A/N: Just a heads up this chapter might be a little bit gory.
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The next morning after breakfast had been eaten Grady ushered John off to the Delran version of a shooting range to begin his weapons training. It didn't take John long to realize that the guns the Delran's used were unlike anything he'd handled before.
"You should aim higher." Grady instructed. "With these rifles it is always better to aim high, like so." Taking aim with his own weapon Grady proceeded to again show John the proper way to fire his rifle.
"You're good." John complimented after Grady had hit the dead center of the target every time.
"Do you mock me?" Grady challenged.
"That was a compliment, trust me." John held up a defensive hand. "I'm not stupid enough to mock somebody with an aim like yours."
"It's one thing to fire at paper targets, but much another to kill another living being, that's what the Commodore teaches."
"He's right, killing's not easy."
"Risking my own days and nights to drive those beasts from our world that should be as easy as a long sleep," Grady lowered his weapon turning to face John, hatred of the Ishtans burning in his eyes.
"Says who?"
"My brothers and uncles who came to the killing fields before me. Their words are wise and yet…"
"You're still afraid." John reasoned easily.
"I am not afraid!" Grady snapped.
"There's no shame in being afraid of fighting, it's natural." John tried to reassure Grady.
"How do you figure that?"
"Because I've been in battle before numerous times, fighting to protect my people from many enemies."
"These enemies were they beasts?"
"Let's just say they weren't very friendly. The point is, even though I believed in what I was doing, I always felt fear before a fight."
"You're words are wise, I will think of them. Now come I believe you have a good enough grasp of our weapons to defend yourself decently enough, we will be moving out soon and you still need to change."
"Change?" John hadn't expected that one.
"Yes, in the wilds it is better to blend, your coverings do not." Grady answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Right, of course what was I thinking?" John had to admit Grady had a point and didn't argue when he was given a Delran uniform to wear.
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For the first day and for most of the second the infantry walked with out any trouble and John knew that, that just had to mean trouble was right around the corner. No sooner had he thought that then one of the Protectors near the front lifted his first it what must have been a halt signal because instantly the others stopped moving and crouched down to the side of the path they'd been following. There was brief conversation between the soldier and Braxton before the Commodore moved to where John, Grady, and Jaden crouched.
"What is it?" John questioned.
"Body neck-strapped and down turned, left to be cooked by the glare." Braxton answered anger clearly in his voice. "By his markings he's of the 8th infantry, likely a scout walker."
"Desecrated by the Ishtans no doubt." Jaden's voice rang with rage.
"His sole forever forced to travel away from Paradise." Grady whispered softly.
"You two double time it to the merging point," Braxton pointed to Grady and Jaden. "See what you can learn."
Not having to be told twice the two trotted off ahead of the group to scout ahead. After what felt like forever to John but couldn't have been more than twenty minutes the two young men returned.
"What have you glimpsed?" Braxton quickly moved to their sides, John close behind.
"The 8th infantry dead sir." Jaden responded.
"What, all of them?" John already had a pretty good idea what the answer was.
This time Grady answered, "at least twenty Protectors, and that's not the whole telling of it. They're…they're all…"
"Tell it, Grady! They're all how?" Braxton dreaded what he'd hear.
"Like the scout walker sir, down turned. Staked to the dirt and down turned."
"Those motherless Ishtan beasts!" Braxton turned to John, "do you glimpse the fullness of it now, stranger?"
"I'm starting to, yeah." John nodded.
"Now you understand why we name them beasts and not men?"
"I'm sorry."
"We're much more than sorry, aren't we, my fellow Protectors?" The Commodore addressed his men.
"Yes, sir!" They all responded.
"The beasts want your plantings."
"True, true."
"He wants your homes. He wants your mothers and sisters! But does it suffice him to kill you? No. He craves to shame you; mock you; keep you from paradise! We're wearied of it, aren't we?"
"Yes sir!"
"And we won't stand for it any longer!"
"So say we all!" The soldiers where getting worked up by now. John had to admit Braxton knew how to rally the troops.
Then without warning all hell brook lose as the group suddenly came under fire. For several moments it was nothing but chaos as men scrambled out of the open looking for cover and trying to figure out in what direction to fire. Then as if things weren't bad enough the skies opened up and rain began pouring down making things even more chaotic.
The enemy fire cut through the rain slamming into one of the soldiers crouching next to John. The bullet slammed into the side of the man's face with enough force that even over all of the commotion around him, John heard the neck snap like a twig. The man hit the ground, the mud sucking at the edges of his form, the side of his face missing.
