Aequatio
10-06-2008, 00:01
Marine Corps Base Camp Johnson, Saint Angelica, Republic Overseas Territorial Authority - Aerova
Major-General Arthur Kent had been spending much of the previous week with his own staff preparing for the meeting he was hosting that morning with the arriving Prestonian officers who would be part of the opposing force in the faux-invasion of the tropical island home of nearly thirty six hundred Aequatians and nearly twice that many servicemen and women from both the Navy and Marine Corps who were sworn to protect them. The exercise was initiated with the Republic's admission to the Kingston Pact and by mutual agreement of the respective governments, turning former antagonists into newly-found allies, Kent's experience and career made him justifiably suspicious of the Prestonian trustworthiness, "Bloody lap-dog Pestors," He muttered to himself as he returned to his command headquarters and awaited the arrival of his OPFOR counterparts to arrive on the island's regional airport.
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Elsewhere on the base, the Marine commandos of 5 Brigade busied themselves preparing for the coming exercise, setting their common routine of combat drills and physical training aside and effectively "switching on" to their operational alertness that would come with an invasion warning. Sergeant Janet Ellis, a rifle section leader, sat on her bunk within the enlisted barracks and was busy examining her own equipment like the rest of the brigade. She tied tight the laces on her Mark.IA Tropical Region Combat Boots in their characteristic sage green suede with the fatigues of her Woodland (http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z317/Aequatio/Camouflage/WD-MCU.png) battle dress utilities bloused, the material tucked in at the black polymer and synthetic kneepads and her thigh, where a modified map case obtained privately was being used to carry additional magazines for her MP140 submachinegun while her RNBC haversack holding her M108 Rebreather for protecting against both gas and biological attacks sat snugly against her opposite thigh. The same uniform pattern adorned the Cuirass body armour vest with her OG107 Shade M1988 Pattern Webbing worn over it, it was painted with two shades of green and brown for a customized camouflage pattern as per the usual practices within the Marine Commando Brigades after cross training with the Russkyan Army so often in the past. The edge of her bunk, sitting atop the neatly-made sheets and blanket, was home to her issue M5 "Stahl" Pattern LICH, or Lightweight Individual Combat Helmet, its woodland pattern material cover properly camouflaged with strips of hessian netting and cloth from old uniform pieces, creating a "Marley cover" to break up the shape of the helmet in the bush. Beside it lay her bush hat, also done up in the same way as her helmet, as the sergeant took a hold of both as she rose to her feet after locking her foot locker and waiting for the rest of the platoon to ready itself, "Five more minutes, boys and girls, then I start drop-kicking asses."
"Five minutes?" Asked one of the marines as he packed the rest of his field equipment into his rucksack, his G109A2 rifle leaning upright against the bunk's frame and its spare magazines set out on top of the blanket next to his body armour and webbing gear.
Ellis smiled, her teeth bearing through the camouflage facepaint, and held up her hand, displaying all her fingers and thumb, "Count 'em!" She replied sharply.
The grounds outside the barracks housing was soon crowded with the assembled personnel of 4 Marine Commando, 5 and 6 Commando housed together on the other side of the base, as the naval infantrymen and women stood at attention, being inspected by the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Ryan Lynne, before starting off on the morning's fifteen kilometre march through the bush as the elite light infantry set off, devoid of vehicles or heavy equipment, what they lacked in sheer mass of fire was made up in their experience and motivation.
These were true warfighters in every sense, and they longed for every opportunity to apply their well-rehearsed craft.
Major-General Arthur Kent had been spending much of the previous week with his own staff preparing for the meeting he was hosting that morning with the arriving Prestonian officers who would be part of the opposing force in the faux-invasion of the tropical island home of nearly thirty six hundred Aequatians and nearly twice that many servicemen and women from both the Navy and Marine Corps who were sworn to protect them. The exercise was initiated with the Republic's admission to the Kingston Pact and by mutual agreement of the respective governments, turning former antagonists into newly-found allies, Kent's experience and career made him justifiably suspicious of the Prestonian trustworthiness, "Bloody lap-dog Pestors," He muttered to himself as he returned to his command headquarters and awaited the arrival of his OPFOR counterparts to arrive on the island's regional airport.
-----
Elsewhere on the base, the Marine commandos of 5 Brigade busied themselves preparing for the coming exercise, setting their common routine of combat drills and physical training aside and effectively "switching on" to their operational alertness that would come with an invasion warning. Sergeant Janet Ellis, a rifle section leader, sat on her bunk within the enlisted barracks and was busy examining her own equipment like the rest of the brigade. She tied tight the laces on her Mark.IA Tropical Region Combat Boots in their characteristic sage green suede with the fatigues of her Woodland (http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z317/Aequatio/Camouflage/WD-MCU.png) battle dress utilities bloused, the material tucked in at the black polymer and synthetic kneepads and her thigh, where a modified map case obtained privately was being used to carry additional magazines for her MP140 submachinegun while her RNBC haversack holding her M108 Rebreather for protecting against both gas and biological attacks sat snugly against her opposite thigh. The same uniform pattern adorned the Cuirass body armour vest with her OG107 Shade M1988 Pattern Webbing worn over it, it was painted with two shades of green and brown for a customized camouflage pattern as per the usual practices within the Marine Commando Brigades after cross training with the Russkyan Army so often in the past. The edge of her bunk, sitting atop the neatly-made sheets and blanket, was home to her issue M5 "Stahl" Pattern LICH, or Lightweight Individual Combat Helmet, its woodland pattern material cover properly camouflaged with strips of hessian netting and cloth from old uniform pieces, creating a "Marley cover" to break up the shape of the helmet in the bush. Beside it lay her bush hat, also done up in the same way as her helmet, as the sergeant took a hold of both as she rose to her feet after locking her foot locker and waiting for the rest of the platoon to ready itself, "Five more minutes, boys and girls, then I start drop-kicking asses."
"Five minutes?" Asked one of the marines as he packed the rest of his field equipment into his rucksack, his G109A2 rifle leaning upright against the bunk's frame and its spare magazines set out on top of the blanket next to his body armour and webbing gear.
Ellis smiled, her teeth bearing through the camouflage facepaint, and held up her hand, displaying all her fingers and thumb, "Count 'em!" She replied sharply.
The grounds outside the barracks housing was soon crowded with the assembled personnel of 4 Marine Commando, 5 and 6 Commando housed together on the other side of the base, as the naval infantrymen and women stood at attention, being inspected by the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Ryan Lynne, before starting off on the morning's fifteen kilometre march through the bush as the elite light infantry set off, devoid of vehicles or heavy equipment, what they lacked in sheer mass of fire was made up in their experience and motivation.
These were true warfighters in every sense, and they longed for every opportunity to apply their well-rehearsed craft.