The Pale War

by Max Jager

  They approached the ramp and stood right in front of it. The squad too approached the ramp. Now, they could see the interior of the ship. They saw a white ceiling with some blue shading. On the wall were these small compartments that were empty. Alerius didn't know what they were for. Probably storage of ammo and other miscellaneous items. They blended in with the walls and if they weren't slightly bulging out he probably wouldn't have noticed them.

  A whole platoon of armored humans came rushing out of the ship. They were the ships vanguards. They were an elite trained separate army all of their own. Every massive spaceship had one. They were the peacekeepers. They were know as The Glass. Alerius had no idea why. That was just what command had named them.

  They wore maroon colored clothes that were covered in heavy black body armor. They also had helmets on that disguised their faces which made them look more robotic then human. There were rumors that they were, indeed, cyborgs and not humans at all. The whole fluid motion of them were so defined that they looked like a well oiled machine and they moved like that one-hundred percent of the time. Their training was vigorous too. Even though it really only had two main parts to it. Resistance to mind control and protection of the crew and the admiral. Everybody else was to be considered expendable since most everybody else would be soldiers on their way to the battlefield anyway or expendable crew.

  The admiral then appeared at the top of the ramp. He was surrounded by four of the Glass and walked down the ramp slowly towards Alerius.

  Admiral Charles McCleaf. Sixty-five years old and still full of life. He was the kind of admiral you actually would want to serve under. Unlike most battle hardened admirals, McCleaf was one who believed that the soldiers' well-being of his state of mind is the most important thing. He wasn't harsh or brass like most others. He had gained control of the Osiris about ten years ago. He had been commanding it ever since. McCleaf had a wide variety of characteristics too. He had been through a few ship commands in his lifetime but he was revered as one of the most successful Admirals since the early decades of the war.

  McCleaf approached Alerius and looked him dead in the eye. McCleaf's commanding presence was almost matched by Alerius's combat sturdiness. They stared at each other for awhile until McCleaf finally spoke. "You know agent, if we keep staring at each other like this, people are going to think were dating."

  Alerius cracked a small smile. He knew that the admiral would say something like that. Just to get a response out of him. McCleaf turned his attention to the captain and the captain saluted him. The captain too had that hard stern look on his face. McCleaf just shook his head and said, "Captain, you know you don't have to do that with me."

  The captain knew he didn't but he yelled out, "Sir, I know I don't sir! I guess it's just reflex, sir!"

  The admiral rolled his eyes with a sarcastic little sneer on his face and patted the arm of the Captain, "At ease 'major', at ease."

  "Sir, I am a captain sir!"

  The Admiral took a long breath of frustration and with that same sarcastic smile, looked over at Alerius and said, "Did you do this to him agent?"

  Alerius smiled a bit, "No sir. You know he's always been like this around somebody of higher rank."

  McCleaf just shook his head.

  The admiral turned around to face the ship and waved his hand for everybody to follow him inside. The captain and Alerius followed. The rest of the squad also followed along. All of them boarded the ship and after all of The Glass were aboard, the ramp swung back up into place and locked shut. The ships thrusters blasted with power and the ship began to slowly lift up off the ground. It went high into the yellow alien sky and when it was high enough, it turned upward in the sky and blasted into outer space. Breaking through the atmosphere of the planet into the star filled abyss.

  The Osiris: Next Mission

  (This chapter is kind of a break from all the guns and explosions. Very dialogue heavy. Hopefully that won't discourage you from reading on. It'll pick back up. I promise. Also there is a section in this chapter that is mostly caps-lock but that is just to show that the charcters are screaming at each other to be heard over some loud thrusters. I am not a fan of caps-lock and you will not be seeing it very often.)

  Inside, McCleaf and Alerius walked down a long corridor away from the ramp that was now firmly shut. The white walls of the battleship surrounding the small army.

  The captain and his team split off from Alerius and McCleaf. Their job was finished but Alerius had another mission to go on. As him and Admiral McCleaf walked with the four Glass from before. They talked to each other, passing many sections of the ship on their way to the main deck.

  "I'm glad your mission was a success, Agent Firius." McCleaf began.

  Alerius snickered. "If that's what you want to think."

  "Oh, it wasn't? That's funny, because I remember that the mission involved supporting the dragons on their home world of Reign from an onslaught of hellion hordes and to stop them from reaching total extinction." Sarcasm was one of McCleaf's calling cards.

  "That we did, but they can't hold out forever against all those sinoreans, deneks, and baragons. The armada will only be able to hold out for some time. After that, the dragons are screwed! I saw the hellions already taking prisoners. I have never seen them take prisoners. Either they want something on Reign or their changing tactics for the worst. The hellions have wanted that planet for a long time. Next time will be different."

