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Author	Topic: Forward Under Fire -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/23/05 3:46pm Subject: Forward Under Fire -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure - Date Edited: 9/11/05 10:09pm (1 edits total) Edited By: young_zev
	Overview: While the starfighter jocks and Jedi got all the glory, the ranks of tank troopers slogged through the mud to finish the job. The 606th Walker Battalion ("The Sand Panthers") takes a dangerous mission to escort a contingent of Galactic Marines across the hostile canyons of Aon. With no Jedi to help them, it's going to be up to the grit, bravery and determination of the clone brothers to make it to their objective and live to tell the story. -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/23/05 4:51pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure - Date Edited: 7/23/05 5:01pm (2 edits total) Edited By: young_zev
	The Yar Nebula 2 Years, 6 months After the Battle of Geonosis In the great staging hold of the old Acclamator-class star cruiser, Captain Fynn yawned nervously. He immediately regretted it, as the yawn was picked up by CT-6712 and then CT-04, and then Rook, and then Fiver and all the way down the line. It happened a lot among the clones. They all learned to suppress laughter and yawns while on Kamino, but both had a way of emerging anyway. Captain Fynn looked behind him at the profiles of twenty monstrous AT-TE tanks, bristling with weaponry. He knew each one by heart, as if they were his children. He’d been commanding the 606th Walker Battalion, “The Sand Panthers,” for about six months. Five months, two weeks and two days, he reminded himself. The Battalion had been formerly headed by Major CT-8011/4188, but good old Double-Eight had gotten himself vaporized on Aargonar, and command had been transferred to Fynn. There just weren’t any replacement Majors to be had. The casualties of the last two and a half years had obliterated the officer ranks. Fynn knew that if a new Major ever showed up, he’d be younger and less experienced, from a newer batch of clones. The whole battalion felt a little ambivalent about it. They’d been assigned to the 327th Star Corps, as part of Walker Brigade Alpha, and seen their fair share of battles. Now, they awaited a new mission briefing, gathered in the massive cargo hold of the Solitude, an old Acclamator-class landing ship. The vehicle was one of the oldest vessels in the Grand Army, having been deployed at Geonosis. It was, by the standards of the newer Prosecutors, old and creaky. But the Sand Panthers had a certain fondness for it. Despite the deafening sublight engines and the substandard crew quarters, it always had hot showers and the grub wasn’t bad. It was the closest thing they had to a home. And that meant something. Now, with all 576 of the Sand Panthers standing in formation, a palpable anxiety began moving through the brothers. Dotted among them were the intimidating faceplates of the Galactic Marines. Some 300 of “Bacara’s bruisers” had boarded the Solitude during the midnight shift during a stop at Ord Mantell. No one had seen fit to tell Captain Fynn why, but he didn’t much care. It inevitably meant seeing more action, and he never much looked forward to that. He’d seen too many tank crews torn limb-from-limb by artillery fire to relish combat. It was his job and his duty, and most important, he wanted to be there to make sure his crews made it through okay—but that was it. If the Republic had bothered to assign psychologists to their troops, he’d be classified as officially burnt out. The Panthers began to mumble again and there was some jostling with the heavily-armored Marines, who refused to take off their helmets. The tankers knew it was a psych-out and didn’t appreciate the the attitude being thrown around. But a hush fell over the formation as an immediately recognizable figure mounted the central tactical riser and powered up the holo-map. Commander Bacara! -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/23/05 4:54pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure - Date Edited: 7/23/05 10:53pm (1 edits total) Edited By: young_zev
