When Charlie sat back in her harness, the medic leaned over to put her head closer to Charlie’s. "Sir, by any chance did you see what the wrong coordinates were?", she asked quietly, and though her voice was neutral, Charlie could see the concern in her eyes.

So a little healthy paranoia lives in at least one of the drones Charlie thought to herself, That’s reassuring. This one knows to watch her back, even among friendlies…
Out loud, she responded lightly,” Oh yes, Marcy, I did,” and she rattled off the old coordinates without a pause,” I’ll look them up on a map but it looked like a simple transposition of digits. No real biggie. We’d a’been a little off course and would have had to hoof it in the cold, which, I wouldn’t have been to happy about.” She kept the lack of fuel to herself, not wanting to worry the others more than necessary once the danger had passed.

May 8th, 2025
WhiteHorse Military Base, Antarctica - 1236

Major Carrolton looks none too pleased regarding the news about the scramjet, but waves away any mention of assitance. "I'll let the tech goobers Stateside know about it. Good enough that you made it in one piece."

Monty asked for recent satellite intel, which Carrolton seemed willing enough to give. "Nothing new, as far as movement and such - still no signs of life. Weather looks like it'll hold for a couple of days, at least, once this little storm blows over."

A small smile tugs at the major's mouth. "Oh, and just so you know - Washington decided you needed a couple more guns. They beat you guys here, their flight wasn't as long." He produces two manilla folders, with the labels HART, CPL GABRIEL JAME and PEARSON, PFC DENES. A quick inspection reveals billets of demolitions and grenadier, respectively. "They'll be waiting for you in the barracks. Good luck, rangers."

Arrangements are made for Inga to meet with the CMO onsite, and the team is dismissed for the short break prior to go time.

****************************

A Private Chogan is tasked with showing the team to the barracks, and the young man asks a lot of questions. He seems to know the mission's destination, and casually mentions that there are several strange objects stored in the station's hanger that he knows were retrieved from ARF36.

The barracks are about what one would expect - dingy, cold, and drafty... though a great deal more hospitible than the swirling wind and snow outside. Despite the knowledge of what would be encountered, the party finds the drastic climate change from Georgia in the late spring to be nothing short of fantastic - and not in a good way!

As promised, two addiitonal rangers, gear at the ready, snap to attention in the barracks. Truly a study in contrasts, these two - Corporal Hart (the demo specialist) is clearly pushing the small extreme of Army height regs, while Private Pearson (the grenadier) is a bear of a man, well over six feet tall.

"Well, here you are," Chogan states. "Hang out here, or see the sites on the base.... up to you. They'll call as soon as your chopper is ready."

So, here he was, a new day and a new mission. It was no better here than the middle eastern deserts where he had just come from. From one desert to the next, it was just colder here and every drop of water was frozen instead of evaporated. A soft chuckle to himself raised his spirits and allowed to momentarily forget about his promised leave. He would just have to take it after he got out of this hellhole.

Gabriel just hated sitting around doing nothing and it was already past noon. The rest of the team was supposed to have already been here. He was excited to meet them but and have someone else for company aside from the giant of the man that had kept him company for the last fourteen hours. He looked short, being just a scant five foot four. A grin crossed the corporal's face as the three cards were flipped and he spotted what he needed at the top. He enjoyed the game of solitaire and found it strangely relaxing.

His eyes wonder up as he hears the approaching of boots on the cement floor that makes up the base, their sound is quite distinct from the tap of dress shoes and could be heard almost anywhere in the place. There they are, the lieutenant, a warrant officer, and the enlisted members of his team. Habit from eight years in the army brings him up to the position of attention.

The warrant officer catches Gabriel's eye and he cannot help but to eye her over quickly out of the corner of his eye. This may not be such a bad mission after all.

After the incident on the scram jet Staff Sergeant Kane was quite happy to find himself once again on solid ground. Though he did not have an aversion to flying or to jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, he much prevered a human pilot then a computer.

With their arrival at the forward base they were met by a Major and handed two new troopers.

