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Canidae-C&C welcome

 
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leamur
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Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:55 pm    Post subject: Canidae-C&C welcome Reply with quote

Hi gals and guys

Just wanted to share this little piece with you.

Its a story I'm starting called Canidae. In a nutshell it is an alternate earth where humans did not evolve but Canines did, to become the dominate species. They branched into 5 species: Lupus (wolf), Vulpes (fox), Latrans (Coyote), Aureus (Jackal) and Lycoan (Wild Dog). The story is currently set at similar time to our own with a similar level of tech.

The Lupids have come to dominate the world (mainly the Northern Hemisphere), after the previous great war. Now the other species, who have been made seocnd rate citizens and suffer varying levels of discrimination have come to together to try and even the score.

There's alot more to it than that and if anyone is interested then I will put more up.

Anyways on with the story!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


“I'm on the rocky road
Heading down off the mountain slope
And as my steps echo echo,
louder than before”


The Havoc attack helicopter thundered low through the valley, hugging the ground to avoid radar detection as best as possible. The bass thump of its blades cutting the air reverberated off the valley walls. Ahead lay a junction between this valley and the next, the rendezvous point where it would join the two Hip assault helicopters to escort them to the front line.

“Another day is done,
say goodbye to the setting sun
See what I found,
Turn back to the ground
Just like before”


The pilot pulled a dramatic banking manoeuvre as his helicopter burst form one valley to the next, before levelling out to hover low to the valley floor. The Hip’s promptly appeared and pulled up alongside the Havoc, forming up as they did so. After a brief acknowledgement over their radios, the helicopters lumbered forward, maintaining their low altitude.

“And Hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
Hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home”


They sped further down the valley, its walls rapidly pulling away from them and receding in height until they were flying over dusty fields and deserted tracks. Their target was under a minute away and already they could see the effects of the ambush, as a thick pillar of smoke rose from the centre of the town.

“Into the undergrowth,
Twist and turn on a lonely road
In the twilight
the day turns to night
And I'm alone”


The Hip’s broke formation as they passed over the suburbs of the town, rolling to the left to land in the target zone and disgorge the assault teams from their bellies. The Havoc accelerated towards the town-centre, undaunted by the bulky forms of the Black Hawk’s circling lazily over the ambush site. They seemed too preoccupied with the battle below to notice the Havoc’s arrival. The pilot smiled to himself, at last he had a chance to bloody the snouts of these Lupid bastards

“And when the light has let
I'm not sure of my every step
Follow the wind that pushes me west
Back to my bed”


The woosh of a missile from announced the Havoc's entry to the battle. The nearest Black Hawk exploded, struck in the flank behind the passenger bay. Its remains fell directly to the ground leaving a trial of smoke from where it had been hit.

“And Hey hey hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day
Hey hey hey hey
Hey beautiful day, hey beautiful day”


The second Black Hawk took a missile to the cockpit and was ripped apart by the resultant blast. The remaining helicopter broke out of the death wheel and tried to pull away, but the attack helicopter was quickly on it. A third missile blasted towards its target but only managed to clip the tailboom, as the pilot skilfully shimmied the helicopter out of the way. It was enough to bring it down though, having blown the tail-rotor off. It circled wildly through the air and slammed into a crossroad, its main rotor splintering on the tarmac as it floundered on the ground.

“When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home.”


The Havoc hovered up to its kill. A couple of the crew who had survived the crash and painfully pulled themselves out of the wreckage. The pilot began to turn the helicopter around to bring the cannon to bear, but his gunner was ahead of him. The servos whined as the fearsome weapon was brought around. He knew she would not need prompting to pull the trigger. Neither would he.

The song is: When the Night Feels My Song (c)Bedouin Soundclash 2005
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Shadu
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Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 336
Location: Barranquilla

PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

looks interesting. let me know if you decide to continue it i'd like to read more.
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leamur
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Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You asked for it Shadu! Razz

Glad you enjoyed reading it, here's the rest of the story so far.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Havoc hovered side-wards up to its kill. A couple of the crew who had survived the crash, painfully pulled themselves out of the wreckage. The pilot began to turn the helicopter around to bring the cannon to bear, but his gunner was ahead of him. The servos whined as the fearsome weapon was brought around. He knew she would not need prompting to pull the trigger, neither would he but surprisingly she hesitated.

