Terachi Kaishaku: Whenever I read the chapter over again, re-reading the parts about Marth always make me laugh. Lol, I seem to be giving Navi some of the best lines. Yeah, I'm trying to improve the character development which will hopefully make the story in general better. When is the next chapter of your story coming out?
Thursday 11/11/04, was Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Canada. I'd just like to take a minute to remember those of any country who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country because there are few reasons to die for more noble than for your country.
Also, the technical/character database has been edited once again, so pop by to check that out and tell me what you think.
Space at outskirts of Hylian Naval Installation of L-32
For Nabooru's small taskforce the situation was far from encouraging. The Legionnaire was totally gone with just a small cloud of debris, the Badanov was sprouting giant gouts of flames from all decks. Yet, the ships still fought on, trading broadsides with the IFC enemy. Link wove through what had been the wreckage of a HF-29 and a chunk of an IFC frigate, the beam cannon on the belly of his fighter spitting energy as Navi tried to get a clean shot on an IF-3. After a few more gut wrenching acrobatics Navi managed to clip the wing which slowed the enemy fighter and then Link put in several dozen rounds of incendiary bullets into the fuselage of the enemy fighters. Suddenly, a swarm of missiles and rockets appeared at the edge of Link's peripheral vision which alarmed him at first, but his fear became relief as he saw several squadrons of HF-29s sweeping through the area. Following up were several cruisers which fired repeatedly at the already heavily damaged IFC ships which eventually withdrew, obviously with the idea of coming back to fight another day. The Freedom's Cry had taken heavy damage but it still held together thanks to its sturdy construction and design.
Bridge Freedom's Cry
Nabooru stood on the bridge relieved that the help had come when it had.
"Status report Impa."
"Engines are heavily damaged and we need to get back to dock to repair them. Huge portions of the secondary batteries are either gone or heavily damaged and it depends on availability of parts whether we can fix them or not. Our group took heavy fighter losses during the initial stages. We got lucky and got the four we sent out back, but the other eleven didn't fare so well and only five came back."
"Well then all we can do is limp back to the base and see what repairs we can perform and what parts we can get. Impa I want us to find a way to make sure that never happens again."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ensign Mido, bring us back into the base at safest possible speed."
Mido worked the levers and buttons and the ship groaned as what was left of the engines strained to propel the battleship back to the base. After several minutes a few tenders arrived to help move the ship faster. Once the ship docked Nabooru disembarked via a docking umbilical and went out to talk to a quartermaster officer who was waiting inside of the base. Technicians were beginning to transport crates of parts to the ship but from a visual inspection it didn't look like nearly enough to cover their needs.
"What kind of re-supply can we expect?" Nabooru inquired.
"Not too much. We can replenish your propellant to about full capacity but that's the only thing we can do at full capacity. Ammunition is ok right now, but its parts that the main issue. I've seen the list of the damage to your ship and the parts required to fix it, but I'm afraid we only have the parts to cover about seventy percent of the repairs, probably not even that."
"What about replacement personnel?"
"We're scraping the bottom of the barrel as it is. We've emptied out the postal exchange and most of the desk jobs to fill out gaps and I can give you at most about twenty trained crewers and forty other assorted ones we pulled from their main jobs. Pilots I don't know about yet, because we might shuffle things around with the losses of carrier ships but I can't promise you anything yet."
"Thanks anyways." Nabooru sighed resignedly as she saluted and then headed back aboard ship to supervise the repairs.
Outskirts Hylia City
The soldiers and civilians who were laboring for the defense of the city had been at work for several days and had endured heavy aerial bombing. However much of the work was complete and several concentric rings of fortifications encircled the city. Dirt emplacements had been erected for the tanks to hide behind and shoot from, while exposing only the tops of their turrets. Soldiers and civilian volunteers stood to their posts as last minute preparations were completed. Meanwhile the rest of the civilian population was being evacuated to other cities in intermittent intervals between IFC air-raids. Overhead another transport roared past with a HF-29 on either side for protection.
IFC Ground Command Post
"The troops are all in position now General." A colonel stated.
"Good, commence artillery bombardment and have the troops ready to attack. The 35th Armored, 57th, 303rd Mechanized, and 43rd Infantry divisions will lead the first wave."
