Kitting Up
Posted on Thu May 1st, 2025 @ 5:27am by Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Edited on on Wed May 7th, 2025 @ 1:54am
1,373 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: The Morgue - Deck 9 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD010 0400 hrs
Neil felt like his eyes were burning. Lack of sleep and too much screen time were both starting to take their toll and he’d been forced at the beginning of this day cycle to use stims for the first time in nearly a year. The combat drugs had balanced his bio readings and made him more on the bounce as they said in the corp.
And they were less than ninety minutes away from H-Hour. The Cure would be launching from both the shuttles and beaming into the atmosphere in a direct drop. Neil had chosen the latter because he could.
Right now, he was dressed in his body glove, waiting on Jayna to help her get into her MARVEL-EAS suit. The suits were kitted out with max load outs and Neil still had to double check the pallets of drones and explosives that were going to be sent down.
But, he the least he could do for Jayna was help dress her for her first (in the meat) combat drop with the Detachment. Training missions were one thing. Actual, factual combat drops didn’t happen all that often. He wasn’t sure if there would be any surface to space artillery coming at them either.
Just something else he didn’t know that was eating at him.
Neil stretched again, popping his neck muscles and double checked the environmental settings and then started looking over his armor again and began stepping into the boots to settle the servos and lend support for the rest of the suits weight.
Jayna walked in wearing her body glove. She was looking forward to this only because she wanted to get down to the planet and stop whatever was killing The Silence--and then get back to a semi-normal sleep pattern. The past week had been especially rough and even though Vulcans could go this long on almost no sleep, it was beginning to have a toll. She paused for a moment, appreciating how Neil looked in his sleeve.
Looking up, Neil caught sight of Jayna and, after checking to make sure he wouldn't scandalize her (there weren't any witnesses around) he let out a long wolf's whistle. Then he grinned and said, "Well. If I wasn't distracted before. I gotta say that the FMC crimson suits you."
After a comment like that, she had to kiss him, but she kept it brief. "I'm definitely growing to like it." She wanted to say more, but this wasn't the time or place.
Taking her by the hand, he led her to her station and helped her step up into the boots, then knelt, running hands over her calves and knees to settle her feet properly (and because he could) before connecting the exoskeleton supports. Those supports were the primary load bearing supports for the entire suit and needed to be just right. As he started to fit her cuisses, weaving the feeds into the waist assembly as it sandwiched her gluteal (fabulous). quadriceps and then lower chest plates.
As he worked, going slow he said, "You're not going to like this part. If something goes wrong and I order you out. Get out. Don't argue. If it the faeces hits the flywheel that hard...don't make me split my concentration. I can and will override your suit and send you back to the barn."
She was enjoying the liberties he took as he helped her--until he spoke. It took a full minute before she could respond. She wanted to argue that she was part of The Cure and could do her part, but Neil's comment about splitting his concentration stopped her. He did need to focus to keep himself and his team alive. But could she leave him if they got into a bind. "I'll fall back if you order it." But she would only go so far. She couldn't totally abandon him.
He felt her tense under his fingertips as he double checked the layering and the interface meshing, trusting to touch as the connectivity tests ran continuously through to his contact. He moved her arms above her as he tightened the seams and was forced to use a heel-hand blow to settle the fitting on her shoulder where the phaser mount was being difficult. He then wrapped his arms around her armored waist and kissed her ear. "Don't scruddle with me on this Jayna or by the fates, if I die, I'll come back and kick your fabulous ass before I go to hell to regroup. I love you, but cross me on this and I'll eat your lunch. Or leave you locked in your suit here in the morgue till this is over."
"I love you. I don't know if I'll be able to stand back and watch you die." At the same time, she knew he would do what he threatened. "However, I would rather be with you for as long as I can than stay behind." She took a slow breath, then nodded. "If you order me away, I'll go." She sincerely hoped it would not come to that.
Neil thought he'd made his point, which was all he had been looking for, he stepped back, looking over Jayna in her armor. The readouts were all green. He gave her a thumbs up as was prescribed in the manual, then asked, "Ok. So, you have the shoulder phaser that'll be linked to your HUD. You want a phaser rifle to go with that? I'll be using a backpack grenade launcher and pulse phaser rifle. There's also flame throwers and grenade launchers," he said thoughtfully as he looked at the kit he'd laid out. "The roasters are tempting, but the grenade system has lava rounds..."
He eyed her again and said, "I know you've been in fights before. You ok though? This could get a little messier than any of us are used to."
"I was born during the Occupation. And I was Maquis." But she wasn't sure who or what was killing the Silence, and that could turn out to be worse than any of them expected--at least if the declining numbers were anything to go by. "I can do this. Just do your best to come back alive. Okay?"
Neil cracked his neck again and said, "I've no plans of dying. Or putting you or anyone in the landing party in a spot where that might happen. But we only have the bare bones idea of what S626D's capabilities are. I've made my peace and now there's just the job to do: Make sure the S626D gets to die for their gods or whatever they might believe in and everyone on our side lives."
Then he stepped back slightly and asked with a mischievous smile, "Wanna help me kit up? You'll want to work full range movements into your servos prior to drop."
A slow smile spread across her face. "Definitely. I need to make sure everything fits well so I can do a proper before and after." Neil was right about full range of movement, and she would ensure his suit was fitted properly. Taking a few liberties while she did so was a bonus.
"I leave myself in your more than capable hands," Neil said, smiling. "Don't be too mean. And when we get done and back to a port, you get to pick the next date night out. Neverwinter's was kind of a bust for us."
"Yeah, but I think I want to try it again. Maybe when it's less crowded. Just to know what it feels like." She ran her hands along his legs and back, making sure all the pieces were properly in place. "I'll have a look around and see what sounds fun." When she was certain everything was properly connected, she whispered. "Or just disappear somewhere for 24 hours." Then she stepped back. "All set."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Battalion Commander, The Cure
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
RSS Feed