A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  "Sir Belford. Welcome. I trust you have been briefed on what is happening" the Colonel stated as the two officers met and saluted one another.

  "Colonel. I have only a brief picture of it. I do not even know why I am here to be honest. Army is not my thing" Niall stated and looked around at the dozen Army personnel and the few vehicles they were responsible for. Niall looked back to the Colonel and noticed a sour look on his face. Niall just quirked a brow.

  "Well, I guess I will fill you in as you were not present in the headquarters. The meeting was only a small affair really. I called in myself. Princess Phidel has assigned you as the overseeing commander for the advisor and the operation to clean up the rebels. You will have full authority over the operation. However, tactical and strategical command will fall to myself, and this, Captain Razmus. You are to serve as a, shall I say intermediary. I believe the Princesses true motive is to have you versed in the ways of the Army, to broaden your experiences" Godeslas stated and Niall raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Army officer.

  "Right. If that is it then I suppose I will manage. I will speak directly to Princess Phidel later to ascertain that" Niall stated and rolled his jaw, wondering just what Phidel was getting at. Surely experience of this manner would not serve him. Hearing a gentle hum Niall turned his gaze to the sky and saw three large gunships approaching the helipad.

  "That will be them" Niall stated and strode forward, Godeslas on his left. The gunships touched down and around two dozen personnel exited from each of the craft. A single man strode towards them, a red beret of the special forces on his head and Niall frowned as he looked at the man's uniform and name badge. This was Razmus. Niall had read nothing that said the man was special forces. Niall stepped forward and saluted the man before dropping his hand and offering it for a handshake.

  "I am Commander Belford, Knight to Princess Phidel. This is Colonel Godeslas" Niall shouted over the thrum of the gunships as they powered down even as crews ran forward to refuel them. Niall surmised they were not staying long.

  "Captain Razmus. Third Company, Seventh Special Forces Regiment, attached to General Harriet of the Tenth Army" Razmus shouted back, completely formal. His voice did not sound native Gestonian though and Niall frowned as the man shook his hand before greeting Godeslas. After greeting's were over Godeslas motioned for them all to move towards the vehicles. The gunships finally powered down and Niall swore everything was deathly quiet for a few moments before shouts sounded from the Captain's men as they sorted themselves out.

  "Captain, I was not expecting you to bring soldiers with you. We have made no arrangements for them. I will have to bunk them down in a hangar for the night I am afraid" Godeslas stated and Niall turned his gaze on Razmus as he heard a snort.

  "Colonel. My men have been sleeping in mud for weeks. A concrete floor with a roof over their head is like being in heaven" the man stated and Niall frowned at the thick accent. After a moment he recognized it. It was an accent commonly found in the far east of the Kratsch Empire. A part that had been in Imperial hands for over a decade.

  "I will be frank gentlemen. I do not intend to stay more than a week. I will find these rebel's or guerilla's and wipe them out. It is urgent that I return to the front as soon as possible. So, we go to your command Centre, you give me all the intelligence you have, then we depart. My Gunships will take my men and I there" the Captain stated and took on an almost bored expression.

  Niall scowled and exchanged a quick look with Godeslas. Looking at the Colonel's face, Niall surmised he didn't like this cocky Captain either.

  "Captain, follow me then. I will brief you fully and tell you my full expectations as the ranking Army officer here" Godeslas stated and turned away. He stepped into one of his own waiting cars leaving a bemused Niall behind. He looked at the Captain and saw the man staring at Godeslas, an impassive look on his face. Niall guessed the man didn't like having rank pulled over him. He wondered just how General Harriet handled the man.

  "Captain Razmus, if you would follow me, I have a vehicle waiting" Niall stated and gestured to his car, Rella and his driver waiting patiently, both of whom stood by the car, their hands on open doors. Razmus kept that impassive look on his face as he stepped into the waiting vehicle, Niall getting in shortly after. Both Rella and the driver closed the doors of the officers before taking their own seats.

  After a few moments of silence, the vehicle shuddered and started up. Niall turned his head and peered out the window of the vehicle, quite interested in his surrounding's, what with never actually having been on this base previously. As his driver followed the car that Godeslas had gotten into Niall surveyed the buildings that they drove past. Many were basic affairs, concrete structures built rather quickly, surrounded by tents and portable structures. By all accounts it looked like a make shift and readily dismantlable camp, not a dedicated army base. He would have to ask Godeslas some questions about it one time.

  Feeling the car start to slow, Niall turned his gaze back to the front and peered between the front seats, catching sight of Godeslas' car. It had stopped before a building and the Colonel could be seen getting out of the passenger side.

  As his own car came to a halt, Niall undid his seatbelt and opened the door, barely waiting for the engine to be shut off. Razmus and Rella exited too and made their way to Godeslas who gestured for them to follow him into a demountable a few meters from the vehicles, two armed soldiers standing outside the entrance.

