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Post by Daniel Fletcher on Apr 16, 2012 3:10:18 GMT
The Rising Tide 2-3-1
Daniel woke as he felt someone shaking him. It took him a while to remember where he was, but he quickly remembered that he was on a interplanetary ship bound for Raynor. It was Kurt who was waking him. "We have entered into standard orbit around Raynor, better buckle up." Daniel nodded in agreement and watched a Kurt went over to wake up Lucius. Daniel, Kurt, and Lucius had a little time to sleep and rest during the flight in between Earth-2 and Raynor. Although Daniel had already been through several interplanetary flights, it still felt weird to him.
Having grown up back on earth where flying from planet to planet was a dream, this was still an unbelievable accomplishment for the human race. Viewed by many as the saving grace of earth from overpopulation. Daniel looked down at the dog tags he still held in his hand. They were Evans, the man who Daniel had helped from the rubble who only moments later was shot down by gunfire.
Despite the fact that Daniel was a seasoned veteran, it still bothered him when good soldiers died in situations when Daniel felt that it could have been him instead. He thought back to his campaigns back on earth where him and his brother fought. So many times they should have died, but instead comrades had died in their place. Daniel sighed, Kurt looked over and the two locked eyes, they both knew what the other was thinking, they would never forget the ones who gave their lives so that others would have freedom.
They both were brought back from their thoughts by the pilot yelling out, "Entering Raynor Atmosphere in 5 minutes!" Daniel, Lucius, and Kurt strapped themselves in their chairs and prepared themselves for the entry.
---3 hours later----
Daniel signaled the all clear and watched as the transport took off of the landing dock of the U.A.S. Brigham. Daniel watched until the transport disappeared into the clouds and then surveyed the men and supplies that had come with him. Daniel and Kurt were each in charge of a platoon of men equipped with the task of getting a foot hold on the Crimson Isles before more reinforcements would arrive from the newly won Earth-2.
"Colonel Fletcher" Daniel turned to see a naval officer saluting him. Daniel saluted back, "I am Captain Benson, second in command on the A.U.S. Brigham, welcome aboard, Admiral Finch would like to see you at the bridge right away sir." Daniel nodded in agreement and spoke to Kurt, "Make sure that the men are taken care of and get some extra rest." Daniel followed the officer off the main deck and up a flight of stairs up to the bridge.
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Post by Daniel Fletcher on Apr 17, 2012 20:31:59 GMT
The Rising Tide 2-2-2
The first thing that struck Daniel was the flurry of activity on the bridge. He took in the scene with a glance and easily located the Admiral. Daniel could tell that this was a seasoned veteran. Not just from the Arcian system, Daniel recognized a few symbols on the Admiral's uniform from a few campaigns back on earth. Daniel and Captain Benson stopped a few feet away from the Admiral.
"Admiral Finch, Colonel Fletcher here to see you Sir." Daniel and the Benson both saluted as he spoke. The Admiral without evening turning around dismissed the Captain with a wave of his hand. "About time, return to your duties Benson." Daniel raised an eyebrow but remained silent until the Admiral had turned his attention, from what he was doing, to him.
Without saying a word the Admiral held out a hand. Daniel hesitated a moment but eventually handed over document that General Harrison had composed for him to give to the Admiral with a detailed list of instructions, and with orders to give equal command of the A.U.S. Brigham to Daniel.
The Admiral opened the document scanned it briefly, crumpled it up into a ball and threw it into a nearby garbage receptical. At this Daniel eventually spoke up, "Sir I don't believe that is the proper way to dispose of classified..." Before he could finish the statement the Admiral interrupted, "Let's get one thing straight Colonel!" The Admiral was spitting out each word. "I have been for the past several years been fighting for every scrap of dirt on this God forsaken water planet! I have been fighting for the AU cause longer than any person on this planet! Has the AU ever thought to ask me about how to conquer Raynor? No! We have been given no supplies, Only a few men, One fleet and told, 'Conquer Raynor for the AU.' And when in the past several years, the AU command thinks about Raynor they decide to send some 'reinforcements and a commander who they think can lead to come and assist us in taking the Crimson Isles. And it always ends the same way..."
The Admiral paused for a brief moment and looked away. Daniel though he saw a brief flash of emotion, but then it was gone, replaced by a harden look. "I have seen far too many good men, soldiers, sailors, killed, murdered, because of these foolish commanders!" The Admiral spat out the last word with a look of contempt. And he turned to Daniel focusing his attention on him fully for the first time making full eye contact. "And I am not about to let it happen again!"
