[wip] Reports From The Front
LucidReality
Join Date: 2003-02-13 Member: 13496Members
Join Date: 2003-02-13 Member: 13496Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Story of a lifetime</div> Okay guys, its been a long long long time since ive written anything. So be critical, but not too critical. Its not completely done either. Its been sitting on my desktop for about a month and a half now, but i figured since ive got bad writers block, id put it up here for someone to read and gimme some more ideas.
With that said, i give you what i have so far.
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The man with the mustache looked around. He seemed to be looking for something, but unable to find it. He started pacing the room looking in the corners and behind everything he came across. Finally he just sat back down on the chair in the middle of the room. Shifting slightly in his chair he looked straight at me and open his mouth to say something. He sat there with his mouth open for a few seconds before he collected his thoughts and began speaking. "There was a time, when i was like you. All wide eyed and bushy tailed. I wanted to know everything about anything. Then came the assignment to that research station in the outer rim. The things i saw there made my desire to know everything vanish, and my desire to live grow like a fire consuming a forest." He paused to sigh heavily and to reminisce on events of past times. Looking straight at me without blinking i wondered if he had gone crazy. " I will now tell you of the horrors that changed me, so that you may survive."
It is the year 2450 a.d. The Human Conglomorate has decided to expand deep into space. Setting up research stations and outposts and colonies at every stop. There seemed to be nothing to stop the invasion of the humans. With the TSA in the lead, and the politicians following closely, it was like an invinsible army. Then the first deaths were reported. Strange marking on corpses found in strange locations. Several of the facilities left behind just vanished. People got scared and the expansion ground to a halt. Investigations started into what happened. No conclusions were reached. No one knew what was going on. Some suggested sabotage. Others suggested extra-terrestrials. Even a few believed it was the work of ghosts. But none knew for sure. Then came the turning point in mankinds history. From expansion to degradation. From courage to fear. That point was the attack upon RS193. A remote research station on a forgotten planet on a course that went the other way. An S.O.S. was received from the station, but nothing else. So the TSA was sent to investigate. What they found both infuriated and repulsed them. A new alien race that was as savage as anything they have ever seen. These creatures were only bred to kill. There was no expansion here, only the desire for blood, and the hatred of living things. thats when the war started. Thats where reporter Phillip Carmody was sent. Thats where it changed him forever.
Phillip stepped off the shuttle onto the taramac. The reporter didnt see much. He saw several techs runnning around trying to set up equipment. He saw marines standing guard. He saw one other shuttle being fueled. Before he could scan further, he was pushed from behind. As he stumbled onto the tarmac, he turned around and saw the gruff captain he had come down with. The man looked at him and said " No time for lollygaggin boy. We got an operation here, and it doesnt wait for you to look around. Get your gear off the shuttle, cause its leaving for the Aegis. Once its gone, theres no turning back. So if yer ****, hop back on and go home." Phillip knew he had a schedule to keep, so he went to get his gear after stamming a lousy yes sir to the captain. Grabbing his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder, he reached for his bag and noticed that his notepad had tumbled out en-route. It had tumble around and now lay open to the notes he had taken while talking with some of the soldiers on board the cruiser he had been assigned to. He hadn't had time to study them on the way down, but now he noticed they all had the same general description of what they were fighting. "Dog-like"
A few hours after the intital landing, the marines had a nice little base camp going. They had their Command Chair set up in a corner of the room. A Command Chair, or CC as the marines call it, is where the lead officer in charge of the mission sits. From the chair, he can see everything the marines see, as well as opening certain doors in the facility, and laying down their structures for both offense and defense. Without a CC the marines are almost useless. But with a CC, the marines worked almost like ants. Continually, as they were now. They were setting up structures that Phillip has seen on the training film. Two soldiers near one of the two doors, were busy welding it shut, so that it could not be opened from the outside. Another soldier was working on a automated turret, so that there would not always need to be marines in the base to protect it. Phillip pulled on his helmet, and the Heads-Up-Display flashed to life. He saw several soldiers icons pop up as he looked at them. One young marine near the structure called the Armory, caught his attention. This man was named Connely, Pvt. Phillip decided to find out this kids story.
Having grown up in a small town, everyone knew about Stan Connely's fathers drinking problem, and the abuse he and his mother sustained at his hand. The fact that everyone knew didnt mean they would do anything. No body did, and until he turned eighteen, Stan had no choice but to tough it out. His mother on the other hand, did not. After about 5 years of abuse, she up and left. Taking all the money they had, and anything valuable. This made his dad angry, and to get away from it all, he drank more. More drinking meant more beating. Until finally Stan turned eighteen, and he just up and left. He went to New York to try and make a life for himself. After a month of living in shelters, and being unable to get a job because of his lack of employment of past, he joined the TSA. He wanted to join the Air/Space force, but they only allowed the best of the best so to speak, and a young kid from nowhere wasnt gona cut it. After being rejected by the ASF, he walked over to a TSA recruiting station, drawn to a poster that promised of Fun, Friends, and Adventure beyond comprehension. When he went in, the guy behind the desk immediately stood up and started talking with Stan. He learned that the recruiter has been in the TSA for close to 14 years now. And has made enough money to be very comfortable. He also learned that the guy had many life-long friends from his time in the service. The guy didnt have to say much, since Stan was already sold when he walked in. But what got him the most was the fact that they were looking for volunteers to go into their Space Exploration and Suppression forces. They got paid extra for the "dangerous" aspect of space travel, but he didnt care. as long as he got to get off this planet. He dotted his I's and crossed his T's and he was off. The guy allowed him to use his apartment when he learned that Stan had no where to go until basic training in 3 days. For 3 days he mentally prepared himself for the adventure he was going to have, and the hardships of basic training.
