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07-05-2016, 01:49 AM | #1 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Los Angeles
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EDIT: Story finally posted 12/18/16 This is my Rebel Angel fan fiction collection of customs. Each one has a story per link below. http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...lance858a.html My Joeverse Summary - 200-300 years in the future, Cobra, a ancient secret society whose list of historic leaders/Cobra Commanders include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Ghengis Khan, and Hitler, finally succeed in taking over the world through the massive use of nukes. Survivors of that nuclear holocaust find themselves cast into a future dark age under fuedal law with Cobra dominating every aspect of their lives. It's a high tech cyber punk industrial wasteland world. For those who choose not to live as a subject of Cobra, their only choice is to escape into the Badlands, vast areas of nearly uninhabitable wasteland, where they live as outlaws, bandits, pirates, and or freedom fighters. Create your own band of outlaws/freedom fighters/mercenaries/pirates or your own Cobra strike force for this world! You can even have your own Sector, name it Sector WHATEVER YOU WANT, or you can be a Cobra Noble with your own land to rule. Rule it however you want. Create fantastic background stories and post away! Choose your side and let the creative juices flow! More Pics here: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...R2dk1MdjBPZ0xn Part 147: Smoke and Retribution It was the start of the Eastern Rebellion, a conflict between Cobra and the Empire of the Iron Grenadiers that ended over ten years ago. It was so long ago, yet she remembered it like it was just yesterday. The day started with pouring rain, the kind that swept down sideways and washed away anything in its path. Despite the deluge, they were given orders to roll out on an urgent matter. This was what the Cobra Rage was built for. It’s mechanized legs allowed it to traverse almost any terrain in almost any condition, including flooded plains. With its wheels and its impenetrable lightweight composite armor, it could reach speeds of up to 100 mph over paved roads, 60 mph over rough terrain. So when she received her orders, Commander Padma Mehta, Codename: Commander Om, didn’t hesitate. She emerged from the mobile command truck and into the pouring rain and mud. She marched over to her captains who were huddling underneath a makeshift shelter that was hastily erected in a vain attempt to help them keep dry. Commander Om (Padme): “Orders are in boys, gather your crew, man your tanks, we’re moving out in 10.” One of her captains, who had just arrived, replied, “Commander, my men, they’re fatigued. We just got here.” Commander Om: “I’m sorry you and your men didn’t get any rest or a chance for hot chow, grab what you can for the road.” Another captain asked, “Commander, the fields are completely flooded, the roads are washed out, we might not even be able to get there. Have you ever driven a rage in this kind of rain?” Commander Om: “The Rages will be fine, just follow the lead tank.” The third captain asked, “But have you ever done this before?” Commander Om: “Yes, countless times.” The fourth captain replied, “Yeah but simulations don’t count.” Commander Om: “Maybe you want to put in a call to the Great Cobra Commander and file a complaint?” The captains then all turned and looked away in silence. Commander Om: “Well ok then, gather your crew, we roll out in ten. You will be briefed en route. The marching order (line up of tanks) will be: Murder Inc. (the Rage with the most experienced captain and crew), followed by Lion of Babylon (almost equally as experienced), then myself in Smoke & Retribution (the safest position in the column of tanks), and then Raging Bull and King Hippo in the rear (the rookies).” The men hesitated for a moment then glanced at each other in disbelief that she would place herself in the middle of the column (the safest position), and replied, “Yes sir” in unison. The gave a quick salute and together, they haled, “Cobra” before they turned their backs towards her and headed into the rain and their respective tanks and crews. Although she outranked them, her men and women didn’t trust her. She was fresh out of the academy and completely green to the battlefield. Nonetheless, they had their orders and they fell in line. At least from inside their tanks, there was some reprieve from the cold and rain. As they rolled out from camp slicing a path through the mud, she became nervous. She couldn’t understand why, she had done this almost 1,000 times before. Each of those missions were a resounding success. In fact, she held the record for most missions accomplished amongst her academy cadets. But this time it was different. This time, the mission wasn’t a simulation. As she prepared to relay the orders, her heart began to race. