The moment Draper walked into view, Raleigh Ray could feel the electricity in the air. Something real was about to go down! The training wheels were about to come off.
High Command wrote:Dansk sends Draper and his counterpart ahead with a note (see below) and then gathers Bear Two on her. "We're headed to briefing room 15-1-13-Bravo. Move out."
"Forgot something! Be right there, boss!" Raleigh Ray said as he began to dash back to quarters. He could sense it. Today was going to different! Today called for something stronger than mere Mint. Today called for Bold Flavor dip packs!
As quick as he could, the man raced into his room and was grateful to see a tin of snus packs already pulled out, neetly waiting for him in plain view.
"Ha! Lucky day!"
In a flash the tin went into a pocket, and the locked door slammed shut behind him. Off he ran to catch up with the others and get to the meeting on time.
Once there in the staff room, Colton saw the bevy of breakfast beverages and sandwiches on the table. He grabbed one yogurt, one breakfast sandwich, and nothing else. He knew from experience that touching the chocolate milk would be death, touching the milk would be treacherous, and touching the apple juice would only get him in more trouble cleaning more shit. Only undisputed coffee would pass his lips from then on in the mornings, and usually later in the morning at that!
He finished his edibles just in time for the mission briefing to begin.
High Command wrote:The LT speaks to the assembled platoon. "... I'm authorizing an extra Mauler suit for each platoon. Colton, Jitters, you get the nod for each squad." ... "Once we're in the field, each group will get chopped a couple of skelebots for perimeter patrol." He glances to both controllers with a smile. "Yes boys, you'll get operational control, but only as directed by either squad leader and squad XO."
When the word Mauler was mentioned by the commanding officer, Colton peed himself just a tiny squirt out of excitement. When it was mentioned that he would be getting Skelebots too,
then he had to adjust himself in his seat to prevent him from actually wetting his pants out of pure giddy delight and unrestrainable joy.
After he regained his composure, Raleigh Ray was relieved that he hadn't had his morning coffee yet, otherwise this would have been a complete puddle-level event.
Immediately after the briefing, Raleigh Ray went to the power armor bay to get suited up into his kind-of-shiny, somewhat used, only-slightly-smelly-on-the-inside, power armor. He then realized that smell was just a liberal use of disinfectant wipes; nothing he couldn't get used to.
As part of his preparations, Raleigh Ray duct taped a paper coffee cup to the inside chest of the power armor, almost neck high, and then popped in a Bold flavor dip pack.
'Perfect'! He thought to himself.
'Though this spit-cup would work better in a more-roomy Terror Trooper.'
Joe Marshal wrote: When given the chance he goes and helps the Power Armor pilots get suited up.
Solène Bouchard wrote:When it is time to move Bouchard works with Colton to get him geared up in his Mauler first, then gets into her own.
As Bouchard and Joe came over to help, Raleigh Ray was grateful for the unbidden helping hands.
"Thank you." he said to them both, as they seated him, tightened his belts, adjusted his straps, and sealed the fighting infantry power armor up.
"Let's get some! ... Some building knocked flat. Fuck it, this is still exciting! Hoo Ah!!"
With the Mauler locked tight, Raleigh Ray began to run his checklist, making sure all systems were running with nominal operating parameters. It was then Wright came over to help with the checklist.
Logan Wright wrote:Once in the garage, he assisted Colton getting into his suit of power armor, double checking everything. Before going to the next person who needed his help, Logan put a hand on the power armor's shoulder and solemnly said to him "Colton, you watch your ass out there. Just because you're in that suit of power armor makes you harder to hurt, it also makes you a bigger threat and more likely to take enemy fire if it finds us today. Don't try to be big Billy Bad Ass and get yourself killed."
"Ya know, I had a dog named Boo-Boo Badass. Toughest dog there ever was... though he did have a completely incontinent colon. Kind of a double entendre thing goin' on with his name there... Anyhoo, don't you worry about me. I'll be walkin' around with my two Skelebot meat-shields! If a situation looks too dire, I'll, Kamikaze those two little metal doof-heads so fast, it'll make Mr. Demon's head spin... Well, spin even more than normal."
He then opened up his helmet and looked Wright square in the eye, his bottom lip getting a little bit of a quiver with emotion.
"Now don't you die on me out there. You're a good man, despite the stick up your ass and all the weird noises you make. I can always trust you to have my back. ... I trust you, Wright." To save manly face, Raleigh Ray closed up the Mauler's helmet again and gave Wright a trembling thumbs up.
"I tust you more than this Bold flavor dip today. ... What the fuck is up with this dog-ass flavor?"