[NSW-Fic] Extrusian Assault

[Niner_777]

I little book that I am thinking about writing. I’m using the first chapter as a short story for school.

 

It’s basically an alien war from the point of view of… Delta Squad!!!(Kind of unoriginal, maybe I should change it?) Anyway, it’s not Star Wars, but it resembles it. Nerdy, yes, but that’s the kind of guy I am.

 

 

I’ll post what I can get as soon as possible. Maybe I’ll post it in portions and put the chapter together at the end so you don’t have to read the whole thing at once.

 

Comments/questions?

 

 

I'm posting it here because it's not about Star Wars.

[Niner_777]

The Sun crept over the massive mountains that loomed to the north of the great metropolis, Aliotopia. The wind sang serenely, snaking through the fields, which lay below the hills. Along the way, mysterious animals bustled about their accustomed lives, ignorant of the danger that waited beyond calm steady meadows, beyond the magnificent mountain ranges, and beyond the marvelous white-blue Sun. In the heart of this scene stood a forest of steel, stretching to the dim purple clouds that floated above. Intelligent beings were stirring in this forest, commuting to their places of occupation. The day was just beginning, but night would fall soon. It was only a matter of punctuality.

 

A small grassland creature bolted back to its burrow. The Sun sunk away, like a solar eclipse, yet the moons were nowhere to be seen. From up in the sky, this story is watched with anticipation, for the excitement was yet to begin.

 

***

[The Doctor]

We're allowed posting non Star Wars stories in the CEC now, as long as we post them in the Outer Rim Territories sub-forum. Here's a direct link.

[Niner_777]

Oh, cool. Should I make a new thread or wait for the mods to move this?

[HK-42]

pretty good niner...what about ATR

[Niner_777]

pretty good niner...what about ATR

 

Thanks. I'm still writing ATR, but this is for school and needed to be done.

 

 

However, I am getting lots done on this. It shows that if I really put my mind to it and find the time, I can write. ATR might be continued soon.

[Niner_777]

Elite Covert Ops Commando, AC-2/142, Apollo Deter of Epsilon Squad, woke with a jolt, snapping his back straight as he sat up. Hitting his head hard on the bunk above him, he sank back to his soft spongy pillow. Apollo, or Deter as his squad mates referred to him as, swiftly swung the cover open on the porthole next to his bed. The light didn’t pour through like it usually did at his accustomed wakeup time. Instead, the sky was an eerie gray-green with an orange-red watermark faintly showing through from behind.

Deter rolled over and checked the clock that was built into the shelf at the head of his bead. The soothing blue numbers read 6:02AM. He was right on schedule; the Sun wasn’t. Thoughts ran through Deter’s mind as he contemplated the possibilities. There was no precipitation, but it could easily be overcast, as it was many days. Why was he so nervous though, almost frightened at the near future?

Deter hopped out of his bunk in just a tee shirt and shorts and climbed upwards through a vertical tunnel. His hands shook badly, forcing him to focus intently on continuing to move, past the shut hatches of his squad mates. At the top of the ladder, the walls of the tunnel disappeared. Deter found himself standing in a small glass room. The walls were covered in computers and equipment, up to waist height, where the machines gave way to the glass that allowed one to view the entire military barracks. Deter often came up here to look out at the compound and to view the magnificent heart of Aliotopia. He found it relaxing, but not today. There was no time for relaxation.

Deter peered out across the expanse of low-lying cityscape, beyond the calm steady meadows and the magnificent mountain range, to the marvelous white-blue Sun, or in this case, the lack of the Sun. He quickly scanned the weather stations in the lookout room and breathed a sigh of relief. They showed extensive cloud cover.

Of course, Deter thought to himself. Why did I get all worked up over this simple matter? Chuckling to himself, Deter began to descend down the ladder, back to his bunk. It was time to get ready for another day of hard training. He smiled. Training was fun. Just as he was stepping down onto the top step of the ladder, something caught Deter’s eye that made him jump back into the room.

There was little black speck at the horizon of the mountains. They weren’t visible before, but now he could clearly see the pinpricks of black that seemed to overlap, forming an ecliptically disk in front of the Sun. Red, rather than the usual blue, shone faintly yet boldly behind the disk.

“What the?” Deter began to say before running over to the radar station. He felt someone’s hand on his shoulder, and he gasped.

“What’s going on?” The man asked. “What’s wrong?” It was ECOC AC- 2/144, Alexander Archimedes, called Archer by his squad mates.

Deter was now shivering again. “I don’t quite know, Archer,” he replied, pointing out at the clump of black specks, now even larger than before but still unidentifiable at the distance. Then Deter lowered his arm to draw Archer’s attention to the radar screen. It showed hundreds of red dots closing in on the center of the circle.

“What are they?” Archer inquired, grabbing a pair of macro binoculars from a compartment in the ceiling. Deter did the same and found himself staring at the front of a massive group of warships, and they weren’t their own. He could recognize the large X with a ring around it, the symbol of the Extrusians.

“They’re Extrusian battleships!” Deter explained.

“We have to contact Commander Cruz,” Archer responded immediately.

“I’ll do that. You wake the rest of the squad,” ordered Deter confidently. The tone of his voice hid the raw sickness in his stomach. It felt like monster, chewing away at his insides.

“Roger that,” Archer replied, already sinking down the ladder to wake the rest of Epsilon Squad.

Deter stood dormant for a moment before abruptly jumping on the communications station and flipping the switch, turning on the radio. He scanned through the channels, looking for the commander’s personal channel. Deter found the precise frequency and rang the bell over the radio. A crisp bell chimed stinging his hears, pounding through his head like a bulldozer. There was no response. Instead, a steady streaming static sound surged through the lookout chamber, ominously reflecting off the boundaries of the sentry chamber.

 

 

 

Please tell me if there is anything that I could do to impove!

 

 

Also, sorry for the big block of text. The indents don't show up.

 

Yep, the indents indeed don't show up. Instead, we put an extra line space in between paragraphs and skip the indents. Thanks for posting your story! --Jae

[RedHawke]

Moved to TORT from Ahto.

[Diego Varen]

Nice to see your back Niner. I thought you died or something. Anyway good Chapters and I'm looking foward to more on this and on ATR.

[Niner_777]

Nice to see your back Niner. I thought you died or something. Anyway good Chapters and I'm looking foward to more on this and on ATR.

