Comedianmasta (Nate)

What is the Call of Duty?

Dropping Into Hell Proud

Leaving It With Nothing But Regret

Tyler was a Rookie, a Greenhorn, a Graduate. What nicknames were offensive back on Earth were coveted here. It meant he was innocent, he was pure, he was… human. He didn't understand, his first drop in, because he thought he knew the drill. The propaganda played it off nicely, the UN uniting the colonies… Finally, the human race would be mostly united. It was easier now a days… since we knew we weren't "alone".

Some believed it would be better if we were, better if we still fought, better if we were focused on something we could connect withy. The fact of the matter was, they weren't like them. They weren't human, what rights did they have?

The mission, ha… he had it memorized. Easy job… wait for the main force. Hold up, drop in… make your presence known. Opposition was… "unlikely". Huh… the fact of the matter was when they dropped the UN Marines onto Pandora they knew exactly what would happen… because the Colonel wasn't going to have it any other way.

It was the Government's turn, it was time for real soldiers. Not mercenaries or company pigs. It was time to win… and get what they had come for. The Government didn't come for Unobtanium, they didn't come for research, they came for honor, for colonization… for a test run, for an example.

Tyler thought of none of this as he strapped on his combat helmet, completed with full breathing mask and Heads Up Display, and Grabbed his Assault Combat Rifle, and walked to his pod. There stood his squad, already strapped in and ready to go.

"Let's step on it, Nicholai!" cried Gunnery Sergeant Malcolm from the pod, "Everyone else will be planet-side before you get into the damn pod. Move it!"

Tyler ran to the pod, getting into one of the doorways and strapping himself into the seat. Not soon afterwards the five pod doors slowly closed, incasing them in a pentagon-like landing craft. The pod was then picked up by a specially designed shuttle (the S.P.D.S.-Squad Pod Dispensing Shuttle) which could carry two pods. The shuttle immediately left the air-lock and shot out into space, joining the growing forced heading towards the planet.

Tyler couldn't really see anything. His Heads Up Display read off system diagnostics, ran through the mission objectives, and began showing the amount of oxygen inside his tanks. Suddenly the pod jerked roughly, and a sense of vertigo filled Tyler's body.

"Ok, we are Grav Controlled!" yelled out Gunnery Sergeant Malcolm, "T-Minus 1 minute!"

Tyler grasped his Rifle more closely, eagerly staring off towards the door. The soldier in front of him stretched his feet, trying to limber up. Another man sang a soft song to himself, something about a box and some blues…

"Prepare for impact!" cried another soldier, Probably Gibbs, the American Demolitions Expert.

A series of loud cracks and what sounded like small explosions filled Tyler's ears, and they came to a sudden stock, his body pressing hard against the seat. After a few minutes of it being still, the doors opened upward, light flashing into the pod, a beep pouring from the pods speakers.

"Let's Rock," yelled another Soldier, and Malcolm gave the charge call.

Tyler jumped from his seat, almost falling over, but he ran outside, into the sunlight.

He could see the pod had made quite a crash through the treetops, and branches, very thick and long branches, were still falling from the force of their impact even as they left the pod. He wasn't given much time to admire the view for the man in front of him, whose name Tyler never learned, was impaled by an arrow and fell, dead.

Tyler instinctively looked up, into the trees, his rifle at the ready. Gunfire erupted all around him, shouts and screams could be heard, explosions off in the distance. Large, blue, catlike creatures jumped from branch to branch, many in the bushes. Some fired arrows, others ran away. Tyler instinctively lifted his rifle and aimed at one in a tree right ahead of him, notching an arrow. He fired, sending a burst right into his chest.

He didn't wait to see the effect of his burst, he brought his rifle down, aiming towards one charging out of the bushes towards him. He fired again, riddling its body with bullets. Both of the creatures fell as Tyler turned and fired at one running away.

Three more creatures fell around him, and Dmitri, another Squad member, ran up and pushed Tyler along.

