RALLY POINT!

[Harper, L. D.]

0500 Hours
Camp Thunder
Syria, Kuar Province
10 Jan 2008

The air was cold and the sky dark. Lights around the base illuminated the grounds where ALPHA was rallying. Marines slowly arrived, decked from head to toe in full tactical gear, ready to go. Lt. Harper stepped into the rays of floodlights, his M4 equipped with ACOG, M203, and a desert wrap paint job. The weapon also had a quick attach suppressor screwed on to the end, the weapon strapped to his vest. On his thigh you could see the shine of the butt of his M1911 SOC .45 ACP. He had a balaclava on under his helmet, so that only his eyes showed, the dark green cloth emitted a cloud of hot breath as he breathed.

The olive drab helmet was strapped on tightly and a specialized headset designed for the Force Recon rest underneath it. A pair of ballistic goggles were positioned on his helmet and would be used during the breach in to OBJECTIVE ZULU. Each Marine entered quietly, giving silent nods to their comrades. Others were making small talk, but in whispers. It seemed as if the mood had already kicked in. The Swift, Silent, and Deadly didn't recieve that name for nothing.

The Marines should suppressor their weapons, since they didn't want to risk mission failure by execution of the VIP. Their packs of rations and extra equipment were to be taken along, since they would be operating in Hama for most likely a few weeks.

[Parker, M. J]

Matt slowly walked towards the gathering group of Marines, each looking dangerously similar, but Matt had a good idea of who everyone was. It didn't matter at this point, but each man had a job to do. Matt ran his job through his mind repeatedly, as he rolled his shoulders and and bounced himself a bit, making sure all his gear was attached securely and loosely enough to move.

His heart was beating, but it was simply the adrenaline kicking in. Soon he would know only his job, and muscle memory would take over, as he had done many times before. He nodded slightly at Lt. Harper and several other Marines around him.

[Conley, M. J.]

Corporal Marcus Conley entered the growing mob of marines. His weapon was an M4A1 Carbine equipped with an M68 Aimpoint and an M203A1.
"Fire Team Two, on me!" he called with his fist in the air, waiting for Keller and Birkin.

[Koveleski, C.]

Chris came strolling onto the parade grounds amongst some chatty marines and others that seemed horror struck. 'Fuck those guys' Chris thought about the Syrians as he looked at the marines who seemed afraid. Chris knew that if the enemy could strike fear into the heart of these men and women bad things would be yet to come. Chris could see the Lt standing toward the center of the flood lights. That was the man Chris wanted to go and see, to go and talk to. He walked over slowly in dark camouflage fatigues and a black balaclava on under a standard helmet. As Chris approached the Lt. seemed to have something else on his mind because he didn't seem to see the tall sniper approaching.

Chris stopped just short of the Lt but did not salute because that could make the Lt. a possible target for enemy snipers, especially at this crucial time in the conflict. "For give me for not saluting sir but I'd like to keep you alive," Chris said. "I'm Corporal Koveleski of STA reporting in. I'll do everything I can to keep our boys and girls here alive while I'm fighting. With that sir where would you like me?" Chris asked. He stood straight almost at an attention but not quite there. If this Lt. chewed him out Chris would salute and stand at a full attention running the risk of getting the man shot down so early in the night. Although to the experienced sniper being chewed out was better then putting an officer at risk.

[Harper, L. D.]

Lance was caught off guard by the sniper reporting in to him. Last he checked he hadn't had any sniper teams placed under his command, but he quickly viewed this as a perfect opportunity to give his boys some more support. "Mornin' Corporal, I appreciate that." The Eltee said, refering to the absence of a salute. Harper wasn't the stuck up officer type that liked to be recognized for his bar, he actually hated it when new arrivals would stroll up, assume the attention position, and throw their palm up. It made him a very large painted target.

The Marine looked around and then said, "I didn't see anything in the mission plan about the sniper teams, last I heard they are deploying them once the airfield is captured. I'm sure Captain Grant wouldn't mind me borrowing you though." The man's voice trailed off as he took another look around, seeing more and more faces that he knew. "Ride with us. I'll make sure the pilot knows to drop you nearby OBJECTIVE ZULU. You can provide sniper overwatch from there, got it? We'll extract you also. Just keep keyed in to our platoon comm. chatter. The images show atleast two good sized buildings with plenty of cover for yah. They are only fifty meters away from the courtyard of the government building, but we just need you to keep an eye on things while we're in there."

He patted Kov on the shoulder and finished by saying, "Get your gear.. All of it. We'll be there for awhile." The Eltee pointed to a large rucksack laying on the ground near him. It was full of the man's supplies. They were told to take everything with them because they wouldn't be returning to Camp Thunder for awhile.