 

Lol, I'm still alive, but I can understand.

 

 

 

 

AC-1/138, Ralph Finnegan, the squad leader, poked his head through the hatch into the watch post. “What’s our situation?” he asked.

“We’ve got Extrusian vessels inbound, Fin,” Deter announced, struggling to keep his voice steady. “They’re most likely hostile. Also, there seems to be some sort of jamming device. I can’t reach Commander Cruz.”

“I knew that this day would come, eventually,” Ralph, known as Fin, replied solemnly. “Ever since we managed to resist the last conflict.” He seemed to go into some sort of mystifying trance as his eyes glazed over. Deter thought that he could see the reflection of dripping blood in them. Suddenly, Fin snapped out of it. “Deter, Archer, get over to Cruz’s citadel,” Fin barked. “Inform him and let’s get this situation sorted out, with the least possible death toll.”

Deter and Archer bolted for their bunks to grab their equipment. Deter rapidly grabbed his armor from the compartment next to his bed. He hastily fastened the different armor plates onto the basic black Kevlar suit that he’d fit himself into. Then he secured his utility belt. Kneeling on his bed, Deter quickly snatched his A-16 LRS Pistol from beneath his worn pillow. He dragged out a drawer and grabbed some clips for the firearm. He smacked one clip into the ammunition feed on the underside of the pistol’s handle. It clicked satisfyingly.

There was one thing left; Deter whipped open a cupboard near the ceiling of his bunk, revealing a dark gray helmet with a tinted visor. He pulled it down from its place in the locker and positioned it on his head. As Deter powered up his suit, the visor lit up on the inside, providing him with all sorts of information that would be useful in a battle. The heads-up-display, or HUD, included tactical maps of various battlefields and cities, detailed descriptions on the environment and organisms in the area, an optional link for video feed from his squad mates, and even more. It was an amazing engineering achievement, and all the features paid off on the battlefield, when used correctly.

Deter blinked his eyes repeatedly to adjust to the wide array of lights that appeared before him. He dimmed it down to allow him to see beyond more clearly. He quickly checked over his outfit to make sure that he had everything that he needed.

“Are you ready to go?” Archer asked, swinging down the ladder tube into Deter’s bunk. He was already in uniform, A-27 RCN Sniper Rifle fastened to his back. Deter turned to eye his D-32 Assault Rifle that was mounted on the gray wall next to his bed.

“Yeah, I’m good to go,” Deter responded. “We shouldn’t need heavy firearms for this mission.”

“Shouldn’t,” Archer pointed out. There was a brief pause. Then, Deter jumped up shoved Archer down the tube and followed quickly behind him. He slapped the butt of the pistol to make sure the clip was secure.

“Good luck!” AC-2/146, Raymond Boomer, the fourth member of Epsilon Squad said. He was clipping on the last few pieces of armor onto the Kevlar base; his was helmet clamped under is arm.

“Thanks, Boom,” Deter replied, hurrying by. He performed a hasty salute to Fin up the ladder before rushing down the corridor. Archer was right on his heals, arms casually pumping despite their high speed. They passed a myriad of other ladder’s leading up to sentry posts and other squad bunks.

Deter deftly flew the metallic doors open, exiting the squad bunk complex and entering the mess hall. Running at maximum speed, they maneuvered around the rectangular tables toward the exit across the vast cafeteria. Panting, Deter threw open the last set of doors and exited the building completely.

“We can’t run all the way to Cruz’s lair,” Archer pointed out, but they already knew what to do.

“Of course we can,” Deter replied. “However, I’d prefer to travel in class.”

“I see you’re point,” Archer said, running at full speed towards a large metal garage across the expanse of deep gray concrete.

When they reached the garage, Deter whipped out a card key from his utility belt and slid it into a slit next to a thick door. The red light flickered green and the door unlocked. Deter was free to pull it open and sprint inside.

Within the chamber were lines of vehicles. Deter chose the closed Coyote. The Coyote looked like a massive truck with wheels half as tall as an average person. On the truck bed, a massive twenty-millimeter machine gun stood. Deter whistled as he climbed up the side and into the cab, taking the steering wheel firmly in his hands. Archer was already at his side.

“This is going to be fun,” Archer said with a smile.

Deter nodded, inserting his card key and starting the engine. The Coyote roared like a lion as it backed out of the now open garage door. Deter skillfully manned the shift stick, converting it back from reverse and gunning it down the drive toward the exit. A man was napping in the security booth, but there wasn’t time to wake him. The massive vehicle smashed right through the barrier.

“You’d think that that wouldn’t have been so easy,” Archer chuckled.

“It was either that that broke, or us,” Deter replied, his eyes glued to the civilian road. Most people hadn’t awoken yet, so the streets were somewhat clear of traffic. The cars that were out stopped dead when they saw the intimidating Coyote heading toward them.

Beads of sweat dripped down Deter’s face as he swerved off the road to avoid missing an oncoming car. The driver must have been too petrified to push the brake. The result was the destruction of a nearby tree. The branches snapped like twigs under the enormous wheels.

“Oops,” Deter said a few seconds later, continuing down the road. When they reached the last stretch of pavement leading up to Cruz’s fortress, Deter’s eyes drifted up to the mass of Extrusian vessels. Now, their forms became visible. He brought himself back and gunned it up to the curb next to the citadel. He jumped out with renewed motivation.

Archer and Deter bolted up to the locked doors. Archer grabbed the vibration knife from his thigh holster and stabbed it into the crack in the two brown doors. As he dragged it down between the locks, Deter brought his boot hard into it, sending the fortified doors flying open. They ran in, pistols raised out door breach habit. The clerk at the desk ducked as they ran up to her.

“Ma’am, my name is AC-2/142. I need to speak with Chief Commander Cruz immediately. We have a probable invasion situation,” Deter barked unnecessarily strident.

The woman stood up, covering her face with her long dirty blond hair. She was silent.

“Ma’am, this is an emergency,” Archer put in urgently, but the woman just stood there, trembling profusely. Deter raised his pistol, and clandestinely clicked the safety on. Her jaws shifted but no noise was emitted. She reached down to the control panel and flicked an acrylic cover open, revealing a red button. Deter kept his pistol trained on the girl as he glanced down. She cautiously pushed the button, and two sliding mechanical doors split open, revealing a staircase marked with yellow guidelines.

