Another Day in the Life

[Manitou]

Thought I would throw my efforts into the fray! Enjoy all!

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Some days it just doesn�t pay to get up. The tent flap had opened during the night and the early morning dew had immediately taken advantage of the opportunity to invade what little comfort he had carved out of the occasion. His clothes were damp and cold, and he had forgotten to store his only pair of socks away somewhere covered; they were damp like everything else. Damp socks on a cold day makes for a miserable wake up call. He sat there for a moment, trying to clear the cobwebs that had taken up residence in his head while he had slept. The night had run late. His squad had been scheduled as the back up crew for the night-ops raid into the northern finger of land on the continent of Amerish. The tip of land seemed to point at a small island just off the coast like a crooked finger making an accusation. It had been reported that a Terran Republic landing force of some size had been dropped here a few days ago and were attempting to establish a small outpost. New Conglomerate headquarters had chosen this opportunity to shove the TR out and to possibly capture some of the Terran Republic soldiers for informational purposes. Flynt wasn�t real thrilled with the idea of camping out here in the woods for any length of time. He wasn�t new to the rigors of war. He was a veteran of the Terran Republic and a battle tested warrior. He had a lot of campaign ribbons in his closet attesting to his bravery and his ability to fight well. But this was different because he was not fighting for the Terran Republic any longer. He was a stalwart member of the New Conglomerate army and had thrown his lot in with these freedom fighters totally. It had been a tough thing to do; he had left a lot of close friends behind who had elected to stay with the Terran Republic. He didn�t really hold a great animosity toward them; he just felt they did not have true freedom like he now had. That thought actually saddened him somewhat. One Outfit in particular he had close ties with: the Clan Draconus Lupus Outfit, or CDL. He had a close relationship with this group of hardy warriors. They had shared many experiences together and it was tough to think he might actually have to face them in combat some day and kill one of them. He rubbed his unshaven face with his hands and knuckled his eyes, trying to push the tiredness away for another day. The war must go on as it had for these many months, and the New Conglomerate must free Auraxis from the iron grasp of the Terran Republic and the lunatic fringe of the Vanu Sovereignty. Throwing back the thin covering he had used as a blanket for the night, he shivered again and rubbed his shoulders as he stood up. The tent was fairly large and allowed up to five men to sleep within comfortably, albeit a little rough. Fortunately for Flynt, he had this tent all to himself as the rest of his squad was occupying the other two tents in the camp. Privileges of rank, he smiled to himself as the thought crossed his mind. He remembered Manitou talking of things like that. The one time he and the other Dragon Wolves had been sent on that suppression raid on Antaris IV. Manitou had taken the one tent as his own and Flynt had grumbled, unheard by anyone he had thought, about the arrangement. Manitou had overheard his mumbled comment and had tapped Flynt on the shoulder, smiled and said, �Privileges of rank�. Flynt laughed quietly and proceeded to get dressed and ready for suit up. The sounds of the camp stirring into wakefulness could be heard, and he hurried a little so that he was first to be at the camp center. Didn�t look good for the �boss� to be late!

The aroma of cooking bacon is one of those smells that always makes your stomach grumble. It has the odd ability to convince a person that they are hungry even when they had just eaten. In this case, none of the men had eaten since early yesterday afternoon, so their stomachs were more than grumbling. Flynt tossed the last of the slab of field bacon on the big griddle that was suspended over the synthetic fire. Sure, the New Conglomerate was free of the oppressive Terran Republic, but that didn�t mean they couldn�t make use of some of their excellent technology. Flynt used his fork and poked at the popping and crackling bacon cooking on the hot griddle. Some of the grease leapt up as he disturbed the frying bacon, rearranging it and flipping some of it. The sizzling sound seemed to be magical in nature as the men of his squad emerged from their tents and almost to the last man came over to stare at the cooking meat. Nobody said anything as yet, each wrapped up in the thought of eating breakfast. Flynt liked to prepare the breakfast for his men, as it seemed to be a good way of saying thanks to his hard fighting crew. They definitely never complained.
�Bacon cooking is like the best smell in the world, man,� commented one grizzled looking warrior. He had a nasty looking scar on his forehead that ran from his high hairline down to just in front of his right ear. The shell fragment that had done that to him had nearly killed him. Fortunately for him, their medic had reached him almost simultaneously and had been able to get it attended to quickly. The man stood there distractedly rubbing the scar and eyeing the cooking meat.
�Almost done, SandTrout. Just putting the finishing touches on my famous gourmet breakfast!� Flynt informs the nearly drooling soldier. The rest of the New Dawn crew chuckled and began the process of retrieving plates and eating utensils. The field kitchen they had established was very rudimentary, but met their needs as they were for right now.

