The Second Great War
Prologue
By Jake "Destro" Carroll
Quiet footsteps left no mark on the wet earth basking in the orange glow of morning in the dew. Not even grasshoppers jumped from the subtle movements of the ghost among them. Only the soft swishing of tall grass, cleverly disguised to look like wind, held any hint that something was out of the ordinary in the early morning.
The grass suddenly moved in one spot as a head peeked out from behind it. Closer examination revealed a fox head, upon which a light gray crystal helmet sat upon. The wearer slowly glanced around the large clearing; white ears swiveling through small slits in the top of the helmet at any audible sound.
After several minutes of quiet recon, Corporal Jake Destro Carroll adjusted the microphone attached to his throat and voiced something barely audible to anyone not on the radio. "Chaos seven to base."
After a half second the reply came. "Chaos seven, this is base, go ahead."
"Recon in grid Alpha five over." He said, "No hostiles within two clicks, awaiting further orders."
A few seconds later a different voice came over his audio implants. "Chaos seven, engineer team on route, E.T.A seven minutes."
The fox stood up, revealing a very light gray suit of armor, almost white in color. It was composed of opaque crystal and several parts held tiny wires through it. The helmet was squared, with the face end open and the back extending to just under where a humans ears would end. It fit snugly over the fox's head, exactly the correct size. Large gauntlets, gripping a large laser rifle, extended from his fingertips to halfway up his forearms, also made of the same crystal. In fact, except for several large pieces of equipment mounted on his back, his suit was entirely composed of the same light gray crystal. The hilt of a sword poked out from a slot in his armor behind his right shoulder.
Scratching a sudden itch from the grass, Jake replied. "Aff. Awaiting- "
He was cut off as his ears picked up a sudden sound in the distance. Hissing the standard contact warning into the mic, he whirled around towards the source. All sounds in his implants broke off after an "Enemy Contact!" sounded on the other end.
Years of chaos training took over as his body and mind moved on instinct. First his suit seemed to melt around him, disappearing and taking him with it. Only a few ripples here and there gave any clue to where the fox was as he moved.
He could feel it somehow. He knew it was there, searching for him. Two hunters hunting each other. A deadly dance of skill and tactics.
Jake's ears swiveled to another sound, but he immediately dismissed it. "Must be a ghost" he thought, "Only a ghost could have evaded me for this long." His thoughts suddenly turned back on track as his eyes caught site of movement within the grass. He felt the power of his suite rush through him. On will, he projected a small amount ten feet to his right.
The next few seconds were in slow motion for Jake. He saw something leap out of the tall grass in front of him towards his right side. His rifle swung on years of training, the bolts catching the leaping blur in the side in midair. Time seemed to catch up to him as soon as the creature was blasted from the air, landing behind a shrub with a shriek.
Without thinking, he pulled out his sword and sprinted to the shrub. Sliding to a stop behind it, he glanced down at his feet at the dead form below him. A creature about half the size of him lay smoking in the grass. A ghost. The creature was named for its ability to hide from sensor sweeps and recon patrols. This one had tan skin with green stripes along its back and arms. Long claws were its main weapon, but it had others. This was one of the earlier models, lacking the updated sensors and the blaster that decorated the backs on the updated models.
Jake slowed his breathing and reached into the biomechanical robots chest. He felt around for a moment before locating what he was after. After several hard yanks, the object broke free inside the beast. The fox pulled what looked like a small metal box from inside the robot. Several large wires hung snapped from it. Jake activated his mic and quickly spoke, "Base, this is chaos seven, I've just eliminated a ghost."
His implants vibrated slightly as they transmitted sound to the nerve in his inner ear. "Aff Destro," the speaker said to him, using his call sign instead of code name, "Engineer team arrival in five minutes thirty- eight seconds."
"A minute twenty-two." He thought. "It only took a minute twenty- two." He was amazed at how quick life or death could be decided. Thankfully he had not taken a life this day. In his seventeen years in this world, he had only taken one life. A renegade cadet in training had tried to escape with an emerald. Unfortunately, the battle for the emerald left the cadet mortally wounded, a wound given to him by Jake. He didn't care to think about it.