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She knew what she wanted to say but the connection between her brain and lips was severed. She gasped, paused, and then calmly took a deep breath. As Smoke & Retribution cranked its way through the storm, Padme gathered her strength from inside the waddling cabin and relayed the orders over the radio while trying her best to reflect the kind of confidence that only comes after you’ve done something 1,000 times. Commander Om’s voice crackled over the radio, “Ok, listen up. There’s … uh.. a company of Viper Corps troopers being pinned down by machine gun fire. Heavy machine gun fire .. . um … 50 clicks east. Um. . . they needed to be rescued. we’re the only ones that can get there fast enough. Uh … I just sent your navigation systems the positions and our approach tac (tactics). Confirm receipt, over. ” “Murder, Inc. here, confirmed, we have the marching orders, over.” “Lion of Babylon, check, over.” “Raging Bull, orders confirm, over.” “King Hippo, confirm orders but are you sure we should be taking this approach? Looks like it’s sending us through the lowlands. Might be completely flooded by now, over.” “Smoke & Retribution, the approach is fine, the Rage can handle anything.” “King Hippo here, you forgot to say over, over.” “Smoke & Retribution, stay off the com unless absolutely necessary, over, you bastard.” The men chuckled. The column of tanks continued their way across the floodplains and just as the Captain in King Hippo had feared, the lowlands were heavily flooded, in some cases nearly impassable. The tanks sludged along at a much slower pace than anticipated. Making matters worse was the fact that the mud and soil consisted of remnants of industrial waste and soot from decades of unending pollution making this kind of mud sticky like a pasty sludge. It clogged the wheels forcing the tanks to rise and walk for some distance until the mud eventually washed out. It was as slow and grueling march. She never had these problems in the simulations. After what seemed like hours of slow progress, the radio silence was broken and the com system crackled with: Murder, Inc.: “Commander, the area ahead is completely under water. Doesn’t look like we can pass this way. Looks like command got this one wrong, our approach is no longer viable. Requesting new approach, over.” Without hesitation, Commander Om replied, “Smoke & Retribution to Murder Inc, launch a drone and survey for an alternate path, over.” Murder Inc.: “Roger that.” Murder, Inc. then launched a miniature drone. It could be seen cutting through the air and rain. After reaching a short distance, it plummeted to the ground. The crews in their tanks began to laugh over the radio. “Something funny?” Padme asked. The captain of Murder Inc. could be heard snickering: “Sorry commander, it’s just that, uh, we all could’ve told you these drones can’t fly in this weather.” The crews enjoyed another quiet laugh at her expense. Commander Om: “Fine then, we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.” It took shigh ome effort, but She managed to crank the hatch open and peak her head out. Her crew wasn’t too happy about that because this let in all the rain. Despite its intimidating size, the interior cabin of the Rage can feel cramped. The tank commander seat was directly under the top hatch, the systems engineer’s seat was behind the commander’s seat near the rear of the turret and the driver’s seat was directly below the commander. As the rain poured down, Commander Om surveyed the horizon. Commander Om: “There’s a ridge, high ground at 2 o’clock. Let’s make our way towards it and take a another look once we’re there.” As they proceeded to the ridge, she discovered that the simulations missed yet another detail; the Rages had trouble rolling up hill in the mud. If they moved too fast, the wheels would slide backwards and the tanks would creep down hill again. So just as they had done all day, they slowly crawled their way towards the high ridge. As they got closer, a hill appeared. The rain was so heavy, she didn’t even notice it before. King Hippo: “Commander, what do you think the chances are that those vipers are still alive? I mean, we’re more than just a bit late. At this rate, we won’t get there until nightfall. Maybe we should just call it.” Padme took a moment to gather herself. She needed to make sure her response was a measured one. Although the captain in King Hippo didn’t mean anything by his suggestion, it was still borderline insubordination and it infuriated her. Padme: “Listen boys, I know I’m inexperienced here. I know you don’t think I’m qualified to be leading this mission. But this isn’t about me. This is about our men and women pinned down by heavy fire. If you think you’ve had rough day, imagine what they’re going through. We’re the only ones that can get to them.” Murder, Inc.: “I guess you boys had no idea; Commander Om just happens to be first in her class. Yeah, that’s right sir, I heard all about you. And for the rest of you boys, just FYI, our commander here graduated from the academy with top honors. She knows more about warfare than all of us combined.” Padme was glad to hear the most experienced captain speak highly of her to the other tank crews. There was only one problem; it was all a lie. She cheated her way through every exam and field test. She brilliant and very skillful, but her talents were in manipulating others to get what she wanted. From her days at the academy, she was shocked just how easy it to gain access to exams records and simulations prior to test day. She would have made a