The men all had finished their breakfast quickly, as soldiers are wont to do, and had also finished the task of clean up. Their equipment was stored and most of them were accessing the armor terminal at the AMS that had been airdropped earlier that week by an NC Galaxy. The rest of this continent had been under siege for some time, but it seemed the TR had relinquished it somewhat to the NC forces. So the small group of New Dawn warriors really didn�t need to be on top alert. They had perimeter guards set of course, but nothing elaborate yet. The men were all prepared as Flynt tossed back the flap of his tent and stepped out. He looked at his expectant men, and they looked at him. They were all ready to check the last section of their search grid today, and each one knew that if there were any enemy troops on this spit of land they would be camped there someplace. The little island situated near the tip of the finger of land jutting into the water wasn�t in their search grid, and that bothered Flynt a little. He was very thorough and disliked incomplete projects. But he was only authorized to search this area, so that was what he was going to do. Last night�s operations had yielded nothing in the way of enemy movement. They now were headed out for day ops and that entailed a whole new set of rules. Once everyone got geared up and ready, Flynt gathered his men and went over some final points. With that done, the men fanned out in patrol spacing and began the age-old art of �humping it� out into the bush.

---more to follow---

[starrider]

"humping it"????? may i ask what "it" is????


other wise a good story.

[Flynt]

That rules Mani...

[AztecWarrior]

Terran writing about NCs....

Nevertheless, awesome.

[Duffman]

can a ams fit in a galaxy?

good story and agian what do u mean by humping it

[Manitou]

Originally posted by Snatch
good story and agian what do u mean by humping it

Thx! The term is used by infantry troops referring to hiking to patrols areas, recon areas, etc.

Glad you enjoyed the first part of the story!

[Incompetent]

Mani's Stories=ownage

[Ouroboros]

Nice Mani, very nice. I finally got to sit down and read all of these nice fan fictions. Hope to see some more of yours soon.

[Manitou]

So far the patrol had been eventless. The greatest obstacle Flynt and his crew had faced were the tremendous cloud of insects stirred up by their passage through the trees and underbrush. They were almost as bad as Terran Republic soldiers, some of the guys had complained. That drew chuckles from most of the men. But Flynt was not in a jovial mood. Something was terribly wrong. The reports of the TR landing had been verified and the fact that the TR were very good at what they did made Flynt think that there was something amiss. He was at the moment sitting on a fallen moss covered log near a clearing the patrol had come across. It was late afternoon and his crew was taking a short breather, some tapping into their water bottles, others grabbing quick naps leaning against trees. Flynt had sent scouts into the trees around them to make sure no nasty surprises caught them unawares. He rubbed his face like he had this morning when he woke up, trying to wipe away the exhaustion that comes from days of combat patrols and somewhat sleepless nights. Flynt watched as CyberHawke cleaned his weapon meticulously and carefully performed a function check when done. His men were some of the best in the New Conglomerate. Men who believed in what they wee doing and the freedom they represented to the planet Auraxis. Still, he struggled with his past service in the Terran Republic. He had been a loyal soldier; he had fought many campaigns and had represented the Republic honorably. His decision to join the New Conglomerate was his decision, but he still wrestled with the fact.
The sound of someone approaching at a trot alerted the group and they all turned in the direction of the person as one. It was one of the outer perimeter scouts, hustling to get to Flynt. He was somewhat out of breath and a little wild-eyed. It was OneManArmy, a fairly new soldier within the NC and with the New Dawn. He jogged up to Flynt and took a deep breath to settle down.
�Hey, settle down, troop,� Flynt said, smiling.
�Sir, I saw some TR movement northwest of here about four klicks. They were patrol sized, maybe sic or seven of them,� he answered puffing. �I ran all the way back to report in.�
�Good man. You see their weapons, equipment, or any vehicles?� Flynt queried the scout.
�No vehicles sir. Mostly light weapons, one or two medium assault rifles, maybe. No MAXX armor. They were just sitting around eating and chatting,� he replied.
�Odd. Why would a TR light patrol be there?� Flynt asked more to himself than anyone else. �Lets see what we can rustle up.�


Their patrol had crept fairly close to the TR group. They were packing their stuff up, appearing as though they were getting ready to leave. Flynt examined the group carefully through a borrowed sniper rifle�s scope. He almost dropped the scope when he spotted a familiar face in the small patrol. It was Marsman! Flynt hadn�t seen that old friend in a long time. They had attended the Terran Republic War College together and had even been roommates for a time. Marsman was one of the most honorable men Flynt had ever known. The other thing that rattled him was the fact that his group was facing the CDL. The CDL were well known for their ability to fight fiercely and cunningly. Their symbol of the Dragon Wolf was well represented by these warriors. Flynt looked at each of the other faces to see if he recognized anyone else. He didn�t really recognize any others. But one thing he did know, these guys weren�t the only ones here. When that thought crept into his mind, he immediately got a cold chill. He then remembered a shocking fact; Manitou never went anywhere without Marsman, and where Manitou was, so was Hamma. This scenario had suddenly gotten very dangerous. Flynt quickly handed the scope back to the owner, who snapped it back into place on his bolt driver, then turned and began to signal his men to fall back away from this area quietly and quickly. Some of the men seemed surprised and a little disappointed. Flynt didn�t take the time here to explain his worries. Once they were a safe distance away, he would.
The rapid-fire sound of a Gauss firing startled the whole group. Flynt immediately signaled to his crew to assume spacing discipline and to begin establishing a defensive posture. His men faded quickly into the underbrush finding good spots to create a defense from. The sound of the Gauss was suddenly stopped by the terrible buzz-saw sound of the Terran Republic mini-chain gun. It was joined by another as the two sound combined to create a huge wall of noise from the direction of the scouts behind them. Flynt realized they were surrounded and were now facing a heavy assault squad of the Terran Republic, probably represented by one of the best Outfits on the line: the CDL. His blood went cold as he realized what had just happened. That small party of TR troops was simply bait for them. He slammed his fist onto the ground as the thought materialized. He had twenty-five men with him. There were six scouts out, maybe five now, leaving him with nineteen men here in this area. His thoughts raced as he tried to figure a way out of this. Suddenly the sound of weapons fire picked up again. The other scouts must have responded and were now engaging the TR forces. The crashing sound of someone racing through the trees and bushes behind him caused him to roll over quickly and bring his weapon to bear. He almost shot one of his other scouts before he realized who it was. The man had a frantic look on his face and was trying to say something between gasps for air.
�Calm down soldier!� Flynt hissed at the man. �Get down, before you get us both killed!�
�Yes sir!� the man gasped out. He dropped to the ground next to Flynt and explained that he had found a tower a little ways off from the direction he had come from.
�Excellent!� Flynt remarked, as he rose to a crouched position. He waved a signal to his other men, all who were extremely alert. As one they all rose to a crouch, and following Flynt�s signals, moved away from the sounds of battle in the direction of the tower.

The gunfire behind them had faded, and sadly enough it had ended with TR weapon sounds and not NC. This bode ill for his scouts and Flynt was in a foul mood now. He had been tricked by the oldest trick in the book, and was not pleased with himself. He wondered if his stray thoughts over his past allegiance to the TR had preoccupied his mind too much. He wrestled with these thoughts as the group approached the tower cautiously. It seemed abandoned, but as he had just learned, looks could be deceiving. He sent a few men ahead, and once they had checked it out and secured it, the rest of his group followed them inside the large tower.

