Post by .:Mike:. on May 7, 2008 23:45:57 GMT
Fifteen LAAT gunships idled their engines as heavily armed troops climbed aboard them. They were designed to take thirty passengers but the troops crammed forty in. Some of them almost hung on the outside of the gunships. It wasn’t like cramming civilians in a transport; these men were heavily armed, some with three weapons on them. There were also fifteen VAAT’s which we much larger than the LAAT’s and slower. More troops mounted the VAAT’s along with numerous variously dressed men. On the watches of every pilot a time ticked down until it reached zero. The clocks and watches beeped and the pilots lifted their craft off the ground and began heading forward.
I was aboard the lead LAAT with the first six-hundred men of Colonel Conti’s legion which consisted of one-thousand men. The other four-hundred were on the VAAT’s with the Ashtok Security Forces which was lead by Jillian who was in the lead VAAT. We haven’t spoken since earlier when that ancient man came to Ashtok to find an associate. I had revealed more than I wanted to, I realized as I thought about it while the LAAT thundered toward Rettok. Below, ground transports carried Colonel Shiring’s legion. They’d attack from the ground, while we’d land from the air. Colonel Smidt’s legion was on Subterrel, keeping the mines in our control.
Our armor was simple enough. Dark grey fatigues, pant legs bloused inwardly half way down black combat boots, and steel helmets with black and grey camouflage covers. The uniforms were made of clothe, which was a fault but the battle dress uniforms (BDU’s) were comfortable and flexible. I have specifically ordered everyman to carry both the X-1 rifle and a blaster carbine in case they ran out of ammunition. They all chose proton carbines as their blaster of choice. One in every four troopers carried both weapons along with a PLX-1 rocket launcher in case they needed explosive firepower. The security forces were a different story though. Unlike us, they wore colorful heavy and medium armors and carried light weight blaster rifles that looked like a slug thrower. They called it the A-13.
It didn’t take long after we flew over the eastern boundaries of Rettok before we started taking small arms fire from below. I could see skinny, blue skinned, aquatic-like creatures firing up at us. Those must be Rutanians, I thought to myself, remembering what Jillian had told me about Senalians and Rutanians. The guns on the gunships began firing back down as they began their descent. The VAAT’s followed, trying their best not to get hit as their armor was thinner than the LAAT armor. The LAAT’s slowly circled the first enemy contact positions, mainly around a circular building with a dome of a roof as they descended. The VAAT’s stayed high, trying to stay out of the reach of the fire.
Before the gunships touched down, I had jumped out onto the deck of Rettok. My X-1 was already in hand and shouldered ready to fire. A few troops followed me and others waited until the craft had touched down to get out. Almost immediately fire came upon us. I crouched and aimed down the bore sights of my X-1, picking off targets on semi-auto. A squad of troopers went off to the right and a platoon to the left. Slowly but efficiently, the troopers began making a landing zone for the VAAT’s. Six-hundred men pushing outwards into an unknown urban jungle with no support but the brother standing beside him and the brothers circling above.
We weren’t taking any losses yet, but I knew there were some to come. Not having casualties in urban warfare is like saying you can breath when your head is severed from your body – it just doesn’t happen. I saw a tall rectangular building which stood on one of the small sides, reaching high into the air for several stories. I had roughly fifty men with me going down this section. I halted them with a raised fist and arm bent at ninety degrees. They stopped and knelt just like me. I turned, yelling so that all troopers in my group could hear me. ”Sharpshooter! Over here!” I didn’t have to wait for any amount of time. Before I even gave him the orders I want he was already at my side behind a low wall of rubble scoping out the target building with his scoped X-1.
”I got nothing, Sir. You need to draw ‘em out.” His voice was calm and collected. I smirked and turned to a squad of roughly six troopers who were crouched behind an outcropping in the building next to us. I pointed at them with my right index finger and swiftly pointed it to the sky and twirled it in a circular motion twice. The six men got the message and ran over. As they ran my hand swiftly moved off to my side, pointing to a group of soldiers who had PLX-1’s. I motioned them to me by moving my fingers back and forth. The first group got to me and gave them their orders.
