Saga Ep II: "Duel of the Fates"- new post and PARTY INSIDE!!!

Sorry it took so long, Tim.

I'm starting to run out of superlatives to describe the action here. I love the shades of D-Day, and the way you've captured the utter chaos and confusion on the battlefield.

And I'll echo Cyn's sentiments about Earth terminology in the GFFA.

 

Obi-Wan did his best to calm himself. Perhaps it was the Naboo officer?s uniform ? to a man accustomed to wearing Jedi robes every day of his life, the maroon uniform with its protective armor and major?s insignia ? made him feel strange, feel almost naked despite the protective gear. As if to symbolize a man out of his element, he wore his decidedly non-regulation lightsaber on one hip, and a standard issue blaster, which he thought a terribly crude, random weapon for a Jedi, on the other.

Beside him, Sabe stopped honing the wicked-looking vibroblade and slipped it into a sheath on her calf-high combat boots the handmaidens wore into battle. Others were going through last-minute checks of weapons and equipment. In usual operations, the headquarters unit did not become involved in close combat, but their shuttle was to land immediately behind the batallion?s three infantry companies, weapons company, and engineer platoon. The impression in the Force was mixed fear, adrenaline, anticipation, and anger against the brutal enemy. Many of the soldiers had families killed or displaced in Theed.

He was nervous. Obi-Wan was no stranger to combat, but a full-scale battle was a new experience. Here, the opponent was not often in saber and pistol range, and death could come from a nameless artillery shell fired from dozens of kilometers away. As a Jedi, he was trained in the operations of the Republic?s major institutions, including the military. He recalled lectures from the Military Academy?s instructors on the history, art, and science of war, and on the Republic?s armed forces. He had an excellent memory, and seemed to display an aptitude for the principles of warfare, but his rather scant knowledge was little comfort.

He had done his best to familiarize himself with his duties. As an assistant to Padme?s staff, he was not leading men in the field directly, but as an officer responsible in helping the commander make informed decisions, his failure could still result in large numbers of casualties. It was a sobering thought, and he asked the Force for guidance so that he might prove worthy of the task.

**
?Lord Raptor,? the General of Artillery said, ?our forward units report the enemy troops unloading from their transports in large numbers.?

In his position in a public park near the city center, nine batteries, each with four 200-millimeter heavy long-range field guns, waited for orders. The weapons were already loaded, the crews standing at ready. Raptor had pooled all the heaviest field gun units, the ones with sufficient range to reach the beaches from the inner city, from his 3-division corps and placed them under his command as the Corps Chief of Artillery. They were masked from the air by camoflauge nets, trees, and the fires set in the city from huge piles of combustible materials to make it difficult for ships orbiting above to locate his positions.

His guns were registered on the beaches days before in anticipation of an assault landing. The rain of shells, modified concussion missile warheads fitted with fragmenting alloy jackets, would devastate the enemy troops when they were most vulnerable ? on the beach, exposed, and without armor or heavy support weapons. If they tried to advance from under the murderous barrage, they would be mowed down by the men in the bunkers and trenches.

Raptor?s voice came through the comlink only a moment later, though it seemed much longer.

?Your batteries are released, General.?

The officer smiled and switched his comm. Frequency to his battalion commanders. ?Continuous fire, all batteries.?

The ground shook as the huge artillery pieces fired, reverse-polarity magnetic fields hurtling the heavy shells down dozen-meter barrels, moments later followed by huge rippling booms as the projectiles hurtled through the sound barrier. The heavy untility landspeeders providing massive electric current to the guns recharged as the gunners reloaded the weapons, placing shells in loading trays for rammers to shove them into the weapons? breech

 

Riveting, Tim. Having never been in battle, I can't say for sure, but I had a lot of friends in Viet Nam - and one or two of them, after a few years of silence, elected to share some of their experiences - and I think you've captured pre-battle anxiety perfectly.

Though the Jedi - for the most part - display a certain arrogance that occasionally sets my teeth on edge, I think that, beneath that facade, would lurk the same uncertainties - the same fear of failure - that would haunt us all - especially, for Obi-Wan, the fear of causing the deaths of others. In war, it's unavoidable - but he's spent his entire life trying to find ways to cheat the Grim Reaper - and, in this case, he must know that he can't be 100% effective in his endeavors - a tough spot for a Jedi to be in.

Great work. MOre soon would be lovely - but I know this is complex, confusing, and hard to write - or, at least, it would be for me. You make it look simple.

