The landship was a machine of gargantuan proportions. It brought the concept space-borne battleship to the ground, where it alone would rule supreme. Reminiscent in shape and design of the Dreadnoughts from the pre-warp era, it possessed layers upon layers of armour that shielded its flanks, and arrays of autocannons, anti-armour sabot launchers and laser turrets sticking out like the quills of a porcupine, warding off all who got too close. If that was not terrifying enough, a massive cannon stuck out of the front of the construct. The Crusaders saw it as an invincible embodiment of their power and influence. High Command saw it as a threat. Personally, I saw it as another thing waiting to be turned to scrap.
And we were lucky that the Crusaders were overconfident about the landship. Security was negligible. Apart from the patrol that Virgo had taken out, there were only a couple of guards. Behind these guards, however, was a massive camp. There were no permanent structures in sight; all of them were temporary shelters. Protocol dictated that we were to avoid making contact, so we slipped past the guards. As we approached the landship, I soon found myself towered over by the mechanical beast. I considered the possibility that the anti-matter charge was insufficient to wipe it off the map, but now was no time for considerations.
We made our way to the side of the landship where there were no guards, or more particularly, at the mid-section of the blind side. I took the explosive off my back and removed the slings. As planned, Virgo slipped away to watch for enemy movement. As Artego and I lowered our stealth fields, we prepared to cement the charge to the ship. Just as Artego finished the cementing and began to input the codes and set the explosive for countdown, Virgo’s voice broke the sound of the night and the radio silence.
“They’re moving. A hell lot of them. They know we are…”
Before she could finish, the tranquil of the night was broken by the blazing of guns. Darts of metal streaked past us, several grazing my armour. I slipped my rifle into my hands, flicked off the safeties, cocked it and returned fire. A targeting reticule assembled itself on my visor, with various types of information from my rifle being displayed. The semi-explosive bullets whizzed towards the Crusaders, each shot planting themselves into the torsos of the gunmen. Each one collapsed with a blooming display of flesh and blood.
“Lemmings get your damn ass here now! Need evac!” Athena shouted into her communications unit.
As the rest of us, excluding Artego, began returning fire, we soon realized we were outnumbered beyond compare. Under the stress and panic of the situation, Artego almost fumbled. As the dropship came into view and under fire, we all began running for it. The countdown had begun. We dashed towards the dropship, which began to fire at the Crusaders with its minigun and turreted laser cannons.
Most of us made it. I wasn’t that lucky.
One of the last things I remember hearing was Athena’s voice, screaming for me, her voice riddled with agony and panic. The sound of the dropship faded into the distance. Bullets speared into my armour as I fell onto the cold ground, but I couldn’t feel the pain. I felt fear instead. Then, I heard a daemonic voice decree in my head. “I Am Awake. I Am The Silent Slaughterman.” My vision faded, but I felt my hands being covered by a thick, viscous liquid, probably blood. Everything faded to black. I was alone.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Chapter 4.1: Drop-off
The modified Livia Class Dropship’s power core hummed, the sound unable to penetrate the anti-acoustic tiles lining the aircraft, leaving silence to occupy the hull with unchallenged reign. In our minds, however, I knew it was one hell of a furore. I felt the weight of the Type 6-23 press against my lap. I looked down. Under its sleek, jet black shell was a mind-boggling amount of containment equipment, wires and tubes. Complementing its colour was a dark strap made of synthetic carbon laced fibres, allowing me to sling it across my back like a weapon. A total of at least 100kg of weight just to contain an iota of anti-matter...it made me think about how much a single person, who had so much more, could do… how much they could change. I looked down at my hands, now clad in layers of metal. But it didn’t really matter even if they protected my hands. My hands were made of mostly metal, anyway. Cold, hard, reinforced steel replaced the warm, living and breathing hands that I once had. Sure, I could feel as well, or even better, than any human could…but still, the hands were not those I grew up with. I buried my face into my hands. The cold bit me.
