Chapter 4: A far off memory
"Wake up soldier no one said you could sleep!"
"Sorry sir, three days of straight fighting can do that to you" Tyson yawned, standing up. He hefted his rifle back up to his shoulder and walked out of the bunker.
The sounds of the dying and explosions were heard everywhere. A man crawled to safety dragging what was once a stump of his leg while another supported a friend while trying to staunch the bleeding in his shoulder.
"What's the objective sir?" Tyson asked.
"We need to get across this stretch of field, those men over there invited us for tea" the lieutenant smirked.
"Can do sir. Alright men, who are we?" Tyson roared.
"Sons of Ares, Disciples of War!" the men shouted back, morale skyrocketing.
The men broke cover firing into the enemy line, their foes falling like leaves before the gale. Tyson jumped into a trench landing on a soldier, his boot caving in the man's cranium. Ducking under a wild swing from another soldiers gun, he pulled the enemy close and clubbed him in the head with his pistol. Using the body as a shield, he commenced firing on the other enemy soldiers. After clearing the trench, he snapped his meat shield's neck and pressed on with his brothers.
"And that is another victory for the scoreboard back home" Tyson said.
"Aye, but it seemed to easy for us" the lieutenant said, frowning.
"Sir, we were trained and made for this. After gaining the experience needed, a single son of Ares can take on a full squad of pirates" Tyson said.
"Careful boy, you may be rumored to be the best but you're not there yet" the lieutenant warned.
"Sir, I've beaten every challenger for my position and even beaten men above my rank. I just need to beat one of the Generals and I'll be the next Kratos, head of the Son's of Ares."
"But remember this, the Generals earned their rank not only by brute force but with brains as well. If you can't keep your head on the field, then you will never beat a General."
"We'll see sir, we'll see."
His name was Tyson Lowell, a sergeant of the Sons of Ares, one of the most successful and bloodiest sections of the United Planetary Federations. They were a group created for the war against a foe simply named 'The Pirates'. The two sides had been at war for decades fighting over what most wars were caused by, different ideals.
The UPF believed in a controlled, militaristic ideology where everyone answered to one government that ruled from Earth Prime and the slightest crime could be met out with the harshest of punishments. The Pirates believed in what they called freedom, where every planet would be independent and live by their own rules instead.
The UPF countered by saying free reign of a single planet would be too much for one man or group, that they would try to expand their territories by conquering other planets, resulting in greater bloodshed. The Pirates believed in the goodness of human nature, that people should have the right to choose what they do instead of having the decision made for them.
This was of course met with war from both sides, with each having their own advantages. The UPF had better technology, better training, and was more supplied. The Pirates had more manpower with more people believing in free choice and were willing to fight for it. Both had their own problems however. The UPF constantly had to watch their borders to make sure civilians didn't try and defect to the other side while the Pirates had to watch the people inside their own territories. Without the harsh punishment, crime became widespread. Plus with the influx of population, the number of diseased and those without homes grew to frightening levels.
With the Pirates increased numbers, the UPF was slowly losing ground. So in a desperate move, several groups within the military were developed. The Sons of Ares were created for straight on fighting against larger numbers. With augmented body structure, they are able to shrug off most wounds and heal faster. Certain augments also increased their strength, speed, and accuracy with weaponry. They are led by a man known as Kratos. The title was born from a legend about a man who had killed the God of War himself and took his position. Many challenge for the title but only one leads the Disciples of War.
The group, while very successful, did not have large numbers. The augmentation process was crucial to be a part of the group, but not all survived the procedure. Some came out disfigured, scarred for life while others didn't come out at all. The Sons of Ares were mostly sent out on high risk missions with low survivability rate, but they always came back out eager for their next mission. Then there was the one secret that none of the Sons shared. One that forever shames them should they ever suffer it. A blessing yet a curse that affects a Son when in the heat of battle.
Their current mission was a small attack force of pirates trying to set up an outpost on a planet near the galactic border. The outpost would provide intelligence for the Pirates while allowing a foothold for any invading ships. The only reason the Sons of Ares were being sent instead of normal troops was that the planet was so close to the border that a hidden group could ambush anyone approaching.