The officer nodded and issued the appropriate commands. By now countless batteries of IFC batteries ringed the city waiting for the order to fire. Gradually the command filtered through the system, and then tongues of flame shot into the sky as the first shots were fired in the Battle of Hylia City.
Outskirts of Hylia City
A whistling sound came overhead as the artillery fire neared its targets. Then, the ground began to shake as shells of all caliber struck the ground and detonated, throwing dirt, guns, wire, and people into the air. The defenders scrambled for the bunkers which would offer them protection. However not even these guaranteed safety. One large caliber shell struck a bunker dead on and detonated the ammunition store inside igniting a massive fireball. The screams of the wounded pierced the sky as medical corpsman scrambled around in an effort to treat the wounded. Luckily, most of the defensive emplacements were sturdy things, dug deep into the ground and reinforced with concrete and steel. Meanwhile the rest of the defenders huddled in their bunkers clutching their weapons and waiting for the barrage to lift.
In the far distance the roar of engines could be heard as the IFC forces warmed up their vehicles. Tanks, fighting vehicles, and infantry crept forward in anticipation of the assault. As this was happening the radio network between the IFC forces was deluged with messages from various units. The constant whistling of artillery shells still was heard overhead as the IFC artillery continued to batter the Hylians. Many of the IFC soldiers believed that few if any defenders would survive such a bombardment. About twenty minutes later the barrage petered off and the order to attack came down from above. The vehicles surged ahead with infantry on their decks or running alongside. Meanwhile the whistling of the artillery shells was replaced by the roar of engines as IF-3 fighters screeched by at low altitudes to attack the fortifications yet again. Gigantic palls of smoke rose from where fires caused by the bombs and shells in the distance. Then, at a predetermined point, the IFC vehicles and infantry broke into an all out run directed at the line of defense.
Outer Defense Perimeter
The artillery barrage petered to a halt and the defenders swarmed out of their shelters to await the attack that was nearly upon them. Knuckles turned white as some tightened the grip on their rifles as a result of their nerves. Others fiddled with odds and ends on their uniforms keeping the hands busy to relieve their anxiety. Suddenly, a shout came from down the line.
"Here they come!" one of the lookouts in the watchtowers shouted out.
All along the line the clicking of charging handles on rifles could be heard as helmets were tightened and safeties flicked off. A low rumble was heard in the distance and then after several minutes the domed turrets of the IFC tanks appeared in the distance. Scores of infantrymen leapt off the decks and rushed towards the trenches.
On one of the hillocks behind the Hylian line a forward artillery observer was surveying the scene.
"This is Spotter 35, I need a fire mission in ten minutes saturating the area in front of Sectors D49-57."
"Keep your heads down, until I give the order to fire." One of the officers ordered.
His men obeyed, staying below the walls of the trench as much as they could in order to make it appear to the enemy that there was no one occupying the trench. The onslaught kept coming on as the enemy forces drew closer, 100 yards, 70 yards, 50 yards, 30 yards.
"Fire!" the officer bellowed.
From seemingly out of nowhere, helmeted figured blossomed from the trenches and let loose a wall of flame. Dozens of IFC soldiers were cut down as the defenders fired indiscriminately into the mass of attackers. The chatter of heavy machine guns was heard as well as the dull thud of mortars being fired. Colorful tracers crisscrossed in every direction while gouts of dirt were thrown up into the air by the defenders' mortars. Simultaneously, the fire mission ordered by the Hylian observer earlier began to fall among the packed ranks of IFC attackers as they were forced to halt due to the firestorm created ahead by the Hylian defenders. The IFC vehicles now moved in to join the fight. Several missiles from armored fighting vehicles turned a battery of 120 mm mortars into a heap of scrap metal and scattered bits of uniforms. The tanks moved up, their cannons sweeping in every direction. Now, from carefully sited positions, the Hylian tanks that had survived the bombardment opened up on their IFC counterparts. Sometimes when a tank was hit, its ammunition stores would go off and turn the tank into little more than a prefabricated volcano. The mass of IFC attackers surged forward like the tide of the sea against the shoreline, moving up to be broken, retiring, and then surging forwards again. In a battalion command post, a colonel was keeping track of movements when he saw a threatened sector in his line. He went over to his radioman and took the headset himself and began to speak into it.
"This is 38th Battalion CP, we are under heavy pressure and need immediate air-support. Requesting a strike on coordinates AP487, NI 44."
"Copy that request, support is inbound."