As Archer and Deter rushed up the stairs, Deter noticed the woman mumble something into the intercom on her desk. If this had been a hostile area, Deter would have destroyed it before the message could be sent. It wasn’t, so he refrained from spooking the poor lady any further and continued top speed up the staircase.

When they reached Cruz’s main office, the entrance was already open. Chief Commander Cruz sat at his desk, hands clasped in an arch, staring out the window at the oncoming Extrusian fleet.

“Hello, boys,” he acknowledged casually. “I’ve been expecting you.” He grinned, though sadness and worry was visible in his eyes.

“Sir,” Deter began, “we have an Extrusian fleet inbound.”

“I’m aware of that,” Cruz cut him off nonchalantly.

“What will we do?” Archer inquired apprehensively. “Our communications are down.”

“That’s exactly why I needed you to come here,” Cruz responded, matter-of-factly. “I need you to give me one of you’re remote video cameras so I can relay messages through you’re helmets to the boys back at military HQ.” Cruz wasn’t only a strong and powerful man; he had an impressive mind as well. “As for the citizens, I’ve dispatched messengers to warn them.”

“Very nice,” Deter said distractedly, thinking the basic plan through while he fumbled through his utility belt. He extracted a remote camera and passed it to Commander Cruz.

“Thank you. Now get yourself back to base and prep for battle!” Cruz ordered

“Sir, yes sir!” Archer and Deter barked in unison. They turned and flashed out the door. Cruz positioned the remote camera on his desk and dragged his fingers through his short spiky hair.

[Niner_777]

Okay, I've gone all out on this for the past three days and this is what I've got, though I still have to make a few minor changes later tonight.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

EDIT:

HUH? It won't let me post the whole thing.

 

There's a 10,000 character limit per post, I believe. Just break it up into 2 posts in that case. We won't mind at all. --Jae

[Niner_777]

Oh, thanks for the heads up.

 

 

I'll break it up, and re-post the beginning.

[Niner_777]

The Sun crept over the massive mountains that loomed to the north of the great metropolis, Aliotopia. The wind sang serenely, snaking through the fields, which lay below the hills. Along the way, mysterious animals bustled about their accustomed lives, ignorant of the danger that waited beyond calm steady meadows, beyond the magnificent mountain ranges, and beyond the marvelous white-blue Sun. In the heart of this scene stood a forest of steel, stretching to the dim purple clouds that floated above. Intelligent beings were stirring in this forest, commuting to their places of occupation. The day was just beginning, but night would fall soon. It was only a matter of punctuality.

 

A small grassland creature bolted back to its burrow. The Sun sunk away, like a solar eclipse, yet the moons were nowhere to be seen. From up in the sky, this story is watched with anticipation, for the excitement was yet to begin.

 

***

[Niner_777]

***

Elite Covert Ops Commando, AC-2/142, Apollo Deter of Epsilon Squad, woke with a jolt, snapping his back straight as he sat up. Hitting his head hard on the bunk above him, he sank back to his soft spongy pillow. Apollo, or Deter as his squad mates referred to him as, swiftly swung the cover open on the porthole next to his bed. The light didn’t pour through like it usually did at his accustomed wakeup time. Instead, the sky was an eerie gray-green with an orange-red watermark faintly showing through from behind.

Deter rolled over and checked the clock that was built into the shelf at the head of his bead. The soothing blue numbers read 6:02AM. He was right on schedule; the Sun wasn’t. Thoughts ran through Deter’s mind as he contemplated the possibilities. There was no precipitation, but it could easily be overcast, as it was many days. Why was he so nervous though, almost frightened at the near future?

Deter hopped out of his bunk in just a tee shirt and shorts and climbed upwards through a vertical tunnel. His hands shook badly, forcing him to focus intently on continuing to move, past the shut hatches of his squad mates. At the top of the ladder, the walls of the tunnel disappeared. Deter found himself standing in a small glass room. The walls were covered in computers and equipment, up to waist height, where the machines gave way to the glass that allowed one to view the entire military barracks. Deter often came up here to look out at the compound and to view the magnificent heart of Aliotopia. He found it relaxing, but not today. There was no time for relaxation.

Deter peered out across the expanse of low-lying cityscape, beyond the calm steady meadows and the magnificent mountain range, to the marvelous white-blue Sun, or in this case, the lack of the Sun. He quickly scanned the weather stations in the lookout room and breathed a sigh of relief. They showed extensive cloud cover.

Of course, Deter thought to himself. Why did I get all worked up over this simple matter? Chuckling to himself, Deter began to descend down the ladder, back to his bunk. It was time to get ready for another day of hard training. He smiled. Training was fun. Just as he was stepping down onto the top step of the ladder, something caught Deter’s eye that made him jump back into the room.

There was little black speck at the horizon of the mountains. They weren’t visible before, but now he could clearly see the pinpricks of black that seemed to overlap, forming an ecliptically disk in front of the Sun. Red, rather than the usual blue, shone faintly yet boldly behind the disk.

“What the?” Deter began to say before running over to the radar station. He felt someone’s hand on his shoulder, and he gasped.

“What’s going on?” The man asked. “What’s wrong?” It was ECOC AC- 2/144, Alexander Archimedes, called Archer by his squad mates.

Deter was now shivering again. “I don’t quite know, Archer,” he replied, pointing out at the clump of black specks, now even larger than before but still unidentifiable at the distance. Then Deter lowered his arm to draw Archer’s attention to the radar screen. It showed hundreds of red dots closing in on the center of the circle.

“What are they?” Archer inquired, grabbing a pair of macro binoculars from a compartment in the ceiling. Deter did the same and found himself staring at the front of a massive group of warships, and they weren’t their own. He could recognize the large X with a ring around it, the symbol of the Extrusians.

“They’re Extrusian battleships!” Deter explained.

“We have to contact Commander Cruz,” Archer responded immediately.

“I’ll do that. You wake the rest of the squad,” ordered Deter confidently. The tone of his voice hid the raw sickness in his stomach. It felt like monster, chewing away at his insides.

“Roger that,” Archer replied, already sinking down the ladder to wake the rest of Epsilon Squad.

