Ninurta strode towards the gate to the airfield - that's what he presumed it was, anyhow - and studied the surroundings as he went. In an earlier life he might have called it "reconnaissance", but in the now he was just checking stuff out to find the easiest path. He no longer had need for any fancy names. To the left of the gate. from Nin's perspective, was a ramshackled shack which he presumed to be the guard shack found at most facility gates.
The fence, extending from either side of the gate, appeared to be unbroken, meaning he would either have to vault a 12 foot hurricane fence or go through the gate. Ninurta elected to go through the gate as the easier and quicker route out of this armpit of whatever planet he found himself on. His thoughts drifted to the bag of explosives at his side. Nin had no idea what the symbols on the knurled disc at the top of the stem denoted, but he guessed it was either the timing of the explosion or the strength of it - very different things when playing with explosives!
Depending on how many guards the shack contained, he may have to fight a lot or a little to get through the gate, so he took stock of what he had to work with - a knife and some explosives... pretty short list on the face of it. Either way, the explosives ought to do the trick with the least amount of effort. "A knife and some bombs" Ninurta mused... sounded like a party where he came from.
There was the matter of what the knobs on the bombs controlled, and the fact that Nin had not the slightest idea just what they controlled. No time like now to find out, he reckoned. When he was within 50 yards of the shack, he took one from the pouch and cranked the knob half way along it's labeled travel, and threw it at the shack. Immediately, he seized another and cranked it all the way around, finding that there was a stop at full crank, and flung it to the fence line to the right of the gate.
The reaction from the guard shack was almost instantaneous. Guards boiled forth like clowns from a miniature car. Mildly surprised, Ninurta had expected 3 guards at the most. Instead he was treated to a spectacle that resembled ants boiling from a disturbed ant hill. Most went in all directions, but one or two headed straight for Nin, which was, upon reflection, a mistake.
The one in the lead, nearest to Ninurta, was shooting at Nin for all he was worth - which appeared to not be much. The combination of moving and jolting footsteps and launching projectiles at an opponent was not a good combination, and every shot flew wide... all over the place wide. Ninurta slapped his sash, then realized the accustomed pistol was not there, and so shot his hand out while turning sideways as his assailant got within reach of him, with said assailant redoubling his efforts to perforate Ninurta.
You would think that if he could get his muzzle against Nin's chest, he would be hard pressed to miss, right?
Unfortunately for the guard. Ninurta's chest was not where he thought it would be at the moment he needed it to be there. Turning sideways on Nin's part took care of that. Instead, Ninurta's hand grabbed the barrel of the guard's rifle just behind the front sight and, continuing his spin, aided the guard's momentum... but blocked his progress with a leg, causing the guard to sprawl but leaving the rifle in Niniurta's hands.
Oops. The guard had inadvertently armed Nin with a command detonated device of just a little more precision that the average bomb. Ninurta kicked the downed guard hard in the ribs, twice, then deftly stripped the ammo belt for the weapon from the guard, and strode onward. It was just about that time that the bomb hurled at the guard shack detonated, sending splinters all over the place, leaving a gaping hole in the ground, and sending up the prettiest miniature mushroom cloud you ever saw right where the the shack had stood just an instant before.
20 seconds for that bomb. Ninurta continued towards the gate since the exodus from the guard shack left a clear path.
Just as he cleared the gate, the second detonation went off to the right of the gate, 20 seconds after the first - 40 seconds total - with the same miniature mushroom cloud, but scattering dust and gravel over Ninurta instead of splinters... and leaving a gaping hole in the fence - one which Ninurta had no use of, since he was already into the edges of the airfield. Still, Nin's question was answered - the knob controlled detonation time, not detonation strength. Furthermore, it allowed him to sort the timing out - 20 seconds for a half turn, 40 for full turn, meaning 1/8 of a turn should give him 5 seconds or so, just a little longer than the hand grenades of his youth, but close enough for gummint work, he reckoned.
