November 15, 2111 - November 18, 2111
James Stone
Today is day one of a four-day journey to reach Mount Pillar. Garatopia, being a newly developed city, hadn't had time to provide decent transportation to this goliath of a mountain. To add to the fire, the docking bay at the entrance to the city had been devastated in our conflict, resulting in all remaining transport ships becoming utterly useless. The only way to the top of Mount Pillar was with the feet and strength God gave us.
The journey began. Long lines and crowds of citizens carried what they could over the massive bridge at the entrance of Garatopia; leftover machines, expended ammunition, and all other things war still laced this once beautiful bridge. Mixed into the batch of citizens were us - soldiers. At the front, leading the journey was Captain Wild-Heart and a few of her soldiers. Valiic, Frost, and Brad were all split apart between the front and back of the line. Shadow-Walker and I were rounding up the rear. From here on out, the journey would get more and more treacherous. The cooling weather, the thinning of the air as we traipsed higher and higher, the dangerous creatures prowling around the rocks - they were all obstacles to get through. To add icing to this already disastrous cake, we weren't even sure if rescue would be awaiting us. We could only hope it would, because it was the one chance we had.
"Do you think everyone will make it?" Shadow-Walker whispered to me, gazing over the vast river of citizens in front of us.
"Nope," I whispered back. "A journey like this would be a mountainous task for us, let alone these everyday people."
"Give them some credit, James. They've endured a lot over these last few days… more than anybody should have to in a lifetime."
"Doesn't excuse the fact that we have to babysit them."
"Some brought weapons," Shadow-Walker pointed out.
"Doesn't mean they know how to use them," I countered.
"I like to be optimistic," Shadow-Walker chuckled.
If ever there was a time to mention to Shadow-Walker an issue that had been scratching at my mind as of late, now was it. "Shadow?"
"Hmm?"
"The Raid on Tathen, Shadow. Were you there?" When I was fighting Airra, she told me Shadow-Walker was a part of the first battle of the Wersillian War, a battle the ARW wasn't part of, but it ended up pushing us into confronting the Wersillian Legion.
Obviously, that turned out well, because look at where we are now, I thought sarcastically to myself.
"Who told you that?" Shadow-Walker rubbed his palm to the stumps sticking out of his craggy scalp.
"Airra."
"And you believe her?"
"Should I?"
"She is our enemy. You can't take her word for shivf."
"Shadow, we've all made mistakes. I mean, look at me! I'm practically a walking metaphor of mistakes."
Shadow-Walker paused for a moment, looking down at the splintered bridge. "She wasn't lying."
"So, what happened?"
"I guess I got baited. At least, that's what I choose to believe. During that time - this was long ago - I was still a mercenary. Some dytirc spokesperson hired me to do a simple job: Go to a docking bay and put down tracker beams around the station to keep the ships from departing."
"That doesn't seem bad."
"That's what I thought at first, so I accepted. See, Tathen was a small moon, and only had a few cities and suburbs. Its main attraction was the vast amount of resources on that moon. However, when I reached Tathen, things began to seem strange. I found out other mercenaries had been hired for the same job as me, at the same station as me. We completed our task, but questions arose. We asked around and learned what we were hired to do was only part of the atrocity about to go down. Tathen had only a few docking bays, and now all those bays were essentially shut down - because of us. We were the lock that trapped those poor civilians on that moon."
"Trapped?"
"Yes! The Wersillian Legion decimated just about everyone there from the skies. Very few found ways to escape because of what we did. When the screaming started, we all quickly realized what was going on, and most of us, like the cowards we were, ran. We ran from what we did. I heard some of the weaker mercenaries couldn't live with it and ate a bullet for it."
"Holy hell. I heard mumblings about that raid but had never imagined it was that brutal."
Memories about what Malcolm Richardson told me about the loss of his child that day came back to my mind. That day had changed his life forever, and not for the better. Seeing Shadow-Walker's guilt over the situation forced me to hold my tongue, and I chose not to mention that to him.
