# Marauder



## White Knight (Apr 17, 2009)

Chapter 1

The maurauder lurched to one side as we avoided Anti-Air fire. I shouted at the pilot,"How far from the target are we?". The pilot looked back towards me and said,"10 km, should be 3 minutes till we are in firing range. Better prep the bombs". I stood up from the front gunners seat and the second gunner moved to take my place. I made my way through the bomber to the area where our payload was.

I sat down by the console and a clear image flickered onto the screen. It was a view of the area below us. I heard over the roar of the marauders engine,"2 minutes and counting!". I pressed a button on the console and a small circle appeared on the screen, on the right side of it. It was an estimation of where the bombs would land if I dropped them now. I flicked some switches and a whirring noise could be heard from our payload.

The pilot shouted,"30 seconds and counting. Get that payload ready!". 
My finger hovered over the firing button. The small objects slowly moved onto the screen and then a big grey rectangle. That was our target, a xenos fortress that was the next objective in the Vostroyan 35th Firstborn Regiment. Our job was to soften them up for the attack in a few hours. As the base moved into the center of the circle, I pressed the button and we dropped our payload.

The bombs got smaller as they descended onto the target, eventually turning into small blips. Then fire and smoke erupted from the base as the bombs hit them. A cheer was heard from the rest of the bomber crew. Not all of our payload had hit the target, but enough had to send it back to the warp. But our joy was shortlived as three blue aircraft streaked across the sky towards us. 
The pilot shouted out,"Crap, we got three Nightwings on our tail. Man all the gunner positions. And strap yourselves in, we're going into evasive maneuvers".

I ran to the rear gunner postion and managed to strap myself in just in time as the marauder dodged a shot from one of the nightwings. I grabbed the heavy bolter and aimed. I fired the heavy bolter but to no avail as the eldar aircraft weaved in and out of my sight, making impossible maneuvers as they skillfully avoided the shots coming from the bomber. They started to fire once I stopped to get a better aim at them. Several lasers that came from them hit the tail and a dark liquid squirted out and covered my helmet visor. I wiped it off and took hold of the heavy bolter once again. My bad luck changed as one of the xenos decided to get in closer. I fired and 4 shots hit its left wing, 2 bouncing off its shield but 2 getting through and tearing some holes in it. I smiled and then turned my attention to the oil leak. I put a cloth over it and alerted the pilot. He turned a few knobs and soon the leak stopped.

I went back to the rear gun. They nightwings were now staying their distance now aware of what the marauder could do if they got too close. Now I wasn't getting any more lucky shots I had to think of how we were going to get out of this one. I heard in the background the pilot asking for assitance over the vox. From what I could hear the rest of our wing were on their way but wouldn't reach us for 20 minutes. 
I then said to the pilot,"Try turning around and the front gunner can fire at them with the las cannons". 
I turned back to the heavy bolter and waited for him to give a reponse. I got it in the form of him turning round and ordering the front gunner to fire. I slid to one side as the bomber turned around. Then loud booms were coming from the front of the aricraft as the lascannons fired. I saw bolts of light come back towards us as the nightwings responded to our firing. Then one of their shots hit us and I lurched forward as the marauder shook from the shot. 

I pulled myself back up to my seat and turned round to see the damage. Everything was fine except for some smoke coming from the middle of the bombber but luckily the middle gunner was hit, the shot had just scorched the middle area. I then looked to the front and saw our front gunner, dead from shrapnel hitting him in the chest. I immediately ran to where he was and took his place. The bomber turned around for the second run. I aimed the lascannons as we approached the nightwings for the second time and fired.

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Thats it so far. What do you think?


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

*a little C&C *

Its brilliant mate! Glad to see more air combat fiction on here. You separated your paragraphs just right so that the story doesn't carry on like my mother-in-law :grin:! Nice job.


White Knight said:


> Chapter 1
> 
> The maurauder lurched to one side as we avoided Anti-Air fire. I shouted at the pilot,"How far from the target are we?". The pilot looked back towards me and said,"10 km, should be 3 minutes till we are in firing range. Better prep the bombs". I stood up from the front gunners seat and the second gunner moved to take my place. I made my way through the bomber to the area where our payload was.


got a question. Is a Marauder fighter/bomber big enough to stand up in? or is he just really short? just wondering. from the models that i've seen, doesn't look like there would be much room to move around.



> I sat down by the console and a clear image flickered onto the screen. It was a view of the area below us. I heard over the roar of the marauders engine,"2 minutes and counting!". I pressed a button on the console and a small circle appeared on the screen, on the right side of it. It was an estimation of where the bombs would land if I dropped them now. I flicked some switches and a whirring noise could be heard from our payload.


another question. What's the whirring noise? is it the character activating the bombs? Or is it the payload door opening? because you go on to say:



> The pilot shouted,"30 seconds and counting. Get that payload ready!". My finger hovered over the firing button. The small objects slowly moved onto the screen and then a big grey rectangle. That was our target, a xenos fortress that was the next objective in the Vostroyan 35th Firstborn Regiment. Our job was to soften them up for the attack in a few hours. As the base moved into the center of the circle, I pressed the button and we dropped our payload.


so obviously you "dropped" your payload, but it just stood out to me that the payload doors weren't open. lol :laugh: Maybe not noticeable to everyone, but just something i picked out. 



> The bombs got smaller as they descended onto the target, eventually turning into small blips. Then fire and smoke erupted from the base as the bombs hit them. A cheer was heard from the rest of the bomber crew. Not all of our payload had hit the target, but enough had to send it back to the warp. But our joy was shortlived as three blue aircraft streaked across the sky towards us.
> The pilot shouted out,"Crap, we got three Nightwings on our tail. Man all the gunner positions. And strap yourselves in, we're going into evasive maneuvers".


the above section is good, no issues here.

same with the rest of the story, its quite good! glad you posted it. Keep up the great work, i can't wait to read more!

Commissar Ploss


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## White Knight (Apr 17, 2009)

ok thanks for pointing out the mistakes. And a marauder is big enough to stand in. Heres a pic










If its big enough to have room for two lascannons and a cockpit above it, as well as 4 heavy bolters, then it must be big enough to stand in.

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I pulled the trigger and the roar of the lascannons rang put through the air. One of the nightwings was hit directly, knocking out the shield and punching a hole through the cockpit. The eldar aircraft quickly descended, smoke and a strangely coloured fire coming from the cockpit. Almost immediately I pull back a bolt back and the charge packs from both of the lascannons fall from the guns.

I grab some from the ammo box and slam them into the lascannons. Just then another of the xenos' shots hit us. The pilot shouts,"Fuck they just missed our number two engine but they damaged our left wing. One more run and we heading back to base you hear me!".
I nod in acceptance. The plane dips to the right as we turn to make one last pass by the night wings. They zoom over head and do a loop as they take us head on.

I aim at the damaged nighthawk and pull the trigger. Nothing happens and a dark coloured smoke comes from the lascannons. 
I turn to the pilot and say,"The front guns have overheated. Turn around and I will take the rear gun position to take 'em out".
The pilots shakes his head."I can't turn with them coming at us. Those Nightwings will tear us apart. Best we can do now is take one of them with us. Its been an honour serving with you all". He salutesus and we salute back. The pilot pushes the throttle to its limit and we streak through the sky towards the enemy.



"When you decide to die, remember to give your enemy the same hounour".
Commissar Grenville

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I am going to leave it on a cliffhanger until I get more posts so I know people want it continued


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