I’ve been around many dangerous men, many thieves, murders, and rapists. They all had the same type of vibe to them. A vibe that made my hair stand up on end and sent chills down my spine. After spending enough time around the bad, you can sense them, and Jerry wasn’t one of them. I needed this…a friend with similar trauma. I shook his hand and grin.
“What you two doing in here? We going to eat or what?” Gary said, peeking into the room. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest and we started cooking. I cooked some tender ribs that fell off the bone along with heating up the mac and cheese. Jerry cook some of the best-baked beans I ever tasted with some steam collard green. The entire company was in soul food heaven at the moment. I sat next to Alicia, who was eating my ribs with gleeful joy.
“Like-Like it?” I said.
“It’s delicious,” Alicia said, with some barbecue sauce at the side of her lip.
“You got something here,” I said, motioning. Her face blushed, and she turned away from me.
“Is it gone?”
“Yeah, you got it.”
“I probably look like a slob.”
“You probably still be the prettiest thing in the room,” I said, absentmindedly. My heart stopped, and I realized how that sounded. Alicia’s smile grew so wide that I could see every tooth in her mouth. I wondered if that was too far too soon. She scooted closer to me. I noticed many within the company already forming pairings. It was against protocol to court in the military, but many human desires were forgiven in the field. The restaurant left a lot to desire for private places, so many would have to remain PG unless they were brazen.
I noticed Jen and Darryl together. Both of them were smart and difficult to please. Then there was Rolland, and Maria seemed to giggled a bit. Jerry, Gary, and Justin seem to take comfort in their squadmates. That just left Alicia and me.
I didn’t know how to court a woman. The only women I’ve been with were breeders. They were women ripped of all that made them unique and left only enough to satisfy a man and breed children. My mind raced back to a special girl who I abandoned to that fate. I was weak then, but who to say I’m not still that weak? I can’t risk it. I don’t ever want to hurt Alicia. Her friendship was so precious to me. It got me through all my training and procedurals, but I could tell she wanted more. I couldn’t do it.
“Well, I’ll talk to you later,” I said, rising to my feet and walking away from her. I could feel her disappointment as I exited the room, not before being stopped. It was from Justin.
“Commander, you seem to notice anything strange about these rebels?” He asked. I looked toward Jerry, and he was too busy entertaining a female on his squad. I couldn’t get a read on this Justin character. He seemed to have a very anti-king feeling, which isn’t treasonous, but on a battlefield against rebels is dangerous. I played it safe.
“No, not yet.” I lied. These men were gangsters. Jerry and I knew that for sure. They were gangs with guns, though, which made me wonder where they acquired them from. Gunsmithing is forbidden knowledge. Only licensed professionals have the information of gunsmithing. gangs have no way to legally obtain weapons, and if they did, the military would come down on them hard. No gang wanted that heat. I needed more information about the enemies in this abandoned city and about Justin. Justin looked displeased with my answer. Then put on that fake playful expression.
“Oh, all right, sir. Just wanted to know.” As he walked away, I noticed a hateful glare at Jerry, and Jerry paying attention to him at the corner of his eye.
What was their problem?
Entry 7
Phoenician Date: September 17, 1026AR
Military Time: 09:24
Phoenician Classified World: Alexandria Prime
I had made sure my forces were in every direction of the rebel base. With Jerry next to me, my squad and I observed the area from the rooftop. The building stood about eighty feet tall and allowed a bird-eye view over the school building. I was sure the fighting forces here were gangsters, not rebels, but I needed proof. With evidence, I could inform my general, and he would stop wasting time on this area. The gangster army were holed up in a school building fortified with defensive platforms. I was shocked that none of my companies reported being discovered. They were getting good.
“Hey Blu, I mean Commander,” Jerry said.
“What is it, marine?”
“These are definitely gangsters. These aren’t rebels, well, I mean not the rebels we were briefed on. What are they called again?”