[Manitou]

�Guys, we are going to have to try and make a stand here until we can get some backup. We are facing a larger force and I can tell you from experience, these guys we face are tough hombres. But we can handle them easily if we work and fight smart. This tower will give us what we need for protection until our reinforcements arrive,� Flynt explained to his team. Their faces relaxed somewhat as he tried to reassure them of their situation. He assigned duties quickly and had them hustle to their locations. Within ten minutes of arriving at the tower, they had a strong defensive force set up. Flynt knew it wouldn�t last long though. He had studied with the TR and with the CDL in weapons tactics and standard combat procedures. So he knew some things about their opponents these men did not. The CDL never did anything without a total commitment to victory. They always brought overwhelming force and never left anything to chance. Manitou had soldiers at his disposal that were masters of their craft. Flynt knew that Manitou made excellent use of his resources. His team was probably facing some of the best soldiers on the planet. His heart pounded in his chest, but he knew what he had to do. They had to hold out until they could be retrieved. He didn�t have to wait long to find out what was happening as a massive blast at the door to the tower nearly threw him into the wall behind him. The soldier who had been standing there was blown into a chunky red cloud that coated everything near it with parts of flesh and spattered blood. Flynt reeled from the concussion, but immediately returned fire into the now gaping whole that had once been the main door to the tower. The other soldiers who had remained with him in this room joined him in returning fire. The sheer volume of firepower entering and exiting the hole blown into this tower was simply amazing. Flynt could hear the shouts of his men as they took wounds and tried to hold on. But the attack was just too much and the enemy simply outgunned them. Flynt realized that what he had feared was now happening. They had run smack into a major Terran Republic force and had been suckered into a lop-sided fight that would see them massacred. This had Manitou�s style written all over it. Flynt was furious with himself for not recognizing it earlier. All he could do now was watch his team get slaughtered. Suddenly a thought occurred to him!
�Cease fire! Cease fire!� he screamed to his team. At first they didn�t respond, but slowly the team began to stop firing, hesitantly at first then the whole group, or what was left of them, stopped altogether. When that happened, the enemy fire also slowed, then stopped. It had worked! Flynt knew that the CDL was a team of honor and that they were above all, an outfit that supported the old notions of chivalry in combat. But he also knew they weren�t stupid, and if one of his men opened fire at this moment, the CDL would return fire immediately and would not stop again until the tower was devoid of life. Flynt stood quickly and called out to the TR attackers.
�We request a truce for wounded and to discuss our surrender!� he yelled towards the hole in the wall. There was smoke and small fires all around, as well as crackling wires where electrical circuits had been ripped and cut by the fusillade of lead and gunfire that had only moments ago ceased. He could see two or three of his men down and not moving, some of them badly wounded or even dead. He signaled his other men to attend to those who could be helped.
�We accept the terms and will send an acceptance team in now!� a voice called from outside. �If there is any hostile act, the CDL will return fire with extreme prejudic!� the voice added.
About that moment a group of Terran Republic soldiers in medium assault load outs stepped through the door. They were backed up by no less than four MAXX armors. Flynt recognized many of them. Manitou was at the lead in his typical medium gear and carrying his ever-present medic�s kit dangling at his hip. His face was grim and determined as he surveyed the carnage his team had wrought. Flynt knew Manitou well and knew that even though his team was good at what it does, they were still soldiers who hated the results of war. Manitou suddenly recognized Flynt. His eyes grew then his face assumed a grim visage.
�Flynt, surprised to see you here,� Manitou stated flatly. He directed some of his troops to help with the wounded, then approached Flynt. �Thanks for ceasing the slaughter. You know me well.�
�I know you will honor a soldier�s request, also, Mani,� Flynt replied. �I have a dust-off scheduled in and would formally request that you allow us to load our wounded up and also those that wish to leave onto the transports. I will select three others as well as myself to remain as prisoners of war.�
�You may leave four of your soldiers, but you yourself must leave, Flynt,� Manitou responded. He turned and finished their conversation by walking out of the tower. Flynt watched him go, his mood very sour as he knew Manitou�s mind was set.