CYN

 

Great take on Obi-Wan's thoughts and feelings as he prepares for battle. No matter how well-trained you are as a soldier, you never know how you're going to react in a combat situation. Obi-Wan may be a warrior, but this is going to be a battle unlike any he's ever fought.

I love the vivid detail leading up to their landing, too. The "fog of war" is starting to show up here - they can hear the sounds of the battle and feel the changing movements of the shuttle, but it's not the same as being able to see what's going on. And I love the last sentence.

 

Riveting, Tim. Having never been in battle, I can't say for sure, but I had a lot of friends in Viet Nam - and one or two of them, after a few years of silence, elected to share some of their experiences - and I think you've captured pre-battle anxiety perfectly. >>

Thanks. Along with the SPR image I kept thinking of Hueys coming into an LZ somewhere in Vietnam...originally I thought of the transports having door gunners like helicopters but decided not to add it in.

<<Though the Jedi - for the most part - display a certain arrogance that occasionally sets my teeth on edge, I think that, beneath that facade, would lurk the same uncertainties - the same fear of failure - that would haunt us all - especially, for Obi-Wan, the fear of causing the deaths of others. In war, it's unavoidable - but he's spent his entire life trying to find ways to cheat the Grim Reaper - and, in this case, he must know that he can't be 100% effective in his endeavors - a tough spot for a Jedi to be in. >>

I just think of Obi-Wan as a guy with a real sense of duty and responsibility - as an officer as well as a Jedi.

<<Great work. MOre soon would be lovely - but I know this is complex, confusing, and hard to write - or, at least, it would be for me. You make it look simple. >>

Thanks, but it's more illusion of simplicity than many would think...LOL

Jae:


Great take on Obi-Wan's thoughts and feelings as he prepares for battle. No matter how well-trained you are as a soldier, you never know how you're going to react in a combat situation. Obi-Wan may be a warrior, but this is going to be a battle unlike any he's ever fought. >>

Yeah. I think that's another thing...there may be experienced guys in the units, but they have really only seen small-scale actions. True, they say you're a veteran as soon as a bullet goes by your head, but kind of like Haas, the sheer scale of the Aldera battle is something they will find it hard to grasp.

I love the vivid detail leading up to their landing, too. The "fog of war" is starting to show up here - they can hear the sounds of the battle and feel the changing movements of the shuttle, but it's not the same as being able to see what's going on. And I love the last sentence. >>

Thanks! Yeah, I tried to capture that uncertainty of being isolated in a metal box coming down into a combat zone...I keep trying to make this not "Saving Private Ryan meets the GFFA" but at the same time, I keep thinking of the guys in the landing craft, shaking and throwing up and waiting for the ramp to drop....

-Tim

 

planted his boots onto the surface of hell.

I can't think of a more apt description than that.

It was so well written, one would think that you have been in that position yourself more than once.
Thank you for giving me something exciting to read while I sit here on hold for 10 minutes. I hate court clerks!

 

Kitara: Thanks, though I am neither a professional soldier nor a professional writer... just a guy who reads a lot of books.

-Tim

 

Obi-Wan crouched and stepped through the billowing sand thrown upward by the assault shuttle?s repulsors. Blaster bolts impacted the beach all around him, making popping noises and small fountains of sand. He saw a shell crater ahead and rushed forward, diving for cover.

Bright flashes of flame and smoke, accompanied by deep thunderclaps and pounding concussion waves, exploded all along the beach. Padme and the rest of the headquarters unit fell into the crater around him.

He peered over the crater?s rim, seeing death and destruction all around. Burning and wrecked assault shuttles, scattered equipment, and bodies covered the beach. Men huddled near whatever cover they could find seeking shelter from the barrage and repeating blaster fire from the bunkers. Many were hit as they scrambled to new positions.

Padme pulled out her comlink.

?This is Alpha Lead, all units report in!?

Obi-Wan listened with dismay as the unit commanders reported their situations. A Company, ahead and on the left flank, had lost its entire first platoon, shot down in their transport. B company in the center reported taking heavy casualties from artillery fire. C Company, on the right, was little better. The engineer platoon had become separated from the formation when their transport had dodged an incoming missile, and were pinned down and unable to rejoin the rest of the battalion. D Company, the mortar unit, reported no casualties and the crews were attempting to set up their weapons behind the hulk of a burning transport.

There was no word from the commander of the Corellian combat engineer company that Corps had attached to their sector.