A hand, just like mine, rested on my shoulder. It would have felt icy, but I knew who it was, and it filled me with human warmth. I looked towards the left. Artego Cage, the head of engineering smiled at me. His bionic left eye whirled, seemingly try to focus. Wires ran from the left side of his skull, running into the armour he wore. He was in a situation similar to mine, parts of his body destroyed in the line of duty.
“Hey Arty…” I acknowledged.
“Well…”
“Yes, I know. Why so serious.”
“Oh, and just before we got on the dropship, I think I saw Jericho leaning against one of the pillars, watching us. I might be seeing things.”
I didn’t reply.
Seeming to read my mind, he sighed and continued, “ Now isn’t the time for some mourning. Life moves on. Having half of your body exchanged for machines doesn’t make you any less of a human. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
I nodded at him, and before I could say anything, Jonathan Lemming’s voice burst from the intercom.
“Lady and gentlemen, we have arrived at the landing zone. Thank you for flying Lemming Airways. See you soon”
A hand, just like mine, rested on my shoulder. It would have felt icy, but I knew who it was, and it filled me with human warmth. I looked towards the left. Artego Cage, the head of engineering smiled at me. His bionic left eye whirled, seemingly try to focus. Wires ran from the left side of his skull, running into the armour he wore. He was in a situation similar to mine, parts of his body destroyed in the line of duty.
“Hey Arty…” I acknowledged.
“Well…”
“Yes, I know. Why so serious.”
“Oh, and just before we got on the dropship, I think I saw Jericho leaning against one of the pillars, watching us. I might be seeing things.”
I didn’t reply.
Seeming to read my mind, he sighed and continued, “ Now isn’t the time for some mourning. Life moves on. Having half of your body exchanged for machines doesn’t make you any less of a human. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
I nodded at him, and before I could say anything, Jonathan Lemming’s voice burst from the intercom.
“Lady and gentlemen, we have arrived at the landing zone. Thank you for flying Lemming Airways. See you soon”
Chapter 4.2 The Approach
The double layered doors lowered themselves, revealing the lush green field we were in. Trees nearby swayed as the engines rotated to face the ground, keeping us barely above it. The down force the engines generated had flattened the grass around us. The doors then locked themselves into position, turning into a platform for us to get off from. I slung the antimatter charge onto my back, picked up my silenced, accurized rifle and stepped off the plane. I hit the ground with a soft thud, the grass defusing the impact. Soon, I heard the others make contact with the ground. Counting the number of thuds, I realized that one of us was missing. Or so I thought.
“Eh…where did Slinky go?” I asked.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and swung around.
“Did you miss me?” I felt someone grab me from the hip.
As the stealth field generator powered down, Virgo Bradley faded into sight. We called her “Slinky” after that Old Earth toy because of the way she moved, often silent and very smoothly. Even though she was my junior by a year or so, she often acted like a child, mischievous yet innocent, and just plain lovable. Looking back at her life before joining the Special Operations, it was unsurprising that she looked up to me as a big brother and Athena as a mother. She lacked a family, but she found another in the SOC.
“You got to be kidding me. We’re in a combat zone and you still want to fool around?”
Stepping back, Virgo took of her helmet, grinned and put it back on.
“Computer, activate combat level set-up. Disengage power limiter. Set maximum power capacity” I thought to myself.
A green light blinked at the top left of my vision. Bold, emerald wording appeared in front of me, reading ‘Imperial Combat Operating System Mark 25, Aethyus Variant 6: Vampire”, that filled the entirety of my vision. The letters turned translucent, shrunk themselves and was tucked away into the top left corner of my sight. Appearing as fuzzy patches at first, a heads-up display arranged itself into the appropriate positions. While the system shifted from standard vision to night/infrared vision, a small white arrow appeared at the right. I turned until a small white box marked a location behind a hill just ahead, with distance in a small font. Rifle in my left arm, I signaled to the others, point at the direction of the hill. Our target was just over the hill, and I could taste the anticipation in the air.