Deter stood dormant for a moment before abruptly jumping on the communications station and flipping the switch, turning on the radio. He scanned through the channels, looking for the commander’s personal channel. Deter found the precise frequency and rang the bell over the radio. A crisp bell chimed stinging his hears, pounding through his head like a bulldozer. There was no response. Instead, a steady streaming static sound surged through the lookout chamber, ominously reflecting off the boundaries of the sentry chamber.

[Niner_777]

AC-1/138, Ralph Finnegan, the squad leader, poked his head through the hatch into the watch post. “What’s our situation?” he asked.

“We’ve got Extrusian vessels inbound, Fin,” Deter announced, struggling to keep his voice steady. “They’re most likely hostile. Also, there seems to be some sort of jamming device. I can’t reach Commander Cruz.”

“I knew that this day would come, eventually,” Ralph, known as Fin, replied solemnly. “Ever since we managed to resist the last conflict.” He seemed to go into some sort of mystifying trance as his eyes glazed over. Deter thought that he could see the reflection of dripping blood in them. Suddenly, Fin snapped out of it. “Deter, Archer, get over to Cruz’s citadel,” Fin barked. “Inform him and let’s get this situation sorted out, with the least possible death toll.”

Deter and Archer bolted for their bunks to grab their equipment. Deter rapidly grabbed his armor from the compartment next to his bed. He hastily fastened the different armor plates onto the basic black Kevlar suit that he’d fit himself into. Then he secured his utility belt. Kneeling on his bed, Deter quickly snatched his A-16 LRS Pistol from beneath his worn pillow. He dragged out a drawer and grabbed some clips for the firearm. He smacked one clip into the ammunition feed on the underside of the pistol’s handle. It clicked satisfyingly.

There was one thing left; Deter whipped open a cupboard near the ceiling of his bunk, revealing a dark gray helmet with a tinted visor. He pulled it down from its place in the locker and positioned it on his head. As Deter powered up his suit, the visor lit up on the inside, providing him with all sorts of information that would be useful in a battle. The heads-up-display, or HUD, included tactical maps of various battlefields and cities, detailed descriptions on the environment and organisms in the area, an optional link for video feed from his squad mates, and even more. It was an amazing engineering achievement, and all the features paid off on the battlefield, when used correctly.

Deter blinked his eyes repeatedly to adjust to the wide array of lights that appeared before him. He dimmed it down to allow him to see beyond more clearly. He quickly checked over his outfit to make sure that he had everything that he needed.

“Are you ready to go?” Archer asked, swinging down the ladder tube into Deter’s bunk. He was already in uniform, A-27 RCN Sniper Rifle fastened to his back. Deter turned to eye his D-32 Assault Rifle that was mounted on the gray wall next to his bed.

“Yeah, I’m good to go,” Deter responded. “We shouldn’t need heavy firearms for this mission.”

“Shouldn’t,” Archer pointed out. There was a brief pause. Then, Deter jumped up shoved Archer down the tube and followed quickly behind him. He slapped the butt of the pistol to make sure the clip was secure.

“Good luck!” AC-2/146, Raymond Boomer, the fourth member of Epsilon Squad said. He was clipping on the last few pieces of armor onto the Kevlar base; his was helmet clamped under is arm.

“Thanks, Boom,” Deter replied, hurrying by. He performed a hasty salute to Fin up the ladder before rushing down the corridor. Archer was right on his heals, arms casually pumping despite their high speed. They passed a myriad of other ladder’s leading up to sentry posts and other squad bunks.

Deter deftly flew the metallic doors open, exiting the squad bunk complex and entering the mess hall. Running at maximum speed, they maneuvered around the rectangular tables toward the exit across the vast cafeteria. Panting, Deter threw open the last set of doors and exited the building completely.

“We can’t run all the way to Cruz’s lair,” Archer pointed out, but they already knew what to do.

“Of course we can,” Deter replied. “However, I’d prefer to travel in class.”

“I see you’re point,” Archer said, running at full speed towards a large metal garage across the expanse of deep gray concrete.

When they reached the garage, Deter whipped out a card key from his utility belt and slid it into a slit next to a thick door. The red light flickered green and the door unlocked. Deter was free to pull it open and sprint inside.

Within the chamber were lines of vehicles. Deter chose the closed Coyote. The Coyote looked like a massive truck with wheels half as tall as an average person. On the truck bed, a massive twenty-millimeter machine gun stood. Deter whistled as he climbed up the side and into the cab, taking the steering wheel firmly in his hands. Archer was already at his side.

“This is going to be fun,” Archer said with a smile.

Deter nodded, inserting his card key and starting the engine. The Coyote roared like a lion as it backed out of the now open garage door. Deter skillfully manned the shift stick, converting it back from reverse and gunning it down the drive toward the exit. A man was napping in the security booth, but there wasn’t time to wake him. The massive vehicle smashed right through the barrier.

“You’d think that that wouldn’t have been so easy,” Archer chuckled.

“It was either that that broke, or us,” Deter replied, his eyes glued to the civilian road. Most people hadn’t awoken yet, so the streets were somewhat clear of traffic. The cars that were out stopped dead when they saw the intimidating Coyote heading toward them.

Beads of sweat dripped down Deter’s face as he swerved off the road to avoid missing an oncoming car. The driver must have been too petrified to push the brake. The result was the destruction of a nearby tree. The branches snapped like twigs under the enormous wheels.

“Oops,” Deter said a few seconds later, continuing down the road. When they reached the last stretch of pavement leading up to Cruz’s fortress, Deter’s eyes drifted up to the mass of Extrusian vessels. Now, their forms became visible. He brought himself back and gunned it up to the curb next to the citadel. He jumped out with renewed motivation.

Archer and Deter bolted up to the locked doors. Archer grabbed the vibration knife from his thigh holster and stabbed it into the crack in the two brown doors. As he dragged it down between the locks, Deter brought his boot hard into it, sending the fortified doors flying open. They ran in, pistols raised out door breach habit. The clerk at the desk ducked as they ran up to her.

“Ma’am, my name is AC-2/142. I need to speak with Chief Commander Cruz immediately. We have a probable invasion situation,” Deter barked unnecessarily strident.

The woman stood up, covering her face with her long dirty blond hair. She was silent.

