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Antivehicular posted:Another Interprompt Because I'm At Work For Seven More Hours And You People Are Ravenous A/N: Centurion and Warrior are British made combat vehicles. Operation Luparii, 497 words The recruiters had warned Colour Sergeant Smythe, when he'd enlisted, that his job could be distasteful. Somehow, he didn't think this was what they'd meant. "Gunner, target, 12 o'clock, one hundred meters, load incendiary," he muttered into the Centurion tank's intercom. "Target, 12 o'clock, animal den," answered the gunner cheerfully. "100 meters...willie pete...gun up!" The L7 gun made its loud report, and the shell arced over broken asphalt and fallen streetlights to its target--a collapsed bus station, long surrendered to a pack of grey wolves. The shell slammed home in the fallen roof, payload scattering over the den, filling Smythe's thermal view with hot black patches. The ruins quickly caught fire, and three wolves bolted from the naturally formed entrance to flee. "Warriors, cleared to engage." Smythe ordered again. The two other vehicles swiveled their turrets, barking shells from their RARDENs in clipped three round bursts. The first two sent two wolves crashing mid-stride, splattering blood against the twisted steel backdrop. The third kicked up shattered road, as the Warriors' gunners tracked the fast moving wolf, grey against grey. As the thirty millimeter guns continued to fire, Smythe grimaced at the ammo expenditure; he had no idea how much had been allocated for his ad-hoc section, only that it wasn't enough to waste. Still, as he watched the black blur on his thermal scope, his thoughts turned to admiration. Here was a survivor, clearly with more will to live than most. If it wasn't for his orders to "clear the city for human habitation", he might have ordered his section to cease fire. A fallen subway entrance sat in the road, the rubble forming an entrance where a wolf could flee, and a human could never follow. It ran for this bolthole, dodging sprays of concrete. Fifty meters away...thirty...twenty. "Come on, girl, you can make it!" thought Smythe unconsciously as it--she--leapt between patches of dying grass. Then, no more than three meters away from safety, a shell finally clipped the wolf's hindquarters, sending it to the ground with whimpers both angry and pathetic. Smythe swore; a wounded pest wasn't enough to waste more Warrior ammo on, but she couldn't be left to suffer. He pulled himself from the commander's hatch, to his gunner's confusion, and unsteadily walked over to the fallen wolf. He locked eyes with her, her blood pooling under her tail and hind legs from a gash that slashed across her pelt. It had been a matter of centimeters--one to one side and she would have escaped, one to the other and shock would have killed her instantly. Her eyes looked back at him with fire, willing unresponsive legs to leap up and rip out the throat of her aggressor, snapping with her jaws. Smythe drew his pistol, and sighed a quiet "I'm sorry" as he aimed at her head. The recruiters had warned Colour Sergeant Smythe, when he'd enlisted, that his job could be distasteful. Somehow, he thought this was exactly what they'd meant.
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Jul 3, 2019 03:01
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sparksbloom posted:
So is the intent a told story a la The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (where most of the story is technically someone telling a story to another) or more like They're Made Out of Meat? Either way I'd like to give this a try. In!