much better spy than a tank commander. Upon hearing Murder, Inc.’s captain’s praise, she managed a quiet smile. But before she could respond over the radio, her day suddenly became eventful. As they finally reached the top of the ridge, machine gun bursts suddenly opened up from the foot of the hill beyond. The rounds whistled through the air as they streamed in the tank column’s direction. It was a steady line of fire and glowing streaks from the tracer rounds piercing the rain. . It was the second tank in line, the Lion of Babylon: “Taking fire, taking fire, we have MG at 1 o’clock.” The machine gun rounds hitting the Lion of Babylon made a terrible sound like hearing jackhammer on metal. The ruckus could be heard over the radio. Padme: “I see him, Lion of Babylon, return fire. All other tanks, scan the area for enemy positions” Lion of Babylon: “My scanners aren’t picking anything up. I don’t have range.” Although the Rage was equipped with advanced targeting systems, it had issues finding small targets in the bad weather. “Dammit!” she proclaimed. This was yet another lacking detail from her experience with the simulations. “There’s only one choice.” To her crew’s dismay, Padme slowly opened the top turret hatch again, and peeked her head up. This was at a great risk to herself, there was no telling what else was out there. She peered towards the hill until she finally saw the muzzle flashes. “I see it!” she screamed over the radio. She had to scream because the rain and wind began to howl down from the clouds with even more intensity. Padme reached for the Gatling gun on the turret, unlocked it and flipped the safety off. The gun’s six barrels began to rotate causing rain and water to swirl off. Commander Om: “Lion of Babylon, follow my bursts!” She squeezed the trigger and returned a torrent of fire onto the muzzle flashes. Lion of Babylon: “I see it, we have target.” The tank’s turret and guns trained on the target. “Triple shot, HE (High explosive) rounds on target, RANGE!” The captain pulled his main guns trigger Lion of Babylon instantly unleashed its tree rounds from each of its twin cannons hurling its glowing fiery red ordinance into the distance. The rounds impacted right on top of the muzzle flashes. Even from that distance, Commander Om could see mechanical parts erupting from the mud and secondary sparks exploding after the initial impact. Padme: “Nice…” Murder, Inc.: “What was that?” Padme: “Must be pack rats, or drones. No one’s dumb enough to open up mg fire on armor. Keep an eye out, there could be more, but let’s keep moving.” The tanks crept forward cautiously with Padme still perched atop the Smoke & Retribution. And after a short distance, it happened again. This time, it was the fourth tank, Raging Bull: “Taking mg fire.” Padme: “I can hear it coming from ahead of us, but I don’t see anything!” Murder, Inc.: “I have it, we have target, triple HE, RANGE!” Just as before, the tank let loose it’s twin magnetic rail guns. From Padme’s viewpoint peeking her head just above her tank turret, it looked and sounded as if Murder, Inc. unleashed lightning onto the target. The ground in the distance bursted open and all manner of mud, water, vapor, and Earth hurled skyward. But this time, she saw what looked like bodies flying into the air. She realized these weren’t unmanned drone mg emplacements. These were mg nests with pigs (derogatory term for Iron Grenadier soldiers) waiting in ambush. But before she could announce what she saw, a terrifying sound streaked by incredibly loud and extremely close. It was a sound that the simulations actually did prepare her for. It was an unmistakable sound. Every Cobra tank crew knew it. It was the screeching boom followed by a high pitched whistle and buzz. The kind of sound that shatters one’s spine and cripples its enemies in fear. It was the distinct sound made by the most deadly anti armor gun ever produced by the Empire of the Iron Grenadiers. Making matters worse, Padme heard two rounds. This only meant one thing. The twin guns were mounted on the most monstrous tank of all. Murder, Inc.: “Detecting power up, there’s a tank out there!” Unbeknownst to the captain of Murder, Inc., this wasn’t just any tank. Raging Bull: “DEMON at 1 o’clock!” It was the pride of the Empire of the Iron Grenadiers. It was King Mighty Destro’s DEMON tank, a four legged walking behemoth. It was heavier, larger, and deadlier than any walker in existence. The only thing that could challenge such a beastly tank was a King Cobra Super Heavy Hiss Tank. Unfortunately for Commander Om and her crew, they were in the Cobra Rage, a medium class tank. Padme looked back toward the sound of the DEMON’s rounds after they streaked past. She saw how the rain vaporized into trails of mist in the wake of the massive shots. Her eyes followed the vapor trails and to her horror, she saw the vapor trails streak right through the last tank in the column. The King Hippo was suddenly ablaze and missing its turret. She looked downhill and saw the turret 50 yards away burning in the mud. She looked back and saw the King Hippo, still rolling forward, but with flames erupting from the open hole where the turret was once mounted. She froze in fear. She couldn’t think. The radio crackled again. Murder, Inc.: “Commander, we