“Take the wounded to the supply house and tend to them as best you can. The rest follow me behind the tank. We going to finish this fight. Oorah!”
“Oorah!” everyone repeated.
I played my war drums for my marines. Listening to music while fighting had a way of bringing out the best of a person in combat. Our tank drew most of the attention like me, my marines, and flanked the enemy. Pride flooded me as I witnessed my marines fight like me against the rebels. They mimicked my acrobatic fighting style as best as they could. My mantra in fights: never stop moving, never stop breathing. Soon I started doing acrobatics while growing up.
Jerry focused on the jamming tower, shooting it several times while we mopped up the rebels in the house. In several moments the tower cut off. No longer will we fight in the dark. The war for this area had now turned to our side.
“Holy crap!” I heard over my intercom. It was Darryl. My heart settled, knowing he remained alive.
“Darryl? Is Jen still there? How many casualties?”
“I’m alive. A few died, and a few more wounded. I’m beat up too. I noticed the tank moving its firing piece and attempted to retreat. You destroyed the jammer, though. Now we can call for reinforcements.” Jen said.
“We aren’t the only ones who can call for reinforcements,” Alicia said.
[“All freedom fighters return to home 1! I repeat: Freedom Leader is under siege, all freedom fighters return to home 1. The jamming tower has been destroyed. Package is compromised. Freedom Leader is compromised!”]
Entry 20
Phoenician Date: November 01, 1026AR
Military Time: 01:57
Phoenician Classified World: Alexandria Prime
Death surrounded me as I stared down the mansion that housed my enemies. My marines and I huddled behind the mansion gate walls. I heard chaotic chatter from the rebels as they scurried to defend their last bastion until reinforcements arrive. Yards of grass sat between me and my goal. It was clear who the richest guy in the neighborhood was in this district. With Meta’s jamming tower down, we could retrieve reinforcement. Currently, we awaited more mech drops to take the mansion. My snipers had joined us on the ground floor. I gazed over my troops and then to the sky.
Two fireballs soared from the sky and smashed into the ground. The vibrations from the fall trembled our legs. Out of the pods, two new mechs appeared with guns blazing. I yelled for my marines to move. We ran behind the mechs for cover as a hailstorm of bullets came our way. Soon heavy weaponry was released against the mech. One mech took three rockets to the face but still stood—its box body burned with flames. The Mech crouched and then charged toward the house. I read its mind and raced behind it, along with several of my most faithful.
The mech showed more valor than many men as it burst through the mansion walls, knocking many from the top windows off their position. Once inside, the mech tanked more gunfire and tore through many rebel scum inside with its arms. The mansion reminded me of a boxed-in apartment complex. It had four levels, and in the center, one could see the sky. The house had an interior balcony and rails for the rebels to easily fire on us in the center.
The mech took the brunt of the firepower's focus while I rushed through the house, cutting and shooting down any rebel whose eyes met mine. I fought my way to the first level of the balcony to see all my marines kicking ass all through the house. Meanwhile, I heard the intercom between Warmaster Noxxic and Freedom Leader Billy
[“Warmaster Noxxic, this is your responsibility. These are your marines rampaging through our base. If you don't call them off, I will execute the package.”] Freedom Leader said.
[“I told you, boy. Those marines are rogue. I can’t talk them down. Your stupid ass took in a yellow belly traitor. They are tearing down everything because they are after him.”]
[“You think that excuse will be good enough for the high king to lose his precious package?”]
[“Can’t be helped. We are marines. The king knows we are not useful for delicate situations.”]
[“You talk tough, but do you really mean it? So far, these marines have killed thousands just for one person. I―are you crying?”] Freedom Leader said. It sounded like Noxxic was sniffing slowly.
[“I’m so damn proud. They killed that many of you guys? Just a few dozen of them? That’s my marines for you!”]
[“Psychopaths all of you! And the king allows it. If this nation was ruled by men, such fleeing acts of brutality would never happen.”]