Exactly five minutes and thirty seconds later he heard the scream of the APC, airborne personnel carrier. "Funny things," he thought. "The engines are one of the loudest for its size, but are impossible to hear beyond two hundred meters." He didn't even bother thinking about the technical aspects of the APC.
Eight seconds later the APC landed. It looked like a normal APC, only with large jets where the wheels used to be. Lighter armor and less capacity were its only disadvantages to the standard APC. However, the mobility easily made up for it.
As soon as the landing struts touched the ground, a team of five engineers jumped from the dual doors on both sides. One engineer, a wolf with his rank identifying him as a sergeant first class, ran to him.
"Corporal, my team has arrived as ordered." The Sergeant yelled over the roar of the APC's engines. "Base wants you back ASAP. The sky is blue and the air is clear!"
Jake translated this common phrase back into its original meaning. Air superiority over the area is holding, and the weather is good. Good enough for a quick flight back.
"All right sarge! Set up that transmitter and bury it ASAP!" The fox yelled.
"Got it!"
As the wolf turned and ran back to his team, Jake turned and squatted down. Two crystal wings shot from the sides of his armor at the shoulder blades and extended three feet out. The wings ended in a small pod that carried various sensors and ECM equipment. A half second after his wings locked into position, the equipment on his back suddenly ignited. The engine on his back blazed with full power as he shot into the air above the low canopy of the forest, heading back to Woodland Base.
After several minutes of low altitude flying to avoid radar, Jake saw the familiar sight of Woodland Base. Actually, he couldn't see it. Intricate camouflage hid it from any aerial view. Only a few anti-air emplacements could be seen under similar camouflage. A few grunts could be seen wandering around the trenches thanks too his enhanced vision. He cut his engine and glided slowly down towards the hidden landing pad. With a last second burst from his engine, he touched down at Woodland Base.
"Corporal!" A piercing female voice shouted from behind him.
"Oh no!" he thought, "Not Amanda!" He turned and saw the glaring form of Amanda Acorn, Generals daughter and all around snob. The brown squirrel pushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes and moved towards him.
"Yes Ma'am!" he said quickly.
"I thought I heard you say that clearing was clear!"
Barely suppressing a laugh, he stood stock-still and answered. "Ma'am! A ghost was present in grid alpha five! As you know, ghosts are extremely hard to detect, even by the keen sight of ground troops!" A note of sarcasm barely escaped into his voice.
He could almost see the anger in her eyes. She hated her troops being put down almost as much as she hated him. Ever since he knocked her out of position for chaos training when they were little, she had made his life as hard as possible for him as she could; which was quite a lot sometimes, as she was the daughter of the "General of the Mobian Armed Forces". Also the only reason she was a 1st Lieutenant at the age of nineteen. Luckily, the trouble she had caused him was only trivial so far, not interrupting his training or tarnishing his record whatsoever.
"Report to debriefing now!" She yelled into his face, her own already turning red with anger.
"Yes Ma'am!" He yelled back, emphasizing the word "ma'am" before saluting and running towards the stairway down from the pad. He could feel her eyes burn the back of his head before he was lost to her view.
* * *
Jake stared at the holographic screen in front of him, occasionally glancing at his handheld pad for details. But more often, he glanced at his watch. This briefing had started twenty minutes ago, way to long for a normal briefing. The dark lighting and crowded room was starting get on his nerves. Dave Somners, a fellow fox and a staff sergeant, stood beside the screen with a long plastic stick, pointing at small details as he droned on.
"Last week, the radiation level in old Robotropolis dropped enough for our exposure suits to handle it. Several scouting missions have revealed a large complex underneath the rubble, most of it untouched by radiation."
At hearing this, Jake sat up straighter and gave his full attention to the speaker. He had studied the old maps of Robotropolis and several other ruined cities for most of his life as a hobby. None of his maps had shown any kind of complex underneath the city.
At the front, Dave continued on. "Our scouts reported heavy concentrations of enemy forces around the city. Most are drones and blastboys, and they seem to be waiting for the radiation to die down more before entering. However, a few scouts were lost to enemy ghosts deep inside the city. Apparently, a few ghosts have been upgraded to withstand the high radiation levels."
