i like it, it really shows that "bad" part about the war that no one else really talks about, they just imply it. great read, hope you got an A+ ^_^
"The Hollows was a cover up; it was really caused by Blue Steel experimenting with Foot Stomp." - Steelclaw
<-- boy
I'm going to second the comments here. A nice reminder how the Rikti War affected everyone, in and out of the mask.
It also makes me think a little more about what things are like past Paragon's towers... and suddenly the citizenry sticking around doesn't seem so crazy.
I wrote this during an English class creative writing exercise a few days ago, and decided that since I planned on returning to the CoH boards for the first time since May 04 I might as well make it my first post. The exercise required me to write it from the old man's perspective, which is good and bad, and required that we not use quotes...enjoy
The Rikti War
The old man could not believe it when he saw his friend Jack fly through a U.F.O., damaging it, and then go off to fight a swam of alien creatures. The day had begun, like every Tuesday did, with a game of chess between him and Jack. Jack had become the old man's best friend since the death of his son, and he always made room in his very busy squedule for a game of chess, or a walk in the park with the old man. Like every other Tuesday Jack was winning. It was the old man's turn and he decided to move his rook, but as he picked it up he saw Jack suddenly perk upand put a hand to his ear. This did not surprise the old man, he was used to Jack getting urgent calls in the middle of whatever they were doing, and it didn't bother him. Oddly enough though, instead of displaying a knowing smirk or shaking his head like Jack normally did when he got a call, he craned his head back and looked up into the sky. As he did so his jaw dropped open and he began to mutter under his breath. Still holding the Rook the old man tilted his head back slowly, the memory of his recent neck surgery still fresh in his mind to see what it was that had stunned Jack. The rook he had held bounced three times on the table before rolling off and into a gutter, the old man didn't notice. His attention was focused completely on what he was seeing. Three U.F.O.s were floating above Atlas Park, just higher than the skyscrapers. Before the old man could even begin to comprehend this he heard a whoosh and looked down. There, on Jack's seat he had just occupied, was Jack's suit coat and hat. The old man, faced with alien invaders, didn't bother trying to understand where Jack had gone but instead just tilted his head back again, ignoring the pain of his stitches. There he saw something that gave him hope for an instant, then quickly confused him. It was Statesman! The town's resident hero, but without his mask, flying towards the alien ships. Statesman turned his head around for a second and looked at the old man before continuing on. So beffuddled was the old man that it took him 10 seconds, and a double take and where Jack had sat, to realize something that had slowly been connecting within his mind. Jack looked a lot like Statesman, his favorite color was the same color as Statesman's costume, he was never reachable when Statesman was doing something, and he'd known, before it was announced, that the old man's son had died and who had done it. Jack was Statesman! By this time Statesman, Jack, had flowned into, and back out of, one of the saucers that was slowly drifting to the west, and was in combat with thousands of snail looking aliens that could float. As the old man looked over to the other saucers for an instant he saw many more heroes, some well known, some unknown, fighting the aliens. Suddenly the old man heard an odd gurgling noise in front of him and looked down. What he saw in front of him had no effect on him, what with the alien spaceships and his best friend and the town hero being the same person he wouldn't have been surprised if Elvis had appeared and starting singing. But these three were not Elvis, they were not even human. The one closest to him hefted a weapon of some sort and fired. The last thing the old man experianced was a faint noise he recognized as Jack's scream, and then it was utterly silent and all senses were gone. The old man was the first, but by no means the last, casualty of the Rikti War.