When the day arrived, a bus picked up all the initial recruits to take them to the base. As soon as Stan got there, he noticed something different about this basic training, than the stories he heard about all the others. He noticed that no one yelled. Everyone was here as a volunteer, so there was no need to yell. If you were here, it was because you wanted to learn how to fight and live as a soldier. When all the recruits were off the bus, it left. They did not know what to do, since no one had told them anything. No one was there to give them instructions, so they just stood around, and chatted with friends they had met on the bus. Stan didnt try to talk to anyone on the trip, since he assumed they would be split up upon arrival. He was sorry he did that now. After what seemed like forever, a small man weaing nothing but combat fatigues, and a small sidearm appeared. He walked up to Stan and asked him to form a line in front of him. Stan did and noticed the man just stood there in front of him. A few of the other recruits got in line beind him when they saw the guy. After about a minute and a half, the guy said " Anyone not in line will now have to leave. If you are not able to notice small things like a line forming in front of the only guy here wearing fatigues, then you are not fit for space combat." Several of the men tried to plead to the guy, saying they were engaged in conversation, excited of the prospect of being in the space forces. Others begged. One even said he didnt want to go back to his mom and say he got kicked out the first day. But the guy didnt seem to care. He waved at a door, and several men came out, and proceeded to guide the flunked recruits to a garage, where they got into cars, and were driven away, presumably to be taken home.
When the last car was gone, the small guy lit up a cigar, took a puff and said "Welcome to the TSA Space Exploration and Suppression forces. Since you all had the ability to notice something as big as a line forming, you have been awarded the chance to become full fledged soldiers. I am General Mcintire. The others will be taken home, and given a chance to go to the TSA Ground Force basic training. But they will not be having the fun we will have. Maybe you have noticed, that we do not yell like raving mad lunatics here. If you did, you will go far in this area of your life. If not, well, you had better learn to look for everything. We dont know what is all out there in space, so we have to be prepared to see any danger. We dont yell around here, because we do our training on the grounds of admiration, loyalty, and friendship. If you like a person, you most likely will listen to them. So our instructors try to help you out as best they can. But we are also very strict. If you do not seem to be learning anything, we will kick you out, and you will be given the same option as the others. However, if you desire to get off this rock, and go to other places in the universe, then you had better listen to everything the instructors tell you, since there will be an evaluation in 4 weeks, then a final evaluation 3 weeks after that. Fail either one, and you are out. Now, i would like all of you to go over to that brown building over there, and get yourself signed in, and get your gear. Your personal belongings will be put in a store room, until you either flunk out, or pass. Then you may retreive them. Once you are squared away there, you will be directed to your bunk. Tommorow begins your training." With that, the man walked away and entered a building across the yard. Stan was the first to move from the trance the man's speech had on the recruits. He went to the building, and went inside. He saw a counter, and a man standing behind the counter. He went up to the man, and the man pointed to a computer. On the computer were three columns. One said name. The second said weight, and the third said height. Stan typed in his name, weight, and height. As soon as he was done, the man pointed to a door. Stan went through and found another counter, with another man behind it. He walked up to the counter and the man looked off to the side, and said "Wait right here." A minute or two later, the guy came back with a small plastic box, and an army issue duffel bag which looked stuffed. The man told Stan to put any personal belongings in the box, and take the duffel bag to building 3A. Stan took the duffel bag, and left. He didnt have any personal belongings, so he didnt have to put anything in. He had a ahrd time finding building 3A since the man gave no indication of where to go. But Stan found it 5 minutes later. He went inside, and saw several small cots, with foot lockers toward the center of the room, at the end of each cot. He picked one, and opened the bag. Inside were 7 sets of combat fatigues, three pairs of boots, a combat knife, a small 9mm sidearm w/holster, and toiletries. He started putting them away, when he decided to change into a set of fatigues. As he was buttoning his last buttons, the rest of the recruits came in. They all took cots, and started unpacking. Several of them changed like him, but a couple did not. A couple hours later, a voice boomed over the camp, saying dinner was served in the mess hall. The recruits left their barracks in search of food. Along the way, the ones not in fatigues were stopped by officer looking men, and talked to. They all had a stricken look on thier face, and Stan guessed what was said.
In the weeks to come, Stan saw several more men kicked out, two leave due to injury, one due to madness, and one just plain quit. At the end of training, his recruit class wnet from 27 young men, down to only 6. Stan of course passed with flying colors, as he really didnt have anything else on his mind. After he took his last test, and found out he passed, he was elated. Thye held a small ceremony int he parade yard, where all of the recruits coming in after them were lined up at attention. They stood upon a stage, while General Mcintire spoke of deeds past, and deeds to come. Stan lost sight of the conversation after a while. Finally, he turned, and walked down the line, shaking the hands of the recruits, and handing them a small box. Inside the box was their official rank. Stan was dissapointed to find he was only a Pvt, but he was so happy that he made it, that it did not spoil his mood.