Jake took out a second pad and pressed his fingertips on it, feeling the tingle as its sensors connected with his fingertips. Another plus of the chaos training was the ability to connect to certain computer sensors and implants without having complex nerve surgery. As he listened to the briefing, words appeared on the screen. After several minutes Jake stiffened as he heard his name being called.
"Corporal Carroll. You there Dest?"
Jake turned and looked behind him, along with everyone else in the room. He knew that voice. It could only be…
"Colonel Sanders! What a nice surprise!"
Colonel Ralph Sanders was in charge of the entire base. The tall lion had been a longtime friend of Jake's father before he died, and had been responsible for Jake for four years until he graduated from training and entered active duty.
"Sergeant Somners, Corporal Carroll will not be available for missions until further notice. I have a special assignment for him." The old lion said.
Several troops whistled and congratulated him from various points in the room before a look from the Colonel shut them up.
"Corporal, please come with me." Sanders said, turning and walking out the door.
Jake stumbled over a few troops, apologizing quickly before he made it to the door and out into the hall. He nearly ran into Ralph in his haste before managing to stop.
"Easy my boy! Don't wear yourself out yet! I've got something very important for you to do." The lion told him, helping steady him before continuing.
"We found another one Jake. We need your armor to get it, and, seeing as how you're the only one trained to use it, you were the obvious choice to go and get it."
Jake simply stared up at his godfather and commanding officer. "We finally found it sir? Mine? Are you sure?"
The lion frowned a moment before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Son, don't worry. You'll do fine! Just remember your training and do exactly what your told to."
He turned to go but suddenly stopped and reached into the pocket of his uniform jacket. "Oh! Can't forget this, Sergeant."
"Sergeant sir?" Jake said with a puzzled look.
"That's right." The colonel said. He took from his pocket a slip of paper and handed it to the young fox. "Here, go to the fitting department and give them this."
He turned and walked down the hall and out of site, giving the occasional salute to a passing officer. Jake looked down and unfolded the slip of paper. Written on it were the words "Promotion to Sergeant for Jake Carroll. Effective immediately."
Jake smiled and nearly leaped into the air with joy. This was turning out to be the best week ever.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
End
Prologue
Prologue
By Jake "Destro" Carroll
Quiet footsteps left no mark on the wet earth basking in the orange glow of morning in the dew. Not even grasshoppers jumped from the subtle movements of the ghost among them. Only the soft swishing of tall grass, cleverly disguised to look like wind, held any hint that something was out of the ordinary in the early morning.
The grass suddenly moved in one spot as a head peeked out from behind it. Closer examination revealed a fox head, upon which a light gray crystal helmet sat upon. The wearer slowly glanced around the large clearing; white ears swiveling through small slits in the top of the helmet at any audible sound.
After several minutes of quiet recon, Corporal Jake Destro Carroll adjusted the microphone attached to his throat and voiced something barely audible to anyone not on the radio. "Chaos seven to base."
After a half second the reply came. "Chaos seven, this is base, go ahead."
"Recon in grid Alpha five over." He said, "No hostiles within two clicks, awaiting further orders."
A few seconds later a different voice came over his audio implants. "Chaos seven, engineer team on route, E.T.A seven minutes."
The fox stood up, revealing a very light gray suit of armor, almost white in color. It was composed of opaque crystal and several parts held tiny wires through it. The helmet was squared, with the face end open and the back extending to just under where a humans ears would end. It fit snugly over the fox's head, exactly the correct size. Large gauntlets, gripping a large laser rifle, extended from his fingertips to halfway up his forearms, also made of the same crystal. In fact, except for several large pieces of equipment mounted on his back, his suit was entirely composed of the same light gray crystal. The hilt of a sword poked out from a slot in his armor behind his right shoulder.
Scratching a sudden itch from the grass, Jake replied. "Aff. Awaiting- "
He was cut off as his ears picked up a sudden sound in the distance. Hissing the standard contact warning into the mic, he whirled around towards the source. All sounds in his implants broke off after an "Enemy Contact!" sounded on the other end.
Years of chaos training took over as his body and mind moved on instinct. First his suit seemed to melt around him, disappearing and taking him with it. Only a few ripples here and there gave any clue to where the fox was as he moved.