”You six are going to be the rats in a little experiment. I need you to move into the fields of fire of those windows on that building to draw out the sons of bitches inside.” I could tell they weren’t too thrilled about it but they didn’t complain. They accepted the mission and prepared themselves as I turned to the second group I had called over. ”Get your rockets out. When that building opens up, blow the fuckers up! Understand?” They smiled and chuckled.
”Fucking OORAH!” I chuckled and turned back to the building. ‘Oorah’ had become our form of saying ‘hell yeah.’ It was our own little thing and has been since we took down Dagota when Colonel Conti had first said it. The saying stuck and soon when he was promoted to Colonel, Conti had his entire legion saying it. The troopers did as they were ordered and readied their rocket launchers. I gave the go and the six soldiers in the first group ran out into the open in front of the building. Every window opened up on them. Red blaster bolts came down in hordes upon them. One got hit instantly in the shoulder. Blood exploded from his shoulder blade and he screamed. His brothers in arms grabbed him and began dragging him back to us. I waved my hand forward once with my index finger and middle finger pointed toward the building. The troopers behind me fired their rockets at the support columns that held up the front section of the building.
The rockets detonated on impact and blew the columns to shreds. The building screeched as stone and metal began to shift. Suddenly, the first section just dropped. Dust went everywhere, covering everything for a fifty meter radius. The six troopers had gotten back, five of them carrying the wounded one. The rocket troopers reloaded and the sharpshooter began picking off Rutanians inside the now exposed building. I regrouped the force around me and put them in positions to ward off counter-attacks. I crouched behind some rubble from the collapsed wall and got on the radio, contacting everyone. ”L.Z. clear! Ready for vaits!”
”Okay. We’ll be down in a second.” I could tell who it was. The feminine voice belonged to Jillian. I looked back, seeing the VAAT’s descending to the deck.
”Shiring! I need you to go south when you hit our side of the bridge. Be prepared for heavy casualties. It’s the shit out here, man.”
”Roger that, Sir. Heading south now.”
I turned back to the rear, seeing some ASF’s running up. When they reached me, I realized that Jillian was with them. She didn’t wear their armor, instead wearing a grey tank-top and black pants which were bloused inwardly half way down her boots, just like mine. She panted and stared at me without a word. I motioned for them to crouch, and the fifteen or so of them followed along like dogs. ”Here’s the deal. ASF’s will follow us, not too close not too far. The fuckers are crawling all over this fucking city.” My eyes stopped on Jillian’s. She must have seen something inside me, the animal, the beast because she looked away and began fiddling with her rifle.
I turned around and before anyone could say anything else, I was moving down the roadway with a group of my troopers. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Jillian was staring and sluggishly moving her force up behind ours. The sharpshooter was moving next to me, scanning the area and rooftops. ”Shit poor security.” I didn’t laugh, it was soldier humor – combat humor. You didn’t laugh, you simply took it and all laughing was done afterwards when the battle was over.
”Shit, you even have to say anything? Chick’s fucking hot though – makes up for it.” We came up to a building just then, the end of the roadway. The building flashed brightly and soon red blaster bolts were skipping around all around us. Several guys got hit and dropped to the ground with grunts of pain. The sharpshooter who was to my right put his shoulder into my chest and we both went down behind an outcropping of a wall. Blaster fire cut through the area we were just in. He leaned out and began scoping in on targets and systematically taking them out. Mean while I was ordering the others to move into certain positions while firing my X-1 on full automatic at the building.
A few soldiers moved up behind some rubble. Another went ahead of them but was cut down. A rocket was fired and slammed into his left leg and exploded. His leg was decimated and his right leg hung uselessly on shreds of skin. He screamed in pain and writhed on the deck. The fire was overwhelming and all I could think about was the final battle at Tatooine. Then my thoughts turned to my father as I watched the young sixteen year old writhe on the deck in immense pain. Without a second thought, I rushed out with a sprint. Blaster bolts smashed into walls and the deck all around me, many narrowly missing me by millimeters. I reached the kid and picked him up, ignoring the blood spilling all over my grey uniform. I carried him, under heavy fire back to the outcropping and called for an ASF medic to come. When he hesitated I looked in his direction.