"Let's go, Comrade," cried Dmitri, "We cannot stay here. Let's go, let's go, we are broken off from the squad!"

Tyler looked around and noticed that, in fact, they were broken off from the squad. Two bodies lay dead on the ground, another never made it out of his seat. The rest of the Squad seemed to have disappeared.

Tyler wasted no more time. He turned and followed Dmitri into the woods, running through Pandora's jungle. It was at this time, with none of those creatures in sight, did Tyler take the time to realize the war around him. Sampson's flew over, firing and dodging some unknown threat. Explosions could be heard, and the whistle of dropping pods not far off. Even the sound of mortar fire, which seemed to be coming from the Headquarters, wherever they had set that up.

Another arrow slammed into a tree by Tyler's head, he ducked, back into reality once more. Dmitri wasted the creature with another burst, and fired a few more shots at the surrounding brush as it moved. They only wondered a bit farther when their radios clicked on and the Gunnery Sergeant's voice came over the comm.

"All surviving units listen up. There is an enemy structure to the Northeast of our landing zone, command wants it taken out. If you're still out there, head to this position and meet up with us. We're punching through it."

The comm. was cut short before anyone could say anything. Dmitri turned and lifted his chin towards Tyler.

"That's where we're headed, if we hurry we can beat them, come on, Comrade!"

Dmitri lead the way through the forest once more. Tyler had to kill two more of the blue catlike creatures, but Dmitri was eagerly cutting them down ahead of him. It wasn't long until they stopped retreating, and dug in behind trees and charged through the brush. Dmitri and Tyler made accurate headshots to cut down foes at a distance, and even more accurate bursts to cut through the charges.

"We must be close," said Dmitri, "cut through the jungle, there. Flank them! Use grenades!"

Tyler did as he was told, running off to the right and through the jungle, killing another creature before it had time to jump through the air. Tyler could feel his armor and gear begin getting heavy, the heat of the planet was starting to get to him.

Tyler stopped at the edge of some sort of cavern, the overgrowth and trees seemed to grow right into its side, making where it began and where it ended almost invisible. Tyler examined the trees again, watching the movement and enemy attackers through the trees. Tyler continued running through the jungle, now following the caverns large ditch-like crevasse in the Pandora's crust.

He didn't travel long till the sounds of Helicopter blades caught his ears, and the sound of what seemed to be distress. Tyler looked into the sky, and saw a Sampson with some sort of dragon-like cling on spiraling out of control. Tyler's heart began to beat fast as it circled out, and then came around, crashing through the trees right towards him.

He tensed, unsure of what to do as the Sampson crashed through the trees, the rotors exploding and the fuel inside them igniting. The burning hulk of metal and burning dragon flesh crashed through the trees and hit the ground, skidding right at Tyler. Tyler dove backwards, into some brush, but found himself free falling into the cavern. His hands reached out, and he grasped for something, anything.

His hand grabbed hold of a tree root, a large amount of them jutting from the side of the cliff. He held on, and his body passed his hand and tugged, hard, on the root. He slid down a few inches, but held on with a grunt as all his weight came down on his shoulder. He hung for a few seconds, looking beyond his feet at the abyss that was below him.

A few seconds later dirt and debris rained on his armor and he looked up, seeing the burning Sampson and the creature tumbling over the side and crashing downwards. He bunched up, grasping hold of the root, as heat scorched over his body and both predator and prey fell into the abyss.

He stayed there for a few seconds, before trying to climb the root up. A pair of Fighter Ships screeched overhead, missiles firing at some unknown target. As Tyler began to reach the top near the cliff's edge, the root began to break, giving off a crackling noise. Tyler just shook his head, trying to gather up his strength for a fierce climb.

But the root gave way, and snapped, sending Tyler grasping out in mid air and starting a descent downward. A hand reached out and grabbed hold of Tyler's hand, holding him up from an unpleasant fall. Tyler looked up, into the helmet of another UN Marine.

