Milo found one of the Zebu 8x8 supply trucks parked nearby, smiling when the truck's commander and his co-driver saluted him. He saluted back, proud of the men still for the moment under his command. They had weathered a lot, but at least for him, they seemed to keep their spirits high.
[i]"What can we do for you, boss?"[/i]
The lightly built supply officer hopped up into the bed of the vehicle, grateful for the shade provided by a canvas cap overhead.
"Hello! Here to pick up a few things. Me and some of the pilots are taking four Wappas to scout ahead; I'll need water, some high-powered binos, a pack of laser relays and a field sonar system. Oh, and maybe a metal detector or two, just a hunch."
The truck crew saluted, and set to work getting together the requested items. They were piled onto an [url=http://i.imgbox.com/6seR7Jlu.png]electric runabout[/url] which the 261st had somehow acquired during the war; a small vehicle seating 2 people and a small amount of cargo, it had a range of perhaps 80 kilometers, and a top speed of about 60, ideal for use in space colonies and large lunar cities, though woefully inadequate for the speeds and distances required for travel on Earth. Though a civilian model, it was light and compact, and was thus also carried aboard Zeon warships for use by crew-members going "ashore". How it had ended up on Earth was anyone's guess; Milo suspected it was some big-shot officer's staff car which had either been discarded as impractical or "borrowed". Whatever its origins, the 261st had used it as a "hack" for ferrying around cargo and personnel, carrying it aboard a supply truck when not in use, as it took up little space. At some point, someone had even seen fit to paint it in splinter pattern desert camouflage rather than its original lime green, and give it thick, knobby off-road tires and suspension.
The little vehicle sagged slightly under the weight of the supplies heaped onto it, and Milo waved to the truck crew as he drove it back toward the Wappas. On his way, he stopped by the Samson he had been riding in earlier, seeing Sergeant Delfin out on the fender, a little tan ball of fluff circling around his feet, squeaking in happiness.
Milo pulled to a stop, grinning.
"I take it she woke up?"
The little fluff-ball stopped, pausing to scratch one of its broad ears with a hind foot and nearly falling over in doing so. Hearing Milo's voice, it perked up, and quickly padded over to the edge of the fender, squeaking.
It leaped, and Milo caught it in his outstretched hands.
Delfin grinned down from the truck.
[i]"Damnedest little pet you have there, sir."[/i] The huge Sergeant said with a grin. [i]"When she's not asleep, or falling asleep, she just runs around! Figured I'd let her outside for some exercise before we had to start rolling again; plus I'd rather her not make a mess in the cab when we can't stop!"[/i]
Milo chuckled, tickling at the little creature, which shrieked and nibbled at his fingers playfully.
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVC5NLAlFUA]Zel[/url], Milo's pet, was a baby fennec fox, part of a litter the 261st had taken on as mascots when their mother had given birth to them in a den under the feet of Milo's Zaku. Sadly, only a few of the curious, noisy and terminally adorable little creatures had survived, but Zel had bonded to Milo nearly as strongly as she had her own mother, and the young supply officer had enjoyed the company of the little fluff-ball, a much needed distraction from the reality of his present situation.
"At least she's easy to clean up after." Milo replied, smiling down at his pet, who was now curling up in his lap, head up and ears swiveling as she surveyed her new surroundings. "Anyway, me and some of the pilots are going to scout ahead on Wappas; say, can you toss me the harness?"
Delfin gave a thumbs up, retreating into the cab and returning with something that looked like a baby's chest sling, tossing it down to Milo. Catching it, the supply officer whistled to Zel, who perked and chirped as she was picked up and loaded into the sling and strapped onto Milo. She nosed up at his chin and then peered out, tail wagging excitedly.
Milo grinned.
"I figure she might like it. See you around!"
Delfin waved as he took off in the runabout, shaking his head.

Milo returned to the Wappas, hopping out of the little vehicle he had arrived in and loading supplies and equipment onto the hover bikes. Everyone had a cantine, but Milo made sure each bike had adequate water and provisions for a full two days; it would not do to have a pilot's vehicle break down and have them stranded without supplies for however long it took for rescue to arrive. They would not be going far, but better to have and not need, as the saying went.
Onto his own bike, Milo strapped a bulky piece of electronic equipment, mounting a rotating parabolic dish to the top of the machine's pintle mount, connected to a backpack-sized metal box by a thick cable. He tested the device and nodded at the image which flashed up on the bike's dashboard-mounted video screen.
The field sonar pack worked something like radar, though it had a much shorter range. It wasn't much, but it could provide an early warning that the mark 1 eyeball might miss.
Also on his bike, Milo mounted another equipment pack, this one looking similar to the backpack-mounted space mine dispensers used by some Mobile Suits. Instead of explosives, however, the dispenser deployed small helicopter-like hovering robots, programmed to keep an altitude above the terrain and hold position against the wind. Equipped with laser detectors and reflectors, they would be deployed every few kilometers behind the Wappas, ensuring a direct laser communication line between the patrol and the convoy.
As he worked, Milo waved to Laytn and McKnight, hopping onto his machine and performing a quick pre-flight check. Everything looked good; slipping on the flight helmet, he clicked on the radio in order to be heard over the whining turbines.
All this done, he fished a tiny pair of motorcycle-rider's goggle out of his pocket, securing them on Zel, who shook her head and looked around, blinking through the lenses.
"Everyone ready to go?"