The batallion?s objective loomed far ahead and to the right, a outward-jutting rock formation with relatively shallow slopes covered with armored bunkers. The bunkers protected the flanks of the approach to the easternmost of the three main roads leading to the city. The engineers were to assault the bunkers and the infantrymen to follow and clear a sector of trenches, then hold the flanks of the breach against any counterattacks.

However, unless someone could stop the rain of artillery fire and suppress the bunkers, their task would be impossible.

**
The Corellian Corvette Shadowwraith hovered dozens of kilometers above the battlefield. The ship was a prototype of a unique class of specialized vessel intended for supporting ground assaults. Unfortunately, only two vessels were completed before the Senate cancelled the program. Now, however, she would be put to the test.

?Target acquired,? a youthful Gran ensign reported from his sensor station on the vessel?s hammerhead bridge. ?Enemy heavy artillery park, estimate regimental strength, co-ordinates CZ09341.?

The vessel?s advanced sensors, though unable to pierce the obscuring clouds of black smoke from the burning city, were nonetheless able to detect the artillery shells being fired from an unknown source, analyze the data, compute their trajectory, and arrive at the point of the projectiles? origin.

?Excellent work, Ensign Ahk,? the Rodian female commanding Shadowwraith said. She counted herself lucky the enemy guns were not widely dispersed, as her ship?s primary weapon system could fire only one salvo. ?It?s time we show the credit-pinchers in the Senate what this rustbucket can do, and prevent our troops from getting slaughtered down there. Chief Gunnery Officer Sojaran, open fire.?

**
The Shadowwraith?s ?thorax? section between the bridge and engine bank set her apart from other ships of similar design. The ship was designed as the first of a new class of support weapon, the Shadow class artillery suppression platform. Her center section was lengthened twenty meters and widened by two meters. The modification allowed for a central weapons bay which held eighty downward-pointing heavy concussion missile launch tubes. Her light blue color scheme made of specially absorptive paint and state-of-the-art passive sensors, combined with her high operating altitude an

 

Awe inspiring, Tim. You communicate the terror and uncertainty of battle so well, it makes it almost frightening to read. Incredible work.

Shaindl

 

Wonderfully written Tim! Hopefully, Obi-Wan didn't suffer too much - err. ear damage - from the blast wave.

Aunecah

 

Well, I'm sure heavy artillery exploding near your position isn't the best thing in the world for one's hearing.

No permanent damage to Obi, though

-Tim

 

Wow, nice couple of scenes there Timmy Boy I could learn a thing or two or a million from you

 

Thanks, Luney!

-Tim

 

Nothing like a little counterbattery fire to keep an artilleryman honest.

Great battle scene, Tim, as we have come to expect.

Well, I'm sure heavy artillery exploding near your position isn't the best thing in the world for one's hearing.

Firing artillery isn't the best thing in the world for your hearing either - just ask my hubby. Except that his response will be probably be "Huh? What did you say?"

 

Or in my case, heavy metal music at high volume probably has the same effect...hehe

-Tim

 

Hey!

Well, it looks like the Awards are finally here, so I guess I'll take a moment to encourage everyone to go vote (and on an "entirely unrelated" *smirk* matter, DOTF is up for "Best Action Story")

I hope to have another post up soon, I'm still tired from this weekend but I'll be back in the groove in a couple days.

-Tim

 

Wow Tim! you've done it again.

A perfect melding of Star Wars, military tactics and The History Channel ( ) that doesn't leave the reader feeling inadequate and, most importantly, you never forget the human factor in all of this with very visceral accounts from all fronts.

Wow.

I'll will tell you that I am running out of nails to bite - Can't wait for more and can't wait for the Easter Egg list.

Rogue

PS: Can you post a link to the awards?

 

http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=11199756&replies=47

There ya go. Cyn, Mely, Mara, Suzuran, Lothi, Jadey, Shezan, and many other great writers are up for awards too, so go show 'em your support!

-Tim

 

Sorry for the delay, all. I've been a bit busy and I needed to contact Jae (my military expert) in regard to some matters about upcoming posts. Also, I've been accepted as a reviewer on the TF.N Archives, and it has taken me a bit of time to settle into the job.

-Tim

"Blue Squadron, Lead. Status report."

The chorus of responses indicated varying degrees of damage to the Headhunters, though none imminently fatal. The enemy battlecruiser's detonation had sent massive waves of electromagnetic radiation blasting through space, overloading the fighters' rear shields and damaging sensitive equipment such as sensor arrays. The enemy force had retreated, and there was no immediate threat, but all of the fighters were running low on fuel and in need of a hangar berth. If Anakin didn't find a ship soon, they would need to be tractored on board one of the cruisers.

