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Read about the Forgotten Spartan I Program
Butane: To protect the world from devastation!
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SpaceGhostFlyer: Jessie!
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sir_brilliant: Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light
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Posted by: explosivediahrea
Well skipper... you've totally let me down.
Tut tut, have patience. Good thing come to those who wait. Good things like a flashback chapter.
Chapter 18
1400 Hours, June 3, 2523 (Military Calendar)/
Sol System, Planet Earth, Quantico Marine Academy
Simmons chewed the end of his pencil. He was done with the exam but he knew he had missed a few. Amacus on the other hand was reclining in his chair. That smug ass, Simmons thought. He aced astrophysics without even trying. But Simmons was a Marine for goodness sake, what did he even need this class for? Oh well, it’s almost graduation. The young student-soldier had thought this thought a thousand times in the last week.
When the bell rang, the two friends headed back to their rooms together. Antonio Silva was pacing the room. “Epsilon Eridani, Chi Ceti, Jericho’s IV, V, and VI…”
“Need help? You’re studying major insurrections, right?”
“Yeah, thanks Amacus. I’m stuck on Epsilon Eridani.”
“Well, you ladies stay here and study, I’m going to blow off some steam.”
Simmons was used to conversations with Amacus ending that way. He knew they would meet up in the mess hall, and he knew that the main courtyard would be a good place for a walk until them. Poor Antonio was a hard working Marine, but his fine arts grades were horrible. He had an F in History until Amacus helped him out. Anything tactical however, and Silva held his own with the best of them. He had come quite close to beating Amacus’ record score on the Small Unit Tactics Exam, and the three had celebrated long and hard that night.
Deep in thought, Simmons was prone to walk straight into the street at the end of the courtyard, and once he only escaped being hit by a general’s Warthog because Amacus held him back. This time he remembered the road and stopped on the curb. Across the street however, a Navy lieutenant watched him. Simmons saluted and walked past him. The man returned the salute with a skeptical look, as if Simmons wasn’t good enough for whatever it was he was doing.
Amacus later noted that all officers looked at Simmons that way, for which he received a punch on the arm. After dinner, the pair met up with a melancholy Silva, who thought he had failed his history exam.
“You did not,” Simmons told him.
“Hey, I helped you didn’t I?” Amacus never was one for being humble.
“I hope your right… hey, what’s going on over there?” Silva pointed to an alley behind the mess hall. Three civilians were kicking something and cursing.
“Hey!” Simmons shouted out and the thugs wheeled around. They had been kicking a female Ensign, who appeared unconscious.
“Move along college boys,” the biggest, ugliest thug shouted.
“Get away from her,” Silva responded, “and put your hands on the wall.”
“How ‘bout I put my hands in you face, jerk?” With that the three attempted muggers charged at the cadets. Simmons headed the big one off and proceeded to beat him senseless. Silva met up with the fastest ruffian, and gave him what he was due. The last man looked desperate, and only fought Amacus after he cut off escape. Simmons had already knocked the big one senseless when he heard Amacus cry out. After seeing his friend drop to the ground, Simmons became like a man possessed and chased after the culprit, but to no avail. Back in the alley, Silva had propped up the ensign and Amacus against the wall.
“They’re both hurt bad. I’m gonna go get the MP’s. You’re better at first aid then me anyway.” With that Silva ran off, leaving Simmons in charge of two unconscious criminals and two injured military personnel.
“I’ll live,” Amacus whispered. He showed Simmons where the frantic criminal had stabbed him in the side.
“Too bad, I could have been valedictorian,” Simmons joked. Amacus laughed, and coughed up a little blood. “She doesn’t look so good either,” Simmons said to his friend, not knowing he had passed out. She was very pale, and her dark hair was in a non-regulation bun. As Simmons began to perform fundamental first aid, Silva returned with the MP’s and the skeptical lieutenant from earlier in the day.
In the hospital, the MP’s asked dozens of questions and Silva and Simmons didn’t get to see Amacus for hours. He made a recovery in a week, and they all received a commendation from the CO of the base. Simmons later inquired as to the identity of the ensign they had saved, but he never got a straight answer.