by Troy Dukart
Once we parked inside the giant garage, we stepped out and went to our quarters to rest. It would take about eight hours to cross the ocean and recon at our oversea base. Tired from the travel and workload, I took off the armor and tried to rest before all hell broke loose. Brutus laid next to me as I went to sleep.
This dream I had was different than the ones I had before. It was very peaceful and calming. I remember standing on a huge rock formation in the middle of a bunch of waterfalls. Brutus stood next to me. There were multi-colored flowers and grass everywhere and the sky was almond orange. Misty water fogged the view looking off the rock's ledge but otherwise it was very clear. As I looked around, one flower in particular caught my attention, a black and pink rose. We walked over to get a closer look.
The colors seemed to be fighting one another for supremacy, as one color would try to fill more of the rose than the other. When I went to touch it, the colors began to dance wildly almost as if they were panicking. Then there was an explosion of pedals and I fell on my back.
I pushed up with my hand and saw a person standing in front of me. They were dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and white pants. They were facing away from me, but holding something clutched in their right hand. Brutus snarled for a moment, but then raised his ears and let down his guard. “Zixin?” I said.
The person flinched. They began to turn around very slowly and took off their hood.
It was my brother.
I noticed he had a scar over one of his eyes and was wearing an eye-patch.
“I don't smell Barzakh Strafe. You don't have to worry,” Brutus explained.
He opened his hand and I saw a necklace that looked like mine. “Thanks for bringing this to me,” he said, “I can't say how grateful I am for it.”
“Zixin,” I sighed in relief.
This was the first time the dream wasn't tainted with Barzakh's presence. He looked and sounded like me. This had been the first time I could recall talking to my brother since childhood. He was beautiful.
“That's right brother. I don't have much time here, but I needed to talk to you. The last battle you had against Barzakh weakened him enough for me to do this. Thank you so much,” Zixin told me.
I ran up to try to hug him but as I did, I fell right through him, like he was a ghost. Turning around, he smiled and rested his arm on my shoulder, “I am only here in spirit, not in the flesh. Unfortunately, he still has control over that. I won't be able to do anything other than visit you here until he is gone.”
“Brother, how can I help you? How can I free you?” I asked him.
Zixin looked out into the waterfalls and smiled, he then looked back at me and said, “Just be yourself, and you will do just fine.”
“What? What does that mean? I need more than that,” I pressed.
“What I can say is that once you give me back what's mine, that's all I'll need. I'll be able to help you fight after that's done,” Zixin told me.
“Give what back!? Your heart?” I asked.
“Whatever you wish Strafe. I will come back to you. Nice to see you too Brutus. I'll see you both soon,” Zixin answered.
We came together and he gave us a hug and turned around. He walked toward the ledge and held both of his arms out. Before he jumped off, he looked back at me and smiled again. Then, gracefully he jumped off the cliff into the swirling whirlpool below.
I ran over to the edge. He didn't seem like he was falling, but rather flying through the air. Twirling around before he hit the water, he looked up at me one last time and gave me a thumbs-up. As he hit the water, all of the waterfalls seemingly exploded and began spraying toward us like tidal waves. Before I knew it, a huge splash cascaded on the rock. I grabbed Brutus and got down on my knees and braced myself for the impact. As the water hit us, I woke up gasping for air.
One of the Aeromen had knocked on my door, “Sir, the Senti have betrayed their fellow ally Shinjo! We have been assigned to aid against the invasion!”
“What the hell? Why there?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes.
“We don't know yet sir exactly why but it seems it has to do with something the Federation discovered a while back in Shinjo. Leadership is making it a top priority to stop them there and deal with the rest of them in Sentium if necessary,” the Aeromen informed me before he left.
The sun looked beautiful on the open water as we headed west. From how Zon described it, Shinjo sounded a lot like Japan. I had always wanted to go Tokyo. Everything from their history, architecture and comic books fascinated me. This world, Eternia, really felt like a reflection of Earth the more I was here. We had our differences sure, but we all dealt with the same problems. We all wanted war to go away and live in peace.