He could feel it somehow. He knew it was there, searching for him. Two hunters hunting each other. A deadly dance of skill and tactics.
Jake's ears swiveled to another sound, but he immediately dismissed it. "Must be a ghost" he thought, "Only a ghost could have evaded me for this long." His thoughts suddenly turned back on track as his eyes caught site of movement within the grass. He felt the power of his suite rush through him. On will, he projected a small amount ten feet to his right.
The next few seconds were in slow motion for Jake. He saw something leap out of the tall grass in front of him towards his right side. His rifle swung on years of training, the bolts catching the leaping blur in the side in midair. Time seemed to catch up to him as soon as the creature was blasted from the air, landing behind a shrub with a shriek.
Without thinking, he pulled out his sword and sprinted to the shrub. Sliding to a stop behind it, he glanced down at his feet at the dead form below him. A creature about half the size of him lay smoking in the grass. A ghost. The creature was named for its ability to hide from sensor sweeps and recon patrols. This one had tan skin with green stripes along its back and arms. Long claws were its main weapon, but it had others. This was one of the earlier models, lacking the updated sensors and the blaster that decorated the backs on the updated models.
Jake slowed his breathing and reached into the biomechanical robots chest. He felt around for a moment before locating what he was after. After several hard yanks, the object broke free inside the beast. The fox pulled what looked like a small metal box from inside the robot. Several large wires hung snapped from it. Jake activated his mic and quickly spoke, "Base, this is chaos seven, I've just eliminated a ghost."
His implants vibrated slightly as they transmitted sound to the nerve in his inner ear. "Aff Destro," the speaker said to him, using his call sign instead of code name, "Engineer team arrival in five minutes thirty- eight seconds."
"A minute twenty-two." He thought. "It only took a minute twenty- two." He was amazed at how quick life or death could be decided. Thankfully he had not taken a life this day. In his seventeen years in this world, he had only taken one life. A renegade cadet in training had tried to escape with an emerald. Unfortunately, the battle for the emerald left the cadet mortally wounded, a wound given to him by Jake. He didn't care to think about it.
Exactly five minutes and thirty seconds later he heard the scream of the APC, airborne personnel carrier. "Funny things," he thought. "The engines are one of the loudest for its size, but are impossible to hear beyond two hundred meters." He didn't even bother thinking about the technical aspects of the APC.
Eight seconds later the APC landed. It looked like a normal APC, only with large jets where the wheels used to be. Lighter armor and less capacity were its only disadvantages to the standard APC. However, the mobility easily made up for it.
As soon as the landing struts touched the ground, a team of five engineers jumped from the dual doors on both sides. One engineer, a wolf with his rank identifying him as a sergeant first class, ran to him.
"Corporal, my team has arrived as ordered." The Sergeant yelled over the roar of the APC's engines. "Base wants you back ASAP. The sky is blue and the air is clear!"
Jake translated this common phrase back into its original meaning. Air superiority over the area is holding, and the weather is good. Good enough for a quick flight back.
"All right sarge! Set up that transmitter and bury it ASAP!" The fox yelled.
"Got it!"
As the wolf turned and ran back to his team, Jake turned and squatted down. Two crystal wings shot from the sides of his armor at the shoulder blades and extended three feet out. The wings ended in a small pod that carried various sensors and ECM equipment. A half second after his wings locked into position, the equipment on his back suddenly ignited. The engine on his back blazed with full power as he shot into the air above the low canopy of the forest, heading back to Woodland Base.
After several minutes of low altitude flying to avoid radar, Jake saw the familiar sight of Woodland Base. Actually, he couldn't see it. Intricate camouflage hid it from any aerial view. Only a few anti-air emplacements could be seen under similar camouflage. A few grunts could be seen wandering around the trenches thanks too his enhanced vision. He cut his engine and glided slowly down towards the hidden landing pad. With a last second burst from his engine, he touched down at Woodland Base.
"Corporal!" A piercing female voice shouted from behind him.
"Oh no!" he thought, "Not Amanda!" He turned and saw the glaring form of Amanda Acorn, Generals daughter and all around snob. The brown squirrel pushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes and moved towards him.
"Yes Ma'am!" he said quickly.
"I thought I heard you say that clearing was clear!"
