[SoNE Ep. IV] Sector A - Every shot makes two victims

[BEAVeR]

Sullust. At least it isn’t as cold as Hoth. But the volcanic smoke has made a lot of patrolling missions a whole lot more difficult. Take KQ-351, now restoring in the sick bay after almost suffocating due to a minor failure in his ventilation system. Am I glad this base isn’t built near to any major streams of lava. That would be excellent for defence, but highly impractical… On the other side, this base doesn’t seem to be built to keep anyone out in the first place. Sure, the solid rock walls, the few but strong gates and the narrow entrances are good to keep people inside, but there isn’t much protection from attackers.

[soNE Ep. IV] Eye on the skies by Bert.VR, on Flickr

It was built when just the thought of attacking the Empire would have made everybody laugh. It was built when there was no real Rebellion trying to crack into it. When everything was peaceful… The main services got a place on the roof. Good for communications. Bad for protection. Cannons? Nowhere to see…

So it’s up to us to defend the base. The pilots will have to save the day. The AT-AT pilots on the ground, the TIE pilots in the air. We’ll keep the forces of the Rebellion off, while our friends on the inside will stop the infiltrators. My rank got me this position at the main gate. Destroy everything that tries to get in, they said, until the backup arrives. So my eyes are scanning the air, in the hope of seeing reinforcements, in the expectation of seeing a horde of Rebel fighters.

[soNE Ep. IV] Ground reinforcements by Bert.VR, on Flickr

At least I’m not alone to stop that filth of the galaxy. Every pilot has been summoned. So I’m not the only one to stand up against this brutal Rebel attack. It will be a lonely battle though. In this atmosphere communication is hard, and in fear of abuse by the Rebel infiltrators, all communication has been abandoned after the distress call to our fleet.

Look, there’s one of my colleagues in his TIE flying by, from the other side of the cliff where the hangar bay is. He’s heading for… the sky? Why isn’t he on his post in the first place? It could be a reconnaissance mission, but why? We have our detection equipment right here. We already know the place. And why doesn’t a take our usual routes? Why is he flying like a wampa anyway? Whoever it is, I…

It might be a Rebel…

And I pull the trigger.

My instinct is a good shooter. Smoke coming from the crucial wing section, the TIE goes down. It disappears behind the rocks, where it will most certainly perish in the lava.

[soNE Ep. IV] Every shot makes two victims by Bert.VR, on Flickr

It might have been a friend…

No… the thought petrifies me. But how? How could it have been a friend? That’s impossible. Why would he abandon his post? Why would he fly like that… No, it can not… may not… have been a friend. Surely, I have done what was best.

There might be hundreds of explanations.

A reconnaissance mission because our equipment failed, an emergency evacuation, some kind of special mission… or just a foolish act of heroism by a rookie. Is there another explanation? Couldn’t ir really have been a Rebel. Who somehow got past all security. But how? Who somehow managed to get away with a TIE fighter. Impossible, isn’t it? Aren’t all TIE fighters in the air? Except… KQ-351’s.

Hope.

Despair.

I’m a hero

I’m a murderer

.

I’ll never know.

The wreckage will never be found. People will go missing today. Fighters will perish today. Who knows what chaos the upcoming battle brings. And what chaos might follow. I’ll never know if I did the right thing. Nobody’ll ever know. Nobody even saw it happen. Nobody goes through the same hell as I. No one to talk to. I’m alone with a killer.

[soNE Ep. IV] What have I done? by Bert.VR, on Flickr

Only now I see what this war is taking. I’ve killed before, but only now I realize I remember every single deadly shot I fired. Twelve. I already took the life of twelve people. People just like me. Friend or foe, I killed twelve people. I’ve killed myself twelve times. What’s left of me?

I’m only a human.

And humans are not made to kill. Whether I just shot down a Rebel or an Imperial, I’m still a murderer. And I can’t undo that. That’s what this war has turned me into. Not into a hero. Into a murderer. There are no heroes. Not in battle. I won’t claim a medal for what I’ve done. All I can do, is go on.

Go on and end this war.

