Sneering Imperialist
I've just written a similar scene, set in a Belgian town during the Battle of the Bulge. One German paratrooper spots movement near a door or window and with a cry of alarm opens fire - and the body of a Belgian teenager slumps in the street. I think it's a good way to show one of the worst things about urban warfare, namely the high likelihood of accidentally shooting civilians. Immediately after this a Sherman tank shows up and opens fire on one of the King Tigers the paratroopers are escorting, so the horror gets forgotten in a sudden explosion of violence.
With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.
Another Perfect Day
Sounds like it'll work. I would make sure to mention a few incidents like this so it doesn't look like Chekhov's Gun, though. Unless that's what you want it to be.
edited 1st Mar '11 5:04:34 PM by Seamus
I've got two guns pointed west and a broken compass.
So in my most recent chapter of Endless Conflict currently being written I've decided that this chapter is going to feature (especially early on) the close unpredictable nature of Urban Warfare.
I'm wondering if I set a good tone for the beginning. Ya see I opened up with a one shot seen with a number of nameless (for the moment, I may give them quick names here before I'm done) soldiers moving through a bombed out section of the city's business district escorted by an APC. During this one of the characters is ordered to visually scan one of the buildings to the left. During this he catches what appears to be movement and fires upon the building. What would you normally expect? A sniper shot returning fire? Rockets? A sudden machine gun ambush? I pull a bit of a subversion of the "violent action in quiet always leads to conflict" by having nothing happen. The movement disappears as though it weren't there to begin with, leaving the soldier who fired upon the area refusing to believe there was nothing. (The commanding sergeant of the squad believes him)
As far as the scene shows it could have been an enemy scout or a simple cat. (And then it shifts over to our main characters properly.)
I can post the contents of the scene to give the exact words to show this better.
The question remains is does this set the proper tone for the environment of this chapter?