by Mars Dorian
The reason of their being.
Kindred spirits
In strange lands
“It’s quite a wild day," RX said to loosen the atmosphere. "I started with sea meat and ended with Anti-Air rockets.”
He delivered the line with a smirk, but the soldiers remained motionless.
“What did you hope to achieve?”
More silence. Then a comment from the captain.
“We’ll speak once commander Klaven arrives.”
“Fair enough.”
The APC blasted up the hill and stopped in an ad hoc camp behind the hillside. The soldiers pushed RX outside and walked him across the perimeter. A couple of tanks, LRVs and two new artillery walkers lined up ten meters next to him. Soldier groups checked their equipment, engineers treated the vehicles. Reminded RX of the hangar back in the Stryker carrier.
A comforting sight.
He followed the four armored men to the tent. Two guards stood outside and made way.
“Move it.”
“Right.”
Inside the tent, a bearded man rose from his desk. He wiped his left hand over his commander uniform and combed his lonely four white hairs.
“So, so, you’re the infamous sky devil that obliterated our troops.”
“Obliterate is a strong word. I tried to immobilize your forces without killing.”
“Tell that to the men that you blew up in the LRVs.”
“With all due respect, sir, but I’ve tried to warn your troops many times. Every communication attempt was thwarted on your side.”
The old man ignored the last statement.
“Where do you come from?”
“A Stryker carrier.”
“Stryker?”
RX collected his thoughts. How could the man not know about Stryker Solutions? It was THE ally of the USC.
“They are a private military corporation working closely with the US Corps. We’ve fought together multiple times, sir.”
“I know who they are.”
Tension flavored his voice, which wasn’t rare. Not everyone in the USC liked Stryker. And RX had no idea if these troops even pledged allegiance to the US Corps banner.
“What are you doing on this planet, son?”
“Sir, I crash-landed onto this planet after a failed mission. I stranded near the Evergreen colony and tried to get back to my carrier ever since. Unfortunately, I couldn’t establish any communication with Stryker.”
The man crossed his arms and proceeded back to his seat. RX stood still and waited for the next question. He needed to come across as trustworthy if he wanted to finish this conflict in peace.
“Sit down, son.”
There you go, RX thought. In the periphery of his left vision, he noticed the two guards stepping inside the tent with their rifles on stand-by, hovering their fingers over the trigger. He slowed his movements and sank into the chair facing the commander’s.
“So you’ve stranded on this planet. Continue.”
“Well, the citizens of Evergreen located my craft and transported me to their colony. After initial misunderstandings, they welcomed me into their community. When Evergreen was attacked by your forces, I stepped back into my pilot role and tried to defend the colony. But then I saw your USC troops, and I became confused.”
The commander listened patiently.
“What do you hope to achieve?”
“I want to end this conflict without further bloodshed, sir. Whatever you want from Evergreen, I’m sure we’ll find a peaceful way.”
“Peaceful way,” the old man said with a tired smile.
“You’ve been hanging out too much with Norma.”
The name ripped like a pulse laser through RX’s heart. So the elderly female was known beyond the bounds of her colony, no surprise there. She was the leader of Evergreen after all. RX perked his ears and sat up straight. The commander narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.
“How much do you know about Evergreen?”
“Frankly, still not much. They seem to be pacifists with a love for life and eating. They detest violence and seem to be rapidly expanding.”
The old man nodded.
“So have you noticed anything suspicious about these Evergreens?”
That would be the understatement of a life cycle.
Every single day inside the settlement exposed more mysteries.
“Yes sir. Their community is quite different from the social structure of my carrier, and I’m not just referring to the military aspects. Evergreen is unlike any other colony I’ve come in contact with.”
The commander raised his index finger.
“There’s a reason for that, son. And it’s the same reason we’ve been in conflict with Evergreen for the past years.”
Talking about teasing.
The man was the master of it.
“You seem genuinely clueless about what’s happening here. Allow me to enlighten you.”
RX swallowed hard.
It was revelation time.
44
Commander Klaven intertwined his hands.
“About a decade ago, the main US Corps fleet discovered this exoplanet. For reasons unknown to us, they wanted to set up base here.”
RX lost himself in the moment. His ears belonged to the commander.
“The US Corps invested enormous resources to build a city cluster. The goal was to establish a military presence within this sector. They sent around 20,000 initial settlers, half of them military personnel, to jumpstart the growth. And for a while, it was good. The operation went smooth, the construction finished in record time. The settlers adapted to their new world.”
“And then?”
“Well, about a year later, some citizens began acting strangely. They lost most of their memory and walked around aimlessly, talking gibberish. The meds believed it was a PCSD, Post-Colonial-Stress-Disorder. But when thousands of people started coughing uncontrollably, the officials claimed it was the result of a viral outbreak and put the colony under quarantine. Within another month, everyone in the colony was infected by the unknown aggressor.”