	“TEN-HUT!” shouted the Solitude’s executive officer. Legendary throughout the Grand Army for being brash, independent and aggressive, Commander Bacara, to some, was the Galactic Marines. He was a figure of great respect and many of the lower-ranking men looked up to him. Even Fynn found himself straightening up and paying special attention. Bacara scanned the formations in silence. The distinctive grey cheek-plates gave his helmet a tense, fierce look. And his white armor bore the blast marks and stains of numerous brutal campaigns. The Panthers were, despite themselves, impressed. Bacara took his helmet off, and the rest of the Marines followed suit. Fynn was shocked to see they all wore their hair extremely short, cropped nearly to the skin. Many faces were scarred or burned. Fynn reflected on his own brothers. When you were a tanker, you generally either lived or you died. There weren’t a lot of battlefield wounds or scars. A direct hit to a walker was usually enough to destroy it and kill the crew. Escape from a wounded AT-TE was difficult. Survivors were rare. Fynn saw a lot of empty places in the formation. No one else saw them, but he did. He remembered. Bacara began to speak. A holoprojection of a planet appeared high in the air. “This is Aon,” he said. “The planet is the host of a ancient hyperspace beacon, allowing safe passage to the nearby Boz Pity and Saleucami systems. Early in the war, the Separatists captured this beacon, and they have held it ever since.” It was unusual. Hyperspace beacons were fairly well gone from the universe, replaced by shipboard navicomputers. But Fynn knew enough to know that capturing one would be an excellent way to blockade several systems at once. The captured beacon could be reprogrammed with new codes, so that only certain parties could safely enter. Or be sabotaged so that hapless ships would be re-routed into suns or black holes. Of course, pilots could always attempt to bypass the beacon, using their navicomputers, but it would be tantamount to suicide. “The time has come, and the Republic wants it back. There are several reasons for this, and trust me that they’re very good ones, but it’s need-to-know only. And you dikut’la don’t need to know.” That did it. The formation erupted in mirthless laughter. Bacara was notoriously serious, and for him to crack a joke was rare. And to crack it in Mandalorian was even more so, Now the Panthers really knew they were in for it. ***** TO BE CONTINUED… -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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Crazydan Registered: Apr '05	Date Posted: 7/23/05 5:15pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	Nice. It's rare to see a story that isn't about the Jedis or the famous heroes. Can't wait to see more.
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President_Sharky Registered: Jan '04	Date Posted: 7/23/05 7:04pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	I'm a sucker for clone stories, especially when big battles are bound to be involved, so I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I have one technical comment, however. I don't know if you're well versed on how hyperspace jumps works, but the only time when starships needed "navigational beacons" to make safe jumps was in earlier Republic times, like the Great Sith War. some 4000 years before the Clone Wars. By the time of the Clone Wars, all a ship needs to get someplace is a navicomputer and a jump drive. It's not like say Descent: Freespace, where ships need jump nodes to travel. It would probably be better if you re-wrote that as major HoloNet Beacon or a Communications Centre, like the ones on Praesitlyn, Esfandia, or Generis. Those are targets of great importance in wars. I guess you're technical knowledge is more land-based though, since you're writing a tank division adventure, just remember that SW tanks and weapons work differently (as in a lot more efficient and powerful) than Earth weapons. The authors of Jedi Trial made that mistake, and their ground battles turned out to be little different from real-life ones, and thus they sucked. BTW, how can an Acclamator be considered old or creaky? Those ships are 2 years old max, they should still be practically sparkling new, even if they've seen constant service. I'm sure Republic maintenance would keep their premier troopships in prime condition. -----signature----- Wipe out the trolls. All of them. Official Fleet Junkie
