March 5th, 2017 of the Gregorian calendar

Johnson felt the Humvee bounce as the convoy drove down the dirt road towards a small village, everyone vigilant for an ambush. It had been only a few hours and already the Rekki and Mare fortresses were already taken with only three main objectives to secure. Since the Marais roads were little more then dirt paths and bridges that barley could hold the Humvees let alone AFVs, it'd be up to the infantry to dig them out of their hiding spots. He heard stories from his grandfather about his service in Vietnam against the Vietcong, and admittedly was worried if they were watching his every move.

He sat in the backseat with Cork to his right, Collins in the driver's seat, Zhao riding shotgun, and a new member of the squad named Rodriquez on the turret. The Hispanic woman had joined them just a week before and was quite friendly, the group warming up to her quickly. "Rodriquez, you see anything?" "Negative sir. All clear." Then he could feel something was once the moment she finished her sentence, a quite terrible feeling experienced since before the creation of written language.

Suddenly the vehicle at the front of the line was hit by a giant log, causing it to roll over into a ditch on the left side of the road. "Ambush!" Cried out a soldier over a radio as bullets started to fly. "Their on the fucking right!" Rodriquez swifty turned the turret and began to fire bursts into the shrubs where screams of pain could be heard. "Pin those fucks down Rodriquez! The rest of y'all get out!" But then the rookie collapsed onto the floor gripping her throat where blood gushed at. "She's hit!" Said Johnson as Cork jumped into the backseat to apply pressure to the wound, but it just kept coming out. "Oh fuck..." He cursed while she looked at him with the look of fear that would stick with both for the rest of their lives. Gurgling noises came where there should've been words and just like that, she was gone, Johnson felt no pulse on either her neck or hand.

He looked to his friend who had the same expression back at Belma, who since the incident had from what he could tell recover but it was all washed away in a instant. "Come on man, we gotta go." But he was unresponsive. "Cork! We can't stay in here." Once again, no response. In a fit of frustration he smacked him in the back of the head. "Cork! Move your ass She gone, there's nothing we can do, now go!" That got his attention and the two private hopped out to join the fight. The tree line was assaulted by a hail of lead as Saderan soldiers with ranged weapons retaliated while those without charged wildly into incoming gunfire.

"This shit's getting real old." Says Johnson as he fires a three round burst, Collins laughs. "Well they sure as hell love our lead, so let's continue to serve them." The there was a cry, "We got Saderans on our left." Reported Cork as he fires off a projectile from his grenade launcher. "Zhao! Get on the fifty cal and rip em to bits!" "Affirmative sir!" The Asian man got up from his prone position and got back into the humvee, ignoring Rodriquez's body so he could avenge her death. Johnson flinched as he could hear a bullet zip past his ear. "Fuck you, you son of a bitch!" He yelled as he pulled the pin of a grenade and threw it at the general direction the shot came from. "Everyone get down! Mortars coming in!" He hears a man shout as the tree line is blow to bits, wiping out anyone standing nearby.

Finally the Saderans quit and pulled back into the depths of the forest, leaving the victors to inspect the damage inflicted. Three of their own were dead while another six were injured, mostly from the overturned humvee. Reinforcements were not that far out and would be there in a few minutes, preventing them from being surrounded if there was more out there. But the task was still at the hand, taking the village. As the second platoon arrived to retrieve the casualties, Johnson and Zhao took Rodriquez's body out to be taken home. He couldn't feeling sick at just how much blood had come out of her body, the backseat floor almost completely red as the liquid began to dry.

"Those pieces of shits." Zhao muttered, "What a shame, just outta basic training too." Her life, which had boundless potential was snuffed out in a inside. It wasn't because she fight glorious in a land stand like a patriot for her country but died in the backseat terrified as she chocked on her own blood. He looked over to see Cork looking at them, particularly at the body with a mixed look of remorse and hate. 'Damn it all.' He thought to himself, 'This whole war's a waste.' They placed her body in the back of a medical humvee and covered Rodriquez with a white sheet to give her some dignity. They without a word walked back to their Humvee, before the convoy headed straight to their destination.

They arrived about eight minutes later at around thirteen hundred hours, all expecting a fight until they saw civilians just roaming about. "Alright everyone, be on your guard." Commanded Felkin over the radio as they enter the settlement. The soldiers checked every window and every corner while civilians moved back while watching them in curiosity. "Please back away from the vehicles." Urged one of two translators as the troops worked to keep them back politely while those still inside the humvees kept a look out. "We wish you no harm, you'll be perfectly safe in your homes. We just ask that you back away."