“The Freedom Fighters. They are fighting against the king’s tyranny. They wear red, blue and white. Most of these gangsters wear black and blue.”
“You see, that doesn’t make sense. We aren’t enslaved.” Jerry said. I had to agree. The Phoenician kingdom had more freedom than any other nation in history. From my reading, the fact that the king isn’t precisely human is where they draw fault.
“They believe that men should rule men. They don’t consider the king a man. He’s lived for a thousand years.”
“Maybe he just took good care of his health,” Jerry said. I rolled my eyes.
“He’s also been witnessed to having supernatural abilities, like super strength, telekinesis, telepathy, and pathokinesis,” I explained. I learned a lot about the high king during my personal study. I wanted to know the man I would fight under, and he seemed like quite the man. If I ever met him, it would be one of the greatest moments of my life.
“I don’t even know what half of that is. Anyway, me and you know what it’s like to live under men. I’m not interested in another round of that leadership.”
“But our childhoods are because of the king’s flawed system,” I said.
“Maybe.” Jerry simply said. I decided to drop the subject as I wanted to ponder it more. Right now, I needed to focus on this base. I was only supposed to scout the stronghold and then report to the general. I thought I’ll take the base instead. I knew gangs and their tactics. If this world gang was anything like my gang, I could beat them. I counted 447 heat signatures in the building. If this was truly a gang base, then many of those bodies could be kids and breeders.
“All right, squads, I know we’re only here to scout the location, but I see a chance to take the base.”
“Really?” Justin radioed back.
“I see no problem with that,” Gary said.
“Of course, you don’t, because you’re gung-ho on heroism, trying to be a vindicator,” Darryl said
“Can it!” I snapped. “This isn’t a democracy. We can take that base, but you must follow my orders to the letter.” I said. My heart dipped for a moment as I awaited push back. I heard nothing and took a deep breath.
I established my squads strategically around the scout base, now it was time to use my formation.
If you fail, you’ll kill them. They’ll never trust you again. Your general will have everything he needs to remove you from his unit.
Sweat started to form throughout my body. Disobeying orders and screwing up met court-martialed. I had eight squads and two of them in each direction. I swallowed hard.
“Okay, Rolland, take your squad and launch an attack,” I said.
“Yes, Commander,” Rolland said.
“Him alone?” Justin asked. Justin's squad was center to the west like Rolland.
“Yes. No more speaking. I need my orders to be clear and heard.” I said. I recalled my training. My squad leaders were getting too friendly with me. Though I didn’t mind it during R&R when it interrupted my strategy, I needed to pull rank, or people would died.
Rolland launched his attack and caught the gangsters off guard. I could tell by the way they wore their clothes and walked they were gang oriented. Growing up in one turned out some benefits. Some gangsters charged after Rolland, guns blazing and yelling profanity, but others remained back.
“Rolland, tactical retreat.”
“But we are winning—”
“Don’t talk back. Follow my orders. South squad
s, line up shots around the building’s window but do not fire.” I said. My squad was the south squad, and Jerry relayed the orders. More gangsters started rolling out the building and from their position. Jerry chuckled.
“Bloodthirsty fools,” Jerry said. It was all too common in the gangs for many of them to rush to get an easy kill. Kills meant rises in rank or bragging rights. Shoot, some will just kill so they can be with a breeder for a night. I noticed a great bulk of them chasing after Rolland as he retreated. They all filled up the block, chasing after the kill.
“Justin, advance now and flank them,” I said. Without a word, Justin and his squad flanked the bloodthirsty gangsters. The fools fumbled around, trying to understand their situation. “Rolland, about-face, and fire. Eastern squad: do you read me?”
“This is Eastern squad 1. I read you.” Jen said.
“Eastern squad 2. I read you.” Darryl said.
