-=/-\=- Edge of Einhoften Complex -=/-\=- Endurance was always put to the test when you wore a gas mask into combat. Because the oxygen had to pass through a filter to be cleansed of any toxic chemicals meant that you received less oxygen than you normally would. Not to mention that visibility was incredibly lessened which effected how you aimed your rifle and your overall awareness of the surrounding area. It should only take you about five to ten seconds to put your mask on then seal and clear it. The team had practiced this drill time and time again, everyone hated and despised it, now they were thankful. Once the first nerve gas rounds hit everything turned to chaos. Now that the Jemy's knew where the team was at, silence and stealth were no longer options. All of a sudden the battle came alive with marines calling out targets and phaser bursts flying all over the place. As Richard slammed into the wall he turned back to see if anyone was hit, so far it looked like everyone on the team was alive and moving. Then looking back at Walsh who had made it to the wall a few seconds prior to him he received a nod. Without missing a beat he began laying down suppressive fire into the distance. He couldn't see the enemy, but that didn't matter. Glancing to his right he noticed Jones and Pateli had joined him and were also laying down fire. Then on cue, Walsh, Lynch and Michaels all broke off from the main line and charged forward towards a grouping of some crates. "Three bandits flanking right side", Fabrini's voice cracked over the comm, "I don't have a shot" he warned. At that very moment three distinct figures emerged from the right side of the building and began firing towards Walsh, Lynch and Michaels. It was quite obvious and the three marines immediately shifted their fire towards the visible enemy's, downing one and forcing the other two to retreat back behind the building. Once Walsh's squad had made it behind the crates they began laying down there own suppressive fire to cover the approach of the rest of the team. "Lets move", Cortez yelled at the now four other operators who were also laying prone beside him. Standing up Richard took off at high speed, leading the way across the open area towards Walsh's position. About halfway across the field an explosion landed a direct hit on the small squad sending everyone flying to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of Cortez which was only compounded by the ground as he hit the mud head first. Desperately trying to regain his bearings Richard managed to squirm back a few meters and lay down behind a small dip in the ground which formed a small crater. He had no idea where the rest of the team was at and as he fought to regain control of his breathing he realized that his hearing was gone, replaced by a sharp ringing. The explosion had also knocked his rifle loose leaving him with only his hand phaser. He could only imagine the others were going through a similar hell. Eventually after what seemed like forever his breathing regained normalness and he was aware of his surroundings enough to peak his head up from the crater. As he did so he saw that almost all of the team had formed a small defensive position around the crates, which were now mostly laying scattered on the ground. What was once an assault was now simply defense. Looking back he saw that Jones and Pateli had both taken up a position back behind the wall and were firing towards the enemy as best they could. Standing up he stumbled back towards the two marines and fell down beside them. "Shit", Pateli said as Richard plopped down next to him, "We thought you were dead". "Not quite", Richard answered, glad that his hearing had mostly returned back to normal. "I need a weapon". "Take Allens", Jones said in between letting off a few more shots. "He took a blast to the face". he said nodding his head towards they're fallen comrade. Richard hadn't even noticed Private Allen's body laying down in the mud a few feet away, his rifle laying on top of him. "Reload", Pateli informed as he ducked down low and stuck in another ammo chip. Crawling over to where Allen lay, Cortez realized that his face was completely obliterated, but now wasn't the time for eulogy's and he quickly pushed the image out of his head and grabbed the mans weapons and ammo. Pushing his way back towards the wall Richard lifted his head over to get a view of the battle. The main group was still stuck behind the crates, unable to make any more progress. Suddenly a phaser blast struck the wall a few inches from Richard's face. A hand full of Jemh'adar were making there way around the far buildings and towards wall. Richard immediately returned fire, but was only forced to duck again as the group answered with superior fire power. "Sir", Jones said in between reloading, "whats the plan". -=/-\=- End Log -=/-\=- 2nd Lieutenant Richard Cortez ODA Assistant Commander USS Chimera