The captain took a few minutes to save Captain Davis' notes and skim through the content before changing into his MultiCam uniform and departing for Hanger Six. He carried his own pack, filled with the equipment and gear he would need for the upcoming mission.
He walked into the hangar at exactly ten o’clock, with much of the company already assembled in their combat gear. Equipment, from MREs to rifles, was laid out on numerous ponchos across the hanger in a “junk on the bunk” fashion. Captain Moore noticed heavier weaponry, such as machine guns and mortars, lying amongst the mountains of items.
First Sergeant Wilard stormed through the rank with an angry gait and gave a stink eye to each platoon leader as he inspected the soldiers. In turn, each platoon leader glared at their squad leaders if the first sergeant noted an anomaly. The senior NCO, tall and lean with graying brown hair, was grilling one of the platoon leaders while waving a small clip in his face.
“Three hundred years of regulations, and we still have dumbasses that leave on shiny d-rings after buying sunscreen from the PX,” First Sergeant Bobby Wilard said with a scowl sprawled on his face. “You really think this silver piece won’t stick out during the day or shine a glare in the dark?”
“No, first sergeant… I mean, yes, first sergeant!”
“Get your shit together, staff sergeant. The last thing we need is for some monsters on the ground to be attracted to shiny things and have half a squad being targeted for glittering in the sun.”
“First Sergeant Jon,” Captain Moore interjected after the squad leader nervously scampered away with a private first class in tow.
The first sergeant turned and saluted the officer. “Good morning, sir. Reporting for the pre-combat inspection.”
Captain Moore saluted back and nodded. “Status?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” First Sergeant Jon answered. “The usual crap; newer guys bringing heaps of new and shiny stuff. They’ll figure out why not to do that after this mission. D-rings, patches, and other things on vests that stand out. Few knuckleheads leaving grenades hanging out or having too few mags; had a PFC that only had two. The only abnormality is that everyone and their mother have a camera with them. Some of them are comically large, to the point where I’m sure some of them are pulling my leg.”
“If they get the pictures back to Earth, they would be worth their weight in gold. It’ll definitely affect cohesion if everyone is trying to take pictures for themselves… Tighten up the rules on cameras; nothing larger than a fist. And warn them that they'll be reprimanded if they’re caught using it during the op.”
“Of course, sir.”
“What about the Tenth Mountain guys?”
“Buncha fucking hooligans as always, but they’re strapped and ready to go already. One of them brought an honest to god fucking news reporter camera. Some of them are doing weird role play shit and “interviewing” the others.”
“Course they are.” Captain Moore smirked. “Finest bunch I served with on Nova, though. Take a few more minutes to ensure that the men are ready. Gather the company in ten; I want them in full battle rattle to finish the inspection and review the briefing.”
“Yes, sir.” First Sergeant Jon sauntered away to another squad and Moore watched as the NCO’s face morph into a deeper scowl than he previously thought possible.
The captain joined his executive officer with the HQ Platoon, which was also finishing up its inspection. First Lieutenant David Doe checked the radios and other equipment with the assistance of Corporal Anetta Chen, their radio operator.
“Everything is in order, sir.” Corporal Chen declared, her youthful face and clean shoulder-length black hair sticking out from under her tightly strapped helmet. After fiddling with the buttons and checking the battery, she handed a radio back to the lieutenant.
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“We should be set then.” Lieutenant Doe responded. He noticed the commanding officer and saluted. “Attention!”
Captain Moore returned their salute and pulled out his iPad after the rest of the HQ Platoon saluted. “At ease. Good morning to all of you. I know all of you are jittery since we’ll be landing in a few days. Though our first mission as a unit will be on another planet, treat this like any pre-combat inspection you’ve partaken in. No matter where we go, our objective remain the same: carry out the mission and finish it.”
After booting up the screen, he noticed Iris grinning and waving at him, prompting a small wave from him. He swiftly pulled up a map of the Forest of Anseuan and walked up to the lieutenant, pointing at the screen in doing so. “Lieutenant Doe.”
“Sir.”
“What is our objective? And where will we be landing?”
He pointed to the bottom part of the screen and drew a circle. “We are to land and establish a perimeter at 33Q XD 82 36 in conjunction with the Third Force Recon Company. An empty pocket within the forest without tree cover will allow us to land our shuttles and vics, which will be utilized for the initial landing. We’ll have three hours to comb the area for any hostile wildlife and prepare for the arrival of the rest of the battalion. Once the battalion is on the ground and we’re certain that the threat level in the area is minimal, we’ll contact the Nimitz and prepare for the full-scale landing of remaining personnel.”
“Where will our company be, and where will the marines be?”
“We are to head due south and then west while the marines circle around from south to the east. If everything proceeds smoothly, we will regroup with the Third Force Recon at the northernmost point at 0900 and prepare to land at the drop zone.”
“What is the fire support plan? What vics do we have with us?”
“A mortar section, along with two heavy weapons squads and a fire support team, will provide indirect and direct fire support. We’ll have five MATVs, one of which will have attached CCMS-Hs.”
“Good. Company-wide briefing in five.”
Captain Moore inspected a few more platoons as the company finished its inspection, strapping on their equipment and packs before shuffling into formation. He walked to the front of the hanger and scanned the room: two hundred faces stared at him silently as the talking winded down.
“Good morning,” he stated with a firm kick in his voice. “You were probably surprised by the sudden call for a pre-combat inspection today, but we are heading off to a foreign planet and will be the first humans to land on it. You can see why we’re making preparations ahead of time.”
“I’m sure all of you are excited to reenact Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, but let me be clear; I won’t tolerate any of you sleepwalking or goofing off on this mission. Regardless of the light opposition we’re expected to face, you are all representatives of Earth, and this is a UN operation, the first one on this planet. That means I expect the utmost professional behavior from all of you. No clowning around, no wandering off to snap pictures, and no smuggling of foreign wildlife into your packs.”
From the corner of his eyes, Captain Moore saw a familiar red-headed sergeant grin with unabashed eagerness in his eyes. The short and stocky soldier had the palest face he had seen in the army and a mischievous glint in his pupils curtained by his stringy red hair. There was also a reporter’s camera beneath his feet. The captain internally shuddered at the memory of the man unleashing a pack of squirrel-rabbits from Nova into the barracks.
“Keep your head on a swivel!” Captain Moore shouted, snapping every soldier in the vicinity to attention. “I don’t care if we’re shooting at monsters or squirrels; there will be no complacency or laxness while setting up the perimeter. We don’t know what this world has to offer, and the last thing I want is someone wandering off and getting eaten by a giant sandworm because they weren’t looking where they stepped.”
There were a few snickers from the crowd, though more than a few looked serious about the notion of strange wildlife inhabiting the planet.
“So we’re going to get Dune-d or?” The red-headed sergeant asked.
That prompted even more snickering and a few laughs, though Captain Moore maintained a neutral expression. “No, but there are a few creatures that make even tigers and bears look small. Killable with rifles, but threats nonetheless. As I said, keep your head on a swivel. Our scouts have mapped the terrain and surveyed the wildlife thoroughly, but unexpected complications may arise regardless. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” hundreds of voices rang out in unity.
“Good. Be ready to step in for your platoon leaders and treat the final inspection as if you would step off with the company in two hours. Afterward, review the updated briefing amongst your squads. The entire company should be ready by 1030, and you’ll be dismissed if you’re finished.”
“Hooah!”