[“Someone never read a history book... Listen here, Freedom Leader. I know you’re kind of special, but there’s nothing I can do. Only one other corps in the military outranks the marines in ferocity. You see, when a marine sets his eyes and fury on a target, the only thing to do from that moment is to kill him or take the mark from him. We can’t be stopped. We can’t be moved. We can’t be broken. We are Warhounds. No marines are tougher than my marines. No marines are deadlier than my marines. No marines are more cunning than my marines. May God have mercy on the fools who challenge my marines, for they are mighty and suffer no insult. And they shall know no fear”]
A mighty harmonic battle cry roared out from all my company. We were only a few dozen, but we tore through the mansion and the hundreds of rebels that stood guard. We filled Death’s belly today.
I reminded myself that thousands of rebels were on their way back to this location. I continued pushing through, searching the large house with four sections to it just as large as the first levels. Rebels filled the house like a rat nest. Ammo drops double as bombardment strikes. Soon I reached an area that seemed like a vault room. It made sense for a house so big to have its own vault.
A camera sat above what looked to be the door. A projection of Justin and an old man who must have been the Freedom Leader appeared in front of me. My blood boiled when I spotted Justin. My hand gripped my cleaver as if he was there. Few people in my life had ever brought to life my bloodlust. Now I fully understood why betrayal is one of the greatest sins in most philosophies and religions. Justin nurtured a new hatred in me, and in a way, I was thankful. Before joining the military, I was just a blank slate, idling about waiting for orders. Every day since being free, I learned more about myself, the good and the bad.
“Stop!” Freedom Leader said.
“Why should I?” I said.
“Because you can’t get through this vaulted room. It’s literally built to withstand bombardment.”
“Wish I would have known that earlier,” I said. “We could have had the whole place bombed.” Freedom Leader scoffed, and Justin shook his head.
“I want to speak to you. I want to help you see our side. The Freedom Rangers are just fighting a war that’s bound to happen in the future.”
“What war?”
“The war where the Orisha turn on us.” He said, but I said nothing. I’ve heard enough from Justin about this story. He cleared his throat. “Have you ever seen your high king in battle?”
“No.”
“I have. The man is a god in almost every sense of the word, and I’m not exaggerating. He has psychic powers on the level that makes it indistinguishable from magic. He can use those powers to manipulate atoms in the air. Use telepathy to communicate to thousands, if not millions. He can use his psychic powers to augment his strength to that of a thousand men. I’ve seen this man take out armies. Now you tell me if someone is this powerful, what do we do if he ever becomes corrupt?”
“Irrelevant,” I said. “The king has been ruling for a thousand years, and there’s been no sign of corruption. He may have some pragmatic views and practices, but the facts remain that most of the kingdom live in peace and prosperity.” I said, remembering everything Alicia had told me. I found myself agreeing with it as I spoke it.
“Even though your entire childhood is a casualty of his system.” Justin pointed out.
“I’ve spoken to many of my squadmates about that. I came to a new conclusion about my childhood.” I said. Justin's e
yes widened, and the Freedom Leader grinned.
“So, you see what I’m saying?” Justin asked. I waited for a moment to let them get excited.
“It’s not the king's responsibility to safeguard the life of a child abandoned by his parents.” The two fool’s shocked expressions were priceless. I took a small picture through my helm cam. “In fact, a world responsibility lies in that world government. Yes, the king is a powerful being, but he’s not a true god, and it's unfair to hold him to those standards. He can’t be in multiple places at once. That’s why margraves are supposed to govern and secure a planet’s safety. Same for your planet as well, Justin.”
“Why you― “ The Freedom Leader held his hand to Justin.
“Regardless, do you not see my point about the Orisha. You’re right. The king has shown that he is benevolent at the best of times and pragmatic at the worst. But what of his children?” He said. That stopped me. Even Alicia couldn’t defend the reality that his children were far from benevolent in many aspects.
“What do you mean?”
