Just an idea that I had, starting from the first page of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" to tell a story of resistance in the Universe of DB. It's my first fic, just a one shot, but I wanted to exercise before maybe writing something else. I'm not a native so there might be some mistakes, I apologize in advance. Oh and of course I don't own anything except for the original characters.
For whom the scouter rings…
He lay flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees. The mountainside sloped gently where he lay; but below it was steep and he could see the dark of the oiled road winding through the pass. There was a stream alongside the road and far down the pass he saw a mill beside the stream and the falling water of the dam, white in the summer sunlight.
"Is that the mill?" He asked.
"Yes."
"I do not remember it."
"It was built since you were here. The old mill is farther down; much below the pass."
He put the holographic projector on the forest floor and looked carefully at the displayed map. The old man looked over his shoulder. He was a short and solid old man in a black peasant's smock and gray iron-stiff trousers and he wore rope-soled shoes. He was breathing heavily from the climb and his hand rested on one of the two heavy packs they had been carrying.
"Then you cannot see the bridge from here."
"No," the old man said. "This is the easy country of the pass where the stream flows gently. Below, where the road turns out of sight in the trees, it drops suddenly and there is a steep gorge—"
"I remember."
"Across this gorge is the bridge."
"And where are their posts?"
"There is a post at the mill that you see there."
The young man, who was studying the country, took his glasses from the pocket of his faded, khaki flannel shirt, wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, screwed the eyepieces around until the boards of the mill showed suddenly clearly and he saw the wooden bench beside the door; the huge pile of sawdust that rose behind the open shed where the circular saw was, and a stretch of the flume that brought the logs down from the
mountainside on the other bank of the stream. The stream showed clear and smooth-looking in the glasses and, below the curl ofthe falling water, the spray from the dam was blowing in the wind.
"There is no sentry."
"There is smoke coming from the millhouse," the old man said. "There are also clothes hanging on a line."
"I see them but I do not see any sentry."
"Perhaps he is in the shade," the old man explained. "It is hot there now. He would be in the shadow at the end we do not see."
"Probably. Where is the next post?"
"Below the bridge. It is at the roadmender's hut at kilometer five from the top of the pass."
"How many men are here?" He pointed at the mill.
"Perhaps four and a corporal."
"And below?"
"More. I will find out."
"And at the bridge?"
"Always two. One at each end."
"We will need more men for that. Especially if there is one of them."
"If there is one of them, then we could as well kill ourselves right away. We can't do guerilla against their kind. I don't care about me, but the youngsters need to live, at least to fight another day."
"What's gotten into you, Garretz? We do not know as of yet if there is one of these killers among the guards. And even if they had one in their ranks, this is a war, and a war requires sacrifices. We outnumber them, and even if for every one of them that dies we lose a thousand men, we'd still emerge as victors. But for that we need triumphs, for the rest of the population to join us, we need martyrs, we need to prove that they are not invincible."
"I know that already, but you need to forgive the tender heart of an old man, always soft for the younger ones, who have yet to live their lives. But you are right indeed Andiron, we shall fight, and even if it costs us our lives, we will defeat them, and retake this land. But please, don't drag the youth in that, or at least leave the easy part to them, and let us go into the fray, as elders and experienced fighters, hermits and peasants, the ones who already know what life is, and who do not have any regrets about theirs. Even if this assault succeeds, I may not live to see another day due to my age and condition, so if I need to die, let I be for a cause and the survival of hope for our people."
"Garretz, you know that –"
"Commander Veyl Andiron, Head of the 3rd Brigade of the Republican Shock Troops, this is my last command as President of the Council, Head of State and of the Armies. I, Posterio Garretz, rightfully elected by our people, order you to lead this attack, first of the series that will finally liberate our people, but also to bear in mind that you need to preserve the youngest ones, so they can continue the fight once we have passed away. This is my final decree, may the witnesses remember it as it was, a direct command, and a guideline for the future of this rebellion."
