Eulogy for a Patriot [Solo-Dev Thread]

[Agent Iron Maiden]

[For Your Reading Pleasure [member="Willa Isard"]]​

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-Mood Music-​

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Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVj2z_-RoM​

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I...I was a soldier.​

Once.​

Used to fight for something...I can't remember what it was.​

All I remember...is how to fight.​

I no longer know who that soldier was.​

She died long ago.​

Now all that's left is me.​

A Punished Maiden...without a home. ​

No Republic. No Nation. ​

Just never ending war.​

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EULOGY FOR A PATRIOT​

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Outer Rim, Bastion
Primeval-Mando Warzone
3km outside Capital- Sartinaynian City

The twin engines of the Primeval attack transport hummed a metallic lullaby as it rocketed over the rocky valleys of Sartinaynian plateau. Inside the metal capsule that was the loading hangar a group of battle-clad soldiers on parallel facing black cushioned benches sat preparing their equipment. But, one soldier looked out of place. Sat at the far back on a wall end bench was an elder woman, perhaps pushing her mid-forties. She was wrapped in a silver combat suit with a black combat vest and gear strapped to her torso. Her golden hair slicked back revealing scars that ran down the side of her face she blankly stared into the distance while smoke slipped from her lips as she removed a Kessel-imported cigarette.

Playing with the touchscreen command array bolted to her forearm, she studied the client profile. The data she summoned by tapping a series of request functions were displayed in a series of lists and flying paragraphs who’s images lit up on the table’s surface. Thumbing the side bar she commanded the pace of the profile, speeding past certain points only to suddenly slow down upon spotting more useful information. The various lines of digitized information mirrored its short existence on her combat uniform. Blinking reflections on her shaven head flickered before sliding down to her combat vest covered torso packed with several pouches containing battlefield gear. Then moving to drip off of her legs which were encased like the rest of her body in a smart polymer pilot suit that hugged her natural form. The curves of her being were only interrupted by the series of circuit wires that bulged out from underneath the first layer of stretched fibre running up her legs and arms so that suit could feed electrical data to the HUD in the helmet resting on her lap.

A young man probably new to the war scene was attempting to mask his nervousness by repeatedly re-performing standard pre-battle check ups of his assault rifle. Using the ritual as a pacifying meditation to avoid the myriad of scenarios his imagination could drum up of the battlefield he was about to descend into.

The elder woman and battle veteran raised an eye-brow and smacked the man's knee guard. The man snapped out of his trance to shoot a confused look at her. The golden haired soldier pulled the cigarette out of her mouth once more.

"Nervous?" she coldly questioned.

"No'mam." the replied in quick and cool fashion.

"Bullsh!t!" retorted the lady in a stark bark. "On my first Op I was near pissing rivers."

The young man actually spat a short snort at the proposed imagery. He shook his head and attempted to regain some composure. He was keeping to the mental preparation guide that he had studied in training. The woman was doing his own brand of battle readiness. Humor was her great intoxicant, it at least dulled the pain she constantly felt. Several Ops and a tour in the regular military had proved to him a good joke no matter the level in sophistication helped. No and again a good dick joke worked too.

The young man gaining some sense of ease hesitantly replied back, "Are you with the Warlords?"

The woman smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm contract." The mercenary dropped her cigarette and with the patterned end of her boot beat the life out of it.

"I'm designated call-sign Iron Maiden." She stretched out her hand gesturing for a shake, "You can call me Maiden."

The young man nodded. "My name is Glax." Glax shook the Maiden's hand and smiled. Maiden smiled back and breathed a heavy sigh. Goodluck Glax. It was almost comical how many people she would meet and lose. You would think she knew better. But it was in her nature. It was her weakness to care.

Leaning back into her seat she banged his knuckles on the wall of the pilot compartment her seat was mounted to and turned her head. "What's our ETA Cabby?"

"One five teen." the co-pilot yelled back. "I'll prep you guys when we are within five."

"Copy." Maiden nodded. Glax looked at her with a knew perplexed look. "Wait are you - ...?"

Maiden laughed and stood up flipping the strap of her assault blaster rifle over her shoulder so it slung by her side-rib.

"Yah kid. I'm SL1 on this one."

End of Part 1​

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1SL = Squad Leader

 

[Agent Iron Maiden]

[member="Willa Isard"] [member="Zoltan Rarsk"]​

-Mood Music-​

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Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiS1xQoQvKE​

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Echoes of the past blew into Maiden's view. The standing Primeval Fire Team she had been contracted to guide into the capital's artillery defences began to blur into the colours and images of the Galactic Republic's 23rd Koros Major Battalion - the Golden Suns. The "honorable" Golden Suns. Honor. Duty. Glory. Codes that she once followed. She could still see their faces. Whisper, Ricochet, Dingo and Grim, she watched with a hazy glare as their bodies bled into her vision like phantoms. Perhaps this was some sort of phantom limb syndrome playing out? They called to her.

Ready when you are Maiden. Like old times eh Maiden. Maiden. Maiden.

Maiden!

Maiden shook her head and fell back into reality. Glax had his hand on her shoulder. "Mam, caby says five until TLZ drop." Maiden grinned and nodded in silence. "Copy." she muttered. Glax turned around, and as ASL1 called out to his fire-team and commanded the pre-combat logistics. Maiden took in a deep breathe and hesitantly looked back up away from the attack transport's floor. They were gone. She blinked slowly to double check. The spectres had vanished. For now. Maiden clung to her chest. The fading always hurt a little. She brutally oppressed her facial muscles, trying to keep her pain to manifest a grimace.

Glax swung back and nudged Maiden. "You alright Mam?"

Maiden pushed aside his hand, "No" she growled, "And for the last time it's Maiden." Maiden's previous lax attitude now died giving way to a cold professionalism that made Glax freeze in his movements. Maiden had transformed into a monster of war, just from her stare he could tell something changed.

Heavy clouds of earthy debris exploded below the copter as it lowered itself close to the surface. Maiden reached out and tapped Glax's shoulder twice. Glax leapt from the copter and planted his feet onto the earth. The Maiden dropped right after. Running in a crouch, the two ran past the circumference of the spinning blades and made for a nearby rocky outcrop. The transport swung away and then pulled up to disappear behind the mountainous horizon. Maiden crouched behind a blown apart wall tapped her fore-arm mounted technical display once again. This Op was going to get ugly. Outer motorized units and Mando fire teams were between them and the artillery defence targets. Infiltration was perhaps the only option - even though Maiden preferred shock and awe.

Pointing to Glax, Maiden called out her commands, "Alright boys, we keep it steady here. Air support will be taking out front obstructions in the next zero-twenty. Then we begin infiltration operation. Understood? We keep this compact and move as one we'll be done before dinner."

Her unit all called back in confirmation. Maiden cracked a smirk. The thunderous rumble of fighters in full attack formation broke the battlefields melodies. Just as they came they had zoomed off leaving a ball of explosion ahead of them. Maiden gripped her assault rifle and tapped Glax's shoulders before flicking her two fingers in a pointed gesture. "Rifle Man, you take our six. Machine up on point with me and Maiden."

Together they set out in shadowed advances to the suppressive fire of the starfighters, who risked being shot out of the sky to help Maiden's team infiltrate the capital's artillery defences.

-End of Part 2-​

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1ASL = Assistant Squad Leader