The medic saw me and sluggishly made his way, taking his time and trying not to get shot. That’s not how medics should operate I thought to myself. They should rush in and get to the wounded BEFORE they fucking die. The medic finally got to the soldier but it was too late. The loss of blood had taken it’s toll and the trooper was now dead. I punched the wall beside me when the sharpshooter spoke up. ”Hey Sir, I see a large square beam running up through the building. It’s in the middle of the lobby; seems to run through all floors.”
”Support beam. That fucker is coming down one way or another.” It was too far for an accurate rocket shot. I’d have to send my troops in closer for the ones with rockets to take a good shot. My only thought was preserving their lives though, so that wasn’t an option. I ran over to one of the rocket troopers and kneeled next to him, taking cover behind some rubble. ”That thing loaded?” The trooper turned his head, still firing his X-1.
”Yes, Sir.”
”Good. Give it to me and stay down.” He gave me a funny look but did as he was directed. I left my X-1 and Proton Carbine with the soldier and only took the rocket. I put it on my shoulder and locked the rocket in place, making it ready to fire at a moments notice. I took a deep breath, looking back at my troopers who were trying to stay calm under the intense pressure of the heavy fire. I exhaled, and got up to a sprint. I ran as fast as I could towards the building, getting to within forty meters of it before sliding on my right knee to a stop. I raised the PLX-1 on my right shoulder and aimed it at the support beam. Less than a second after I pulled the trigger and the rocket shot forward. A blaster bolt smashed into my left arm, dropping me backwards with a grunt. I picked my head up, not feeling a single ting of pain. The rocket flew in through the doors and hit it’s mark. The support beam shattered and slowly the building began to crumble. Dust filled the air for minutes as the building collapsed in on itself and killed everyone inside.
I got to my feet, the firefight being over and started to laugh. The soldiers under my command walked up and laughed with me, some patting me on the back yet all giving compliments. Jillian and ASF’s came up afterwards and stayed silent. The medic had a black eye, I noticed. The guy was lucky he wasn’t dead. The sharpshooter must have done it after I ran out to take out the building. I looked around for the sharpshooter but couldn’t find him. It wasn’t until I looked back at the outcropping that we had taken cover behind that I saw his helmet laying in the rubble. My heart sank and my mood darkened. I jogged over to find his head missing. The Rutanians had used high powered rifles, rifles that could take a man’s head off apparently.
Anger built up inside me and I sprinted over to Jillian, who was in a corner. I pushed her deeper into it and yelled in her face more forcefully than I had intended. ”What the fuck type of rifle are they using?” I could tell I had scared her. She shook and her eyes began to tear up. She had seen what true battle was and she wasn’t able to handle it yet.
”Th..they use the same rifle we do. It’s powered by water crystals which is why it has so much power. They only use it for snipers though. It’s the only weapons we have so we use it for standard infa…”
”That would have sure been nice to fucking know before we volunteered to use these fucking weapons!” She shrank in the corner, curling into a ball and began to cry. I was in combat mode; I had no feelings. I was about to say something that I would later realize I would have regretted saying when loud cracks filled the air. I looked up to see five horse-shoe looking ships exit hyperspace and descend to roughly 20,000 feet. Then dots, transports, began to come out of the ships. The Rutanians had a secret droid army, and now I was about to see what my men could do. I turned back to Jillian. ”Cry later. Things are about to get ugly. I suggest you get your ASF’s back to Ashtok. It’ll be safer for you there. Leave the warriors to do their jobs.”
”No! I’m not going to go back!”
”All ASF’s are to report back to Ashtok immediately.” The ASF’s nodded, dull with what they had seen and turned around and walked back to the LZ to get picked up by the VAAT’s. I turned to Jillian, again she saw something in my eyes to where she couldn’t look at them.”If you wanna stay, then you’ll be on my ass the entire time, is that understood?”
”You’re not my father, I’ll do what I want!”