  "Such the cheery thinker there agent! Besides, the planet has now been cleared as a top priority. I don't think they'll get it without a fight."

  "Yeah, and that means that another top priority had to be knocked off the list to make room, right?"

  "Well yes, but…"

  "But nothing! It just means that some other planet's going to be under a devastating attack!"

  "We can't protect the entire universe Firius, even though we do try."

  "Not good enough." Alerius said as they passed the mess hall.

  Alerius couldn't help but notice all of the Glass in the mess hall. He cocked an eyebrow but dismissed it just as quickly. McCleaf kept talking as they went by.

  "Look Firius, we're trying very hard to keep up with the requests for support but we couldn't let the hellions get their hands on planet Reign! They've already got enough flying support as it is!"

  Alerius wasn't paying much attention. "Don't you think I know that? You think the dragons would side with them? They'd probably go extinct first."

  Alerius and McCleaf passed two more sections of the ship before they started talking to each other again. These two sections were the mechanics' room and the sickbay. Not many people were in each but there were quite a bit of Glass stationed in each. Not to mention the four still tagging along behind the two.

  "Why all the damn 'steel cherries' Admiral?" (Steel cherries was a nickname given to The Glass by field soldiers.)

  "Because of you Firius."

  "What? Me?"

  "Yeah. Well, the mission you're going on." McCleaf sounded almost worried. Most of the time that feeling didn't even enter his mind but this time it did.

  Alerius looked at him curiously. "Top command, huh?"

  "Yeah." That worried voice coming out of his mouth like a whimper.

  "Sir, what's wrong?"

  "Nothing, I'll tell you when we get to the bridge."

  They were quiet between each other until they reached the bridge. They went inside and were greeted with a cascade of neon lights. Most were from the small screens that each crew member was looking at. The computers and screens that gave off the neon glow circled the room. All the way to the front where there was a huge window that showed the star studded vacuum of space. This window was not made of glass though, it was made of a plastic like material which would not break so easily because of small foreign objects. Small fragments were hitting it right now. They made no noise just bounced off the clear plastic and hurtled into space.

  The floor was covered in a very dark bl
ue carpet and in the middle of the room were two huge displays. The first, near the plastic window, was a tall and wide holographic display of the very part of the universe they were in. The other was just in front of that. It was a huge counsel of computers and displays. Right in the middle of the two was set a pivoting chair. This was the Admiral's seat. It was his command post. Most people called it the Captain's Cache.

  McCleaf went over to the holographic display and looked at it. Alerius closed the door behind them and the four Glass were left outside. Alerius stood over by the door ready to hear something from McCleaf.

  McCleaf touched apart of the screen and slid his finger across it. The screen danced around and all sorts of colors changed on the screen until a huge round orb filled the entire screen. At the top of the orb was one word: S C A L O B O R E

  McCleaf turned to face Alerius and said, "How much do you know about planet Scalobore Agent Firius?"

  "I know they stay neutral. I know that any black-hearted individual who betrays either side runs cowering to that planet. Why?"

  "That's your next mission."

  Alerius looked down at the ground and breathed a sigh of disbelieve. "You can't be serious?"

  "Dead serious agent."

  "Sir, that planet is nothing more then some big-ass ugly swamp and an unforgiving, arid, dry, desert. Separated by a huge ocean that encircles the entire planet. What the hell am I going down there for?"

  McCleaf walked back to Alerius with a folder he took off the console near the hologram screen. He gave it to Alerius and walked right back to the screen. "These orders came straight from the top Firius. They believe they know were one of the last Laylines are."

  Alerius looked at McCleaf very disturbed. "How?"

  "They have 'questionable' Intel on the subject."

  "What do you mean 'questionable'?"

  "They received contact from an agent that claimed to know the exact location on the planet Scalobore."

  "A rogue?"

  "No…a mega-zealot."

  "What?" Alerius shouted.

  (Mega zealots were the higher ranking soldiers of the hellions. The two ranks of ground forces were zealots; which were mostly used for infantry, and mega-zealots who were use for special missions and undercover missions.)

  "I know, I know!"

  "Sir, you can't honestly expect me to trust one of those monsters, do you?"

  "He joined our side about two weeks ago and has been working against Hell ever since. He claims to know the exact location of the Leyline on Scalobore. High command trusts him and that's all we need."

  "Sir, come on! This is obviously a trick! Why didn't he just simply tell us where it was?"

  "He says that the planet is too hot for a communication of that nature. It needs to be face-to-face. He wanted a fellow agent to deliver the message."

  "Fellow agent my left ass-cheek!"

  "Firius!"

  "Damn it sir, come on! Use your head a bit."

