Raleigh Ray jumped into the APC when told to by Dansk. Grateful for the action and body-bag work to be over, he looked forward to returning to base so he could wash up and put this crappy day behind him.
When Wright sat down beside him, he gave the man silent nod and a tired fist bump for a job well done.
"Well, it looks like I'm not breaking in a new roomie after all... Good work out there, Wrighty Tighty."
As the Mark V rumbled its way back towards their destination, it slowly donned on Raleigh Ray that they were not, in fact, heading back to base. They were on their way to the far end... The restricted side of base that he had never seen. The thought of having to see more action made him squirm a little in his sullied underwear.
When he exited the Mark V, Raleigh Ray immediately noticed the formation of Skeledots to his side. The sight of the mechanical murder machines warmed his heart as he knew, in all likelihood, at least one of them would be there to shield his person from... come what may. Though he knew Bear 2 needed to form up and get ready to go as soon as possible, Raleigh Ray took the moment to appreciate the magnificent works of art Skelebots were; beautiful blends of Form and Function, obedient to a fault and loyal to the end. Could even a Dog Boy be as good as them? Most likely not... Partly because he couldn't resurrect a dog from the dead like he could the robot soldiers as many times as he has spare parts to work with or improvise.
Unconsciously while perusing the formation of robot soldiers, Raleigh Ray put a fresh dip pack of tobacco in his mouth. This time it was the Bold Flavor... Just as quickly he spat it out again as the taste of ink fill his mouth.
"Fuck you, Wright..." he muttered.
When Dansk ordered the team the form up and made introductions for the two new people, Raleigh Ray gave each one a respectful nod. He listen to the quick debriefing and figured rightly that this time they'd be going into the field vastly better equipped than the last. Immediately after he came up to Son and Perry.
Son, he could swear he recognized the man from somewhere but couldn't quite place him.
"Welcome to the team. You're steppin' into some mighty big shoes, but I have faith in ya... Soon was it?"
Perry, he knew he had never met. But the moment she was handed that colossal rifle, Raleigh Ray knew what her game was in an instant.
"hu... Lil' girl... Big gun... You're goin' a fit in juuuuuuust fine."
Logan Wright wrote:Chai Son wrote:Chai looks at Wright, "Wright, the question you should be asking, 'How good are you at your job.'"
"Wow! How good am I at my job? I'll have you know that I am one of the absolute best on this base at my job, thank you very much. No, no, no applause is needed for being in my greatness.
"It's no lie." Raleigh Ray said in support of his friend, brother in arms, and roommate.
"Sure, Wright may make weird noises now and then... and has a kind of funny face... and an odd-shaped head... and... yeah, you get the idea... but give this man the right tools and materials to work with, and he is an outright Miracle Worker! Now, if all you have to work with is a rusty radio antenna, a band-aid, and a used prophylactic... you come to me."
Immediately after the briefing and introductions, Raleigh Ray made his way over to get himself a fresh flight suit and put on the new IRMSS-equipped rigging. He would have preferred to take a full shower before heading out again, but a quick wipe of his ass with a improvised wet-nap (made from a paper towel and some tap water) would have to do.
Once ready to rumble, he made his way over to the power armors on display. Though it was just a loaner from the Special Forces boys, Raleigh Ray was more than delighted to be able to put his hands on something more robust than the typical Mauler he was used to. The GBK was tall and sexy, but looked unbalanced to him. Pass.
The Striker Sam was a flying missile boat with power to spare... and Raleigh Ray knew there was
no way he'd be able to pilot such a machine. It was just too much for his meager skills. Pass.
However, the Terror Trooper was a beautiful imposing sight of black chrome, deadly claw-like fingers, and a massive hefty frame. It was what a war machine was
supposed to look like!
"DIBS!!" Raleigh Ray said with great enthusiasm as he claimed the machine for himself... licking it just to make sure no one else would try to take it from him. His cooties, his toy!
It was then that Raleigh Ray became cognizant of the conversation going on around him.
Logan Wright wrote:
Solène Bouchard wrote:
"Sarge, I'll take the Striker unless you want it."
"You can orgasm after you get strapped in." Wright jokingly says to Brouchard.
"Wait..." Raleigh Ray interjected.
"... did you say 'strap in' or 'strap-on'?"
It was a joke at Bouchard's expense, but only half way. In the back of his mind he had little doubt that woman did indeed have a strap-on that she used to put men in their place. Thank God she rebuffed his earlier advances or it would be
his ass at the mercy of her sex toys! Barbra was more than he could handle as is.
Before getting into the Terror Trooper, Raleigh Ray made an effort to make certain he had backup plans just in case the big war machine failed him beyond his ability to repair in a timely fashion. After grabbing some fresh e-clips for the bayonet-equipped CV-212 he was using in the earlier fight, he affixed it to the back of the power armor as a backup weapon so he wouldn't be completely defenseless should he have to bail out and go on foot.
Lastly, Raleigh Ray fished an empty soda can out of a nearby garbage receptical, and then attached it to the Terror Trooper's inside with a little tape; perfect for spit-height. Only then did he start the process of getting in with the help of the new guy, Son.
Chai Son wrote:
Once he has the all clear, he proceeds to Bouchard, Marshall, and Colton.
When Chai reaches Colton he nods, "Hey Southern, How are you? Haven't seen you since the ambush and the whole Mark V incident. Not sure if you are interested, but I can get you some okra if you like that kind of fruit.""
It was only at that point that it clicked for him, remembering where he'd seen Son before.
"Oh, hey, yeah!" the Ozark boy beamed with a smile of happy recognition.
"That'd be awesome, Sonny! I tell ya, they don't have the same grub that I used to get back at home. It's been forever since I had some proper okra... though I did figure out how to make proper hominy and grits around here... Okay, 'proper' is a bit of a stretch ... But it's closed. After, I'll hook you up; see if it kills ya, or makes ya cry fo' home."
Once the Terror Trooper was in 'Condition: Go', Raleigh Ray used it to pick up a CTT-P40 particle beam rifle. Between that, the missiles in its tubes, the lasers in its forearms, the rifle on his back, and the war machine's righteous fearsome power, Raleigh Ray was confident he would be able to kick some ass today.
He then looked over to the formation of Skeledots, began the process to pair two of them to his cybernetic implant. Once all the authorization codes were verified and approved by command, he issued the two robotic killers their first command.
"Unit 1365882B, respond to new designation 'Heckel'. Unit 64717646G, respond to new designation 'Jeckel'. Confirm."