Some Marines began to stir just behind the two in conversation, voices becoming louder as people searched for their team members. The transport was due to arrive in ten mikes, many looked off in to the darkness, trying to spot the strobe lights of the incoming aircraft. The Marines hadn't been told what they were taking in to combat, but they'd soon figure out.

[Koveleski, C.]

"Get your gear.. All of it. We'll be there for awhile."

"Aye Sir." Chris replied quickly. He made his way to the ruck sack and started to grab as much ammunition and supplies as possible. If he would be dug in for quite a while he would need a good supply of ammunition and rations. "Sergeant Jameston!" Chris yelled over all the noise to his spotter, "Our gear's over here!" The sergeant made his way over and the two of them began gearing up. Chris knew that if they were going to the government building it would be an extremely hostile environment. Chris was not excited about this because his chances of being captured or killed was much higher then that of the rest of the marines. No bother he would be ready to strike and kill all those who threatened the marines from great distances.

[Harper, L. D.]

0515 hours
Camp Thunder
Syria, Kuar Province
10 Jan 2008

SITREP:

The Marines slowly began to fill the area lit by floodlights in the early morning darkness. The occasional whisper rose to the now more loud and casual talk. Some were nervous, others excited, and the last bit just quiet. These guys all had one thing in common though, they were damn good at their job. The Marines of the Force Recon were preparing to enter a combat zone alongside other Marine Corps units, it was going to be hell and something that the recon specific unit wasn't use to.

Lt. Harper shouted above the crowd, "Alright, listen up Marines! Make sure you've got your all day gear, because we're not coming back. We'll be in the combat zone for quite some time and we're not expected to be back here for a few days. Bring plenty of ammo, who knows when we'll get the next chance to fill up. Good luck boys, lets get this shit done fuckin' smooth." Almost as if on cue the Marines spotted green and red strobe lights in the distance. Something was strange about these though, not the normal UH - 60 or Huey strobes. There were two lime green circles spinning above the strobes. Soon the aircraft came in to view and the Marines could see that it was the MV - 22 Osprey.

Most of the men in the unit had flown in one of the unique helicopters during a training exercise or while transporting supplies, but few had actually been deployed in combat to their knowledge. The large helicopter could hold the platoon and had the ability to fast rope, which is what they'd be doing on to the rooftop of the objective.

The MV - 22 passed right over the heads of the Marines. It then tilted right and came back around, lowering in altitude. The aircraft landing in a large opening in the base grounds. The large ramp in the back opened up. "Load 'em up Marines!" Harper yelled over the noise of the helo's engines.

Lance moved for the Osprey, turning his head to avoid the rotor wash getting in his eyes and slamming him in the face. The Marine stepped on to the ramp and stood by the opening once onboard, pushing Marines in to their seats. He had all of his gear strapped on nice and tight. His M4 and his M1911 SOC sidearm were missing magazines, he'd load those up just before they dropped in to combat.

[Koveleski, C.]

Chris watched the Lt as the semi-familiar osprey landed. Chris looked at Jameston and then moved to the helicopter as it was waiting. Shifting himself so the rotor wash would hit him in the side of the head and side of his body he made his way up the ramp. The thing was loud, but not like the old Huey he was used to. It was nice to finally have some new gear. As he turned the Lt pushed him down into a seat. Chris didn't take offense because he knew the man was just trying to keep them safe and get them out as soon as he possibly could. Chris liked that, an officer keeping his marines safe.

While sitting there waiting for take off Chris did a final run over of his M40. He made sure the safety was on and that everything looked like it was in working order. After doing a quick field assessment he reached back and pulled the night vision scope out of his bag and went over that. All of his gear was in tip top shape and would shoot phenomenally in the combat zone. Now all he had to do was mentally prepare himself to rain death down on the enemy from ranges father then they would be accustomed to.

[Wolf, A.J.]

"Alright, listen up Marines! Make sure you've got your all day gear, because we're not coming back. We'll be in the combat zone for quite some time and we're not expected to be back here for a few days. Bring plenty of ammo, who knows when we'll get the next chance to fill up. Good luck boys, lets get this shit done fuckin' smooth."

Wolf had double cheked to make sure that all his gear was in line. He had everything he could possibly need for the mission. He heard a helicopter coming in from the distance. He noticed the strobe lights on iit immediatly, a V-22 Osprey. The bird soon came to a stop over them and settled down to let the Marines on. When the ramp lowered, Harper got on and started filing the Marines on.

"Alright first squad, you heard him, load up and get ready to kick some asses. Oo-rah." He said to his men as he got on the Osprey, and first squad followed along.

[Holmes, P. T.]

It was five A. M., and Holmes was still feeling out of it. He'd woken up an hour and a half earlier, and now, as he stood waiting to board the decending chopper, he wished he'd remembered to grab himself a cup of coffee from the mess hall. Dollars to donuts, he'd have a headache later.