”You have no fucking idea what this is do you? This is a full fucking invasion and the only ones with any power to stop it are the men you see here! If you stay with us, you’ll do thing MY way! If not, good luck trying to live.” It hit home. She nodded and lowered her head, sauntering back to the corner and shrinking down inside it again, sobbing. I couldn’t help her, it wasn’t my place at that time. The only thing I could do was get my men ready for the onslaught to come.
I was aboard the lead LAAT with the first six-hundred men of Colonel Conti’s legion which consisted of one-thousand men. The other four-hundred were on the VAAT’s with the Ashtok Security Forces which was lead by Jillian who was in the lead VAAT. We haven’t spoken since earlier when that ancient man came to Ashtok to find an associate. I had revealed more than I wanted to, I realized as I thought about it while the LAAT thundered toward Rettok. Below, ground transports carried Colonel Shiring’s legion. They’d attack from the ground, while we’d land from the air. Colonel Smidt’s legion was on Subterrel, keeping the mines in our control.
Our armor was simple enough. Dark grey fatigues, pant legs bloused inwardly half way down black combat boots, and steel helmets with black and grey camouflage covers. The uniforms were made of clothe, which was a fault but the battle dress uniforms (BDU’s) were comfortable and flexible. I have specifically ordered everyman to carry both the X-1 rifle and a blaster carbine in case they ran out of ammunition. They all chose proton carbines as their blaster of choice. One in every four troopers carried both weapons along with a PLX-1 rocket launcher in case they needed explosive firepower. The security forces were a different story though. Unlike us, they wore colorful heavy and medium armors and carried light weight blaster rifles that looked like a slug thrower. They called it the A-13.
It didn’t take long after we flew over the eastern boundaries of Rettok before we started taking small arms fire from below. I could see skinny, blue skinned, aquatic-like creatures firing up at us. Those must be Rutanians, I thought to myself, remembering what Jillian had told me about Senalians and Rutanians. The guns on the gunships began firing back down as they began their descent. The VAAT’s followed, trying their best not to get hit as their armor was thinner than the LAAT armor. The LAAT’s slowly circled the first enemy contact positions, mainly around a circular building with a dome of a roof as they descended. The VAAT’s stayed high, trying to stay out of the reach of the fire.
Before the gunships touched down, I had jumped out onto the deck of Rettok. My X-1 was already in hand and shouldered ready to fire. A few troops followed me and others waited until the craft had touched down to get out. Almost immediately fire came upon us. I crouched and aimed down the bore sights of my X-1, picking off targets on semi-auto. A squad of troopers went off to the right and a platoon to the left. Slowly but efficiently, the troopers began making a landing zone for the VAAT’s. Six-hundred men pushing outwards into an unknown urban jungle with no support but the brother standing beside him and the brothers circling above.
We weren’t taking any losses yet, but I knew there were some to come. Not having casualties in urban warfare is like saying you can breath when your head is severed from your body – it just doesn’t happen. I saw a tall rectangular building which stood on one of the small sides, reaching high into the air for several stories. I had roughly fifty men with me going down this section. I halted them with a raised fist and arm bent at ninety degrees. They stopped and knelt just like me. I turned, yelling so that all troopers in my group could hear me. ”Sharpshooter! Over here!” I didn’t have to wait for any amount of time. Before I even gave him the orders I want he was already at my side behind a low wall of rubble scoping out the target building with his scoped X-1.
”I got nothing, Sir. You need to draw ‘em out.” His voice was calm and collected. I smirked and turned to a squad of roughly six troopers who were crouched behind an outcropping in the building next to us. I pointed at them with my right index finger and swiftly pointed it to the sky and twirled it in a circular motion twice. The six men got the message and ran over. As they ran my hand swiftly moved off to my side, pointing to a group of soldiers who had PLX-1’s. I motioned them to me by moving my fingers back and forth. The first group got to me and gave them their orders.
”You six are going to be the rats in a little experiment. I need you to move into the fields of fire of those windows on that building to draw out the sons of bitches inside.” I could tell they weren’t too thrilled about it but they didn’t complain. They accepted the mission and prepared themselves as I turned to the second group I had called over. ”Get your rockets out. When that building opens up, blow the fuckers up! Understand?” They smiled and chuckled.