  Waiting for everyone else to enter before him, Niall kept his eyes on Razmus, still not liking the Kratsch soldier. He was almost wary of the man. There had been many Kratsch that defected to the Empire during the early days of the war, and then even more after the Kratsch Government had joined the Federation. Niall surmised Razmus was one of the latter, considering his lack of military record for the Empire. Shaking his head, Niall stepped in after the group and came to a table set in the middle of a large room, several computers and instruments on desks surrounding it. At those desks and devices were several soldiers, all looking like communications personnel. This was most likely the center of Godeslas's command. As Godeslas, Razmus and Niall took up positions around the table, Rella stood back against one of the walls, keeping eyes on Niall. He felt her eyes burrowing into him and he shivered a little.

  "So, Captain Razmus, are you familiar with the landscape of Seirei?" Godeslas asked of Razmus, his hand sweeping out over the table, which had a large detailed map of the country and surrounding areas splayed out upon its surface.

  "No, I do not. I have fought mainly in the east Kratsch under General Harriet. That landscape is mostly forests and open plains. The new front on the Sierei peninsula is my first foray into this part of the Federation" Razmus stated, his posture stiff and his hands gripped behind his back. Godeslas just nodded and gestured at the north facing part of the map.

  "That is to be expected. We haven't been here long ourselves, so much of what we face now is new. Now, if you were briefed by General Harriet you would have been told that there are currently guerilla fighters operating out of the Altai mountains. No one in my command is familiar with guerilla fighting. Our experience lies in amphibious assaults. That is why we asked for an advisor in guerilla tactics. Though we were not expecting you to bring your own soldiers" Godeslas stated, his gaze locked on the Captain the whole time. Razmus did not squirm at all under the gaze and instead shifted a hand and tapped a finger on the map, in particularly the Altai mountain range that ran along the north coast.

  "Not many officers are versed in guerilla warfare. Especially when most battles are fought and won in the skies" Razmus stated and flicked his eyes briefly over to Niall. The Royal Knight just snorted and stayed silent as Razmus started to speak once more.

  "I brought my own soldiers so that I could wrap this up quickly and head back to the front where I am needed. I only wish to spend the absolute necessary amount of time here" Razmus stated and cast his gaze over the map once more.

  "Do you kn
ow where these insurgents last location was? And where the most recent attacks have been located?" Razmus asked, a hand going up to rub over his chin as he seemed to be thinking. Godeslas rolled his jaw somewhat, a look of irritation on his face before he pointed out a few locations on the map, all in an area to the south west of the Altai mountains.

  "In the last month they have attacked a half dozen targets. Small outposts along the south of the mountain range, as well as some small supply depots. There have also been sporadic attacks on the coast north of the mountain range, leading me to believe there are multiple groups of guerilla’s operating throughout the entire Altai mountain range" Godeslas stated and withdrew his hand from the map. He looked expectantly at Razmus then and raised a brow. Razmus stayed silent, just looking at the area's that had been pointed out. Then he suddenly jabbed a finger into the map, roughly into the center of the indicated locations.

  "Then I will scout here. Guerilla's rarely move more than a few days travel from their base of operations, and there is a river here. They may use it to transport themselves easily and quickly. I will take my men there during the early hours of the morning and see what I find. Is there only one group of insurgents south of the mountains or multiple?" Razmus asked and looked up once more.

  "I suspect there are multiple groups south of the range. It has been reported that small groups of guerillas’ have been seen crossing the mountains, so it is quite likely" Godeslas stated and Niall scoffed a little as he watched Razmus scowl.

  Captain, I trust that is all the information you need. I will arrange for the written information to be brought to you. And, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. If we have it, we can offer it to assist you and your men" Niall interjected and felt a rush of glee as Razmus shot a dirty look at the Knight.

  "Yes. That is all I need. I will go back to my men and prepare them for what lies ahead then" Razmus stated rather stiffly and then lifted a hand to his forehead for a salute before turning on his heel and striding out of the demountable. Niall and Godeslas just watched the man go silently. After a moment Godeslas sighed.

  "Krats are always hard to deal with. They go on about the motherland and its power, yet don't seem to realize that they lost the war" Godeslas stated and shook his head, a twitch of a smile on his face.

  "Well, the Princess always says Krats are like a bad rash. They just keep coming back no matter how many times you get rid of them" Niall stated and chuckled as Godeslas let out a short bark of laughter.

  Chapter 19

  * * *

  Tap. Tap. Tap. Sain's eyelids fluttered in time with the sound, each tap of that pen on the desk causing him to stir in his sleep, or his dream. He wasn't sure any more. Everything seemed surreal. Nightmares were so common these days he was lost between dream, memory and reality and he confused them quite frequently. But this one was different.

  Sain opened his eyes in the dream and he stared at the figure before him. The man sitting behind a desk and staring at Sain as he tapped that pen on his desk. Sain looked back, his dream vision blurred, the colors around him faded and hard to distinguish. But that man’s face was vivid, almost like he was standing right before Sain when he was in a fully conscious state.

  "I do not think we are alone" came the man’s voice, loud and stark in the dream. In the memory. Sain let out a low groan and struggled, feeling bindings on his hands and legs. He was strapped down again. Like always.