“LT with your permission I will form the eight of us into two, 4 man fire teams fire team A under your direct command fire team B under my direct command with you of course in overall command..
Fire team A will consist of you sir, W/O Blake, PFC Pearson and Cpl Hatherford.
Fire team B will consist of myself, Sgt Lee, Cpl Hart and Cpl Johannsen.
Unless you want a change on personal assigned to each team, I will go ahead and let them know and go over an equipment check on the two new men.”

(OOC: If no objection I will set them all up and make sure the new troopers are squared away.)

Monty stopped short in the middle of the hall when Sgt. Kane addressed him. The Lieutenant listened to the suggested assignments and gave a nod.

"Sounds good to me Sergeant. Way to take the initiative," the latter end of the statement was offered with a rather informal slap to the shoulder as Monty turned and proceeded on course for the barracks.

Once in the drafty quarters, Lt. Kernan returned the salutes before offering an, "As you were." Then, as he made his way to one of the cots, the country boy dropped introductions over his shoulder like a week-old newspaper. Setting what gear he carried with him on the flimsy-looking bed he turned and gave a nod to the shorter of the two men.

"Corporal Hart," he slid his gaze to the larger man as though it were on ice. "Private Pearson. Welcome to the team.

"We haven't been together for long, and yet, we're being asked to perform like a well-oiled machine. I don't appreciate anomalies on my team, and right now, that's what the two of you are. I don't doubt that within the next thirty seconds or so Chief Blake will pipe up with the fact that she's got your files on hand for my review, but if there's anything you wish to share in the meantime, I expect y'all have about fifteen seconds apiece to do so. Fourteen...thirteen...twelve..."

Private 1st Class Denes Pearson was a man who strived to make the most of every second. Having arrived before the majority of his team, Denes had met briefly with Major Carrolton before being shown to the barracks. He smiled at the familiar sight. Don’t matter much where you end up… it all looks the same.
Finding himself one of the more sturdy cot (some just didn’t look like they would support the bear of a man), Denes efficiently sorted through additional arctic-specific gear he had received, and stored it with the rest of his pack he had brought with him.

Donning on the standard issue arctic fatigues and the additional protective clothing given for survival in this climate, Private Pearson invited Corporal Hart for a ‘jog around the base.’ “Just to get a taste of the air, y’know,” he said with a smile.

>>OOC: Vesper, you may choose to comment or not. Regardless of your response…<<

Truth was Denes was hungry, but knew that the lunch meal didn’t begin for another half hour. So he jogged to keep his mind off his belly.

Stepping outside, with his full pack on his back, Pearson picked up a brisk jog immediately. And immediately, the soldier could feel the cruel chill sting his lungs. He didn’t mind the feeling… just noted it.

He kept up his pace for a full forty-five minutes, making sure that he ended at the mess hall for a quick lunch. The food and coffee really hit the spot. Not that it was really different for the standard military fare… but it was warm. And out here, that meant a lot.

Making his way back to the barracks, Denes showered and dressed quickly before lounging out on his bed with a good western novel his had brought up with him. It was his guilty pleasure. Besides, Hart seemed preoccupied with his solitaire game.

When the lieutenant entered into the barracks, Private Pearson stood quickly to his feet, every muscle tense, eyes straight in front of him.

”As you were,” the lieutenant said.
Denes relaxed a bit, but continued to stand in front of his cot.

”Corporal Hart," he slid his gaze to the larger man as though it were on ice. "Private Pearson. Welcome to the team.”
“Sir, thank you, sir.”

"We haven't been together for long, and yet, we're being asked to perform like a well-oiled machine. I don't appreciate anomalies on my team, and right now, that's what the two of you are. I don't doubt that within the next thirty seconds or so Chief Blake will pipe up with the fact that she's got your files on hand for my review, but if there's anything you wish to share in the meantime, I expect y'all have about fifteen seconds apiece to do so. Fourteen...thirteen...twelve..."
Pearson allowed Corporal Hart to respond to the lieutenant first, seeing as the man outranked Denes.

When his turn to speak happens, Private Pearson gives the lieutenant a brief answer:

“Private, first class. Pearson. Grenadier, sir! Got my gear all packed. Charged and ready to go, sir!”