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Kudzu Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/23/05 8:13pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	A clone tank division story...interesting, interesting. Being the clone trooper fanatic that I am, I'll have to keep an eye on this one. I've written a few clone fanfictions myself, you know. -----signature----- Super Golden Ewok™ Recipient It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war. Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/23/05 9:15pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	Sharky-- thanks for the tips. I thought they still used beacons, especially for tricky systems like the Maw Cluster and Kessel. I'll have a think about how I can get around this. Maybe Aon is a shortcut, but it has some crazy floating debris and asteroids around it, necessitating a beacon to help navicomputers plot the latest positions of all the chunks of rocks. Kudzu-- Hey! I recognize you from the ARC thread! I'll check out your fics. -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/23/05 10:50pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	PART II Bacara flipped the holochart, and the planet spun around and its main continent came into focus. The continent showed major fissuring, all across its surface. Bacara walked across the riser, hands clasped behind his back. “Now listen up. I need to talk a little about the geology of Aon. It’s going to be boring, dry, and possibly educational. So I don’t want to see anyone nodding off.” He stopped and looked out at the formation. “I’ve instructed Captain Fynn to shoot any soldier caught napping.” The soldiers laughed again, and Fynn joined them nervously. How does he know my name? The holovid shifted to show the whole planet again. “The terrain is going to be a major obstacle, and that’s why I’m giving you this lecture. Aon is in its 3rd phase of evolution. In its 1st phase, it was lush and inhabitable. In its 2nd phase, its moon went rogue, and exploded—taking the gravity and atmosphere of Aon with it. The planet dried out like an old creekbed, with massive fissures cracking the planet’s crust.” Fynn and the other tankers saw the ground splitting apart, with massive and deep canyons forming across all major continents. “But in the past two million years, the moon has begun to reform, and the atmosphere and gravity have returned. The planet is lush again, with active flora and fauna. However, the moon continually rains charged ionized particles on the planet.” The formation saw what appeared to be a global rainstorm of bluish particles, apparently harmless, but plentiful and frequent. “These particles don’t affect hardened technology much, but they play havoc with starfighter and landing ship systems. Any technology in contact with the ground appears to suffer little affect.” Fynn started to understand what was going on. An air-based attack would have been the normal course for capturing an asset like the beacon, but he could see where Bacara was going with this. “Consequently, the 606th has graciously offered to give us a ride to our destination. Since the flyboys can’t seem to hack a little bit of rain, we’re all going to have to hoof it.” He zoomed in again on the holovid, showing a hardened gun emplacement deep in one of the canyons. “What we do know is that the Separatists are prepared to repel a landing ship invasion. This gun is capable of putting a pretty impressive hole in even an Acclamator. Clone intelligence was very clear on that point.” As the holo displayed more stats on the massive gun, an elbow nudged Fynn. It was CT-7600-5521 “Sixer”. He was a gunner on one of the rigs. “Sir, I didn’t think they used hyperspace beacons any more.” One of the Marines, with a thick scar curling his upper lip, butted in. He rasped, “Aon System has been torn apart so many times even it’s asteroids have asteroids. The beacon’s there to keep your navicomputer from overheating.” Sixer bristled. He didn’t like being shown up by a stranger, especially a snotty Marine. “And they said you guys did all your thinking with your vibroblades.” “They were right,” the Marine hissed, bringing his gauntlet up and unsheathing his blade. ”Easy,” Fynn put his hand up and gently separated the men. This is going to be fun. No need to worry about Separatists—these boys are going to kill each other before planetfall. Bacara continued, flipping the holo again to show a new image of the 606th Battalion’s AT-TE’s. Twenty were split off from the main group. “These twenty will be going to Aon, each with a detachment of twenty Marines inside. The rest of us…,” he drew a breath and flipped the slide. “We are going to feint at Metalorn. It’s a ruse, a fake attack designed to draw reinforcements away from Aon and make the main objective easier. We’re going to have to make this look real. Very real. But I wouldn’t ask you boys to risk anything I wouldn’t risk myself. So I am leading the Metalorn assault.” Even the tankers liked that. They’d met too many Jedi commanders who were content to lead from an observation ship. Bacara now gestured toward the formation. “Captain Fynn of the 606th