“Strafe the chopper and move onto them,” the pilot ordered coolly as he watched the crew stumble over each other trying to find some cover. “That’s a negative,” replied the gunner. He was about to rebuke her when he noticed the shadows around the buildings begin to move. It took him several long seconds to work out what they were: he had been so focused on the kill that he had not seen the people emerge to exact their own vengeance. He knew what was about to happen and urged the Havoc forward, glancing down at the mob as they angrily converged on the downed helicopter.

Heading back towards the main battle, they passed over the wreckage of the other Black Hawks. They were burning furiously, spewing blue-black smoke skyward, which merged with the column from the building. They were both definitely destroyed, but they seemed unusually unprepared. Could the Lupids have been that complacent to have not provided any support? The pilot mulled this over as he manoeuvred around the smoke and glanced along the horizon.

“Hannah, are there any readings on the radar?”

“Err…nothing besides the Hi-hold on. There are two bogies just on the edge of the screen. Bearing-”

“I see them,” the pilot cut in. In the distance another lumbering Black Hawk warily kept its distance. It had another smaller helicopter in tow, probably a Little Bird, but it was hard to tell. He guessed it was the command vehicle and was more than likely calling for back-up, or desperately trying to work out some way to rescue the embattled troops below. Not that there would be anyone left to rescue.

“Hannah, report them to HQ. Ask them if we are to engage,” he ordered.

“Roger…HQ says to leave them and support the main force,” she reported back.

“OK. Prepare for ground-engagement.”

“Copy that.”

He could not help feeling disappointed at not pursuing the remaining helicopters. The more hardware they could destroy the better, and if it was a command team then it would be worth the effort. The whooshing of rocket fire drew his attention back to the battle: the Hip’s had just made a strafing run with their rockets, blasting apart a shop front, and some burnt out cars where the Lupids had fallen back to.

“Tschh…Hit that shop front now!” A voice crackled over the radio.

“Copy that. Hannah…”

“I’m on it!”

A torrent of rockets poured from the wing mounted pods and struck along the side and front of the building. He pulled the Havoc into a tight turn as they stormed past the target, finishing their run. Looking back he noticed a small enemy squad break out the rear of the building. They frantically ran down the back street behind the shop. Slowing the helicopter down, he turned it almost about its centre axis, bringing them to a hover level with their escape route.

The soldiers at the head of the squad dived into an open porch, while the ones at the back bravely turned to face the gunship and opened fire. Bullets ricocheted off the armour plating: one even caught the pilot’s windshield, taking a sizable chink out of it. The Havoc’s cannon replied with a resounding staccato beat, the two exposed soldiers exploded as the 30mm shells pounded the area. The rough breeze-block porch wall was little cover and it collapsed under the ferocious assault. The remaining soldiers were pulverised by the flying debris and shrapnel.

“Command, we have engaged and neutralised an enemy squad at the rear of the target building,” the pilot reported. “Have taken hits from small-arms fire, no serious damage though.”

“Roger that. Disengage and escort the Hips back to base.”

“Copy that. Over,” he replied. Tilting the controls forward he moved the helicopter from its hovering position and passed over the shattered porch. One of the assault teams had come over to investigate, probing the remains to make sure they were dead. He did not envy their position. He had only seen the result of a hit from a 30mm shell once, and it was an experience he did not want to have again.

A concerned face strained to get a good look at his canopy. He looked down at the young vixen struggling to see if he was ok, and gave a thumbs-up. She did not look convinced and her voice crackled over the radio.

“Jay, you’re not hit are you?”

“No I’m OK Hannah. They just took a chunk out of my windshield. Are you ok?”

“A chunk out you’re win-yeah I’m fine. Can you see where you’re going?”

“Yeah I can see enough,” Jay chuckled. “Good shooting today.”

“Thanks,” she replied meekly.

He smiled, imagining her blushing and turning awkwardly in her seat. She could barely take genuine praise without getting embarrassed: it was one of the cute things she did which he liked. It was amazing being able to fly with his partner, but he knew they had to conceal their feelings for each other as much as possible. They had almost been separated several times, as their emotions boiled over. Jay checked himself, as it would not be good for them if he started dreaming now.

