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Page for Sci-fi Dreamers and Enthusiasts
Below you'll find a section of a story that I'm writing placed in the future. I'm not done with it yet so don't think this is it. Just a sample to see how people like it. If enough people email me saying they like it I'll take it seriously and do the whole thing.
And sorry that it leaves off so abruptly what I wanted wouldn't fit.
And make sure you check out the links at the bottom.
CHAPTER 5
The counter-offensive was on. Venus was first on the recapture priority list. Side by side the NC and VF forces fought in the jungles and the deserts of Venus. The new Proteus Type units had been produced far more rapidly than anyone expected; every production plant of the General Alliance had been working overtime making the armor and machinery that had to be made in order to stand up against the ever growing Yang Tzen threat. At first the GA had not been able to produce FAM (fluid alloy material), but the first captured Yang Tzen (descendants of the Chinese loyalists) unit supplied the breakthrough that they needed to connect the chain. The new alliance had searched for a new weapon type to replace the now obsolete RE-DEW. A totally new weapon type called the MAW-DE (matter annihilation weapon - directed energy) was quickly adopted. Cohen Industries had supplied a large ratio of the new equipment, and Rodrick had mixed emotions every time he saw the familiar trademark on a rifle or BDU. It always reminded him of his father, and he couldn’t help shedding a tear each time. Rodrick now was on the brand new GA Phrixus, the most sophisticated starship to leave the assembly line in the history of space travel (in the solar system). He had to get used to saying the GA instead of NC, and he always had to catch himself before he called the now promoted Capt. Kroy “Lieutenant”. Rodrick walked down the hall, and entering the living space assigned to him. He logged on to the IPN (interplanetary network) and downloaded any text messages for him. He was glad to see that he had received a letter from his mother.
It read:
Dearest Rodrick,
I am hoping to hear from you.
The family is quite distressed from the news about Father, and we all miss him. But we must not lose hope. I feel deep within myself that he still lives and pray every day for him to return. And I also pray for you, and my eyes ache to look upon your face. Be careful so that you can return to us safely.
With all my love,
Your Mother
Rodrick logged off and thoughtfully lay down in his bed. He appreciated his mother’s optimism but found it difficult to think of his father as anything but dead. He fell asleep with a tear in his eye.
The Yang Tzen were an entirely different enemy than the Voltovs used to be. They attacked quickly, with no concern for their own lives. Rodrick was part of a newly formed division that was stationed at a small town named Pax almost on Venus’ north axis. They had seen no action so far, but combat was inevitable. Pax was home to the second largest fighter-tank producing factory of the four inner planets. Rodrick found the accommodation most comfortable, and woke up to some of the best breakfasts that the military got; the suburbs of Pax were known for their superb cooks. Rodrick spent an uneventful week in Pax, but as time went on and reports came in of Yang Tzen movements and assembly in their area, the air grew tense. News came of massive amounts of enemy reinforcements coming in from what seemed to be their main fleet at Titan. Commander Frost (who had ironically been chosen as Tactical Director of the 6th Mobile [Rodrick’s division]) had asked the brass for friendly reinforcements, but little manpower could be spared. The pinnacle of speculation finally came on a Monday morning at about 7 pm. Rodrick was in the lounge watching the news, when the loud, pulsing alarm sounded. Rodrick nearly jumped out of the couch he was laying in. He scrambled,looking for someone in charge so he could know what was happening. He peeked his head out the main door and was surprised to see Capt. Kroy (who he didn’t know was in the 6th mobile) giving orders to a group of troops. Rodrick ran out to join them. “Make a defensive perimeter from that tree to the riverbank!” The Captain yelled. Rodrick ran to join them but was stopped by Kroy. “Cohen! I want you to go to the top of that surveillance tower and tell me how much we’re up against! Go!” Rodrick ran as fast as could to the base of the tower, but hesitated when it came time to go up. He was a sitting duck up in the air. But orders are orders, and he ran up the steps as quickly as he could. When he reached the top he looked out to the North. Rodrick nearly fell out of the tower because he saw so many units, an endless sea of glistening chrome. Rodrick ran down double the speed he went up to give the news to Capt. Kroy.