will be leading the assault on Aon.” A murmur of approval went through the ranks of the Sand Panthers. Captain Fynn knew he was seen by some as moody and unpredictable, but it felt good to hear they preferred him over an external commander. “Like I said, the terrain’s going to be difficult to navigate. Those canyons are going to be tough on the walkers. You’ve got bridge-builder bots, but it’s not gonna be a bite of uj-cake. Tankers, now’s the time to prove yourselves.” Prove ourselves? Is this guy for real? Fynn bristled at the arrogance. But even more, he bristled at Bacara’s incredible confidence. How did he do it? How could he lead his men so easily, so fearlessly, into the jaws of death? Fynn checked the faces of his own men. Root, Slider, Six-Two, Dee-Zero… he tried not to imagine them roasting inside their walkers, or blown to smithereens. We’re gonna make it, you gotta believe that. We’re gonna make it. But he didn’t believe it. Not 100%, and that was what you needed to make it. Double-Eight had told him once: If you only believe 99%, that 1% will eventually eat you alive. Bacara saluted the troops and shouted “Kandosii!” The troops shouted back, and he put his helmet on. Fynn began to move forward when he suddenly heard Bacara’s voice in his ear. “Captain Fynn, meet me in aft command.” TO BE CONTINUED... -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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DarthReven Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/25/05 3:22am Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	Hey, sweet stuff you got here. I look forward to the next post. -----signature----- Adopted by starwarsbeauty Mandalore and Semi Ex-Sentinel of the Acolytes of Revan I'm not suffering from insanity, I'M ENJOYING IT!!! Xbox Live Gamertag: OldManBindo
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/25/05 10:23pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- (Clone Wars) AT-TE tank division, adventure --updated 7/25
	PART III After Fynn worked his way through the crowd, he entered the aft command center. Holocharts glittered on the wall, constantly updating with the latest flashpoints in the galaxy-spanning Clone Wars. Bacara stood with his helmet off, staring intently into the blue light of a display. He looked up at Fynn. “Captain Fynn, there’s something I need to tell you about the mission.” “Yes, sir.” “First of all, I want to say that I personally selected you for this command. I have faith in your abilities. I know the loss of Major 4188 has affected morale, but I’ve reviewed your subsequent leadership record, and I’m very impressed.” “Thank you, sir.” Fynn felt a wave of pride wash over him. The words had a powerful effect. Praise from superior officers was rare among clones, and he’d been wracked with doubt since taking over Double-Eight’s position. And… Bacara, with his Concord Dawn accent and his casual speech patterns, sounded so much like Jango Fett. It was absolutely uncanny. Fynn almost felt he was being praised by the prime clone himself. ”There’s more.” Bacara moved closer, and lowered his voice. “I know you served under General Ki-Adi Mundi on Geonosis. I know what happened. And I’m giving you this opportunity to make amends. To get things right.” Bacara put his hand on Fynn’s armored shoulder and looked him in the eye. “It wasn’t your fault.” Fynn’s throat tightened and he gulped hard. His face went flush. He felt anger, sorrow, relief… all of these flooded his system … I need a stim… He looked hard at the floor, trying to focus. Bacara turned, sensing Fynn’s turmoil. He spoke softly, to the holos. “Those were the early days of the war. They made mistakes with us. But we have a chance to put those mistakes right.” Both men knew this was dangerous talk. They stood in silence a minute, then Bacara turned to Fynn and nodded. He cleared his throat. "Best not to dwell on it." Bacara drew up a diagram of the hyperspace beacon. “This objective has a special requirement. It must be captured intact and operational. This is essential to the larger battle plan. Intact and operational.” “I understand, sir.” “No, Captain Fynn, listen closely. There can BE no failure, no retreat, no evacuation.” Bacara leaned in again, but now he was tough as Mandalorian iron. “I don’t care if your last man has to kill the last droid with his bare and bloodied hands. NO FAILURE.” Fynn paused. “Commander. This is part of the mission mandate?” “No. This is MY mission mandate. I’m authorized by the Sector Army to instruct and direct you in this regard.” Now Fynn’s blood rose. “Sir, with all due respect, I will do