The Two Rico's (Starship Troopers Male Oc)

Together At Last

The roughnecks fight their way down gassed-out tunnels into the bug city. They meet warriors at every turn and kill them. Helmet lamps make weird shadows of dead bugs piled everywhere along the way.

Sugar Watkins: "So what was your brother like before the war?"

Johnny: "He was always calm, kind of a know it all... He was always the cool guy in the room."

Sugar Watkins: "It's hard to imagine him in school."

Johnny: "It's hard to imagine anyone in school now."

Johnny joins Rasczak ,Thomas, Ace and Dizzy as the blow away several warriors guarding the entrance of a large chamber.

The Queens are eight meters long with corpulent bodies and tiny heads. Only one survives, and though she is herself dying, her abdomen, rippled by life within, continues to undulate.

Thomas: "All dead except one, sir."

Rasczak: "Kill the bitch."

Thomas: "Yes, sir."

Thomas signals. Dizzy's pulse cannon rips open the dying queen. Thousands of wriggling premature bugs come spilling out. Horrified, knee deep Roughnecks set them afire.

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At base camp the Fleet engineers unload Prefab Barracks from Hercules cargo boats. As Roughnecks eat. Rasczak stands, banging a spoon on his mess kit.

Rasczak: "Tango Urilla is now bug free. Means the Roughnecks have killed a helluva lotta bugs...!"

Roughnecks cheer. Rasczak kicks open a cargo module. Beer kegs roll out. He kicks open a second module. Inside, musical instruments. Ace picks up a violin.

Rasczak: "I expect the best, but I give the best. Have some fun. That's an order!"

Ace leads a little quartet, playing a sweet fiddle. Roughnecks laugh and dance. Dizzy tries to pull Thomas into the fun.

Dizzy: "C'mon..."

Thomas: "Nah, I don't do that anymore..."

Dizzy: "You used to dance..."

Thomas: "I said no. Want me to pull rank?"

Dizzy: "Well, excuse me sir..."

Dizzy heads back to the others. Thomas turns and finds Rasczak regarding him with an odd, sad smile.

Rasczak: "Thomas you're the best second officer I've ever served with. I remember how that girl used to follow you around campus before you graduated, do you?"

Thomas: "Yes, sir I do."

Rasczak: "You want some advice?"

Thomas: "Yes sir..."

Rasczak: "Never pass up a good thing, eh?"

Gillespie appears.

Gillespie: "Lieutenant, Brigades on the com..."

Rasczak heads away. Thomas join Dizzy.

Thomas: "Hey, Diz..."

Dizzy: "What?"

Thomas takes her hand, bowing impishly.

Thomas: "May I have the honor?"

He pulls her out among the others, and they begin to dance. Johnny watches with a grin as Ace puts some spirit in his fiddle.

Rasczak is in the holo conference with an Intelligence Officer.

Intelligence Officer: "At 0821 we received a distress call from Planet P, priority code, requesting reinforcement..."

Rasczak: "I thought 4th brigade cleaned out p."

Intelligence Officer: "They reported the eradication of a low generation colony a month ago. That's why MICOM wants onsite assessment."

Rasczak: "Sounds more like some idiot at Military Intelligence command wants to get me and my cap troopers killed..."

The Intelligence Officer reddens.

Intelligence Officer: "Take you group down to P and have a look see. Leave the thinking to us, Lieutenant. That's not your job."

Rasczak: "My job is to protect the lives of my soldiers so they can kill bugs, Major, and if you're walking me into a trap-"

Intelligence Officer: "Bugs don't lay traps...They aren't intelligent! Unlike you, they're stupid enough to follow orders!"

Voice: "That'll be all Major. Dismissed."

The officer disappears abruptly. A new hologram appears. Rasczak's jaw drops. It's his former student Carl Jenkins, now a Colonel, weary and pissed off.

Carl: "This conference is over. Do your duty Lieutenant. That's an order."

Rasczak recovers with a stiff salute.

Rasczak: "Yes, sir."

Thomas and Dizzy are making love. The door pops open. Rasczak stands there. Dizzy ducks under the covers. Thomas manages a salute.

Rasczak: "2nd Lieutenant, the Roughnecks are moving out for Planet P immediately. Get yourself squared away and report to Gillespie for logistics."

Thomas: "Yes, sir!"

Rasczak: "Who's that with you?"

Dizzy shows herself, grinning.

Rasczak: "Report in ten minutes."

He slams the door shut on them. They fall back into one another's arms, laughing as they resume lovemaking.

Dizzy: "Planet P? What kind of name is that?"

Thomas: "They ran out of names a long time ago in this part of the galaxy."