(no subject)
Truth be told, Shephard hasn't really been in the field all that many times in his career as a Marine. Black Mesa was his first experience of combat. He survived the trip from the Fair Chance location in the western Pennsylvania wilds with Chell, and he got deployed at the Scab, and he and Chell did air support when the Combine attacked White Forest. That... that's about it. Hunting's not the same. Similar skill set in some ways, yeah, but it's not the same.
Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
They're deploying now, the humans and the ship. PIaDOS is taking them out to the edges of the North Dakota deadzone (far as he's concerned, ND was already a deadzone before the Combine came, but we won't talk about that). Mr. Calhoun's got his squad, and Dr. Freeman's got his, and Shephard... Shephard's got his sister, and a radio link back to the big ol' boat and its big ol' bucket of crazy.
To all Marines, both night and day,
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. He can deal with that.
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Got a PCV in full repair at full charge. Got a helmet. Got a gas mask. Made damn sure Chell had all of the same, not that he knows if she's going to wear that helmet. Got his assault rifle, got his Desert Eagle. Combat knife in the boot, check. Big ol' pipe wrench in case something needs bludgeoning or opening, check. Shield-
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill
Yeah, he got some weird looks for that, bolting a couple of old lengths of belt to the largest, flattest piece of sheet metal he could feasibly sustain on his arm. He doesn't care. Combat veterans have their stories of 'hillbilly armor', pieces of metal fastened to inadequately reinforced vehicles for protection. Way he sees it, he's got an armored vest and that's nice, and so's the helmet, but there's nothing protecting his arms or legs. He'll put up with the extra weight. And he might need that shield at some point for something else anyway, so that's what he's got.
Be thou the shield forevermore
He did his praying already, before he got on the boat. If he doesn't make it out of here alive he's good with the Lord. He's gone over the maps and the data and the speculation and everything else he can think of as many times as his brain will hold. He's all set. But they're still not there yet, and if he doesn't do something while they offload the last of Freeman's unit before the ship punts itself right into the valley of shadow, he's gonna start chewing through the walls. So he drums his fingers against his knees like he used to do, way back before, and he starts singing under his breath:
From every peril to the Corps.
" Something's wrong, shut the light, heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of Snow White
Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragons fire
And of things that will bite…"
Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
They're deploying now, the humans and the ship. PIaDOS is taking them out to the edges of the North Dakota deadzone (far as he's concerned, ND was already a deadzone before the Combine came, but we won't talk about that). Mr. Calhoun's got his squad, and Dr. Freeman's got his, and Shephard... Shephard's got his sister, and a radio link back to the big ol' boat and its big ol' bucket of crazy.
To all Marines, both night and day,
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. He can deal with that.
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Got a PCV in full repair at full charge. Got a helmet. Got a gas mask. Made damn sure Chell had all of the same, not that he knows if she's going to wear that helmet. Got his assault rifle, got his Desert Eagle. Combat knife in the boot, check. Big ol' pipe wrench in case something needs bludgeoning or opening, check. Shield-
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill
Yeah, he got some weird looks for that, bolting a couple of old lengths of belt to the largest, flattest piece of sheet metal he could feasibly sustain on his arm. He doesn't care. Combat veterans have their stories of 'hillbilly armor', pieces of metal fastened to inadequately reinforced vehicles for protection. Way he sees it, he's got an armored vest and that's nice, and so's the helmet, but there's nothing protecting his arms or legs. He'll put up with the extra weight. And he might need that shield at some point for something else anyway, so that's what he's got.
Be thou the shield forevermore
He did his praying already, before he got on the boat. If he doesn't make it out of here alive he's good with the Lord. He's gone over the maps and the data and the speculation and everything else he can think of as many times as his brain will hold. He's all set. But they're still not there yet, and if he doesn't do something while they offload the last of Freeman's unit before the ship punts itself right into the valley of shadow, he's gonna start chewing through the walls. So he drums his fingers against his knees like he used to do, way back before, and he starts singing under his breath:
From every peril to the Corps.
" Something's wrong, shut the light, heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of Snow White
Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragons fire
And of things that will bite…"