all that you ask but I won’t command my men to die. If we have to retreat, then we’ll retreat. If the mission objectives can’t be completed—“ “Then what? You’ll leave them for another group, for the next team who has to attack Aon because you wouldn’t?!” Bacara snarled. “You would sacrifice the lives of some other batch of brothers, to save your own?” The Marine stalked off. He stared at the holos again. Fynn stood in silence. Yes, he thought. That’s exactly what I’d do. It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel right. But on some level, he didn’t care. A vicious possessiveness coursed through his blood. My men. Bacara looked up. “How dare you! I’m giving you a chance to make things right and you’re telling me you can’t go the distance!” Fynn’s lips were white with anger. “Commander Bacara, sir, the 606th will complete its mission objective within the accepted parameters of engagement. But I will not sacrifice my men. I… I can’t.” “So you’ll pass the Hutt-credit to the next Captain? Is that it?” Fynn closed his eyes. He saw the dark fires, felt the heat and heard the screaming, the fear. He couldn’t ask that of his own men; but he couldn’t give it away to another group of brothers. He just couldn’t. At least if he accepted the mission, he’d have some control over it. Over what might happen. And maybe, just maybe, if things went wrong, he’d be there in time to make the right decision and save some lives. That felt right to him. Maybe it was a chance to make amends. He readied himself. “I accept this mission, sir… and all your terms…” Bacara’s eyes glinted. “I like a soldier who protects his men. But you’re putting your people ahead of the rest of the army… and sooner or later, that’s going to get someone killed.” He leaned closer. “And the Hutt help you if it’s my Marines.” He slid his helmet on again, resuming the fierce aspect of the warrior. He gave Captain Fynn a salute and turned to leave. “Good luck, soldier.” Fynn heard his voice again over the helmet comm speaker. Bacara marched out of the room. The sound of the Solitude’s engines thrumming, and the low musical tones of the shifting holos filled the empty room. Fynn stood still, shivering. He was going to have to put his men in harm’s way again… maybe even force them to fight to the death. He placed his helmet slowly over his head. A small melodious whistle indicated the day shift coming off. It was time to sleep, but he knew it wasn’t going to come easy. He’d drop by the dispensary on the way to his bunk and request some sleep-aid pharmos. He was going to need them. TO BE CONTINUED/ -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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DarthReven Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/25/05 11:06pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	cool post. Greta emotional conflict. But just wondering, what happened at geonosis and ki-adi? -----signature----- Adopted by starwarsbeauty Mandalore and Semi Ex-Sentinel of the Acolytes of Revan I'm not suffering from insanity, I'M ENJOYING IT!!! Xbox Live Gamertag: OldManBindo
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Kudzu Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/25/05 11:30pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	Nice work. I'm feeling out the chain of command and how far the "unswerving obedience" extends with regards to clones bossing around other clones myself, so it was interesting to read your take. Thanks for commenting on my fanfictions, BTW. -----signature----- Super Golden Ewok™ Recipient It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war. Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/26/05 9:39am Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure - Date Edited: 7/26/05 9:39am (1 edits total) Edited By: young_zev
	DarthReven posted: ... just wondering, what happened at geonosis and ki-adi? All in good time! I'm leading up to that... Fynn's gonna spill his guts... -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/26/05 9:43am Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	Kudzu posted: Nice work. I'm feeling out the chain of command and how far the "unswerving obedience" extends with regards to clones bossing around other clones myself, so it was interesting to read your take. Thanks for commenting on my fanfictions, BTW. Thanks Kudzu! You've got PICTURES on yours. Me = jealous! I gotta get some art going on... As for the chain of command, I think this is an unusual situation. Commander Bacara isn't Fynn's usual Commander, and he's giving him something of an unofficial order. I think