The three other soldiers turned silent as the president spoke in his solemn tone, and then all put their hands on their hearts. Andiron looked at them as they acted. The President had spoken.
"Alright Garretz, or for the last time should I call you President? We shall do as you order. For the sake of our people. But let me warn you: if there is a chance of destroying one of these bastards, I will not hesitate, no matter the cost. Am I clear, President?"
"You are Commander. Now how many men do you need?" The old man seemed as determined as ever.
"How many can you gather?"
"There are at least a hundred capable fighters in these hills, even more if we go further in the valley."
"That won't be necessary, we need to attack quickly, the last inspection was yesterday, and they usually do one every two days in these remote areas, if it takes us more than twelve hours to gather the men and attack, we'll be annihilated. How long?"
"I'm a politician." The old man smiled "Going from town to town is what I do."
"So?"
"Eight hours"
"Then we'll attack in nine. I'll stay here with Merro to scout the area properly. Make sure everyone knows about the plan, so I only have to make a recap when they arrive. Good luck."
"Good luck Andiron." As the President turned away, he stopped for a moment, and faced the younger man again
"I trust you. We all trust you. I know in my heart that you are the one we need to break these invaders. You have always been a hero. Now assume your role."
He then turned away once more, and disappeared behind the trees with the two other soldiers.
"Those politicians… They sure know how to talk, but this one has some courage it seems."
"He sure does Commander."
"Stop calling me that for the Rep's sake! There's a reason I wanted everyone to give up their titles, it's so that everyone can be equal, and also in order to have only true leaders rise at the top, and not privileged ones."
"No matter how many times you explain it, you'll remain commander Andiron for everyone, Commander." The soldier answered with a smile, and despite the huge scar on his left cheek and his humongous stature, he still looked like a happy child.
"Then keep your mouth shut for once Captain Merro, and let's get this scouting started!" He replied with authority
"Aye Aye Sir!" The colossal soldier immediately started concentrating on hiding his presence and his movements as they approached the enemy positions.
As they made their way through the woods, Posterio Garretz, 37th President of the Council, an old man in his eighties, was feeling forty years younger. What he was living right now was even more exciting than an electoral campaign. And way more dangerous, here he could lose not only his life, but also his entire people. But in a way, with everything he'd lost in the invasion, he had everything to gain in this. Even if he were to die, he would be reunited with his family. That thought made him smile, but he was determined to set his people free, or at least to help as much as he could in this task before resting forever.
"There my friends!" He pointed at the top of the hill. "He is waiting for us"
The other men and women around him were all ready, some stern, other excited, fearful, joyful, or hiding their emotions, but he could see that they were ready for sure. They wanted to liberate their land.
And the sight of Commander Veyl Andiron on top of the hill gave them wings, seeing the war hero that was going to lead them suddenly made their upcoming fight impossible to lose.
"A true Hero" Garretz muttered to himself with a smile
When he saw the gathered troops in the first shadows of the night, Andiron couldn't help but feel proud. These were the men and women who would lead the fight against the invaders. And if they were successful, others would join their cause. He recognized some faces and silhouettes in the dark, but most were unknown to him. It didn't matter, for they were now all brothers and sisters, and they would have time to get to know one another after what was coming.
"Alright, it seems we've all gathered. You all know me, and you know everything you need to know about this operation. I want the fastest among you to form the Bombing team, in order to destroy the bridge. The best at swimming will form the Sabotage team, and will destroy the enemy vehicles near the mill. Finally, the best fighters will come with me in the Killing team. We shall eliminate the resistance. And if you come face to face with one of these monsters, do whatever it takes to eliminate him. Even if it costs you your life." And, after one quick glance at the old President, he added "The youngsters are forbidden from entering the Killing team. We need you for the stealthier missions. Got it?"
A general "Aye Aye Commander" answered him, a quiet one, but he could feel the power behind their calm voices. He knew they could win like that. One battle at a time.
"Alright, split up, operation starts in thirty minutes. Go!"
