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Extracted From Soldier's Log Chapter 28: Meeting the Boss

"I don't see him!" Sally shouted sighting her gun. She panned the ironsights all over the area and then, suddenly, she saw a flash of light.

The scope...

CRACK!

At first there was the sound of the rifle, and then the sensation that she had the wind knocked out of her. Then, before Sally knew what was going on, she was on the ground. Her head smashed against the steel deck plating. She was dizzy. The world was spinning. When she tried to talk, she could barely hear herself think.

"Ugh...guys?"

Suddenly, she froze. On her chestplate, a red fluid bubbled out of a circular hole. It didn't hurt, but there was plenty of it.

"Holy...shit!"

Then, she went into shock. Her head fell back. Before she knew it, Freddy scooped her up and placed her in his arms. She was light, just over 120 pounds, but with the armor, she felt more around 150. This didn't stop the Corpsman though as he bravely dodged more fire. Quickly, Freddy looked for a spot. He knew the LT said he didn't see anything, but being a medic forced your mind to think differently. Cover was the difference between life and death.

To a medic, cover could be anything.

Come on, USELESS! This place is bone-dry! Wait...there's an access ladder. I wonder if there's a manual access route?

He sprinted over. A man took three bullets in the chest and collapsed. Based on priority, to his eternal shame, he would need to focus on the Princess. The man was dead anyway. He didn't even scream on the way down and Freddy saw the light leave his eyes. He slid and found the clamp. Lifting it up, he started to climb down the ladder.

The room at the bottom of the ladder was a Jeffries tube, a thin maintenance access hallway that stretched throughout the underbelly of the ship. He carefully set Sally down, taking care not to smack her head off the metal girders.

"The doctor is 'in'." he said with the sighing tone of 'well, here we go...'

***

Freddy glanced at his antique watch. The gears twirled below the glass cover. He had been working on Sally for about fifteen minutes now. To get to the wound, Freddy had to strip off her combat uniform and her shirt. The Corpsman had taken anatomy classes in the academy so he knew what he was doing. For the most part, it seemed as if this woman's body was identical to a human's. Nestled between her breasts was the bullet wound, slightly angled towards her right breast.

Freddy took some surgical gloves and slid them over his hands. taking a pair of tweezers from his pack, he carefully inserted them into the wound. Sally gasped but Freddy concluded she probably had no idea what was going on. Shock could be a great anescetic, provided the patient didn't regain awareness during an opertation, that would stink. He worked it around a little bit until he found the bullet, nestled in her 3rd rib in the right. He was amazed the bone didn't shatter from the force of impact.

Looks like 7.62 Maybe by 51mm. Carbine round. That would explain a lot. Freddy carefully took an alcohol swab to clean the wound and sprayed some biofoam over it, finally wrapping some dressing around the wound. It would heal eventually, but she would be combat ready post-haste.

The Lieutenant dropped in behind him. "One of the men told me you were down here." His voice was even, but the Corpsman had been around enough Marines to tell that he was concerned. Hell, why shouldn't he be? One of his people had taken a bullet and was still breathing. However, there could be damage, like impaired breathing or a pierced lung. Lot of things could result from a bullet wound.

"She alright?"

"Got her stable. Bullet pinged off her trachea. one inch more to the right and it would have punched through her windpipe, and that wouldn't have been very nice. Combat armor saved her from most of it."

"That it?"

"That and a reinforced sports bra!"

The men laughed. It was Freddy's way of breaking the mood. As a Corpsman, he saw some...interesting things to say the least. The Princess was a minor case, not even major bleeding.

"Alright, let's bring her back."

He slapped her cheeks. "Yoo-Hoo!" The Medic said sing-song.

Her eyes blinked rapidly and her breathing returned to normal.

"Pulse is 120 over 60. Beautiful."

She looked around and soon her eyes locked on the Corpsman.

"Where am I?"

"Easy, Highness. You took a hit. Not serious, but unpleasant."

"AH!" She said trying to sit up. "Hurts like...I don't know what!"

"She alright?" Chris asked.

"First-time gunshot wound. You know that feeling, right?"

"Vividly."

Sally grabbed her midsection. "Where's my shirt?"

"Twenty centimeters to your right, Highness."

"Perv!"

"Hey, if I didn't help you, you would have been taken by shock, then, Target on the Range" That was the "codename" for an incapacitated soldier in the battlefield.

"Highness, listen to the doctor!"

"Damn it, LT! I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic! I'm just lucky that her biology is similar to us. You show me a Sangheili, I'm fucking out!"

"Yeah, if you could get a Sangheili under a knife."

"Look! This isn't helping!" Sally said. "I can still hold a gun if that's what you're asking. Help me up!"

Chris and Freddy grabbed her under the arm. "It's alright. Squeeze my hand if you feel pain."

Freddy let out a silent scream as his fingers were crushed. The Lieutenant was steady though. She protested that she was alright to climb the ladder.

Sally was greeted by clapping Marines, happy to see the princess alive and well. She smiled to herself as even the Humans were smiling. She felt a pinprick on her arm.

"What the...!"

"Relax, just a stimulant." Freddy said. "Soaks into the nervous system. You should be feeling a little jolt."

"Yeah, I do."

"Alright team!" The LT said. "Pow-wow."