After the ceremony, they were given 5 days leave to roam the town, and have some fun before thier posting. Stan went out, and put all the money he was paid during those 7 weeks into a bank account. He didnt need to drink, since he had seen what it did to his dad. He only kept enough for a fancy dinner at a local restaurant. As he was sitting down, he noticed a woman sitting in front of him, with her back to him. She was sitting alone, but he didn't know if that was because she didnt have anyone to sit with, or if the other person was gone to the restroom or something. After a few minutes, the waiter came and asked what he would like. He decided he wanted a big ol steak, with a side salad, and a baked potato, and a strawberry milkshake to drink. He chose the milkshake, since it had been forever since he last had one. As he was waiting for his meal, he again looked at the woman. She was wearing the most beautiful looking red dress he had ever seen. It was backless, so he could see the lines of her back, and how her jet black hair contrasted furiously against her slightly tanned coloration. She must have sensed him looking, because she turned and look right at him. He blushed and averted his eyes, but he couldnt help but look back. She was staring at him, and when she noticed him looking, she flashed a smile that almost hurt his eyes. She had superb teeth. White as pearl, and straight at an arrow. But her teeth were nothing compared to her eyes. They were a mix of green and blue. They seemed to be mainly blue, with green streaks in them. They were captivating. He thought he must have looked like an idiot, because he sure felt like one with his mouth gaping open like it was. But he couldn't shut it. She giggled the most heavenly giggle at the sight of his dumbfoundedness, and stood up. She walked over to his table. All the while he stood there almost drooling. Her body was so perfect, he thought she couldn't be real. Her chest was just the perfect size. Not huge, but just big enough to fill the dress perfectly. The curves of her hips made a wide hourglass shape. Not overweight, but not anorexic. Her legs were long and amazingly toned. He just sat there in complete awe, that a woman of this magnitude existed. When she arrived, she looked down at him, and smiled. "Mind if I join you?" He tried to say "yes please!" but it came out as a "sure, go right ahead." When she sat down, he couldn't stop staring. She giggled at him again, and asked his name. He told her, and then asked her right back. Her name was Angela Drayson. His dinner came shortly after the exchange, and the waiter noticed her sitting at his table, and asked if she wanted anything. She said "yes" and ordered a salad, with a diet cola to drink. The waiter said he would be right back, and left.
Several hours later, they parted ways. Stan learned that she was supposed to meet a blind date there, but he never showed. All the better for himself Stan thought. She was a lawyer for a firm in the big city. She did not reveal her age, but he guessed around twenty-two. He asked if she wanted to go on a "real" date tommorow, and she said okay. As they left the resaurant, she called a taxi, and while she waited, he kept her company. By the time the taxi arrived, he had her number. He got back to the base 15 minutes late, and when General Mcintire asked where he was, Stan told him exactly what happened. The general smiled at the completion of the story, and patted Stan on the back. "Well done my boy. You netted yourself a nice catch there. That woman is the daughter of a wealthy corporation CEO. She has brains, and beauty. I know that many a men on this base have lusted for her, but it seems you knew the right buttons. Just make sure you dont mess it up. You will be posted in a few days, so make sure you use your time wisely son." With that, he sent Stan back to his barracks.
Over the next few days, Stan and Angela met several more times. Each time they met, Stan fell more and more in love with her. She knew he was going to be stationed in some remote planet sometime soon, and she seemed to not mind. Finally, the day before being assigned somewhere, he called her, and asked her to meet him. She agreed. When she got there, he said that he loved her, and that he would write if she would allow it. She said she would allow it, but he would have to write every day. He gave her a hug, and started to say goodbye, but she suddenly grabbed him, and kissed him furiously. It was the longest, and best kiss of Stan's life. His only other experience being under the bleachers in high school, with a cheerleader. When she finally allowed him to breathe, he had to gasp for breath. She smiled at him, then ran off in the other direction. He went back to base with a smile so wide, that all the guys thought he had gotten lucky, and in a way, he had. Later that day, the postings were put up. Stan went to check, ans saw that he was stationed on the cruiser Aegis. He packed up, and headed for the shuttle.
"Move to your waypoint solider." That sudden voice jolted Stan from his story trance. Phillip saw the young man look around quickly, then head off towards one of the unwelded doors. Phillip liked this kid, and wanted him to succed. It was the success story the public would drool over. Poor kid, goes into the service, survives unimaginable horrors, all to go home to a lovely woman. Phillip was deep in thought when he heard a commotion come from one of the doors. It sounded like a laugh, but it was so gruff, choppy and un-human like, that he guessed it was one of the creatures. thats all he could call them, for there were no official names, not even any nicknames yet. He watched the door as two marines took positions nearby.
With that said, i give you what i have so far.
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The man with the mustache looked around. He seemed to be looking for something, but unable to find it. He started pacing the room looking in the corners and behind everything he came across. Finally he just sat back down on the chair in the middle of the room. Shifting slightly in his chair he looked straight at me and open his mouth to say something. He sat there with his mouth open for a few seconds before he collected his thoughts and began speaking. "There was a time, when i was like you. All wide eyed and bushy tailed. I wanted to know everything about anything. Then came the assignment to that research station in the outer rim. The things i saw there made my desire to know everything vanish, and my desire to live grow like a fire consuming a forest." He paused to sigh heavily and to reminisce on events of past times. Looking straight at me without blinking i wondered if he had gone crazy. " I will now tell you of the horrors that changed me, so that you may survive."