need to withdraw! Its armor is too thick, we can’t puncture that!” Before she could respond, a bright flash came from the direction of the DEMON. This time, she didn’t hear a thing which meant that the shot was headed straight towards her (the rounds travel faster than sound). Though years later as she retold this story, no one ever believed her. But in this moment, when she was looking down the barrel of the DEMON’s guns, she swore, she could see the rounds spinning towards her. They were coming at her slowly. She even saw each rain drop vaporizing and seeing the vapor mist swirl off the shell’s fiery red glow as they slowly hurled towards here. She couldn’t explain how, but she was certain of it and she remembered every detail of those shells spinning towards her. Her mind raced to the thought of the only thing she could do, duck. But she was frozen. She kept thinking she needed to duck down into the tank, but she could not move as the DEMON’s shots slowly hurled closer and closer. To her relief, they missed. But the shots streaked by so close, she swore she could’ve reached out and touched them. She dropped back into the turret and closed the hatch as if doing so offered any kind of protection from that monstrous tank. She peered into their targeting system, sure enough, there it was. The Iron Grenadier’s massive DEMON tank. This four legged armored mechanical beast wasted no time. It powered up, rose up on its massive armored legs and began charging forward. At full height, the DEMON looked to be nearly twice the size of the Rage. With Commander Om still shaken from her brush with death, Murder, Inc. took to the radio. Murder, Inc.: “All tanks, reverse track, lay down smoke shells on him now!” With Commander Om still shaken, her crew took control of the guns and all tanks fire towards the DEMON with smoke shells. The dense smoke covered the DEMON’s targeting system and bought them some precious few moments. Murder, Inc.: “Commander, we need to withdraw, it has position on us (high ground). We’re a lot faster, we can still outrun it.” And that’s when Padme awoke from her stupor. Commander Om: “No, we can’t. We can’t outrun it, not in this mud!” Raging Bull (the fourth tank): “Well then what the hell do we do sir?! King Hippo’s burning corpse just rear ended us!” Padme collected herself once again and replied:“All tanks, load smoke shells again and cover his position, blanket the entire area!” The captains responded, “Roger that!” The tanks all loaded and fired multiple airburst smoke rounds onto the DEMON’s position. A thick blanket of white smoke suddenly enveloped the entire area between the DEMON and them. Raging Bull: “Ok, now what?!” A million thoughts instantly raced through Padme’s mind and she realized that they only had one chance. Commander Om: “We can still outmaneuver it. All tanks, left stick, stay on the ridge, we’re faster only on high ground so stay on this ridge. Use the hill, we need to get around the hill! Our only chance is to circle around and take him out from his rear, the armor is thin there. Murder, Inc. and Lion of Babylon, climb the hill above him, keep him distracted from high ground. Raging Bull, stay with me, we’ll circle the hill and get around to his back side!” All tanks replied in unison, “Roger that!” Murder, Inc. and Lion of Babylon turned left and began to circle around towards the top of the hill while Smoke & Retribution and Raging Bull split left in an attempt to circle the hill from below. From her command seat perched at the forefront of the interior turret, Padme looked below and screamed to the drive to step on it. She knew that the DEMON was charging towards them. They needed to keep the hill between themselves and that tank. As Smoke & Retribution made its way through the storm and mud with Raging Bull following close behind, they both ran straight into a deep trench. The tanks crash into each other and their wheels lost traction in the mud. Commander Om: “Driver, get your head out your ass, watch where you’re taking us and get us out of here!” The tanks engines cranked and roared but to no avail. The wheels kept slipping. Padme knew that the DEMON was charging out from its last position and that it would be following behind them. She could almost feel the ground tremble from its steps. A sudden eerie feeling befell upon her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood. Padme took back the gunner controls and turned the turret to the right towards the last known position of the DEMON. She zoomed through the targeting system just over and beyond the hillside. Just as she feared, she saw the top of the DEMON’s turret pierce from the dense smoke cover just over the hillside. She saw the turret edge further into the open. As it moved more and more into the clear, the turret turned towards them and its massive twin guns stared back at her directly through her targeting sight.
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[b]Lance's Customs Public Album:https://photos.google.com/albums My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html Last edited by lance858a; 12-19-2016 at 04:50 AM.. |
07-05-2016, 01:50 AM | #2 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 5,169
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Part 147: Smoke & Retribution (cont.)
