From The Front Lines, This Is...

Posted on Sat Jul 6th, 2024 @ 1:40pm by Penelope Haskell

1,577 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Ethics, Morals & The Prime Directive.
Location: Planetside: Colony Grounds

Penelope and Wolfe had barely had enough time to get themselves started to be unpacked in their shared quarters on the Dreadnought before he'd been called away to attend a mission briefing and she'd been contacted by her own bosses at the Federation News Service to give them an update on where she was now at. THAT had been an interesting conversation, but as a roving reporter, she did have that document that said she could go just about anywhere someone would let her.

She wasn't a star reporter, mostly bit pieces that would be played to the masses on really slow news days, or archived for viewing by those that were interested. But her editor back on Earth had been rather intrigued when he'd heard about what was happening on the colony that Dreadnought was in orbit of. The network on the ship had a good rumor mill that told her that the Marines were about to head down on deployment and one of the things she'd gone through her own training to do was to report on those things as well.

It was where her boyfriend being a Marine really did come in handy, because it did give her a bit of a heads up when they got deployed and she could finagle a place on the shuttles to go down with them. Being a Combat Correspondent had it's perks... And it's dangers.

She'd played off that she'd become ambivalent to Wolfe's dangers as a member of the Marines, but she always worried about him whenever he was deployed and had taken her own mental vow that she wouldn't let him be the only one, so she habitually joined some other Marines for some combat training, not as a combatant, but in order to keep her head down.

That was how she now came to be on the ground with one of the Marine Companies wearing a set of BDUs that had large white panels that declared her to be a member of the PRESS, including one on the issued helmet. She never was on the front lines, always at least a couple hundred meters back unless she swapped out gear to go forward, or someone asked for her specifically. She was completely unarmed aside from a trio of camera drones she carried around in her rucksack along with food, water and a medical kit.

It was from one of the water bottles that she took a long pull as she rested herself against a rock while the fighting was going on a hundred meters away. She was a bit close and had been told in no uncertain terms that she was to stay put. She swapped helmets to one that was more unobtrusive and flicked down the integral camera that this was had installed, then peeked halfway out of her cover, looking towards the fighting as she recorded everything. Phaser fire was being exchanges, moving figures dashing this way and that. Then a group of about a dozen Marines made a run for another bit of cover where they began to lay down even more covering fire. She remained exposed for about twenty seconds before pulling her head back behind the cover once more and reviewing what she'd just shot.

She smiled as she did so, then switched helmets again as she prepared to make her next move. Her time with Wolfe and on these assignments had given her an eye for cover and how to stay out of the way. In fact, the broken aircar was even further away than this rock was and the Captain would likely be happier for her to be more out of the way. And if she used that car as an interim stop to THAT rock formation, she'd have a better view of everything.

Penelope crouched and wiggled to make sure her rucksack was settled nicely and counted to five mentally before making her own move, zigzagging as she did so just like she'd been taught. That brought her to the car where she knelt for a few deep breathes, no fire had been aimed at her as she'd ran, so she continued on to the rock formation and again put her back to it before switching out helmets again and looking out over the battlefield.

Yes, this was definitely a better spot and unless a sniper was on the lookout, she'd likely be safe where she was at. She spent a good ninety seconds of recording, including a couple of micro-torpedo launches at tactical points, then took off the rucksack and after one more drink of water removed one of the camera drones and tapped it to life. It began to hover as she directed it, not lighting the area (that would be bad) but it was still light enough outside, that was for sure.

She sent it several feet away and put back on the Press helmet as she smiled towards it, "This is Penelope Haskell, Federation News Service, reporting from the Jasca Three colony where the Marines are trying to liberate the planet from the clutches of a pirate lord. Good progress is being made by the Federation forces, pushing back opposing forces while being careful to avoid civilian casualties. While I'm unable to reveal exactly where I'm at in order to protect Federation lives, needless to say that the following footage shows the coordination that the Marines are capable of." She paused for several moments, which would be the cue for the editor to start splicing in the footage she'd recorded.

"The enemy is making it difficult to dislodge them from public buildings, as you can see, but it has been verified that all civilians have been evacuated from the buildings." She went through her memories of what she'd shot and how long, "While fighting is expected to last another several hours, Marine commanders are confident of victory with minimal casualties." One small light blinked back to a different color and Penelope made sure she had a small smile on it, "All hopes and prayers are with the troops and civilians involved. This is Penelope Haskell, reporting from Jasca Three Colony, F-N-S, signing off."

"That was pretty good, ma'am." A voice said softly from a few feet away and Penny looked over, having spotted him in her peripheral vision, but not reacting to him, "But the smudge of dirt on your cheek doesn't really go with the lipstick and eye shadow.

Penelope gave him a smile, "Well, Corporal, it does give a bit of street cred." She gestured the drone back towards her before several flurries of fire flared up, "Sorry I didn't tell anyone where I was moving to, but figured this would be safer."

"And closer to the front." The junior NCO stated simply, "Which Captain Mellon said not to go towards, though I was just about to escort you to the next location, ma'am. But this location will do." He pressed the earbug, "Secured, Captain, section Delta-Two." He listened for a moment, "Copy that. Holding tight, expecting Fireteam Five-Three in three minutes, roger."

That was a bit different than the norm and Penelope gave the Corporal an odd look as he pointed her over to another set of rock and she followed the direction, that too was part of the whole deal. "What's going on, Corporal?"

"Nothing alarming, ma'am." He stated, "Lieutenant Venable will be here in just a minute to explain things. We're just getting a bit more security up here for you, only a couple of troops." A flurry of motion was caught out of the corner of her eye and Penelope looked out over the rocks at a group of twenty Marines making a beeline back the way they had advanced. She activated the camera drone again, but held it this time as she began to record again, then turned it again and gestured it back before letting it settle as another series of boots came up to the formation, a private setting up on either side of the formation and looking out over things.

Then came the Lieutenant, far more calmly and confidently and very unhurriedly. "Miss Haskell, I'm glad you moved when you did, but we're going to have to insist you stay up here with Corporal Alevor and these two privates. There was a counteroffensive a few minutes ago and we've been cut off from the rest of the Battalion. We're working to remedy the problem, but it's looking a bit hairy at the moment and the Captain wants to keep you safe."

Penny's eyes opened wider as the implications hit her. Behind enemy lines. It was a risk she took, just like any of the troops that were now in this pocket with her. "I know what I got myself into, Lieutenant, anything I can do to help."

Lieutenant Aloysius Venable gave her a grim smile, "Just stay put, Miss Haskell. Follow the orders of the the Corporal and be ready to move, just in case."

Her eyes glancing over to the camera drone, she knew some of that would be going in her next report, when she was finally able to file it, but that was well in the future, after none of it could be used by their opponent. "Yes, sir, Lieutenant. Happy hunting."

And then the Lieutenant was off, bounding down the gentle slope to rejoin his troops again going back the way they came. It would get interesting, quickly.

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