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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 16, 2006 18:57:30 GMT -5
Hey everyone, Cal here, with another new Ran fic for this Board, Path Destroyer. It's sort of a take on what happens to Randall after his exile. He tries several human jobs, all of which fail because of his personality and human employers tend not to take too much crap. So he joins the military, the only place that'll take him. There he meets Keith Payne, a human, and Escargoon, a snail, (from Kirby) and the naval fleet he is assigned to heads off to attack a rebel held port (the country he's with, the Amestris State, is fighting a civil war) called Port Royal. The first posted chapter will introduce Randall and some other characters you might recognize and as it progresses, Ran will definitely move into forefront, though at his introduction, he's in what seems a minor role.
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 16, 2006 19:07:45 GMT -5
Port Royal
Reveille echoed throughout the corridors and passageways of the SWS Wabash, flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron and lead ship in the battle line. Keith Payne jolted upright. Stealing a quick glance at the chronometer, he slipped out of the bunk and made his way to the showers. 8:30 a.m. Reveille had been sounded right on the dot. Behind him, Escargoon trudged slowly, still half asleep. As Keith entered the shower room, he gave Escargoon a hard shove.
“Ah, hey, what do you want?” asked Escargoon.
“Just making sure you were awake. Come on, let’s hurry up and get to our posts, I can already hear the anchors being weighed, we have a half hour so let’s move it.” Escargoon paused a moment, listening to the heavy grumbling of the anchor chains as they were winched into the hull.
“Yeah guess you’re right, alright, here we go” Escargoon murmured as he stepped into the nearest shower stall.
On the bridge of the Wabash, Captain Aladar looked out over the battle line. Wabash leading, followed by Vandalia, Susquehanna, Jormungand, Bienville, Augusta, Isaac Smith, Curlew, Mohican, and Pocahontas, 10 frigates in all. The gunboats Pawnee, Penguin, Unadilla, Seneca, Ottawa, Pembina, and R. B. Forbes were in their own battle line, off to the starboard of the frigates. The roughly 60 troop transports and supply vessels drifted at anchor behind the main battle fleet, they would move in once Port Royal was secured and all resistance had ceased.
“Is the ship ready Captain?” asked Commodore Ickus, fleet commander of the South Atlantic Squadron and overall brains behind their attack.
“Uh, yes sir, the ship is combat ready” replied Aladar.
“Good, then let’s not waste time, Captain, you’ll have the first tier of guns, Commander Kron will have the second. Captain Davis will have the wheel and Lieutenant Commander Bruton has the bridge.” Ickus handed out his orders smoothly enough. “Captain get this ship underway and let’s start this thing.”
“Yes sir” Aladar snapped to attention and began issuing orders as the Wabash got underway, the rest of the battle fleet following. The attack on Port Royal was thought of largely by Ickus as a way to gain a forward base in Alliance territory and provide a useful refueling and repair station for the South Atlantic Squadron, who up to now had no nearby bases and constantly had to head to Hampton Roads, their nearest base for a refit. The big disadvantage of this was that the blockade was severely disrupted when ships left their posts to re-supply. Port Royal, located between Legostria and Carrolton, was deemed a perfect spot to set up a post for the South Atlantic Squadron.
Port Royal itself had no real value to the Alliance, but it had much to the Federation, the Alliance knew this and had taken steps to garrison it. They had constructed Fort Walker and Fort Waddledoo at opposite ends of the harbor, but these works were earthen, not like the Third System Fortifications and hence, they were not considered invincible and were deemed as easy to reduce. Ickus’ attack plan called for a new method to be employed, one which he felt confident would reduce the fortifications in the least amount of time possible and also make it incredibly difficult for Alliance gunners to target the fleet. Whether or not it would work remained to be seen.
As the battle fleet plodded it’s way into the harbor, General Thomas Fenwick Drayton observed it all from Fort Walker, his command post. Placed in command of the Port Royal defenses, he was charged with defending the harbor from enemy attack.
"Crud" he muttered. “FWS Pocahontas, never thought you’d be here of all places, Percy.”