She closed her eyes, she didn’t want to see it coming this time. As soon as she expected to receive the deathblow, the roaring engines of Smoke & Retribution shuttered. The wheels caught onto something and the tank lunged forward. She opened her eyes while still looking through the viewfinder. She saw the DEMON’s twin barrels still staring at her and then bright flashes from the guns. This was followed by an instant jolt and boom. One of the shells from the DEMON impacted the earth just in front of them, ricocheted over head and buzzed away harmlessly but the other fireball streaked at them and grazed the back of Smoke & Retribution’s turret blowing the rear hatch door right off its hinges and flaming sparks into the rear of the cabin. The systems engineer sitting back there was blasted right out of his seat. His body slammed against one side of the cabin before falling lifeless to the floor. She wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead, but there was no time to check. Had Smoke & Retribution’s wheels not caught onto something in the mud below, that shot surely would’ve bursted into the cabin and incinerated all of them. But that didn’t happen. Her tank did gain traction and was able to lunge forward allowing the shell to miss. As they sped away, the hillside covered them from the DEMON’s targeting sight once again. For now, their time on Earth was extended by the narrowest of margins. She kicked the engineer below and he moved only slightly. He wasn’t dead. She thought to herself, “thank the Gods” and breathed a momentary sigh of relief. She then returned to keeping a vigilant watch in the DEMON’s direction as they began pulling away rounding the hill. The DEMON had disappeared completely behind the hillside. Commander Om: “We’re ok, we’re ok, it just grazed us. Raging Bull, how’s it look back there?” Raging Bull: “Right behind you, just step on it and please don’t lead us into another trench.” Commander Om: “Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Murder, Inc., how’s it look up there?” Murder, Inc.: “We’re almost to the top, I can see the smoke cover below, the smoke’s still heavy and it’s starting to rise up the hill. No sign of the enemy.” Commander Om: “Launch a rocket drone, those fly no matter what the weather.” Murder, Inc.: “Roger that.” The Murder, Inc. launched a miniature rocket drone from its turret. These drones were not designed to loiter above the battlefield. They were designed to pop up and provide a quick snapshot scan of the field below. What the inexperienced commander and even the experienced captain of Murder, Inc. forgot in the heat of battle, was that although these rocket drones could prove useful to map your immediate surroundings, they had a deadly drawback. The tended to reveal your position to the enemy. As the miniature drone rocketed into the sky, it started sending back scans of the battlefield to the tanks below. The data was shared with all tanks. Padme and her captains all looked at the information. The DEMON was nowhere to be found. “That’s not possible,” Padme thought. She saw its tracks on the scan map, but the tracks suddenly stopped as if the DEMON disappeared. She began to look at other areas on the scan map, and that’s when she noticed something else. But before she could warn the two tanks climbing the hill, the captain of Murder, Inc. screamed over the radio. Murder, Inc.: “AT (anti tank)! We have AT at the top of the …..” Silence over the radio was immediately broken by a thunderous clap and boom. Padme turned the turret towards the top of the hill and saw the hollowed out shell of Murder, Inc. engulfed in sparks and flame. Lion of Babylon: “Taking AT fire! Taking heavy fire!” Padme immediately looked through her range finder to target the AT gun. As she zoomed into the target area, the system failed and went blank. The damage caused by the DEMON’s shot had a delayed impact on the electronics. With their systems engineer on the floor of the tank still unconscious, a quick fix wasn’t possible. She had to target the enemy without their advanced electronic systems. She popped the hatch open, swallowed her fear, and slowly peeked her head up again as the rain spilled back into the hull. Using the rangefinder in her helmet’s visor, she directed the guns upward towards the top of the hill. All she could see through the pouring rain and mist was a distant eerie glow from the blackened and burning wreckage of Murder, Inc. as it began to roll down the muddy hill. Commander Om: “Can anyone see the AT, I don’t have target!” Raging Bull: “Negative, we do not have position.” Lion of Babylon: “I have target, triple shot HE rounds, RANGE!” The Lion of Babylon released its shells and both guns hurled three rounds each into the hilltop. All manner of debris exploded from that position, but moments after, before the mud and debris even fell back to ground, another bright blast flashed from within the cloud of debris. The AT gun fired another shot from its well fortified position. The round blasted its way toward the Lion of Babylon. Padme thought that she lost another tank and its crew. But in the last second, the burning wreckage of Murder, Inc. that was already slowing rolling backwards downhill, inched its way just enough to block the shot. The blazing hot shell grazed the rear of Murder, Inc.’s blackened hull and bounced off through the rain in a harmless direction. It was only after the shell streaked by that Padme could hear the screeching sound of the shot followed by a whir and buzz. Padme’s electronic helmet visor then identified exactly where the AT was on that hilltop. It was well fortified from all sides. The gun was well dug in, but it didn’t have any cover from above. Padme screamed over the radio: “Follow my rounds, HE tripple shot, air burst, RANGE!” She pulled the trigger and each of her twin guns released three fiery rounds blazing towards the hilltop. This time, the rounds exploded in midair right above the AT gun emplacement. The blasts rained down on the AT gun and its crew. And for good measure, Lion of Babylon and Raging Bull did the same. “Target spotted, RANGE!” they cried in unison. The shells all exploded above the AT in rapid succession pulverizing anything in the area. Padme saw the punishing blasts send mud and stone flying skyward just as before, but unlike the first time, this