"Anyways my battle brothers are finally back, so I'm ready to head back to my world to check on my other two schmucks, any longer and I fear that they will do something that will cause someone to drop a bunch of nukes on that FOB of ours"
I explained grimacing only to see Hope do the same as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Urghhh don't even start those other three of yours managed to spend a couple of million dollars In one go and that's just for booze and food, I thought you were a nut job but those psychos of yours are even worse!"
Hope couldn't help but complain out loud.
"Well, what can I say It runs in the legion anyways Is there any way to keep the portal open long enough for me to go in and out and grab myself at least a section of cosmic marines for my PMC without you having to go to the other side?"
Hope frowned, considering the question as she started swiping her hand In the air.
"Apparently It's possible, but it will require a lot of energy to keep the portal stable for that duration, my system says that you'll have to sacrifice that reserve fusion core of yours"
Hope explained lazily as she leaned Into her extremely comfortable gamer's chair and stretched her stiff body.
"Alright let's do It then"
I decided without hesitation.
"Umm, what like now?"
Hope asked the obvious.
"Yeah genius"
...
A simple FOB stood in the midst of a desolate landscape.
Two dozen cosmic marines dressed in black field uniforms with rolled-up sleeves and black berets adorned with CMC insignias stood at attention.
Auxiliary personnel, including gunship pilots and gunners, were also present, forming disciplined squares.
In the middle of the square, the flag poles automatic rotor began raising the cosmic marine core flag.
Paul and Robert, along with the squad commanders, saluted the flag. Once the flag was hoisted, Paul gave the command.
"At ease!"
As the marines relaxed their stances, a rift in space and time appeared in the middle of the square between them and the flag.
The air crackled with energy, and out stepped Dracula, his presence commanding immediate attention.
Paul and Robert snapped to attention, but with a smirk, unlike every other cosmic marine and utility personnel whose eyes almost popped out from their sockets.
"Welcome back, you ugly bastard I bet you were having the time of you're life on the other side while we poor peasants were working our asses off In this s*it hole huh?"
MC POV
I returned the salute with my own rebuke.
"Oh please you were having the time of you're life aka f*cking and drinking my money away maybe I should send you two schmucks to face the wall with a firing squad In tow for misuse of military property huh?"
"Then we will file a complaint to general Inspection for slander,"
Robert joked, winking.
Paul nodded a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'd like to see what they would have to say about you overusing you're authority vamp."
Hearing this I laughed out loud together with my battlebrothers.
"Alright enough with the nonsense Introduce me to this s*it hole or whatever this Is that can be passed for as an FOB"
Paul nodded and began the introduction.
"Alright, here's the rundown. We've got three scavenged UNOE dropships, which we took apart In space, put back together on the ground, and converted into dropships/gunships basically we added more guns"
He pointed to the makeshift airstrip where the rugged, utilitarian repurposed dropships full of welding and patchwork marks stood ready.
All around us a network of sandbags and a triangle-shaped trench system formed the outer defenses, flanked by three concrete bunkers armed with heavy automatic laser cannons.
"We've fortified the base with barbed wire, anti-personnel, and anti-tank mines surrounding the perimeter. All these extras were bought with the leftover food that you left and let me say that food of yours Is all the heat back In the flying dragon city I mean for f*cks sake you can buy a f*cking lazer rifle for a g*ddamn biscuit"
Paul continued as I surveyed the base, nodding in approval.
"Excellent work. How many personnel do we have?"
"In total, we have 24 fully armed and ready cosmic marines, not including Robert and me, and 15 auxiliary personnel in the form of mercenary pilots and gunners. That includes the three uncles and Yin and Yang who took apart their gunship so that they could fix one of our dropships"
Paul reported as he did I turned to Robert.
"What about supplies and logistics?"
"We're well-stocked for now, you worrywart. We've set up a supply chain, and our mercenary pilots have been running frequent missions to keep us equipped,"
Robert replied, rolling his eyes, my gaze swept across the cosmic marines and auxiliary personnel.
"And I hope you made sure to Install mini bombs or something else In the auxiliary's brains to keep them from spilling the beans?"
I asked while pointing at the big ass rift In space and time.
"Well duh, do you think we are Idiots or something?"
Robert asked only to hear me say they were.
"Of course, you are, you are a f*cking creon sniffing and eating jarhead just like me why the f*ck do you think we have been together for all these years?"
I asked only to hear Paul make a joke which was perfect for all Infantry grunts.
"Apes strong together!"
"Hahaha..."
We all had a good laugh from It.
"Alright anyways here's the supplies, tell the jarheads and auxies to stuff them up Into whatever serves as a warehouse In here"
I said while extending my palm from which all kinds of preserved food with taken off labels by hired by me freelancers started pouring out one after another to another schock of the new faces.
"You heard the man grab that s*it and take It to the bank's underground vault"
Paul barked causing the men and women to do exactly that.
"Now then get me the second squads commander"
Hearing this Robert turned to a few decimeters over 220 centimeters tall man with a big ass scar running through his right eye and beckoned for him to come over.
"This Is seargent Scar formally the commander of third companies second platoons first squad"
Robert Introduced the man while he snapped to attention and gave me a salute.
"Seargent Scar reporting for duty sir seargent major!"
"At ease"