The Sand - FTP-Anime Forums

Asymmetric · 21-04-2008, 09:23 AM

Here is the first part of my military based story reminiscent of something out of the Iraq Conflict. It deals with a squad of American soldiers who are caught up in a moral struggle where indiscriminate civilian deaths have caused emotional stress and other negative effects on the warfighters. I make no special reference to any locale here or any real world event. You make up your own true setting for the events that unfold. The segments are short and will come around as they are completed. I hope you enjoy.

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

The afternoon was a dry and dusty, except for the sweat running down my brow. It was not surprising that the temperature would rise well into 120 degrees, since it had gotten up to 70 just this morning. The base was no better really, as air conditioning was sparse to say the least. The electricity was not widely available either, so the AC didnt turn out to be a big deal since it didnt work half the time anyway.

The heat...it was almost unbearable, but patrols required that we wore all the regulation gear: water, food, sleeping bags, extra ammo and my favorite, the 50 extra pounds of body armor. It made our bodies all the more miserable and our minds all the more insane. I couldnt complain though. This stuff has saved some asses I know, and ill be damned if im the first to remove it.

As my unit walked down the street, we noticed kids playing soccer and having fun, despite war knocking on their doorstep everyday. We saw parents who looked back at us the same way we looked at them...distrustfully. We saw shadows of ourselves which seemed to radiate a secondary personality, a personality which I would rather keep in check.

The call came in at around 4:00 PM from a group of Marines pinned down up 2 blocks from where we were. I could hear and almost smell the terrible effects of small arms and mortar fire on the Marine positions, and my eyes suddenly shut..."Soldier, get that Fuc*ing machine gun up and suppress the enemy while we call in evac for the wounded! Its a goddamned nightmare here. That IED slammed us out of nowhere and I..."
"Hey, Sergeant? Sergeant? You daydreaming or something? Comon, we gotta move and help those Marines, theyre counting on us." The memory faded before it finished, and I started to move...

Xyw13 · 21-04-2008, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SubZero

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

It was not surprising that the temperature would rise well into 120 degrees, since it had gotten up to 70 just this morning.

WTF is that? Are they somewhere on mars or soo? Not even Sahara has so high temperatures... (max was 66,5°)

Vladimir · 21-04-2008, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyw13

WTF is that? Are they somewhere on mars or soo? Not even Sahara has so high temperatures... (max was 66,5°)

He means Fahrenheit, not Celsius.

Asymmetric · 21-04-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladimir

He means Fahrenheit, not Celsius.

LOL...I guess I should have made that clear...but it would mess up the story to provide answers to everything.

Xyw13 · 21-04-2008, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SubZero

LOL...I guess I should have made that clear...but it would mess up the story to provide answers to everything.

Just write in normal SI system

Asymmetric · 21-04-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyw13

Just write in normal SI system

I would but I didnt grow up around the SI system. I simply cant do the conversions without wasting time on hard math, and Id rather not do that. Here in the US the Imperial system is still used, and unfourtanetly its what I will be using. Sorry.

Vladimir · 22-04-2008, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyw13

WTF is that? Are they somewhere on mars or soo? Not even Sahara has so high temperatures... (max was 66,5°)

By the way, Mars is colder than Earth...so you know.

Sorry SZ, still haven't read this...too tired to read it.
Probs later this week, okay?

Xyw13 · 22-04-2008, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladimir

By the way, Mars is colder than Earth...so you know.

Sorry SZ, still haven't read this...too tired to read it.
Probs later this week, okay?

hehehe, mars is colder only during night.. its about 140-300°C around day

(Don't you see my USERBAR??!?!)

Asymmetric · 22-04-2008, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladimir

By the way, Mars is colder than Earth...so you know.

Sorry SZ, still haven't read this...too tired to read it.
Probs later this week, okay?

Heh read it when you wish. It will be there for a while.

TheWolf · 02-08-2009, 11:37 PM

wow. i know that wasn't very long but that was REALLY good writing Sub!! you should write, on the side when you can, and see if a publisher would be interested.

btw - i understood what u were saying - i think most will - a US soldier in Iraq would use US lingo - NOT european!

21-04-2008, 09:23 AM	#1 (permalink)
Asymmetric Bose-Einstein Condensate Rikushou (1st Lt. General) Margrave of FTP-Anime Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: United States Posts: 1,828 Thanks: 40 Thanked 139 Times in 103 Posts	The Sand Here is the first part of my military based story reminiscent of something out of the Iraq Conflict. It deals with a squad of American soldiers who are caught up in a moral struggle where indiscriminate civilian deaths have caused emotional stress and other negative effects on the warfighters. I make no special reference to any locale here or any real world event. You make up your own true setting for the events that unfold. The segments are short and will come around as they are completed. I hope you enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The afternoon was a dry and dusty, except for the sweat running down my brow. It was not surprising that the temperature would rise well into 120 degrees, since it had gotten up to 70 just this morning. The base was no better really, as air conditioning was sparse to say the least. The electricity was not widely available either, so the AC didnt turn out to be a big deal since it didnt work half the time anyway. The heat...it was almost unbearable, but patrols required that we wore all the regulation gear: water, food, sleeping bags, extra ammo and my favorite, the 50 extra pounds of body armor. It made our bodies all the more miserable and our minds all the more insane. I couldnt complain though. This stuff has saved some asses I know, and ill be damned if im the first to remove it. As my unit walked down the street, we noticed kids playing soccer and having fun, despite war knocking on their doorstep everyday. We saw parents who looked back at us the same way we looked at them...distrustfully. We saw shadows of ourselves which seemed to radiate a secondary personality, a personality which I would rather keep in check. The call came in at around 4:00 PM from a group of Marines pinned down up 2 blocks from where we were. I could hear and almost smell the terrible effects of small arms and mortar fire on the Marine positions, and my eyes suddenly shut..."Soldier, get that Fuc*ing machine gun up and suppress the enemy while we call in evac for the wounded! Its a goddamned nightmare here. That IED slammed us out of nowhere and I..." "Hey, Sergeant? Sergeant? You daydreaming or something? Comon, we gotta move and help those Marines, theyre counting on us." The memory faded before it finished, and I started to move... __________________

02-08-2009, 11:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
TheWolf Super Moderator Grand Duke of FTP-Anime Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: prowling right behind you ... Posts: 2,740 Thanks: 833 Thanked 356 Times in 304 Posts	that's GOOD writing, Sub!!! wow. i know that wasn't very long but that was REALLY good writing Sub!! you should write, on the side when you can, and see if a publisher would be interested. btw - i understood what u were saying - i think most will - a US soldier in Iraq would use US lingo - NOT european! Last edited by TheWolf; 02-08-2009 at 11:41 PM.

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