Two squadrons of the city's defense force was orbiting the capitol waiting for the call-down for missions such as this. Upon orders from higher up, six HF-29s broke their orbit and dove for the threatened sector. The navigators in each one activated the targeting system for the bombs and rockets that each fighter carried. Dividing into flights of two, the fighters wove through intermittent ground fire and pounded IFC vehicle concentrations with their 750 lb. bombs and rockets, and then wheeling around to strafe the attacking infantrymen with their 40mm machine guns. After several passes the fighters ran out of ammunition and had to return to base to refuel, but not before inflicting severe losses on the attacking IFC forces in that area.
The defenders enjoyed the advantage of being in prepared positions that offered them a substantial amount of cover. Even so a few bands of soldiers and armor managed to pierce several points in the outer perimeter, but they were cut off by roving bands of Hylian armor and a series of well coordinated defensive airstrikes. After an hour and a half of heavy fighting the remaining IFC forces retired under an artillery deployed smoke screen, leaving behind hundreds killed, thousands wounded, and tons of equipment. All along the Hylian lines engineers scrambled to find what they could salvage and what needed to be prepared. Even though the defenders had enjoyed a clear advantage during the fight, heavy losses had been absorbed by the defenders and the gap between soldiers in the trench grew wider and wider.
IFC Command Post for forces detailed to seize Hylia City
"Sir, our assault has failed and our troops are pulling back." An aide informed the general and his staff.
"Damn! Order the artillery to commence a round the clock bombardment of the city, prepare the troops for another assault later, and make sure that all roads into the city are blocked so that they cannot receive supplies."
"What about their fighters sir?"
"We'll let our own pilots deal with that, it is our responsibility to conduct the land campaign."
Freedom's Cry Hangar Bay
Link was the last one to bring his fighter in, and he and Navi took some time to talk to Darunia about some possible repairs for their plane. The two tucked their helmets under their arms and then headed for the mess where they planed to get a quick drink before getting some much needed rest. The two were oddly surprised when they walked into the mess hall and saw a large crowd gathered around several tables. Curiosity getting the better of them, the two headed over to investigate what was going on. As they got closer they saw Marth at the center of the group obviously telling a story in which everyone else was enraptured. Just about then, Marth looked up with a lopsided grin and called out Link's name.
"Link, come sit down, I was just telling everyone what happened out there." Marth said in a leading tone. Link allowed himself to be propelled forward and stood uneasily as he waited for Marth to speak again.
"As I was saying, Link here would have been dead if it hadn't been for me and my daring."
Link was astonished at what was going on. He had risked his and Navi's life to end what had been a foolish action on Marth's part and now that pompous bastard was taking all the credit.
"I mean he went out charging like a madman into what was obviously a trap and I had to follow him. You can tell the difference if you go down to the hangar right now. My fighter is all banged up because I had to take on about eight of the enemy at once to save Link. His fighter came out virtually unscathed as the enemies that were about to pounce on him obviously decided to attack the better pilot first, but I managed to wipe them out in no time."
While Marth was telling his story there were gasps of astonishment as he described his daring feats in excruciating detail. Also there were many gasps of concern from the female members of the crew who were quite taken by his handsome face. One of them was Zelda who had been slowly inching her way closer to Marth.
"Oh, that's so brave and noble of you Marth." Zelda exclaimed. Meanwhile Link who was watching sullenly was becoming increasingly angry. Inside his mind he wondered why the thought of Zelda being with Marth caused so much anger and resentment. It wasn't as if he liked her or anything because she was usually so rude to Link just because she believed herself higher than him, but then again there was that time she had returned one of Link's most treasured possessions to him even though she did not have to.
Others nodded their assent when comments were made praising Marth for his bravery and skill, as Link became increasingly tense and angry. About the only thing that stopped him from jumping Marth and landing a punch right in his conceited face was Navi who was holding him back. Eventually Link saw that there was nothing he could saw to convince the crew otherwise and left in disgust.
Author's Notes: That took a while to get out so sorry for those of you who expected this sooner.
Next time on Legend of Zelda Freedom's Cry:
The IFC launches their next assault on L-32 having sensed that the base will fall soon to them. Injury to one of Link's closest friends causes a series of nightmares and dreams, but who is the one who helps him through them? Hylia City which has become the symbol of resistance has withstood the first wave but how long can it hold.