Sgt Lee followed the others to the barracks, once there he introduced himself to the two new team members, “Sgt James Lee, Staff Sgt Kane is the senior enlisted man so you might want to talk to him.”

Leaving those two he found a bunk and began checking all his gear, getting out of the flight suits and into his normal gear and readying his weapons. After checking that everything is functioning properly,and after acknowledging the Staff Sgts Team assignments, Lee will relax until time to go.

When it is time to move out, he will be ready. Rising in time to don his armor and load up his weapons, he waits for the word to move out.

“Lets do this,” he says softly to no one in particular.

Inga's visit to the Chielf Medical Officer is to get the information on best treatment practices, specific early warning signs of hypothermia, and any printed information she can study and well as any tricks of the trade, to better aid her team. She does hand him, or her, the list of all the things she has packed and asks if there is anything else she should take that would prove more efficacious.

When she is done there Inga finds her way to where the others are located manyly by asking questions and getting direction. She is actively attentive to her surroundings. keeping her eyes and ears busy as she moves to where the team is at.

While she had lived for periods of time in very cold weather near the artic sircle and the family vacations to Norway. SHe knows the conditions here are much colder. THe vast expanse of frozen landscape totally surrounding this place and for miles in every direction certainly is something she had never experience before.

This frozen land had to be respected, It had no pity for the inexperienced the unwary, the unprepared, or even the unlucky. The savagedly adverse conditions here had caused the deaths of very experience personnnel. What she had found out from the medical officer confirmed some of her thoughts on possible treatmnent. times was of the essence. you had to prevent heat loss from the body it was one of the greatest enemies that a medic faced especially in the field..

Even this building as well insulated as theis one was, the fiece winds could be heard.

Turning though the foorway of the room the team had gathered in Inga moved over to where the rest had gather.She snaps an appropriate salute to the highest ranking officers or non-com there and a "Sir" if it is the Lt. or the Chief.

She nods to the new comers. "Cpl Joannsen, medic" she states and offers her hand to each. First the smaller man then the harger one.

If Charlie was bothered by the major’s dismissal of the scramjet’s programming flaw, she didn’t let it show. Either he was the highly efficient type who delegated and trusted his people to get it done, or he was a meathead who dismissed anything he didn’t understand. Either way, she wasn’t going to be here long enough for it to affect her, she hoped.

She drew in the heat of the room gratefully, as she followed the others through the building. She noted the names of their new team members and wondered if the place was set up for wireless. She shrugged, knowing she’d find out soon enough, then peeled off to follow Private Chogan to the barracks.

She grinned at the private’s questions, realizing the young man was starved for new faces and voices. She turned away his questions with a light,” Hey, you probably know as much as we do, right now, soul-ja, but those “objects” in the hangar sound random! Let’s see if we can’t swing over there after I drop my stuff and meet the new blood, k?”

Charlie’s kohl-lined eyes danced with amusement as she looked over the two new additions, a real exploration of military regs for maximum and minimum size. Of course, the two snapped to attention immediately, though one was still human enough to give her the once over in mid-salute. She winked back at him before anyone glanced her way.

She let the Looey and Sarge take the lead in handling salutes and intros, but smiled at the two noobs in a friendly way. When Kernan mentioned Blake having their profiles, Charlie slung her laptop out of her pack and started to boot it up, while still walking towards a bunk. The way she balanced the laptop on one hand while keying with the other spoke of long practice.

“Gimme a moment, sir, I’ll get the 411 in two shakes of a lamb’s tail if this place has wireless.”

OOC: If there’s no wireless access, she’ll explain as much and have Chogan take her to where she can connect and download the new team members’ dossiers. Then, she’ll go see about those items in the hangar. No offense to the new guys, but “stuff” is more interesting to our tech than “staff” .

Gabriel went stood at ease while the looey went on about how he didn't take kindly to the fact that they were a not so welcomed surprise. Well, it was not his fault at all that they had been thrown in with the man.

"Fifteen, fourteen,..." the looey counted down.