Instead of climbing over the small hill, we opted to go around it. As we trekked towards our objective, Athena went over the details of the mission for the third time, but this time over the communication network our armours made. My inbuilt computer blipped, a red box forming around a distant area. I stopped in my tracks, hearing Decius Grendel’s sniper rifle click as the solid carbon-steel bullet fell into the acceleration chamber. A near inaudible hum faded away as the magnetic accelerators powered up, and were then silenced by the stealth mechanisms. Athena raised her hand, instructing him to halt. Curious, I turned back to the target and zoomed in on it. Standing idly, watching the horizon was an entire patrol of at least 45 members, almost impossible to snipe without one escaping.
“Don’t they love large numbers of troops”, I mumbled.
“So what do you think?” Artego replied over the radio.
“We avoid them.” Athena insisted.
I shrugged. Athena pointed towards another direction, instructing us to go around the patrol.
“If we could take them all at once, without them knowing, can we take the old route? I don’t wanna make a detour after walking so long.” Virgo quipped.
“What do you have in mind, Slinky?” Athena answered.
“Nothing much. Doing what I do best.” Virgo suggested.
“If that’s the case, they’re all yours.” Athena agreed.
“That ain’t gonna look good on my resume.” Decius grumbled.
I tried to stifle a snigger.
As her stealth field reactivated, Slinky vanished into the darkness. Even with my night vision and motion sensitive systems, I couldn’t see her, only an occasional movement of the grass that belied her position. It didn’t really make a difference. By the time we noticed the grass, she was already meters away. A few silent seconds followed. Then, in the distance, the patrol simply fell. In rapid succession, the soldiers slumped to the ground. Some had their heads sliced cleanly off their neck, others had a hole where their throat was, and most had a blade slipped in between their ribs. Standing in the middle of it all was a petite girl in stealth armour.
We quickly made our way to the site of the carnage. Virgo was breathing heavily, her eyes still twinkling with killer instinct. I put my hand on her shoulder, and we continued on our path. Once again, my computer blipped, but this time, it wasn’t another patrol. We were close.
“Going into radio silence. Let’s get this done. Athena to Lemmings, you may begin your approach.”
We muted our communications equipment.
“Eh…where did Slinky go?” I asked.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and swung around.
“Did you miss me?” I felt someone grab me from the hip.
As the stealth field generator powered down, Virgo Bradley faded into sight. We called her “Slinky” after that Old Earth toy because of the way she moved, often silent and very smoothly. Even though she was my junior by a year or so, she often acted like a child, mischievous yet innocent, and just plain lovable. Looking back at her life before joining the Special Operations, it was unsurprising that she looked up to me as a big brother and Athena as a mother. She lacked a family, but she found another in the SOC.
“You got to be kidding me. We’re in a combat zone and you still want to fool around?”
Stepping back, Virgo took of her helmet, grinned and put it back on.
“Computer, activate combat level set-up. Disengage power limiter. Set maximum power capacity” I thought to myself.
A green light blinked at the top left of my vision. Bold, emerald wording appeared in front of me, reading ‘Imperial Combat Operating System Mark 25, Aethyus Variant 6: Vampire”, that filled the entirety of my vision. The letters turned translucent, shrunk themselves and was tucked away into the top left corner of my sight. Appearing as fuzzy patches at first, a heads-up display arranged itself into the appropriate positions. While the system shifted from standard vision to night/infrared vision, a small white arrow appeared at the right. I turned until a small white box marked a location behind a hill just ahead, with distance in a small font. Rifle in my left arm, I signaled to the others, point at the direction of the hill. Our target was just over the hill, and I could taste the anticipation in the air.
Instead of climbing over the small hill, we opted to go around it. As we trekked towards our objective, Athena went over the details of the mission for the third time, but this time over the communication network our armours made. My inbuilt computer blipped, a red box forming around a distant area. I stopped in my tracks, hearing Decius Grendel’s sniper rifle click as the solid carbon-steel bullet fell into the acceleration chamber. A near inaudible hum faded away as the magnetic accelerators powered up, and were then silenced by the stealth mechanisms. Athena raised her hand, instructing him to halt. Curious, I turned back to the target and zoomed in on it. Standing idly, watching the horizon was an entire patrol of at least 45 members, almost impossible to snipe without one escaping.
“Don’t they love large numbers of troops”, I mumbled.