The attack to repel the Pirates had gone surprisingly well, with casualties being low. Surprisingly low in fact.
"To arms! We're being attacked!" the lieutenant shouted, his voice echoing through the speakers.
Tyson snapped out of his sleep and grabbed his rifle laying next to him. He was just in time as a Pirate came through the door only to be met with the receiving end of Tyson's gun. Tyson stepped over the body into the hall to see small fires and scorch marks along the walls.
"Die PDF scum!" a Pirate shouted, charging at him with a shotgun.
Tyson sighed as he punched the foolish fighter into the wall, the body slumping to the ground.
Tyson rushed out of the building to see more Pirate forces landing in small gunship's, unloading more soldiers onto the field. The outpost the Pirates had aiming to conquer, now controlled by Tyson's group, was just surrounded preventing any forms of retreat. It was to now become a tombstone for the Sons of Ares.
"Hold men! You are Sons of Ares and you will hold them off! Reinforcements are en route but we must hold!" the lieutenant shouted.
"We don't need help! We are Disciples of War!" Tyson shouted, several men shouting their agreement.
"Fool boy, if you charge out there you will be gunned down by the enemy!" the higher ranking officer shouted.
"Then I'll die as a warrior rather than a coward who hides" Tyson sneered.
Tyson and twelve other men charged out. An hour later, Tyson and three men returned, one badly wounded while the others had less life threatening injuries.
"See what your actions have caused now boy?" the lieutenant snarled. "You lost nine good men out there and all came back wounded, one near death."
"I am sorry sir" Tyson muttered, bowing his head.
The lieutenant was surprised though he did not show it. He knew Tyson to be rather stubborn and hot headed, to hear him apologize was unlike him. The loss of those men and knowing he was responsible for it must have done something for him.
"Alright, now that you're back you can help us hold here. The enemy won't have much in terms of cover so we'll be able to pick them off. However, if help doesn't show soon we'll starve to death. A classic bait trap."
"They used their own men as bait?" Tyson asked, disgusted that someone would sink low enough to sacrifice men like that.
"They are desperate, and to kill a large group of us would dramatically boost their morale while decreasing the PDF's."
"Then let's show them who they're dealing with" Tyson grinned, firing from his position.
The battle raged on for hours, the Sons of Ares holed up inside the outpost with the Pirates outside surrounding them. It would take time for help to arrive and they had to last, otherwise the planet would be lost.
"Left side!" Tyson shouted, spotting a group of Pirates approaching.
"Grenade!" a Son shouted, throwing the explosive with his enhanced strength into the group, taking them out.
"Tank approaching!" the lieutenant shouted. "Pass me the rocket launcher!"
A Son tossed him a long device and he aimed it out the window. Firing, the rocket floated in mid-air for a few seconds before the thrusters in the back activated, homing in at the approaching vehicle. The tank tried turning to avoid it but was too late. The explosive took it out the tank and the debris from the tank several soldiers.
"How long till help shows up?" Tyson called, his rifle on full auto as he mowed enemy soldiers down.
"We've been here for two days, it shouldn't be much longer!" the lieutenant shouted back.
"Running low on ammo!" Tyson shouted.
"Catch!" a Son shouted, tossing a spare clip.
Tyson nodded to the soldier and resumed firing. He spotted a rather large group of Pirates approaching with heavy weapons. He could also spot an approaching gunship about to make a strafing run on their building.
He knew that he couldn't take both down, but if he left one up it would cause severe trouble.
"Brains, not brawn" he muttered remembering his superior's words. He spotted a discard rocket launcher but no ammo. But he did have one grenade left. Making some adjustments, he loaded the grenade. Taking careful aim, he fired the newly made RPG at the approaching gunship.
The small size of the grenade allowed it to go unnoticed by the pilot. The grenade flew true as it went straight into an intake valve on the ship, blowing half its side away. The sudden loss of wing caused the ship to plummet towards the ground, straight into the approaching Pirates.
