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The Loss
Posted By: Prison Guy<jtcarey@awod.com>
Date: 28 July 2000, 5:46 pm
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Author's Note-
***
This story is somewhat like the movie Gladiator, which is like the Roman myth, Cincinatus. I assume you have read the book Ringworld. The Cov flycycles are called 'Ghosts', I have heard contradictory reports on this, but I like the name 'Ghosts', so there. I hope you enjoy it.
-[MH]PrisonGuy
The batthered marine slowly opened his eyes, wondering, where he was, when he was, and who he was. He slowly pulled himself up, and saw it... The battle field, now he remembered. He was a marine, this was the is the largest battle ever, and this is the great plain. So as he started to move around he took inventory of his body parts and equipment. He was in one piece, but some of his weapons were gone. He had 1 of his 2 pistols, no Assult Rifle, and no anti-Tank missle launcer. He had plenty of ammo, and his equipment was working. So he called out on his radio, "Hello! Anyone else alive?" But it wasn't working. He let out a small "Ah shit." under his breath. Mabey he could use one of the dead... No, that wouldn't be right, The he saw it, a jeep, with it's front all smashed up. It had driven into a smouldering crater. So he walked over to it, and checked the number. '015' "Thats my jeep." he thought. He could see a bloodied and mudied body slumped over the wheel. But where was the gunner? He couldn't wory about that right now, he had to save his ass. He hauled himself into his position as shotgun, and looked at the raidio, it was in one piece. "Hello! WHere is everyone? Where should I be? over"
"OK. Hi. We have a transport in the hills. They will be launching a flare every ten minutes or so. over"
"Thanks. over and out" He got out and sat down on the end of the jeep. He finally realized the magnitude of the battle. There were bodies everywhere, Human, Cov, and those golden armidillo thingies. "What were the called? ah, isn't important." He could see medics tending to the wounded. "Well, at least that means more than one survivor." he thought. He also took in the scope of the battlefield itself. A large plain. Hills starboard. Plains to port and anti-spinward. With a large lake spinward. Then he saw it, the flare, rising up from between the two largest hills. So he got up, and went on his way. it appeared to be a good distance away, but easily walkable. When he was on the edge of the hills, he saw the large transport. "Well, they'll probably have a lot of empty sapce in there." and he continued walking, then he stepped into somethimg mushy. He thought it was just mud, but when he looked down, his boot was on top of a severed hand with the pin of a grenade around his finger. He sighed, and continued on his way.
He stpped into the open end of the transport, it was half empty. It was designed to hold 80, plus crew. As he walked the aisle front, he nodded in greetings to other marines, sometimes letting out a grunt that resembled a "hey". Well, "the piolets were nice", he thought as he looked over the keg of beer they kindly brought along. It was hard to come by, but they pulled through. He got himself a cup, a filled it to the edge. He was about to drink, when he realized "Helmet". He walked to an empty area of the transport, and sat down. He pulled off his helmet, and dumped his gear next to him, and began to drink.
After about 15 minutes of a waiting, a voice came over the loudspeaker. "This is your captian speaking." This was met by 'Boos' from the passengers. "What? What did I say. Oh well I'll never know. Anyway, we are now departing for Vesus, so hold on tight." THe transport lurched forward, and was off. "Vesus," he thought. "Why not Oster? Well I'll ask when we get there."
It was a 25 minute flight to Vesus, and a bumby one at that. He fell asleep afer 5 minutes, with much diffculty.
The transport lurched to a stop, and the rear doors opened, the troops slowly disembarked. "I'm going to find out why they Booed the Piolet." he thought. Everyone slowly made their way to the De/Briefing room, when people were done entering, the room was still only half full.
"People!" Said the the colonel Wills. "Please settle down!" The room finaly fell silent when he pounded his fist on a nearby podium. "For a small group you're pretty rowdy. But, I know why, as do most of you. The attack os Oster came as a greatshock to us all, so after much deliberation, we have decided to relocate the population of the other 2 cities here. I will make this brief. Of the known 350 military personel 113 were killed defending Oster. From what we know only 5 Marines that were from Oster survived the combined assult of that city. As you know we sent all marines from Oster to the front, along with additional personel from the other 3 cities." It was there that his voice cracked. Of all the falans on this god damned piece of scrith he had never seen Wills so much as flinch. Wills turned and left, then some aid said we should go. Some sat there, in shock. Including himself. He was the last one there. He would have stayed there, if it wasn't for the familliar voice that he heard. "Rick! Hey! I heard the bad news. I assume they were..." Her voice trailed off.
"Yeah Nikki, they were there."
"Im so sorry. Well you still got me. Come on, let's get some chow."
"Yeah, let's." Nikki was the only other person he cared about, apart from... Oh his life was screwed. God, why me? Why them?
Rick and Nikki got there food and sat across from each other. The cafateria was quiet, and they wer'nt about to change that. T hings were just fine untill...
"Oh yeah, we taught those bitches a lesson! Mess with the humans, and we kick your ass!"
