HALO, MIA

Gunny was worried. The young Private had been missing for several hours. The search had turned up only an open hatch on the forward hangar deck. Something was fishy, and unlike normal, it wasn't The Private's breath.

The sergeant was a proud marine, so it was a tough duty to inform the Captain and the Admiral upon their return to the ship of the young soldier being MIA. The two officers, realizing the seriousness of the situation considering the youth of the private, moved into action.

The Captain, a man of action, immediately took the cargo shuttle out to search the area. He hoped he wouldn't find any debris or bodies in his search, but as his grid widened, he started to fear the worst. Grimly he stayed on task in the cold harsh vacuum.

Back at the ship, The Admiral contacted the commanders of the rest of the fleet, requesting assistance in the search. Navy and marine personnel sprung into action, searching for their missing comrade.

Knowing that she had done what she could to initiate the search for The Private, The Admiral decided to investigate any clues on the ship which might shed light on the details of the disappearance. Channeling the abilities of Old Earth's Gil Grissom, The Admiral pieced together what must have happened. Gazing out the open hangar door, The Admiral looked down at the planet far below, blanketed in night. She quickly ran a scan of the ground, and found the tell-tale marks of landing pad imprints in the soil made soft from rain showers the day earlier. The imprints were deep.

Had The Private, untrained and guided only by youthful enthusiasm, attempted an unauthorized HALO jump from such an extreme altitude? All the evidence pointed to this, and The Admiral's blood chilled as she feared The Private's inexperience could have led to problems on the landing... and thus a lost and injured marine down in hostile territory.

The search continued. One squad led by Corporal Dexter Attwell had spotted a small force moving planet side. They closed to investigate, hailing the unknowns. They received a friendly reply: it was a allied patrol. Dex inquired about their lost private, asking nonchalantly if they had any spare marines. The helmsman's eyes brightened as word returned that they indeed had a spare marine! The Private was with them -- she had hooked up after an extensive recon in the dumpster zone, and a brief surveillance of the Canine forces.

The allied patrol moved into formation with Dex, and they all returned to the main body of the fleet. The Admiral was relieved, thanking the allied patrol for helping one of her own. The Captain turned his heavy cargo vessel on a dime when he heard the news over the com and headed back to the fleet. He didn't know whether he was going to hug or throttle The Private, but at least he had that option.

The Gunny, however, knew exactly what she was going to do. After a stern reprimand, and thorough debriefing, she sent The Private scurrying to her bunk! Secretly, Gunny was smiling at The Private's adventures, and the pride that she had so many comrades who were not willing to leave a man behind!