Listening to the commander felt like watching a full-immersion thriller on the feed.
“The US Corps lost contact to the colony and sent a xenologist with viral disease specialization, protected by a battalion of ground-pounders. That was us.”
Klaven paused.
“Guess who the xenologist was?”
The fog cleared up.
“Norma.”
Klaven exposed a tired smile.
“She was supposed to identify the viral aggressor and create an antidote with her team of bio-engineers.”
“What happened then?”
“We set up base near the colony. Made sure our oxygen supply was protected from the unknown viral aggressor. When we finally entered the colony, the citizens had changed completely. They walked around like sleepwalkers, carried that green tint in their skin and built up the colony from scratch. But in a strange way.”
Klaven gestured around with his wrinkled hands.
“Have you seen these organic circuit patterns on their tech tunics and skin? It was a result from the infection.”
RX nodded. Klaven continued.
“Norma and her team found the source of the virus underground, but that’s when everything changed. The sleepwalkers became aggressive and turned against us. A bloodshed ensued, but to avoid unnecessary deaths, our battalion escaped the colony without Norma and her team. We set up camp and tried to reengage with the colony ever since. Hopelessly, as you can see.”
RX pondered the commander’s words.
“Why have you attacked them?”
“We wanted to take down their facilities to weaken them. We only targeted refineries and production sites. Civilian casualties were not an option.”
The spit collected in his mouth edges.
“Then your spacecraft showed up and we thought the estranged colonists had found a new weapon. Hence our direct response.”
He paused.
“Whatever Norma had found underground, she was able to use it. Somehow. I don’t know what went into her head, honestly. She was one of the most respected xenologists of the US Corps. And she was reasonable until the colonists went mad and we had to leave her behind. We lost many brave men and women that day.”
“So you’re saying Norma somehow used an unknown virus to manipulate the colonists?”
“Listen, I know it sounds strange. But you’ve lived among them. You have seen their twisted mindset and strange behaviors. All those brainwashed colony dwellers used to be elite settlers from the US Corps, most of which served the troops.”
He looked concerned, even tired from the battle.
“Like I said, we don’t know how she does it. But ever since she found that alien artifact underground, she cut the connection to our battalion and became the ruler of her twisted paradise.”
No surprise there.
RX found her suspicious since the day he crash-landed. He just couldn’t believe such a crazy story was the reason behind it.
“Now I’ve told you everything I know. What about you?”
“As I said before, I’m a pilot for Stryker and crash-landed on this planet after I collided with debris in space. The Evergreens took me to their colony.”
Klaven motioned him to go on.
“The entire time, I tried to establish a connection with my Stryker carrier, but it was in vain.”
“Why aren’t they sending backup, or at least a search & rescue team?”
Because his ranking was too low.
But he couldn’t say that, of course.
Not after all his accomplishments.
“I don’t know. Maybe Stryker did and they can’t localize me. This planet is vast.”
“It sure is, son. Vast and dangerous.”
RX nodded.
“What now, sir?”
“We want to stop Norma from manipulating the former US Corps colony and debunk her discovery. We want to finish our mission.”
“She said the Evergreens were pacifists. Why didn’t you try to negotiate?”
Klaven broke out in rebound laughter. It carried an ugly ring to it.
“The last time we tried the ‘peaceful’ approach, we lost a fifth of our troops, son.
She’s turned into a delusional maniac. We have to take her down.”
RX sank his glance.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it. Why would a revered xenologist turn against her race, slaughter innocent soldiers from the US Corps and create a slave colony?”
The old man released a deep sigh and leaned into his chair.
“Frankly, it’s pathetic how little progress we made. We even captured a few of her so-called Evergreens for interrogation purposes, but the second we tried to squeeze out some information, they blanked.”
He snapped his right fingers.
“Just like that. As if she remote-deactivated them.”
The commander bent over his desk.
“Listen, you have this incredible war machine at your disposal. Legend says Stryker secretly worked on an all-purpose executioner, but I never took such gossip seriously. Now I see it with my old eyes.”
He grinned.
“The weaponry and speed of that thing is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It would be easy for you to ashen Norma’s entire colony, right?”
“Technically, yes. But I have no desire to slaughter an entire settlement.”
The commander slammed his fist on the desk.
“You’re not supposed to kill the colonists. These are proud men and women who were handpicked by the US Corps to colonize the planet. They were loyal until the outbreak, and Norma’s dissidence. She’s a goddamn mass murderer.”
RX’s voice remained cool as a glacier.
“What do you have in mind?”
Klaven’s heat steamed off. A faint smile etched into his wrinkled face.
“Yes, let’s talk strategy. You said to my subordinates that you had a win-win solution. Now I’m curious.”
“Well, the things you just told me changed everything. To be honest, I still feel like a stranger in this conflict.”