“Ma’am, this is an emergency,” Archer put in urgently, but the woman just stood there, trembling profusely. Deter raised his pistol, and clandestinely clicked the safety on. Her jaws shifted but no noise was emitted. She reached down to the control panel and flicked an acrylic cover open, revealing a red button. Deter kept his pistol trained on the girl as he glanced down. She cautiously pushed the button, and two sliding mechanical doors split open, revealing a staircase marked with yellow guidelines.

As Archer and Deter rushed up the stairs, Deter noticed the woman mumble something into the intercom on her desk. If this had been a hostile area, Deter would have destroyed it before the message could be sent. It wasn’t, so he refrained from spooking the poor lady any further and continued top speed up the staircase.

When they reached Cruz’s main office, the entrance was already open. Chief Commander Cruz sat at his desk, hands clasped in an arch, staring out the window at the oncoming Extrusian fleet.

“Hello, boys,” he acknowledged casually. “I’ve been expecting you.” He grinned, though sadness and worry was visible in his eyes.

“Sir,” Deter began, “we have an Extrusian fleet inbound.”

“I’m aware of that,” Cruz cut him off nonchalantly.

“What will we do?” Archer inquired apprehensively. “Our communications are down.”

“That’s exactly why I needed you to come here,” Cruz responded, matter-of-factly. “I need you to give me one of you’re remote video cameras so I can relay messages through you’re helmets to the boys back at military HQ.” Cruz wasn’t only a strong and powerful man; he had an impressive mind as well. “As for the citizens, I’ve dispatched messengers to warn them.”

“Very nice,” Deter said distractedly, thinking the basic plan through while he fumbled through his utility belt. He extracted a remote camera and passed it to Commander Cruz.

“Thank you. Now get yourself back to base and prep for battle!” Cruz ordered

“Sir, yes sir!” Archer and Deter barked in unison. They turned and flashed out the door. Cruz positioned the remote camera on his desk and dragged his fingers through his short spiky hair.

[Niner_777]

The woman manning the reception desk flinched as the two commandos emerged from the staircase and dashed out the busted exit. Deter and Archer jumped in the Coyote and slammed on the acceleration pedal. Deter flew back in his seat as the vehicle roared forward. His hand slid off the steering wheel and slid across the card key, partially sticking out of it’s slit. The card key cleanly sliced through Deter’s glove, creating a small cut in his flesh. A drop of bright red blood dripped out.

“Now how did that happen?” Deter exclaimed. He gazed at the blood drop a few moments longer before he saw it; the reflection of the Extrusian fleet was clearly perceptible. Deter began to leave reality when Archer pounded him on the shoulder.

“Keep you’re eyes on the road,” Archer told him. “Cruz is counting on us surviving, this commute at least. Deter didn’t reply, but he kept his eyes trained to the pavement before him. However, he could still distinguish people barring up their doors and windows. That was one of the standard invasion procedures that all civilians had been taught in case something like this ever happened again.

Deter pushed the pedal down as far is it could go, trying to force the adrenaline in his body dull his fear. When they came to the entrance to the main military compound, Deter drove right through the gate again, the Coyote’s colossal tires rolling harmlessly over the spikes that were meant to impede vehicles from entering. They pulled up right next to the entrance and jumped out. Card key handy, Deter slid it into the slot and the doors opened with as whoosh.

The mess hall was just how they’d left it, indicating that the men had skipped breakfast to prepare for battle. In the bunk compound, it was controlled chaos. Soldiers were running around, half dressed, but they all had a destination. Deter began to patch Cruz’s video feed into everyone’s helmet’s via his own HUD. As he scurried to find his squad, he opened up Cruz’s screen in the upper left of his video visor. Cruz was sitting patiently at his desk just as he had when they’d seen him in person.

“We’re ready for orders, Sir,” Deter announced to Cruz through their secured radio link.

“Good,” Commander Cruz replied, straightening his spine in his chair. “First thing’s first. Man the turrets. Take out any vessel or dropped explosive that you can.”

Everyone in the chamber halted, finally realizing who was giving these orders. They scrambled to the turret stations as fast as they could. Deter and Archer followed. They ran through the room to the end where a few turret stations were still vacant. Deter rushed up the ladder tube on the right. He emerged at the top in a comfortable cockpit. Deter noticed the twin revolving plasma cannons attached to the turret.

Taking hold of the controls, he quickly maneuvered the turret to face the oncoming fleet of Extrusian vessels. Suddenly, the video screens in all the turrets shimmered to life. On the sparkling screen was the image of Valzador, the tyrant of Extrusia.

“Greetings,” Valzador said cheerfully.

“What brings you here?” Cruz asked indifferently.

“We are here to discuss certain power source research that has been going on around here,” replied the tyrant.

“I know nothing of the sort,” Cruz answered apologetically.

“Yes, you do!” Valzador shouted unceremoniously. “I’m afraid you know exactly what I’m speaking of!” His face changed from the dull orange-brown of its usual complexion to a deep purple. His ears bent forward and his teeth were bared.

Cruz reclined in his chair, obviously pleased with the situation despite its severity. “Say, hypothetically, I did know what you were talking about. Why would I tell you about it?”

“Because I will destroy you and your insignificant little planet!” Valzador shouted, hand pounding on the screen. Deter flinched as he watched the scene play out by means of the video screen.

“Why, do you expect me to believe that you’d travel all this way to steal our technology and not annihilate our planet?” Cruz asked, not looking directly at Valzador’s image, but rather at the tops of his hands. “I don’t think so.” The blood vessels in the tyrant’s face were bulging near the point of explosion. Chief Commander Cruz imperturbably reached across his desk for a glass of water. Along with it, came the remote camera.

“That’s it!” Valzador bellowed furiously. “This won’t go on for any longer! Either give us your power source technology or we’ll take it by force!”

Cruz gently brought the glass up to his mouth. “Open fire,” he whispered, then took a long gulp from the cup of victory.

[Niner_777]

Deter swallowed firmly as the words came through his helmet radio. His heart pulsed distractingly inside his chest. Deter flipped a switch and a targeting mechanism dropped from the ceiling. He put his eye to it, revealing an entire different world. Browsing through the different optic modes, he finally settled on a plain screen with thick black crosshairs that glowed blue when they were directed on an enemy craft.