They stood there for a good 30 seconds, neither one moving, Daniel noticed out of the corner of his eye that everyone on the bridge had stopped moving as well. Daniel judged his next actions carefully. "Very well sir, for the duration of this campaign, in deference to your superior experience, I defer my position as co-commander of this operation." Daniel saluted, "Sir" and walked out of the room where Captain Benson was waiting for him.
The Captain motioned Daniel to follow him, "If you will come with me sir I will show you to your quarters." Daniel nodded but before following the Captain he looked behind him back to the bridge. The Admiral had already turned back to what he was doing and the flurry of activity had returned to the room. As Daniel looked back at the Captain, he gave Daniel a look and nod which reassured him that he had made the right decision in his dealing the with Admiral.
The two men made their way down to Daniel's quarters, after thanking the Captain, Daniel went into the small room and fell into his bunk. Kurt leaned over from the bunk above, "That bad huh?" Daniel answer was muffled by his pillow, "Worse."
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Post by Lucius Alar on Apr 23, 2012 2:33:31 GMT
The Rising Tide 2-3-3
Lucius entered the small quarters and tossed his duffel bag full of uniforms and other minor amenities onto the bunk. He was quite surprised to see Daniel and Kurt in the same cabin but remained focused on unzipping his bag and making sure everything was still there. After filing through his things and seeing that he had remembered to bring all that was necessary, he placed his duffel bag on the floor and fell down on the small bed. He sighed and, seeing Daniel with his face in his pillow, looked up at Kurt on the opposite bunk and said, "What's seems to be the matter?" Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but Daniel, wrestling his face from the pillow and momentarily breathing in deeply, replied, "The Admiral...he is..." He paused and chose his next words carefully. "He is well aware of the authority bestowed on a rank such as his."
Lucius shot a confused glance toward Kurt who shrugged and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. "I would hope that he would be..." Lucius said slowly, hinting to Daniel that he knew there was more to be told. "I had a meeting with the commander..." Daniel said. "I see. Go on." Lucius prodded. "To make a long and painful story a short and less painful story, the admiral and I are not the best of friends, and I think that there is very little chance of our having any say in the upcoming operations, at least initially." Daniel finally answered in full. Lucius' mind turned for a second, thinking about what those words meant. However, Lucius decided that the way in which he had been told the information suggested that he not think too much about it.
With that, Lucius rolled over with his back to the rest of the small quarters and attempted to sleep. It was the first time in a few weeks that he could afford the opportunity to sleep in relative comfort and safety. He needed the rest as much as any other soldier did, maybe even more so. In the past few months, he had acquired one of his worst battle injuries and had seen the freedom of Earth-2, at last. He almost could not believe that he was now on Raynor, actually counter-attacking the APM. For the first time ever in the Arcia War, the AU were on the major offensive, off the planet of Earth-2 and into APM territory. What a turn-around, Lucius thought. But, his memories never actually developed any further than that, he had already begun to slip into a quiet slumber.
Lucius was awoken by a slap on the stomach from Kurt. Through groggy eyes, Lucius quickly sat up at slammed his head on the bunk above him; he immediately fell back onto the pillow, holding his head in pain. That woke me up... Kurt chuckled, "Hurry up, the Admiral wants to see us in about 30 minutes; you'll need some time to get into proper uniform. A messenger came down and told us that we are getting our first assignment here on Raynor. Something about an offensive into the Crimson Isles, said we were not that far from them now. If you hear gunfire in the distance up on the runway deck, its probably from the islands. We still need to get up there soon, so get a move on." Daniel, already half-dressed, looked over at Lucius with big, wary eyes,
"Trust me, you DO NOT want to make this guy wait!"
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Post by Daniel Fletcher on Jun 16, 2012 20:10:15 GMT
The Rising Tide 2-3-4
Daniel took the stairs two at a time as he finished buttoning the last button of his uniform. Normally, in a combat situation, Daniel would be wearing his BDUs, but that would be when he was in command of the situation, worrying about fighting, not politics. “Politics”, Daniel spit the word under his breath as he thought back to before he and Kurt had decided to join the AU. It was because of politics this whole war was being fought. And right now, it was because of politics that many AU soldiers might die, Daniel thought. Daniel glanced back down the stairs to see Kurt and Lucius close behind him. Without a second glance, Daniel made his way up the last flight of stairs to the main deck where the Admiral’s second in command was waiting for him.
