take quite as long, as she shouldn't need much, she wouldn't be involved in anything heavy. Still, four extra magazines with blue tip exploders and two magazines for the handgun she carried should be plenty. Definitely the body armor device plus his screen!

I guess we're ready, so I'll check on Jool. was his thought. So, he headed for the medical/research "lab".

"I am almost done." stated Jool as Casey walked into the lab area. While it hardly resembled the well-equipped labs his wife had worked in before, it was equipped to take care of critically injured patients and do small amounts of research. Jool kept it spotless, along with the nanobots the ship used.

None of those bots were observed as Casey stood and watched his wife pack the last few items in the large medical bag. It would be heavy, but she wanted to be prepared. However, the lack of discernable human life was not a good sign.

"I scanned the wrecked ship again, lovebirds, and there's a very, very faint life signal aboard." stated Roz. "The sensors can't identify it... sorry!"

"All good Roz, it's our job to get on the ground and dig for the answers."

"I'm gonna have to level that ship out as well and find out why they're not on emergency power!" he remarked as he hefted the medical bag. Jool waited for his comment, but he said nothing. She decided what to pack inside and he was good with it.
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"Have you and Roz done a recovery operation before?" asked Jool.

"No, Roz and I never have." " I haven't a clue on what to expect, so I'm preparing for the worst!" He stopped for a moment and thought, then chuckled.

"I seem to remember going out to find parts for a space shuttle crash." he remarked offhanded. " A recording device left on the moon with propulsion engine information on it!"

He shook his head. Once again, the memory had been buried too deep in his subconscious brain by the healers who'd repaired his body in 2011. He hated when he could only remember parts of such events.

Jool said nothing, her heart ached every time this happened to him, but he accepted it, so she did as well.

Still shaking his head, he lifted the now filled medical bag and slung it up on his right shoulder.

"Forty-five pounds." his enhanced brain told him. Silently, he walked down the now narrow aisle to the lift area, where he placed the heavy bag carefully on on the floor of the lift. Then, he went back into the landing gear area where the arms storage was.

Jool was waiting for him. She'd also packed a day knapsack and had it on, along with her shoulder rig for her handgun.

Casey adjusted the straps on her on the bag so it would be more comfortable if she had to carry it. When she was satisfied with the weight, she grabbed her sidearm and a magazine and loaded it.

"Should I chamber a round?" she asked.
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Casey nodded. "It might be the longest last second of your life if you end up having to do that." he remarked.

Jool said nothing but racked the slide to chamber a red tip round. Not one to normally initiate violence, she would defend herself!
"Ten minutes!" Roz called out.

"Ok, dear!" acknowledged Casey as Jool grabbed her carbine and a magazine.

"Don't chamber a round in that until we get ready to disembark!" suggested Casey. "Why don't I take both carbines to the ramp and leave them."

Jool agreed. Loaded weapons were technically not allowed on board unless she or Casey were carrying them, and guest weapons would be locked away, not because of possible hostilities but as a precaution against an accidental discharge.

Casey carried both carbines back to the lift and carefully placed them on the lift floor. He put on his hip holster, then grabbed his Ruger 9mm and loaded it. He also had a day bag packed with food and bottled water and a hydration unit on the pack along with his knife, a vicious looking Khuri type blade. Those items were attached by Velcro pads on his pack.

He left the bag on the lift but remembered the hydration bladder was empty, so he retrieved it from his backpack and removed it from the pack.

"Seven minutes!"

Casey filled the bladder, which ate up two more minutes, and re-affixed in the pack, along with his knife. Then he headed back to the cockpit with a minute to spare.

"10 seconds to re-entry, screen up on full power!" announced Roz as the defense/heat screen formed a red halo around the space plane.
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