Then the sound of a man shouted diverted their attention to a man wearing a coat without shoes slowly walking towards them. "obsecro, curam filii mei!" He yelled, "Obsecro propter misericordiam tuam!" Johnson turned to Collins who had a look of suspicion. "This guy looks suspicious, could be a trap." "aegre fero! aegre fero! aegre fero!" He chanted over and over as a translator walked up to him. "AEGRE FERO! ILLI HABET MEI PUERI!!!!" He in one final fit screeched as he ripped off his cloak.

In a split second a fire arrow darted out of a window from a house down the street, hitting him and causing the explosives strapped to his body to explode. Civilians began to scream and scatter while machine guns peppered the house and any other place the Saderans could be hiding in, sometimes shooting wildly into windows of random houses. Johnson looked to the ground to see the bottom half of the man and the mutilated body of the translator. 'God be damn...fucking terrorists!' He thought angrily as he engaged into combat.

Mars 5th, 688 of the Imperial calendar

He felt the sweet drip from his forehead as he hid in his hiding spot, a mere hole dug into the ground with a camouflaged board on the top keeping him from being spotted by the enemy whom were firing wilding at the Saderan position. The hill they were currently stationed one was just north of Rekki and had no real value other then a position to hopefully draw some blood from. 'Darn it! Im stuck!' He thought, 'If I get out, im dead and the same if I stay.' But death be damned if he thought this soldier was going to die for nothing. He raised his weapon and aimed carefully through the small hole allowing him to shoot from cover. He spotted an Other-worlder and pulled the trigger but the ball missed.

He instinctively ducked as an explosion rocked the ground to his rear. The man covered his ears as explosions rang all around him, wondering if he'd meet his end soon. But the gods must of either thought he was deserving of a long life or enjoyed the show he was giving them as he was left untouched by the barrage. But his comrades weren't so lucky as they ran out of their holes and trenches and scattered like stampeding horses, only to be cut down like wheat. He while inside his hole dared not to breath as he could see the enemy legionnaires marching in a wide and cautious formation towards the former defensive line turned graveyard. This legionnaire silently prayed as they came closer, his heart stopping once he saw one walking towards his hiding spot but fortunately walked passed ignorant of the man underneath him. This was his chance to truly view his advanced enemy.

They wore clothing that blended with the woodland, had pads on their elbows and knees like the Imperials yet had these black eyewear that covered their eyes like a cloak. Were they nocturnal? Was the sun some type of weakness for them? Was it a phycological trick make them more terrifying then they already were? It didn't truly matter as he feared make even a tiny peep, feeling like a tiny mouse in the cave of flesh-eating ogres. He could feel his hands shaking from paralyzing fear and could only helpless watch as dozens, possibly hundreds of men simply walked passed. Then he heard of a cry as there was a commotion. He peeked to see a group of five Other-worlders pull out a man from his hiding spot, pleading for mercy. "Don't kill me!" He begged, "I don't want to fight you, your practically all demigods!" But the simply taunted him, kicking him to the ground. One of them pulls out a small hand-kanoni out of his pocket to shoot the prisoner but another shoves him, yelled at him and pointing to the Imperial.

It seemed that he'd be truley spared but the man with the weapons yelled something back and shot the poor legionnaire in the head, his body falling to the ground as if he'd been struck by lightning. There was a few yelling back and forth before too continued on, leaving the remaining legionnaire cold, alone, and behind enemy lines. But he wasn't going to give up yet. Once darkness had almost taken over the land he slowly crawled out of his spot after confirming the coast was clear. He could care less how long it took or how far he needed to travel as long as he was safe. That would be better said then done as the moon light just barley shone through the treetops, giving him some light but not showing where he was traveling to. By the time he could hear and see flashing coming from explosions in the distance his legs were about to buckle and his eyelids were losing the battle to keep them up.

"I gotta find somewhere to rest, I'll die if I keep going." He mumbled to himself as he moved his gaze up to a relatively short tree, tall enough to keep him off the ground but small enough to safely get down. With drunken hands and mind in a state of stupor he used his belt to climb up a thick branch where he pulled himself up to his resting place. He then used the aforementioned belt to tie himself to the trunk as it was thin enough to ensure he wouldn't fall out while sleeping. After making sure he was secured he allowed himself to relax under the watchful gaze of the moon. 'Not bad Maximus, not bad for the son of a mason.' The sounds of night creatures and distant night battles lulling him to sleep. He felt sorry for the poor farm boys ripped from hope to be sacrificial lambs to the grinder.

I wanted to post this earlier but procrastination and good old writing block pushed this to nearly the end of October. I'll write a spooky chapter for my favorite holiday: Halloween. I'm still shocked we managed to get this far and appreciate the support you guys have given. I'll see you guys later I guess, peace. ;)