It is the year 2450 a.d. The Human Conglomorate has decided to expand deep into space. Setting up research stations and outposts and colonies at every stop. There seemed to be nothing to stop the invasion of the humans. With the TSA in the lead, and the politicians following closely, it was like an invinsible army. Then the first deaths were reported. Strange marking on corpses found in strange locations. Several of the facilities left behind just vanished. People got scared and the expansion ground to a halt. Investigations started into what happened. No conclusions were reached. No one knew what was going on. Some suggested sabotage. Others suggested extra-terrestrials. Even a few believed it was the work of ghosts. But none knew for sure. Then came the turning point in mankinds history. From expansion to degradation. From courage to fear. That point was the attack upon RS193. A remote research station on a forgotten planet on a course that went the other way. An S.O.S. was received from the station, but nothing else. So the TSA was sent to investigate. What they found both infuriated and repulsed them. A new alien race that was as savage as anything they have ever seen. These creatures were only bred to kill. There was no expansion here, only the desire for blood, and the hatred of living things. thats when the war started. Thats where reporter Phillip Carmody was sent. Thats where it changed him forever.
Phillip stepped off the shuttle onto the taramac. The reporter didnt see much. He saw several techs runnning around trying to set up equipment. He saw marines standing guard. He saw one other shuttle being fueled. Before he could scan further, he was pushed from behind. As he stumbled onto the tarmac, he turned around and saw the gruff captain he had come down with. The man looked at him and said " No time for lollygaggin boy. We got an operation here, and it doesnt wait for you to look around. Get your gear off the shuttle, cause its leaving for the Aegis. Once its gone, theres no turning back. So if yer ****, hop back on and go home." Phillip knew he had a schedule to keep, so he went to get his gear after stamming a lousy yes sir to the captain. Grabbing his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder, he reached for his bag and noticed that his notepad had tumbled out en-route. It had tumble around and now lay open to the notes he had taken while talking with some of the soldiers on board the cruiser he had been assigned to. He hadn't had time to study them on the way down, but now he noticed they all had the same general description of what they were fighting. "Dog-like"
A few hours after the intital landing, the marines had a nice little base camp going. They had their Command Chair set up in a corner of the room. A Command Chair, or CC as the marines call it, is where the lead officer in charge of the mission sits. From the chair, he can see everything the marines see, as well as opening certain doors in the facility, and laying down their structures for both offense and defense. Without a CC the marines are almost useless. But with a CC, the marines worked almost like ants. Continually, as they were now. They were setting up structures that Phillip has seen on the training film. Two soldiers near one of the two doors, were busy welding it shut, so that it could not be opened from the outside. Another soldier was working on a automated turret, so that there would not always need to be marines in the base to protect it. Phillip pulled on his helmet, and the Heads-Up-Display flashed to life. He saw several soldiers icons pop up as he looked at them. One young marine near the structure called the Armory, caught his attention. This man was named Connely, Pvt. Phillip decided to find out this kids story.
Having grown up in a small town, everyone knew about Stan Connely's fathers drinking problem, and the abuse he and his mother sustained at his hand. The fact that everyone knew didnt mean they would do anything. No body did, and until he turned eighteen, Stan had no choice but to tough it out. His mother on the other hand, did not. After about 5 years of abuse, she up and left. Taking all the money they had, and anything valuable. This made his dad angry, and to get away from it all, he drank more. More drinking meant more beating. Until finally Stan turned eighteen, and he just up and left. He went to New York to try and make a life for himself. After a month of living in shelters, and being unable to get a job because of his lack of employment of past, he joined the TSA. He wanted to join the Air/Space force, but they only allowed the best of the best so to speak, and a young kid from nowhere wasnt gona cut it. After being rejected by the ASF, he walked over to a TSA recruiting station, drawn to a poster that promised of Fun, Friends, and Adventure beyond comprehension. When he went in, the guy behind the desk immediately stood up and started talking with Stan. He learned that the recruiter has been in the TSA for close to 14 years now. And has made enough money to be very comfortable. He also learned that the guy had many life-long friends from his time in the service. The guy didnt have to say much, since Stan was already sold when he walked in. But what got him the most was the fact that they were looking for volunteers to go into their Space Exploration and Suppression forces. They got paid extra for the "dangerous" aspect of space travel, but he didnt care. as long as he got to get off this planet. He dotted his I's and crossed his T's and he was off. The guy allowed him to use his apartment when he learned that Stan had no where to go until basic training in 3 days. For 3 days he mentally prepared himself for the adventure he was going to have, and the hardships of basic training.
When the day arrived, a bus picked up all the initial recruits to take them to the base. As soon as Stan got there, he noticed something different about this basic training, than the stories he heard about all the others. He noticed that no one yelled. Everyone was here as a volunteer, so there was no need to yell. If you were here, it was because you wanted to learn how to fight and live as a soldier. When all the recruits were off the bus, it left. They did not know what to do, since no one had told them anything. No one was there to give them instructions, so they just stood around, and chatted with friends they had met on the bus. Stan didnt try to talk to anyone on the trip, since he assumed they would be split up upon arrival. He was sorry he did that now. After what seemed like forever, a small man weaing nothing but combat fatigues, and a small sidearm appeared. He walked up to Stan and asked him to form a line in front of him. Stan did and noticed the man just stood there in front of him. A few of the other recruits got in line beind him when they saw the guy. After about a minute and a half, the guy said " Anyone not in line will now have to leave. If you are not able to notice small things like a line forming in front of the only guy here wearing fatigues, then you are not fit for space combat." Several of the men tried to plead to the guy, saying they were engaged in conversation, excited of the prospect of being in the space forces. Others begged. One even said he didnt want to go back to his mom and say he got kicked out the first day. But the guy didnt seem to care. He waved at a door, and several men came out, and proceeded to guide the flunked recruits to a garage, where they got into cars, and were driven away, presumably to be taken home.