I need to do the best I can to stop this war. Even if I’ll have to kill again. This war has to be stopped. And if battle is what it takes, so be it. I hope that one day, this war ends with throwing away weapons. That not the Rebellion, not the Empire wins, but peace. But that’s a thing for heroes. I’m just a simple pilot. All I can do is choose the lesser evil. Either way, I’ll have to kill again. I’ll have to kill others. I’ll have to kill myself again. But that’s the only way. Now that I’ve took this road, I can’t go back.

I can only go on to be the victim of my own shots.

_________________

OoC: LDD file here

One more picture of the gate available on my Flickr

Not everything is connected, bacause that's (nearly) impossible in LDD. Those Technic axles in the rock pillars aren't connected to each other, but in real life a (LEGO) grey rubber band should do the trick. Trust me, I tried it out. Same goes for the smallest tires in the smoke, that just hang on the bar. Also, I'm not entirely sure about the rigidity of the rock wall. I did add in some Technic support, but in LDD it's really hard to work with all those angled surfaces. Also, I used a couple of 2x2 dark tan plates, that never appeared in a Lego set, but are available on bricklink. I hope these aren't any major issues, and that you still can enjoy the build.

[Dapper-D2]

Star Destroyer command to pilot BEAVeR , come in BEAVeR. Our GPS and computer tracking informs us you have shot down a friendly. While you were standing guard at the front door the Rebels infiltrated the back entrance. We sent in a Tie fighter to destroy the base before they could evacuate, had you been listening to our secure channel you would have known this. All the prisoners and Rebels have escaped because of your actions. You will be charged with Treason and War Crimes against the Empire! Stand down we are shutting down your AT-AT and will be taking you into custody shortly. And if Lord Vader has his way you will fry in the Hot seat.

P.S. Very nice micro building!

[Bob De Quatre]

Nice one BEAVeR.

Not everything is connected, bacause that's (nearly) impossible in LDD. Those Technic axles in the rock pillars aren't connected to each other, but in real life a (LEGO) grey rubber band should do the trick. Trust me, I tried it out. Same goes for the smallest tires in the smoke, that just hang on the bar. Also, I'm not entirely sure about the rigidity of the rock wall. I did add in some Technic support, but in LDD it's really hard to work with all those angled surfaces. Also, I used a couple of 2x2 dark tan plates, that never appeared in a Lego set, but are available on bricklink. I hope these aren't any major issues, and that you still can enjoy the build.

Do you want me to comment on this part?

[Lord Tyrus]

Love the grim story and the pilot(you) questioning yourself, really sets the scene, but the build really seals it for me. As usual, you managed to build perfectly in LDD, which EVERYONE knows has its limitations.

Hope we win this challange!

(BTW, that midi/ mini TIE and the smoke coming out of it is lovely!)

[TWP]

I like your build Beaver! that AT-AT looks great in mini scale, those hinges work very good as legs!

though I still hope that I will get more points than you, my competitor!

[Donnie Bricko]

I really like the landscape and arcitecture. The story is decent as well...really good work

[LucasLaughing]

Star Destroyer command to pilot BEAVeR , come in BEAVeR. Our GPS and computer tracking informs us you have shot down a friendly. [...]

Trooper, disregard that last transmission - that was a rebel on the coms. It's possible that we had a blue-on-blue casualty, but this is war, these things happen. Right now, we need you in the sky shooting down those rebels!

Only now I see what this war is taking. I’ve killed before, but only now I realize I remember every single deadly shot I fired. Twelve. I already took the life of twelve people. People just like me. Friend or foe, I killed twelve people. I’ve killed myself twelve times.

I'm trying to remember how long ago it was when I could still keep track of how many lives I've taken. There's only one that keeps me up at night though ...

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Great build! The in-cockpit perspective looks really cool and I'm loving the story too!

[Mr Man]

I'm certain it was a Rebel, no Imperial would fly that badly .

I love the smoke technique on the damaged TIE.

[BEAVeR]

Thanks everyone, glad (most of) you like it!

Star Destroyer command to pilot BEAVeR , come in BEAVeR. Our GPS and computer tracking informs us you have shot down a friendly. While you were standing guard at the front door the Rebels infiltrated the back entrance. We sent in a Tie fighter to destroy the base before they could evacuate, had you been listening to our secure channel you would have known this. All the prisoners and Rebels have escaped because of your actions. You will be charged with Treason and War Crimes against the Empire! Stand down we are shutting down your AT-AT and will be taking you into custody shortly. And if Lord Vader has his way you will fry in the Hot seat.

