Raise the Flag Bonus Competition #1: Fiction
Competition ID #:
3327
Status:
Finished
Submitted by:
HA Plif
Competition dates:
2021-10-02 - 2021-10-08
Subgroup:
TIE Corps
Units involved:
TIE Corps
Description:
The ships of the First Recon Division hung in orbit above Tusorix, the world first encountered by Battlegroup III. Nearly half a million pilots, crewmen, and troopers were planetside after shore leave was granted by the Grand Admiral. Care was taken to keep enough personnel on the ships to defend them if something happened, though that seemed unlikely considering the sheer number of vessels. A veritable cloud of armor and cannons.
Tusorix was a backwater compared to Aurora Prime, but it seemed like a dream after months of being cooped up in the fleet. The cities were large and filled with bars, the countryside was serene and the beaches were plentiful. Transports of all shapes and sizes were ready to take people anywhere they wanted to go at a moment's notice. After a couple of days, the long journey seemed to melt away.
High Admiral Plif was sprawled out on a luxurious bed at a resort near the equator, relaxing after a long day in the sun. His comlink chirped at him. He slowly reached over to pick it up and acknowledge the intrusion in his lovely day.
"Plif here, go."
Commander Doralt from the ISDII Warrior spoke in a rushed tone. "Admiral, we've detected incoming ships. They're heading for the surface at high speed, and there's a lot of them. The Fleet Commander wants everyone back ASAP."
"Any motion towards the fleet?"
"Not yet, they seem to be spreading out for an assault on the planet."
"Do we know anything else about them?"
"We're having trouble getting good readings. They seem to be deflecting our scanners."
"Understood. Please continue contacting the other admirals."
"Yes, sir."
Plif clicked off the comlink and hurried to pull on his uniform and get to his shuttle. So much for shore leave. It was nice while it lasted.
======
Our first bonus competition for RtF 2021 has begun! The Fiction Bonus Comp will run from 0600 GMT on October 2nd to 0600 GMT on October 9th.
The prompt above is a jumping off point based on the current Emperor's Hammer storyline. Here's a few different angles that might be interesting to explore:
There is no maximum word limit and we're not evaluating grammar so don't worry too much about that. Instead, the judging criteria will just be on the quality of the story being told. Works will be graded by the TCCS, submissions should be sent to tccom@emperorshammer.org. Please include a title! Humor is welcome but not necessary; the piece can have as serious a tone as you want it to. The top ten places will be awarded 300, 250, 200, 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, or 25 bonus points for their ships and squadrons. Each pilot will also receive the general fiction points for their entry, 1-10 points multiplied by each set of 300 words in the piece.
Tips based on previous runs of the Fiction Bonus Comp:
Good luck!
Tusorix was a backwater compared to Aurora Prime, but it seemed like a dream after months of being cooped up in the fleet. The cities were large and filled with bars, the countryside was serene and the beaches were plentiful. Transports of all shapes and sizes were ready to take people anywhere they wanted to go at a moment's notice. After a couple of days, the long journey seemed to melt away.
High Admiral Plif was sprawled out on a luxurious bed at a resort near the equator, relaxing after a long day in the sun. His comlink chirped at him. He slowly reached over to pick it up and acknowledge the intrusion in his lovely day.
"Plif here, go."
Commander Doralt from the ISDII Warrior spoke in a rushed tone. "Admiral, we've detected incoming ships. They're heading for the surface at high speed, and there's a lot of them. The Fleet Commander wants everyone back ASAP."
"Any motion towards the fleet?"
"Not yet, they seem to be spreading out for an assault on the planet."
"Do we know anything else about them?"
"We're having trouble getting good readings. They seem to be deflecting our scanners."
"Understood. Please continue contacting the other admirals."
"Yes, sir."
Plif clicked off the comlink and hurried to pull on his uniform and get to his shuttle. So much for shore leave. It was nice while it lasted.
======
Our first bonus competition for RtF 2021 has begun! The Fiction Bonus Comp will run from 0600 GMT on October 2nd to 0600 GMT on October 9th.
The prompt above is a jumping off point based on the current Emperor's Hammer storyline. Here's a few different angles that might be interesting to explore:
- Shore leave on the planet prior to the incoming raid
- Leaving the planet, returning to the fleet, jumping into your fighter and blasting off towards the incoming ships
- Some of you might find yourselves trying to leave the surface while under fire, either on the ground or in the air
- We have ourselves an opposing force that we don't know much about yet. What's learned about them over the course of your story might become canon moving forward.
There is no maximum word limit and we're not evaluating grammar so don't worry too much about that. Instead, the judging criteria will just be on the quality of the story being told. Works will be graded by the TCCS, submissions should be sent to tccom@emperorshammer.org. Please include a title! Humor is welcome but not necessary; the piece can have as serious a tone as you want it to. The top ten places will be awarded 300, 250, 200, 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, or 25 bonus points for their ships and squadrons. Each pilot will also receive the general fiction points for their entry, 1-10 points multiplied by each set of 300 words in the piece.
Tips based on previous runs of the Fiction Bonus Comp:
- We highly encourage you to tell a complete story rather than a first chapter of a larger story. It's hard to judge what a story might become in later chapters, so we have to go by what we're given.
- Pilots often write from their own personal perspective and include pilots from their units in their stories. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being upset that they were included in a story, though naturally I'd avoid putting someone in a negative light unless it was important for the story.
- If you write a lot of words, keep in mind that having a story that's a bit slow in the middle might not be judged as favorably as one that was shorter but kept its momentum.
Good luck!
Competition awards:
IS-GR/SR/SR/BR/BR/BR (top six)
Competition runtime starts on the first day at 00:00:01 UTC, and ends on the last day at 23:59:59 UTC.
Competition Awards Presented
| Award | Recipient | Reason | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| IS-GR | GN Silwar Naiilo | First Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Sith Knight Errant' | 2021-10-15 |
| IS-SR | COL Westric Davalorn | Second Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Skirmish over Tusorix' | 2021-10-15 |
| IS-SR | CPT Xylo Pethtel | Third Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Battle of Xiros Island' | 2021-10-15 |
| IS-BR | AD Sylas Pitt | Fourth Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Hoist the Colors' | 2021-10-15 |
| IS-BR | MAJ Kalve Ryder | Fifth Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Tusorix' | 2021-10-15 |
| IS-BR | COL Marenta Jean | Sixth Place in the Fiction Bonus Comp during Raise the Flag 2021 with 'Patrol is boring!' | 2021-10-15 |