“So what do you think?” Artego replied over the radio.
“We avoid them.” Athena insisted.
I shrugged. Athena pointed towards another direction, instructing us to go around the patrol.
“If we could take them all at once, without them knowing, can we take the old route? I don’t wanna make a detour after walking so long.” Virgo quipped.
“What do you have in mind, Slinky?” Athena answered.
“Nothing much. Doing what I do best.” Virgo suggested.
“If that’s the case, they’re all yours.” Athena agreed.
“That ain’t gonna look good on my resume.” Decius grumbled.
I tried to stifle a snigger.
As her stealth field reactivated, Slinky vanished into the darkness. Even with my night vision and motion sensitive systems, I couldn’t see her, only an occasional movement of the grass that belied her position. It didn’t really make a difference. By the time we noticed the grass, she was already meters away. A few silent seconds followed. Then, in the distance, the patrol simply fell. In rapid succession, the soldiers slumped to the ground. Some had their heads sliced cleanly off their neck, others had a hole where their throat was, and most had a blade slipped in between their ribs. Standing in the middle of it all was a petite girl in stealth armour.
We quickly made our way to the site of the carnage. Virgo was breathing heavily, her eyes still twinkling with killer instinct. I put my hand on her shoulder, and we continued on our path. Once again, my computer blipped, but this time, it wasn’t another patrol. We were close.
“Going into radio silence. Let’s get this done. Athena to Lemmings, you may begin your approach.”
We muted our communications equipment.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Chapter 3.2 : A Little Preparation
War never decides who is right, only who is left. Indeed, many soldiers had died in the battlefield, only to be forgotten. Whenever the media broadcasts the heroic death of some soldier, I wonder how many have perished, fighting to the last man, only to fall into obscurity forever. So many times, I thought if I would become one of these unknown soldiers. I was lucky. I was given a second chance. And I vowed to bestow retribution against the enemy for these forgotten heroes.
The 36th Division was made of such heroes.
By a great stroke of luck, the landship that brought the 36th to its knees had stopped. For what purpose, no one knew. Perhaps it was better that we did not. Seizing the opportunity, High Command had us mobilize with immediate effect. Our mission was nothing out of the ordinary for us: a night-time sabotage mission. Infiltrate, plant bomb, get the hell out, detonate bomb. Given the grave importance of successfully completing the mission, Athena and 4 other members of her choice would be sent. It didn’t surprise me when I was picked, my ability to interface with the many upgrades I could have on my power armour allowed me to take on any role. Given my uncanny ability to carry heavy weapons and use them like light weapons due to the many electro-reactive fibre cords implanted in my armour, I was given the role of a heavy escort. At least, in name I was supposed to be a heavy escort. Really, my job was to carry the Type 6-23 Antimatter charge. It was task of monolithic importance, even for a person my (and my battle suit’s) size.
On the stroke of midnight (local time, that is), we would be inserted several kilometers away from the landship. After planting the anti-matter bomb and getting far enough to escape the massive blast, we would call for a dropship to get us out of the hell of a place it would become. The resultant damage would provide enough cover for us the escape during the chaos. The clock on my suit’s head’s up display showed 6: 00. I sighed. Sliding off my bunk, I mentally readied myself for the challenge ahead. Most of the time, I would tower above everyone else, but now, I felt small. Briskly stepping out as the bunk door slid open, I met Athena in the walkway.
“Ready?” She asked.
“I always am.” I solemnly replied, “Let’s send these bastards to hell with a bang”
As the doors to the armory opened before us, the metallic smell of the many armours, battlesuits and weapons rushed out. At the end of the dimly lit room, was a thick metal door. The door to my battlesuit and its many other components. As I walked towards it, I could hear the harsh, metallic clang of my suit’s heels. The sound reverberated throughout the room, like the sound of massive bells, signaling certain doom to my enemies. I place my hand on the scanner beside the door, but instead of identifying me through my thumbprints, it interfaced with my suit. Sliding open, the doors revealed pieces of a metal giant, a monster of a machine, a harbinger of death. Condensed vapour spewed out like mist, only to make the construct seem even grander. I took a deep breath.
