IN 3409, scientist created a hormone they named TAE. It sold TAE to a chemical company that introduced TAE for commercial use to livestock farmers in 3401. It exceeded expectations, and was quickly heralded as the best hormone for farmers to use on livestock.
In 3400, a supplement company tried to reverse bio-engineer TAE, but instead, created a hormone called PDX. To offset the failure, it unloaded the product on the market. But it was quickly discovered that PDX was the most powerful hormone on the market, assuming a user's biology was compatible with PDX.
But warning signs started to emerge, from both live stock, and the users of PDX. The signs at first were trivial, anecdotal. But gradually, over time data began accumulating to the extent that we now know that these chemicals increase aggression, rewrite DNA, takes over the brain and cause a host of psychological problems. Users of PDX specifically tended to develop sociopathic tendencies. After these tests, TAE and PDX were banned in 3986.
When trying to remove the hormones from the body, TAE was easy to removed. Its pathways targeted, and then blocked. TAE was erased from the galaxy by 3984.
PDX proved far more difficult. Its pathways in the body were targeted and blocked, but PDX attacked back, and created new pathways. PDX acted more like a protective and empowering parasite than a hormone, refusing to let anything separate it from its host. PDX was never removed from the galaxy, but its samples contained as much as possible.
These samples were bought by the Resistance in 3971.
6 months after Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Gunny wakes up, and pulls his helmet off, running his fingers through his short cropped hair.
He slowly stands up, and looks up at the sky. It was a beautiful time of day, when it wasn't quite night but it wasn't quite morning either. In Gunny's experience, this was usually one of the most peaceful times of the day.
But all the recent silence and peace was starting to ware his nerves. Six months of no combat, six months of no weapon fire, six months of nothing happening.
Gunny looks back in the trench and sees Kell sleeping with Tura hanging onto him, his arm wrapped around her.
Gunny was disappointed with himself.
He had told Kell to not develop a romantic interest with anyone, especially in this war. It could lead to certain death for all the parties. But Kell had ignored him, and while he wasn't openly affectionate with her in front of the soldiers, Gunny knew all those late night 'patrols' and other activities weren't really what he said they were.
Gunny turns back to the horizon, realizing he would need to keep an eye on Tura too.
Kell first. Then his friends Tanner, Dave and Bork. And Tura, his girlfriend. I am going to have to keep my eyes on a lot of people.
Gunny shakes his head, feeling a cool breeze on his face.
Looks like this will be one of those lessons Kell has to learn the hard way.
Gunny wakes me up for breakfast, which was growing worse and worse as the days, weeks, and months passed by.
Command had certainly done a good job of making sure this planet was untakeable. With four corps defending each front, trying to break through one point was nearly impossible. And even if the Mandalorians did, the other corps would counter attack to keep them from getting to the complex.
Sadly, this made for a very boring deployment.
But at least I was getting used to everything. It also was a blessing in disguise. Gunny had taught me how to properly use grenades, clean my pistol and rifle, different hand-to-hand combat techniques, how to use my body's build to my advantage, and a host of other things.
I walk up to the orderly, and grab two metal cans of breakfast food, and walk back to sit down next to Tura, handing her one of the cans.
I notice a Mandalorian sit down across from me. His helmet wasn't on, but he wore that grey armor like the Mandalorian I met on the landing pad.
"So, when do your brothers plan on attacking?" I ask him.
The Mandalorian takes a bite out of his breakfast, and chews it like one would chew boot leather, then swallows. "I don't know," he answers.
"Is that a joke?" I ask him.
"No," the Mandalorian says shortly. "I would've attacked already."
"How helpful," I remark.
"Look at the bright side, it is a nice day," one of the privates say.
Almost on cue, we could hear thunder in the distance.
"You were saying?" I ask.
I hold my arms close to my body, trying to keep my body warm.
The rain had decided to wait until after our lunch to break. But when it rained, it poured. It had only been raining for maybe 20 minutes, but there was already at least an inch of water in some places in our trenches.
"I think I heard something," Dave says.
"You're hearing things Dave," someone else tells him.
The Mandalorian sitting across from me, one wearing blue armor instead of the grey armor of the other one I knew, stands up and says "Let's take a look."
He walks over, and stands next to me, while I stay sitting down. I was too cold and tired to look.
BANG!
I grab my ears, and duck down.
"Anybody hit?" I yell out.
I hear a loud a KLANK to my left, and nervously look over.
It was the Mandalorian. A metal round had hit the helmet, and smashed through it. The gore and death the round had caused was hidden by the metal on the armor. But the glass T part of the visor was now red.
"Everyone to your positions! NOW!" I scream.
Tura stands up and runs to her position, while I stand up, grab my rifle, and press against the wall of the trench.
All the soldiers do as I command, and the Mandalorians too, take positions.
Shit…what now?
Gunny sprints through the trench, nervous about what had happened.
A mortar strike, light artillery, it could have been anything.
He reaches the front trench lines, seeing the soldiers are already at their positions.
"What the hell happened?" Gunny bellows.
"Sniper round! Killed a Mando!" one of the privates yells back.
Gunny turns to see 1st Sergeant Louie behind him.
"Sergeant! What are your orders!?"
"This doesn't make sense. Why give away your attack?" Louie asks out loud. Like he didn't believe what was happening.
I try to relax my nerves, and listen.
I begin to hear the clinking and clanking sounds of overworked gears. But the sound was muted, and barely audible with the rain.
I try to focus on the gears, when I then hear something else.
It had a tick-tick-tick sound.
I press my ear to the ground, trying to listen closer.
