SENJO<br/><br/>In the cryo chamber I undressed and this time wiped down with a towel moistened with a lubricating agent. The suit I had been assigned for combat environments was experimental although MegaTech was negotiating a contract with Weyland-Yutani to issue it as standard to all female synthetics assigned to USMC support tasks.<br/><br/>The cloned skin covering my musculature had been designed to grow human hair only on the scalp and face for reasons of appearance and merging with humans. It had transpired that bald synthetics upset some people even more. Early models used nylon carbon coiled hair. It was acceptable from a distance but failed under close inspection and since it was not alive and continually protected by body oils it quickly deteriorated. Live hair is unnecessary for a synthetic elsewhere therefore the remainder of my skin was DNA encoded not to grow hair and even hair follicle structures were suppressed from the code.<br/><br/>My skin was easy to manufacture but being completely hairless, dressing in tight clothing was a problem the skin design team had not foreseen. I carried a lubricating scrub that I coated everywhere and normally for reasons of unit morale and efficiency selected times when I was alone to do this.<br/><br/>The suit was a one piece skin fitting coverall in dull urban grey with darker armoured panels protecting the vitals with double skinned pressure pads containing an intelligent reactive compound to protect shins, knees, elbows and other extremities. I zippered it up and adjusted the equipment bandoliers at the waist. Boots came next.<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo-10.jpg)<br/><br/>My personality showed in my choice of outer cover. The long trench coat style appeared to be cumbersome and restrictive. In fact made of a flexible poly carbonate mesh and coated with a synthetic representation of leather forty microns thick the coat weighed only one point four kilos and its loose folds acted as a first line of defence, the high collar protected my vital spinal assembly from heat and particle splash and the loose fit functioned as a form of spaced armour that would deform and reduce the kinetic energy of projectiles and other physical blows.<br/><br/>http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_17.jpg (http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_17.jpg)<br/><br/>http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_15.jpg (http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_15.jpg)<br/><br/>http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_16.jpg (http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo_16.jpg)<br/><br/>But my main reason for wearing it was I liked the style.<br/><br/>MegaTech body shells do not require helmets. We have radio comms equipment and cameras built in as standard and our passive carbon mesh gapped skull structures are stronger than the standard issue M111.<br/><br/>I closed my locker and went down to the locker room where noise and activity indicated the platoon was kitting up. From my cabinet I retrieved the unmarked M41A, ran a brief check added ammunition clips to my belt and shouldered the rifle. Many of the marines named their weapons as soldiers have done for millennia whether they be tanks, bombers or triremes. A gun was a gun, mine carried no markings. The sergeant had his men lined up in the hangar beyond and was giving them a talk in his customary fashion, the tang of his cigar registering in my olfactory chambers. I avoided the group and worked quickly in the far recesses of the cavernous chamber. I had only one task here; to unpack, assemble and dry test the UC571-A sentry guns for which I was responsible.<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/KiloPlatoon_07.jpg)<br/><br/>I worked fast, unplugging the units from their cargo drums, setting up the sprung tripods and coupling on the gun mounts. I powered up both units and ran a system check. Ammunition was stored in the two additional cases. Four thousand rounds of 15mm carbon tipped HEAT, two thousand rounds per gun in five hundred round cylinders, each sufficient to tear a man to pieces and punch holes in anything up to a light battle tank or heavy APC. Once inside the rounds burst causing massive trauma to any living target and inside vehicles or aircraft the penetration caused the inner wall to spawl off flakes of material that the explosive sent flying around the crew compartment like red hot razor blades. It was a highly efficient weapon and could maintain fire lanes 600 metres deep across a 40 degree arc clear of enemies in combat. It was equally suited to urban use where the unit was best sited at intersections with its 360 degree scanners allowing it to sanitize up to a four way corridor or alley junction for up to 200 metres.<br/><br/>(http://www.inetres.com/gp/sf/aliens/sentry02.jpg)<br/><br/>Satisfied that the units were in order I armed them. The two barrels swung outboard rapidly with a low whine from their electro-servos. I retired away from the guns about ten metres and lifting a spare combat belt and bandolier from a locker, cast it across this end of the bay. Instantly both guns saw the target, identified it as hostile and the two barrels tracked it over a seventy degree range, the compressors that powered the ammunition cylinders shouting out a frightful whine that can only be conveyed as,<strong><em>WWHHH<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">HRRRRRRRR</span><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA</span><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">AAAAAANNN</span>NNN-NNN</em></strong>. The test target hit the far bulkhead and dropped to the floor. I observed both gun barrels drop a few degrees as the target fell then detecting no motion the laser sights disengaged and the twin barrels swung back to the assigned centreline.<br/><br/>http://www.propstore.com/content/propstorecollection/sentrygun/sentrygun.jpg (http://www.propstore.com/content/propstorecollection/sentrygun/sentrygun.jpg)<br/><br/>http://www.propstore.com/content/propstorecollection/sentrygun/sentrygun3.jpg (http://www.propstore.com/content/propstorecollection/sentrygun/sentrygun3.jpg)<br/><br/>Even without the ammunition cylinders the UC571-A's made an intense noise. Live firing was considerably more detrimental to the human eardrum, particularly in enclosed spaces. I looked around and saw that some of the marines were casually watching. I returned to the guns and disassembled them, crating them up and slinging my M41A, awaiting the Leftenant to arrive. I had another piece of information for him.