“It doesn’t look good, Captain!” Rodrick said. “I couldn’t see the end of them, and I could see fighters being launched in the distance.” No sooner than he said this three enemy fighter craft rocketed over, spewing their payloads on the eastern wing of the tank factory, from which flames soared into the sky. Kroy swore. “Come with me!” He grabbed Rodrick by the shoulder and dragged him over to a newly installed Antiaircraft gun. “You stick right here and don’t let anybody blow this thing up! McLandon! Get your butt over here!” Seeing Miles really surprised Rodrick. He figured the brass must have taken just about everybody from the old 182nd to make the new 6th. “All right, McLandon, you take the guns. Cohen will cover you. I’ll radio in in about 45 minutes, and I don’t want any fighters in the sky by then. Got it? Good.” And with that he rushed off and started giving orders to other areas. Miles gave Rodrick a sly smile and then jumped in the gunner’s seat. There wasn’t much for Rodrick to do the first few minutes, but after about ten enemy fighters fell to the AA gun, the Yang Tzen obviously set out to stop all this gunfire. Five Yang Tzen troopers came up from a trench with guns blazing toward the AA gun. Rodrick dropped to the ground before eliminating three of them. The other two fell back to the trench but lobbed a RED charge toward Rodrick. At first he didn’t know what to do, but then he got the idea to shoot it. RED charges take time to build up energy, and if it is destroyed before it detonates the energy is never released. He aimed and shot as quickly as he could and made a hole right through the detonator. He sighed in relief, but it wasn’t long before the two other Yang Tzen came up from the trench and toward Rodrick. Both dropped dead before they got on level ground. But they weren’t the only ones trying to destroy the AA gun. Rodrick felt the heavy steps of a biped weapons platform coming straight towards him. Rodrick caught a glimpse of the giant machine through the trees and knew for sure that it was enemy. “This is Private Cohen. I have enemy armor in sector 26. Anyone that can come please assist.” Rodrick waited not so patiently as he felt the foot steps getting closer. “I hear you private,” came the response. “This is Sergeant Sullivan. I think I’ve got you covered.” Rodrick waited. The enemy BWP was almost there and when it did get there Miles, the AA gun and himself would all surely be annihilated. The massive machine broke through the edge of the trees and aimed its guns directly at Miles. “No!” screamed Rodrick. But right before the AA gun got obliterated Sgt. Sullivan in his own BWP dashed over in front of the two tiny infantry and blocked the path. The enemy tried to turn to target this new threat, but had no chance, as Sullivan wasted no time firing a missile right into the enemy’s cockpit. The sound of the explosion knocked Rodrick off his feet and flung him on the ground. Molten shrapnel from the enemy BWP rained down and sizzled on the ground, while the two legs fell inward, without a chassis. Rodrick got on his feet again and thanked Sullivan through his radio. “No problem, kid. I’ll order one of my men to stay here and guard you.” Another biped weapons platform waded out from the trees and blocked the path to the AA gun. A voice came over the radio. “This is Private Athix Rostov,” he said in thick Voltovic accent. “I‘m happy to be of any help that I can.” “I think you can provide a great amount of help,” said Rodrick. Athix had little trouble with the enemy infantry, and Rodrick and Miles were not in any serious danger. Miles shot down three more enemy craft before they stopped coming. In a matter of fact, the infantry and armor stopped coming too. After five minutes not a single (live) Yang Tzen unit could be seen. Before long Capt. Kroy came running up from the South and walked toward the AA gun. “Cohen! Climb up what remains of the observation tower and see what the heck is going on!” Rodrick climbed up with great difficulty, since many steps and beams were missing from stray energy beams. When he got to the top he looked out to the North. He thought to himself, “The battle’s just begun.”