After eating, I headed to the officers table and sat down to discuss what exactly was going on. The room seemed tense. “Gentlemen,” I saluted.
“Lieutenant, take a seat,” recently promoted Major Ghennon told me.
“What is the plan now sir?” I asked them.
“ROOM Tench-HUT!!!” somebody yelled. We all jumped up to attention and in came the Sky-Fleet Commander, General Cockrell.
“At ease,” we all sat down, “Obviously, attacking the Senti in their home country would've greatly weakened them, but it seems they have sent most of their fleet to Shinjo in order to unlock some kind of gateway to the heavens. They are showing desperation by deserting their country. We are to stop them there before making any attempt to invade Sentium.”
“One of your comrades is a Shinjin national, am I correct?” Major Ghennon asked me.
“Yes sir, but he is part of the resistance. He's a Whisper Warrior. What I'm worried about is all those people and what the Slates could do to them,” I expressed.
“Unfortunately, the reports do not look good. Entire cities and villages have been wiped out. The plan is to make it to their capital city, Naryo, and repel their forces away from the gate they are seeking. We land there in five hours. Report back then,” General Cockrell instructed.
“Yes sir,” we all replied before heading back to our quarters.
I meditated for the rest of the flight while Brutus slept next to me. We were both trying to relax and heal our bodies for the battles ahead. I could see Roya's aura approaching, maybe she was contacted to help? Rousseau's aura was farther away but I could sense his approaching as well. It really was too bad Zon wouldn't allow us to connect with him, but I knew in my heart that he was still okay.
After we landed at our base in the southeast General Cockrell instructed President Lincovelt's plan. We would be led by the Distant Ventium north up towards the capital and strike at their underbelly. The Senti were heavily bunkered down there.
Lieutenant Brutus would be joining me on the battlefield. Major Ghennon put me in charge of the small flight of twenty Aeromen. General Cockrell had told us that the Senti had taken control of Naryo and now looked to create a bastion there. Fighting didn't last long between the Shinjins and Senti it appeared. The Senti were too heavily armed, on top of having Slate power to rely on.
As we rode north over the country, I got to see for myself the milieu. Mountains dominated the landscape and whatever land they had was populated with dense cities, just like Japan. Unfortunately, most of the places we saw had been destroyed or heavily damaged, with many bodies lying on the ground. Women, children and the elderly weren't spared.
We traveled for a couple hundred miles before we were close to the capital. We could see the explosions and firefighting erupting all over the place. We got word from one of the joint-forces Commanders that the Yuwherians would be joining us in this battle, along with another country, the Dennarians. It'd appeared that Rousseau had reclaimed the throne and had allied with us.
We pushed onward with this news. The Yuwherians would attack from the west, the Dennarians from the north and us from the south. We weren't worried about them retreating east because there was only ocean for thousands of miles that way. General Cockrell gave the command for a full ass
ault and all of the Mag-Ships were sent toward Naryo. As we embarked in our small Mag-Ship, cannon and gun fire from the Distant Ventium shot toward targets. Multi-colored phosphorus surrounded the gun fire and lit the night sky in a rainbow of colors.
I flew us as low to the ground as we could in order to avoid the cannon fire. Hundreds of ships flew alongside us as we advanced. Naryo's famous skyscrapers had taken a huge beating and some began to crumble. The closer we got, I noticed something ominous in the shadows of the skyscrapers. “The hell is that?!” one of the Aeromen pointed out.
We saw a huge humanoid silhouette walking between the buildings. After some smoke cleared briefly, we noticed what could only be described as a Titan. “Holy shit! That thing is fucken huge!!!” one Aeromen yelled.
Made of blue and white crystal, this Slate was the biggest I'd ever seen. Fifteen-stories tall, it had razor sharp claws and teeth. The face looked more human-like than most Slates but its eyes were pure black. “Shoot that thing down!” I commanded my gunners.