“Eastern squads move to converge on the front yard and secure the area. Southern squads fire on anyone you see exit the building and pay attention to the windows. Don’t take a shot unless you can confirm they have weapons. There may be enslaved women and children in the building. Northern squad pick up?” I said. The eastern squad swarmed the front yard of the building. They tore through the unsuspecting ranks, and when they finally reach the bulk of them, they cornered the horde of goons with ease.
“This is northern squad 1. I’m ready.” Alicia said.
“This is northern squad 2. I’m ready as well.” Maria said.
“Infiltrate the building from behind. Most of the buildings should be cleared out or clearing out. Use cleavers. Only use guns if you have to. Again, I’m sure there are victims there. Do not kill anyone who looks important. We’ll need him.”
“Yes, Commander!” They both said. It took a while, but I finally heard gunshots. Most of my snipers were clipping everybody who tried to peel out of the building. rebels would have adapted, probably had soldiers who remained at their post despite what was happening on the other side. It was not long before these gangsters scattered and fled like the rats they were…that I was…
We hurried to secure the building. I was indeed right about there being children and women in the building. I saved the children from a life I’ll always regret living. The women were at first in disbelief. They most likely thought we were just another gang, and they were exchanging masters. Some even fought out of twisted loyalty to some gang members who took them as personal breeders. I could only have them rallied up and wait for servitor legions to come to retrieve them. They were trained to deal with the casualties of wars in all forms. I focused on my current objective.
Alicia had found a good target. I entered the room with Rolland because he was the largest squad leader. He would do well intimidation. I also brought Jerry for his gang-affiliated background. We entered a room with a bald-headed man at gunpoint. One of his eyes was gray, and a robotic arm that used to be attached to his body wiggled next to him. Alicia stomped it with her metal boots until it snapped in two. The man gawked at the action and scowl his ugly, scarred face. I could tell by his spotless pants and a holeless shirt that he was part of the upper echelon of this gang.
“Confirm something for me. What gang are you from?” I asked. He spoke to me in a foreign language and shot a glob of spit on my chest armor.
“What language is he speaking?”
“He’s speaking world language,” Alicia said. I had nearly forgotten. Most systems and worlds had their own language. I backhanded him, which caused Alicia to gasp. I had hoped that didn’t lessen me in her eyes, but I had to appear strong to this man.
“Speak common!” I said. He glared back at me and spat blood before speaking more in his language.
“I can translate…” Rolland spoke up. “My world speaks the same language but a different variation. I can get most of what he says.” Rolland was from a planet in the same system. Most planets that don’t have their own name originate from the prime world in the system.
“What is he saying?” I asked, turning to Rolland. His expression hardened, and I clenched my jaw. Something told me what he was saying was more revealing than I would like.
“He’s saying: Those eyes, I’ve seen them before,” Rolland said. I turned to him slowly, and then a gun went off. I dashed to the wall with my hand on my pistol, my heart in my throat. I noticed it was Jerry with his pistol. Our prisoner was crying and holding his face. He whirled back to us with a cut on his face from the bullet.
“Whoops! My bad.” Jerry said. Then Jerry started twirling the pistol trigger with one finger. “Better tell me what we want to know—” Then the pistol went off again and shot up the ceiling. “Snap! My bad again.” At that, the man spoke, and Rolland quickly translated before Jerry started twirling his pistol again.
“He’s saying: He’ll tell you what you want to know. Just tell that that idiot to stop twirling his gun.”
“Oh, I’m an idiot now, huh?!” Jerry said, tossing his pistol in the air and almost catching it. The gun went off, and the bullet popped the man in the leg. “Whoops!” I rushed to pull Jerry to the side. While Alicia applied some type of aid to the man.
“What are you doing?!” I whispered harshly. Jerry had a droll look on his face, which told me this was part of some plan.
“Tell me. What’s scarier than a dangerous man?”
“I’m not interested in riddles.”