“One day, the immortal king will grow tired of ruling. I suspect he’s been tired but hasn’t found a successor yet. Then what will we do? Everyone remembers the Blood Feud War—the war where our precious first prince and second princess fought the twin third prince and princess. Four Orishas started a civil war among their kin, and they destroyed half the capital city. Millions injured, hundreds of thousands died, and even more than that left homeless. Yeah, The twin prince and the princess took all the blame, but that doesn’t change the fact that we couldn’t do anything but watch as they treated us like their playground. The real threat is his children, and I swear they are going to bring this kingdom to its knees.”
His words punched a hole in my resolve. The Blood Feud War is mostly glossed over by many history teachers. It wasn’t until I talked to Darryl and Alicia before I understood its impact to the kingdom. The war only lasted eight days, but it showed the kingdom the Orishas' reckless power if the king ever left them to their own devices.
“The king won’t let something like that happen again.”
“He may not have a choice. The twin princess and prince, Kaiza and Roza, have caused many problems since they failed to take the throne. Soon the Orishas will challenge him again. Soon we will be fighting them. Right now, I and my rebels are fighting the coming war. The war between humans and superhumans.”
As he spoke, I heard on my com from Jerry. The entire time I was texting through my Omniwatch, my plans for taking down the vaults. Alicia had texted me that most vault rooms have remote kill switches. Just encase someone broke into the vault and was too dangerous to confront in person. The ventilation should knock them out.
“You might be right, but I’m just a simple marine.”
“A marine with luck and wit on your side. You have the potential to make an impact.”
“Maybe, but right now,” I said as I raised my blade toward Justin's projection. “The only thing I want now is his head.” The Freedom leader and Justin narrowed their eyebrows before coughing. The projection shut off, and I waited in attack position. The vault door swung opened, and smoke flew out. My helmet protected me from any of the gas. I turned on my heat vision, and a red-figure came barreling toward me. My hands moved too slowed to keep him from ramming me into the wall. I knew without even looking that it was Justin. Behind, Freedom Leader ran with a large crate strapped to his back.
I kicked Justin into the wall behind him, and swung my cleaver, almost took his head. He ducked and had the nerve to look at me with shock, which only fed my rage. I brought my blade down on him, yet he evaded again and fled. He left behind activated grenades. I rushed behind him and jumped. The explosive force from the grenades threw me forward, and I landed on Justin's back. With a knife from my boot, I stabbed him in the shoulder. He howled as I yanked the knife out and sent it to his neck but failed. A huge object smashed into me. It was the crate that the Freedom Leader was carrying. Once hitting the floor, I spun back up to my feet.
I smelled the fear and saw it in their eyes. They dashed again, attempting to hit every corner they could to lose me, but I stayed with them. My old gang memories were returning in these moments. Chasing after a person and simply keeping a steady pace. I was the hunter, and they were the prey. They’ll expend all their energy running from me while I take my time and keep them in my sight. I chased them all the way to the top rooftop. Both of the cowards panted like they haven’t run in ages. Justin removed his belt of grenades and tossed it in between us. They exploded and divided sections of the house with some flames scattered off in every direction and started a fire. Infernos blocked off my pathway to the two.
“You fool, you trying to kill us all?” Freedom leader yelled beyond the fire. I dialed up my auditory system to focused on their arguing and lead me through the fire.
“I had to stop him from chasing us. You should be grateful.”
“Grateful? If I’d never have taken you in, I wouldn’t be down half an army! You better hope this slows him down because if he comes through that fire, I won’t help you.” Freedom Leader said.
“Relax, no one’s crazy enough to jump through that fire.”
It was almost like he was goading me. I figured it wouldn’t be polite to ignore an invitation. Adrenaline shots were used for moments like these, and I pumped one in my arm. I ran and used my rocket boots to ascend through the flames. Intense flames grazed my body, but the pain paled to the adrenaline flowing through my veins. Once through the blazing fire, my eyes found Justin, and soon, my fist found his face as I landed. The Freedom Leader remained true to his word and high tailed it out of there.