RX paused and struggled for his next words. This was a situation he’d never dealt with before. A pilot belonged in the cockpit, followed the orders of his squad leader and flanked the enemy. He was not supposed to decide over the fate of millions. But maybe this was his grand chance.
“I’m waiting,” commander Klaven said.
“Listen, you want Norma, I bring her to you. But I want to be present during the interrogation. I want to get to the ground of this.”
“That makes two of us.”
Klaven smiled and stood up.
“BTW—what’s your name, son?”
“My pilot ID is RX-88, but people call me Rex now.”
He was about to leave the tent when the commander clutched his arm.
The guards readied their rifles.
“Not so fast,” the commander said.
“What is it?”
“What stops you from getting back into your APEX and killing all of us, now that you know where I am?”
“If I wanted to wipe you out, I could have done it long ago.”
“Maybe, but how do I know that you’re not under Norma’s control right now?”
Something RX never thought about. He developed so much despise for Norma, being influenced by her seemed absurd. But not to the commander.
“You’ll have to trust me.”
“I know something better. Since you claim to be immune to her control, why don’t you leave your APEX here with us?”
“What? No way.”
“What do you need it for? You’re an elite soldier, you carry armor and a weapon. Norma has no defenses left as we speak. We bring you back to Evergreen, you get her to us and leave the APEX as an insurance. This is true win-win.”
RX surveyed Klaven’s expression.
He didn’t know the man well enough to tell whether he was trying to trick him.
“You have to understand where I’m coming from, Rex. We’ve been at war for years. My people are worn out and afraid of defeat. You have killed dozens of my soldiers which doesn’t help with the trust. Leave your craft with us and get Norma, and we can talk about peace.”
The man had more experience.
More wit and strategic knowhow.
And RX was ‘just’ a pilot.
So he shook Klaven’s hands and sealed the promise.
“Great. Now give your APEX to us.”
“Right.”
Klaven walked RX outside where he passed a woman in the uniform.
She quickly averted her glance and joined Klaven’s side. RX told Aida to bring the spacecraft to the camp with the weapon systems offline. The APEX landed in the perimeter and demanded everyone’s attention. Even Klaven had trouble closing his mouth.
“That’s truly an impressive war machine you have here.”
“It’s Stryker’s best.”
The second Aida landed the APEX, the soldiers surrounded the vessel and attached some kind of devices that were supposed to hold her down.
Tank walkers and LRVs turned their cannons at the spacecraft and stayed on stand-by.
Much ado about nothing, RX thought.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“It keeps everyone calm.”
The old commander addressed his soldiers and patted RX’s shoulder.
“Listen up, folks. We’re under ceasefire now. If this man is the man I think he is, he will bring us the war criminal and we’ll have our justice. And then we’ll finish this conflict, once and for all.”
The soldiers in the camp clapped. RX nodded although he disliked Klaven’s phrasing. He followed the woman into the LRV and was guarded by two heavily-armed soldiers. She ignited the machine and tore over the hill, back to the entrance of the bombed facility section of Evergreen. During the ride, the woman turned to him with partial i
nterest.
“How do you plan to get Norma?”
“I’ll come up with something, I’ll always do.”
A phrase as hollow as his non-existent plan, but the woman didn’t bother to follow up. She halted near the section where the troops hung out. They stiffened the second RX touched ground, their fingers floating near the trigger of their combat rifles.
“Ease, everyone,” the woman said and the soldiers relaxed.
She led RX to the first bombarded facility.
Handed him over his rifle and said,
“This is as far as I go. Remember, bring us—“
“—a local souvenir? I’ve heard the sea meat is quite the specialty.”
The woman did not smile.
No one on this planet liked humor.
“Good luck.”
She even saluted him and marched back to her troops.
So this was it.
Rex versus Norma.
45
RX observed the destroyed facilities around him.
They burned.
They smoked.
Like ruins of hell.
RX knew the working bees of Evergreen would soon arrive with their bio-gear to repair the structures. But now, with no citizens around, and the USCs waiting in front of the northern entrance, the void emptied the streets. A ghost colony as freakish as the first time when RX crash-landed.
Evergreen, the ever-mystery.
“Hello?”
RX rotated 360 degrees and yelled into the forsaken streets. Silence impregnated the air, filled with tension that seemed to push RX farther into the center. He tried to summon a porter, but none came.
And here he was again, a stranger in a strange land.
The only sane voice being the one in his head.
“How’s the APEX doing, Aida?”
She responded with a live footage shot from the cockpit. The USC soldiers chained the craft with the steel ropes and aimed their turrets and tanks at the wings and thrusters on the rear. RX whistled through his teeth.
“Jeez, they’re really paranoid.”
“You did kill about a dozen soldiers on their side.”
“D-fense.”
“Just saying.”
RX swallowed.
“I just hope I’m doing the right thing. I don’t even know whose side I’m on anymore.”
He paused his train of thought as he increased his walking speed.