Increasing their speed, they quickly caught up with the Hips. The slower assault helicopters had left their cargo behind to secure the area. They pulled ahead of the other helicopters and took the lead position in the formation. Flying low over the fields they dived back into the valley, thundering back to base.


The remaining Black Hawk skulked away as it became clear that there was nothing that could be done. All on board sat in solemn silence, staring blankly at nothing and avoiding eye contact. Captain Fallon stared vacantly at the data screens, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. How could they have been so overwhelmed? Why did the intelligence report not mention the presence of the Canidae Liberation Army? Where the hell was the back up? He needed answers, but he knew that he would now be the one giving the answers.

“Report,” he demanded. It was the only thing he could think to say.

The rest of his command team looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief: was it not obvious what had just happened? The systems operator glanced at the other officers and then reported the current situation.

“We have lost contact with all teams including their transports. Two were destroyed, one is unaccounted for and…HQ is on the line sir.”

Fallon grimaced and he reluctantly took the headset from the systems operator. “Fallon here.”

“What the frak* just happened!” the voice of Colonel Johnston boomed through ear-piece making Fallon wince. “What the hell am I going to tell the General? This is a frak* disgrace!”

“I know sir,” Fallon replied. He glared at his three lieutenants. After all they had planned the assault between them and it had been up to them to consider all the factors. They saw what he was thinking and looked at each other.

“WELL?” the Colonel bellowed.

“I will take responsibility for this sir. I failed to take all the necessary factors into account-”

“Hmph! Report to me immediately when you get back,” Johnston growled. “It had better be frak* good!”

The radio link snapped off and there was silence. Fallon handed the headset back to the systems operator, who warily put them back on. He sighed and leant back into his seat, it was a good ten minute flight back to base, so he had plenty of time to think about his ‘report’.

The young door gunner who had turned to see what was going on, quickly turned back when she realised the Captain’s gaze was directed towards her, although he was staring at nothing. She had hoped for some news on the other Black Hawks, but she got nothing. Her brother had been on one of them and she prayed that he had been on the third one, although her intuition told her otherwise.

First Lieutenant Fearns nervously adjusted his Interceptor body armour. He had been in charge of the intelligence gathering for this operation, which failed disastrously because of a lack of it. His leg began to shake: he ploughed his fingers through the fur on his forearm and began to tug at it until it hurt. Lieutenants Kinnon and Coburn looked at each other as though they had come to some unspoken agreement. Fearns noticed this and began to feel a grave sense of foreboding, as they had obviously agreed to make him the scapegoat. He knew he could not say anything though, as it would only make him look more suspicious.

For another few minutes the helicopter rumbled along, with nothing but the sound of the blades and the occasional shuffle of someone adjusting their position. Suddenly Coburn spoke out.

“Captain, Sir! It is not your responsibility for this failure,” he began. “We should have planned better.”

“I should have provided for better escort sir,” Kinnon added. She looked close to tears, as she realised that if she had then there would have been fewer fatalities.

Fearns looked at them dumbfounded. He was sure that they were going to make him the scapegoat, but they had done the complete opposite. He looked from one to the other, and then at the Captain.

Fallon looked at him sternly. “They’re good aren’t they son,” he thought to himself. “For Christ’s sake just say something!”

Fearns mouthed some words but instead of an explanation, some intelligible sound came out, halfway between a whimper and a moan. In the end he just gave up and muttered an apology. He resigned himself to the fact that he would be facing a court martial and slumped into his armour, staring sadly out of the open side door.

The Captain frowned and turned back to his thoughts. Fearns wasn’t a bad officer but he knew he could not play the politics like the other two, so he would have to let him go. The helicopter began to bank to the left and the base came into view.


The Havoc climbed over the ridge and swept down into the next valley, with the Hips close on its tail. In the distance was a collection of dilapidated buildings and roads, lying in the flat plane of the valley floor. It appeared like all the other towns in the region: dusty earth coloured buildings clustered close together with one or two multi-storey buildings rising over the rest. The distant mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for the whole scene.