Fynn's ready to accept the official orders without questions, but he's just plucky enough to try and negotiate with Bacara about the "fight to the last man" directive. It's unusual, I know. But Fynn's got some baggage that will hopefully explain his disobedience a bit more. I'm thinking for the most part the chain of command is unswervingly adhered to. Otherwise the army couldn't function. There aren't enough Jedi to go around, so the authority of superior-ranking clones must be taken absolutely seriously. Otherwise, it'd be anarchy. -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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Kudzu Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/26/05 1:30pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure
	I made some cover art for this fanfiction if you're interested. Just send me your email in a PM and I'll send it on over to ya. -----signature----- Super Golden Ewok™ Recipient It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war. Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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young_zev Registered: Apr '99	Date Posted: 7/26/05 10:33pm Subject: RE: Between the Stars and the Mud -- Clone Wars, AT-TE tank division, adventure --updated July 26th - Date Edited: 7/27/05 9:34am (3 edits total) Edited By: young_zev
	PART IV One of the perks of being an officer was that you got a personal wake-up call from a lower-ranking clone. Fynn tried to remind himself of the peculiar honor of this perk as he groggily opened his eyes and tried to move. The soldier standing in his doorway paused a moment until Fynn waved him off. The captain’s fingers blundered dumbly into his bedside cubby and emerged with another stim pack. The sleep-aids were still going strong, and he needed to counter-act them quickly. One of the constant pressures of the job was to be alert when you needed to be, and asleep when you needed to be. At one time, his body was in prime condition and he found no difficulty sleeping the moment his head hit the pillow. But now, after Geonosis, and with Double-Eight gone, it was getting tough. He needed something extra. Fynn donned his armor and jogged through the metal and hallways to the staging deck. He reached the landing and placed his hands on the railing, observing the magnificent sight of his tank crews, arming and painting their vehicles for action. The deck was a swirling mass of droids, clones and aliens-- loading, unloading, tracking consulting and talking in any number of languages. Alien and human support crews loaded missiles, mines, tibanna cells and all manner of weaponry into the massive AT-TE walkers. They also loaded provisions, medical supplies, and other survival gear. The walkers were not only an assault platform, but also a mobile dormitory for their crews, and they needed to be stocked accordingly. Tanker squads had to be utterly self-reliant in the field. “Captain Fynn!” came a voice across the crowd. He spotted Sergeant Xee, motioning him to come down. Fynn rode a service elevator down, and threaded his way through the busy technicians. Sergeant Xee was standing with an Marine. Fynn guessed from his markings that he was a lieutenant, but he couldn’t be sure. All the divisions had fairly well adopted their own paint and rank schemes now. Xee spoke. “Sir, this is Lieutenant Rey, Galactic Marines.” They all removed their buckets. It was a common courtesy, when meeting a new brother. Rey smiled widely. He stuck out his gauntlet, his hand a fist. “Heard a lot about you, Captain Fynn, sir,” he said. Fynn stuck out his own fist, and Rey punched it in that hyper-aggressive way the Marines favored. Fynn took it as a sign of respect. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Lieutenant?” Rey looked confused. “But didn’t Ba—I mean, Commander Bacara tell you? I’m your second in command.” Fynn smiled tight. A Marine as my XO, huh? This should be interesting. “No, he didn’t say anything about it.” Rey’s smile faded. There was an awkward pause. Fynn sighed. “But welcome aboard.” Rey smiled again, as did Xee. The brothers all preferred to get along, even when inter-division rivalries came into play. Maybe Jango had been a loner—but they were brothers all. At least he’s not Navy, Fynn shuddered. “Come on, grab your gear,” Fynn said, turning and starting to walk. “I’d better introduce you to my crew.” Lieutenant Rey followed, an assortment of weapons slung over his shoulder, and a long ominous-looking black case under his arm. Whatever it is, it’s big but it’s not heavy, Fynn noted. They walked along the row of