"Speaking fankly, sir, I'm supposed ta bein on leave at the moment. So I'm not takin to kindly that I'm bein here intead o' back home. I'm of the opinion that it'd be much more comfortable there as well. So, if that's all, I think that I'll be seein ta my gear and such."

He had spotted the chief winkin back at him, and it was good to see that his attentions hadn't gone unnoticed. The smile didn't hurt neither to edge him along her way. He noticed as Blake took the laptop in one hand and punched along the keyboard with the other. Well, she was quite coordinated indeed. Gabriel smiled slightly as he sat down beside the woman and tried to get a peek at her work.

“Gimme a moment, sir, I’ll get the 411 in two shakes of a lamb’s tail if this place has wireless.”

"So," Gabriel spouted, "tryin ta get the lowdown on me, eh? Ya could just tryin askin about me instead of swingin away at those keys."

Inga walks into where most of the team had gathered waiting for the next transportantion to their destination. Setting down her packs. She looks around for a comfortable place to sit and at the same time looks over the two new members of the group.

One reminded her of some of those old Norse pictures of Vikings. A bear of a man. big framed plenty of muscle and fit as a fiddle. THe other endemolitions expert was so physically differnt, but then neither would have been assigned to the mission had they not been capable-more that capable. Rangers were very capable or out of the Rangers.

(OOC I am not sure how equal ranks, if I am with these two newcomers, deal with each other. Someone PM me if this is not right. Inga does things properly, by the book.)

Inga moves up to the smaller man. "Cpl. Inga Johannsen, medic. Welcome to the team."

When the other is finished she walks over and introduces herself to him also, "Cpl. Inga Johannsen, medic. Welcome to the team."

Introductions made Inga moves back towards her packs and settles somfortably nearby and studies the notes she took during her talk with the base medical personnel. Some of it was old and some common sense, but some of it was new. When the team was nest called together she would go over the common sense, old and the new. Plus she planned to record blood types so she armed with the ncessary information; hopefully it would not be needed but better prepared and ready than not.

Inga lifts her head up every so often to watch what the others are doing. Mostly she just keeps her ears open for what is going one. It is a trick she had taught herself. TO listen while she reads or takes notes. It was like she was alboe to keep it on a seperate channel of input while her mind was eslewise occupied. Not that she ever did it on duty but on her own time she could and did.

If food is available she will eat as she reads--jotting down notes and questions in her own medical journal as she does.

At one point she approaches their computer whiz, the Warrent Officer. Saluting her, she asks. Sir, Can Do you have access to the blood types of the all the team members?"

Charlie noted the wireless indicator light up as soon as she booted her laptop, and swiftly logged on an accessed the personnel files. While they downloaded, she noted Hart approaching her bunk and sitting down next to her.

"So," Hart declared, "tryin ta get the lowdown on me, eh? Ya could just tryin askin about me instead of swingin away at those keys."

Charlie slid her eyes over the slight man beside her and her scarlet mouth quirked upwards in a half smile. “You’re welcome to tell me all you want, darlin’, and I believe the Looey just asked you to, but I like to have the official skinny on my peeps. Specs, recs, and missions…the military has nothing on baseball for collecting all sorts of stats on a person, and that’s data to this squint. The Looey’s fond of them, too so if he asks, I fetch. Coolio?”

Charlie looked up from her monitor when Bjornnsen approached and while her expression was open and friendly, it curdled a bit when the medic snapped a salute before asking,” Sir, Can Do you have access to the blood types of the all the team members?"

“What did I say about salutes, Inga? Lord knows I’m no reg-lover so give it rest unless you’ll hurt yourself trying, k? And yes, I can and do: that’s standard info in everyone’s file.” She proceeds to point at each team member, fingers shaped like a gun, announcing their blood types (without looking back at the files) before pointing to herself.

“Me? O negative – the universal donor. Guess I’m on tap in an emergency!”

Kane stayed at the edge of the group after assigning everyone into two fire teams he for the most part just watched to see how these two new troopers would interact with everyone.
He did not have long to wait in the case of Cpl Hart.

"Speaking frankly, sir, I'm supposed ta bein on leave at the moment. So I'm not takin to kindly that I'm bein here intead o' back home. I'm of the opinion that it'd be much more comfortable there as well. So, if that's all, I think that I'll be seein ta my gear and such."