He motioned for Daniel, Kurt, and Lucius to follow him and they made their way back to the Bridge of the ship. The Admiral was poring over some charts when they came into the room. Daniel noticed that the flurry of activity was still present and that the Captain seemed worried. After a couple of minutes the Admiral spoke but not to Daniel. “Alar, you’re a sniper.” It wasn’t a question. Lucius nodded. The Admiral continued, “So just keep in mind that’s the reason why you got promoted, you just happened to live while all the other men in your unit died because they were actually fighting. You don’t have any experience worthy of your position.” Lucius was about to explode onto the Admiral when Kurt grabbed his arm and held it behind his back. Daniel quickly responded, “Admiral that was completely un-called for! You will not talk to any of my men that way and an apology is required right away!” The Admiral looked back at Daniel with a disdain. “Is that an order Colonel?” The Admiral stated with the ‘Colonel’ dripping with sarcasm. “I am merely reminding your men what their place is in regards to the real soldiers who do the real fighting.”
Daniel glanced over to where Kurt and Lucius were standing. He could see Kurt holding on firmly to Lucius. Daniel looked closer and saw that Lucius’s eyes were tearing up from anger. Daniel knew exactly what he was thinking, but he knew that there was nothing that could be done at the moment but to weather the storm. “Kurt and Lucius, you are dismissed; gather the rest of the men and wait for me in the briefing room.” The Admiral eyed Daniel as Kurt and Lucius left. “What are you going to do Fletcher? Give me a talk about how you are going to discipline me for my actions?” Daniel didn’t even respond but just looked straight ahead. “What are you plans for the assault, Admiral?” The Admiral just grunted and turned to a hologram of the Crimson Isles. “We are going to attempt an amphibious assault at this point in the Isles. It is a critical launching point for APM scout ships and aircraft. We are going to land your troops with helicopters at this point on the islands which is only has a small garrison. Once you take over the garrison you will move on to our real objective the launching point of this small island. Normally, any invading force by land or sea would be torn to sheds by the defensive turrets; however, we will bombard the launching point heavily with our fleet and then your forces will move in with cover from above from the helicopters. Alright, you have the plan now go brief your men and be ready by dawn. Dismissed!”
Daniel protested, “Admiral! These parts of the Isles that you are planning on attacking...you have been already attacking them for quite some time. As a result, they will most likely have strengthened the defenses and have called for reinforcements and at worse, another fleet to directly and finally take out the major AU presence here. Not to mention, you are putting my men directly into the most dangerous situation, without any conditioning to the elements or fighting style of this planet. If any part of this mission goes wrong, then many AU soldiers are going to die; we might even lose the war here on the planet.” The Admiral answered firmly, “I believe that you rescinded command over this operation to me, Colonel” the Admiral stated caustically emphasizing the last word. “You will do what I order and you will begin preparations immediately! Is that clear?” Daniel stood there momentarily trying to think of a way to make the Admiral think clearly; but, soon he realized that there was nothing that could be done until he could contact General Harrison. “Very well, Sir” Daniel stated evenly, “Your orders will be followed...to the letter.” And without waiting for a dismissal Daniel quickly turned on his heel and left the bridge doing all that was in his power to control his frustration.
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Post by Lucius Alar on Jun 21, 2012 15:39:33 GMT
The Rising Tide 2-3-5
Lucius slammed his hand against the metal walls of the small quarters the group resided in. He was still furious inside, but he had become somewhat calm on the outside. This "admiral" seems kind of familiar...Who is he? More importantly, how did he know my history at the Northern Territories back on Earth-2? Lucius thought. He was so intent on these questions that he was really not paying any attention to Kurt, who was trying to console him. Man! I HATE that guy... Lucius was starting to cool off a little bit. Regardless, he still had to weather a sniper meeting with this admiral later this afternoon; the main attack was to take place at dusk. Lucius began removing his gear from his duffel bag and was sorting everything out when Daniel came into the room; he was looking a bit frustrated as well. "Well, that was...interesting..." Daniel said, obviously holding back his true feelings. "Best start getting ready..." Kurt replied, obviously trying to continue his mediating role in light of recent events. Yet, everyone in that room knew what he really meant was "Best to busy ourselves with preparations for the upcoming battle...so we don't start plotting the admiral's demise..."
