name = Myles Barfield
email = golden@chipshot.net
title = Strike of the groundpounders
warnings = 
story =       

"Another day another drop! Line up people and get get ready to fly!" Captain 
Moses Franco never seamed to be afraid, he just yelled orders like they were 
going out of style. Michael Garibaldi was still a rookie, but hearing the 
Captains commands seamed to soothe him. Michael's best friend was standing 
next to him, Luke Lee. Luke was a strong supportive guy A little to preachy 
for Michael but hey he could look past Luke's believes, besides Michael 
needed all the friends he could get.

As the lines started to jump from the small carrier Michaels heart felt as 
though it would leap from his chest. Now it was his turn, Michael took a 
deep breath and made that step off the ramp. Now in a fall straight to the 
ground Michael went over the briefing in his his. Their mission was simple: 

1. Infiltrate the Minbari prisoner camp. 
2. Retrieve all prisoners inside. 
3. Destroy the base. Yep as easy as one, two, three. Michael thought.

As Michael hit the ground with a dull thud he rolled and came up with his 
weapon ready. Alomst imediatly lazer fire and expolsions were everywhere! 
Yet over it all he heard his Captain "Get in formation, they know we are 
hear but we can make it work. Fall back and reform!" Next to Michael was 
John, a good guy he and Michael often hit the bars together, since luke 
would not go into those kind of places! 

They didn't even realy know what they were shooting at, everything was 
dark they could only see the lasers coming at them. Michael heard movement 
behind him, he looked back and there were eight Minbari standing there 
weapons aimed at him and John. John dove toward them and in turn one of 
them dove at John, they collided full speed. The ohters just stood there 
watching as if this were a joke. Michael slowly reached for his weapons 
and then pulled his hand back quickly as one of the Minbari soldiers fired 
at him. The Minbari standing over John now and began beating him with no 
remorse, John did not even look alive anymore, blood was everywhere. The 
Minbari soldier stopped beating on John, stood up and looked at Michael 
and said "Pick him up and follow me" Michael thought of refusing and before 
he could say anything one of the other soldiers hit him on the back of the 
head blood running freely down his back almost imediatly. "Ok, Ok give me a 
minute alright!" Michael said gritting his teeth.

Luke stood in the shadows watching, waiting for the right moment to attack. 
He saw Michael pick John up and start to carry him off. The Minbari soldier 
were surrounding Michael and John, escouting them back to the Minbari base. 
Luke followed telling the Captain where they were every few minutes.

Almost an hour had past, Luke could tell that Michael was getting tired but 
the Minbari did not seam to care. A few minutes later Michael dropped John 
and then he fell to the ground as well. "Get up Human, now!" One of the 
Minbari said. Michael spit at him and said something under his breathe. 
The Minbari walked over to Michael and kicked him on the side of his head. 
Michael dropped to the ground. Another Minbari walked over to Michael while 
the others were talking "You must do as they say, they will kill you if you 
do not." Michael looked up at the Minbari and said "Why do you care, I thought 
you all wanted Humans wiped out of the universe!" The Minbari looked as though 
what Michael said ripped through his soul "Not all Minbari are filled with so 
much hate, you must believe me. Just do as they say, I will do everything I 
can to get you all set free. Trust me, please" Michael did not answer he just 
stared at the Minbari.

"Human I dont want you to have to suffer like this, it is not fare of us to ask 
you to carry your friend. We will take the load off your hands." The Minbari 
soldier that said that walked over to John, held the rifle up to his head and 
pulled the trigger. "I will kill every last one of you!" Michael said as he 
tried to stand to his feet only to be knocked back down again. Feeling as they 
could no longer trust Michael to behave himself the Minbari soldiers tied his 
feet together and his hands together, knocked him back on the ground and drug 
him the rest of the way.

As they stopped for a break before entering the camp, Luke knew he would have 
to move soon but had no idea what he could do. So as always when he was lost 
he began to pray "Father God, I need guidance. Give me a hand hear Lord, you 
say anything we ask for we shall recieve. I'm asking now Lord deliver us from 
this!" Luke sat down for a minute thinking. His communication link sounded 
"Luke hear" Captain Moses came back across "Luke is everything Ok, do you have 
Michael and John yet?" Luke hated to answer "No sir, John is dead Michael is 
pretty beat up but he seams Ok. We are nearly at the base." Moses Came back on 
the communication link "We are fixing to blow the base to pieces, we can't get 
in. I will give you one hour to get out of there, I can not wait any longer Luke. 
Understood?" Luke knew that one hour realy ment thirty minutes or less, took a 
deep breath "Yes sir, understood" As Luke lokked up he saw one of the Minbari 
staring at him through the tree's, he just froze not realy knowing what to do. 
The Minbari soldier raised his hand slowly to his mouth and said "Shhhh!" The 
Mibari put somthing on the ground and walked away. When the coast was clear 
Luke grabbed what the Minbari layed down and opened it, it was writting, very 
crude English it said "b  REdy"

Luke watched patiently thinking about the note from the Minbari, what did it 
mean, was this an ally? Very soon after as Luke was watching the Minbari who 
left the note he saw him get behind all of the others, slowly raise his weapon 
and fire off to the shadows in the opposite dirrection of Luke. "Over there do 
you see them, four maybe five Humans" The Minbari said. One of the others 
ordered the note writting Minbari and one other to stay and gaurd the prisoner 
and the rest went to search. Luke knew this was the time, he charged the other 
Minbari and caught him by suprise one shot through the back of his head! The 
soldier fell to the ground. Michael looked up at Luke "It's about time!" Luke 
looked at the Minbari "Thank you, help me save the other prisoners inside the 
camp." The Minbari's face went pale "They are all dead, once your rescue party 
was spotted they were all executed" Luke's heart came up in his throught "Dear 
God, some of those people were not even soldiers. They were families!" The 
Minbari looked even worse then Luke felt "I know, my people are falling apart. 
You must believes me we are not savages! This whole war is a huge mistake! 
Please go now before the others return."

As Luke was walking away with Michael at his side he heard yelling, then a shot. 
Luke knew the others had returned and killed the Minbari for his ignorance in 
letting the prisoner escape. Luke never even asked the Minbari his name. Soon 
after a loud explosion went off, then another and another. If there were any 
prisoners in the camp they were dead now. The mission was a failier. But after 
meating a Minbari that actualy seamed to have a soul maybe there was hope, 
because maybe there were others like him.

Luke and Michael got to the evacuation ship just in time, the Medics took 
Michael and Luke collapsed in a chair and thanked God for getting them out 
with no further problems.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28    N.I.V.
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