SENJO<br/><br/>Private Law was working away at his own computer. I assigned one part of my peripheral vision to observe him while I remained watching the hillside with 85% of my sensory inputs. I was aware how he had got hold of some of the parts - through official channels. I was also aware that some of the components were never released to a marine company at the platoon level. How he had acquired such items I didn't wish to speculate.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I got something, Sarge. Civilian bandwidth from inside the main building. Someone's transmitting but I cant get exactly from where. Signal's too messed up out here. Cant get much else without the mainframe in front of me. I'll need to get to it for a full signal sweep, sir."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>From orbit the Mitchum scan had made a crude broadband sweep, enough to give a general indication of the intact condition of the colony structures, lack of moving life on the exposed surface and functioning reactor in the atmosphere processor. Closer to the structure below the ionisation layers Private Law's equipment should be sufficient to connect to the colony's wireless networks, if they were operational. His comment about a garbled transmission was significant. If he could pinpoint which subsystem it was running on it would be a quick task to interrogate the logs. That would reveal whether it was a current activity or a recording. My internal scenario calculators quickly assessed the probabilities and informed me there was a much higher chance of this being a recorded transmission on a loop.<br/><br/>The radio crackled into life. It was the Leftenant.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Alpha squad move up to us, bring your toys Senjo."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><strong>"Aye, aye, Sir."</strong>I was moving before I had finished speaking, as was Law. While the Sentries took some three minutes to set up approximately half of this time was required to get them online and the targeting software programmed. Taking them down took less effort. I needed only to punch the 'armed' button again to make the weapons safe before shutting off the command consoles and plugging everything back into it's carry drums. There was however an easier way.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Aye Aye, sir. Senjo, how quickly can we get the sentries inside?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>The Sergeant's question was quickly answered,<strong>"I need only a few seconds, Sergeant, less if Corporal Morden will assist."</strong>Law was busy. Then again, Morden was too; he and the Sergeant were Alpha Teams' only two weapons at the current time. I assessed the threats, the need for rapid redeployment and made my decision.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I don't like this. I do not see any rebels Sergeant."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>The Corporal spoke, no doubt he was voicing all the concerns of the squad. We had been told to expect resistance, rebellious colonists or a terrorist attack on the valuable part-terraformed world for political means but instead we had found only a ghost town with no signs of a struggle, just abandonment.<br/><br/><strong>"Corporal Reaper. Please take the carry drums for the guns. It is quicker."</strong>I slung my rifle and the zipper bag containing the gun command consoles around my neck and then collected the two ammunition hard bags. Going to each gun in turn I physically set the safeties to 'on' and with a carefully poised knee and back, hefted first one, then the second over my shoulder in the way a surveyor carries his theodolite, collapsing the tripod mounts flat as I did so. I remained squatting in cover by the pair of big rocks at the top of the glacis, waiting for the Corporal to collect the guns' cases.<br/><br/>The platoon leaders' voice came over the radio again.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Gizmo, I got a door for you to crack along with some intel from big daddy."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>I formed a visual in my mind of Bravo Team having reconned the base pereimeter, found little of interest and stopped at a cargo lock.<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/KiloPlatoon_23.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/KiloPlatoon_24.jpg)<br/><br/>Keeping radio use to the minimum I turned my head to nod at the Sergeant, a 'ready to go' sign. Corporal Reaper and Private Law were right with us. We moved out, scurrying quickly in a fast bent-low tactical run and within two or three minutes movement eastward along the south wall of the colony came up on Bravo Team who were gathered inside the outer blast wall around a cargo bay door. Private Law immediately got to work.<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/KiloPlatoon_22.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/KiloPlatoon_21.jpg)<br/><br/>While he was doing that I took the drums from Corporal Reaper and disassembled the guns, stuffing them back in their cases. Morden was needed as a rifleman, not a pack horse.