The wait for the NC dust-off was about two hours. As the transports approached, the CDL had backed off after collecting all the weapons and destroying anything of use by the New Conglomerate. Flynt had been sullenly walking around checking on his troops, ending up at the group that Manitou had chosen to stay as prisoners. As Flynt watched the NC transports come in, he noticed something odd about how the Galaxy was moving. It seemed to be crabbing in, flying somewhat sideways. His blood ran cold as realized what was getting ready to happen. Just as he opened his mouth to warn his men, the Galaxy�s guns opened up and a Mosquito that had been flying tucked in right next to the big transport, shot out and began to rake the CDL troops and equipment with a devastating volley of fire. Flynt saw some Dragon Wolves go down in the fire, some being torn to shreds as the lead ripped into their bodies. He was diving for cover and jumped under a nearby Deliverer. Someone else scrambled under the vehicle with him, and Flynt was happy to see Marsman readying his weapon.
�Mars!� Flynt called over the din of battle. The CDL was now returning fire on the ambush. Mars looked at Flynt with a scowl, his face red and stressed. He glared at Flynt for a second, then began firing his weapon at NC troops who had dropped from the Galaxy. Flynt realized that Marsman thought this had been a setup from the beginning. �Marsman! I didn�t plan this, bro! This surprised me too!� he yelled to his friend. Marsman didn�t reply and never looked to Flynt. Just then three NC soldiers ran up on Flynt�s side of the vehicle and crawled under the Deliverer. One of them smashed the butt of his weapon against Marsman�s helmet knocking him senseless. Flynt watched another NC soldier started to fire a round into Marsman�s inert body. He smacked the weapon down as it fire and it blasted harmlessly into the ground tearing up a big divot of dirt that showered Marsman�s unconscious body. �Don�t try it again!� Flynt ordered the soldier. The man stared at Flynt for a moment, then lowered his weapon.
�Sir, we must get you out now, as we don�t have a large force,� the soldier who fired replied. �Come with us.�
Flynt crawled out following the three soldiers; glancing back at the inert Marsman, hoping he didn�t think this was Flynt�s plan.

As they clambered into the back of the NC Galaxy, the retreating dust-off team continued to fire a suppressing volley of rounds at the CDL. Unfortunately it wasn�t enough, and they hadn�t taken into consideration the 4th Air Cavalry headed up by Hamma. As the Galaxy began to lift off, Hamma�s pilots swooped in and plastered the transport and forced it to land, blowing off one of its engines in the process. The vehicle had landed and the CDL had surrounded it and disarmed the remaining NC troops, killing some in the process if they resisted. Manitou ordered them rounded up and placed in a group surrounded by Dragon Wolves with their weapons at the ready. Flynt and his original crew, or what remained of them, were placed in a different location about one hundred feet away from the dust-off team. Flynt could only count twelve of his men left. This was hard for him to swallow, but he remained focused on what was happening now. He knew Manitou was an honorable man, but he also knew he was lethal when crossed. This deed by the dust-off crew under truce was, as Flynt knew it to be seen by the Dragon Wolves, a despicable act of treachery. He was fearful what they would do to the crew. He watched as Manitou conferred with Marsman, who now sported a nasty cut on the side of his head, and with Hamma, Thronebeast, eMaGyN, and a few other CDL officers. There was a heated debate it seemed, but suddenly Manitou stopped it with a slashing movement of his hand. They all stiffened and then looked at Flynt�s crew and then the dust-off crew. Manitou walked over to the dust-off crew, spoke a few words, and as he walked away, he raised his right hand and then dropped it. The Dragon Wolves surrounding the group opened fire and slaughtered the crew to the man. They finished them off with pistol shots to the head of any survivors. Manitou then approached Flynt�s group, all of who were standing there in shocked silence.

[Manitou]

�We have passed judgment on them and they were found lacking. We have executed legal sentence on them for their actions and war crimes. Your group was found covered by the ethos we follow to be law: Honor and Chivalry. You will be released immediately to find your own way back. We will provide three days rations and water. Do not attempt to come back here, or we will destroy you as well,� Manitou said in an even voice. There was not a shred of emotion in his voice.
�Manitou, what you have done is unacceptable! You killed innocent unarmed men!� Flynt replied. �How could you pass judgment like that?�
Manitou turned his icy glare on Flynt. �Their judgment was passed when they opened fire on my Dragon Wolves while under truce. I simply carried out the natural consequences of their actions. Flynt, have you forgotten so quickly?� Manitou approached him and reached out and tapped Flynt on the shoulder and smiled. �Privileges of rank my friend, privileges of rank.�

[Kataclysm]

Awesome Mani

[Ouroboros]

Ah, Mars got shot.
Medic!

[Flynt]

[Destroyeron]

*thanks god he'll be with the Terran*