Soldiers screamed shouting challenges and orders, their cries mingling with those of the charging Ishtans who were now only recognizable on the opposite ridge as faint, nightmarish shapes in the rain.
"Fall back, fall back," Braxton's voice could be heard over the commotion of battle. "Fall back and regroup."
John moved with the rest of the soldiers, stumbling and staggering, digging the toes of his boots into the rapidly-eroding mud of the small incline they were trying to climb up, clenching his teeth against the aggravating trickles of water that worked their way under the collar of his uniform. Behind and slightly to the left of him two bodies twitched and screamed guttural, rain-choked cries. John hesitated a moment, then dislodged his boots and slid down after them – you didn't leave people behind.
He landed softly in a small splash of dirty water and mud. Half his uniform was solid black and he felt the grime wriggle its way beneath the layers and coat his skin. Carson was so going to insist on giving John every antibiotic he had and then some after this. The first body he came to was obviously beyond help he didn't much of an abdomen left, just a steaming, cauterized cavity devoid of organs.
Scrambling to the next body John quickly felt for a pulse, it took a moment but he found a slow sluggish pulse. Hearing a moan come from the man he glanced at the face and paused when he saw that it was Grady. He quickly looked the younger man over. John let fly a string of curses in virtually every language he knew when he saw the right arm ended just below the elbow and was still gushing blood.
Grady reached up with his good arm and griped John's shirt, "Don't…don't let them leave me down turned…make sure I make it into paradise…"
"Don't talk like that," John started ripping strips of cloth from his shirt to make a tourniquet. "It's just a flesh wound. You'll be good as new in no time." Working quickly John wrapped the stump up only to curse again as the bandages were instantly soaked in blood.
Okay plane B, reaching over John grabbed a handful of mud and started packing it around the bleeding stump. If the rain didn't wash it away before the blood supply to the limb was cut off, Grady might have a chance.
"What are you doing, get a move on Sheppard." John looked up in time to see Jaden grab the back of his shirt and start pushing.
"Grady's hurt we have to get him to a medic." John broke lose of Jaden's hold.
"Leave 'em."
"No, damn it. On my world we don't leave our people behind."
Jaden hesitated a moment, swore then knelt down to start laying down cover fire. "Grab him and get moving I'll cover you."
John didn't say anything just grabbed Grady and started hauling the man out of danger. Behind him weapons fired and orders were shouted, he could tell that the Ishtans were getting closer. A string of bullets impacted the ground near John showering him in mud. A pain filled cry had John glancing over his shoulder. It didn't take him long to spot Braxton half buried in mud firing his rifle madly despite the fact that half his skull was missing. Not far off Jaden stopped shooting long enough to look over at his commander, continuing to fight despite the fact that he should have been dead. Then, apparently deciding that any support-fire was adequate support-fire, he went back to firing at the Ishtans soldiers that kept closing in.
Turning to continue his retreat John watched almost as if in slow motion as something slammed into the side of Grady's head spraying blood everywhere. Snapping his gaze in the direction the shot had come from John spotted a shadowy figure aiming a gun in his direction. With out thinking about it he brought his own gun up and started firing, screaming an unintelligible cry of rage and frustration; you don't just kill an unarmed and wounded soldier even if he was the enemy. What was wrong with these...these damned beasts anyway?
Even after the Ishtan body hit the ground John continued firing and advancing until his rifle was out of ammo. Reaching the body he used his foot to flip it over. Getting his first look at an Ishtan soldier John had to pause at the shear un-realness of it; there lying dead in front of him was an honest to God Predator, seriously the guy could have been an extra straight out of any one of the Predator movies.
John didn't have much time to ponder it further before he felt himself being pushed, "Get the hell out of here Sheppard, this isn't your fight." Jaden gave John another hard shove before turning back to the fire fight.
John didn't say anything just spun and scrambled up the ridge. Behind him heard the cries of the dying and slap of their bodies against the watery mud, but didn't stop moving all he could think about was getting out of this hell and back home to his friends, no his family. John didn't know how long he stumbled around lost before he stumbled across a small Delran settlement, all he knew was that he was exhausted.
"It's a protector, look everybody a gloried Protector." A voice somewhere off to his left shouted.
"Welcome to Tiran honored Protector." Another voice much closer spoke. John ignored all of the people crowding around him as his legs gave out and he collapsed.