Fragments of Fire

Posted on Mon Mar 16th, 2020 @ 7:58am by 2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Connor-Yamaguchi

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard (47)
Timeline: 1030Hrs - May 30th, 2393

The Danube class runabout had been configured as a Marine barracks, there were twenty or so marines crammed into the small cargo area of the Runabout. Among them was one woman, in particular, second Lieutenant Jasmine Connor. Today found her checking her boots as she was sitting on a crate.

"Yeah, keep shinin' those boots, you'll need 'em when the sergeant gets a hold of you." one of the other marines taunted her which she outright ignored. His accent marked him as someone from the united states midwest.

"I think she's disrespectin' ya mate." came the voice of someone who sounded like they were from London, England.

Jasmine sighed. "No, I didn't ignore you because I wanted to disrespect you, I ignored you because I am busy," she explained as the young woman continued to scrub her boot that was sitting on her knee, the other boot was on her left foot and it was polished to perfection.

"Aww. I think she needs to show you some attention." the English-sounding marine commented. "Why don't you-Errk" he was saying before he found something striking him in the head, when he recalled the event later, he would realize that the young woman had thrown her boot at his head, striking him perfectly between the eyes, knocking him out and giving him two black eyes.

The medic came over as Chief Warrant Officer Bob 'Rocky' Anders regarded the display before him, the man was in his forties and had come up the ranks as a mustang, he frowned. "What's up with him?"

"He needed to work on his cardio," Conner answered. "Not his mouth, he got a little fresh with me so I objected."

"You beat the crap outta him." one of the other marines shouted her down.

"Yeah. I'm sure she did, how about you shut yer mouth bud?." Anders responded in a dry Texan drawl.

"Fuck...Woah." the marine stammered as Anders sighed softly.

Connor stood up before she received her boot from where it lay on the ground. "Don't heal his wound, he has yet to learn pain."

"Sorry, El Tee. I need to heal his ass. The Colonel is apparently coming to meet us personally so she'll ask questions."

"Lovely," Connor answered with a sigh before she went back to scrubbing her boot. "Sorry Warrant Officer."

"I get to clean up the mess. Try not to do anything stupid to anyone else Lieutenant." Anders answered before he went to work.

Connor quickly finished scrubbing down her boot before she pulled it onto her foot, she was busy trying it down when the com system came alive. "Attention all personnel, we're five minutes out from the Starbase. Prepare for drop."

Jasmine reached under her uniform for the locket her father had given her, this was something she wore along with her dog tags. Gently, she grasped the locket and the tags, which the tall female brought to her lips. "Odin, go between me and harm in all the empty places I must walk." before she slid the two necklaces back beneath her clothing again.

"Whats that mean?" one of the other marines asked Connor in a soft tone.

"It's an old Egyptian blessing, modified for my own needs," Connor answered.

"I must remember that one. It sounded poetic." the man answered as the ship was suddenly jostled. "We're free from the Liberty and we're heading planetside." as the runabout was joined by several hundred others which were all launched from the Belleau Wood class troopship that had picked up the three battalions a week earlier from Starbase forty-two.

Connor waited alongside everyone else in the hundreds of ships being deployed. The Marine 19th Infantry division had now fully arrived at their new home, along with many of their support units. Connor knew that among the three ships guarding the Belleau Wood was the USS Massachusets, her father had come to see to it she had made it to her destination.

The Runabouts assembled at their destinations before they landed and began disgorging their troops, Connor hefted her pack and her weapon, minus the power cell which she had in one of the pouches of her webbing, she stepped off of the runabout as her boots made a soft thud on the ground, the young woman looked around at the sea of bodies.

"Welcome to your new home Jasmine," she said aloud to herself before she went to check in and find her billet.