"It was worse being there, trust me. James, you may feel guilt over the few you've lost, and that's fine. I don't blame you for it. But words cannot describe the level of guilt I had and still have to live with from helping cause a genocide. And the worst part about it: The Wersillian Legion did all of that just for the moon's resources. Genocide, all for freven resources! That's why the ARW has to stop them. We are the only alliance close to their power."
"I believe when all the shivf has already hit the fan and long past, we will have won this war," I reminded him.
"I do, too," Shadow-Walker agreed.
Our journey continued. We were now past the partially destroyed docking bay and marching into the hills and trees. We would have to walk for about a day through this light forest of hills, brush, and trees. After that, we would begin to ascend the mountains.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
Day one had passed, and day two began. Our journey had taken us over an enormous number of hills and around even more trees, and now that part was behind us. Our campfires were put out, and everyone was up and ready to move, knowing the truly dangerous areas were still ahead of us. The temperature was starting to get noticeably lower. It wasn't freezing yet, but it was cold enough that adding extra clothing was necessary, at least for most of the crowd. Jenjarians especially weren't meant for the cold. Their species had evolved in warmth; hence, the attraction the jenjarians had for this planet. But so much for that. Qwayks and humans weren't much better off. Maelkii and dor'o were the lucky ones of the bunch. Both of them had adapted to colder living conditions over their histories. With my extraordinary body, I was also able to endure the cold better than most. Times like these made me cherish my abilities.
Half the crowd had already begun the trek up the hazardous rock, cliffs, and boulders. The other half, the back half, was still awaiting their turn. Now was the time that movement would take a severe drop. Add in colder temperatures, and we'd soon be moving at a snail's pace.
Following the crowd, Shadow-Walker and I began to climb. We were the last ones to do so. Now that we'd gotten closer to the mountains I'd seen from a distance, I could truly see their massive scale. They stretched up even further than I'd imagined, with sheer slopes, black and forbidding. Floating around the peak of the tallest of the mountains, Mount Pillar, was the red mist. The soil beneath my boots was rough with pebbles, and they crunched under each step. Little vegetation grew around the swamp of pillars and boulders, except sparse grass and twisted thorn bushes. There wasn't a clear path for us to travel; instead, the crowd followed winding narrow clefts, and often we had to backtrack for another, easier route. It was truly infuriating to me to lose ground due to the slow-moving citizens we had to babysit.
As Shadow-Walker and I were tailing the crowd, out popped one of Wild-Heart's commandos - and she instantly stole my eyes. Her hair was coal-black, and it plunged over her unique yet familiar armor. It was shaded with black and red roses - a pattern I'd seen only once.
"James?" She smiled a bright, bubbly smile.
"That'd be me." I put on the most charming smile I had in my book.
"Captain Wild-Heart wanted me to inform you that some of the citizens upfront are getting hungry. When others mentioned nearby trees with edible berries, she sent a few commandos and Valiic to gather them."
"She could've told us that through the cyberwatches. Technology… it's why we have it," Shadow-Walker teased.
"But then we wouldn't have the pleasure of meeting this beautiful lady right here." I jabbed him on the shoulder and caught a glimpse of the brunnete's cheeks burning red.
"My name's Darcrose, by the way. Beverly Darcrose." She extended her palm, and I shook it.
"Darcrose?" Shadow-Walker exclaimed. "We met your brother!"
"Yeah," I added. "Alexander Darcrose." My tune went a bit more morbid as I re-watched his death play out in my mind.
"You knew Alex?" Beverly jubilated.
Shadow-Walker tensed up. "Uh… only for a short time. He, uh--"
"Died," Beverly finished his sentence. "My mother was already devastated when my father passed, but to have Alex die only a week after my dad did - well, it was hard for all of us. Were, umm… were you there when it happened?"
"We were," I answered for Shadow. "Shadow didn't see it. I did."
"How did it… how did it happen?" she asked.
"Are you sure you want those images tossed into your mind?"
"He was my twin. So, yeah, it'd give me some closure, I guess."
"Alex was operating our turret and took a direct hit from a plasma blast. He… he didn't come out looking the same. That's as detailed as I want to get with that. He was a good ranger… my respects."