“What’s that sir?” asked Colonel William Heyward, Drayton’s second in command.
“Oh nothing, it’s just that, see that warship? Pocahontas? Well my brother, Percival commands it.” Drayton said forlornly. “We grew up here. Lot of fond memories, now, we’ll be killing each other over it.”
Heyward gazed at the battle fleet making it’s way into the harbor. “How many guns you figure they have?”
“Our sources say 164, plus I counted myself. We’re outgunned by more than 4 to 1 I’m afraid…..” Drayton trailed off before composing himself again. “Colonel Heyward, signal to Fort Waddledoo to run our their guns, and order all men to their posts. This is it, the moment we’ve been hoping would never happen. The moment hell itself pours its wrath upon us.”
Heyward shot another glance at the battle fleet, gulped, and ran off to carry out his orders.
The formation was simple enough, the frigates had their own line, screened by the gunboats on the starboard quarter. As the fleet approached Fort Waddledoo, all ships of the line would open fire and pour broadside fire into it, then execute a turn to port at which point the gunboats would break off and head to the unprotected northern face of Fort Walker where they would blast the vulnerable section. The frigates would then execute another port turn, and head past Fort Walker, shelling it as they moved past, execute two more turns to port and head back to Fort Waddledoo. In effect, the warships were steaming in a large ellipse, circling the harbor and firing into the two forts as they passed each respectively. Continuing to steam in a circle in between the two forts, they would present moving targets and also be able to concentrate their fire on first one, then the other fortress as they moved around. Crossfire was not a real possibility either as the Alliance guns couldn’t even reach across the entire channel.
The plan was first developed by the Harmonian Royal Navy, and Ickus had merely expanded upon it. It had been field tested earlier back in the State Navy’s attack on Hatteras Inlet but that was done with 7 warships in a relatively small line. Ickus added his own ideas to it and now it was time to put things into motion. As the fleet moved in to the harbor proper, the Alliance forts opened up and spat fire at the fleet, noise which could be heard as far south as Fernandina, 70 miles away. The battle had been joined.
“Cannon loaded and ready!” exclaimed Escargoon with enthusiasm as he leapt back and out of the way of muzzle.
“Excellent” said Keith as he began sighting it at the nearby Fort Waddledoo. “You really have to wonder what they’re aiming at, don’t think we’ve received a single hit yet.”
“I don’t think any of the ships have been hit. Those gunners on shore are really inexperienced” Escargoon commented thoughtfully.
“I’d say that’s true to an extent” Randall Boggs, Keith’s sponger said. These two made up his gun team. Keith was the gun captain, he aimed and fired the cannon. Escargoon was the loader, and Randall was the sponger, sponging the gun off to make sure it wouldn’t overheat and explode. “I’m pretty sure I recall that our intel said that these forts don’t have much ammo, couple that with inexperienced gunners, and we have an easy fight.”
Randall had recently enlisted on the ship. It turned out he had been exiled from his home, a kind of alternate world known as Monster World. He had committed some criminal acts there and had been banished to the Human World. Keith always wondered why they never came after him as he was on Monstropolis’s Most Wanted, but Randall had commented that there would be no need, as long as he stayed away, they wouldn’t have to worry about a trial. Randall had tried hard to reform and was working on controlling his rather short temper; Keith offered to vouch for him if he ever performed a redeeming act.
Keith nodded at that and got ready for the order to fire. When the command came, the Wabash’s 20-gun broadside belched flame at Fort Waddledoo, the projectiles smashing into the earthworks, exploding, and dismounting several guns.
“Great shots, boys! Keep that up for the Fort Walker round” Aladar encouraged as he walked back and forth down the gun deck. An Iguanodon, or more precisely, a Reptite, Aladar had risen through the ranks to become a Captain and Keith took a liking to his easygoing, go-for-the-fun attitude. Of course in battle, he changed and was a very effective commander, he had led the ship to victory in the Hatteras Inlet battle three months ago, a battle in which Keith and Escargoon had both participated in. He was positive Aladar had what it took to make the rank of Commodore.