walkers, passing through the shadows that the chin turrets cast. Long, snaking paint arms were spraying custom camouflage across the tops of the walkers. The paint had been modified to scramble electro-magnetic signatures as well as being a simple visual dazzler. The large metal feet of the walkers were chewed, dented and dinged from almost three years of hard terrain and inadequate maintenance. The droids and service crews who repaired them did their best—but the army was stretched thin, and so were the supply lines. Mud caked some of the walker’s support arms, and splashes of oil, acid and the occasional blotch of green biomatter dotted their forward armor. Fynn pointed one of these out to Rey. “Bug juice,” he said. Rey nodded appreciatively. “Geonosis, sir?” “Yep.” “Very sticky, sir.” ”Yep.” “That’s why we Marines prefer to just fry them.” Fynn laughed in spite of himself. Maybe this one will be okay after all. A few of the walkers sported customized paint jobs: one was marked to look like a set of menacing teeth and eyes, another sported a picture of Count Dooku with a missile lodged in a very sensitive area of his anatomy, and the one they approached now had a very sexy blue Twi’lek girl in a comely pose… wielding a lightsaber. Fynn stopped. “I’ve told you guys this is not regulation.” An unhelmeted clone appeared from on top of the walker. “But sir, she’s good luck!” “Besides, Captain,” another emerged from behind the left chin turret, “it’s also against regulations to inflict injury or damage on a Jedi officer! And how could we scrape her off without injuring or damaging her?” Fynn turned back to Rey. “Lieutenant, I’d like to introduce to the crew of the Aayla.” The Aayla’s crew hopped to the ground, and gathered close to Lieutenant Rey, who appeared to be pondering the painted female. Finally his face lit up. “Oh! Aayla! I get it.” Captain Fynn rubbed his forehead. “It pains me to say this, but this is the command crew. These are my boys.” Fynn introduced them down the line. Niner, the pilot, who never seemed to wear gloves. Dar, Five-Two, Six-Six and Wez, who manned the turrets and acted as emergency engineers. And Dikut, who manned the prodigous main cannon. Fynn tapped his armor, “Since I’m an officer and these guys consider me nothing but extra baggage, I’m the spotter.” “Guys, give a nice warm tanker welcome to Lieutenant Rey. He’ll be riding with us.” The crew of the Aayla punched, shoved and banged on Rey’s armor good-naturedly. Dikut stepped forward and, with a friendly nod, headbutted Rey firmly. The Marine staggered, paused, then uncrossed his eyes and stepped forward again. “Sorry, Lieutenant,” said Fynn. “That’s why we call him Dikut.” Rey nodded back at Dikut, and then gave him solid zinger right above his left eye. Dikut stumbled himself, then stooped over. He began to laugh. “What’s in the box, Lieutenant?” Six-Six spoke up. Rey placed the box on the ground and opened it. A matte-black KDY sniper rifle lay inside, unassembled. “She’s four feet of instant death -—five if I snap on the suppressor. I can put a hyper-velocity proton slug through eight super battle droids, if I line ‘em up right.” Six-Six whistled appreciatively, and the tankers gathered round to look. Rey was in. Fynn surveyed the rest of the deck. The arming was nearly complete. Soon the Galactic Marines would report to the staging areas and board for deployment. He didn’t have the time or inclination to give any welcoming speeches. He figured that each crew would accept the Marines in their own way. He knew his men well enough in that respect. As for Rey, Fynn decided it would be good to have him along. They were going to need help managing the ground assault once they reached their target. But he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Rey was there to make damn sure Bacara’s “Do or Die” policy was carried out. And that didn’t sit well with Fynn. He shook it off. I’ve got a job to do. “MOUNT UP” he shouted to his assembled crews. “DEBARK IN THIRTY.” The tankers began piling into their vehicles. They were going to be drop-lifted by LAAT/c cargo gunships. It was always a bumpy ride, but this time they were going to be fighting Aon’s atmosphere. The tankers were used to the jostling of inter-atmosphere flight. Fynn took heart that maybe some of the duracrete-faced Marines would lose their breakfasts on the way down. **** TO BE CONTINUED… -----signature----- Like clone troopers? Like tank warfare? Check out AT-TE fanfic at http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20858684/?13 Vode An
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