There was no denying it; they were in trouble. The lull was not caused by them retreating, just regrouping, and the new surge was greater than ever before. Miles could not possibly shoot down all of the fighters, and Rodrick and Athix couldn’t hold back the ground units. “We have to fall back!” Athix yelled over the radio. “This is Capt. Kroy. All 6th Mobile units fall back to the center complex. Fall back!” That was all Rodrick had to hear. He was running toward the main building when he looked back to make sure that Miles was behind him. To his dismay he saw Miles with his leg caught under a beam of the now collapsing AA gun. Athix in his BWP was keeping the Yang Tzen infantry from getting to him but couldn’t hold them off for long. Rodrick ran as fast as he could back to were Miles was. “My leg is stuck under this beam,” Miles said. Rodrick put his hands on the giant piece of steel. “Just hold on, I think I can lift it.” Rodrick tried as hard as he could to lift the heavy beam off of his friend, but to no avail. “It’s no use!” Miles exclaimed. “You just go without me.” “Don’t be ridiculous! I’m not going to leave you here!” Rodrick was starting to get desperate. The Yang Tzen were all around them. Rodrick had to stop lifting to shoot some of them. Rodrick then turned the weapon and shot viciously at the beam, burning about a third of the carbon-fiber from the diameter. “Hold on,” said Rodrick. “I think I can blast it away.” He set his weapon to burst and started melting the beam. He was almost through when his weapon overheated. “No!” shouted Rodrick. He pulled out his secondary but it was not powerful enough to do anything. Rodrick grabbed a alloy pole and began hacking the beam uselessly. He needed another weapon. He raced off toward the first dead Yang Tzen he saw and grabbed his weapon. He came back and tried again. The beam finally severed and Rodrick was able to lift it off of Miles. “Let’s get out of here!” said Athix, who had resorted to stepping on the enemy soldiers in his BWP. They all ran toward the control center, Athix moving backward so he could fire at the oncoming wave. They all just barely made it through the blast door before it closed. They had made it into the garage and Athix climbed out of the BWP. He was a tall, thin man, not suited well for the demanding action of combat on foot. “I guess everybody's in the left wing,” the tall man said. “Let’s go then,” replied Miles. The three of them jogged down the long corridor, with earthshaking explosions rocking the foundations of the building. They got to the control center and no one was there. “Well there has got to be somebody somewhere,” Rodrick said. “Let’s check the elevator room,” Miles suggested. They were surprised to find the door open and someone standing inside. “The Captain told me to wait for you,” the man said. “Everyone else is underground.” “Well let’s go then,” Athix said impatiently. The man locked the door to the elevator room and pushed the button on a control panel to lower the elevator platform.
When they got to the bottom a large, heavy door opened, and on the other side everything was loud and busy. Doctors and surgeons ran from place to place treating and checking the wounded, who were everywhere. Those who were ready to fight (only about fifty) were sitting in a large, glass sided room to the right. In the far left corner was a command room were Capt. Kroy and Commander Frost stood, looking at a radar screen, could be seen through the transparisteel. Not knowing were else to go the three went to the back of the room where the door to the command room was. Rodrick looked through the window at the giant screen were the commanders stood. Rodrick didn’t like what he saw. At the center of the screen stood the base where they were and the fighter tank factory. Surrounding them was a sea of red dots, obviously the mark of a Yang Tzen unit. Rodrick could tell by the enormous heat signature that Pax was burning. Rodrick felt sorry for all the people that were left alone to face the Yang Tzen. Commander Frost was busy talking to someone on the radio (and didn’t seem happy) while Capt. Kroy analyzed the map screen. Not finding much to do outside the command room, Miles walked over to the room where the combat-ready men were located. Athix did the same not much longer. Rodrick (who was feeling very tired) sat down with his back against the wall and laid his weapon down beside him. He watched the doctors and the patients, some of them screaming, the cue for the nurses to get the neuronarcotic. He started to drift into sleep, thinking about the close encounters with death he had had that day. He was almost unconscious when an explosion on the surface rocked the underground complex, dimming the lights and shaking the floor. Rodrick jumped up instinctively, and waited outside the door of the command room. Kroy and Frost came out moments later. “Move the wounded to the side and get the combat ready men to guard the door, Captain,” Frost said. “Yes sir,” the other responded. He jogged over to the large room where Miles and Athix were in. Kroy burst through the door and shouted at the men as they rushed out and made a defensive formation facing the door; the doctors moved the wounded left of where the troops were. Miles and Athix were in the back of the formation. The Captain walked back over to where Frost was standing. “Captain, they’ve breached the door to the elevator room; it won’t be long before they’re here,” the Commander whispered to Kroy. Rodrick could hear because of his position behind them. “I’ve called for reinforcements, but they said they’d be at least an hour,” he continued. “We can’t hold them off for that long!” said Kroy, trying to stay quiet. Right then, it started, and everyone heard it. The elevator was coming down. "Ready your weapons!", Kroy ordered.
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