Next to those monsters, stood a plethora of men that kept the insane Separatist army under some sort of control and order. The Psychics as they were known, wore heavy brown cloaks to hide their wizened frames, the hoods of which were hauled so far forward that only the barest outline of their features were visible. It was whispered in hushed tones that they used some sort of mind control to keep order, yet Sam thought it more likely they used some sort of cocktail of drugs. He continued to study them as the officers past orders to their Psychics, who then shuffled out amongst the cannibalistic, maniacs which made up the infantry of the Separatist force and braced them for battle.
“They really must want this piece of rock, Freight Train, maybe we should just give it to them and you know go and grab a few synthetic beers or something, what do you think?” He asked with a shrewd beam.
“I like the idea,” Serena retorted as she spied out towards the gathered ranks of the enemy. “But somehow I just don’t think they’re gonna just let us leave this place quietly.”
“Maybe, if we ask them nicely?”
“How exactly do you ask crazy ass, cannibal’s things nicely?” Serena asked as she cradled her combat shotgun in crook of her arm.
Sam nodded, “Yeah I think that could be a problem, and I did hear that eating human flesh can make you a bit nuts.”
“That’s true Stalker, and you also have to think that looking at those damn beast men all day and being ordered around by those creepy guys in the robe, would even maybe make me a little mad.” Serena paused then spat onto the arid soil, “still I think I’d rather have them leading me then Normaskon.”
Sam snickered “I hear that,” in his mind he conjured up an image of General Ilius Normaskon, a tall, thin, pretty boy, whose soul if he still possessed one was about as murky as the murdering bastards across the plain. He was everything that Sam hated about the Empire he had fought for all of his adult life to protect. The General had been given his place as commander of the Marine company, not because of his skill, dedication or leadership qualities, but because his family was rich, and had enough political clout. They thought a few years of service, might look good on the young man’s records, so that when he went back to civilization he would be able to rise higher in some part of the mighty administration or economic sectors. Normaskon was the worst kind of coward, who sat safely back from the front in his armoured convoy, making millions of credits by selling off medical equipment and even weapon shipments.
Less than a week ago Sam had managed with the help of a few of his troopers to foil one of Normaskon’s little plans to peddle off a new consignment of body armour, how low could a man actually sink to trade away the only things that would stand between a soldier and his own demise. He sealed his eyes tightly for a moment and wondered what they were really fighting for, was it to stop the beasts that now waited across the plateau, or was it so that men like the General, could live fat, and happy somewhere far from all this misery.
“You got to hand it to those crazy bastards out there,” Serena smirked directing her weapon across the plain. “You wouldn’t catch them trying to hawk the weapons and armour out from under you, maybe eat you.” The laugh that followed was so candid it was enough to lift even the most dejected spirit it was one of her gifts, and how she had been able to snare such a beautiful wife.
Sam joined in, “Yeah I hear that, hopefully they have the courtesy to kill you first before they throw you in the cooking pot.”
“You’d hope Stalker, that can’t be a good way to go.” As Serena finished her own voice drifted off and became heavy.
It was good to laugh sometimes, it could help to keep you sane, yet there was only so far you could go before the truth and the conflict itself finally caught up with you. “Yeah I can think of better ways,” He hesitated and then attempted to change the subject, “In terms of Normaskon what can we do, the guys got some serious pull with the brass. So for now at least we’re stuck with him, until he lets his guard down or we catch him red handed and even then what are we going to do. Who do you think the big Generals and commanders are going to believe, one of them, who probably went to school with one or their kid’s, or some dirty, down at heels Marines.”
Serena didn’t reply for a second as if her head was somewhere else, “Yeah your right. But let’s just hope its sooner rather than later.”
“I’d like to think so, but I just don’t think we’re that lucky, so for now we’re stuck with him”
Serena interjected, her tone playful. “Well you never know, maybe he’ll accidentally fall on a grenade or something”
“First sergeant you wouldn’t have something in mind now would you?”
Serena pivoted to him and favoured him with a broad, toothy grin. “Certainly not Captain and if I did, as I said I’m sure it would be an accident this is a war zone after all.”
Sam shook his head, “ok enough of that. I don’t want to have to save your sorry ass from a puritan firing squad or something.”
“No sir,” Serena crooked.
“You never know,” he replied as he switched his attention back to their adversaries. “They might just give up and go home themselves.”
“Yeah back to whatever nasty rock they crawled out from.”
“I have to say though, I just don’t think we’re that lucky old friend, we were born for this shit and as we know, you either fight or die.” Once again he was a child, standing over his mother’s body, the needle protruding from her arm, the track marks clearly visible in her puckered grey flesh. Next to her his father lays, his own emaciated figure, merely skin and bones. He picks up the small credit note, she has on the bedside table and he runs. He is nine years old and his is abandoned into a World that neither sees him or harbours the most basic compassion. He is truly alone for the first time in his life, although perhaps he had always been forsaken.