Anakin tuned his comm to the emergency frequency. "This is Blue Squadron of the 146th Starfighter Wing, requesting pickup, over."

**

Haas stared at the man in disbelief.

"One of our snubfighters took out that cruiser, Commander?"

"That's what Vigilant's data stream would indicate, sir. Just before the detonation one of the 146th's fighters launched a torpedo that appeared to penetrate the battlecruiser's hangar shields, and when we slowed down the recording, the ship appeared to explode from her inside-out."

Haas nodded. He couldn't argue with the man's assessment or the evidence, and he had seen some strange things happen in combat, some of which turned the tide of an engagement. "Very well. Find out who those pilots were and tell my chief of staff for Personell to put in some reccommendations. That fighter jock deserves the Hero of the Republic for this, and a Senate Cross for the rest of the squadron. What's the situation with the fleet?"

Non Niem, a Sullistan staff member, began to report. "Admiral sir, we have recieved status reports from all squadron and task force commanders, and are assigning task forces of repair and replinishment ships to the most seriously damaged vessels. Preliminary estimates suggest our combat capability is down to forty percent, possibly sixty percent with another forty-eight hours for repairs."

Haas swore. "They hurt us, and hurt us badly. If they send in another fleet, it'll mean serious trouble. Operations, deploy the least damaged of our cruisers between the transports and the enemy's last exit vector, and get me as many frigates as you can scrape together to cover our cripples. Secondly, we're going to have bad news for Organa. Tell him he's on his own for now, we don't have the ships to spare for ground support."

"Sir," a young communications officer said, "we're getting transmissions from several understrength fighter squadrons whose home vessels have been destroyed. Many are damaged and low on fuel."

Haas turned to face the young Lieutenant. "Have our fighter controllers sort this out, most heavily damaged ships getting first priority."

"Yes, Sir."

Haas turned to the Victory's commander. "What's our own fighter compliment, Captain?"

"We've lost nearly half, Admiral. We can take on several of the half-squadrons, more if we reconfigure our main hangar space."

Haas nodded. "Good. Do it."

"Admiral, we're getting a transmission from one of the Freedom's squadrons."

"So they did make it. Excellent. I want to talk to the squadron leader personally. Give them immediate clearance for pickup."

"Yes, sir."

Haas turned to his Intelligence Chief. "I'm ordering your men to have first priority on any prisoners or material we recover from the enemy ships. I want them to go through any vessels centimeter-by-centimeter and prepare a full report. We haven't seen the last of them, and I'll be damned if our men have to do this again without a better picture of enemy capabilities..."

**
The explosions continued to pummel the beachhead, throwing sand, equipment, and bodies dozens of meters into the air...and then, as suddenly as it

 

Tim, that was a hell of a place to leave it for us Obi-lovers!

When this is done, I'm going to need to sit down and re-read the entire battle sequence from beginning to end to get the feel of the entire thing as one. In installments, it's incredible storytelling, but I imagine that read all as one it would be nearly untoppable (yes, I know that's not a word). Incredible stuff, and I can't wait for the next one.

Shaindl

 

Tim, that was a hell of a place to leave it for us Obi-lovers!

When this is done, I'm going to need to sit down and re-read the entire battle sequence from beginning to end to get the feel of the entire thing as one. In installments, it's incredible storytelling, but I imagine that read all as one it would be nearly untoppable (yes, I know that's not a word). Incredible stuff, and I can't wait for the next one. >>

Thanks! Actually, I'm going to repost it after I revise on the new boards (not just the battle scene, but the whole story)

And yes, it was an evil cliffie for the Obi-fans...only fair, since I did the same with Ani's dogfight scenes...

-Tim

 

Wow...that sank quickly, no?

-Tim

 

Excellent post... and being both an Obi AND Ani lover, I must admit that you are killing my poor heart (Though Obi would effect me more if he;d shave that blasted beard...

 

Another great post - definately up to the usual Darth_Tim standard .

Just wanted to let you know that you've done a great job with all the characters, but I've especially enjoyed your writing of Padme - allowing her a greater depth and range than she was allowed in Ep II.

Another post soon?
Rogue


PS: I miss your humorous tag lines in the subject.

 

Sorry I vanished on you for the last post. This is really nasty of you to leave it there. Or should I say leave us hanging there. I guess you owe us more since school should be coming to a end soon.

I also miss you're silly chapter comments. How about GI Jedi?