When the last car was gone, the small guy lit up a cigar, took a puff and said "Welcome to the TSA Space Exploration and Suppression forces. Since you all had the ability to notice something as big as a line forming, you have been awarded the chance to become full fledged soldiers. I am General Mcintire. The others will be taken home, and given a chance to go to the TSA Ground Force basic training. But they will not be having the fun we will have. Maybe you have noticed, that we do not yell like raving mad lunatics here. If you did, you will go far in this area of your life. If not, well, you had better learn to look for everything. We dont know what is all out there in space, so we have to be prepared to see any danger. We dont yell around here, because we do our training on the grounds of admiration, loyalty, and friendship. If you like a person, you most likely will listen to them. So our instructors try to help you out as best they can. But we are also very strict. If you do not seem to be learning anything, we will kick you out, and you will be given the same option as the others. However, if you desire to get off this rock, and go to other places in the universe, then you had better listen to everything the instructors tell you, since there will be an evaluation in 4 weeks, then a final evaluation 3 weeks after that. Fail either one, and you are out. Now, i would like all of you to go over to that brown building over there, and get yourself signed in, and get your gear. Your personal belongings will be put in a store room, until you either flunk out, or pass. Then you may retreive them. Once you are squared away there, you will be directed to your bunk. Tommorow begins your training." With that, the man walked away and entered a building across the yard. Stan was the first to move from the trance the man's speech had on the recruits. He went to the building, and went inside. He saw a counter, and a man standing behind the counter. He went up to the man, and the man pointed to a computer. On the computer were three columns. One said name. The second said weight, and the third said height. Stan typed in his name, weight, and height. As soon as he was done, the man pointed to a door. Stan went through and found another counter, with another man behind it. He walked up to the counter and the man looked off to the side, and said "Wait right here." A minute or two later, the guy came back with a small plastic box, and an army issue duffel bag which looked stuffed. The man told Stan to put any personal belongings in the box, and take the duffel bag to building 3A. Stan took the duffel bag, and left. He didnt have any personal belongings, so he didnt have to put anything in. He had a ahrd time finding building 3A since the man gave no indication of where to go. But Stan found it 5 minutes later. He went inside, and saw several small cots, with foot lockers toward the center of the room, at the end of each cot. He picked one, and opened the bag. Inside were 7 sets of combat fatigues, three pairs of boots, a combat knife, a small 9mm sidearm w/holster, and toiletries. He started putting them away, when he decided to change into a set of fatigues. As he was buttoning his last buttons, the rest of the recruits came in. They all took cots, and started unpacking. Several of them changed like him, but a couple did not. A couple hours later, a voice boomed over the camp, saying dinner was served in the mess hall. The recruits left their barracks in search of food. Along the way, the ones not in fatigues were stopped by officer looking men, and talked to. They all had a stricken look on thier face, and Stan guessed what was said.
In the weeks to come, Stan saw several more men kicked out, two leave due to injury, one due to madness, and one just plain quit. At the end of training, his recruit class wnet from 27 young men, down to only 6. Stan of course passed with flying colors, as he really didnt have anything else on his mind. After he took his last test, and found out he passed, he was elated. Thye held a small ceremony int he parade yard, where all of the recruits coming in after them were lined up at attention. They stood upon a stage, while General Mcintire spoke of deeds past, and deeds to come. Stan lost sight of the conversation after a while. Finally, he turned, and walked down the line, shaking the hands of the recruits, and handing them a small box. Inside the box was their official rank. Stan was dissapointed to find he was only a Pvt, but he was so happy that he made it, that it did not spoil his mood.
After the ceremony, they were given 5 days leave to roam the town, and have some fun before thier posting. Stan went out, and put all the money he was paid during those 7 weeks into a bank account. He didnt need to drink, since he had seen what it did to his dad. He only kept enough for a fancy dinner at a local restaurant. As he was sitting down, he noticed a woman sitting in front of him, with her back to him. She was sitting alone, but he didn't know if that was because she didnt have anyone to sit with, or if the other person was gone to the restroom or something. After a few minutes, the waiter came and asked what he would like. He decided he wanted a big ol steak, with a side salad, and a baked potato, and a strawberry milkshake to drink. He chose the milkshake, since it had been forever since he last had one. As he was waiting for his meal, he again looked at the woman. She was wearing the most beautiful looking red dress he had ever seen. It was backless, so he could see the lines of her back, and how her jet black hair contrasted furiously against her slightly tanned coloration. She must have sensed him looking, because she turned and look right at him. He blushed and averted his eyes, but he couldnt help but look back. She was staring at him, and when she noticed him looking, she flashed a smile that almost hurt his eyes. She had superb teeth. White as pearl, and straight at an arrow. But her teeth were nothing compared to her eyes. They were a mix of green and blue. They seemed to be mainly blue, with green streaks in them. They were captivating. He thought he must have looked like an idiot, because he sure felt like one with his mouth gaping open like it was. But he couldn't shut it. She giggled the most heavenly giggle at the sight of his dumbfoundedness, and stood up. She walked over to his table. All the while he stood there almost drooling. Her body was so perfect, he thought she couldn't be real. Her chest was just the perfect size. Not huge, but just big enough to fill the dress perfectly. The curves of her hips made a wide hourglass shape. Not overweight, but not anorexic. Her legs were long and amazingly toned. He just sat there in complete awe, that a woman of this magnitude existed. When she arrived, she looked down at him, and smiled. "Mind if I join you?" He tried to say "yes please!" but it came out as a "sure, go right ahead." When she sat down, he couldn't stop staring. She giggled at him again, and asked his name. He told her, and then asked her right back. Her name was Angela Drayson. His dinner came shortly after the exchange, and the waiter noticed her sitting at his table, and asked if she wanted anything. She said "yes" and ordered a salad, with a diet cola to drink. The waiter said he would be right back, and left.
