SW10/HCC: Summer of Discontent #2: The War

[Scott Eiler]

The Summer of Discontent

Part 2:  The War

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WORLD JOURNAL MONTHLY
May 6, 2011

THE WAR!
The United States vs. *South* Vietnam!

Correspondent:  Bill Blau

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What Has Gone Before:  There's a Plan to defeat the next great winter by 
moving the Earth back to its old orbit.  One part of The Plan is to find 
the master ship of The Trillions. 
(http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent1.txt )

---

On a U.S. Navy helicopter over the South China Sea, the superhuman 
agents Rad Man, Swordhand, and Rolling Thunder flew to mission.  They'd 
worked together over twenty years.  *Almost* twenty years for the U.S. 
Government, after it recruited them for its Counter-Ellipsis Force. 
They were all ready for their pensions.  But they had to go on one more 
mission first.

Only the pilot and a squad of ten Marines were with them.  Those were busy.

Rolling Thunder is a black woman almost fifty years old.  She opened an 
envelope, read the message, and said, "Okay.  Team private briefing."

Rad Man is Latino and young - only thirty-six.  He said, "Vietnam really 
knows we're here?"

"Yes.  They *asked* us here."

"They really fighting China?"

"North China, Red China, yes.  South China, Greater Hong Kong, is on 
Vietnam's side.  *Our* side."

"There really rebels where we're going?  Against Vietnam?"

"Yeah.  Really *do* call themselves Army of the Republic of Viet Nam. 
ARVN, just like Vietnam War."

"Vietnam War?  You're not *that* old, are you?"

"Old enough to read the news back then.  *You* try growing up with body 
counts in the news every day."

Swordhand is a forty-ish white male.  He said, "You know *I* did."

"Bullshit, pup.  You in *college* for first Iraq war.  Till you drop out 
and work with us.  Even Rad Man get more body count in news than you do."

"Whatever...  What else?"

"Just what they tell us.  Some kind of castle - alongside the Trillions 
starship in the Mekong Delta."

"And Vietnam rebels are really defending this castle?"

"Yeah."

"But bosses need *us* to go in.  So what's the big deal?  Who's *really* 
defending it?"

"Not *just* this new piss-ant Swamp Rat Army of the Republic of Viet 
Nam.  They've got some serious superhuman power there."

"And we got just our chopper.  Okay.  No use throwing more helicopters 
at it yet.  What *kind* of superhuman?"

"They said in the briefing it was just one Satanist in a magic contest. 
  But now they say Subhumans are in it too."

Rad Man said, "Que!?  We up against underwater invasion!?"

"Maybe.  *We* get to find out.  Just by being there."

Swordhand said, "So what else is new.  Marines *right here with us* 
probably *already* know that.  What *else* else?"

"If we can, we try to get in The Trillions ship.  We got to find their 
command ship."

Rad Man said, "Que?  *If we can*?"

"Yeah.  But those orders officially do not exist.  We're officially on 
our own."

"Man, that sucks.  Why can't they just send in Ellipsis?  Or Corrigan? 
Man, I can't *believe* they on the same side as us now."

"Tell me about it.  But when *you're* VP, *then* you can send Corrigan 
in the field.  And Ellipsis is busy with the mad science part of The 
Plan."  (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent1.txt ) 
"Besides, would *you* trust Ellipsis in the field?  Even Corrigan doesn't."

Marines interrupted.  "Drop Zone minus five."

Five minutes to landing.  "Got it."

---

The helicopter landed away from the castle and the mile-tall spaceship. 
  By the time rebels approached, Marines were out in a defensive 
perimeter.  Only the pilot and one Marine specialist stayed with them.

Rad Man asked Rolling Thunder, "Why *we* still *in* the helicopter?"

"We're the reserves.  You know that.  Best place to wait for an opening 
for the *real* mission, too."

There was gunfire, but it died down.  The Vietnamese were curious why a 
Marine assault force would just land there.  Their colonel came out with 
a loudspeaker.  "Americans!  Why you here?"

The Marine sergeant in charge responded.  "Diplomatic envoy.  Bring us 
your leader, then we'll talk."

Inside the helicopter, Swordhand said, "Diplomatic envoy?  *Man*, this 
is %^&#ed up."

Rolling Thunder said, "Yeah.  But shut up."

The Vietnamese colonel continued... "Why not we *take* you to him, as 
our prisoners?"

The Marine sergeant responded, "No way in hell.  You know that.  You 
remember America."

The Vietnamese stopped talking then.  The colonel went on a jeep to the 
castle.

An hour later, he came back.  Slowly.  With an elephant marching behind him.

Off the elephant, a man in ceremonial robes came.  He had two swords, in 
holsters.  He said, "Visitors.  I am the king of these people.  Bow to me."

The Marine sergeant said, "We bow only to our own masters."  Then he 
voiced on silent vox mike to the team, "You're up."

Rad Man and Swordhand jumped out the helicopter door.  Rolling Thunder 
jumped out behind them.  She said, "They're with me.  Take us to *your* 
masters."  She pointed at the starship.