Justin rolled across the ground like the pathetic worm he was and whipped out his cleaver blade. He didn’t deserve such a fine weapon. The fool met me head-on and held our swords.
“I didn’t want to kill Rolland! I didn’t want Gary to die either. I didn’t want any of this, but I couldn’t fight for the kingdom any longer, and I couldn’t fight for a gangster!”
“I don't care,” I said, smacking his blade away. He stumbled backward, tears trailing his face.
“You’re just a filthy thug who is good at nothing but killing. That’s all you’ll ever be. You have no heart. No soul!” Justin said. I don't know why his words affected me, but they did. Our blades collided several times, over and over, but each time, I edged closer and closer. Justin's subpar skills only delayed me by a slight moment, but then the coward knew that. Which is why he pulled a pistol out and popped one in my good arm. I held my side, hoping he would think he landed a mortal blow.
I screeched out and dropped my blade. The pain made me hot under my helmet, so I removed that too as I fell to my knees. I checked my omniwatch, and it was showing my heartrate going near two hundred beats an hour. Justin shook his head and smirked as he strolled toward me. He positioned his blade in a stabbing motion.
“Goodbye, commander. After everything you put me through, I need to kill you.”
He jabbed his blade with half his strength―I wasn’t sure if it was because of a guilty conscience or the shoulder wound, but that attack was too weak to make a mortal wound. I caught the blades with the palm of my hand and whirled it out of his hand. With my leg, I swept him, sending him to the ground.
“You’re weak,” I said, walking and grabbing my blade. I purposely turned my back to him.
“Weak? I lost my family because of this king’s system! I used it for my own gain to strengthen myself.” Justin said, charging at my back. I didn’t even look back to block his attack. I simply threw my blade behind my head and shoulder blades. As predicted, it stopped his attack. The bastard went for my neck. He wanted the quick kill because he couldn’t handle me in a fight.
“I wonder what’s worse: someone knew the joys of a family and lost it or someone who was raised in an environment where all his innocence and pride were stripped away. My company was the first form of a family I ever had, and you killed them!” I sa
id. I whirled and knocked Justin to the ground. “We all have our own hellsongs. It doesn’t give us an excuse to hurt other people. No matter how low you think of me, I’ve never willingly betrayed my friends, and that’s why I’m going to win.”
Justin bounced back to his feet and swung his blade. I whirled around, dodging his easily read attack. Then I brought my sword down and chopped off his hands. He fell to the ground, screaming while I kicked his dismembered hands off the roof for good measure. He cried and rolled in pain, with blood dripping from his arms. I heard footsteps from behind and turned to see my marines running up to me, with the Freedom Leader in tow. Fire ate the surrounding buildings until the building automated drones activated and started putting out the fire.
“Of course, a mansion like this would have countermeasures to fires,” Alicia said. Her eyes glazed over to a whaling Justin. “We should leave him like that.”
“We should kill him,” Jerry said.
“No,” Darryl said. “Life is far more grueling than death. In life, he’ll soon regret his actions. He will also be without hands.”
“They’ll probably give him some cyber hands.”
“Won’t be the same. He won’t be able to feel anything with them. He’ll have to learn how to live with them. Every day he’ll look at them, he’ll be reminded of what he did to earn those hands. Backstabbing bastard.”
“Okay, I’m sold. Let him live.” Jerry said.
“Up to the boss,” Darryl said. I looked at Justin and watched as he squirmed, staring at his absent hands. Imagining a life without hands proved difficult. I knew many people in my gang with cyber limbs had lingering pains that needed pain dampeners. He will spend the next few hundred years living in shame and despair. Dishonorably discharge leaves a huge blemish on your record. In that case, treason must make a person's life hell, especially a person with no hands.
“I guess he lives. Maria, go heal him up, don't worry about being gentle.”
Song of Blu Page 18