"God, Nicholai," came Malcolm's voice, "What a first day for you, huh? Your green is starting to wear off."

Gunnery Sergeant Malcolm hoisted Tyler up, back onto the cliffs edge. A large battle was taking place not far off, and Tyler took the time to look around.

"It would suck to die so close, eh?" asked Malcolm, handing Tyler a 10 Gauge Semi Auto Shotgun, "Lets finish this, yeah?"

The battle was not far off, and it appeared Tyler's squad was making up the majority of the problem. Huts hung from the trees, camp fires and tent-like things littered the ground. The blue creature things ran around everywhere, only it wasn't only the big ones.

It appeared Male, Female, and children were running from the invaders. Some of the warriors dropped their bows or clubs, and held their hands in the air. The women and children tended to run in horror, or hide inside the huts. It all appeared like victory, to Tyler.

But… apparently not to his squad mates. They shot down the warriors, hands held high and all. Each one's body crumpling under the weight of the bullets. Some soldiers chased around the women, firing at them, as well. Those creatures that ran, had no where to go. They ran into more UN Marine troops.

Tyler felt taken aback, as he followed Malcolm towards the fighting. He wanted to make it stop, he didn't understand it. But Malcolm seemed to. He seemed to understand it all right.

"In the huts," cried Malcolm, "Don't let them hide!"

Marines entered the tents, firing into them blindly or knocking them over, shooting whoever came out. They tossed grenades into the huts, and beat the small ones… beat the children they found. Even Dmitri took pleasure in bashing down a door and firing, Rambo-style, into the house.

It wasn't long until they were called back. Tyler thought it was because it was over, the deeds were done, but no. The American Demolitions Expert handed a detonator to Malcolm, a bloody knife in his other hand.

"Charges set, sir," said the American, "Those one still in hiding are done!"

Malcolm looked at Tyler, and held out the detonator.

"Here, Nicholai," said Malcolm, "You do the honors. There's nothing like blowing your first objective."

Tyler took the detonator, and stared at it, hurtfully. He flipped open the top case, and stared at the red trigger inside. He didn't know what it went to, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out or not. His eyes began to glaze, it was still all so much. He pressed the trigger.

BOOM! Multiple charges exploded around the surrounding trees and inside many huts. Fire erupted into the sky, and some debris rained down on the Marines. Many of the huts fell from the trees, and many trees fell all-together. Fire burned, black smoke flew, and a last few screams filled the air. Tyler looked around, and dropped the detonator.

They had destroyed it… they had destroyed this villages. No… he had.

After the explosions were done, and the fauna still burned, and Tyler had gotten his pats on the back, the team was ordered to "clean up". Instead, Tyler walked over to a small creature, a child, most likely. He touched its small body, its dead body. He stared down, shaking his head.

A hand grabbed hold of his shoulder, and a shadow covered over them both. Sergeant Malcolm stood over them, looking down at what was left.

"They are called the Na'Vi," said Malcolm, "And that's their species, not their clan, not their nationality. They aren't human, Nicholai, and don't you forget it."

Tyler still looked at the small child, and sadness filled his heart. Hate filled his heart. Love filled his heart. All the emotions made him drop his head, in sorrow.

"It's never pretty, Comrade," said Malcolm, "But neither was Sudan, neither was Reichtec, neither was the Nol-Catta. Sometimes… to get rid of your green, you got to get rid of some blue."

Malcolm bent down and cut the child's arm with his combat knife, and then he whipped the blood on Tyler's sleeve, by his rank insignia.

"You're one of us, now," said Malcolm, "Remember what we're here for."

Malcolm got up and walked away, leaving with Tyler a scar he could never wipe away. In that moment, all the propaganda, all the hope, all the training, all the everything went away. Tyler cried, under the cover of his helmet and breathing mask, and with every tear, he got rid of a piece of his humanity. After that moment, he had truly become… a UN Marine.