They overtook a battered Toyota pick-up as they followed the road into the town. Its occupants waved as they roared overhead. They passed over the market place, their blades chopping the air: few people looked up as this was a regular occurrence. Rolling to the right in formation, they flew around one of the high-rise buildings and dashed to the opposite side of the town. A few broad roads ran out from this part, spreading out at different angles and seemed to lead to nowhere. At this point the formation split and landed on different roads, close to the buildings. Groups of people rushed out to meet them, but they were not the locals.

There was one for each vehicle, dressed in dusty overalls with scarves wrapped around their muzzles. Stooping low they ran up alongside each helicopter and began to push them towards the buildings. Slowly they disappeared from sight, in a matter of minutes the only indication that there had been anything there at all, were the settling dust clouds.

Jay continued to run the final systems diagnostics as the sun slowly disappeared, turning into the darkness of the hanger. The checks ran OK, with the windshield being the only thing that was damaged. He opened the door, pushing it to its full extension and peered out into the hangar as he unbuckled his restraints.

The hangar was more of a garage than an aerodrome: each of the buildings closest to the road had been reinforced and most joined together, to give enough space for at least two aircraft. The advantage of this was that from the air, there was no visible airfield and the base looked just look a suburb of the town. Jay noticed that their sister Havoc was out, most probably carrying out a similar mission. He smiled, as there would be stories to exchange later.

“Hoo na ny! What have you done to my baby?” a slurred voiced protested from across the hangar.

Jay groaned. “Don’t worry Dima, its just a few scratches,” he explained as he stepped out of the cockpit and negotiated the footings in the side of the fuselage.

“Donya worry? You have to fix it and then you say donya worry! I have to take whole window out. It take hours…” Dima’s protests turned to slurred curses and mutterings. The diminutive Russian Vulpes stamped over to his workbench, took a swig of vodka and then returned to start work. The rest of his team had already begun to inspect the damage, while Jay looked on bemused.

“Hey,” a friendly voice greeted him. Hannah strolled around from the other side of the Havoc. She had tried to console Dima, but he shrugged her off with a curse. “He’s really annoyed isn’t he?” she exclaimed as she walked up to Jay.

“Nah, don’t worry about it Han. He’s always like this with his baby!”

Hannah rolled her eyes and chuckled. They turned together and headed to the back of the hangar, through a door marked ready room. It was a small, poorly lit room with a single dirty window. A shabby couch lay against one wall, with a chair opposite it. An old wooden cupboard stood against the far wall and next to that was another door.

They removed their helmets and for a moment stared at each other in silence. He put his helmet on the seat and turned to put the lock on the door to the hangar. She tossed her helmet to the couch and let her hair fall down about her shoulders, and began to unzip her jumpsuit. Turning back round to face her, he saw what she was doing and gently stayed her hand.

“Not here” he said softly and pressed himself against her. She sighed and hugged him back.

“I hate this secrecy,” she muttered into his chest.

“I do to, but it’s for our own good.”

“I know, I just…” she began as she eased his grip and pressed her hands against his chest. “I’m just glad you’re ok.”

“I’m glad you are to.”

He kissed her passionately and she nuzzled his cheek, neck and shoulder in return. After a few scant moments enjoying each other, Jay checked his watch.

“Come on babe, I think we had our five minutes,” he announced reluctantly.

“Yeah I guess so,” she replied glumly and pulled away.

“Let’s get debriefed. I’m sure there’ll be some time later on.”

She simply smiled in reply and tied her hair back up. He unlocked the door to the hangar and then made his way over to the other to head out. Hannah intercepted him in the door way, blocking him by leaning in the door frame and placed her hands on his stomach.

“Later?” she asked.

“Later,” he smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

They walked briskly down the street from their building to the command one, to try to minimise detection if a surveillance plane or drone happened to be flying by. Stepping through an open doorway they passed into a bare room, with a door directly opposite. In between them and door sat an old Aureid, with an AK-47 on his lap. His face was weather-beaten and wrinkled with experience. He eyed them with the same professional cynicism he eyed everyone, and did not flinch as they passed by. Only his eyes rotated in their sockets, as he tracked them across the room.