“A dangerous idiot. Back in my gang days, my friend and I had a system. Instead of the good cop and bad cop, we have bad cop and dumb cop. It always works. Think about it… No matter what, the bad cop will keep you alive because he needs you for information. However, the dumb cop might just kill you by accident.” Jerry said. I narrowed my eyebrows at him, as I actually agreed with him.
“Next time, warn me first.”
“Yes, boss! Now, where were we?” Jerry said, grabbing his pistol. The man started yelling.
“He said: He’ll tell you everything!”
“Tell me if he’s in a gang,” I told Rolland. Rolland translated and listened.
“He said yes. He belongs to the Black Saints. They own most of this part of the city.”
“Why are they masquerading as rebels?” I asked. He spoke longer this time.
“He says: rebels gave them weapons and told them to do what they do. They were able to fight off the guardians and take this city. Everything was going smoothly until you damn marines showed up. Now they are trying to relocate most of their forces and resources to their main holdout. The stronghold has been impregnable for a hundred years.”
“Pretty sure marines can punch through a gang stronghold.” Alicia said. Jerry and I gave a look at each other. I was hoping he would explain.
“Most gang strongholds are underground with a labyrinth of tunnels that they only know. Marines with the best weapons and skills won’t be enough to fight through that.” Jerry said.
“It’ll be a colossal waste of resources for our general to send companies down in those tunnels trying to root out gangsters pretending to be rebels. Since most of them don’t speak common, the general probably won’t even know. We better tell him in the morning. We need to keep this man alive so he can be a witness.” I said. My marines saluted and nodded.
Afterward, we spent the night celebrating our first big victory. All my squad leaders were sitting around one of the many fire-barrels used to heat the powerless building. We found seventy-three children of various ages and thirty-two women. I was glad that I freed them, but I knew the scars of this life would last a lifetime.
Around the campfire, we talked about the battles, sports, celebrity gospel, and more. We gave the food we found there to the women and kids. Marines didn’t need to eat as much. We have nutrient packs that fed nutrients straight into our bloodstream through our implants. Eating was luxurious for marines. Plus, the women and children looked starved. A feeling all too familiar to me.
“So why did everyone join the military? We never finish t
hat discussion.” Jerry said, starting the conversation.
“I joined to become Vindicator,” Gary said.
“We know you joined for an impossible dream,” Darryl added.
“There you go again. You know impossible is just a made-up word said by people who cave to reality.”
“You want to know something else? All words are made up!” Darryl added. A chain of laughter followed. Gary growled.
“Then why you join, smart guy? You seem like the type of guy who likes writing research papers, not fighting a war. How will you show your smug brilliance in such a place?” Gary said.
“If you must know… I only joined the military for the income, respect, and certain benefits you don't need to know about. Imagine a smug guy like me with my peerless brilliance and ten years of warfare experience under my belt. And I’m in the marines, not the couch warrior corps.” Darryl said.
“Couch warrior Corp?” Jerry asked. Many gave him funny stares.
“You don’t know what a couch warrior is?”
“Someone who fights with a couch as a weapon?” Jerry asked. I thought the same but wouldn’t dare say it aloud. The couch warriors sound like incredibly strong warriors to me, even though their choice of weapon was odd. Another string of laughter and I became infinitely thankful Jerry was here to ask the dumb questions that sprouted from our minds.
“Stop playing Jerry, you funny man,” Gary said. Jerry sighed and tilted his head. He handled mocking well, another envious trait.
“Look… I was raised in a gang. In gangs, they were tightlipped with information. They only tell us what we need to know. That’s how they controlled us. Like I didn’t even know my age until I joined the military. Just assume I don’t know jack about jack.” Jerry said plainly. He took the brunt of all the embarrassment about being ignorant of everything about the kingdom. My heart went out to him, and I made a mental note to do something to repay him later on.
“Couch warrior is a derogatory term given to planetary forces. They are called couch warriors because most of them finish their service before ever seeing any kind of real combat.” Jen answered.
Song of Blu Page 6