Several hours later, they parted ways. Stan learned that she was supposed to meet a blind date there, but he never showed. All the better for himself Stan thought. She was a lawyer for a firm in the big city. She did not reveal her age, but he guessed around twenty-two. He asked if she wanted to go on a "real" date tommorow, and she said okay. As they left the resaurant, she called a taxi, and while she waited, he kept her company. By the time the taxi arrived, he had her number. He got back to the base 15 minutes late, and when General Mcintire asked where he was, Stan told him exactly what happened. The general smiled at the completion of the story, and patted Stan on the back. "Well done my boy. You netted yourself a nice catch there. That woman is the daughter of a wealthy corporation CEO. She has brains, and beauty. I know that many a men on this base have lusted for her, but it seems you knew the right buttons. Just make sure you dont mess it up. You will be posted in a few days, so make sure you use your time wisely son." With that, he sent Stan back to his barracks.
Over the next few days, Stan and Angela met several more times. Each time they met, Stan fell more and more in love with her. She knew he was going to be stationed in some remote planet sometime soon, and she seemed to not mind. Finally, the day before being assigned somewhere, he called her, and asked her to meet him. She agreed. When she got there, he said that he loved her, and that he would write if she would allow it. She said she would allow it, but he would have to write every day. He gave her a hug, and started to say goodbye, but she suddenly grabbed him, and kissed him furiously. It was the longest, and best kiss of Stan's life. His only other experience being under the bleachers in high school, with a cheerleader. When she finally allowed him to breathe, he had to gasp for breath. She smiled at him, then ran off in the other direction. He went back to base with a smile so wide, that all the guys thought he had gotten lucky, and in a way, he had. Later that day, the postings were put up. Stan went to check, ans saw that he was stationed on the cruiser Aegis. He packed up, and headed for the shuttle.
"Move to your waypoint solider." That sudden voice jolted Stan from his story trance. Phillip saw the young man look around quickly, then head off towards one of the unwelded doors. Phillip liked this kid, and wanted him to succed. It was the success story the public would drool over. Poor kid, goes into the service, survives unimaginable horrors, all to go home to a lovely woman. Phillip was deep in thought when he heard a commotion come from one of the doors. It sounded like a laugh, but it was so gruff, choppy and un-human like, that he guessed it was one of the creatures. thats all he could call them, for there were no official names, not even any nicknames yet. He watched the door as two marines took positions nearby.
Comments
keep up the good work. I hope you are not one of those write one chapter and disappear writers.
Edit: Next part of the story is done. I would have written more, but i ran out of time. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2
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In the first few hours since the landing, everything went smoothly. Several buildings were set up. Some reinforcements came in and began to scout the station. The commander was in touch with the Cruiser Aegis, which was orbiting above the surface of the planet, doing recon on the area surrounding the station. It was when the first shift ended and the second one started that anything went wrong. One of the scouting parties did not check in at the 20 minute interval. The commander attention was drawn to that fact and he used the nanite network to find the scouting party. After several long minutes, he radioed to the whole squad that the party had dissapeared. Several people wanted to go look for them, but several others wanted to fortify the base some more in case whatever got the others came there. Phillip just wanted something to happen. He was getting bored standing around watching everyone else work. No one would talk to him as they were all busy building the base. He stood near a door that had recently been welded shut. He heard a slight clicking sound from behind the door. When he turned around to ponder what the sound was, he noticed the door was now melting. Several marines also noticed this and scrambled toward him.
Pushing Phillip out of the way, Stan radioed for the comander to scan the area and see what was causing the door to melt. The commander radioed back that there was a "critter spitting on the dam thing." So Stan primed a hand grenade, and tossed it through the now baseball sized hole. The resulting explosion echoed through the entire station. This startled everyon into action, as they took up positions near vents, doors, and windows. Phillip was still laying on the floor where Stan had shoved him, when he saw the very first creature of the expedition. It had four legs, with a single large claw on each, it's mouth was lined with razor sharp teeth that looked like they could cut glass. It was a dark tan color, almost brown, with some weird green mosslike growths on its back. And as Phillip sat there looking at the thing, he realized that it did indeed look very much like a dog. Then the thing ran toward Stan in a blurr of motion. It was so quick it took Phillips breath away. Somehow, he got his rifle up and shot at the thing before it got to Stan. As he was sitting there with the trigger pulled all the way back, he was taking the things legs out from underneath it. He saw one of its legs go flying in the other direction and crash into the wall where it stuck claw first. The next leg careened off a turret which was not finished being built. The lower jaw of the dog thing unhinged and Phillip blew it off and worked his way up the creatures face. Finally it slumped down and slid the rest of the way toward Stan who stood there with his eyes bulging and his mouth gaping. Several marined patted Phillip on the back, a few more poked the thing with the barrel of their rifles. Finally the commander got everyone re-organized, and started setting up a defensive perimiter.