time, she also saw mechanical parts and what looked like human bodies hurling into the air., Padme then saw secondary explosions which indicated that they hit the ammo storage as well. This gave her some relief, but there was still a DEMON out there somewhere. She looked once again at the scan map from the rocket drone and realized that the DEMON’s tracks didn’t just end. The tracks backed up, the DEMON was hiding in the smoke cover. And that’s when she realized the smoke cloud was being blown in their direction uphill. From above the open hatch, she peered into the smoke with the pouring rain still pumelling her. Commander Om: “All units, the DEMON’s hiding in the smoke cover. Lion of Babylon, I need you to slowly back up down the hill towards us. Keep it slow and smooth, don’t give away your position. If he’s in the smoke, we can’t see him but he can’t see us either. If he’s climbing the hill, we might get a good angle shot at the belly. The armor’s weaker underneath. Raging Bull, line up with me and load high velocity AP (armor piercing) rounds” As the tanks proceeded with her orders, she kept watched over the slowly encroaching smoke cloud. She knew that at any moment, the DEMON could burst from the smoke cover. As the Lion of Babylon carefully rolled backwards towards them as quiet as a mouse, she kept watch and listened for any sight or sound that might reveal the DEMON’s position. She listened intently for the heavy mechanical steps but all there was, was the sound of steady raindrops pinging against the hull of her tank and the mud below. It was all too eerily too quiet. Suddenly, a trap door opened from the ground in front of her tank. It was so well covered by field grass and foliage, she never would’ve noticed it. The opening was between her tank and the Lion of Babylon. Out from the opening sprang an enemy soldier, an Iron Grenadier Storm Trooper. Without thinking, she immediately reached for gatling gun and trained it on the soldier, but she didn’t pull the trigger. She froze from shock. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. The soldier was not at all what she expected. The soldier was just a child who, by the looks of his small frame and lanky arms that showed through the oversized uniform, he could not have been more than 12 years old. He was unarmed. She and the child locked eyes and he smiled at her. The kind of quiet smile that someone gives to a stranger simply because they didn’t know what else to do. Padme suddenly found herself paralyzed from the thought that pigs were now sending their children to face the horrors of war. She wanted to scream at the boy to get down. She wanted to scream at her captains to watch their fire and that there were children in pig uniforms. She wanted to scream to the Lion of Babylon to hit its left stick and roll left before its right rear wheel crushed the boy. But before she could say anything, the boy turned around and saw the Lion of Babylon nearly backing into him. The boy reached down into his foxhole and picked up an Iron Grenadier RPG-17, an inexpensive, single shot, recoilless anti-tank weapon. He pointed it at the rear of the Lion of Babylon. Padme knew that she now didn’t have a choice. She pulled the trigger on the gatling gun and sent a burst of fire through the swirling rain directly onto the child. The boy’s upper body almost instantly disintegrated into a red pulp upon the impact of over 100 blazing rounds and tracers in a split second. The rest of his body fell back into the foxhole as stiff as a board. But it was too late. The child fired his weapon and his rocket tore through the air and melted right through the rear of the Lion of Babylon leaving a glowing red hot donut hole in the armor. Through the rain and mist, Padme could see thick black smoke rising from within the glowing hot ring. At first, the black smoke escaped through the hole slowly, then it began to billow out followed by the soft glow of a warm fire that suddenly intensified into a raging blaze. The hatch of the Lion of Babylon opened and the captain emerged along with swirling flame. He was engulfed in it. He was in agony. He reached for his pistol. She knew he wanted to end himself. But before the could raise his side arm to his temple to kill himself, the flames burned so intensely, that his arm suddenly crumbled off and his body fell back into the tank as it continued to roll backwards down the muddy hill. Padme closed her eyes and said a silent prayer but there was no time for her to collect herself. Raging Bull cried over the radio, “Contact! DEMON 12 o’clock!” The DEMON suddenly bursted from the dense smoke cover near the top of the hill where Murder, Inc. and the Lion of Babylon once stood. Raging Bull wasted no time and fired immediately. Raging Bull: “Target, triple shot AP high velocity, RANGE!” The Raging Bull sent 6 shots total from its twin guns and all six directly impacted the DEMON’s front armor, they were all direct hits. All six shells violently bounce off leaving the DEMON nearly undamaged. Padme and the captain of Raging Bull couldn’t believe what they saw. After seeing all six shells deflect off the DEMON’s armor, a blanket of fear and panic suddenly fell on her. They were trained to believe that the Rage’s twin electromagnetic rail guns were among the deadliest tank guns in the world. Unfortunately for them, the Rage was not designed to be a tank destroyer. It was meant to be infantry support mechanized armor. The DEMON’s guns trained directly at Raging Bull and momentarily stood in silence staring at Raging Bull in silence. The DEMON then charged down the hill directly at them. It charged passed the burning wreckage of the Murder, Inc. and Lion of Babylon. When it got close, it planted its legs and came to a stop. The beastly tank was so heavy, its front legs almost buried themselves into the muddy hillside sending a wave of mud onto the Raging Bull when it halted. It stood almost directly in front of Raging Bull and fired its guns sending its armor piercing shells through the turret of the Raging Bull like lightening bolts with crackling thunderous whip. Padme saw the Raging Bull’s turret shatter as if it was made of glass with sparks and flame erupting in all direction. The DEMON then shifted its legs and stepped to face its front armor in her direction as its turret turned to train its