Another Day in Eden

What's this?  A guest post? Why yes, yes it is. One of our stream followers and friend of the Tavern, Oskar581, has built his own perspective off of Antilles' Firefall fanfic This is My Land with one of his own.

Without further ado, we present to you, our newest guest post: Another Day in Eden.


Another Day in Eden

I wake up to the cries of a SIN antenna under attack.

 I open my eyes and see where the Shared Intelligence Network has moved me during sleep. I am starting to get used to never waking up where I go to bed. But the Accord higher-ups tell us there aren't enough of us to defend humanity while we sleep so we sort of de-rez and are stored in the SIN mainframe while our synapses have regenerated, then the SIN spits us "Nomads" back out at the nearest uncaptured base we have left.

I have lost track of the days since the coming of the Melding. *BEEP BEEP BEEP* The antenna wails as my HUD comes online with all the software additions I have crammed in. My sight is filled with all sorts of information, but the blinking red tower comes into view. I hit the Battleframe Station and suit up.

Firecat. I need to stomp some Grayskins.

I look around. I’m in Thump Dump. That means I get to stomp hard. I run down the hall, jump the hole, and vault the last hurdle. I land on the glider pad and I’m back in the air in less than a blink of the eye. The Chosen blast away at my home. Too many.

I need back up.

I scroll through my SIN. Hmmm… Cuculainn is available so I punch up his SIN ID and Call out "Cuculainn, please report to Thump Dump ASAP. Chosen are in the vicinity."

I sail around taking pot shots, looking for –

THERE! A cluster of the bastards. I glide over… have to time this just right… and fire off my frame’s Crater module. The suit goes through its routine. The flip, and then the drop. The servos click as they prepare to release the impact energy back into the area around me. The ground bows as I smash into it. The impact creates a sonic boom that blasts the chosen and knocks them back. I jump up in the air and turn on my Burn Jets and cook 'em beneath me. I catch my breath I look up and see Cuculainn on my HUD.

Just in time.

I open up with my Plasma Cannon and attempt to sync our SINs. As I’m blasted back by a Juggernaut’s cannon, and one of the smaller assaults rifle peppers my side, I am downed. My Battleframe releases nanites into my bloodstream to begin healing but it might not be enough. I look up and a biotech's healing pillar lands next to me, followed by the Bio himself, who helps me up in time for his pillar to wash me in its green healing glow. I swap to my assault rifle as I thank the Doc. He reads as Yoorsh in my Heads Up Display. The name sounds familiar but now is not the time for remembrances.

Cuculainn roars in on his Chopper. He jumps off and nods to Yoorsh as his HMG spins up. Between the 3 of us we tear through the last of them.

"Thanks for the assist you two, I might not have made it without you."

Cucu grins and salutes while Yoorsh nods. "Well I’m off to figure out where they came from."

Aero brakes in over the radio, the signal is weak but I see Cucu and Yoorsh listening too.

"Bugs...... Hundreds.... Cerrado...... Closing in on residential.....”

Cuculainn frowns. "That’s Antilles place, good thing he's in Copa today."

I look at him. "Knowing your brother I doubt that is where he'll stay when he gets wind of this."

My HUD blinks as the local watchtower lights up.

"Guys the Watchtower is under attack. If we lose that, the Chosen will just walk down and take this tower. Besides, Cerrado Plains is just on the other side of the hills south of it. Take the tower then go check on Cerrado?"

I can tell Cucu is worried for his brother, but he nods.

 "Alright Oskar, I’m in. Antilles can hold his own in a fight."

Yoorsh arc-folds out his Chopper, hops on and roars off toward the Watchtower followed closely by Cuculainn. I have to run. I’m not rich enough to afford one. I blast my jumpjets and fire off my Afterburners.  I’m behind the Dreadnaught and the Biotech, but not by much. They jump off their bikes as we close in on the Chosen. Cucu's HMG Shield deploys and blocks the first volley from the enemy as he spin ups his gun barrels.

*THUD*thud*thud*THUD*THUD*THUD*thud*THUD*thud*thud*THUD*THUD*

The bullets fly and Chosen die,  but Yoorsh's Needler won't be showed up.

*pap*pap*pap*pap*pap*pap*pap*Kerpow*

The Chosen are dying quick. I hit the afterburners again and start a Nova blast. I can see my Plasma Cannon building the power as I aim and release the bubble of encapsulated Plasma into the face of a Juggernaut that was aiming at Yoorsh. The bubble pops and the energy blast him up and backward. I fire a second shot with the primary trigger and he goes down. I hit my jumpjets and climb until I bypass the watchtowers ramp crawling with these Grayskins. The main room has one of those purple hissers that the Chosen keep as watchdogs, plasma it twice and down it goes.

I get to the terminal just in time to hack it back under Accord control. Cucu and Yoorsh come in and head to the top of the tower.

 "Ground floor Clear" says Yoorsh as he runs past me up the ramp. I hear the sounds of their guns unloading on straggling Chosen.

I get up to the top of the tower and head to the Garage, "You two head to Cerrado, I need to make some quick changes to my frame."

 They nod and run at the southern glider pad. Cucu is launched up as his wings deploy, followed closely by Yoorsh. I go to the Battleframe Garage and swap the assault rifle for a shotgun. I notice I have qualified for better servos so swap out the old ones for the newer ones. The Tower cries as Aero comes on my radio.

"The Tower is under attack."

Shoot, I think I must have been a straggler. I run back down to the main terminal. A single Assault stands at the terminal. I plasma him in the back and he turns around and opens up with his gun. I duck behind a wall and then dart out and fire again. I charge him and fire off a Crater. Up I go, flip, and down for the impact which blasts the Chosen to bits. I get up to rehack the tower. THIS is my land.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Big thanks to Oskar581 (Firefall IGN) for letting us post this! Who knows, maybe I will throw down the fanfic gauntlet for the first time ever and broadcast some continuity between Antilles' and Oskar581's narratives.... Stay tuned...

Sláinte
-WF (Cuculainn)