"That explains the closed casket," she mumbled.
"How many siblings do you have anyway?" Shadow-Walker asked her in an attempt to brighten the mood.
"Two… well, one now. All of us enlisted. Alexander and I are the youngest. My older sister is a badass. She's the captain of the 707 Wolf-Pack." It was impressive how quickly she could cheer up herself and the surrounding area with that smile of hers.
"You hear that, James? Captain!" Shadow-Walker nudged my arm.
Beverly shined. "Yeah! She's ranked number six on the ARW's most dangerous ground troops list. Not as high as your man, Brad Swift, but honestly, who is? I mean, he single-handedly took down a warlord! Like… by himself! Who does that?"
"Not this again," I said with a sigh.
Shadow-Walker gazed at me with a fun-filled, jeering grin. "Yeah James, he killed a warlord more powerful than Steion all by himself," Shadow-Walker teased. "You've got some competition, don't you?" He then turned to Beverly. "See, ever since Brad killed that warlord, our crew has done nothing but tease James over it."
"Why?" she asked.
"'Cause it took James and another hunter unit's captain to kill Steion, who doesn't quite stand toe-to-toe with Dro'Zer. Yet, Brad killed him by himself."
After Brad came back with word that he had killed that warlord, everyone was in complete bewilderment and exhilaration over the news. At least seemingly everyone, except for Brad himself.
"And they won't drop it either," I said with a chuckle.
Beverly came up to me, wearing a leering and blithe expression. She placed a soft hand on the gruff skin of my cheek, fingers touching my beard, and did something completely unexpected: Taking full control of the situation, she pressed her alluring red lips to mine. For a second, bliss, then she disengaged.
"Now you have something to brag about that few others can… you kissed a Darcrose." There was a pause. "Anyway, Wild-Heart will be wondering where I skipped off to. So, I should probably head back."
Shadow-Walker's eyes were popping out, and his mouth was stretched to twice its size. A mixture of shock, pleasure, and questions made my expression look like an awkward school picture.
I took a moment to snap out of the trance and bewilderment, a moment that probably didn't seem as long to everyone else. "Nice meeting you." Shadow-Walker and I both finally acknowledged her last words.
"And remember not to get too religious out there." I smiled.
"Religious?" she asked.
"Holey," Shadow-Walker clarified.
"Oh… I get it. Full of holes, right?" She laughed. "See yah." She disappeared into the crowd of civilians.
When she was gone, Shadow-Walker teased me, "Do you always think with your peter when you meet a pretty girl?"
"When you know, you know," I said with a chuckle.
"You would know if it whacked you in the groin." Shadow-Walker laughed at me.
I ignored him. Somehow, the journey seemed brighter after meeting her. After we get back - if we get back - I could definitely see a fling between Beverly and myself in the future.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
Day three. Things had become a bit rockier. Overnight, a small tribe of borjers attacked the camp. With the help of a few armed civilians, our soldiers chased off the creatures. But it wasn't without loss. A few died to the beasts, mostly elderly or young. I had a hunch, though, that this wasn't the end. Borjers are territorial, so we'd probably see them again. Because of the scuffle last night, I made the decision to see if I could stop the borjers at the source. I asked Frost to tag along to see if we could block off whatever cave they were coming from.
Heaving myself upward, I reached the top of a boulder and turned to look down at Frost. His shirt buffeted in the icy breeze. Frost raised himself up with a pillar of ice he created from the moisture in the air. I gazed across the rocky mountain but couldn't see far because of the many pillars and boulders that blocked my view. Just off in the direction we came from, I could see the tail end of the crowd of civilians heading away from us and continuing up the mountain.
"Must be easier to create ice in these cold temperatures." I helped Frost up to the ledge.
Frost scoffed, "Less heat means more moisture in the air. More moisture in the air means faster forming ice, baby."
I noticed a small pile of dung off in the distance in a pothole. "I suppose we go that way." I pointed my finger toward a narrow ledge leading across the face of the rock just past the dung. "What do you think?" I asked Frost.
"Ight, bet."