Then without a salute or waiting for the LT to dismiss him, he moved over and seated himself next to W/O Blake and started to talk to her as if she was enlisted or a civie and not as the officer she was. Yes he himself had at first disrespected an Officer, namely the W/O, but he was damned if he would let Hart disrespect both her and the Lt Not while he was senior NCO.

Walking over as nonchalantly as possible he stopped at the table and spoke to the corporal.

“Cpl Hart join me outside please, that’s an order.”

(OOC: If for some reason he disobeys me I will ask a second time if he still does not do so I will grab him by the back of the collar and drag him outside the room.)

Once the two were outside the room Kane quickly turned on the Cpl and spoke.

“Get your ass to attention Hart right now!! I’m only going to say this once and once only so hear me well Cpl. I don’t know who or what the hell you think you are but you’re a Cpl in the United States Army and you better start acting like one. You do not leave an Officers presence without waiting to be dismissed by said Officer and once dismissed you do not leave that Officers presence without rendering to that Officer a proper salute. Also you do not, I repeat do not, just walk over and sit down at an Officers table as if she or he was your best friend!! You first ask permission and then seat yourself a respectable distance from that Officer and only if that Officer allows you to do so. At all times you will refer to the Officers of this command as Sir or Ma’am and so help me Cpl if I see you act like such again you and I will have a much more private conversation!! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR CPL HART!
Now gather your gear and stand ready for me to inspect your kit in the vehicle hanger in 15 minutes. Move it out Cpl.”

With Hart on his way Kane made his way first to the Lt and came to attention in front of him.

“SIR!! As senior NCO of this unit I must apologize for Cpl Hart’s disgraceful attitude towards you as an Officer of the United States Military and I promise it will not happen again.”

(After any reply Kane will salute him and move over to Blake once again coming to attention in front of her also.)

“Ma’am I wish to apologize once again for the demeanor of both Cpl Hart and myself, nether he nor I will disrespect you again. With your leave Ma’am.”

(Same as above once he is dismissed he will head to the Vehicle area.)

Gear ready, weapons loaded, Sgt Lee reclined on a bunk with his eye closed relaxed but not sleeping as he waited for the call to move out!

He could hear others talking in the room but while his brain took it in he didnt react to anything .... until he heard one of the new guys talking to the W/O.

A lone eyelid cracked open a bit and looked in that direction, a faint smirk came to his lips. He watched as the Staff Sgt walked over and asked the Cpl to join him outside the barracks. Lee could only shake his head and close his eyes again as he knew the Cpl was about to get a major dressing down for his behaviour thus far.

Not the best way to start out on a mission, but Lee had seen worse.

Monty let his counting fade away as the Corporal relieved himself of any decorum. The lieutenant did nothing more than raise his eyebrows in an expression of visible consideration as Hart readily dismissed himself and made his way to Blake. The Lieutenant tilted his head to the side slightly at Blake's confirmation of his request for information from the soldier, and then gave a slight twitch of his head as though shaking the memory of what had just happened from his mind. He was about to address the man when the Staff Sergeant stepped in. This time, Monty let him have his way with the man, and instead turned to the Private.

"Well, son? You got some smart ass way of responding to a superior officer, or are you itchin' to keep your skin in tact? Sergeant Kane likes to peel it off of greens who like to smart off real slow, kinda like skinnin' a rabbit."

Monty spoke calmly, even casually, without an edge to his voice as though what he'd just said was just a matter of fact, no elaboration.

Once the introductions are in place (OOC: didn't want to hold up game play so I'm moving things forward by intention. I don't pretend to be running the game, so if Olan determines otherwise, then I'll backpost) Monty will review the new personnel files with Blake, make sure that Inga has all of the medical information she needs on each of the team, receive a report on the condition of the unit from Kane, and review the maps Blake has with the team developing a point of entry plan and a preliminary plan of action for the teams that involves separate into each fire team to cover more ground while maintaining radio contact. If there's enough time, he'll order everyone down for some shuteye and then they'll hoof it to their ride, all clean and proper like.