“You heard the man!” Someone shouted over the intercom. “Fire at will!” Deter quickly selected a small craft that appeared to be a troopship. He gently squeezed the duel triggers and condensed fire spewed effortlessly out of the twin cannons. Deter held the trigger down, letting the blasts stream across the atmosphere, impacting the ship silently, from the distance. The vessel burst into flames almost immediately.

Nice shot! Deter complimented himself. He compressed the triggers for a few seconds after the ship had already began to crash to the earth, like a flaming snowflake. He quickly turned his attention to a new target. He chose a large destroyer that was already the target of several other plasma streams. The Extrusian destroyer was pouring out its fair share of destruction as well. Laser guided missiles streamed out of its hull and soared toward the city like a pack of bees.

Deter noticed that a payload of explosives had been expelled. He tenderly tipped the joysticks forward, releasing the blazing streams upon the bombs. They detonated violently, marking the sky with a distinctive orange and black smudged star of destruction. As the ashes fell, the destroyer tagged along. Deter smirked in his helmet, satisfied with his quick thinking, but more Extrusian battleships pressed through the smoke, continuing to pour out missiles and plasma fire to the cityscape below.

“Nice shot there, forty-two,” someone shouted to him over the radio. Deter looked to his right. AC-0/002, better known as Ajax, sat in the cockpit, blasting away at small specs drifting down from the exploding ships like pepper. Deter focused in on the small dark particles and recognized them as escape pods. Then he saw them disappear in a flash of fire. Ajax blasted seemingly hundreds escape pods, swinging his turret in sharp arcs.

“We’ve got fighter crafts!” someone roared. “Keep your aim sharp!” Deter brought himself back into his scope and zoomed in on an individual fighter craft that he judged to be closest. It was moving fast, but Deter deftly demolished the craft in a swift jerk of his wrists. What he liked about combat like this was that it was clean. There was minimal blood. The bodies were destroyed along with the craft. Suddenly, he noticed a formation of combatant aircraft incoming from his six o’clock. He jerkily spun the turret around one hundred and eighty degrees to face the fighter crafts head on. He lightly squeezed the triggers. The resulting flame obliterated the aircraft at point blank range as it attempted to fly past. The blazing plasma reflected off and seared the glass of the turret cockpit, causing it to fog and buckle. Ultimately, it withstood the damage.

Deter observed another turret eradicating the remaining fighters with impeccable aim. Deter tagged the turret to be AC-0/000, Ares. He was acknowledged throughout the planet and known beyond as the first ECOC to be recruited. Deter gapped momentarily before swinging his turret back to face the main Extrusian fleet.

He noticed a group of civilians standing on a hillside out on the city. They were armed with projectile rifles and pistols. Some of the children resorted to throwing rocks into the air, in an attempt to fend off the invaders. Then a large gray box with orange markings on it caught Deter’s eye. It was obviously some sort of explosive, and it was falling directly to where the cluster of civilians was stationed. Something else caught his eye.

What now? Deter thought. A small bomber was headed directly for a large sky scrapper, located at the heart of the city. He had to choose between saving the lives of a few brave civilians that he could physically see or possibly thousands of people who resided in the tower. What if the tower has already been evacuated? he asked himself, unsure of what to do in this dilemma. At the last minute he rapidly swung the turret and blasted the bomb right out of the air. The smoke and debris covered his view of the hilltop on which the civilians had occupied. He decided not to think about it, but rather move on.

In a last attempt to save the sky scrapper, Deter whirled the turret around to face the city. He was too late. The tower had collapsed and was smoldering at the base. Metal and concrete fragments showered the area. His stomach felt sick and his vision was blurred. Sweat ran down his body, causing him to feel suddenly chilly.

“Deter!” someone shouted up the ladder tube. Deter looked down behind him to investigate. “Cruz has a new objective for us.” It was Fin. Deter hopped out of the turret and freefell down the tube.

“What is it?” he timorously asked.

[Niner_777]

“Epsilon Squad is to enter the city and begin the evacuation of Alio. Pack your assault rifle. There have been numerous drop ship landings. You don’t want to get caught in a firefight with ten rounds for that pistol, now, do you?” Fin informed him.

“Right,” Deter replied, sprinting to his bunk and grabbing his assault rifle and slinging it over his shoulders. He grabbed a handful of rounds and clipped them to his ammunition belt, swung asymmetrically around his neck and under his arm. Then he bolted back to ground floor where his squad was already waiting for him, in full armor, the Kevlar fabric covering their mouths.

“Short range communications are back online.” Archer announced joyfully.

“That’s correct,” Fin declared. “Everyone turn it on so we can communicate on or mission. Make sure it’s on our private channel. I’ll send you the frequency.”

“Roger that,” Ray responded, rubbing the rocket launcher hanging from his back. He had lots of fun with that machine.

“Let’s hit the battlefront!” Archer shouted enthusiastically.

“Roger that, forty-four.” For some reason, Ray still insisted on using their given names rather than their nicknames, but who really cared?

The four members of Epsilon Squad cautiously stepped out into the cool early morning air. Though the sun shimmered dimly through the smoke, the atmosphere was dark and depressed. The squad trudged down the broad shrapnel littered pavement, which led into the flaming forest of steel.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, the destruction was already obvious. Residential homes were charred and ablaze. The sidewalks were chewed from the impact of falling debris. The fire hydrants aimlessly poured water into the streets. Epsilon Squad silently stepped through the puddles, their boots protecting their feet from the water. Deter discerned a conglomeration of about five people, huddled under a tent of fallen blackened building material.

“There are some people up ahead,” Deter pointed out.

“Let’s check in on them,” Fin ordered, rather than suggested. They silently crept up on the clustered mass of people.

“Hello there,” Archer said causally, lowering his pistol and striding over to them. The rest of Epsilon Squad followed. Deter stared down the sights on the end of his assault rifle. He smacked the ammo feed to make sure that the cartridge was secure. He tended to do that when he was nervous. He swept over the area before lowering his rifle to focus his attention on the civilian accumulation.

There was one woman and four young children grabbing onto her. Their faces were smeared with orange and black silt. It looked like the family had been through a sandstorm. Abrasions covered their skin and small pieces of metal protruded from their clothes and matted hair, which hung over tearstained cheeks. When they noticed the commandos, they instinctively drew back deeper into the debris tent.