Later that night, Stan came over to Phillip and gave him a hug. "Thanks for saving my life. I thought for a while that you were just some political reporter sent to capture the horrors of war. But now i see that you actually have some nuts, and the brains to know how to use them." Phillip was stunned at the kids straightforwardness. After a few second silence, Phillip was able to reply. "I didnt actually think i would get it in time. It was so darn fast, that i almost couldnt see it. But like they say, the training kicked in and i blew it to shreds. But i wonder how it was so silent. How can anything move that fast with claws that sharp, and make no noise?" "The commander calls them Skulks. The name kinda fits since they are silent, and ive heard that they have some sort of cloak. Never seen it myself, but reports from other lines say they appear from thin air" Stan explained. Eventually the two parted ways, and Phillip was left in the silence of his bunk. He couldnt sleep at all, so he took out his notpad and wrote down the words "Skulk", "Silence", and "Cloak" next to his report of the days activities.
Also, when the team dissappears, I liked how you said that some people wanted to go after them, but i think that you could have used their dissappearance as an opportunity for them to locate the hive. Perhaps they could have stumbled upon it and then they are surrounded and killed, but not before radioing back the hive's position. Now you will have to figure out some other way to discover the hive's location.
these are my opinions, of course. it was very well written and i have enjoyed it so far.
btu i wouldn't think that Stan would hug Phillip. It's just so.... ****...
But yea, hugging seems kinda homo.
Fox, i really appreciate your critiques. It shows me glitches in my style. As for the squad though. I didnt want them to find anything important yet. That would bring the story closer to the end faster than i want it to <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Ill work on the next part soon. And thanks again for the comments guys <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
With no further delays, i bring you the rest of chapter 2.
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The next few hours were a blurr for Phillip. There was no more action, but everyone was in a frenzy due to the "intrusion" earlier that day. The commander had contacted command about the possible cloaking ability the aliens possesed, and requested more info from the research people. There was no info from command yet, but the commander was hopeful. After several hours of inactivity and nervous tension, the commander decided to send another patrol out. This time he sent Phillip along for "Press coverage." Phillip was glad to go just to break the monotony of standing around. The commander assigned several marines to go with Phillip. Sadly, he noticed that none were known to him besides name and rank. After getting some equipment from the armory, the squad headed to the waypoint the commander had set. He said there was some resources in that direction, but he wasn't sure exaclty where.
Several corridors, and many nervous glances at the ceiling and various vents brought the squad to the area the commander instructed, It was a large cargo room. It had a ceiling of about 30 feet high. It had a pair of cargo doors on one side that Phillip guessed was on the north-western edge of the station. There were several containers in the room, some were opened, and it looked like the contents had spoiled, others were still sealed. There was a large cargo loader in the corner. It was menacing looking, as it was a bipedal machine with a large claw on one arm. It had something in the claw. Phillip wasn't sure what it was, since all that he could see was a small claw or something. The pilot seat was coated in a brown stain, that Phillip guessed was blood from the last unlucky occupant of the machine. There were also some strange splatterings all over the paint of the machine. It looked as if the machine was splattered with paint thinner, and it ran down the sides. Other than that, the room was just a dull grey. Some strange plant growth in the corners of the room, but Phillip attributed that to the infestation of the creatures.
The squad split up and started searching for the nozzles that would release the stations resource tanks into the towers the commander would drop. Phillip didnt see anything in the general area, so he started looking in the containers. He searched an open one nearest the doors first, and found nothing but empty tubes of toothpaste and other toiletries useful in a long term station. The next crate he looked in was a little worse. It held old, decayed foodstuffs obviously on its way to the messhall. He thought he saw some frozen pizza, but he couldnt tell, since everything was a blackened mess. He decided to close the lid on that crate, since the smell was making him gag a little bit. The next crate he got to was unopened. It didnt look like anything special, but it had a strange device clamped on the side of it. The device was emitting a low hum. He guessed it was a refigeration or pressurization unit. He keyed the lock and pulled open the lid. He let out a cry of fear and fell backwards into another marine in the squad. Immediately all the weapons went off safe and turned in his direction. When none of the marines saw a creature around, they put their weapons on safe and went back about thier business. The squad commander came over and frowned at Phillip. "What the heck are you doing, scaring the pants off us like that? Why did you yell?" The guy asked. "Well, if you would kindly look in that crate, and tell me what you see, you might understand." Phillip stated. With that, the squad commander walked over, and looking the crate. He gave a hearty chuckle, then looked at Phillip with a huge grin on his face. He reached into the crate, and pulled out what appeared to be a severed human head. Except his hand was in the neck, and the thing seemed to be alive now. At Phillips questioning look of concern, the guy said "Android parts. Nothing to be afraid of sissy boy." Phillip knew of androids, but none that were that lifelike. Apparently he had found out some of what this station was researching.
