Ficlets

The Hush of Battle

A trio of men cowered in a trench under the full moon and starry sky. Crickets and night-flying birds were the loudest sounds, drowning out the battle raging in the fields above them. They hoped not to let tell-tale clouds of vapor loose in the chilly midnight air.

Rounds of short, soft electric hums brought twitches out of each of the soldiers. The fighting couldn’t have been more than yards away, if they could hear the weapon fire.

They wanted to scream, roar, or sob—anything but this silence. There were no rumbling war machines, no explosions. A misplaced footfall or cough meant death: Networked targeting computers in their helms could triangulate such a sound in milliseconds—and the enemy helms were just as good.

Once given a target, their beam rifles could eliminate that source of sound with surreal quiet. Near total disintegration accompanied by a gentle hum and a puff of displaced air as molecules went their separate ways.

One of the men did scream, finally, when a pair of boots landed in his lap.

Comments

Average Reader Rating:

The Hush of Battle
Annalise17
Posted about 1 year ago

Well written, vivid descriptions.
The Hush of Battle
Robotech_Master
Posted about 1 year ago

Wow. Makes me shiver.
The Hush of Battle
MissJonas1492
Posted about 1 year ago

it’s good. I like it.
The Hush of Battle
Rose
Posted about 1 year ago

Vivid description, but disjointed; I don’t know where they are or how the equipment works or why they’re fighting or what time it is or who they are or why I should care about them. It’s a great idea, but I want to feel like I am in this place with its deadly silence, not like I am being told about it.
The Hush of Battle
Amaster
Posted about 1 year ago

Interesting idea about future war. Being that silent for a long time would be hard for almost everybody. I bet that the soldiers know sign language.
The Hush of Battle
Saint Chuck
Posted about 1 year ago

I really like this idea. It’s a bit like trench war during WWII , but with high-tech technology. Kudos on a job well done.
The Hush of Battle
twittervlog
Posted about 1 year ago

great. hard to sequel :)
The Hush of Battle
A grove of pines.
Posted about 1 year ago

Absolutely loving it.

A completely chilling scene.
The Hush of Battle
Frostbite
Posted about 1 year ago

Creepy… but I could see that happening some day. Silence can be maddening sometimes.
The Hush of Battle
YodaOnCrack
Posted about 1 year ago

This is brilliant. Rose makes some good points – she doesn’t know know “where they are or how the equipment works or why they’re fighting or what time it is or who they are” etc. Hey Rose – would you like to know more? Write a Sequel!!!
The Hush of Battle
Amaster
Posted about 1 year ago

I was wondering, have you (the author) ever read the short story titled “How Lonesome a Life Without Nerve Gas”? It was on Escape Pod a while ago and the weapons in your ficlet reminds me of the weapons in the story. This is not a bad thing, but an interesting twist to the technology.
The Hush of Battle
White Hat
Posted 6 months ago

If they have such weapons, why don’t they just burn through the ground and such with them?

If it’s a starry sky, why don’t satellites do the targeting?

If the computers are that good, why are humans doing any fighting?

... Sorry, I just have to ask.