I stepped onto an elevated pad in my battlesuit’s room. A holographic projection materialized from thin air, offering the multiple set-ups that I could choose from. While I particularly favoured the “Retributor” set-up for its mobility and combat capability, but tonight, I could not afford to go in guns blazing. Reluctantly, I scrolled to the “Vampire” set-up. Confirming my choice, metal limbs descended from the ceiling, attaching parts of the battlesuit to my armour. As the last of the limbs moved away from my new towering form, the battlesuit’s power core burst into life. As the stealth features began activating, the dull whirl of the power core faded into silence. Racks slid out of the walls beside me, holding a mind-boggling variety of hand held weaponry. Grabbing a modified (for my size) assault rifle and attaching equipment on its rails, I slowly turned around to face the door.
When I emerged from the room, Athena too had equipped her battlesuit. Heading for the door, the three other selected members entered. One of them was Decius Grendel , head of snipers, and therefore, Ferrain’s mentor in sharpshooting. Keeping his typical, aloof attitude, he ignored everyone except Athena, nodding to her, and continued to don his battlesuit.
Taking the route to the aircraft hangar, I reflected upon my life. Thinking about all the many people in life who had changed my ways, the thought of Athena’s mother flashed in my mind. It could be rightfully said, without her, I would not be standing anywhere. I would be lying on some bed, lying in a ubiquitous hospital ward, doing nothing but wasting away. And no one would have expected that her final gift to me, and the Empire, would have her saving my life again.
The 36th Division was made of such heroes.
By a great stroke of luck, the landship that brought the 36th to its knees had stopped. For what purpose, no one knew. Perhaps it was better that we did not. Seizing the opportunity, High Command had us mobilize with immediate effect. Our mission was nothing out of the ordinary for us: a night-time sabotage mission. Infiltrate, plant bomb, get the hell out, detonate bomb. Given the grave importance of successfully completing the mission, Athena and 4 other members of her choice would be sent. It didn’t surprise me when I was picked, my ability to interface with the many upgrades I could have on my power armour allowed me to take on any role. Given my uncanny ability to carry heavy weapons and use them like light weapons due to the many electro-reactive fibre cords implanted in my armour, I was given the role of a heavy escort. At least, in name I was supposed to be a heavy escort. Really, my job was to carry the Type 6-23 Antimatter charge. It was task of monolithic importance, even for a person my (and my battle suit’s) size.
On the stroke of midnight (local time, that is), we would be inserted several kilometers away from the landship. After planting the anti-matter bomb and getting far enough to escape the massive blast, we would call for a dropship to get us out of the hell of a place it would become. The resultant damage would provide enough cover for us the escape during the chaos. The clock on my suit’s head’s up display showed 6: 00. I sighed. Sliding off my bunk, I mentally readied myself for the challenge ahead. Most of the time, I would tower above everyone else, but now, I felt small. Briskly stepping out as the bunk door slid open, I met Athena in the walkway.
“Ready?” She asked.
“I always am.” I solemnly replied, “Let’s send these bastards to hell with a bang”
As the doors to the armory opened before us, the metallic smell of the many armours, battlesuits and weapons rushed out. At the end of the dimly lit room, was a thick metal door. The door to my battlesuit and its many other components. As I walked towards it, I could hear the harsh, metallic clang of my suit’s heels. The sound reverberated throughout the room, like the sound of massive bells, signaling certain doom to my enemies. I place my hand on the scanner beside the door, but instead of identifying me through my thumbprints, it interfaced with my suit. Sliding open, the doors revealed pieces of a metal giant, a monster of a machine, a harbinger of death. Condensed vapour spewed out like mist, only to make the construct seem even grander. I took a deep breath.