"Nice shot sir!" a Son shouted.
"Nothing to it, just using brain over brawn" Tyson smirked.
The lieutenant laughed as he continued firing. The battle raged on for the rest of the day when shadows were cast over the battle ground.
"The help has finally arrived" Tyson said, looking at the battleships above.
A small frigate broke off from the group of ships and began bombarding the enemy Pirates below. Crimson lances of energy rained down on the soldiers as they scrambled to find cover. A few minutes later, it didn't really matter. The field had been leveled.
"Maybe we can finally get off this stupid rock" the lieutenant muttered as he shouldered his rifle.
"Doubtful, they may keep us here to 'make sure it's safe' for them" Tyson laughed.
"Well, let's go see what the top guys have in store for us."
"Die UPF scum!" a voice shouted.
Time slowed as Tyson turned towards the voice. It was the Pirate that he had knocked out when the battle had first begun. He was sporting a bloody spot on his head from being thrown by Tyson. In his hand was the shotgun from before.
The Pirate had only woken up a few minutes before but still remembered the face of who threw him. Stumbling out, he saw his target standing there. He grinned but then frowned. His vision was going in and out, the blow to his head messing with his vision. He aimed and fired.
"Get him into the medical ward now!" a medic shouted.
"What's the diagnosis?" a doctor asked.
"Took a shotgun blast at close range in both his arms when he shielded his face. It's what saved his life but at the cost of his arms" a nurse said.
"What about the other?"
"The man was fine, thanks to our friend here shoving him out of the way. Do you think we can do anything for him?" the nurse asked.
"His healing rate is very good, but we won't be able to save the arms without amputation."
The nurse paused. She had heard about the Sons of Ares and their love for war. She personally found it barbaric but understood the necessity for them. For the soldier to lose his arms meant he could no be an effective soldier.
Tyson laid there, shock running through him. Losing his arms? That meant he would no longer be able to fight! He would lose his position in the Sons of Ares and be cast out. He could get replacements but it would expensive, not to mention it would not be the same. While augmentations were needed to be a Son, limb replacements and enhancements were generally frowned upon.
"He saved my life, is there anything you can do for him?"
He recognized that voice, the lieutenant. He shoved him out of the way when that Pirate had fired, shielding his face with his arms. He felt the searing pain flare through him but ignored it. He charged the Pirate and delivered a vicious headbutt. The blow from being thrown into the wall, plus the headbutt was just to much for him. He fell to the ground, dead.
"We can get replacement limbs for him but they won't be cheap or easy to obtain" the doctor said.
"Sir, I can still fight even if I can't be a part of the Sons anymore" Tyson groaned, trying to get up.
The nurse shook her head and forced him back down, the loss of blood making him to weak to fight back.
"Are you sure? The only place left for Sons like that would be ship bound, never to set foot on the battlefield again."
"I may not have my feet on the ground, but I would still be able to fight sir. Like you said, brains over brawn. Where I'll be going, I'll need plenty of the former" Tyson chuckled.
The lieutenant chuckled with him, lighting up a cancer stick. "Alright, get me communications, I need to call in a few favors."
"Thank you sir" Tyson mumbled.
"Wake up Tyson, we're almost to our destination" GLaDOS said.
"I'm up, just taking a nap" Tyson said, rubbing his eyes.
"Were you having a pleasant dream?"
"A dream more like a far off memory to be precise" Tyson said standing up. He stretched a bit, working the stiffness out of his muscles from sleeping in the chair before facing GLaDOS. "GLaDOS, do you have any theories on why humans died out and animals became dominant?"
"A plague of unknown origins struck, striking down all who were infected. It spread through the air, contact, through all methods. It was a shame to see all those test subjects go to waste" GLaDOS sighed.
Tyson palmed his face before shaking his head. "And the animals becoming dominant?"
"Darwin's theory would be the best bet. Without humans around anymore, animals eventually would've evolved, eventually capable of using the left behind technology of the humans."