Description
Extracted From Soldier's Log Chapter 28: Meeting the Boss

"I don't see him!" Sally shouted sighting her gun. She panned the ironsights all over the area and then, suddenly, she saw a flash of light.

The scope...

CRACK!

At first there was the sound of the rifle, and then the sensation that she had the wind knocked out of her. Then, before Sally knew what was going on, she was on the ground. Her head smashed against the steel deck plating. She was dizzy. The world was spinning. When she tried to talk, she could barely hear herself think.

"Ugh...guys?"

Suddenly, she froze. On her chestplate, a red fluid bubbled out of a circular hole. It didn't hurt, but there was plenty of it.

"Holy...shit!"

Then, she went into shock. Her head fell back. Before she knew it, Freddy scooped her up and placed her in his arms. She was light, just over 120 pounds, but with the armor, she felt more around 150. This didn't stop the Corpsman though as he bravely dodged more fire. Quickly, Freddy looked for a spot. He knew the LT said he didn't see anything, but being a medic forced your mind to think differently. Cover was the difference between life and death.

To a medic, cover could be anything.

Come on, USELESS! This place is bone-dry! Wait...there's an access ladder. I wonder if there's a manual access route?

He sprinted over. A man took three bullets in the chest and collapsed. Based on priority, to his eternal shame, he would need to focus on the Princess. The man was dead anyway. He didn't even scream on the way down and Freddy saw the light leave his eyes. He slid and found the clamp. Lifting it up, he started to climb down the ladder.

The room at the bottom of the ladder was a Jeffries tube, a thin maintenance access hallway that stretched throughout the underbelly of the ship. He carefully set Sally down, taking care not to smack her head off the metal girders.

"The doctor is 'in'." he said with the sighing tone of 'well, here we go...'

***

Freddy glanced at his antique watch. The gears twirled below the glass cover. He had been working on Sally for about fifteen minutes now. To get to the wound, Freddy had to strip off her combat uniform and her shirt. The Corpsman had taken anatomy classes in the academy so he knew what he was doing. For the most part, it seemed as if this woman's body was identical to a human's. Nestled between her breasts was the bullet wound, slightly angled towards her right breast.

Freddy took some surgical gloves and slid them over his hands. taking a pair of tweezers from his pack, he carefully inserted them into the wound. Sally gasped but Freddy concluded she probably had no idea what was going on. Shock could be a great anescetic, provided the patient didn't regain awareness during an opertation, that would stink. He worked it around a little bit until he found the bullet, nestled in her 3rd rib in the right. He was amazed the bone didn't shatter from the force of impact.

Looks like 7.62 Maybe by 51mm. Carbine round. That would explain a lot. Freddy carefully took an alcohol swab to clean the wound and sprayed some biofoam over it, finally wrapping some dressing around the wound. It would heal eventually, but she would be combat ready post-haste.

The Lieutenant dropped in behind him. "One of the men told me you were down here." His voice was even, but the Corpsman had been around enough Marines to tell that he was concerned. Hell, why shouldn't he be? One of his people had taken a bullet and was still breathing. However, there could be damage, like impaired breathing or a pierced lung. Lot of things could result from a bullet wound.

"She alright?"

"Got her stable. Bullet pinged off her trachea. one inch more to the right and it would have punched through her windpipe, and that wouldn't have been very nice. Combat armor saved her from most of it."

"That it?"

"That and a reinforced sports bra!"

The men laughed. It was Freddy's way of breaking the mood. As a Corpsman, he saw some...interesting things to say the least. The Princess was a minor case, not even major bleeding.

"Alright, let's bring her back."

He slapped her cheeks. "Yoo-Hoo!" The Medic said sing-song.

Her eyes blinked rapidly and her breathing returned to normal.

"Pulse is 120 over 60. Beautiful."

She looked around and soon her eyes locked on the Corpsman.

"Where am I?"

"Easy, Highness. You took a hit. Not serious, but unpleasant."

"AH!" She said trying to sit up. "Hurts like...I don't know what!"

"She alright?" Chris asked.

"First-time gunshot wound. You know that feeling, right?"

"Vividly."

Sally grabbed her midsection. "Where's my shirt?"

"Twenty centimeters to your right, Highness."

"Perv!"

"Hey, if I didn't help you, you would have been taken by shock, then, Target on the Range" That was the "codename" for an incapacitated soldier in the battlefield.

"Highness, listen to the doctor!"

"Damn it, LT! I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic! I'm just lucky that her biology is similar to us. You show me a Sangheili, I'm fucking out!"

"Yeah, if you could get a Sangheili under a knife."

"Look! This isn't helping!" Sally said. "I can still hold a gun if that's what you're asking. Help me up!"

Chris and Freddy grabbed her under the arm. "It's alright. Squeeze my hand if you feel pain."

Freddy let out a silent scream as his fingers were crushed. The Lieutenant was steady though. She protested that she was alright to climb the ladder.

Sally was greeted by clapping Marines, happy to see the princess alive and well. She smiled to herself as even the Humans were smiling. She felt a pinprick on her arm.

"What the...!"

"Relax, just a stimulant." Freddy said. "Soaks into the nervous system. You should be feeling a little jolt."

"Yeah, I do."

"Alright team!" The LT said. "Pow-wow."