”Fucking OORAH!” I chuckled and turned back to the building. ‘Oorah’ had become our form of saying ‘hell yeah.’ It was our own little thing and has been since we took down Dagota when Colonel Conti had first said it. The saying stuck and soon when he was promoted to Colonel, Conti had his entire legion saying it. The troopers did as they were ordered and readied their rocket launchers. I gave the go and the six soldiers in the first group ran out into the open in front of the building. Every window opened up on them. Red blaster bolts came down in hordes upon them. One got hit instantly in the shoulder. Blood exploded from his shoulder blade and he screamed. His brothers in arms grabbed him and began dragging him back to us. I waved my hand forward once with my index finger and middle finger pointed toward the building. The troopers behind me fired their rockets at the support columns that held up the front section of the building.
The rockets detonated on impact and blew the columns to shreds. The building screeched as stone and metal began to shift. Suddenly, the first section just dropped. Dust went everywhere, covering everything for a fifty meter radius. The six troopers had gotten back, five of them carrying the wounded one. The rocket troopers reloaded and the sharpshooter began picking off Rutanians inside the now exposed building. I regrouped the force around me and put them in positions to ward off counter-attacks. I crouched behind some rubble from the collapsed wall and got on the radio, contacting everyone. ”L.Z. clear! Ready for vaits!”
”Okay. We’ll be down in a second.” I could tell who it was. The feminine voice belonged to Jillian. I looked back, seeing the VAAT’s descending to the deck.
”Shiring! I need you to go south when you hit our side of the bridge. Be prepared for heavy casualties. It’s the shit out here, man.”
”Roger that, Sir. Heading south now.”
I turned back to the rear, seeing some ASF’s running up. When they reached me, I realized that Jillian was with them. She didn’t wear their armor, instead wearing a grey tank-top and black pants which were bloused inwardly half way down her boots, just like mine. She panted and stared at me without a word. I motioned for them to crouch, and the fifteen or so of them followed along like dogs. ”Here’s the deal. ASF’s will follow us, not too close not too far. The fuckers are crawling all over this fucking city.” My eyes stopped on Jillian’s. She must have seen something inside me, the animal, the beast because she looked away and began fiddling with her rifle.
I turned around and before anyone could say anything else, I was moving down the roadway with a group of my troopers. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Jillian was staring and sluggishly moving her force up behind ours. The sharpshooter was moving next to me, scanning the area and rooftops. ”Shit poor security.” I didn’t laugh, it was soldier humor – combat humor. You didn’t laugh, you simply took it and all laughing was done afterwards when the battle was over.
”Shit, you even have to say anything? Chick’s fucking hot though – makes up for it.” We came up to a building just then, the end of the roadway. The building flashed brightly and soon red blaster bolts were skipping around all around us. Several guys got hit and dropped to the ground with grunts of pain. The sharpshooter who was to my right put his shoulder into my chest and we both went down behind an outcropping of a wall. Blaster fire cut through the area we were just in. He leaned out and began scoping in on targets and systematically taking them out. Mean while I was ordering the others to move into certain positions while firing my X-1 on full automatic at the building.
A few soldiers moved up behind some rubble. Another went ahead of them but was cut down. A rocket was fired and slammed into his left leg and exploded. His leg was decimated and his right leg hung uselessly on shreds of skin. He screamed in pain and writhed on the deck. The fire was overwhelming and all I could think about was the final battle at Tatooine. Then my thoughts turned to my father as I watched the young sixteen year old writhe on the deck in immense pain. Without a second thought, I rushed out with a sprint. Blaster bolts smashed into walls and the deck all around me, many narrowly missing me by millimeters. I reached the kid and picked him up, ignoring the blood spilling all over my grey uniform. I carried him, under heavy fire back to the outcropping and called for an ASF medic to come. When he hesitated I looked in his direction.