Barely suppressing a laugh, he stood stock-still and answered. "Ma'am! A ghost was present in grid alpha five! As you know, ghosts are extremely hard to detect, even by the keen sight of ground troops!" A note of sarcasm barely escaped into his voice.
He could almost see the anger in her eyes. She hated her troops being put down almost as much as she hated him. Ever since he knocked her out of position for chaos training when they were little, she had made his life as hard as possible for him as she could; which was quite a lot sometimes, as she was the daughter of the "General of the Mobian Armed Forces". Also the only reason she was a 1st Lieutenant at the age of nineteen. Luckily, the trouble she had caused him was only trivial so far, not interrupting his training or tarnishing his record whatsoever.
"Report to debriefing now!" She yelled into his face, her own already turning red with anger.
"Yes Ma'am!" He yelled back, emphasizing the word "ma'am" before saluting and running towards the stairway down from the pad. He could feel her eyes burn the back of his head before he was lost to her view.
* * *
Jake stared at the holographic screen in front of him, occasionally glancing at his handheld pad for details. But more often, he glanced at his watch. This briefing had started twenty minutes ago, way to long for a normal briefing. The dark lighting and crowded room was starting get on his nerves. Dave Somners, a fellow fox and a staff sergeant, stood beside the screen with a long plastic stick, pointing at small details as he droned on.
"Last week, the radiation level in old Robotropolis dropped enough for our exposure suits to handle it. Several scouting missions have revealed a large complex underneath the rubble, most of it untouched by radiation."
At hearing this, Jake sat up straighter and gave his full attention to the speaker. He had studied the old maps of Robotropolis and several other ruined cities for most of his life as a hobby. None of his maps had shown any kind of complex underneath the city.
At the front, Dave continued on. "Our scouts reported heavy concentrations of enemy forces around the city. Most are drones and blastboys, and they seem to be waiting for the radiation to die down more before entering. However, a few scouts were lost to enemy ghosts deep inside the city. Apparently, a few ghosts have been upgraded to withstand the high radiation levels."
Jake took out a second pad and pressed his fingertips on it, feeling the tingle as its sensors connected with his fingertips. Another plus of the chaos training was the ability to connect to certain computer sensors and implants without having complex nerve surgery. As he listened to the briefing, words appeared on the screen. After several minutes Jake stiffened as he heard his name being called.
"Corporal Carroll. You there Dest?"
Jake turned and looked behind him, along with everyone else in the room. He knew that voice. It could only be…
"Colonel Sanders! What a nice surprise!"
Colonel Ralph Sanders was in charge of the entire base. The tall lion had been a longtime friend of Jake's father before he died, and had been responsible for Jake for four years until he graduated from training and entered active duty.
"Sergeant Somners, Corporal Carroll will not be available for missions until further notice. I have a special assignment for him." The old lion said.
Several troops whistled and congratulated him from various points in the room before a look from the Colonel shut them up.
"Corporal, please come with me." Sanders said, turning and walking out the door.
Jake stumbled over a few troops, apologizing quickly before he made it to the door and out into the hall. He nearly ran into Ralph in his haste before managing to stop.
"Easy my boy! Don't wear yourself out yet! I've got something very important for you to do." The lion told him, helping steady him before continuing.
"We found another one Jake. We need your armor to get it, and, seeing as how you're the only one trained to use it, you were the obvious choice to go and get it."
Jake simply stared up at his godfather and commanding officer. "We finally found it sir? Mine? Are you sure?"
The lion frowned a moment before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Son, don't worry. You'll do fine! Just remember your training and do exactly what your told to."
He turned to go but suddenly stopped and reached into the pocket of his uniform jacket. "Oh! Can't forget this, Sergeant."
"Sergeant sir?" Jake said with a puzzled look.
"That's right." The colonel said. He took from his pocket a slip of paper and handed it to the young fox. "Here, go to the fitting department and give them this."
He turned and walked down the hall and out of site, giving the occasional salute to a passing officer. Jake looked down and unfolded the slip of paper. Written on it were the words "Promotion to Sergeant for Jake Carroll. Effective immediately."
Jake smiled and nearly leaped into the air with joy. This was turning out to be the best week ever.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
End
Prologue