Serena’s voice brought him slamming back into reality. “I hear that Stalker, but fuck you’d think that whatever God may still be looking down on this miserable universe of ours would give us a break once in a while and just make those ugly, heathen bastards give up, and turn tail. You know that I’m due to head home for some leave in four goddamn days, I’m too short to have to deal with these mad flesh-eaters” As Serena spoke she tensed her arms and the grip on her weapon increased. The worry clearly etched across her pot marked countenance.
Sam lay his hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happens, you’ll make it home, you have my word on that. Even if I have to drag you to that transport myself and don’t think it has anything to do with me liking you. It’s just that if I don’t get you back to Caroline she will kick my ass the next time I see her.”
Serena arched around and laid one of her mitts on Sam’s arm, “That’s true and you know she will, she even scares me.”
“Damn right I do, in fact now that I think about it I’m more scared of your wife than those damn bastards out there, you know at least they make it quick maybe.” Sam’s lips split into a cheeky grin.
“That’s an affirmative on that Stalker,” Serena said as she stepped back and drew herself up to her full stature. “Shit though I do love her, so help me God.”
“Well let’s just make sure we can get you back to her then shall we for both our sakes.”
“I hear you,” Serena responded, laconically, her mind obviously somewhere else.
“Right well, first Sergeant, we have one nasty little war to win here then first.”
“I’m with you Sir, maybe this time we’ll beat’em so bad that they’ll actually really give up, and we can all go home.”
“Well we can always hope, now on a more serious note, we’re gonna need some weighty fire support on this one, so what do we have available?” Sam asked as he glanced out through the veil of sand towards the Separatist force.
“Well the F.A.A (Fleet. Air. Arm) have got two battle cruisers in high orbit to offer support the “Independence” and the “Victory” both have heavy duty ordinance and we have th
ree bomber wings on standby. But you know what that fuck Normaskon said,” Serena spat her rage barely under control.
“Yeah well that son of a bitch can just suck on my balls, while he’s sitting back there safe and sound in his little toy trailer playing at war, the rest of us are actually knee deep in it here, and on the frontline I give the orders.” Sam replied with a wry smile.
“Sounds good to me, but you know what those bastards up there are going to say about that don’t you. There’s nothing those little sailor boys like more than a nice chain of command and you think you’re going to convince them of something different”
Sam didn’t say anything, he knew that Serena was right; slowly he craned his neck up and watched the dense, maroon clouds waft across the sky. Above them he knew the Fleet waited in high orbit, Immense Battle cruisers, medical frigates and support ships, the combined firepower of which could easily destroy this entire planet, yet that was expensive and Marines, well sadly they were cheap. He took in a languorous mouthful of the parched air, it caught in his throat and he hacked up something that felt nasty so he simply spat it out. He wiped a gloved hand over his mouth and wished he was about anywhere but here.
He knew they probably wouldn’t let him order a bombing run, but he had to try, the lives of his troopers could depend on it, especially if the enemy decided to bring out the big guns.
When he finally spoke it was once again with a wry chuckle, “Yeah I know what they’re going to say, but you know me old friend I do have a certain way of explaining the situation to people and along with that there’s my winning personality.”
Serena chided, “Your winning personality is that what you call it?”
“Hey come on everyone likes me; you know except, Normaskon, the brass most of those sailors up there,” Sam paused, “Ok, so no one really likes me.”
“Don’t say that Stalker, I’m sure there’s at least one marine on this whole planet that thinks you’re, you know, not too bad.”
Sam grinned, “Thanks for that, a whole one person.”
“Hey am only messing with you Captain, you know that we all love you,” Serena responded.
“Yeah now that’s much better first sergeant, that’s what I require from all my troops, unconditional love and undying loyalty.”
They both found themselves giggling, however when Serena had recovered, her timbre became more serious. “Joking aside Stalker, I think we’re gonna need that support, without armour or at least some heavy air support, those strike tanks over there are gonna chew us up.” Serena peered back towards the main habitation complex and the spaceport, “how long before reinforcements get here?”
“Reinforcements what are you thinking Marine?” Sam countered with a beam and then peered down at the ground. He knew Serena was right, if they didn’t get some more assistance they would never be able to hold out. A detachment was on route, however if he was honest with himself he wished they were here now. He could use the thirty thousand troopers, but more importantly he needed the hundred, light armoured Mark two “Viper” battle tanks, as well as the ten, “Lightning” heavy weapons platforms. If he couldn’t get the fleet to deploy their bomber wings, or give him some orbital support then the Separatist armour was going to kill a lot of his troops and he didn’t even want to start thinking about what those strike tanks would do if the enemy pitched them into the fight. When he finally spoke his voice was quietened. “Two days at the earliest.”
Serena didn’t speak for an instant as if she was trying to process what she had just heard; when she finally did her voice was coloured with sentiment. “Shit Stalker, this could all be over in two hours let alone two days.”
“I know Serena,” Sam replied as he turned back to face his friend. “We can do this, we have good defensive positions here and if we can get some goddamn orbital bombardments we can hold those bastards off until support arrives.”