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Jul 29, 2019 20:46
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Thunderdome Week 365: Leo Season
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The People v. Courtney Allan, using Enneagram Type 2 Word Count: 769 “The People call the Accused, Mr. Courtney Allan, to testify on his own behalf.” --- "Mr. Allan, you were a pilot employed by All-Ways Charters, correct?" "Yes, sir." "And what planes were you qualified to fly?" "Cessnas, Bonanzas, Pipers--" "In summary, 'light utility props'?" "Yes, sir." "And no others." "Correct." "The People present to this Court Exhibit A, a transcript of air traffic communications at Leighlines Airport, hub of All-Ways Charters, on the day of the Incident. Mr. Allan, would you please read starting from line 246." --- "Clarion 777 to Leighlines Tower, declaring IFE. Pilot ill aboard; we request immediate landing permission." "Tower to Clarion 777, IFE acknowledged, landing clearance granted. Tower to All-Ways 413, cancel takeoff clearance, hold short of runway. Pattern disrupted by IFE." "All-Ways 413 to Tower, confirm holding short on Taxiway 3." --- "Who was speaking for All-Ways 413, Mr. Allan?" "The company's head pilot, Morgana Weiss, sir." "And what type of aircraft was All-Ways 413?" "A Gulfstream, sir." "For the record, is that a light utility propeller driven aircraft?" "...no, sir." "Please continue reading." --- “Tower to Clarion 777, runway is clear, begin landing approach.” “Clarion 777 to Tower, confirming landing. We see aircraft on the taxiways. Will they be a factor?” “Tower to Clarion 777, all aircraft have been informed of your IFE and will keep runway clear for you.” “...he’s annoying...yeah, I know...keeps going on about what he pays us for...I’ll go back and talk to him...” --- “That doesn’t sound like communication with Leighlines Tower, Mr. Allan. What was happening there?” “Erm, one of the regular passengers...a real jet setter type. A ton of money.” “Go into more detail. Why exactly did Ms. Weiss choose to leave the cockpit at that time?” “He...he was in a relationship with Morgana at the time. Six months, twelve days.” “That is a very precise count.” “He was a terrible fit for her. I heard he bought her a freaking HondaJet! Wonder what kind of gently caress up he was covering up for--” “Mr. Allan. He is not on trial here. You are. Continue reading.” --- “Clarion 777 on final approach. Wheels down.” “Tower to Clarion 777, we see you. Authorized to complete landing.” “Clarion 777 to Tower, acknowledged. Be advised we see one aircraft on runway access point three with interior cockpit lights on. It’s out of line with the runway guide lights. Approaching touchdown point...” “It’s not...there are...no, don’t...AAAAH!...what’s—oh Goddess above...it’s not what you think...no!” “...Tower to All-Ways 413, say status. What’s happening?” “All-Ways 413 to Tower, we have a situation on board, stand by!” --- “That’s you speaking for All-Ways 413, correct, Mr. Allan?” “It is, what of it?” “What happened to Ms. Weiss at this time?” “She was being choked out by her bastard of a boyfriend!” “What is All-Ways’ company procedure for an unruly passenger, Mr. Allan?” “She’d have been dead by the time the flight attendant got him off her! It wouldn’t have worked...” “Did you think you could assist--” “Have you seen the guy?! He must take steroids! I couldn’t fight that!” “So instead...?” “He was choking her!...I had to do something!...He was standing--in the aisle, so I...I put my hand on the throttles and...!” “Continue reading the transcript.” --- “Tower to All-Ways 413, say again, what is your--” “Clarion 777 to Tower, we see an aircraft bolting for the runway!” “It worked! Morgana, get up here, now! Lock the door! ...Courtney, what are you doing?!” “Tower to All-Ways 413, you do not have runway permission! Cut power immediately and--!” “It’s okay, Morgana, let me turn this here... turning radius! We’re blocking the runway!” “Clarion 777 to Tower, we are wheels on ground and don’t have space to get airborne! Turn away! Hard left and brace!” “Tower to All-Ways 413, acknowledge and divert!” “It’s okay, everything’s fine...he’s in the cockpit!...you bastard!” “All-Ways 413, acknowledge, Goddess damned--!” “The wing! Goddess above, we’re gonna cra--” --- “Do you understand the nature of the charges against you, Mr. Allan?” “gently caress off! You weren’t there!” “Do you regret your actions?” “I’d do it again to save Morgana!” “I see. The People present to this Court Exhibit B, medical record from Leighlines Emergency Hospital, under one Morgana Weiss.” “I—You--!” “‘Burns on the legs requiring amputation above the knee...left arm paralysis...’ That scarcely sounds like you saved her.” “That...NO!” “Not to mention 15 deaths—including your own, I might add.” “I...I did what I had to...to protect her...” --- "...The People have no further questions. Goddess Above and Below, we await your judgement."
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Aug 5, 2019 04:59
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sebmojo posted:Courtenay allan plane story Thanks for the critique. Yeah, this is on me--I'd never heard of enneagrams before this, so figuring out how to introduce the love/codependency element into the story was confusing. (Also I completely misread what the whole enneagram thing is about--I thought the idea was that the person slips into incoherence when CONFRONTED by the type of the "disintegrative" personality, which is why Mr. Allan gets more combative as "The People" asks him more questions.)
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Aug 7, 2019 00:04
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