Chapter Three
Apologies for the late update. My life has decided to take a rather… unwanted turn. For one thing, I was sitting in a plane for at least three hours before it finally took off. What a horrible start to a new school year…
But in the lighter side of things, I met with some soldiers on said plane. Let's just say… a short interview with them really helped me with this chapter…
So, if those two soldiers are reading this right now, I cannot honestly thank you enough for helping me truly tell this story in as realistic a way as could possibly be.
Today, we shall take a journey into the mind of another member of the regiment. Don't worry, Link shall appear again in the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
December 19th, 2010
Year of Farore's Wind
Captain's Log: Pit
Day 366
It's been horrible. Our food is beginning to run out. Many of us higher ranked officers are being fed, true, but it is the soldiers that I worry about. Without them, there would be pretty much nobody to help us fight this war.
Water is scarce in this place. Disease rears its ugly head around every corner. We've already lost about thirty of our bravest men to sicknesses such as salmonella, cholera, and heat strokes. We've lost almost as much to other things such as dehydration and sun strokes.
And don't get me started on the smell. Because of the water scarcity, the men are forced to use baby powder to bathe. The powder is able to cover their pores and hide the stench of their eternal sweat. But in recent weeks, our supply of baby powder has run horribly low. As a result, many of the soldiers smell worse than ever.
If only I had it within me to help them. I know it's very improper for me as captain to show such favor to the soldiers of the Brawl Regiment, but I just can't help it…
I was once one of them…
There were many casualties. Many members of this regiment have lost their lives to the Primid guns. We don't know how much longer we will last out here.
There were only two of the wounded ones we were able to save. One was Private Link Gaiden. The other was Lieutenant Mario Mario. Link was severely wounded in the chest. According to the healers, the bullet almost punctured his right lung. Only a little further and he would have died. He is unconscious right now. Unconscious, but breathing.
Mario… his condition, I cannot speak of…
We managed to capture an entire town of Primids in our last skirmish. It is one of the tiny little villages dotted along the very border of Subspace, a dusty little town that was one of the first to feel the wrath of war. Though it is a far cry from the trading post we had hoped to capture last week, there is a little pride we could feel.
We hope by taking this place that we can weaken the Primid resistance. General Ganondorf has ordered troops to be posted within the town to keep watch. If any of the Primid women, elders, or children should choose to rebel… well, let's just say I really hope they have good doctors…
Speaking of the Primids, General Ganondorf relieved me of my duties earlier today. Why?
I was to accompany him into our newly captured territory.
Pit shifted uncomfortably as the army jeep jostled over the bumpy desert roads of Subspace. The large rough wheels of the military vehicle did not do well over the little pebbles embedded in the turf. What was more, there was always the danger of landmines or ambush in every corner. Though the Captain and General of the Army were both disguised, there was still always the chance…
Pit sighed and shifted his weight. One of the few things he didn't miss about being a private was riding in one of these. It had always been a horrifying experience for him, being unable to predict when they were ambushed or when they rode over a landmine. He had heard stories and witnessed jeeps simply exploding in the blink of an eye…
And there were friends of his that were caught in these "accidents".
"Don't squirm," General Ganondorf hissed under his breath. Still unused to the rather gruff way the General spoke, Pit's every muscle froze and for the entire duration of the ride, he was still as a statue.
General Ganondorf was a man of rather eccentric taste. For example, rather than spending his time over in Smashville with President Hand like all the Generals before him did, he went out "into the field" as he called it. He was a man who enjoyed excitement and adventure, preferring to go in and fight the battle himself rather than sit around staring at charts.
According to him, there was a reason he had officers ranking under him.
He was a battle hardened veteran, holding a great many medals and honors and once serving over thirty years in the military from the age of 18. Now 48 years old, the scars of battle he proudly wore on his face had long faded into the greenish- tan color of his skin. Ganondorf was said to be able to drive a tank on his own if he had the whim to and was never seen without his favorite .48 caliber Gerudo Screw Barrel Pistol and bullet proof vest.