Lucius strapped the last smoke grenade to his belt and placed the last mag into his vest. He patted himself down to ensure that everything was where it should be and turned to Daniel and Kurt, "Looks like that's it." He said. Just then, Kurt grabbed something out of the equipment bag he had been issued and looked at it inquisitively. "Is that a...gas mask?" Daniel asked with a torqued expression painted on his face. "I thought chemical warfare was banned in the early 2000's?" Kurt said. Lucius, who was not looking too shocked said, "It was...and it was expanded to Arcia too...Ah...but it probably does not include Raynor...or maybe it does and the admiral just likes to over-pack...hopefully..." Kurt placed the gas mask back into the bag and left it on his bed, "Well, it wasn't on the equipment list, so bio-weapons must not be a threat this mission." "Or, so we hope." Daniel chimed in. The group made there way for the main preparations area of the ship, the cargo bay and the upper decks. Lucius split off from the group; he had a briefing to go to--for snipers only.
He arrived at the meeting room a little early; when he walked in, it was just him and the admiral, who was shuffling through some briefing papers up on the podium at the front of the room. Lucius slammed the door behind him, causing the admiral to jump slightly. His head head snapped up from his papers, eyes glaring at Lucius. That was when it hit Lucius like a ton of bricks; he knew exactly where he had seen this "admiral" before. General Carter...I better twist the knife while I can, before I go on this suicide mission. "Lucius, you startled me. What are you doing here? This is a meeting for true fighters, which, we already discussed, you are not." Carter chuckled significantly, since he had no other audience to laugh with him. Lucius smirked, "That's a good one, admiral. Maybe, I just came by to say that I think your campaign in the Northern Territories was legendary..." That wiped the jovial expression right off of Carter's face as he said in a low tone, "Alar..." "Or, maybe, I came by because I got promoted to a high ranking position, one of the highest a sniper has ever had the honor of receiving--and because I do, in fact, belong here." "Alar, we have already been over this; you got your rank because you survived. Period." Carter said, as he began filing through some papers again.
"Oh, not quite!" Lucius quipped, "I didn't just survive; I survived one of the most legendary AU military blunders of the Arcian conflict. It was a blunder that cost the lives of thousands of AU soldiers in the Northern Territories, and it could have been avoided. It was a blunder by the infamous General Carter." Lucius placed extra emphasis on the last two words in the sentence as General Carter's head swung up from his papers. His face was red with anger, "Alar! That was a long time ago. Besides, I was reassigned to the front line here on Raynor, so obviously my setbacks in the Northern Territories were...non-significant." "Were they?" Lucius continued sarcastically, "I mean, after such a huge loss, one would be angered. But, what about the young General Myers... he really is something. Who is that guy to come in and have a crushing victory in a place you failed so miserably in conquering, and take all the credit?" "I paved the way for his success..." Carter was starting to boil again.
Lucius continued, "Oh, and what about the AU high command? After your impressive feats in the Northern Territories, what could they do with you? You were so close to retirement, too close to court marshal. So, they sent you here. 'Let's send him someplace so far away, he couldn't possibly mess up that badly again.' They said. And you know what the kicker is 'Admiral Carter'? You know what's the real 'dagger through the heart'? You know that is the reason why you were sent here; because people wanted you out of sight and out of mind. You know the moment you stepped off the transport and onto this ship that your military career was over, and it ended in just about the worst possible way. You were going to waste away behind a mountain of paperwork and condolence letters to the families whose sons died because of your mistakes, and there was nothing you could do about it." Lucius wore a grim expression. Carter slammed his fist on the podium and yelled, "ALAR! I would have you thrown off this ship! I would have you demoted so far, you'd wish you hadn't even joined the Arcia United Military! You better pray that you die on this mission, because when you get back, you're through! Don't you forget who calls the shots around here!" "...and don't you forget who takes them, Admiral." Lucius said.
Lucius turned and took a seat in the back of the room as some other snipers began filing in. They were completely unaware of the scene that had just unfolded. The Admiral looked horrible when he took the podium. Sweat dripped from his face and he was still red with anger. When he began his briefing, he looked around the room and stated in a low voice, "The snipers will be providing covering fire from the doors of mobile scout helicopters. See the Flight Deck Master for your assignments. Dismissed." The Admiral left the room before any of his audience knew what had happened. Lucius, who had taken a "row seat" got and left immediately, grinning from ear to ear.
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