On the other side they opened the second door and stepped into another room. This time it was darkened, having had all its windows blacked out and was lit by a few dim bulbs hanging precariously from the ceiling. The rest of the lighting came from the glow of the data screens. Compared to the previous room it was a hive of activity: the five systems operators chattered into their radios or checked things with the two officers, who were mediating between them and the figures sitting at the back of the room. The guards here, were more active and more heavily armed. They challenged them as soon as they walked through the door as a matter of routine.

Finally they made it to the people at the back of the room. Two Aureids were having quite a lively conversation and gesticulating at several maps spread on the table and the wall behind them. One was dressed in combats, while the other looked like a civilian. Behind them stood a few other civilians and officers, all looking at the maps as the other two talked. As Jay and Hannah approached, Jay and Hannah approached, they all looked up.

“Ah, Lieutenants Young and Dabbs,” the Aureid in combats began. They moved in front of the table and stood to attention and he nodded for them to stand at ease.

“Commander Hulatt, are these the pilots the ones who supported the ambush today?” the civilian sitting next to the first speaker asked.

“Yes”

“One is a woman!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. She has proven herself many times, just as all the women under my command have.”

“This is always a surprise to me. Maybe we can learn something from this Ismail? Eh?” he mused with one of the civilians standing behind him, who obviously did not share his humour.

“This is the local warlord Quasim. You will be supporting his troops over the next few months as we intensify our joint-operations against the Lupids. The war in this country will be the turning point, so it’s vital we step up the pressure. There will be a full briefing at nineteen-hundred.” The Commander explained.

“Yes sir,” they replied in unison.

“What do you have to report on the mission?”

“The area has been secured, sir,” Jay reported.

“We engaged their transports, destroying two and downed a third. Also engaged enemy troops,” Hannah added.

“Very good.”

“And may I thank you for your actions today, you have dealt the first blow to these monsters and together we shall drive them out!” Quasim said triumphantly, standing as he spoke. The Commander rose with him.

“Indeed we shall,” Hulatt agreed. “You are dismissed and make sure you’re wearing you civilian clothing when you’re walking between buildings from now on!”

They saluted, turned and headed back out of the building. The people around the table went back to discussing the maps, while the civilian who Quasim had spoken to watched Jay and Hannah leave. He eyed them intently as they made their way in between the systems operators. A question from Quasim broke his gaze, although he looked up again, just as they left the room.

Outside Jay took a draught of the dry mountain air. This was going to be an intense time, but at least he had someone to keep him company. He looked down at his partner as she walked alongside him, striding confidently in time with his own steps. She had begun to mirror his actions more and he noticed that she gazed more keenly at him when he was talking. He liked this, he liked the closeness and prayed that nothing would take it away. It filled him with a desire to sweep her into his arms and shower her with affection, but he could not, at least not in public. He wondered if she felt the same?

As they walked back to their building, the urge just kept getting greater and greater. Hannah had to keep looking away and think of other things, but she could not shake the feeling she had for Jay in the ready room. She wanted him now, but there were too many people about. Even their bunk was not private enough! At that moment she wanted the war to end, so she could have him to herself. It was a selfish thought, she accepted that but it was how she felt. The killing always made her feel this way, and she knew she could put something back where she had taken it away. This thought almost stopped her in her tracks: did she really only love him because she felt guilty? No, she assured herself there was a lot more to it than that.

They came to their door and both realised they had been walking on autopilot. For a moment they hesitated and blushed with childish embarrassment, as though they had just told each other a secret. She leaned against him, resting her hands on his chest again and played with the zipper to his jumpsuit.

“You know hun,” she began, more seductively than she intended. “Nineteen-hundred is a few hours away yet.”

He quickly glanced up the street, as he was surprised she had gone this far in public. She did sound irresistible though. “Yeah.”

“Well you know how you said later.”

“Yeah,” he replied as he reached out and pushed the door open.

“Is this too early?”

“Babe, it’s never too early for me! Just make sure it’s more private though.”

She smiled and looked deeply into his eyes. He looked a little stunned, but equally affectionately back.

“The others are still out, so no-one will walk in on us…” she said playfully and before he had a chance to reply, she slipped her fingers inside the collar of his jumpsuit and led him into the building. He did not resist.
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Shadu
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Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 336
Location: Barranquilla

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i like it. keep it going dood!
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