My ear barely grazes the ground before I can feel the ground rumbling.
I place my hands on it and could feel the ground was certainly shaking.
Oh shit…
"TANKS!"
Gunny twists around, hearing Kell's voice, but what really worried him, was what Kell yelled.
Gunny steps forward, looking out over the field. In front of him were hundreds of tanks, all slowly rolling forward.
I look out over the top of the trench, and see tanks, dozens of them, all approaching.
"You got to be kidding me…" I tell myself.
Gunny steps back down into the trench, realizing this was the day the Mandalorians decided to attack. Gunny turns around and grabs Louie. "Sergeant! What are you orders!?"
Louie stares at him, unable to answer, his eyes wide, his mouth open, and Gunny could tell what happened. Battle nerves. It had overwhelmed Louie.
Damn it.
Gunny turns around realizing he had to take over.
Gunny finds the two nearest soldiers, yelling "You two! Here now!"
The two soldiers quickly push off the wall of the trench, and run over. "Run up to the artillery crews, and tell them to start firing! NOW!"
They both salute and begin running through the trenches to where the artilleries were placed.
Gunny then grabs his comm from his belt, and flips it on.
"This is Second Sergeant Gunny. I repeat this is Second Sergeant Gunny. The Mandalorians are attacking the western flank! I repeat the Mandalorians are attacking the western flank. I request immediate assistance, and support!"
He puts the comm back in his belt, and looks up and down the trench for Kell.
He sees him standing down to his left.
Gunny runs over and takes a position next to him.
I turn to see Gunny come to a sliding halt next to me, and ask "You ready?"
Before I can answer, the loud and thunderous VROOM of an artillery round pass above us. The ear splitting explosion follows shortly.
I slowly crawl forward, and look up.
I see one of the tanks had been hit. It had stopped moving, and was on fire, black smoke pouring out from its hatches and engine compartment.
Several of the tanks answer our artillery's attack, by shooting back with their own cannons.
I duck back down, the rounds passing overhead, with a loud CRACK!
Behind us I hear a deafening explosion. It must have hit an artillery piece, because a large mushroom cloud appears above the trenches. It likely blew up the artillery piece and the ammo with it.
I look back at Gunny, and answer "NO! I'm not ready!"
"Neither am I!" He yells back, almost laughing.
"Stay alert brothers!" We both turn at hearing that, and see it was a Mandalorian that yelled that. "There will be advance scouts and warriors to clear out trenches so tanks can drive over!"
I hold my rifle, trying to get a grip on my nerves.
I watch Gunny slowly crawl forward, up the wall of the trench, and follow suite.
When Gunny sees me next to him, he waves his hand shooing me away. "Don't get closer than five feet, or further than ten!"
I look at him confused but slowly crawl to the side, away from him.
"Two are a target!" Gunny loudly tells me.
I nod my head, understanding what he meant. Two of us so close together would attract fire.
I bring my rifle up, holding in front of me, and stare through the sights at the advancing Mandalorian tanks. The engines, gears, and sounds they made all getting louder.
Then our artillery all let out a powerful BOOM and dozens of rounds shoot out above us.
I bury my head in the dirt, hearing the rounds passing overhead unnerving me. The rounds were so close I could feel the vibrations in the air as the individual rounds passed.
I look up and see several had hit tanks, and like before, several had been hit. One tank had its turret blown off its hull.
I look over the tanks, seeing several different types, all of them advancing slowly to our position, like they had no regard for the casualties of their fellow tanks.
I notice one tank off to the right that was larger than most of the others. It was spearheading the advance.
I zoom in with my scope, seeing five distinct craters in the front plate.
Is it just absorbing the blasts from our artillery!?
I look in front of me when I hear several yells and shouts, and see Mandalorians emerge from cover behind the tanks, running forward and shooting their weapons.
"FIRE AT WILL!" Gunny screams.
I see a Mandalorian emerge from the left side of the tank directly in front of me, tightly hugging the tank as he rushed forward.
I take aim for his chest, and pull the trigger.
The rounds spew out of my rifle, several hitting him, and several more missing entirely.
The Mandalorian is thrown backwards, but stays up.
He simply looks up, seeing me, and raises his rifle.
Shit.
Gunny sees someone firing their rifle at full auto for several seconds on his left, and turns, wondering which idiot did that.
"KELL!"
I push myself back into the trench, with a round hitting where my head was only seconds earlier.
I land on my feet, trying to catch my breath after the near death experience.
"Kell!"
I look to see Gunny who was still lying on the front trench. "Precision shots only! Auto brings fire on you!"
I nod at Gunny, and quickly flip the switch on my rifle to switch it from auto fire to precision fire.
I then crawl a few yards down the trench, and back up to see the battle field.
I see the Mandalorian I had been shooting at earlier still moving forward.
I aim for him, taking precious time to line up a clear shot.
I pull and hold the trigger down, several round shooting out and hitting him in the side.
The Mandalorian falls to his knees, but turns and looks at me.
Several more rounds hit him in the neck and helmet, fired from someone on my left.
I look over to see Dave lying only a few feet over to my left. He meets my eyes, and I nod at him, thanking him for the help.
I turn and look for another Mandalorian.
Gunny slides down into the trench, and rips the energy cell out of his rifle, throwing it on the ground in the puddles of rain water, and grabs another from his belt.
He quickly slams it in, and pulls the lock on the rifle, and takes a deep breath.
This was bad! There were too many Mando tanks and the reinforcements weren't getting here fast enough.
And with the Mandalorians advancing, they would overpower them easily, and quickly.
Damn it! What do I do?