  "It's not up to me to make decisions and neither is it to you! You will be sent to this section here." McCleaf pointed at the middle of the planet. A little in the swamp area. He then dragged his finger across the ocean. As he talked he kept dragging his finger to each location showing the path Alerius was going to take. " You'll land here, in Magna-Fusa. A small section of swampland close to the ocean. You will make your way through the foliage of the swamp to the Magna-Fusa Bridge. There, you'll cross into the desert. You will proceed a little north until you come to a dry, little desert town known as Dead Grave. There, you'll meet up with Benjamin…"

  "Who's Benjamin?"

  "The mega-zealot."

  "What race is he? Is he a pure demon or one of those dumb-ass aliens who joined Hell's ranks?"

  "He's a gelantine."

  "You mean one of those brainless 'frog town' rejects?"

  (Gelantines were frog-like people who lived deep in space. They had joined the hellion army only because the hellions had gotten to them first. They were notorious for being shifty individuals who would sellout their own families for personal gains. Perfect for hellion ranks.

  However, there have been some who have become freelance or just don't fight at all. Most prefer not to and a lot of them of them have been leaving the war for shifty business endeavors all their own. They are now considered not to be on either side. Making profit from each side. Some wonder if that's what they had in mind all along.)

  "If you want to put it that way Firius, yes."

  "Oh for…this keeps getting better and better!"

  "You'll have to be careful down there Firius. Remember, we are not even suppose to be present down there. Neither side is welcome. You don't exist and this mission doesn't exist. Sooner we get this over with the better!"

  "I know. Neutral."

  "Yes. When you find out were the Leyline is, you must go get it and then bring it back to us. When you have located it press this button."

  McCleaf gave Alerius a small little devise with a red button on it.

  "That will signal us of your location and then we will launch a pick up ship. Kind of like the one you will be landing in. You got it?"

  "Yeah, hurtle through a planet's atmosphere in a tin can, trudge through a death infested swamp, somehow make it across a hundred and three mile bridge, backpack through an arid desert about five miles, meet up with some demon worshipping frog guy, go on a chicken chase, and then scream like hell and die! Cool."

  Alerius figured that some of McCleaf's sarcasm was staring to effect him.

  McCleaf cocked an eyebrow. "This is no joke Firius! The locals in any section of that planet will not take kindly to your presence. Remember, try to stay discrete."

  "Yeah right."

  Alerius was about to walk out with the mission papers in hand when McCleaf stopped him. "There's two more things you need to know about Firius."

  "Yeah?"

  "One: Is that you will not be alone on this mission."

  "A partner in crime huh?"

  "Yes. A hound."

  Alerius had a delightful smile slide across his face. "A hound? Really? Now that I can work with."

  "He's young but exceptionally skilled. Plus, he has contacts on the planet. So hopefully that will aid you."

  "Second?"

  That worry was in his voice again. "You will be unarmed."

  "So, I went unarmed last mission."

  " Yeah but we knew about the cache of weapons last time. This time you may not even find a weapon except if you kill one of the enforcers down there and as you know, you can't do that."

  "Enforcers?"

  "Yeah, there a band of locals that serve their own laws in towns. Lots of crime on that planet. The only laws down there are the ones followed by the enforcers and some have different laws. It's complicated."

  "Yeah, I could tell."

  "Don't worry you won't be unarmed though. I have decided to let you take two handguns for protection. I don't care what higher command or that toad piece of… You are not going unarmed!"

  "Thanks admiral."

  "Now get going, you leave in forty minutes."

  Alerius saluted the admiral and walked out. The admiral sat back down at his seat in front of the console and put his hand under his chin. He closed his eyes and began to pray to God for the mission to go safely.

  Alerius went to his quarters which was a separate room from all the rest. He took a shower and changed his clothes. He went to the weapons bay and got two normal pistols. They were standard issue to soldiers on the field. They weren't much but they were definitely better then nothing.

  The new clothes he had on was just some light colored blue jeans and a white tank top. The two guns fit snuggly under his ankle cuffs in his socks. He also put on a bright red bandana. All of these bright colored clothes were to reflect the suns' rays. Scalobore had two suns and record highs of three hundred degrees. It was the winter season though on Scalobore so hopefully it was only ninety to a hundred degrees.

  He had only ten minutes
left to go before take off. He read up on certain things in the mission file just to pass the time. Most of it was profiles on the two beings he would meet up with.

  The first he read was about Benjamin. The gelatine he was going to encounter. He read about his dark history and how many missions he had done for the hellion army. Lot of it evolving "chameleon" like activity. Basically meaning he would be serving as a double agent. Alerius just shook his head as he read it. Almost fifteen missions that were successful and almost two hundred lives taken by this maniacal monster.