Tigre
Lieutenant Colonel
Reged: 02/10/03
Posts: 1833
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Politics of war
#84161 - 02/22/04 12:35 PM (216.130.152.51)
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Captain Malak sat in his cockpit, calm and collected as he felt the deceleration of the dropship. He was a warrior, captain of a company of seasoned warriors. He would do his job. The comm buzzed the "ready to deploy" tones in his ear as the mech bay doors started to grind up. He could see the horizon rising through the opening door as the drop ship settled slowly toward the earth below.
He felt rather than saw as Lt. Rankor lead his scout lance out of the ship before it had fully settled. Too many times in the annals of warfare on Neveron had units been wiped out as their landing zones were over-run prior to defenses being established. The 4 Griffins of the scout lance spread out quickly, jumping from the dropship before it had even landed.
With a soft thud, the dropship crushed the underbrush and came to a stop. "Deploy" was the only command Captain Malak had to utter. As one, the 8 Warhammers of his command thundered towards the nearest ridge. Malak knew that the other two captains with him would even now be moving their companies of Ontos and Sturmfeur tanks out of the dropship. For the next 3 days, until the engineers with their mobile defense towers could arrive, those tanks would have his back. He didn't have to look to see the efficiency of the deployment. Professionals all.
As he directed the deployment of the three companies on the hill, he thought about the situation. One of the empires factioned with that he served had moved its legions to wipe out a feudal unit of some sort. As sometimes occured, many local tribes or clans had risen in a disorganized resistance. Nothing that the well trained legions to which Captain Malak's leige was allied answered couldn't handle. Then a larger power had entered into the fray with no negotiations. Requests for explanation had been sent and apparently ignored. Captain Malak's unit had just come from a fresh garrison assignment, and received orders to deploy.
"Captain," it was his intelligence officer, Lt Bain, "The target city is approximately 24 klicks to the Southeast, there appears no resistance between here and there."
Captain Malak didn't respond. None was necessary. His men were all seasoned veterans. Professionals. They would do their job.
This was what Captain Malak hated most. Waiting. 2 days had passed. The convoy with the partial tower assemblies was a day out, the crews were restless. "Give the order to assemble the mechs," he told his adjutant, Sgt. Stegman "The Red Legion 3rd Heavy moves out in 45 minutes."
Captain Malak climbed into the cockpit of his marauder, Ra, named for the ancient sun god on some distant planet forgotten in time. He felt the warm hum as his engine came to full power under his steady hands. He clicked the tight beam communications on as he walked his mech into position in the attack formation.
"Red One to Heavy 3 lead." His comm crackled.
"Bad timing one," Malak responded, "attack is commencing now"
"Hold the attack Heavy 3 lead," came the voice from hundreds of kilometers away, "there's been a negotiation. Hostilities are ended. You are to set up garrison in your present location to defend the fledgeling 'Hawke Protectorate' until such time as they are established."
Captain Malak didn't question the order. He was a professional. He relayed the order to the rest of his unit and turned his mech back towards the field camp. He resigned himself to months of sitting in the field defending an upstart people as they ascended into the world of neveron politics. Not for the first time, he thanked the gods of Neveron that he was not a politician, and waited for the day he was needed after their efforts failed.
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Posted after some revisions for Esau (though I know my writing pales in comparison.)
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- Tigre
Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est
- Francis Bacon
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Esau
Corporal
Reged: 06/25/02
Posts: 74
Loc: Stevens Point, Wisconsin
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Re: Politics of war
[Re: Tigre]
#84192 - 02/22/04 01:46 PM (24.197.244.193)
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Captains Dinkins and Pride stood on a small gnoll overlooking the city. The New members of the "Hawke Protectorate" could be seen busily preping defenses below. Having been dispatched to help defend them they suddenly realized that they had a nasty suprise on their door step. With only 2 companies of mechs and a few light tanks at hand things looked grim. Pride turned to Dinkins and commented. "Well, never thought it'd end like this." He spat and wiped his chin with his sleeve.
"Yeah, Esau better know what he's doing." Dinkins folded his arms shook his head. Just then, from behind a runner aproached and without speaking handed a paper note to Pride who took it, glanced over it quickly, and with a smile passed it to Dinkins.
"Peace achived, stop, Stand down and hold position, stop, prepare forces for faction assistance, stop."
Dinkins read outloud and shaking his head folded it and put it in his breast pocket. "Ya know, he didn't have to put the 'Stop' in there."
"Yeah, I know, gotta love it though, he's a peice of work." Talic said as they walked back down the hill toward the city and the case of beer that Talic had smuggled along in his Mech.
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I r a m0t0rist!
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