"Sir, permission to ask you a question?" Pit asked. Ganondorf's deep yellow eyes glared at the Captain through his dark sunglasses.
"Permission granted, Captain," the man replied. "But kindly make this a non pointless question. I've had enough of General Snake's complaining."
Pit gulped, unable to hold down his fear. "S-Sir… are you sure you are allowed to do something like this? You are risking your life and almost abandoning your duties, and-"
"Not another word from you, Captain Pit," General Ganondorf snapped. "I am the General of the Army. If I wish to visit a small town that once belonged to the enemy, then I shall. There is something very important I wish to show you and if you would kindly relate what I show you to the many privates serving under your command, then there is the slight possibility that you may be promoted to Major once I retire."
"But General-" Pit protested before he could stop himself. Ganondorf held up a large battle- worn hand.
"That is enough from you, Captain," he said, his sunglasses glinting in the sun. "Speak out of line again and I shall have you demoted to Chief Warrant Officer."
"Sirs?" the private driving the jeep, Red, piped up. "We are currently nearing the Primid Territory of Shiroi."
"Very well, Private," General Ganondorf replied. "Drop us off at the border and pick us up at around noontime. If neither of us are there when you come, your orders are to go immediately back to base and take five of the finest soldiers you can muster. Have them burn the town to the ground if they have to."
Pit saw a jaw twitch in Red's jaw, but the Private nodded. "Yes, General."
The jeep stopped just outside the border of the tiny town. General Ganondorf climbed out of the jeep, his large booted feet kicking up even larger clouds of dust as he landed. Pit watched in slight bemusement as he breathed in deeply. It was as if he was relishing the air around him.
Pit climbed out as well. "Thanks, Red."
Red flinched for a moment. Private and Captain were once bunkmates together in military school. It had been months since they had last spoken to each other.
Since Pit was promoted…
Pit saw a flicker of hesitation behind Red's eyes, but this soon faded and the Private nodded to him. "Not a problem, Captain. It is an honor to serve you…" without another word, he drove off.
"Come," Ganondorf said sharply. Not wanting to get left behind, Pit followed after him. All through the walk, he kept checking to make sure that his disguise was still in place. For a few moments, there was nothing between the two but a cold silence that seemed to melt into the surrounding area.
"… Tell me, Captain…" Ganondorf whispered, finally breaking it. "Tell me what you see…"
Pit looked around. All around him, he could see the signs of poverty. There were many houses and buildings that were boarded up. Dust caked every surface. Spider webs flew like long sheets in the wind. The entire town carried the air of neglect and misery. But what hit him most of all…
"There is no one…" Pit answered, blue eyes scanning the area again for a sign of the certain life he was searching for. "No one to help the women, children, or elderly…"
"They lack young Primid men," Ganondorf nodded. At his and Pit's approach, the Primid children that were once playing in the streets shrunk into the shadows and watched with wide, fearful eyes as the two officials passed. Even under disguise, they both carried an aura that only military men would carry.
"Orphans…" Ganondorf muttered, gesturing lightly to the children that had shrunk away from them. "Their parents have been lost to this war. Most likely, the father while fighting and the mother to sickness…" he great man heaved a heavy sigh.
Pit was shocked. He had always known Ganondorf to be a hard man and at times, even cruel. But in the midst of this poverty, the horrors of the aftermath of a war, here was a side that Pit had never seen in his life.
"Young men have always been the ones that are to be the most relied on to get things done," Ganondorf went on. "They are stronger than women, children, and elders… they are thought to be smarter, faster, stronger, more capable… they are often doing the heavier jobs no one else can in a society, such as protection and providing for a family…"
"So… without any young Primid men…"
"There is no one to help provide for them," Ganondorf said quietly. "There is no one to protect this village should another one of our regiments or someone else attack it… vulnerable villages are the prime targets of many vile minds out there… there are women to take advantage of… children to torture… elders to be killed off… sacred items to be sold for monetary gain…"
"But… they're…" Pit was at loss for words. He had seen the Primids only as the enemy for so long, he had forgotten the important thing.
