Saga All in a Day's Work (ARC, Omega/Delta) - Update 12/29 Chapter 67

i take back my previus statement. no wait....i stand by the nerd thing but i retract ebay

and congratz man

 

Nerd?

Who's reading the nerd's story?

 

I'd just like to openly congratulate Miguel on this. I'm really happy to have him as my writing partner and I really hope that he gets a working draft of Chapter 65 to me this evening.

 

i really hope to have a new chapter to read by tomorow. <<Hint>>

 

No worries, good sir. I'm just waiting on Kudzu.

 

I'm being picky.

 

Yup, you're definitely being picky now. But whatever works to give us the best possible update!

Revvy

 

Chapter 65
By Antilles2001

Smoke curled from the bodies of the rescue teams. Reaching down, A-51 plucked the headset off the enemy squad leader's face as sweat ran down his helmeted features. The men who been sent to reclaim Novan were exceptionally skilled, much more competent than those on Depudus and the planetary shield generator, who were far too easily tricked by deception or shot in the back as they ran away.

Clearing his throat, he once again took upon the voice of another man. "Clear! Hostiles down, repeat, three hostiles down," he yelled into the small microphone, minus his inherited accent. "We have Novan, over."

The ARC held the headset closer to his helmet and heard an Asceplian officer: "Good work, sergeant. Evac immediately so we can send her to the depths."

"Roger," he said, hoping he sounded at least remotely like the man he had just killed. He looked to Boss, shaking blood off his extended vibroblade, and pointed at the fallen squad leader of the other rescue team. Delta Squad's CO took the headset off the dark-skinned man and tossed it to A-51. He slipped it into his belt.

"Follow me."

* * * * *

A-51 crouched at the bow of the powerboat, with the members of Delta Squad alongside him. The barrels of their weapons rested on the lip of the hull, glinting in the sunlight as water splashed onto the guns. Their rifles looked like toys compared to their targets: a trio of massive coastal turrets, swiveling into position to sink one of their own.

Minscinius's coastal fortifications looked very much like mechanical coral reef: lighthouse-esque turrets, systematically lined in trios around the island, were stationed about a kilometer into the water, doubling as a dock for incoming and outgoing vessels. Several bunkers could be seen on the beaches as last line of defense. The way the weapons were configured, however...it seemed that this weaponry was intended to keep people in, not out.

The powerboat was designed for rapid exit; all they could find to help conceal themselves was a long, ragged piece of dark green cargo netting. Not that the Republic team needed the flimsy cover; the life of the coastal guard was a rather dull one, even on an oceanic world such as Asceplis. Nobody on shore would care to look at just another powerboat speeding by when fireworks were about to break the monotony of the day.

As droplets of water splashed onto his visor, A-51 glanced sideways at the powerboat beside them, carrying Omega Squad, Chron, and the "rescued" Novan. The two boats gracefully eased into a small, flooded garage where a quick-response medical team awaited them. Delta Squad rushed out of the boat in pairs, as to avoid being caught under fire all at once, not that a group of medics presented any harm.

Several surprised concussions and broken noses later, the bewildered group of medics lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The clones had not spared their lives because they were noncombatants. Rather, they simply needed to save the ammunition for those who could fight back.

A-51 peeked out of the exit of the garage at the massive turrets. For some reason, they still weren't prepared to fire. If this was any sign of the competence of the turret crews, the coastal guns would most likely be knocked out before they could be brought to bare in the case of a full on attack from the sea. Sloppy. The ARC trooper certainly didn't mind, however. The odds were already stacked against his small team of commandos. The last thing he needed were hostiles that knew or cared about what they were doing.

"Delta, hold position and defend the boats," A-51 said, pointing two fingers at the vehicles. "Protect Novan."

"Copy that." The commandos quickly jogged to the nearest pieces of cover that granted them overlapping fields of fire. Most likely feeling rather useless at the moment, the single female of the group ducked behind a tall toolbox.

"Omega team, follow."

* * * * *

Niner gestured toward Atin, then at the door. The commando nodded and moved to the controls o

 

A new chapter!

It's unusual for you guys to have a month's time of no updates, but this new chapter is a very good excuse!