The medic saw me and sluggishly made his way, taking his time and trying not to get shot. That’s not how medics should operate I thought to myself. They should rush in and get to the wounded BEFORE they fucking die. The medic finally got to the soldier but it was too late. The loss of blood had taken it’s toll and the trooper was now dead. I punched the wall beside me when the sharpshooter spoke up. ”Hey Sir, I see a large square beam running up through the building. It’s in the middle of the lobby; seems to run through all floors.”
”Support beam. That fucker is coming down one way or another.” It was too far for an accurate rocket shot. I’d have to send my troops in closer for the ones with rockets to take a good shot. My only thought was preserving their lives though, so that wasn’t an option. I ran over to one of the rocket troopers and kneeled next to him, taking cover behind some rubble. ”That thing loaded?” The trooper turned his head, still firing his X-1.
”Yes, Sir.”
”Good. Give it to me and stay down.” He gave me a funny look but did as he was directed. I left my X-1 and Proton Carbine with the soldier and only took the rocket. I put it on my shoulder and locked the rocket in place, making it ready to fire at a moments notice. I took a deep breath, looking back at my troopers who were trying to stay calm under the intense pressure of the heavy fire. I exhaled, and got up to a sprint. I ran as fast as I could towards the building, getting to within forty meters of it before sliding on my right knee to a stop. I raised the PLX-1 on my right shoulder and aimed it at the support beam. Less than a second after I pulled the trigger and the rocket shot forward. A blaster bolt smashed into my left arm, dropping me backwards with a grunt. I picked my head up, not feeling a single ting of pain. The rocket flew in through the doors and hit it’s mark. The support beam shattered and slowly the building began to crumble. Dust filled the air for minutes as the building collapsed in on itself and killed everyone inside.
I got to my feet, the firefight being over and started to laugh. The soldiers under my command walked up and laughed with me, some patting me on the back yet all giving compliments. Jillian and ASF’s came up afterwards and stayed silent. The medic had a black eye, I noticed. The guy was lucky he wasn’t dead. The sharpshooter must have done it after I ran out to take out the building. I looked around for the sharpshooter but couldn’t find him. It wasn’t until I looked back at the outcropping that we had taken cover behind that I saw his helmet laying in the rubble. My heart sank and my mood darkened. I jogged over to find his head missing. The Rutanians had used high powered rifles, rifles that could take a man’s head off apparently.
Anger built up inside me and I sprinted over to Jillian, who was in a corner. I pushed her deeper into it and yelled in her face more forcefully than I had intended. ”What the fuck type of rifle are they using?” I could tell I had scared her. She shook and her eyes began to tear up. She had seen what true battle was and she wasn’t able to handle it yet.
”Th..they use the same rifle we do. It’s powered by water crystals which is why it has so much power. They only use it for snipers though. It’s the only weapons we have so we use it for standard infa…”
”That would have sure been nice to fucking know before we volunteered to use these fucking weapons!” She shrank in the corner, curling into a ball and began to cry. I was in combat mode; I had no feelings. I was about to say something that I would later realize I would have regretted saying when loud cracks filled the air. I looked up to see five horse-shoe looking ships exit hyperspace and descend to roughly 20,000 feet. Then dots, transports, began to come out of the ships. The Rutanians had a secret droid army, and now I was about to see what my men could do. I turned back to Jillian. ”Cry later. Things are about to get ugly. I suggest you get your ASF’s back to Ashtok. It’ll be safer for you there. Leave the warriors to do their jobs.”
”No! I’m not going to go back!”
”All ASF’s are to report back to Ashtok immediately.” The ASF’s nodded, dull with what they had seen and turned around and walked back to the LZ to get picked up by the VAAT’s. I turned to Jillian, again she saw something in my eyes to where she couldn’t look at them.”If you wanna stay, then you’ll be on my ass the entire time, is that understood?”
”You’re not my father, I’ll do what I want!”
”You have no fucking idea what this is do you? This is a full fucking invasion and the only ones with any power to stop it are the men you see here! If you stay with us, you’ll do thing MY way! If not, good luck trying to live.” It hit home. She nodded and lowered her head, sauntering back to the corner and shrinking down inside it again, sobbing. I couldn’t help her, it wasn’t my place at that time. The only thing I could do was get my men ready for the onslaught to come.