I stepped onto an elevated pad in my battlesuit’s room. A holographic projection materialized from thin air, offering the multiple set-ups that I could choose from. While I particularly favoured the “Retributor” set-up for its mobility and combat capability, but tonight, I could not afford to go in guns blazing. Reluctantly, I scrolled to the “Vampire” set-up. Confirming my choice, metal limbs descended from the ceiling, attaching parts of the battlesuit to my armour. As the last of the limbs moved away from my new towering form, the battlesuit’s power core burst into life. As the stealth features began activating, the dull whirl of the power core faded into silence. Racks slid out of the walls beside me, holding a mind-boggling variety of hand held weaponry. Grabbing a modified (for my size) assault rifle and attaching equipment on its rails, I slowly turned around to face the door.
When I emerged from the room, Athena too had equipped her battlesuit. Heading for the door, the three other selected members entered. One of them was Decius Grendel , head of snipers, and therefore, Ferrain’s mentor in sharpshooting. Keeping his typical, aloof attitude, he ignored everyone except Athena, nodding to her, and continued to don his battlesuit.
Taking the route to the aircraft hangar, I reflected upon my life. Thinking about all the many people in life who had changed my ways, the thought of Athena’s mother flashed in my mind. It could be rightfully said, without her, I would not be standing anywhere. I would be lying on some bed, lying in a ubiquitous hospital ward, doing nothing but wasting away. And no one would have expected that her final gift to me, and the Empire, would have her saving my life again.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Chapter 3.1 : Memories Do Not Come With Delete Buttons
As the crowd from the briefing room emptied into the corridors, the commander pulled me to the side.
“What is it, Athena?” There was a slight tinge of frustration in my voice.
“Did you see Jericho? He wasn’t present.”
“I’m glad you noticed.” I said, sarcastically.
Athena’s brows furrowed. She did not say a word.
Trying to break the silence, I quipped “You want to go for lunch? Don’t tell me you’re on a diet.”
Her eyes lit up and all of a sudden, she gave me a hug. Instinctively, I struggled and she let go. With no one else in the briefing room, the atmosphere became awkward. More silence. Damn.
As we paced down the corridors of the Black Summer, neither a word nor a sound was made. I could not bear the silence, yet I could not bring myself to speak to her, lest I make the situation even more awkward. In the distance, I could hear the chatter from the mess hall.
I heard Athena mumble something. Swiftly, my head turned to her. She looked back and asked me what it was.
“Did you say something?” I asked.
“Do you remember what day this is?” She replied.
I cocked my head to the side, scratching my head. I was careful not to hit the two auditory sensor towers at the sides of my head. As my fingers touched the cold metal of my helmet, I instantly remembered.
Today was the day I met her.
But at the same time, hundreds of other memories came rushing back like a wave, and some I would rather not remember.
I could feel the fragment bore its way into the base of my skull. I could feel the cold metal eviscerate every bit flesh in its way. Then, there was only a cold, numb darkness.
Shaking my head did not make the memory disappear, but it had given me enough time to realize I was standing in the corridor. Athena was waving her hand in front of my faceplate.
“Wake up little boy…”
I pulled my head backwards and took a couple of clumsy steps back. After regaining my balance, I mumbled an apology.
During the time of war, there was no real relaxation for any S.O.C member. We were in a perpetual state of panic; even meals were often wolfed down. Any moment, the alarm could go off, and off we were. It did not matter if we were on the other side of the planet, or system, as long as we were needed, we had to be there.
I sat in the mess hall, Athena in front of me. I stared down at the plate. I felt a hand on my shoulder and someone slid onto the seat beside me. My eyes darted to the left. Ferrain smiled at me. I nodded in reply.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Oh nothing, just saying hi.” Ferrain replied.
Athena suggested Ferrain introduce himself to me. After all, he was going be under my guidance for quite a while.
“Don’t bother. I’ll figure you out myself.” I mumbled.
Athena tapped me on the head with her spoon. My helmet clanged, and the two auditory/radar towers picked it up. I knew that it was a clang, but what I heard was a ear-splitting screech. I covered my ears, although I knew it did no good.
“Hey! That was seriously unnecessary!” I ejaculated.
Athena giggled.
“Never mind. Just let me eat without having to fear a spoon hitting my head.”
Ferrain let out a stifled laugh.
I initiated the shut down sequence for my helmet interface. The connection points around my neck let out a near inaudible hiss, and I lifted the silver helmet off, placing it on the table. I placed a hand at the back of my neck, checking that my neural link was in place.