I liked the tension when the turrets started firing on each other, as well as all the descriptions and details in that. Omega got away pretty scarcely, and I liked A-51's thoughts on Novan.

Great job as usual, Mig'ika, I can't wait to see the next chapter!

Keep it up, vode!

(oh, and both of you owe me some feedback, too... )

 

"Sir, permission to bring in some mayhem to this lazy town?"

'Bout bloody time! You brought us a whole chapter with end-to-end mayhem, and mucho excitement!

Agreeing with C_F on the tension during the canon exchanges, although wouldn't "horror" be a bit too strong for our rough n' tough commandoes? How about "uncomfortable"?
Just kidding.

Great update guys!

(now watch, they'll be hitting us with updates twice a week now )

 

Ooo! Violence! 'Splosions! You know how to make a girl feel all warm and fuzzy inside on a Sunday afternoon, ha! Great stuff, loved the tension and the suspense. Wonderful writing all around and I can't wait to read more about our boys in white.

The bit where Niner watched the Mighty Mary go down was very well-written. I love how you incorporate the RC's feelings into the updates, it makes it that much more of a great read.

As if that could ever be a bad thing!

Keep rockin', all!

Revvy

 

kickasss

[Nuff Said]

 

At last, the guns went off almost simultaneously. It was hard to believe either gun actually fired a salvo: both sides' aim and timing made it seem as though the coastal guns simply exploded.

Wow! Very dramatic moment there.

Lots of action and excitement in this chapter. I loved it. Wonderful job!

 

Thanks, Dave. You got what you asked for.

Twice a week? Yeah, and maybe I'll pass Physics this quarter. Thank's Beer o' Correlia.

Making a girl feel warm and fuzzy inside... Hm...

'Nuff said? Y'really think so? Thanks anyway.

Thank you, amidala.

 

Am I the only one that noticed that this is now on page 51?

Antilles: Clearing his throat, he once again took upon the voice of another man. "Clear! Hostiles down, repeat, three hostiles down," he yelled into the small microphone, minus his inherited accent. "We have Novan, over."

Ah, that's A-51 for ya. Sowing confussion and disinformation.

At the push of the button, the deck rumbled beneath his boots. Fire burst from the Mary's side. The flames were quickly extinguished as the cargo ship took on water by the ton from her forward movement. Before long, and rather anti-climactically, the ocean swallowed up the rusty hull, and the Mighty Mary sailed no longer. Niner felt a surprising tingle of sadness shiver through him at the loss. He felt a moment of kinship with the Republic Navy, watching his ship - regardless of the fact that he had stolen it from the enemy - fall from grace, service, and sight.

Poor Mighty Mary, we hardly knew ye.

"Alright, Omegas," Niner whispered. "Let's say hello to our neighbors."

For some reason, I almost want Scorch to pull out his anti-armor attachment and yell "Say hello to my little friend" to the next group of hostiles he comes across.

I don't think that's going to happen though.

Niner asked, "Sir, permission to bring in some mayhem to this lazy town?"

For some reason this made me laugh a bit.

Good chapter again.

 

New chapter is just about ready...

 

Heeeere it is.

---

[b]Chapter 66[/b]
By Kudzu

"Wessar to ground forces; repeat, Wessar to ground forces," a familiar, gruff voice crackled over the comlink unit: "Republic troops have entered the city. We have GAR troops in the city."

The infantry of E'Xpsilo Squad traded looks and instinctively shifted into combat positions. Private Misa, one of the only two females in the squad, smirked. "What city?"

"Positions!" barked Staff Sergeant Avance. "Cut that chatter. Vin, Soma, patrol Sixteenth Street from Barber to Francon; Drusvop, Marku, you'll take duty after their shift. Corporal, get as much intel as you can from Major Wessar."

"Yes, sir!" they replied as one. Privates Vin and Soma grabbed their weapons and packs and began to wade west towards 16th Street. Avance, Drusvop, Marku, and Misa scrambled up the fire escape to take reconnaissance positions on the top floor within the cracked dome of the defunct Museum of Ideas.