The Helicopter touched down and marines began boarding. "Keller! Blackshear! Let's go!" He yelled over the drone of the rotors. After boarding, he sat down on one of the long benches inside. He slung his weapon off and held it by the barrel. Then before he knew it, even over the noise of the aircraft, he fell asleep again.

[Parker, M. J]

Matt climbed up on the pad near the Lt and waited as the MV-22 Ospreys circled in and landed near by, as the squad began to file neatly into the MV-22, Matt wondered about what was going on back home. Considering it was a conflict over here, what was everyone up too. War protesters singing their piece while green recruits or kids eager to gain glory on the battlefield signed up with their ankles behind their ears.

Matt huddled everyone into the MV-22 and hopped on as the majority of the unit was loaded up, walking through the crowd of Marines and stopping near the center of the pile. "If you forgot anything, sucks ass to be you" Matt yelled, looking around at the Marines crowded into the Osprey.

[Costello, T. M.]

Twitch hustled over, being late, ofcourse. A spoonful of pudding in his mouth as he was in his gear, his bulky weapon at his side. He looked to the MV-22's, honestly, the boy had just woken up and grabbed a snack, so he was dazed, not knowing to which one to go to he just picked one at random and hopped on. He swallow his pudding and nodded to the men sitting in the Osprey. Oh, they were just SUCH a joyous crowd...

He checked over his weapon, making sure no pudding had fallen into anywhere it need not be, and then checked his cloths. Damn, he was a sexy beast. He placed the weapon by his feet and counted off his ammo and MREs. He then retrieved a cigarette from his helmet and looked around, "Got a light?"

[Birkin, B]

Having been silent for quite some time, Brad spoke up, running one finger along the top of a 20 round M14 mag.

"Lieutenant, all ready to go over here"

He had quite a bit of gear packed on his person; Brad felt like a walking arsenal with all of the ammunition on his body. He had about twelve M14 mags total on his person- his pouches were filled and several more were in his pack. They'd be out for a couple of days, and Brad didn't want to rely on any resupply runs, just in case shit hit the fan. Of course, he'd read books like Black Hawk Down, and he'd rather not run out of ammo in a combat zone. He had four M67 fragmentation grenades and several more M7A2 smoke grenades ready as well. He had eight M9 mags, some doubled up in his pouches, which were miraculously holding up despite the added pressure. He had well over three hundred rounds, more than enough.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be needing much else in terms of weaponry. He'd packed rations and filled his camelbak along with a canteen, and he knew that tough times might lay ahead, so he'd also brought a stress ball he'd picked up at the PX. He carried that in his left pocket.

[Harper, L. D.]

"Lieutenant, all ready to go over here"

Harper nodded as the last few troops stepped up the ramp and took their seats in the individual semi - cushioned chairs that could hold up to twenty eight Marines. Lance turned around and grabbed a quick head count. He then moved to his seat, which was positioned right behind the pilot's area. The Marine tapped the pilot on the shoulder and made a circular motion with his index finger, shouting, "Lets roll!" The pilot nodded and the ramp slowly closed.

All ramp sealed shut and the bay was filled with a dim red light, hiding some of the Marine's features in shadows and illuminating others with an eerie red glow. Some exchanged nervous chatter, others smoked, and the remaining slept. Little did they know that it would be the last peace they'd have for quite some time. War had begun and in only an hour, the Marines would experience full scale war first hand.

Lt. Harper looked over the faces of his Marines, absorbing them in to his memory. He knew that some of his men might not make it through what they were going in to, but he was going to do everything in his power to get them home one way or another. Lance could feel the golden cross which he had placed on the chain with his dogtags underneath his vest and shirt. The cool metal brushed between his pecks, a sense of comfort flowed over the Marine, knowing that his God would watch over him.

The MV - 22 Osprey lifted off of the ground and swayed before darting off in the direction of the objective. The pilots were pretty talkative, recieving and sending situation reports to their comrades who were beginning the invasion. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, the orange rays spilling across the sky. Harper let out a deep sigh and relaxed, a picture of his son and wife in hand.

[OOC: Anyone who did not check in ICly, go ahead and count yourself aboard. You can post checking in also and then just add your post for the ride in with it. Once enough of you check in for the ride we'll get right in to the shit.]

[Parker, M. J]

Staff Sergeant Parker stood in the middle of the Osprey he was assigned in, as the Marines all sat and some chatted amongst each other, while others were simply statues. Matt was standing adjacent to the Eltee on the opposite end of the bird as it rocked across the black skies onward to its destination.

The ride was definitely not a short or long one, nor was it bumpy, it was just a ride for the men inside. Sure it was seemingly taking forever, because everyone was both excited and frightened by what events may or may not be ahead, and Matt was especially true for that. Since he read a letter from his wife, he worried about being distracted. One second makes all the difference between you killing your target and your target killing you in close quarters combat, which there was sure to be lots of.