The Wabash executed it’s first turn to port as the rest of the battle fleet poured their fire into Fort Waddledoo, causing considerable damage on the first pass. The gunners of the fort, not trained and having never fired artillery before, found it very hard to hit the moving targets that constantly changed position and distance. As of such, no hits were scored by the 13 guns of Fort Waddledoo and as the fleet passed by, they scattered the small, weak, defense flotilla of four gunboats with 1 gun each, forcing them up into a nearby stream. So far so good, the formation was working as planned.
At the apex of the turn, the gunboat line broke away as planned and took up position to the north of Fort Walker, hammering the unprotected flank. The defenders had not anticipated an attack from this position and now found that they were completely unprepared for the raking fire of the gunboats. Hit after hit was scored, silencing the few guns facing that direction, but not before the defenders got one good shot off; it struck the Pawnee just aft of amidships, exploding and killing 4 crewmen. The Pawnee responded with a 5-gun broadside that crippled the remaining guns on the northern flank and permanently silenced any opposition from that quarter.
Now the main battle fleet passed by, pounding Fort Walker with punishing fire, dismounting 12 of their 23 guns. General Drayton was hard pressed to conserve his limited ammunition supply and at the same time try to correct his inexperienced gunners’ aims.
“Just what do you think you were aiming for! That was at least 400 yards off! We have little enough ammunition as it is, try to make your shots count next time!” he would yell, highly disturbed that his gunners’ couldn’t hit worth jack. As the last ship in line came within range, Pocahontas, he personally took charge of a nearby 42 pounder, and let loose an explosive round that struck Pocahontas solidly but the fuse hadn’t been cut short enough and it exploded after bouncing off the side. Pocahontas then replied with a 3-gun broadside that came smashing into the fort, killing and maiming defenders. “Well played, Percy, well played” Drayton muttered as his brother’s ship continued on unhindered.
“How many times around do you think we’ll go before they submit?” asked Escargoon, his face already clouded with smoke from the cannon.
“Shouldn’t be more than 4. Our sources said they hardly had enough ammunition for a day’s fight. It took us roughly two hours to make one complete circuit, at this rate, I’d say no more than a few more times” Keith responded, waiting for Randall to finish sponging the barrel.
“At any rate, they can’t shoot worth a darn” Randall replied gamely as he removed the sponge and backed off so that Escargoon could load the gun.
“You’re right about that, I doubt these guys have ever fired a gun in their lives, much less an 8 inch like this one here. That training really paid off though, we inflict damage on them at almost no cost to ourselves.” Keith commented as Escargoon finished the loading process.
“Cannon ready to fire!” Escargoon called out.
“Good, aiming now” Keith responded as he re-sighted the 8 inch in preparation to deliver the shot to Fort Waddledoo on their next pass. “Let’s give them a spanking they won’t forget.”
The second circuit went even better than the first. The ellipse was expanded to bring the line closer to the targets and once again, Fort Waddledoo’s gunners scored no solid hits. The shots of the fleet tore into the fortress, dismounting guns and wrecking her walls. By they time they had circled around to pound Fort Walker, the gunboats fire had taken a dreadful toll on the remaining guns. General Drayton was reduced to using only 6 of his guns and when the battle line passed by, a mere 500 yards away, he fired at the closest ship he could see through the smoke. The haze obstructed his view but he knew it had hit and correctly exploded against the target. What the target was he couldn’t exactly tell as the battle line responded, knocking out all but 3 of his guns.
The explosion had actually come a second before the shot struck the side of the Wabash, preventing any serious damage occurring to the ship, but causing enough force to smash in a gun port and send splinters flying in all directions. A gunner was impaled outright by a particularly large one and killed instantly, others suffering some wounds, some slight, some serious. Undaunted however, the Wabash continued on, readying her guns to have another go at Fort Waddledoo.