“Yeah,” Serena retorted doubtfully.
“We can do this, we’re Marines remember that, they haven’t created an enemy that we can’t kill, I’ll make sure you make it back home to Caroline and the kids don’t you worry about that.” Sam said as he passed back the field viewers.
He pitched his head up just as the distinctive, box-shaped medi-vac shuttle burnt through the abundant mist that seemed to shroud this entire place, and glided majestically to the ground, next to the temporary triage centre. Instinctively he bore his head away, before he was buffeted by the sandstorm kicked up by the engines.
When the fog had cleared Serena said, “I know we can Stalker, it’s not like we have a choice do we? We can’t surrender, we fight or we die. I’m sure as hell not going to die on this wretched rock four days before I get to go home and see my babies.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear Freight Train, get the company heads together, every trooper that can hold a rifle is on the line.” As Sam spoke he eyes fastened on the defensive positions he had set up and within his mind a strategy began to take shape. “If they manage to get through the orbital bombardment, they’re going to hit us hard, that fucking armour is going to be a problem, have anti-tank teams mass every half a mile, and make sure those heavy weapons platforms are back under cover. Let’s hope they can work as well this time round. I want to be able to lay down some waves of fire and plasma to keep their infantry off us if they manage to get right to the line.”
“We’re definitely going to need those big guns”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Sam said as he held out a gloved hand.
Serena took it and shook it warmly before with a natural smile she said, “Fight or die.”
“Fight or die” Sam responded and then watched as his friend trundled off down the line to organise the defences. He just hoped he could keep her alive long enough to get on the ship back to see her family. If it was within his power to do, he would. He had never really thought about kin much until recently, in his head, it had been a pipe dream, something so detached, and foreign to him, that it didn’t bare thinking about. Yet now as he glanced around at troopers preparing themselves to go to battle once again, he realized that he had more to live for, that perhaps there was a place for him out there somewhere in this infinite cosmos. Maybe somewhere he and Naomi could live out their lives and grow old together, he chuckled as he thought that even as an old lady, she would still look good. He had to stop himself, it was thoughts like that, which got you killed out here. Joy and happiness had no place in this war and if you forgot that, then the grim reaper would be close at hand to remind you.
CHAPTER FIVE
PLANET XY-432, 400 MILLION LIGHT YEARS FROM SOL.
The beast hungered.
It writhed within its mystic cage, and once again, as they always did, its thoughts turned to feeding. Time was a subjective thing and it had no real way of knowing exactly how long it had languished within the unseen walls of its prison. It was certainly tens, or even hundreds of millions of years. Still the time bothered the creature little, it had existed before even the universe was borne in the fires of the big bang, and it would continue to live long after all the stars which now filled the black well of space had burnt out, and died.
It was the cravings and perhaps even the boredom, which caused the beast disquietude. Although it could survive, quite possibility until the very end of time without any energy to feast upon, it had spent so many thousands of years gorging itself, that it had developed a certain appetite.
The creature grasped out with its mind, gently, tentatively feeling its way along the barriers that kept it within the vast frozen glacier. The arcane magic used to create its cell was perhaps even older than it and had been wielded by a race of powerful Natuers, beings of pure energy. Guardedly his consciousness stretched out like millions of tiny fingers, cautiously edging along the wall, until they found what they were seeking, a fissure in the magic.
The spells that powered the barriers were beginning to degrade, like any energy within this plane of reality, they could only
survive for so long before they ran out. The beast exploited the breach and forced its mind through. Once outside its confine, it mouthed an inhuman and bestial shriek. The one thing it hated more than the Natuers was the cold, which was one of the reasons his enemies had chosen this miserable planet.
Back within the chamber the fiend’s immense, heavily scarified and mutilated frame shivered. It unfurled its vast wings and began to beat them to keep itself warm. Once again this was more for its own benefit, it could not be affected by the chill, in a physical way and it was just the sensation it caused, which made the beast uncomfortable. Its original home, in a realm and time far removed from this one; had been one rampant with lucent flames, and heat.
Its consciousness began to explore its surroundings. This was the first time it had been able to escape the restrictions of its cage, since its original incarceration. It reached out hoping to feel the familiar sensation of any life forms within the vast, cavern. Yet sadly it could discern nothing, for some reason this angered it. Emotions were not something that even now the creature fully comprehended, it had sensed them before, when it had feasted upon the inhabitants of this universe. It had sensed what they felt and they had names for these sensations, fear, anger, pain, regret, loss.
Yet in all truth, the beast still did not truly understand these feelings, it was like many things that existed within this plane of existence, they were so foreign to the fiend that they were almost beyond its range of perception. One sensation though, it did understand and that was, hunger. For so long it had dreamed of this day when it would finally be able to escape its bonds and forage. Now that it had finally happened though, it could detect no life on which it could feast. Not even the most basic, single celled amoebas, or bacteria. Nothing lived within this frigid, lifeless place.
The Last Foxhole (The Forgotten War Saga Book 1) Page 5