As the Killing team progressed through the woods, he guided his men on the right paths he previously spotted during his scouting, and did his best to keep them hidden from the enemy's sight. The Sabotage team would launch the attack, then they would follow, and the Bombing team would finish the job. They were only twenty meters away from the first sentry when they heard the three whistling sound, similar to an Eerian Whistler, that marked the beginning of the attack. Five more seconds, and they aimed. Three more, and they shot. The sentry at the entrance of the bridge dropped dead, unable to resist to the multitude of blasts. The team rushed out, and they ran on the bridge to engage the sentry on the other side. But a ringing sound informed Anderion that they had been noticed, and the guard turned and instantly fired at them while screaming for help. A middle aged hunter was shot in the chest and fell off the bridge, but the Commander couldn't slow down for that. Merro and three other men disposed of the sentry with four quick blasts, and the team reached the other end, just in time to meet the guards emerging from the mill. The invaders were outnumbered one to three, but they had better overall training, equipment, and basic potential. But Anderion knew they could win.
"Concentrate fire! Never fight one alone! There are thirty of us and barely ten of them! This fight is ours!"
His soldiers answered with a roar and they all charged into the fray. He could hear the bombing team rushing out of the woods, and the sound of the flying and rolling engines of the enemy exploding in the background. He kept on firing, until he came face to face with an enemy soldier. His opponent threw a punch at him, quickly dodged and countered by a kick to the ribs, followed by a blast in the chest, and another one in the head just to make sure. Looking around, he noticed that they were winning this fight. There were only four enemy soldiers alive, and two only could fight, even if the Killing team had lost close to fifteen members. Anderion decided to press their advantage and charged once more, firing at the invaders.
But in his overconfidence, he didn't notice the wounded soldier raising up and jumping on him with his last strengths, to take him with him in death. But Posterio Garretz saw it; And the old president didn't hesitate for a second. He jumped on the soldier before he could reach the Commander, and carried away by their mutual momentum, they fell off the ridge.
"No! Pre… Damn him! I bet he knew something like that was going to happen." He muttered to himself, remembering the words of the old man. He knew he had to continue. And so he did, engaging the last soldiers with his men, in a two against fifteen battle.
The objectives were almost secured. The battle had ended, the enemies laid dead, the vehicles had been destroyed, and the Bombing team was placing the charges. There were loads of wounded and even more dead soldiers in their own ranks, but that was a small price to pay for their victory and the symbol that it represented. It might take years or decades, but he now knew that they would free their people, even if he died before, some day they would be free. That thought almost made Veyl Anderion smile, as the last bomb was attached to the bridge, and the teams started to retreat. But he knew he had to stay alert.
Then the mill exploded. Screaming started. Chaos ensued. And a laughter. A terrible and powerful laughter.
One by one, the soldiers were slain, by a shadow moving so fast a non-trained eye could not follow it. But unfortunately for him, Commander Veyl Anderion could see what was happening. A man of high stature, clad in a combat armor with distinctive pauldrons, and wearing one of those damned apparels, his dark spiky hair moving as he was killing Anderion's men like he would crush ants. Even Merro had his head chopped off by a single slice of the hand.
He had to stop the monster. He ran to engage him, fired an energy blast at him, but it was thrown back in the airs by the warrior, who stopped for a second to smile at him. He then extended his hand, and fired an enormous wave of energy at the Sabotage team who was escaping on the other bank of the river. He didn't need to look at the crater. He knew they were dead. The only way to stop him was to engage him or hope for a miracle. And Anderion didn't believe in miracles. So he charged his foe, gathering all of his energy, for his blow to be a fatal one. His fist was met by his opponent's.
And was broken. The laughter started again, soon covered by the sound of an exploding energy wave, blasting away the last leader of the Eerian resistance as well as the hopes of the last survivors.
After brushing his armor off the ashes, Leek rose up in the air, and started to hunt the remaining rebels like only a true saiyan warrior could.