guns at her. The DEMON stood in silence arched high on its four legs like it was daring her to fire on it as the blackened wreckage of the Raging Bull in the background became fully enveloped in white hot swirling flames. The DEMON then charged at her with the furisity of a wild beast. She froze at the sight and Earth shaking tremble of the 140 ton armored monstrosity stampeding at her. All manner of mud, rubble, and boulder crumbled in its wake. When the beastly tank was nearly upon her, it stomped its heavy mechanical legs and came to a sudden holt not more than 25 yards uphill from her. Her head was still peaked atop the Smoke & Retribution through the open hatch. She was completely soaked from the pouring rain. She peered up upon the DEMON as if they had a staring contest. It just stood there with the rain washing off its massive twin guns as if it looked upon her with disdain and pity. The moment of silence felt like an eternity. The DEMON’s twin guns mounted on both sides of its massive turret stared soul crushing daggers into her heart. After seeing their shells bounce off its front armor in futility, she knew the situation was hopeless. However, futile or not, she wasn’t going to let Smoke & Retribution be destroyed without firing its last bout. With her hands and lips trembling from complete shock, she mumbled the words. “R.. range, …. Ta….target. Ra .. … r. ….range.. . and after gathering herself, she finally managed to scream, “RANGE!” But it didn’t matter whether she announced her shot or not, she remembered; there was no one else there to hear it over the radio. It didn’t matter, this was her last stand. She pulled the trigger on the main guns. She didn’t even bother to properly target and take aim on the DEMON. She knew that this last act was nothing more than symbolic. She haphazardly pulled the trigger and the three AP shells burst from each of the twin guns. Only one hit and bounced off with a loud clang while the others impacted the ground near the DEMONs legs and sent all manner of mud and Earth into the air. Then something unexpected happened. The DEMON lost its footing and began sliding down hill directly at them. It didn’t regained its footing until it was nearly point blank with Smoke & Retribution and as the two tanks’ guns were practically barrel to barrel, Commander Om realized something. She screamed to the driver below, “FULL STICK STRAIGHT AHEAD! RAM HIM!” Smoke & Retribution’s wheels dug into the mud and launched itself uphill and crashed into the DEMON. Driver: “Now what Sir?!” Commander Om: “Just stay on him, lock our front legs on the DEMON’s legs! Do your best to clamp us on him, DON’T LET GO, it’s our only chance!” The driver followed her orders but wasn’t sure what she was trying to do. The driver managed to lock Smoke & Retribution’s front legs on the DEMON. The result was just as Padme hoped; the long barrels of the twin guns on both tanks were locked on either side of each tank’s turret like two bulls locking horns. The long barrels of the DEMON’s guns were now stuck with the nozzles safely behind Smoke & Retribution’s turret. It could not fire on them in this position. The DEMON then began to step backwards, but with the added weight of Smoke & Retribution and the muddy hillside, the DEMON kept slipping. It fired its massive guns and with its cracking whip, the DEMON’s guns sent its shells harmlessly pass either side of Padme’s turret, smashing into the muddy Earth behind her. Driver: “Commander, what now?! What do we do Sir?!” Commander Om: “Keep us locked on him, don’t let him back away from us, our lives depend on it! Padme then looked back up at the armored beast directly in front of her. She reached for the gatling gun and showered the DEMON with a torrent of rounds and tracers all over the front of the turret. The rounds shattered and bounced off its heavy front armor. She quickly ran out of ammo. The DEMON fired its guns again, undoubtedly out of frustration. And again, the rounds harmlessly impacted the ground behind Padme. But this time, the impact shifted the Earth beneath them and they both slid downhill. There was nothing left to do but fire her guns in frustration as well. She pulled the triggers on the main guns and released her shells harmlessly passed either side of the DEMON’s turret. They impacted the ground behind the DEMON. Her shots unexpectedly unleashed a sudden mudslide. They both slid further down hill. The DEMON tried to regain its footing, but it was to no avail. Smoke & Retribution's added weight made it impossible. Padme looked around them and saw a river of mud carrying them downhill. She looked behind them and saw the same trench that they fell into before quickly rising up at them. Both tanks were swept into the trench and violently crashed against each other at the bottom. Padme fell backwards into the turret and the back of her seat. She began fading from consciousness. Her vision began to blur, her heart rate began to slow. She could feel herself breathing and could feel her heart struggling more and more with each pump. She thought to herself that perhaps she just needed a nap and everything would somehow be just fine when she awoke. Just as she began to fade, the pitter patter of the constant raindrops on her face suddenly brought her back and the first thing she thought of was; the DEMON. She jumped from her seat, peaked back above the open turret. The DEMON was still firmly on top of them. She looked down and realized that her driver was unconscious. If the DEMON began to break away from them, there was nothing she could do. They say necessity is the mother of all invention, and in this moment of absolute desperate necessity, Padme though to do the thing she could think of. Both tanks’ guns were still locked on either side of their turrets with the nozzles safely behind each other. So Padme reached for the munitions crate, opened it, and pulled out an incendiary round. She lifted the heavy round over her shoulder, and lept out of the turret into the rain. She lept across towards the DEMON which was still lying silent pinning Smoke & Retribution at the bottom of the open trench. She hopped on top of the DEMON’s turret. She planned to open the DEMON’s turret and ignite the incendiary round by hand into the DEMON. There was only one problem, as she stood near its top hatch, she realized she