Ninurta continued on the the airfield - or whatever it was - and left a minor wake of ruin behind him... but having added a rifle and ammunition to his arsenal... still wearing that silly-assed makeshift poncho. Momentarily his thought drifted to that old alien witch Mucklebones -She of the Saggy Teats - wouldn't she be proud of his fashion sense?
.
The fence, extending from either side of the gate, appeared to be unbroken, meaning he would either have to vault a 12 foot hurricane fence or go through the gate. Ninurta elected to go through the gate as the easier and quicker route out of this armpit of whatever planet he found himself on. His thoughts drifted to the bag of explosives at his side. Nin had no idea what the symbols on the knurled disc at the top of the stem denoted, but he guessed it was either the timing of the explosion or the strength of it - very different things when playing with explosives!
Depending on how many guards the shack contained, he may have to fight a lot or a little to get through the gate, so he took stock of what he had to work with - a knife and some explosives... pretty short list on the face of it. Either way, the explosives ought to do the trick with the least amount of effort. "A knife and some bombs" Ninurta mused... sounded like a party where he came from.
There was the matter of what the knobs on the bombs controlled, and the fact that Nin had not the slightest idea just what they controlled. No time like now to find out, he reckoned. When he was within 50 yards of the shack, he took one from the pouch and cranked the knob half way along it's labeled travel, and threw it at the shack. Immediately, he seized another and cranked it all the way around, finding that there was a stop at full crank, and flung it to the fence line to the right of the gate.
The reaction from the guard shack was almost instantaneous. Guards boiled forth like clowns from a miniature car. Mildly surprised, Ninurta had expected 3 guards at the most. Instead he was treated to a spectacle that resembled ants boiling from a disturbed ant hill. Most went in all directions, but one or two headed straight for Nin, which was, upon reflection, a mistake.
The one in the lead, nearest to Ninurta, was shooting at Nin for all he was worth - which appeared to not be much. The combination of moving and jolting footsteps and launching projectiles at an opponent was not a good combination, and every shot flew wide... all over the place wide. Ninurta slapped his sash, then realized the accustomed pistol was not there, and so shot his hand out while turning sideways as his assailant got within reach of him, with said assailant redoubling his efforts to perforate Ninurta.
You would think that if he could get his muzzle against Nin's chest, he would be hard pressed to miss, right?
Unfortunately for the guard. Ninurta's chest was not where he thought it would be at the moment he needed it to be there. Turning sideways on Nin's part took care of that. Instead, Ninurta's hand grabbed the barrel of the guard's rifle just behind the front sight and, continuing his spin, aided the guard's momentum... but blocked his progress with a leg, causing the guard to sprawl but leaving the rifle in Niniurta's hands.
Oops. The guard had inadvertently armed Nin with a command detonated device of just a little more precision that the average bomb. Ninurta kicked the downed guard hard in the ribs, twice, then deftly stripped the ammo belt for the weapon from the guard, and strode onward. It was just about that time that the bomb hurled at the guard shack detonated, sending splinters all over the place, leaving a gaping hole in the ground, and sending up the prettiest miniature mushroom cloud you ever saw right where the the shack had stood just an instant before.
20 seconds for that bomb. Ninurta continued towards the gate since the exodus from the guard shack left a clear path.
Just as he cleared the gate, the second detonation went off to the right of the gate, 20 seconds after the first - 40 seconds total - with the same miniature mushroom cloud, but scattering dust and gravel over Ninurta instead of splinters... and leaving a gaping hole in the fence - one which Ninurta had no use of, since he was already into the edges of the airfield. Still, Nin's question was answered - the knob controlled detonation time, not detonation strength. Furthermore, it allowed him to sort the timing out - 20 seconds for a half turn, 40 for full turn, meaning 1/8 of a turn should give him 5 seconds or so, just a little longer than the hand grenades of his youth, but close enough for gummint work, he reckoned.
Ninurta continued on the the airfield - or whatever it was - and left a minor wake of ruin behind him... but having added a rifle and ammunition to his arsenal... still wearing that silly-assed makeshift poncho. Momentarily his thought drifted to that old alien witch Mucklebones -She of the Saggy Teats - wouldn't she be proud of his fashion sense?
.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’