The Drop

            Outside we were beginning to get into an assault formation. The company was assaulting with two platoons up front with one to the rear in reserve, I remembered from my briefings. In each of those platoons were four dropships, in a box formation with two up front and two to the rear. In front of each platoon were the gravtanks, at a ratio of one to every two dropships. They were essentially a dropship, but with a lower profile, more armour and a turret mounted rail gun. Each ship would be a few hundred meters apart in order to minimise the damage the company could take from explosive area weapons used by the enemy. From above the formation would look like a large triangle, concealed in smoke and the dust and sand thrown up in its wake, hurtling toward its target.

          Brown removed his respirator and tipped the puke onto the floor at his feet. He looked like he was about to cry. He shook it and tried to wipe the inside on his knee.

          ‘No time for that now, you lizard!’ Mac scorned, ‘put it back on!’

          Brown obeyed. The resy might well stink, but it would work, and that was the main thing.

          ‘Thirty seconds boys!’

          Funnily enough I felt almost elated. I had survived the drop, with all of my section. Whatever happened when we touched down and the back door opened at least I would have a chance to do something about it rather than sitting there, strapped in and ready to die.

          I doubt that Tony Berezynsky felt the same; he looked like he was losing it.

          ‘Tony you’ll be alright, mate,’ I offered him encouragement. It was a pretty empty gesture, but something is always better than nothing I liked to think.

          Tony shook his head, ‘this is crazy!’

          ‘You’re right there, mate, this is mental!’ Climo shouted. The vulcan was going berserk and we were slowing down rapidly. Party time.

          It wasn’t just mental, it was unreal. I was sat in a marvel of science and engineering turned into a weapon of war, on an alien planet light years from Earth, about to go into battle. How do you explain that to your kids? If you make it that far that is?

          My elation was all but gone, and for the first time in my life I made a prayer to God.

          ‘Twenty seconds!’

          Dear lord, please don’t let me die.

          ‘Ok, ok!’ Corporal Evans hurriedly answered to the pilot on the intercom, then turned to us, ‘lads, when you exit, you go left! There’s a ditch you can get in. Left, Berezynsky you got me?’

          Tony would be the first man out, ‘yeah I got you!’

          If you let me live I promise Ill change.

          ‘Ten seconds!’

          I’ll believe in you. I’ll go to church. I’ll never pick up a weapon again.

          ‘Five! This is it, lads!’

          My stomach lurched for the last time as the dropship came to an abrupt standstill. My straps disengaged automatically and I reached for my rifle by instinct. Light poured in as the rear ramp began to fall.

          It was raining on the surface of New Earth.

          The noise outside was deafening even with my earphones on. The dropship was unleashing everything it had to cover our exit.

          ‘Go, go, go!’ Corporal Evans screamed, but Tony hesitated.

          ‘Go, you nob!’ Climo shoved him out the door, and I followed.

  A word from the author:       

          The beguinning of the story involves the drop from a ship in orbit and the wild ride down to the surface. The dropships don't fall directly onto their target, but instead attempt to drop somewhere undefended and then fly at low level into the attack. This low level stage of the drop is known as the 'run in' and makes the dropship a more difficult target to dedect and engage than they would be if they simply attacked from above.