had no way of opening it. She reached for her pistol hoping to shoot the controls in desperation. But in her haste, she failed to realize that her pistol had fallen out of its holster. She now stood atop an Iron Grenadiers DEMON Super Heavy Tank completely unarmed. She slammed the shell on the hatch out of frustration again and again. There was no movement from the DEMON nor was there any response from within the turret. Perhaps they somehow fell unconscious from the crash into the trench. It was hopeless she thought. With everything that had gone wrong, after losing her entire crew and company of tanks, she thought she would simply ignite the incendiary round right then and there and end her own life. She just couldn’t bare the thought of returning to the command center after losing so many lives. She reached into the rear of the shell and ignited the timer by hand. She clutched it close to her body, closed her eyes, and waited for the impending doom. Just then, she heard a metal clank from with the DEMON’s turret just beneath where she sat. The hatch cranked open and smoke spewed out along with the captain of the DEMON. His narrow frail looking face was covered in black soot and blood. He had his hands up. He stuttered and cried, “Please, we… we have malfunction… fuel leak, guns, they backfire leak into cabin… we surrender… please…” She shook her head in silence and didn’t hesitate. She kicked his face as hard as she could and shoved the incendiary round into the turret. It crashed down into the DEMON clanging off the sides of the heavily armored cabin as it fell to the bottom. Before she could leap away, the shell exploded and blasted her clear off the tank. Her body was flung through the air clear acose the trench and slammed into the mud. When she hit the ground, she was barely able to see the flames erupt from within the DEMON. Then everything faded to black. When she finally awoke, it stopped raining. The sun was out and bathed her in its warmth. She sat up and saw that the rain and mud had buried the tanks in the trench. She looked down at her body and realized that someone had bandaged her leg. And that’s when she noticed a little girl tending to her wounds. The girl was in a pig uniform. She was even younger than the boy from earlier. Commander Om: “What are you doing?” The little girl: “We have to take care of each other now. There’s no one else left.” After wrapping Padme's wounds, the little girl said: "we should leave. They'll be back soon. They always come back. They always bring more guns." Commander Om: "where do we go?" The little girl: "the badlands." She looked around at the blackened wreckage of the tanks she lost. She silently wept until she felt just as empty as those smoldering hulls. She looked at the little girl in her Iron Grenadier uniform, took the girl by her hand and together, they abandoned their posts and escaped towards the badlands of sector 858A. Their first order of business: somehow ditch their uniforms for civilian clothes.
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[b]Lance's Customs Public Album:https://photos.google.com/albums My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html Last edited by lance858a; 12-19-2016 at 02:25 PM.. |
07-05-2016, 01:54 AM | #3 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 5,169
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[b]Lance's Customs Public Album:https://photos.google.com/albums My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html Last edited by lance858a; 12-19-2016 at 04:51 AM.. |
07-05-2016, 03:23 AM | #4 |
Xeno-Mech-Bio-Tech Labs
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: B.C.
Posts: 1,559
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Sweet work! Absolutely love it!
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07-05-2016, 04:31 AM | #5 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Vancouver Canada
Posts: 2,877
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That is just deadly, great stuff.
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Check out all my customs here. http://s1321.photobucket.com/user/cu...tml?sort=3&o=0 |
07-05-2016, 04:41 AM | #6 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,548
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Excellent but you know that already.
so my construction question. What do you use to adhere to the soft plastic (spray bottle)? My experience is that nothing adheres well to that type of plastic.
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Check out all my custom vehicles on my FB page each vehicle has its own album. https://www.facebook.com/GiJoeCustomVehicles |
07-05-2016, 06:02 AM | #7 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: MACOMB MICHIGAN
Posts: 720
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Fantastic!
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07-05-2016, 07:11 AM | #8 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Hungary
Posts: 613
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This is simply masterful!
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07-05-2016, 07:22 AM | #9 |
Snake Smasher!
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 4,964
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The work in progress pictures make this even more impressive than the finished project photos do themselves! To see what was used to make this is mind-blowing! I honestly thought that his was a customized Acid Rain vehicle or something like that. Superior work, as usual!
-Todd
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Trader Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...tml#post554163 Customs for Sale/Sales List: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...ml#post4873161 Joe Customs: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...es-thread.html MTF Customs: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...f-figures.html |
07-05-2016, 03:19 PM | #10 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 5,169
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When in doubt, hot glue gun. Works every time.
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[b]Lance's Customs Public Album:https://photos.google.com/albums My Feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html |
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