“Sure thing sir,” the Sergeant replied, “Alpha squad, concentrate fire on the target.”
Around twenty other Mag-Ships followed us toward this massive Slate. Giant swings of its arms were slicing buildings in half and it crushed anything it stepped on. Besides that, enemy Senti Mag-Ships accompanied it in battling with the local Shinjin forces.
We began to open fire on the Titan Slate as its back was turned. When our armament hit the Slate, it was merely startled and began to find cover behind some buildings. “Yeah, we got his ass on the run!” another Aeroman chimed in.
Alpha squad followed the Titan down the street before it made a quick cut and disappeared between buildings. A small group of Senti Mag-Ship engaged us but we outnumbered them by so much we took them out easily. After the last ship was downed, it was too quiet. “Where is that bastard?” I said.
Before we could blink a giant hand took a swing at our squad from behind a skyscraper. I managed to pull out of the way at the last second, but some others were not so lucky. Five ships were smacked down.
“Holy cow!” my Sergeant said, “That thing just took out a fourth of our squad with one swipe!”
“Call the Distant Ventium! We can't take that thing down ourselves!” I told him.
“Right!” he replied.
We circled the city and avoided the swipes from the Titan Slate long enough to let the Distant Ventium zero in on it. General Cockrell commanded us to bring it into clear view and he would shoot a mega-cannon shot through it. When I was asked how powerful that was, I was told it had the power to blow up mountains.
Carefully, we maneuvered through the city and kept firing on the Titan Slate enough to keep him close to us. Half of the squad became engaged with the Senti which left only seven of us to get this thing in the open. One of the ships blasted it in the left eye with a missile and it seemed to really piss that thing off. It began swinging its arm violently and screeching loudly as it held its other arm over its face. All of this motion made it easy for the Distant Ventium to locate it, and we kept luring it out from the safety of the skyscrapers.
The Titan Slate began running toward us as fast as it could and we had a hard time out maneuvering it. We would cut between buildings and fly higher than it could reach but we needed to bring it out in the open. We had to stay low enough that it would think it could get us.
We made it about half a mile away from the skyscrapers when we got the message the Distant Ventium was about to fire the mega-cannon and to get out of the way. Our squad began to steer away but three of them got caught with a swipe from the Titan's claw. We kept moving forward as the Titan stayed on our heels, determined to destroy us all. I steered port-side when a large blue blast exploded from the distance and flew right past us. The bullet from the cannon hit the Titan in the chest and shot right through the creature, leaving a whole the size of a large house through it. The blast was so powerful it sent the creature into the air before it landed on its back and shattered into a million pieces. “Yeaaaaaaahhhh!!!!” we all cheered.
For the rest of the night, the Dennarians and Yuwherians worked with us to push the Senti northeast out of the city. The following morning we would engage them on the battlefield.
Chapter 25
Strafe
Casualties were mounting on both fronts. We lost more troops reclaiming the city than they did. They outnumbered us almost three-to-one, including their Slate army. The only reason we were able to do so is because our Commanders believed that taking Naryo was never the Senti's true objective. They were looking for something.
The Dennarians had taken the greatest casualties, so they decided to stay behind and hold Naryo. They agreed to help take care of the Shinjin's as well as any wounded we might send their way. Our Commanders held talks with Rousseau, whom they called Prince Aeileo, and agreed to follow the Senti with extreme prejudice. Rousseau was the Supreme Commander of Yuwherian forces in this conflict.
We wanted to stop the Senti before they got what they were after. Keeping up with them was difficult; most of our scouts were being found and killed. We were able to see that they were heading north toward the ancient town of Miega, Zon's home village.
With our entire armada, and the Yuwherians backing us up, we pushed forward. Zon had told me that it had been a sacred site for his people for thousands of years. That was where he grew up and where he trained. If he was there, I knew he would die fighting in order to protect it.