After the little disturbance, the squad began to search again. Finally somone yelled out that they had found it. The marine had decided to pull out a panel in the wall, and revealed a small alcove with several pipes in it. After using the welder to sever the pipes, the squad engineer radioed the commander to drop the tower. A few seconds later, a strange glow started forming over the pipes. The glow grew a little bit until finally Phillip could see the glowing green wire frame of what appeared to be a spider. Several seconds later the frame started to fill with a greenish glow. Phillip noticed that the engineer was touching the building with his hand, and there was a small blue glow on his glove. Apparently his confusion was showing like a huge zit on his face, because a marine standing nearby leaned over and said to him, "Greg there is using the nanites in his engineers suit to talk with the nanites in the station. They are coming together and forming the res-tower. Its really a cool process. We barely ever get to see it unless we are out of the base. All the buildings in the base produce the things we get from them inside, with this same technology, only on a smaller scale. Our guns, the ammo, the turrets, everything." Phillip kind of nodded, and continued watching the process. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but in reality was more like 5 minutes, the building took on a metal tone, gave a loud hiss, and settled down on its legs. It dropped a series of tubes down on the exposed pipes, and began processing the raw materials into useable nanites. Several seconds later, the engineer names Greg said, "Sand back mates, this is gona be cool." Suddenly, the tower made a crackling sound, and took on a bluish tint. Almost as soon as it turned blue, an lightning bolt looking thing shot out of it, up into the ceiling. It did this 3 more times in rapid succesion, and the few marines nearby, and Phillip, nearly jumped out of their skin, when one of the dog creatures fell down onto the tower and started jerking around. a couple seconds later, the creature exploded in a cloud of flesh and goo. "HOLY ****, one of the things was up there the whole time watching us!" Greg yelled, almost taking off Phillips ear. Phillip gave the engineer a look that would have killed the man if his eyes were laser beams. "Once i regain my hearing, i would like you to tell me what the hell that tower did, and why" Phillip said. The man gave Phillip and apologetic look and started to say something, but Phillip waved him off, as all he could hear was a ringing sound. A marine nearby gave Phillip a medpack, which Phillip used, by injecting the medical nanites into his arm. Almost immediately, his headache went away, his hearing came back, and the scrape he received when jumping from the androids dissapeared. "Now you can tell me what that building did." Phillip said as he turned to the engineer. "Well, first of all, i used the nanites in my suit to--" the guy started. "Yea yea, i know that much, but what happened when you told us to stand back?" Phillip inquired. "Its simple, the commander just electrified it. Like an electric fence, except this fence has a short range. About 30 feet. Anything not flagged as friendly or neutral get a shock. Apparently that critter was hiding, waiting for the moment to strike, when the res-tower zapped it, and it fell onto the tower, and basically went up like a gerbil in a microwave." Phillip just kind of nodded along he whole story, as he got the picture after the guy said electrified. With their objective completed, the squad started to head back to the base. They had just gotten to the door, when they heard a strange pulsing sound. Almost like a heartbeat. Phillip was the first to turn around. And the first to see the plant things in the corner growing. The first to see the spikes grow from a strange ball on top of the plants. And the first to get hit as the spikes shot out of the plants at the squad.
however, I found some parts of your story unrealistic. for example, i do not think that the skulk would just wait there and not attack. And electrifying a RT takes a longer time than stated in your story. Other than that, keep up the good work.
As for the skulk. I made it wait, to give the impression that the aliens are an intelligent race of creatures. It made the decision to wait for a more opportune moment to attack, like as they were leaving the area. But since the RT zapped it, it didnt get to.
This story basically assumes that a person has never played the game. Basically like a book. If you read the HALO books, youll kinda see what i mean. Almost everyone who reads the HALO books, has played the game, but the books explain everything. So anyone, even those whove never played the game, will know whats goin on.
I hope to get the next part up in a few days. But im not sure as ive got work and stuff. Ill definately get it up in the next week.
I wrote this section after having been awake for over 32 hours, after (partially) resolving my drama issues. I just needed to express something, anger, sadness, hate... whatever, had to do something, so i wrote some more.
Again, sorry for lack of updates, and lack of size, ill get more soon, ive got some time off of work, so i have time to write <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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"COMMANDER! we need a med pack right NOW!" The Squad commander yelled into his mic. As soon as the squad heard Phillips scream of pain, they all spun around and spotted what was going on. It was one of the alien infestation's offensive organisms. It hit several more marines before they got their bearings and dove behind cover, and primed hand grenades. On the count of three, four grenades flew from behind boxes at the oganism. After several seconds, they all went off, and the thing was blown to peices. Parts of the thing went everywhere. It covered the corner in the strange yellow-green blood so commonly associated with the infestation. A chunck landed near Phillip, and he weakly looked over to see that it was part of the spiked ball covering the top of the thing. It was still pulsing when Phillip lost conciousness.
Several moments later, but in actuality, it was several minutes, Phillip awoke to find himself being injected with medical nanites. He immediately felt the nanites surging through his body. Healing injuries, and curing aches and pains. After a few seconds he was able to stand, and as he got up, he noticed several marines also getting injections. "What the bloody hell was that thing?" Phillip asked the nearest marine. The marine looked confued, and said "I dont know sir, I haven't read anything about it in any of our breifings." As the marine was finishing his sentence, another marine, with a tech badge walked over, and stated "That is what the TSA calls an Offense Chamber. It is the Kharra equivilent of our turrets. Only, it can heal itself, and it can grow anywhere there is infestation." Phillip immediately flipped open his notebook, and wrote down the words, Offense Chamber, Infestation, and Kharra (aliens?). He closed his book, and began the long trek back to the base with the other marines. Only now they were much more careful.