My marines wanted to end this war, but I couldn’t lead them into the rebel base where over two thousand rebels made their home. Only a few dozen of us remained. Even with proper equipment, we couldn’t take on that many fighters. My plan was solid. Stay moving, draw them out, chip away at them bit by bit. When their numbers grow low enough, we would attack their main base and save all our careers. Careers that I’m sure the general was roasting over a grill right now.
My company and I sat on top of a center shopping roof. Most businesses had their own generators, and Alicia found an app that allows military personnel to override local security systems.
“I’m going to memorize everything in the military handbook,” Darryl said, scrolling through his omniwatch. “There so many handy apps for military personnel.”
“Shh, Freedom Leader is speaking!” Jen said.
“You mean Billy?” Jerry said.
[“I’m doing something out of character right now, as there’s no way to contact you any other way. You’re killing all my messengers and blocking private communication. This is a message to Warmaster Noxxic,”] Billy said.
“Uh oh. I sense another verbal spar between the leaders.” Darryl said. A sizeable amount of time passed before the warmaster finally spoke.
[“Sorry about the wait. Too busy killing some of your goons. Send me more later, won’t you?”]
[“You truly are a psychopath, aren’t you?”]
[“Only to my enemies!”]
[“Right... You realize that we have very precious cargo here that the high king himself desperately desires. You know my conditions, and yet there’s a company of marines here causing problems.”]
“He’s talking about us!” Jerry said before high fiving everyone around.
“We must really be tearing into their numbers if they calling the warmaster over open channels,” Darryl said.
“They probably tried private channels, but you know Warmaster Noxxic by now. He probably ignores them.”
“Shh, we need to hear what the warmaster says,” I said. My mind wondered about his opinion on us going AWOL. His statement could be the prelude to the trouble to come if we survived this warzone. My heart started racing at the thought of his disapproval. Warmaster Noxxic quickly became someone I wanted support from, and my respect for him sored every time I heard him speak.
[“Ha! I have no control over those crazy sons and daughters of war! You mean they’re still alive and kicking your ass so bad you have to contact me to call them off?!”] Warmaster Noxxic said before laughing. I exhaled, and wide grins radiated across all my squad leader's faces. We all shared the desire for Warmaster Noxxic approval.
[“Not exactly. They are resorting to all kinds of cowardly tricks. Call them off now!”]
[“No can do! They have gone AWOL. From my report, they pissed as shit at one of their traitorous squadmates. I don't blame ‘em. I had to put down more than a few traitors, myself. Those marines are no longer part of my legion. They're their own badass rogue unit. Sorry, princess. Warmaster Noxxic out.”]
[“Wait! Do something about these marines. We have all the power here, don't make me... Noxxic? Noxxic, you old fool, respond! Freedom Leader out”]
Everyone cheered and laughed. Hope had not yet been extinguished. If we accomplished this task, the warmaster would likely be on our side, and the general would just have to deal with it. This was ideal. It just may take a few more months before we withered their numbers low enough to take on the base. Then a thought hit me at that moment, we might not have that time.
“You don't have time to celebrate.” A voice echoed outwards. Everyone whirled with their weapons primed. We spotted three silver armored soldiers hovering above us. Their armor reminded me of armored knights but with a more cybernetic aesthetic. The soldiers themselves looked like giants, each stood over seven feet tall.
“What the hell are these giant freaks?” Jerry said, ready to fire. Alicia pinned his rifle down.
“Don't! Holy shit, don't fire!” Alicia snapped. “These are the Argent Lords. They are the personal guard of the high king himself.”
“Oh shit,” I said and dropped my weapons to my side and kneeled. I wasn't too sure if this was the right move at the time. I figured it couldn’t hurt, though. The three Argent Lords hovered to the roof and tapped on their helmet. Bright red eyes glared at me through the silver helmet. My heart was caught in my chest. This was not something I was prepared for. I could tell by their posture, their vibe, that they were elite of the elite.
“Hmm, Commander Blu Juli, flagged for insubordination and abandonment of post.”
“You can’t be here for Blu?” Alicia asked. Silence followed. My mind quickly conjured up many plans to fight these three. How tough can they be? Jerry moved before I could even say a word. His cleaver came quickly for the leader who spoke. The Argent, despite his size, moved as swiftly as any marine and backhanded Jerry, who flew several feet into a roof solar panels. I launched my attack, followed by squad leaders. With several seconds, we all were laid out on the ground, either restrained or morally broken. The disparity in strength and skill made us look like children.
“Relax little marines. We aren’t here to take you to your general. We don't answer to worms.” the lead Argent Lord said. I’ve never seen such skill and power. What did the king need with us when he had such weapons at his side? Such warriors must have been too expensive and lengthy to mass-produce than the cheap cost contributing to our makeup. That’s the only explanation for such powerful men. They had to be forged slowly with much money and care.
Once freed, we regrouped, spiritless and at their mercy. The three worn helmets, but even I could tell our attack amused them by their relaxed postures.
“What are you here for then?” I said.