We arrived at dusk. There was a huge open plain and mountains in the background. On the top of the mountain we could see a small tip of the Miega Castle sticking out, only because it was lit by smoke and fire. It was said his village had stayed a secret from the general populous for hundreds of years due to its isolation. The Senti could've flown in from above, but there wouldn't be enough space to fit all of their troops. They would've needed to control the entrance near the bottom of the mountain to secure the site. Oddly, there were no enemies in sight.
“Orders are in from the Commanders, we are to mount a ground assault with air support and capture this mountain. Lieutenant Rocknus, take your forces on foot toward the entry point,” Major Ghennon told me over the intercom.
“You heard the man! Let's roll out!” I ordered my troops.
“Right!!!” they replied.
I landed our Mag-Ship and we assembled on the ground. Dozens of battalions joined us, both Sorian and Yuwherian forces. Off in the distance, one of the Aeroman noticed a small group of people approaching from the south on large DarkClouds.
“DarkClouds eh?” Brutus commented.
Holding the God Blade up to eye level, I magnified in on the riders. The one leading them had a pink scarf draped over their head and face and wore desert glasses. Some of our troops went to investigate.
“Where are these nomads from sir?” one Aeroman asked.
“I don't know,” I shook my head.
After a few minutes, our soldiers returned to our line and one came up to our flight. He asked, “Which one of you is Strafe Rocknus?”
“That would be me,” I informed him.
“Sir, these people say they are from the Dream Islands, sent by Lady Roya to help us. They wish to speak with you,” the soldier told me.
“Alright, let's go speak with them,” I decided.
One soldier, a seaman and two Aeromen accompanied me over to the nomads. Brutus let me ride on his back over to the group. They wore long, worn and battered, almond colored robes. The DarkClouds were tremendously well behaved, as they made no noise even as Brutus approached. When we made it to them, I stood in front of the one with the pink scarf over their head and said, “Roya sent you, is she okay?”
They nodded their head and replied, “Yes, Strafe. She is fine. Roya would not miss the chance to help an old friend, one last time.”
That voice sounded so familiar, as I looked closer at the person, “Roya…Is that you?”
Slowly and carefully, the person unraveled the scarf to revel t
hemselves. It was indeed Roya. We gave each other a big hug; I hadn't seen her in months. I was glad to see her okay.
“I see the Yuwherian military; is Rousseau here too?” Roya asked.
“Yes. He's going by Prince Aeileo now, so I'm not sure if he'll be on the ground with the rest of us grunts, hahaha!” I joked.
“You know Strafe, today is my day of birth. My only wish is for us to end this, once and for all,” she told me.
Before I could speak another word, members of the Royal Guard of Yuwheria stood behind us, led by Argenta. Etched onto each of their pieces of beautiful shinning red and blue armor were white violets, signifying the house of Marmahere. In the middle of them on a gallant armored horse sat Rousseau. He wore the Prince's crown of his people and was draped in a red and blue cape with white and brown fur on the shoulders. The Royal Guard parted the way for him and he approached.
“Princes don't get respect by eating donuts while their people fight and die for them on the battlefield thousands of miles away, Lieutenant Rocknus,” Rousseau sarcastically joked, “They do it by eating donuts after the battle is won with their people!”
Making us laugh was a specialty of Rousseau's, and one that was welcomed in times like these. We all hugged again and looked toward the mountain.
“If you're not king, that must mean your mom made it out safe?” I concluded, he nodded, “Cause if you were king you would definitely have a chicken wing in your hand!”
“You'll have to tell me how you got back the crown after we take that mountain,” Roya told him.
With a small grin, he looked back and said, “It didn't come without cost, is all I will say for now. What I will say is I found my faith again; the question is Strafe, have you?”
“Hmm,” I grunted, “If we win this battle, maybe we can have that conversation.”
Now all we needed to know was where Zon could be. Unfortunately, we couldn't tap into his aura and locate him. Knowing how prideful he was about his country, I knew he'd be here. Off in the distance, near the hole in the mountain, we could see something coming out of it. When I zoomed in, I saw Shinjins. Their armor and clothes looked shredded and many of them were bloody.