Jericho slipped past the table. Grabbing his hand, I asked about his absent in the previous briefing.
"Not feeling too good. Was in bunk..." He weakly replied. Slouched, feeble shoulders had taken the place of the confident ones that he often wore. Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded. Athena instructed him to consult the ship's physician, but he brushed it off with a dimissive wave of his hand.
"What's up with him?" I mumbled.
Picking up a potato wedge, I tossed it into my mouth. Just as I was about to swallow, the alarm sounded. I choked.
After coughing up the offending piece of potato, I dusted my hands, picked up my helmet, and scrambled to the briefing room just like everyone else, leaving my lunch almost untouched on the table. I jumped into my seat in the briefing room and put on my helmet. As the entire Special Operations Command gathered into the room, Athena flipped though several print-outs. She was visibly distressed.
“What is it, Athena?” There was a slight tinge of frustration in my voice.
“Did you see Jericho? He wasn’t present.”
“I’m glad you noticed.” I said, sarcastically.
Athena’s brows furrowed. She did not say a word.
Trying to break the silence, I quipped “You want to go for lunch? Don’t tell me you’re on a diet.”
Her eyes lit up and all of a sudden, she gave me a hug. Instinctively, I struggled and she let go. With no one else in the briefing room, the atmosphere became awkward. More silence. Damn.
As we paced down the corridors of the Black Summer, neither a word nor a sound was made. I could not bear the silence, yet I could not bring myself to speak to her, lest I make the situation even more awkward. In the distance, I could hear the chatter from the mess hall.
I heard Athena mumble something. Swiftly, my head turned to her. She looked back and asked me what it was.
“Did you say something?” I asked.
“Do you remember what day this is?” She replied.
I cocked my head to the side, scratching my head. I was careful not to hit the two auditory sensor towers at the sides of my head. As my fingers touched the cold metal of my helmet, I instantly remembered.
Today was the day I met her.
But at the same time, hundreds of other memories came rushing back like a wave, and some I would rather not remember.
I could feel the fragment bore its way into the base of my skull. I could feel the cold metal eviscerate every bit flesh in its way. Then, there was only a cold, numb darkness.
Shaking my head did not make the memory disappear, but it had given me enough time to realize I was standing in the corridor. Athena was waving her hand in front of my faceplate.
“Wake up little boy…”
I pulled my head backwards and took a couple of clumsy steps back. After regaining my balance, I mumbled an apology.
During the time of war, there was no real relaxation for any S.O.C member. We were in a perpetual state of panic; even meals were often wolfed down. Any moment, the alarm could go off, and off we were. It did not matter if we were on the other side of the planet, or system, as long as we were needed, we had to be there.
I sat in the mess hall, Athena in front of me. I stared down at the plate. I felt a hand on my shoulder and someone slid onto the seat beside me. My eyes darted to the left. Ferrain smiled at me. I nodded in reply.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Oh nothing, just saying hi.” Ferrain replied.
Athena suggested Ferrain introduce himself to me. After all, he was going be under my guidance for quite a while.
“Don’t bother. I’ll figure you out myself.” I mumbled.
Athena tapped me on the head with her spoon. My helmet clanged, and the two auditory/radar towers picked it up. I knew that it was a clang, but what I heard was a ear-splitting screech. I covered my ears, although I knew it did no good.
“Hey! That was seriously unnecessary!” I ejaculated.
Athena giggled.
“Never mind. Just let me eat without having to fear a spoon hitting my head.”
Ferrain let out a stifled laugh.
I initiated the shut down sequence for my helmet interface. The connection points around my neck let out a near inaudible hiss, and I lifted the silver helmet off, placing it on the table. I placed a hand at the back of my neck, checking that my neural link was in place.
Jericho slipped past the table. Grabbing his hand, I asked about his absent in the previous briefing.
"Not feeling too good. Was in bunk..." He weakly replied. Slouched, feeble shoulders had taken the place of the confident ones that he often wore. Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded. Athena instructed him to consult the ship's physician, but he brushed it off with a dimissive wave of his hand.