Rick got up and dumped his food off the metal tray. "Rick what the hell you think you doing? Oh no, not here. Oh crap." Rick stalked slowly towards the boistrous artilery soldier. He was now sitting, everyone was allready with their backs to him. Rick wacked the soldier squarly on his head with the metal tray. He grabed the stunned man by the collar and turned him around and punched him in the jaw at least 3 times. He picked up the dented tray, dumped it in the kitchen, and walked to the door.
Once outside Rick walked around the compound. When he started it was broad daylight.
He felt something grab his shoulder, he grabed it, fliped it over his back, and pulled 1 of his pistols, and aimed it right at the things head. "Rick for god's sake calm the hell down!" He looked, it was Nikki, and it was dark out. There was an anoucement on the PA system.
"Will all millitary personel who fought in todays battle assemble in the briefing room."
"There Rick we have to get moving. And why the hell did you attack me?"
"Sorry Nikki, my mind was wandering." They made their way silently to the briefing room. When they arrived they took seats in the front row, and sat silently.
Then Wills walked in, "We have recovered only a few tapes from the deceased marines, we will show them now. After you will recive squad assignments, and sleeping quarters. Roll it!" The screen showed various fights from a helmets point of view. The one cought his eye, a marine with a knife in one hand, and a grenade in the other. He was under about five Covs hacking them up, but beging killed himself, blood splattered on the lense, blood on the knife, hands arms, grenade. The view held on the grenade, and thats when he pulled the pin, and stopped fighting. It was the last film, and the lights came up. Wills took center stage again. "We were prepared for this unification, but not the assult on Oster. So this may get confusing, but it should work. All soldiers with family will stay in a seperate area of the civilian compund, the rest will be in normal barracks. You will find your sqaud assignments on your assigned bunks. Dismissed! But I would like all people from Oster to remian." Everyone left except for Rick, Nikki, and 2 other men. Where was the 5th? "You may be wondering where the 5th is. Well, he died in surgury. You 4 will make up a squad. And since I fell sory for you, I'll let you chose your leader. Write who you want on the screen at your seat." After a second or 2, he continued. "Well, it's unanimous. Rick, you just got promoted, captian." He saluted.
Rick jumped to his feet, saluted, and said, "Thanks!"
"Now get to the barracks, you 4 have a block assigned to you sice you're 1 squad. Dismissed!"
Nikki, Rick, and the other 2 Oster marines solemly made their way too the barracks, and settled into their 4 bunks.
When Rick finaly fell into a shallow and trroubled sleep all he could think about was his family. No, no the can't. Why? His son killed when a cov scout attacked a group of refugees from the Pillar Of Autum. And now his wife and daughter killed in the Cov assult on Oster. He sat up suddenly in bed. He knew that, simpley put, his life was meaningless. He colapsed and fell into a deep sleep.
***
Rick, Nikki, and another Oster marine were in a jeep heading spinward tward the end of a path that led to the entrance of Crom. The 4th was positioned on a hill anti-spinward of them. They were being persued by the demolition squad of an assult force sent to destroy Crom. The 5 Covs were on Ghosts. 4's sniper fire wasn't extremely helpful, but it was better than gining the Covs nuclear warheads. Even from this distance the report of the high powered rifle. The 3rd was the gunner on the jeep, and was reporting all he saw, Nikki was riding shotgun, and Rick was driving. The turret gun was extremely low on ammo, 150 rounds or less. The also had an anti-aircraft missle launcher, an assult rifle (300 Rounds), and a total of 5 pistols. 3 wouild let loose a burst from the turret whenever he had an advantageous position. they were almost out of range of 5's sniper fire, it was then that a Cov's head exploded, and that send his Ghost into a short dive where the bike fliped, and totaled the Ghost behind it, 2 down, 3 to go. Then, which turned this moment into a total senseory overload, the ground heaved, and the mountain that as once Crom, exploded, sending rubble high into the false atmosphere of the ring construct. The explosion must have also been a suprise to the Covs, since one, while trying to turn around in his seat, spun his Ghost around, and crashed it into a tree. The resulting explosion sent the century-old tree into a road block. "Hold on!!!" yelled Rick. The jeep hit the tree and clambered over it, but the shock was enough to send 3 flying out of the gun turret. The ghosts gunned him down instantly. The ghosts tried, but were not able to climb over the fallen tree. Rick hit the brake, and sent the jeep into a spin. Nikkii leaned out and fired off their AA missile, which destroyed one Ghost, but also destroyed the tree, which let the last Ghost follow them. But they weren't about to give up, Rick grabbed the Assult rifle, and a pistol and opened fire at the oncoming ghost. The Cov swerved to miss the jeep, and Nikki jumped into the turret, and oopened fire on the now turning Ghost, bullet after bullet hit the front of the Ghost, but to no avail. Now the Cov opened fire, turning the jeep's engine into expensive slag. As the Ghost passed again, Nikki jumped out of the turret, onto the Ghost, she unholstered her pistol, and pumped 3 slugs into the Covs head.
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