you're in the jungle, baby / you gonna die

[lucetimods]

Who: All draftees
What: Fighting the Third Party... and perhaps the wildlife.
When: June 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. (Characters will be pulled out at 11:59 of the 6th.)
Where: An as-yet unmapped by the Malnosso tropical rainforest.
Summary: Here are your details. Try to stay alive, won't you?
Rating: Anywhere from PG to R.

No cut for you. Most of you will know how this works by now; if you don't, follow the lead of the others, or perhaps look to the last draft's fighting post for ideas. Don't forget to use your handy dandy character tags. Go forth and conquer thine enemies!

Comments

[simplestgift]

[The wind carries the smoke back toward them, tasting of sulfur.]

How many years of service?

[daisy023]

[The taste of war is only felt when she is outside her suit. It was the reason Spartans felt the MJOLNIR as parts of themselves. Inside her armor, she is safe.]

Classified.

[There is a pause. The truth is known only by a handful in Luceti.]

... Five, minimum.

[Fourteen counting training. She is twenty.]

[simplestgift]

[He looks at her sharply.] Only five years?

[daisy023]

Minimum.

[The rest of those years was training as grueling as warfare. Sessions that could turn into a trap at any second.]

I'm no stranger to war.

[Spartans won where alien abominations burned, and men died. But they could hardly turn a losing war for survival.]

[simplestgift]

[He considers this. He supposes Horatio joined late, too.]

I've been in the navy since I was eleven. Quite a few have had odd reactions to that.

[daisy023]

[The figure softens a little, and her head turns. She was six when they took her from her family.]

It will keep happening. [Not just by third-world nations and revolting Outer Colonies.] But you know your stuff.

[She sympathizes. It also means that the Lieutenant knows as much as she does about war. Maybe Kennedy would get to know the truth behind her sooner or later. But not now.]

[simplestgift]

[That...sounded sorrowful, and it gives him pause. He stares at her for a moment, not quite sure how to respond.

Five years, minimum. How long has she actually been...

It's one thing for an adventurous young boy to volunteer in the navy. It's quite another for it to be a girl, and while he's learning that he shouldn't underestimate based on sex, something basic in him rejects it.]

So do you.

[daisy023]

Only a handful wear this armor. I wouldn't be inside it... if I didn't.

[The best warriors of humanity. All of them had to be raised from childhood.

She moves the cannon back into position, her hands safe from the heated metal. A wordless gesture that duty and experience mattered more. In the end, both the Lieutenant and the Chief were made stronger by it. Happier?]

[simplestgift]

[Duty. It's slowly becoming a four-letter word to him, since it's been badly abused all his life. Happier? Truth to tell, Archie was never naturally suited to any of this--it was a long, hard learning process. Nor was he exactly made stronger by it, although many of his comrades would claim otherwise. Kennedy himself felt too frail to say any such thing.]

What is your full name?

[daisy023]

[The Spartan pauses from her actions for a moment. Then continues at a slower pace.]

Daisy.

[She doesn't remember it.]

[simplestgift]

[He picks up the swab and dips it in water, glancing at her every so often. After some hesitation, he offers his own.]

Archie.

[There's something about this strange soldier, and giving her his first name...ranks don't mean a thing here, really. He hands her the swab.]

Use this to swab the inside of the cannon. It'll put out any sparks and clean out residual powder. The heat of the gun will evaporate the water before we reload.

[daisy023]

[Unfortunately, Daisy-023 is coming to realize this. Perhaps, that rank held little meaning in this place. Only power, knowledge, and who you were.

She remembers this. Maintenance similar to her own firearms, and reminiscent cleaning procedure for arquebusiers and muskets. These being more outdated weapons, they needed far more care than her firearms would.

Once done, she stands ready.]

[simplestgift]

[He jerks his chin up slightly.] Well. Now you know how it's done. Normally there are about six men to every gun.

[daisy023]

How many volunteers we have so far?

[Non-combatants could be instruted to fire them. But even firing these weapons was risky. It was still war experience.]

[simplestgift]

Depends on the day. Sometimes enough for one, sometimes enough for all three.

[daisy023]

We'll do with that.

[There have been times in which equipment that should be operated by more people, have to be supported with less than that. Nothing strange where she's from. Everything Mendez prepared them for.

She works on the rest of the cannons. Before they prepared the rest of the defenses, it would be better to ready the ones installed right now.]

[simplestgift]

[He started wrapping up cartridges of powder.] Don't load them until we need them. The humidity could dampen the powder if it's left lying all day. [That's one. He tucks it into a barrel and secures the lid on top.]

[daisy023]

Understood.

[She was too used to 26th century weaponry. Sometimes she forgot how fragile equipment could really be to the elements. In place of that, she helps wrap up the packages to prepare them, emulating the procedure from the Lieutenant. Not all of Luceti had increased strength.

By the end of the draft, however, they would all need it.]