"What's up with him?" I mumbled.
Picking up a potato wedge, I tossed it into my mouth. Just as I was about to swallow, the alarm sounded. I choked.
After coughing up the offending piece of potato, I dusted my hands, picked up my helmet, and scrambled to the briefing room just like everyone else, leaving my lunch almost untouched on the table. I jumped into my seat in the briefing room and put on my helmet. As the entire Special Operations Command gathered into the room, Athena flipped though several print-outs. She was visibly distressed.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Part 2.3 Prove Me Wrong, They Said
Back then, I was just another person. Just another piece of the world that made Sierra VI. Just another teenager who would be join the army ,with his best friend, for his compulsory military training.
Well, that was before that day.
57 days into training, they struck. Bone white battleships emerged into the azure blue skies as swarms of dropships scrambled out of the gargantuan carriers, bringing soldiers and war machines to the fields of battle. And there we were,recruits, running for the armory. To think that the only ones who were proficient at shooting were Jericho and I.
I wonder if they really thought we could had held them back.
Well, that was before that day.
57 days into training, they struck. Bone white battleships emerged into the azure blue skies as swarms of dropships scrambled out of the gargantuan carriers, bringing soldiers and war machines to the fields of battle. And there we were,recruits, running for the armory. To think that the only ones who were proficient at shooting were Jericho and I.
I wonder if they really thought we could had held them back.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Part 2.2 : Maybe God Does Play Dice
"Now, the bad news, " the commander continued.
A deadly silence swept across the room. I heard someone swallow.
"At 0320 , Standard Imperial Time, the 36th Division was ambushed."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Our resident wisecrack, Airman Sherman Wisely exclaimed " Oh no! Special Ops. Command has to bail out another division's ass! What shall we do!"
The room broke into laughter. Except for the commander, Ferrain and I. After the commotion died down, the commander solemnly announced. " The 36th was ...completely decimated."
Once again that silence conquered the room. The commander activated the projector systems. A grainy photograph of a mass of units showed itself on the screen. Following that, the image began to focus. I realised it was a video feed.
"This is the video feed from Observation Drone 734-G. It has been following the enemy force for 6 hours."
After a few more attempts the focus, I made out one of the units on the screen. It was a massive ship-like object. I raised my hand and inquired about the scale of the video feed. The commander flicked a switch and a scale appeared at the side.
I mumbled two words. Holy Crap.
The commander turned towards me.
I cleared my throat. Weakly, I tried to stand up.
"Commander... That is...."
Everyone stared at me.
"....It is a....landship."
Awkward glances were fired at me. I fell back into my seat. Whispers were heard across the room.
One of the Shock Troopers asserted " No. It is impossible."
I replied " Prove me wrong."
That phrase was the very reason why I was still alive.
A deadly silence swept across the room. I heard someone swallow.
"At 0320 , Standard Imperial Time, the 36th Division was ambushed."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Our resident wisecrack, Airman Sherman Wisely exclaimed " Oh no! Special Ops. Command has to bail out another division's ass! What shall we do!"
The room broke into laughter. Except for the commander, Ferrain and I. After the commotion died down, the commander solemnly announced. " The 36th was ...completely decimated."
Once again that silence conquered the room. The commander activated the projector systems. A grainy photograph of a mass of units showed itself on the screen. Following that, the image began to focus. I realised it was a video feed.
"This is the video feed from Observation Drone 734-G. It has been following the enemy force for 6 hours."
After a few more attempts the focus, I made out one of the units on the screen. It was a massive ship-like object. I raised my hand and inquired about the scale of the video feed. The commander flicked a switch and a scale appeared at the side.
I mumbled two words. Holy Crap.
The commander turned towards me.
I cleared my throat. Weakly, I tried to stand up.
"Commander... That is...."
Everyone stared at me.
"....It is a....landship."
Awkward glances were fired at me. I fell back into my seat. Whispers were heard across the room.
One of the Shock Troopers asserted " No. It is impossible."
I replied " Prove me wrong."
That phrase was the very reason why I was still alive.
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