Frost took the lead. Looking down that way, I saw a few scraggly bushes had rooted themselves in cracks. Apart from that, the rock was dangerously bare. If we slipped, there would be nothing to hold on to.
I brought up the rear, with my ears tuned for danger, while Frost edged onward with caution. Just off the ledge was a sheer drop, and the thought of falling tugged at me like an invisible weight. I hugged the rock face, stepping forward carefully and using my hands for balance. As we increased in elevation, the breeze grew stronger, increasing the likelihood of falling.
After a short walk, the ledge began to curve around the rock face, out of sight. Before I reached the turn, Frost, who was just in front of me, stopped abruptly.
"Oh, shivf!" he exclaimed.
"What's the view like?" I asked.
Frost edged forward more slowly, and I followed until I could see what was ahead. A gap had opened up between the ledge and rock face; the ledge became a spur of rock, jutting out from the side of the mountain and narrowing to a point. On both sides was a dizzying drop into a valley below, where a mountain stream flowed, looking thin as a string.
"Hang on, uzzo. Let me make us a path."
Frost extended his hands, and ice crystals formed on both sides. In under a minute, we had an ice bridge to cross - though a slippery one at that.
Without further hesitation, Frost launched himself across the gap, sliding down the bridge. I was just on the hinge of taking my turn when I noticed Frost's eyes go wide.
"James! Duck!"
At the same instant, a dark shadow fell over me, and I heard the beating of wings thudding through the air. Without pausing to look up, I launched myself down the ice slide. At the end of the slide, I stumbled and hit the ground awkwardly, falling to one side. I jumped back up as quickly as I could and caught a glimpse of an enormous bird-like creature swooping down towards me, talons extended. As I barrel-rolled away from its claws and stabbing beak, I felt the draft from its beating wings and smelled the reek of dead animals radiating from its bony body.
Frost pulled out his hand pistol and fired a few rounds at it. The bird veered to one side, seeming to shrug off the bullets. It then came back, letting out a frustrated screech. Its wings beat rapidly as it dove for us, its talons extended, and as it came within reach, I grabbed its foot with one hand. It shrieked and thrust its beak at me, and I dodged.
"Freeze its wings!" I instructed Frost.
The bird flapped its wings, and it began to lift me off the ground. I reached out with my free hand and grasped a crutch in the rock face, holding the creature down. Soon, the bird stumbled and rolled onto the ground, with its wings frozen.
"Hah! That's a ten for Big Daddy and a zero for the ugly-ass bird!" Frost shouted, pounding his chest.
"Let's go." I pulled him along. And we left the bird stuck in ice to the ground.
Up ahead, I could hear a steady roaring sound, similar to a river pouring through a ravine.
"What's that?" I asked, lifting my head. "Can you hear it?"
"Over here, I think," Frost called. I followed him up to the valley's point and discovered a split in the rock winding upward, just wide enough for one of us to squeeze through at a time. "So, uzzo, I was wondering, you ever thought of a life outside the military?" Frost led the way into it, gesturing for me to follow along the long path.
My arms brushed the rock on either side. "What? Like a family?"
"Exactly. My girlfriend and I have been getting pretty serious, baby. And lately, she's, low-key, all that has been on my mind."
"How serious?" I winked.
Frost chuckled. "I see what you getting at, uzzo, but we agreed to no sex before marriage."
"Hah, did you have a say in that, or was that all her?"
"Both of us," he reaffirmed.
"You know, my friend, Ben, didn't believe in sex before marriage either so, hah… I showed him a holographic still-frame." I smirked. "He looked at it all of a few seconds before I told him the man in that picture couldn't be married to all five of them."
Frost burst out laughing. "I don't think that is what the poor uzzo meant."
I laughed. "I know. I just can't help but screw around with the kid. He's like a little brother to me."
"Yeah, I feel that. But remember this, James: Married men live longer."
"And you know what else lives longer? A caged tiger - a poor furball with a torn spirit, looking out the bars to a world it will never know. But yes… yes, it does technically live longer," I joked, air-quoting that last line.
Frost laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I get you play the singles game. That said, with you being an ace like me, I was hoping you could lend me some advice on my relationship anyways."