“We are here thanks to your efforts. Your company has caused so much chaos in this zone that the rebels have not been properly guarding the area. We snuck in a few days ago. Unlike your group, we here are a complete violation of the terms between the high king and the rebel leader. You can call me Silver Leader.”
“Is the high king near here?” Alicia said.
“That is classified.” Silver Leader said.
“Oh right,” Alicia said, retreating near me.
“Time is short. The rebels have been agitated from your war on them. They’ve already been pushing the king to settle negotiations, or they will play their hand.”
“And what is their hand?” Darryl asked. I glared at him, but he shook his head. “They are about to ask us to do something huge. We need to know what everything is about.”
“This is classified. I’m sure the king has a good reason to keep information secret.” Alicia said. I could see Darryl’s jaw clenched through his cheek. Jen and Jerry shared his frustration. The Argent Lord grunted.
“You will see if you accomplish your mission.” The Argent Lord said.
“What is our mission?” I said.
“Like I said, you have created enough chaos for us to slip through their perimeter, but chaos is all you created. At this rate, you may either die by battle or exhaustion. Your skills and equipment will only prevail so long until the rebels bring in more reinforcement and scour you out and lessen your number.” The Argent Lord said. I clenched my jaw. A part of me knew that was true. Still, I hoped for a better outcome. Yet I’ve learned from past experience that veterans saw possibilities that I couldn't understand.
“I see. There’s a chance we’ll just fight a losing battle.”
“Not only that, but you could force the rebels to play their hand against the high king, and that’s something we cannot risk. So here’s the plan. You’ll broadcast your location next time the Freedom Leader lets down the jamming to speak his sermons. Broadcast your message and then travel to their main base.”
“How can we do that―we…”
“You will use the subways. We move to a more strategic location that we’ve already marked. When you broadcast your location, the plan
is that the rebel will send a majority of their forces to your location. We will remain here and fight them.”
“You three?! Just you three going to fight an entire army?” Jerry asked.
“They are Argent Lords. Each one is worth a thousand.” Alicia said with pride.
“More like a hundred,” one of the Argent Lords corrected. Alicia blushed and shrank. The Argent Lord leader continued. “Upon seeing us, the rebels would be overcome with bloodlust and fight with the same fever of those warloons you’ve fought before. That’s when you attack the main rebel base.” Silver Leader said.
My heartbeat dipped. We couldn’t attack the main rebel base with our small force. Even if they sent the bulk of their army here, they would have secured and fortified their base. I knew I wasn’t the only one with these thoughts. My eyes darted to Darryl, but another spoke.
“That’s suicide!” Maria said. Everyone turned to her. “We already lost so many people who will never see another day. They’ll never have a lifemate, children, see their dreams, watch their favorite shows, eat their favorite foods. I’ve treated most of them and watched them die in my arms. You can’t expect us to race to our deaths.”
“Maria...” I warned. Although I agreed with her, I didn’t want the Argent Lords to see how little control I had over my company. Maria became mute, but her eyes locked the Argent Lord who just minutes ago casually disarmed and knocked us on our butts. Silver Leader nodded.
“I see your concerns, but this is war. The military has never been coy about the marine losses and risk of death. You all joined, knowing full well that death will be a close associate.” Silver Leader said calmly.
“Damn,” Darryl said as he placed a comforting hand on Maria. “He isn’t wrong.”
“Nevertheless, you won’t go in alone. When you attack the base, you will receive orbital support from our personal warship.” He said as he tapped something on his omniwatch, built into his armor. Suddenly I saw downloads going across my screen.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Software and data about the orbital support you can receive. We have four mechs that will drop down to aid you in your assault. We will also drop equipment for you to resupply and an EMP burst to fritz the enemy defense system. You must understand, once you attack, the enemy might threaten to harm the package. It’s imperative that you move with speed and deadly force. No prisoners. The package is that important.”
“Even with this support, what you’re asking is still a tall order. There’s only about forty-something of us now, and we’re exhausted physically and spiritually.” Jen said. Shock resonated through my soul. Deep down, I knew they were burning out, but I didn’t want to accept it. My plan could have worked if everyone came from my background. However, they weren’t used to prolong battle with minimal supplies and little hope of reinforcement. Silver Leader looked at me.
“You’ve been through worse odds,” he said, pointing at me. My eyebrows rose.
“I―”
“We know you are a boy raised in a gang. We caught you making it inside our recruitments. A series of extremely unique events allowed you to actually make it to officer initiation. The king believes that is a good omen. That luck is on your side. If anyone can overcome the odds, it’s you and your company.” Silver leader said. My jaw clenched.
“If luck was on my side, Rolland or Gary wouldn’t have died. This is probably payment for all the bad shit I did in my past.” I admitted out loud. I suddenly felt hot all over and couldn’t look back at anyone. Silver leader said nothing for several moments and then put his hand over my head. His hand was so big he could grasp my head like a ball.
“Don't worry, little marine.” Silver Leader said, rubbing my head like his son.
“Uh,” I said. He removed his hand.