P.S. Very nice micro building!

I may be a bad person, but I'm not stupid. Remember why comms were stopped? This is exactly what we expected. Rebels are just so simple-minded.

Trooper, disregard that last transmission - that was a rebel on the coms. It's possible that we had a blue-on-blue casualty, but this is war, these things happen. Right now, we need you in the sky shooting down those rebels!

See? We were prepared for this. Wait... how are you able to communicate with me? It must be your high rank... and about shooting those Rebs down: what else could I possibly be doing?

I'm trying to remember how long ago it was when I could still keep track of how many lives I've taken. There's only one that keeps me up at night though ...

---

Great build! The in-cockpit perspective looks really cool and I'm loving the story too!

I know exactly what you're talking about. We all had to make sacrifices on Tatooine, but yours was beyond imagination.

Glad it didn't kill you, and you're here now to like my build. Thank you. And much strength. Maybe I'm not alone after all...

Nice one BEAVeR.

Do you want me to comment on this part?

Sure, that's why it's in small letters. Because I knew you would get attracted to that, master of LDD . Thanks for the... extensive comment though.

Love the grim story and the pilot(you) questioning yourself, really sets the scene, but the build really seals it for me. As usual, you managed to build perfectly in LDD, which EVERYONE knows has its limitations.

(BTW, that midi/ mini TIE and the smoke coming out of it is lovely!)

Thanks. I love telling stories with my builds, and I like reading other stories just as much! It's nice to have a build with something more to it, and SoNE is just the excellent place to do that. I hope to see more entries and freebuilds with a nice story to them! Wouldn't it be nice if we could coordinate one big story, in which everyone makes a scene?

I like your build Beaver! that AT-AT looks great in mini scale, those hinges work very good as legs!

though I still hope that I will get more points than you, my competitor!

Glad that once again, you like my micro building. It's what I do when I get stuck with the big parts, and it really helps to keep me going.

And about that last sentence... I already told you what I think, my competitor. But one of us has been blogged, and the other hasn't been... at least we have you outnumbered by 2 against 1! You'll be crushed by our mighty numbers!

I'm certain it was a Rebel, no Imperial would fly that badly .

I love the smoke technique on the damaged TIE.

Thanks for supporting me. Wow, this Empire is just one big family!

I sought long after a nice smoke technique, since those icecream pieces don't connect in LDD and the 2x2 round plates tdidn't give the intensity I wanted... I even tried all sorts of contraptions with minifig hairpieces before arriving at this simple but effective technique. It turned out better then expected, and thank you for noticing it!

[Rogue Angel]

I do believe we have a Rebel in the making, because there's no such thing as an Imp with a conscience. Evident story and great job on the micro builds. The hangar and the bugeyed AT-AT are my favorite parts. Great MOC!

[VK-318]

Yo, rogueang. Ever heard of Baron Soontir Fel or Grand Admiral Thrawn? We do too have a conscience!

Dapper-D2, I think BEAVeR is a TIE Fighter pilot, not an AT-AT pilot; at least, that's what the cockpit-view shot (#3) seems to indicate.

Way to go, BEAVeR. I especially admire the rock face and sandhills; that sort of randomness is very difficult to get right, especially with virtual bricks.

Edited April 19, 2014 by VK-318

[Rogue Angel]

Thrawn didn't have a conscience. He was brilliant but he was not a good person. You'd have an easier time convincing me that Paelleon had one. And Fel defected to the New Republic, proving my point.

[Kaitan]

Um, Wow this is deep! I really like the story, it makes a nice change to hear somebody actually thinking about consequences etc. The build is great, the base part in particular, those rocks rock!

[LegoFjotten]

Nice build BEAVeR! I like how your build is a totally different approach than the other entries! Kudos for creativity!

It would have been nice to see a PovRay render of this.

[Dook Hookbackcrook]

Neat perspective.

[MKJoshA]

Neat perspective.

While I'm sure BEAVeR appreciates your appreciation of his MOC, please be more careful about "bumping" old topics. We want the newer topics to have their fair share of time at the top of the list. If you have a shorter comment, such as the one in this topic, it might be best to message BEAVeR rather than bumping an older topic.