The robed man said, "Dog!  *I* rule here!"

"Prove it.  Overthrow *them*.  We've come to help."

"Viper!  They are my loyal allies!  You have declared yourselves my 
enemies!  But I give you one chance to redeem yourselves.  Bow to me!"

Rad Man and Swordhand looked at Rolling Thunder.  She said, "Get him."

Swordhand ran toward him.  Rad Man blasted him with radiation, Rolling 
Thunder with lightning.  And the Marines opened fire on him.  But he 
drew his swords - and parried it all!

Swordhand said, "Oh, goody.  Sword fight!"  Energy blades sprouted from 
his hands!

The robed man said, "Oh, please."  He whirred his swords with inhuman 
speed.  Swordhand had to parry to save his own life.

Even so, the robed man got angry.  "You still defy me!  The earth itself 
will rise against you!"  The ground rumbled.  "The sky will fall to 
smash you!"  Black clouds gathered.  "The beasts of the water will come 
to devour you!"  Crocodiles crawled from the river.

Swordhand said, "Oh, shut up."  He went back on the offensive.  The 
robed man had to parry.

Rad Man blasted crocodiles, and said to Rolling Thunder, "Who *is* this 
guy?"

"Gotta be the enemy."  She floated over the ground, moving right to 
flank him.  Her body crackled with energy.  She released it as lightning.

The robed man said, "No!  The lightning is *mine* to command!"  He 
*deflected* the blast off his swords - into Swordhand!   The American 
warrior fell.

Lightning came from the sky.  Marines started falling.

Rolling Thunder said, "That's it!  This guy has to go down!"  She 
charged him.

He sheathed his swords.  With his bare hands he struck her down.  Her 
energy field had no effect on him.

She said silently into her vox mike, "We don't win this one...  Pilot! 
Get the specialist out of here!"

"No can do, ma'am.  Not with this storm."

"Then wipe that disk!"

"Will do, ma'am."  The Plan hadn't worked, but at least the enemy 
wouldn't find it out.

Rolling Thunder spoke.  "Men.  Stand down."  The Marines surrendered.

---

As the prisoners were taken away, Swordhand asked, "Who the hell *is* that?"

Their guard said, "That is Lac Long Quan, the ancestral Dragon-King of 
Vietnam!  All the Viet people are descended from him!  Silly Americans, 
you spent all that time in Vietnam and you haven't heard of Lac Long 
Quan?  He's building his new castle here, alongside The Trillions!  You 
are now his prisoners!"

---

See Our Next Stories:

THE DEAL!  The Summer of Discontent, Continued! 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent3.txt

THE MYTH!  RACC High Concept Challenge, Continued! 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent4.txt

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Author's Notes:

... Shit.  This story now gets the coveted "Shit" Award from Superhuman 
World 2011.  I shall now award "Shit" and "Waah" as needed.

Thank you, Rec.Arts.Comics.Creative.  You've often provided concepts at 
critical times to move my story forward, and you've done it again.  I'll 
be describing in more detail in the next story.

This story is Part One of Two for the current High Concept Challenge. 
The next story will tell how the myth works in the modern world.  The 
mythical character appears in both episodes, so I've labeled them both 
HCC.

The original Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) was the South 
Vietnam Army.  "Swamp Rats" are Americans who defended the Mekong Delta.

I considered putting Navy SEALs in this story alongside Our Heroes. 
SEALs *aren't* busy in SW10 Central Asia, because Osama bin Laden was 
disposed of years ago - by Wyatt Ferguson!  Really.  But not the way you 
think.  (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2007/raleigh.htm )  ... 
Anyway, Marines are good enough for most any job.  Besides, there's a 
Real Crusher Joe, and he's ex-Marine.

Our Heroes in this story have history with both Ellipsis and Crusher 
Joe.  The first interaction of Rad Man and Swordhand with Ellipsis was 
indeed 1991.  (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/1988/balance9.rtf )  The 
following year, Crusher Joe was working for Ellipsis - and Rolling 
Thunder *successfully* arrested him in the name of Dan Quayle, thereby 
starting the Superhuman World tradition of Vice-Presidents with actual 
bad-ass job duties.  George Bush and Dan Quayle won re-election that 
year.  The episode is unwritten, but it made *great* superhero campaign 
play.  There's a lot I could say about Crusher Joe's transition from 
Enemy of the State to Vice-Badass in Chief, via the Governorship of 
California.  Relevant stories are at 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/jehovah.htm and 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/duopol3.htm .

Crusher Joe Corrigan is a character created by Joe Fucile.  All other 
characters in this fiction are copyright 2011, Eiler Technical 
Enterprises.  All this year's stories are online at 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/.

-- 
(signed) Scott Eiler  8{D> -------- http://www.eilertech.com/ ---------

Turns out I'm an anally-fixated oedipal paranoid with 
south-of-the-border schizophrenic delusions...  But never mind, I've 
found me the ideal job.  I'm going to run for President!

- Major Honey, scripted by Grant Morrison, Doom Patrol #46, August 1991.