“We’re dry sir!” the cry came out from one his 3 remaining gun crews. “Same here sir!” “We just expended our last one too!” The cries were like knives in Drayton’s chest. All 3 of his remaining guns, out of ammunition, and at this critical point! Knowing that there was nothing more he could do, Drayton called for a general retreat from the fort. He ordered his men to make for the defense flotilla in the nearby stream. They’d be able to shuttle his men away from the island they were on and take them further inland, perhaps even reach Legostria, a mere 10 miles away, and the safety of Fort Pulaski. Pulaski was a Third System Fortification and would be more than capable of protecting and covering his retreat. Yes, that’s what he would do, head to Legostria. “You win today Percy, enjoy traipsing around our home while you have the chance” he called out as he started the retreat with his garrison.
Colonel Dunovant, in charge of Fort Waddledoo, could hardly believe that Drayton was pulling out. How could he leave him like this! There was no way he could be expected to hold out with his ammunition dwindling and his fort already damaged. But he had to hold on for a little longer, buy Drayton some time to get away.
”Alright listen up!” he proclaimed. “I want you all to fire away and hit what you can. We can’t win this, but we can buy enough time to let the Walker garrison escape. We stand a chance of getting away ourselves so long as they don’t start landing troops. So fire away! You hear me? Fire away!”
“Fort Walker has ceased resistance!” Aladar crowed out. A wave of cheers swept through the gun deck. “It’s not over yet however, all vessels are now concentrating on Fort Waddledoo, let’s pound them so bad we won’t have to make another pass. Come boys, let’s hop to it!” Keith’s gun was already ready to fire and all he waited for was the command. When it was given, the 20-gun broadside of the Wabash let loose, 10 inch, 9 inch, and 8 inch shells all came crashing down, raining destruction on the fort. Blasted as it was at near point blank range, Fort Waddledoo somehow continued firing as the Wabash steamed away, much to the dismay of the gun crews.
“We hit them dead on, what’s it take?” asked Escargoon, beginning to get annoyed at the resistance of Colonel Dunovant and his garrison.
“No wait! Look!” Randall shouted as he pointed wildly back with his four arms. Keith ran to the gun port and looked out, in time to see Bienville's and Augusta's broadsides utterly smash Fort Waddledoo and with it, apparently, the defenders resolve. Streams of men could be seen running from Fort Waddledoo, breaking for open ground away from Port Royal, away from the battle.
“Ha ha! That’s what I like to see! Order all ships to cease firing and come to a full stop!” ordered Aladar into the speaking tube. His message was relayed to the bridge, where Commodore Ickus did not dispute it. The battle fleet came to a stop, and for a brief moment, all was quiet, nothing stirred, not a sound could be heard save for the lapping of the water against the hulls of the ships.
And then, as one, all ships let loose blasts from their whistles, cheers and shouts went up from the crews, all the noise blended together into one cacophony of sound, as victory, and the day, belonged to the State fleet.
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Post by RandallBoggs on Apr 16, 2006 19:11:52 GMT -5
Good overall, nice ship work ^_^
(You may want to touch up Randall's bit. Such as why the army accepted him or why they even would. Or, if that's coming up later, give a little insight.)
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 16, 2006 19:13:04 GMT -5
It will be coming up later, like I said, he's a small role at the MOMENT, but that changes by about 2 or 3 chapters later.
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 16, 2006 19:15:34 GMT -5
Heh, what's Randall think of it?
Yeah the ship work, a pretty cool formation.
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Post by RandallBoggs on Apr 16, 2006 19:18:09 GMT -5
"I'm not really a war fanatic...sure...I'm a good fighter but I don't think I would go into military...especially from what I think..."
Hello! Background story...
"...I'll wait till then..."
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 16, 2006 19:20:22 GMT -5
Hm, he actually becomes a Marine later on due to his combat skills, though it definitely isn't a strong war scene, there are some chapters that deal with it. It's mostly about you Ran trying to uncover secrets of your past, outmaneuver a powerful organization, and perhaps find a new life.
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 17, 2006 16:21:43 GMT -5
In that case, I'll try to get the next chapter up later tonight, right now however, I'm off to the movies..........
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Post by nauticusvergil on Apr 17, 2006 18:51:54 GMT -5
"Thank You For Smoking" on my end. It was very funny and got pretty high marks on the reviews.
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