The height of the museum allowed four soldiers equipped with macrobinoculars to scan quite a good distance in all directions. As Avance raised his pair of macrobinoculars to his eyes, he could see a STAP buzzing down one of the makeshift waterways. The droid-piloted craft slowed and turned to take the second story of a row of flooded, crumbling buildings in its sights. Orange fire blasted away at the walls and windowpanes, shattering transparisteel and sending pieces of duracrete down into the filthy water below. Avance caught sight of a badly dressed person behind one of the windows ducking for cover.

He did not like this assignment. Very few people liked this assignment. But a job was a job, and a soldier's job was to do the job.

Peering out through the slats of the opposite corner, Private Drusvop lit a cigarra and stuck it between his lips. "Some excitement, sir?" he asked. His harsh, rough voice had an almost jovial bounce to it. Drusvop would relish a chance to participate in some real action, Avance knew.

"Let it come when it comes, Private," he replied, feeling a bit more anxious to get in a bit of a tussle than he knew was healthy himself. "Seen anything?"

He blew out a plume of smoke and reported, "Just the usual, sir. Oh, some guy just got shot. Looks like a gang of looters. Twentieth and Francon, if you want to whistle for a security detail."

"Negative," said Avance, now studying the STAP as it made another pass to gun down a fleeing fugitive. "S'like trying to board up a five-meter window with a two-meter piece of metal. There's just no point."

"Zikappa Squad should be close, sir -"

"[i]Negative[/i], Private."

"Yes, sir."

Private Marku, manning the northwest corner, suddenly let out a shout. "Staff Sergeant!"

"What is it?"

"Looks like a rogue turret group, sir." Marku adjusted his helmet with his free hand. "Should be...Maritime Twelve, sir."

A distant series of [i]booms[/i] rumbled through the air, and Avance drew away from his macrobinoculars as a plume of smoke rose from the ruins of the three turrets that had once been Maritime Nine. He did not need magnification to see the mess.

Not quite two minutes had passed before another round of projective discharges thundered across the distance. Both Maritime Twelve and Maritime Eleven were left in shambles. Avance breathed deeply; the two fortifications must have fired simultaneously at one another.

He looked back through his macrobinoculars and spotted a commotion along the waterfront. A pair of amphibious squads were being scattered by repeater fire up the first 500 meters or so of Cerulean Street. The blue plasma of the repeater was coming from a hydrofoil that was ripping down the waterway that was Cerulean now.

An AAT entered the framed scene, and Avance thought that the Republic-controlled powerboat was as finished as Maritime Twelve. His conclusion proved premature when the vehicle decided to open fire on the Asceplian security forces attempting to combat the enemy.

"Rogue tank and a Republic hydrofoil on Cerulean Street," he informed his team. "Cyrix and Oxena Squads

 

not so kickass...but still very good

 

Although not with as much as action as the former chapter, it was still very intense, and I liked the pace with what the first paragraph, the one with the Asceplian soldiers... I really enjoyed that part. And the next one with A-51 was quite intriguing, too... maybe he will get a name, after all... A-51 'Che'.

Great job as usual, Kudzu, keep it up!


Oh, and I like Chapter 66 being on Page 51.

 

You can expect to see more of them.

Nice.

Thank you very much!

"No."

 

Too many big words?

That was intentional, believe it or not.

 

Woo hoo! A-51 the revolutionary! I adored that last part, very well-written and turning-of-the-tide-ish.

Great stuff as usual, can't wait for more!

Revvy

 

Republic troops have entered the city. We have GAR troops in the city

*Imperial troops have entered the base, repeat, Imperial troops have entered the base*
It just gave me a flashback is all...

I was waiting until the day A-51 had his own congregation.

There's a revolution calling... Queensryche!!! Woo hoo!

Is that A-51's consceince calling via his stomach?!?

They can't kill the revolution. Spread the word.

*Comic book guy's voice - Best line ever. Well, within the parameters of this chapter...

More sizzle than steak, but still a frackin' good update Kudzu!

 

That wasn't even intentional.

Oh my God. That was intentional, but I so did not expect anyone to get it. Congratulations.

Or something...

Thanks

Thanks for reading! Look forward to more 'splosions pretty soon.