[b]- Staging Area -[/b]

Corporal Ross whistled, propped up against a nearby railing as he gazed down at their Pelican.

Now [b]this[/b] was a dropship.

Certainly didn't look standard issue. Although considering the circumstances and the detachment, a regular Pelican might have raised a few eyebrows. They were ODST! If they weren't hurtling planet-side in drop pods, they were cruising to the battlefield in the most tricked-out vehicle imaginable.
...
[i]I wonder if they'd let me fly it?[/i]

No, the jar-heads up top would never give control of a ship like that to a marine like himself. He hadn't even picked up his flight certifications yet.
Patrick let out a sigh and looked away from the dropship, letting his eyes wander around the large room. 
Ghost detachment was slowly filtering in. After the last six deaths they'd been rushed a few new recruits. The majority of them were greenhorns, and some of the senior members seemed a bit unhappy about it. 
Everybody had to start somewhere. If trail by combat wasn't the best way to soldier up, he didn't know what else was. He certainly wasn't the longest serving member of the detachment, but at least he had a few battles under his belt.
Patrick reached down and scooped his M45E off of the floor, checking to make sure it was loaded. He had changed into his armour before they'd entered the sector.

Anxiety, mostly.
Plus, he wanted an early look at the craft they'd be traveling in.

Corporal Ross looked up from the shotgun as he heard a new set of voices entered the room. It was the Gunnery Sergeant, followed by one of the Corporals from first squad. The Corporal looked nervous... Maybe he wasn't used to directly speaking to a superior. 
Well, now was the time to learn. The man was still ODST, he just might need an attitude adjustment.
Patrick chuckled to himself, leaning forward onto the railing as another member of second squad approached the Gunnery Sergeant.
The same could be said about him. By some miracle he'd managed to go a few months without stuttering. With any luck it was on the back of everyone else's minds by now.
Speech therapy was helping, but he still tripped during periods of stress. If this happened in combat...
...
Not again, it couldn't happen again.

Patrick shook the thought away, looking back down to the Pelican. 
[i]I really need to get my pelican certs...[/i]