“We are here to help you,” Fin told them slowly and clearly. “Don’t be afraid.” All five of them were trembling. Deter didn’t blame them. He too found it difficult to keep still. Deter pulled five energy bars out of his back and tenderly unwrapped one, trying not to make any sudden movements. He took a little nibble to show them what it was before handing it to the woman. He then passed out the remaining four to the kids.

“They’re not stupid,” Archer informed him, chuckling. “They’re just scared.”

“I know,” Deter countered, embarrassed slightly. “In their training missions they’d always been taught to treat the civilians in such a way that would imply the commandos were intellectually superior.

The children warily opened their energy bars and nibbled on them as Deter had taught them to. After they were satisfied that the food was safe, the children eagerly devoured the rest of the bars. The woman reluctantly joined them.

“Good,” Fin said. “Now let’s get you guys somewhere safe”

Just then a projectile bullet zoomed from somewhere behind them and made busted a hole through a wooden plank less than a foot from Deter’s head.

“Get down!” Fin shouted, piling the woman and children farther into the makeshift shelter. Deter landed hard on his chest. A cloud of dust puffed out from under him. Gazed down the scope of his D-32 Assault Rifle, scanning the buildings on the opposite side of the street. Ray crawled over to Deter’s position, his rifle in one hand and a grenade grasped in the other. Archer was back in the small shelter, looking scanning the area as well.

“Nothing,” Archer commented. Just then, an explosion went off across the street. Deter swiveled in the direction of the noise. He saw what appeared to be another shelter collapse in that direction.

“There were people over there,” Deter remarked, double-checking by switching his visor to its infrared filter. “I’m going to check it out.” He got into a crouch and began to scale the building to his right. Boom! Another explosive detonated just above the initial shelter. Fin tackled the family to the ground to protect them from the falling debris, and Deter began to dash back to help.

There was a loud crack! Ray, who was hiding behind the corner of a charred brick building, flinched suddenly. He fired a burst of bullets before ducking back into cover and bringing his hand to his shoulder plate. Deter caught the tall orange ear of an Extrusian sticking out from behind a green dumpster. He gently squeezed the trigger and the ear disappeared in a flash. Black blood spattered the side of the dumpster.

Deter promptly hustled back to Ray and the others, who were now pulling themselves free from the rubble pile. The civilian family looked even more distraught than before. The children’s eyes were bloodshot from the increase in airborne dust particles. These innocent people shouldn’t have to experience the destruction of war.

Then Deter noticed that Ray was moaning slightly. “Are you okay?” Deter inquired. Ray lowered his hand, revealing a stream of blood that peacefully flowed from a bullet hole in Ray’s shoulder plate.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ray grunted, leaning forward to position his legs in a kneeling position. “Were was that coming from?”

“I saw one Extrusian near a dumpster to our ten o’clock,” Deter informed him. “I took his ear off.” Fin strode over, rifle at the ready.

“We should go after them,” Fin put in.

“But what about the other civilians,” Deter protested. “Their shelter collapsed on them over there.” He pointed to a large pile of rubble across the ash-covered street. Fin gazed across, eyes glazing yet again behind his tinted visor.

“There’s nothing we can do for them now,” Fin stated. Deter was silent. “I know how you feel, but we can’t save them.”

“Roger that, Lead,” Deter said, emphasizing Fin’s position as squad leader. Deter reclined his neck, looking to the sky at the thousands of battleships that passed above them. It made him nauseous.

“Now, to focus our attention on the enemy squad,” Fin began. He stared into what seemed to be space for a moment. In reality, Fin was studying the tactical map on his HUD. “Let’s travel through this alleyway to catch them off guard. Archer, you take up a sniping position in that window.” Fin pointed to the building across the street. “Give us some cover fire.”

“Will do,” Archer replied, snatching his sniper rifle from his back. He sprinted off across the road, cautiously looking both ways before crossing.

“Ray, set up a defensive position over at the entrance to that subway station. It’ll be for us to fall back on if we need to,” Fin ordered. “Take the civilians with you and keep them safe.”

“Got it,” Ray replied simply, motioning for the huddled civilians to follow him.

“You come with me,” Fin told Deter. “Let’s move!” Deter and watched as Ray jogged across the road toward the subway station, his rifle swept back and forth as he scanned the area. The family tagged along close behind.

Fin was already picking his way through the pile of rubble, which was once the shelter. Just beyond that was a narrow alleyway that would lead them right to the dumpster. They snuck in silence past the everyday junk that littered the ally. When they reached the corner which would lead to the dumpster, Deter pulled out a small strand fiber optic strand from his utility belt. He plugged it into his helmet and slid it around the corner. There was no one in the immediate vicinity.

Slowly, he and Fin crawled out from behind the corner. Deter peered down the scope of his assault rifle into the alleyway across the street. The motion detection light flashed blue in the upper hemisphere of the scope. Deter leaned back a bit to get a better view of the fire escape ladder hanging down from the side of an apartment building. Hanging on the ladder was an Extrusian soldier, scanning the street below him.

Deter’s heart raced, but his training and instinct took over his body. He carefully centered the crosshairs on the enemy’s head and pulled the trigger. A three round burst exited the assault rifle and entered the Extrusian’s cranium instantly. The Extrusian combatant dangled on the ladder for a moment, head drooping like a dieing flower, before he fell to the ground in a puddle of his own inky blood.

“Good kill,” Fin remarked, inching closer to the dumpster. A voice came from the front of the building. It was the sound of grunting Extrusian warriors. Two Extrusians abruptly turned the corner, submachine guns raised. Fin deftly shot the first in the torso, ripping through its chest plate. The soldier collapsed on the ground before he could fire a shot. Angered, the second Extrusian aimlessly fired at the dumpster, which Fin and Deter had jumped behind. Fin rounded the back of the garbage container and blasted the enemy soldier in the back of the head. The Extrusian spun on its heal to face the fire, but was only welcomed with a face full of lead. The trooper fell forward, flat on his face.

“Good kills,” Deter returned the compliment. Suddenly, two more Extrusians hopped down from a balcony overlooking the ally. One of them landed in front of Deter. Impulsively, Deter kicked the submachine gun out of the enemy’s hands. Then he brought the butt of his rifle hard into the Extrusian’s face, crushing its helmet in. The hostile soldier wailed dangerously, but Deter skillfully brought the barrel of his assault rifle hard his enemy’s abdomen and fired away, spattering him with a thick black substance.