  "I think there is another person here, another personality if you will. Would you let me speak with him, or it?" the man asked of Sain, almost pleasantly, his words seemingly bouncing off the walls of the dream chamber and echoing slightly.

  "No. Don't. Please" Sain spoke, his words sounding thin and strained. He sounded like a wounded and broken man. A suffering and tortured man. The weakness of his voice surprised him, and he stared at the man, a feeling of terror welling up inside him.

  "I can't. Please don't" Sain whispered, his eyes wide with fear. The man scowled in a somewhat familiar way and then stood up. He walked around his desk quite quickly, the blurry swish of a white coat leaving a stark after image.

  "Perhaps I should not ask then. Perhaps I should demand, just like those other times" the man mused as he came to stand before Sain, that pen now upside down in the man’s grip. Sain felt a wash of terror once more and he whimpered. Not this man. Please no. Not again.

  "Whoever you are, speak to me, or I will break the boys mind instead of his body" the white robed man stated right before he slammed that pen downwards and stabbed it into Sain’s left thigh. He shrieked as the pain flashed through him.

  "Leave the boy alone" came Sain's voice, suddenly firm and belying anger. But Sain did not speak. It was his voice, but not his words. He had no control. Sain stared, his eyes wide as he felt his lips move, not of his own wish or desire. But of someone else's.

  "Leave the boy alone" the voice came again, sharp and demanding. The man just smiled as he stood near Sain, stooped over, his hand still wrapped around that pen embedded in the youth's flesh.

  "There, that wasn't so hard. I have questions for you now" the man stated, his face mere centimeters from Sain’s own face.

  "Go fuck yourself" came that voice from Sain, thick with anger and hate. Sain felt a rush of fear cascade over him, and a yet hint of smug satisfaction lay under that fear. The man's face contorted with rage and he yanked that pen out of Sain’s thigh and then slammed it down again, and again, and again. Sain just screamed as the pain tore through his lower body.

  Sain snapped his eyes open and stared at the white ceiling, his heart beating hard in his chest. His hands were bunched in the white sheets and he gasped for breath. He felt cold and clammy, as if he was drenched in sweat. He looked around himself sharply and saw he was in a room. A hospital ward filled with other patients and nurses. There were windows and a soft light permeated the room, lighting it up with a soft glow. The ward seemed peaceful and the murmur of voices could be heard at the edges of his hearing. He let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes briefly. It really was just a dream. It was getting so hard to distinguish his reality until the moment he woke up. All his dreams felt so real.

  "Not a dream. A memory" a voice spoke in his mind and he jolted in surprise at the voice.

  "What?" he asked himself out loud and sat up in his bed, waiting for an answer. None came, but instead a different voice spoke.

  "Huh, oh Sain, you are awake" came a voice from Sain's right and he turned to look at the source. He saw Lesha there and blinked in surprise as she sat in a chair, a book in her hands. She placed a bookmark between the pages and closed it, placing it on the bedside table. Sain just looked her over, noting her simple hairstyle and plain clothes. She was so pretty. Sain blinked again and shuddered a little before laying back down on the bed. He felt a slight pain in the back of his head and lifted his right hand to touch it, feeling bandages.

  "Hey, don't touch" Lesha stated and reached forward and plucked the youths hand away from his head, a frown on her face.

  "Oh. Ah, sorry" Sain stated and locked his gaze on her face again, He stared a little and saw a look of discomfort come over the woman’s face. He frowned.

  "How long have I been out?" Sain asked and looked away from her, looking out over the other people in the ward. He could only see a few people, and he recognized none of them.

  "Just about a day and a half. Not long" Lesha stated and shrugged as she leant forward and started rifling through a bag at her feet.

  "Would you like something to eat?" she asked and Sain nodded. Lesha smiled and pulled out a banana which she started to peel before handing to him. Sain took it gratefully and started eating slowly, feeling a gnawing hunger in his belly.

  "So, what happened. On the mission I mean?" Sain asked, his gaze flitting to Lesha occasionally, but he tried to look away, a little embarrassed she was here with him. He felt they had become good friends over the last few weeks but was still somewhat unsure about her near constant presence.


  "Well, it's a bit of a long story so I’ll give you the short version instead" Lesha stated as she leant back in her chair and cast a look around the ward, keeping her voice low.

  "All objectives were completed. Quite in part to your efforts I believe. The body cameras showed quite a bit" Lesha stated, her eyes coming back to settle on Sain.

  "After that, everyone was extracted. Rana's reinforcements arrived to find him dead. End of story" Lesha stated and Sain frowned at the severe lack of detail.

  "What about the others. What happened to Luto, Roland and the others" Sain asked, feeling like a lead weight had settled in his belly. He sat there, half a banana in his hand as he waited for Lesha to answer. She looked thoughtful for a moment, a small frown on her face.

  "Well, I suppose you will find out soon enough. Luto lost his right leg and arm. He will be medically discharged. Roland is fine, but one of your other squad mates is in a coma. Havas I believe. Had a hard knock to the head. Just like you" Lesha stated and Sain felt like he had a bucket of ice water tipped over him.