“Luckily, you live in a time where humankind can live up to five hundred years. That means you have literal centuries to make up for the wrongs you have done. Start here.” Silver Leader said. Then he turned to his comrade and made some gestures. “We will clear the way to the staging area for our assault tomorrow. We also have nutrient packs with us for you all to replenish yourselves.” Silver Leader said.
One of the Argent Lords unstrapped a pack and dropped it to the ground. The package the size of a crouched man opened. It was a treasure trove of resources, nutrient packs, ammo, medical supplies, water, and much more. Then the three Argent Lords left us to our thoughts.
“Centuries,” Jerry said. “I don't think I’ve ever met a person a century old in my life.”
“Can’t relate,” Darryl said.
“Same,” Jen added.
“My mom’s over two hundred,” Maria said.
“My dad is over three hundred,” Alicia said. Of course, many of them would have parents hundreds of years in age. I wondered how old my parents were before they gave me up.
“What’s it like talking to someone a century old?” I asked.
“It’s surreal and annoying,” Darryl said, grabbing a nutrient pack and placing it into the nape of his neck. He relaxed as the nutrients were pumped right into his bloodstream through the spinal cross. Everyone watched him and joined in. Nutrients packs had drugs that relax the body and increase dopamine production. We all fell to the ground and rested.
“Explain more,” I said.
“Well, they are incomprehensibly patient and understanding. The level of control they have over their emotions is difficult to understand. My mom and dad never had a fight that lasted longer than an afternoon. They solved all their problems, no matter how dire the argument. They have been married for 180 years.” Darryl explained.
“Not only that,” Jen said. “Nothing stresses them out. Like they just know everything is going to be alright. And if it’s not going to be alright, they know they will survive it. My oldest brother is over a century old, and he built this huge project. One day an alien attacked the planet and destroyed it. There was no way to get his money back. No way to regain the resources or even the people to build the project. I didn’t even know what it was at the time. My brother went to the bar, got super drunk. Woke up the next morning, took some pills for his hangover, and started over. He put in decades on that project, and it was wiped out in a moment. Then he got back up and just started over again.”
“Whoa.” I, Jerry, and Alicia said.
“I have a more tamed story,” Maria added. “One of my older sisters is over a century. I look up to her a lot. She was treated rudely and coldly by a guy who was serving us at a restaurant. He looked angry before he even got to the table and was rude to others in the restaurant. My sister didn’t engage with him negatively on any level. He even fell and dropped some other table food. My sister helped him even after he was rude. He softened up afterward but broke down when my sister tipped him a hundred credits.”
“Why did he cry?” I asked.
“Turns out he was a rare case of a teenage father. His daughter was being taken away by the state because he couldn’t afford to keep her. So he has just been angry at the world, and my sister made him feel awful about himself with her bottomless empathy.”
“Wow.”
“Like I said, it’s a realm of differences. I think it’s because the human mind wasn’t built to live for centuries, so that’s why we all think the way we do for our first century. But once the brain realizes it has centuries left to live, it becomes calmer and patient. A hundred years of life experience teaches them not to be judgemental and hopeful despite the endless pitfalls of life. I hope I live long enough to experience that.” Darryl said.
That just made me doubt myself even more. I wanted to keep everyone alive so that they all could live long enough to experience that awakening of the mind. It sounded like a new level of awareness indescribable to those who never experience it. However, half my numbers are gone, and now we must march into the beast lair. May the war gods protect me.
Entry 18
Phoenician Date: October 30, 1026AR
Milit
ary Time: 20:51
Phoenician Classified World: Alexandria Prime
Night had fallen, and tomorrow will be the day we charged into the rebel base. I sent Alicia and Jerry ahead with their squads to get a headstart and clear a path. I constantly wondered about Alicia's safety. I regretted sending her off, and not someone else, but Alicia insisted. I couldn’t say no to her, even if I tried. I both loved and loathed the power she had over me. The joy that escaped my hardened exterior whenever she was around or spoke to me. This feeling was strange and exciting.
I tended my thoughts toward the night light that sat on the roof between me, Jen, Maria, and Darryl. A long silence lingered between us as we ate our rations. It was a can of beans filled with sausages full of protein. Ever since my metamorphosis, protein has had a more savory flavor to it. I enjoyed every bit of it, but my squadmates seemed to barely touch the food. I decided to channel my old social classes and start a conversation.
“So you all know what I want to do. I want to become a vindicator, and I have to for me and Gary’s sake.” I said. Darryl and Jen had a pained expression, but their face paled in comparison to Maria. Who clenched her can of beans so hard it crushed. She would have crushed it to nothingness if the beans didn’t spill out over her hands.
Stupid me! Why would I mention Gary?
“I’m going to Athena,” Jen said, watching Maria at the corner of her eyes. She probably wanted Maria to stop thinking about Gary. I didn’t know their relationship well, but Gary meant something to her.
“I never heard of Athena before?” I admitted. Jen grinned.
“I’m sure. Athena is a military college build for those who leave the military and need new skills. It’s on the planet Eve, easily about the size of a small city. Only Marines and a few other branches of the military are allowed to attend the school. The couch warrior corps aren’t allowed to join the school. And there’s a lot of controversy surrounding that decision.”
Song of Blu Page 16
