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When you are in a tactical squad, using proper names becomes less then practical, to avoid confusion either surnames are used or you are given a nickname or a handle ID. In my case, because my last name was Grimm, I was dubbed, "Reaper". Samantha made comment about my handle once, and I reminded her that we were Marines, not poets. We were to recieve our breifing on the situation upon our arrival at the ARK, which would transport the entire eight man squad across the galaxy to Mars in a matter of seconds. The Ark is contained in a core, which when activated, creates a portal in space time, which resembles a translucent sphere, not unlike the properties of water in a weightless environment. The subject only has to make contact with the outer "skin" to initate travel, at which time in the flash of an eye, the traveller is "sucked" into the sphere to be deposited on the other side within moments. It's recommended that the traveller refrain from eating or drinking for an hour prior to ARK travel, for obvious reasons. Even on an empty stomach, the traveller upon arrival, will feel the urge to vomit and while the U.A.C. had managed to smooth the ride out a bit, I still found the practice of jumping into a portal unsettling. Additionally, since I hadn't seen or commuicated with my sister in a decade or so, I wasn't sure how either of us were going to react to seeing one another, but I had a mission and I put that at the forefront of my mind. Stray thoughts can confuse a marine in a tactical situation adding confusion to an already highly stressful situation. In short, keep your mind on your job so that you can achieve the objective and get the hell home. |
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