That they were living beings as well.
Just like him and the other soldiers of the Brawl Regiment, they had to eat and they had to drink. It was the cycle of life. They could die as easily as any of the other soldiers could. They had wants and they had needs…
They were people too…
Pit was aghast. "But… but surely we can put an end to this, General! Surely we will be able to pull out… like for Christmas… give them a blessing that-"
"That is what you and the other soldiers don't understand, Icarus," Ganondorf hissed. "Hear me out now for you shall now know why I have brought you here today!"
Pit stayed quiet and listened. Ganondorf's wrath was said to be legendary. And there were already enough red Primid eyes staring at them…
"Do you not see the horrors these people have gone through? Do you not see why we have no other choice but to stay here, even over the holidays? It is not only for us, but for them! What will happen if we all decide to pack up our camps and head home? Places like these shall fall into ruin! Prime Minister Tabuu maybe a cunning man, but his power is weak here on the outskirts of his reigning country! If this town and the others we have captured do not fall into the hands of another country in this world, then it shall go into anarchy!" Ganondorf's face had turned a strange red tint. It would have been rather amusing to look at had he not been so angry. "I know for a fact that Private Ike was able to shoot down the village leader in our last battle… Anarchy spreads like a disease. Once is starts, it is nearly impossible to stop it. It will not be long until the anarchy completely consumes these border towns. And what then? There will be rebellion… more blood spilled… if left unchecked, it shall soon consume the central cities where Tabuu's reign is at its most powerful… Tabuu's power falling into anarchy… all of Subspace becoming a lawless, dread filled land…"
"But… the soldiers…"
"Icarus, your personal loyalty to the ones whom you once shared a drink with is clouding your reason! Do you not know how hard a choice it was to make? Allow the Brawl Regiment to go home or have them stay here and fight? The Brawl Regiment is the one held in the highest esteem by President Hand! I had no choice but to assign the Brawl Regiment to stay in this land! I must do everything in my power to prevent this land, these people from falling into anarchy. It is only when we can finally negotiate a peace treaty with the Prime Minister… only when we can settle the dispute of who owns the lands beyond the River Palutena can we finally know peace…"
"…" Pit remained silent at these words. As the noon sun rose up into the sky, the two began their long walk back. The Captain had much to think about these days.
It was true. He had allowed his personal loyalty to his old friends to conquer his reason. Yes, he was still angry at being unable to return home to see his family for the holidays. Yes, he had every right to be angry over this, but at the same time, he knew deep down that he shouldn't be.
They called the Primids such because of the primitive way they went along with their business. They were known as the indigenous people of Subspace, hunting and gathering and farming for their food. They were subsistence farmers, not ones of commercial agriculture. It was only in Subspace City, the capital, where industrialization ruled.
This war had started because of a dispute over land. The lands beyond the River Palutena were important to Smashville's economic growth. Yet at the same time, it was a land sacred to the Primids as well. Like many of the Privates of the Regiment, Pit had always thought that the enemy was merely the enemy…
But there was definitely something he didn't see. In many ways, General Ganondorf had made a wise decision. True, it was one that would anger the entire regiment. True, this made him extremely unpopular. True, it was likely that he had just taken away the last chance any of them would see their families again.
But the Primids were people too. They were different in every way to the Smashers, but they were still people. They ate and drank like people. They slept and walked like people. They spoke and wrote like people.
War blurred the lines of good and evil. Pit thought of all of this as he climbed into the jeep. He remembered the tearful, fearful eyes of the Primid children as he passed by them.
It was time for a Brawl Regiment meeting.