"I can't believe that I have been caught up in this mess…Every day we live as if it were our last…I am frightened but I know that this planet needs my help. If I go it may as well be a death wish, however If I can make one spec of a difference then I will take my chances…My only regret is not having the chance to see my wife again…" Diary of a venomian soldier.

I am Vander. I was sent to planet Venom to try and wipe out the Lylat army before they can reach our capital. The reason I say try is because the mission was practically a suicide run. Andross had been defeated by this guy known as Fox, so I don't understand why they had to send us out there. The bigwigs at Venom didn't care about any of that though…they just didn't want to lose. So here I am In a small forces band of about six men and we have to somehow stop the Lylatians from taking Venom.

As I gazed around the transport vehicle I could see the faces of the men who were just as puzzled about all this as I was. Some of these men had already seen some combat and I could see that the battles had caused scars that could never be healed. No one should ever have to see such things. At that moment the vehicle had made an abrupt stop and the captain (A Lizard in about his late 20's…very young) stood.

"Okay men we may just as well be the last group that has to head out there and things are looking bleak, to say the least. The Lylatians have already taken Fort Zerl and are about to cross into the Daghed plains, which is of course very close to the Venom Capital." I then noticed a change In the captain's voice as he said, "Men I have no idea whether we will make an impact against our foes but I do know that I will not give up our homeland! When we step out there this will no longer be a battle of Venomians vs. Lylatians, It will be a battle vs. Death!!"

I noticed that everyone's confidence (including my own) had risen considerably. The captains words nearly made this war make sense. If I did not fight our homeland would be lost and those despicable Lylatians would stretch their rule to planet Venom. I was not about to let that happen so I fastened my helmet and made sure that all my gear was in order as I prepared to make an impact for my planet.

"Okay Men, prepare for the battle against Death!!" yelled the captain as he pressed the button to open the doors of the Vehicle. I could feel my pulse racing as the doors slowly raised. I held my blaster close and took a glimpse outside. The sky was covered in a putrid purple giving it the look of dusk even though it was still mid-day. The sounds of explosions and constant blaster fire in the distance scared me to the core. This was war…This was real.

"Move rookie!" yelled a chameleon behind me. My legs mechanically began running toward a near bunker where I collapsed and started to breathe fanatically. Some of the other men had already moved ahead and were nearing the battlefield.

"How could they be so strong? Did they not feel terror?" I thought as I watched them run off. Suddenly I felt a slight thud on my shoulder and my heart nearly skipped a beat. I glanced around quickly to see the captain staring at me.

"I see that you are still here." he said in a stern voice. I could not get any words out so I stared speechless. Suddenly his eyes showed kindness and he said, "Listen, I know you may be frightened but don't worry. We all are. All we can do is give it our all and hope that today isn't the day we see our maker. If we do nothing it will be as if we had died anyway since we failed in our duty to protect Venom." I felt confidence rush into me and I stood. "Private Vander ready for duty, Sir!" I said to him and he gave a small chuckle. "from here on call me Gail. We are equals when we are in the battle zone." I gave a quick nod and picked up my blaster and turned towards the battleground. I was going to give this my all.

Short First Page, but there ya have it. R&R will ya?