"You're asking the wrong guy. I only ever had a clinger - that's what I call girlfriends, by the way - once. The emotions, feelings, war, my past - it was all too much for me to juggle."
"You should give it another chance sometime," Frost suggested.
"Haha, when pigs grow four heads and fly like eagles. See, I don't know if you noticed, but a family for me would… well, it would be impossible."
"Kalvin says aces – well, most aces at least - can still have kids. Technically, you and I aren't human anymore, but we are close enough to have kids with non-ace women. And our abilities are a dominant trait, meaning our kids would most likely inherent them. Now how's that for hype, baby?"
"Sounds like jellybeans and G-strings for you, and because of that, you should give it a go-ahead. For me, old age will always remain a mystery to me yet still touch everyone else. I don't exactly have the grow-old-with-you option."
"I believe there is someone for everyone out there."
"Not with my luck," I sighed.
The roaring grew louder, and after a little while, the cramped path came out on an open ledge. Broken rocks lay in front of us, rising to a ridge above our heads. A stream poured over the ridge, foaming down past the place where we were standing, until it vanished behind a jutting boulder.
"That's the first viable source of water I've seen. Borjers may have set up a den close by," I suggested. Perhaps our side mission would soon be over.
I glanced downstream and stared in shock. Just past the stream, the rocks fell away into a precipice. Stepping warily a few paces toward it, I peered over the edge and saw the stream pounding down in a waterfall until it crashed into a pool many meters below. The sound of thundering water filled my ears.
"That's lit!" Frost cheered. Peering over, he added, "I bet the borjers are down there. See the dam they built from logs?"
Through the misty spray that rose from the pool, I caught a glimpse of a valley where grass grew between broken rocks and bushes lined the rock walls. Frost was right: If there were any other living things to be found around here, it would be down there.
Suddenly, out from under the waterfall, a borjer popped out its head and began sniffing. "Their den is behind the waterfall," I whispered, careful not to alert the beast. "Can you freeze it?"
"Give me a minute."
Frost thrust his hands in the stream, and the water quickly froze over. The beast panicked and ducked back into its den. The waterfall was now frozen in time, and the beasts should be held at bay for a least a few days.
"That takes care of that. Do you remember the way back?"
"What do I look like, a rookie?" I began the way back.
Frost followed. "You don't want me to answer that," he said with a laugh.
With that out of the way, we made our way back. It was now a game of catch-up.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
Day four was the start of the toughest day thus far on the journey. Slowly, the crowd of people marched towards the mountain's peak, which was only a kilometer away. The head of the crowd had almost reached the dropships, waiting to rescue them. Hope was close, but it wasn't easy to reach. The temperature had dropped below freezing, and a snowstorm blasted us with fierce, icy winds. It was enough to send small boulders bouncing down the steep, rocky slopes straight towards us. If there was an opposite to the scorching depths of hell, Idor was turning into the cold, harsh opposite.
Amidst the void of space and glow of stars was a light show, flashing high above this planet's atmosphere. Ships, both ally and foe, blasted each other to smithereens, and debris rained down like a hailstorm. Something was going on up there, and I was unsure if it was good or bad for us.
In the distance, crowds of people began pouring into the dropships, a hundred a minute. One by one, the dropships left.
"Captain Stone," Captain Wild-Heart called from her cyberwatch.
"Yeah?"
"I'm getting the citizens out first."
"Good call. How long until they are out?" I asked.
"I estimate we'll have the last of the citizens out in twenty minutes tops."
"Keep me posted."
"James! Look." Shadow-Walker, right next to me, tugged at my arm and pointed behind us toward the skies: Enemy Pursuers and Haulers.
"Wild-Heart, are you seeing that?"
"Unfortunately!"
A few of the Pursuers zipped by us and launched plasma blasts at the dropships. They fired back, but one took a direct hit. It spun out of control and crashed further down the mountain. Suddenly, ally airships came blasting in. Now we had an aerial fight taking place right above our heads. Down in the distance, I saw a few haulers unloading troops. We had a firefight incoming.