"But Darwin's theory was disproved when no human-ape hybrid skeletons were found" Tyson frowned. "Unfortunately, people were still stupid enough to believe it even when their was never any evidence ever found. If it were true, apes would still be evolving into humans. It's not like they transformed instantly into humans."
"You asked for my opinion, and I gave you it" GLaDOS said, folding her arms. "If you want a philosophical debate, return to the past and take it up with the idiots."
"I'll keep that in mind" Tyson chuckled. "Could you wake our guests and let them know we're nearly there?"
"Of course" GLaDOS said, her holographic form smirking.
"Gently and peacefully please" Tyson sighed.
The smirk vanished to be replaced by a scowl as her fun was ruined.
"What's up?" Fox asked, yawning slightly.
"Yeah, I was having a great dream too" Katt sighed, eyeing Fox hungrily from the corner of her eye. All but the mercenary captain noticed the look.
"I bet, anyways we're nearly there. I thought it would be best if Wolf was met with a known face instead that of an alien's one."
"Probably a good idea" Fox said, sitting in the co-pilots chair.
"Preparing for exit. Brace in three, two, one. Brace" GLaDOS said, the ship shaking slightly from the sudden decrease in speed.
"There it is, Sargasso Station" Fox said.
Tyson was impressed. The station was very large and from what he could tell, quite the impressive defense system.
"Alright everyone cross your fingers. I'm opening a comm channel with them" Tyson said. "Smile Fox, if this fails we're screwed."
"This is Sargasso Station, identify yourselves at once" a old grey wolf said, his face appearing on a screen in front of Fox.
"Hello Wolf, nice to see you" Fox smiled, sweating bullets.
"Well if it isn't the pup, haven't seen your face since I looked at a bounty board this morning" Wolf smirked.
"Well, then I guess you know about our predicament then" Fox said, getting straight to business.
"Yes, the death of the old general" Wolf said, stroking his chin. "You got quite the bounty on your head pup. Makes me wonder why you'd come here, one of the most crime infested parts of space."
"I, we need your help Wolf" Fox admitted.
"You need my help? Well isn't this a nice surprise" Wolf laughed.
"Please Wolf, we're desperate" Fox pleaded.
"I never said no did I? If this continues, you'll get killed and only I get that honor" Wolf said. "And I don't want to because of some bounty, I want to kill you when you're fighting against me like in the good ol' days. Not when you're running from the people you protected."
"So you'll help us?" Fox asked relieved.
"That really isn't my call" Wolf admitted. "My team and I have come under new management, we got ourselves a regular leader now."
"Wait, what?" Fox asked stunned.
"Yep, showed up out of nowhere" Wolf said, thinking back to the event. "Started uniting all pirates, criminals, and the such. Can out fly all of us too, even better than your old man."
"Who is it?" Fox asked urgently.
"You'll meet if our 'glorious' leader wants to meet you, more than likely you'll meet though. Come on in then."
"Wonder who's good enough to unite them all, even to get Wolf on their side as well" Katt said.
"We'll meet him soon enough" Tyson said, plotting a course for a open hangar.
"What makes you think it's a guy? Maybe their leader is a female" Katt said.
"Knowing Wolf and his pride, the leader is more than likely male" Fox said, pulling in.
"Well, let's go meet our host then" Tyson said, lowering the ramp. "GLaDOS, let Atlas and P-Body loose on anyone who tries to break in without our permission."
"With enthusiasm" GLaDOS said.
The trio walked down the ramp, finding an armed group of pirates and mercenaries waiting for them at the bottom. They parted ranks to let someone through."Well pup, you're in luck. Our leader wishes to meet you in person" Wolf smirked.
"Who is it Wolf? Who could've been good enough to get you to follow them?" Fox asked.
"That would be me Fox" a voice answered.
"No way, its you!" Fox said, stunned.
End of Chapter. There we are, another chapter for you. The part about Darwin's theory? Yeah that part is true. No skeleton whatsoever. Unless of course we're pokemon and evolved from ape to human. And for those of you who say the skeletons would have disintegrated, dinosaur bones have been around longer and through worse, and some have smaller bone structures than we do. So Darwin's Theory can suck it.