The other Extrusian leaped on top of Fin, dropping his rifle completely and attempting to strangle the experienced commando using its rock hard arm muscles. Fin struggled and rammed his elbow into the Extrusian’s stomach, but it wouldn’t give up. From across the street, Archer steadied his sniper rifle and fired. The oversized sniper bullet silently passed through the Extrusian’s skull. It fell limp without warning. Fin was able to rip it off and shove the body to the ground.

“Good kill,” Fin and Deter said in unison. Without any warning, the Earth began to shake violently, as if a gigantic earthquake was occurring.

“What is that?” Fin asked curiously. They ran out into the street to see what was happening. From the middle of the broad road, Fin and Deter could see all the way back to the military barracks. Out of the ground grew a colossal metallic structure. It looked like a mechanical volcano being formed right before their eyes.

“Oh my goodness!” Deter exclaimed backing away from the gargantuan object, towering as tall as a mountain. “What’s going on?” The windows that were still intact shattered and plummeted to the ground, littering the streets with sparkles that reflected the blossoming explosions of battle above.

Fin diverted his attention from the mountain of steel just long enough to notice that dozens, maybe even hundreds of Extrusians were poking their heads out of alleyways to view the spectacle as well.

“Get back, Deter,” Fin whispered urgently. He pivoted on his heel and began to sprint back to the subway station. “Fall back!” he barked. “Fall back!” The Extrusians must have noticed the two commandos retreating, for a salvo of small lead bullets came chasing after them, ricocheting off the pavement. Rather than taking the long route, Archer crashed through the broken window and landed on the street, facing a hoard of Extrusian warriors less than one hundred meters away.

Archer hastily snapped a shot off into the crowd of hostiles. Amazingly, the snapshot found a mark, hitting an Extrusian squarely in the head. Archer didn’t take the time to savor his success. He was already on his way to the fall back point. Ray emerged and started pouring bullets past them, toward the oncoming enemies.

As they neared the subway station the ground stopped quaking and time seemed to slow down dramatically. The sky turned to black, emphasizing the flaming warships that hovered in the atmosphere above. All was silent, and all was still, except for one thing. A small band of blue appeared around the rim of the mechanical mountain and began to build until time stopped and chaos was released in all its fury. There was a deafening low-pitched noise, such as thunder magnified to an unprecedented power, as the pure blue energy was released. The beam was half the size of a single Extrusian destroyer, and it cut through them like butter. The beam swiveled slightly to destroy as many battleships as possible.

At the last moment, Deter, Fin, Archer, and Ray hurled themselves down into the pitch black of the subway station, almost deaf and blind from the power of the mechanical mountain, otherwise known as the Planetary Defense Turbo Laser. Through his sore and burning eyes, Deter made out the faint glow of the Turbo Laser outside of the subway station, but a second later, the light gave way to flame, bursting through the subway station entrance. Then, the flame gave way to darkness. Deter didn’t fear the darkness of eternity, but rather almost wished it upon his broken body. He seemed to get what he wished for as the noise in his head gave way to silence…

“Epsilon Squad! Come in Epsilon!” a voice boomed into Deter’s helmet. “Do you copy, this is Chief Commander Cruz, requesting your assistance. Come in Epsilon!”

“Huh, what?” Deter asked groggily, rolling over on a cold hard floor. He couldn’t see anything, and he could barely hear the shout of Commander Cruz.

“What’s going on?” Archer queried. He must have just woken too. “Where are we?”

“How should I know?” Cruz bellowed over the radio. “Now I need you to report back to headquarters immediately.”

“Now hold on,” Fin’s voice came from somewhere in the darkness. “How are we supposed to do that? We’re trapped in a subway station with a force of Extrusians just outside.”

“Outside, you say?” Cruz questioned. “And you’re inside? Lucky you guys?”

“Why do you say that?” Archer inquired.

“Take a step outside,” Cruz commanded them. “Just do it.” Deter cautiously walked over to a spot where the ceiling appeared to be thinner. He brought his fist up hard into the crumbling concrete. Dim blue smoke wafted in through the crack. Deter continued to knock off little bits of concrete until there was a big enough hole for him to exit through. He pulled himself through and gawked at the landscape.

The entire Extrusian fleet appeared to be lying before him in ruins. The hulls of the battle ships were torn open, revealing melted decks. The sky was still the same eerie green-gray, but the watermark had changed. It was now a magnificent white-blue that emerged from behind. There was hope in the air. However, as Deter continued to stare across the landscape, he noticed something that brought sadness to his heart. The city lay in rubble beneath the fallen enemy warships. His world and his people were destroyed.

“But,” Deter stuttered as the rest of Epsilon Squad joined him. “The city is ruined. We lost.”

“No, my friend, we didn’t suffer defeat, but victory,” Cruz began to explain. “The power source research is safe, and we’ve driven the Extrusians away. We’ve resisted their most powerful assault yet and have crippled their navy. As for Valzador, the coward retreated back into space.”

Deter frowned, looking down at his feet. Then he remembered something. “What happened to the civilian refugees?” Fin shook his head in sorrow. Deter clenched his hand into a fist, his heart burning with anger. “Never mind,” he muttered.

“Well what are you waiting for, commando!” Cruz snapped unceremoniously. “Get yourselves back to HQ. I’ve called the Humans for aid. They should be arriving any minute now to assist in the evacuation.”

[Niner_777]

***

The Sun hid timidly behind ghostly mountains that loomed to the north of the once great metropolis, Aliotopia. The wind hummed songs of destruction and war throughout the charred and smoking ruins. A squad of soldiers stood proudly amongst the rubble, still ignorant of the future that lay beyond the smoldering remains of battle, beyond the magnificent mountains, and beyond the marvelous white-blue Sun. At the heart of this scene was a feeling of hope. The night had fallen again, but the Sun was still shining despite the destruction of war.

[Niner_777]

Okay! All posted.

 

 

Maybe I shouldn't have posted it all right now so it would be easier to read. Well, please don't be intimidated by it. I'd appreciate any comments/feeback that you may have.

[HK-42]

THIS IS GOOD! Period. Good job Niner...now i hope you can finish ATR

[Niner_777]

Thank you. Yeah, I'm still writing ATR, though I'm going in spurts, lol. VERY spread out spurts.