"The Army Prepared me to die. But it never prepared me to live with the things I've done."
-Niko Bellic
"Do you feel like a hero yet?"
Colonel Konrad, SpecOps: The Line
"Class Three!"
"Class Two!"
The marketplace erupted in barks of orders as multiple soldiers had sheathed their weapons, fighting against death.
Isaac surveyed several injuries being sported by the civilians ranging from mild to deadly. A team of spaceborne rescue troops had already fanned out among the wounded.
"Class One!" A woman exclaimed, setting her sights on an elderly woman. She immediately was tied a green ziptie on her wrist, before the rescuewoman administered first aid with extreme vigor.
Isaac looked where the Rose knights were sitting about, looking like roses more than anything, wearing beautiful ornate armor as they loitered idly as Terran troopers canvassed the wounded.
"Class Two." Another Rescueman announced, before ushering the man to a group of people wearing yellow zipties.
Isaac looked at Echo platoon. Some were looking after the ones who fell below, but were pushed back as either stimulants or their 'devil may care' attitude dulling the pain.
Others were pulling a perimeter around the market place, and some, were organizing the bodies.
"This one's a Three." One Rescueman noted, voice solemn, tying a black ziptie. He passed by the screams of agony, the man rushing to another patient
Isaac approached the body.
It was a young kid, a boy was badly burnt, his face eaten by the darkness as he was crying out in pain in a language Isaac couldn't understand. In his wrist, was an unmistakable black cable tie.
The boy turned to him, eye bloodied but staring right at him, trying to blurt out words in a world of hurt, trying to make sense of how he came to this situation. But Isaac knew the universal cry of pain all too well.
"Young Girl, stay still!" Someone shouted.
Isaac turned, seeing a young girl with a yellow tie. Her eyes were full of exhaustion, yet like a fire in the ashes she continued on, despite her legs were red and blistered from second degree burns.
It took Isaac a few seconds to see the girl wildly embrace the older boy, tears pouring out of her eyes.
It took Isaac to realize that the girl's frame covered the non burned parts of the boy.
Wordlessly, Isaac left.
The cycle continued again.
"Get all Ones and Twos here!" The crew chief yelled.
There, the hydraulic had barely stopped before the hold was being packed to the brim with the critically injured civilians. The more manageable cases were to walk. The rest, the STO commanded, were to return to their homes, if they still existed.
Isaac felt eyes staring into him, trying to tear him apart as he felt the locals watching him and his team with barely concealed terror with eyes glued frozen but bodies trembling as they felt destruction of parts of their home without reason or explanation, however showed ,their violent capabilities evident.
As the hydraulic began to pull the ramp, Isaac watched as a young girl ran towards to ran to the dropship, tears streaking down her face.
Isaac felt being struck with the sight of the girl being ripped away from the older boy, much to the dismay of the crew chief, before the ramp fully closed.
Isaac watched as the large dropship took a stroll down to the palace walls, and turned to the remains of the devastation he wrought.
"Hey Isaac." Jasper greeted him with a noticeable tiredness in his voice. "What a day huh."
"I'm surprised no one got killed. Gonna be one hell of an after action report when you write this."
"I expected to be dropped down into a Lanky pit again. We nearly got our ticket punched. Lucky you figured out their weakness, in exchange, for… this."
On instinct, Isaac rested his hand on Jasper's shoulder.
"You did the right thing. You focused on your unit first, and the VVIPs. You might make it out of this one. But even if we did, we'll have to be ready for the next one. This magic thing is way out of our depth."
Isaac chuckled a bit, before souring to a groan.
"Let me guess, more training in the Gym?"
Both laughed.
"First, we gotta sort out this mess."
"See you Isaac."
Jasper left towards the other Force Recon Units. Isaac turned away.
"Hey, Isaac." Jasper called in comms. "Just so you know. I don't blame you for what you had to do."
Isaac smiled.
"Thanks."
Meanwhile, he and several others were in charge of the bodies. Isaac approched Carlos, who gave a grunt as he approached.
Isaac and Carlos silently looked at the dead, bodies laid bare to the new day, one unfortunately they could no longer experience. Men, women and children of all ages and mystical forms, now lifeless cadavers unable to feel the warm sunset on their skin.
Isaac turned to the fresh pile, and saw the burned boy.
Isaac stared at the dead as he peered through the curtain as they were placed in a perfected row, unable to see their faces under the cold florescent light. But Isaac could see the details on their bodies. The rivers of blood, the bruised neck, and bloodied fingernails.
The bile threatening to get out of his throat made him aware of his surroundings, realizing the dirty brick road below Isaac as he found himself near of the the market place stall, a stone throw away from the established perimeter.
"Lieutenant." A firm voice called in comns. "Staying out here is dangerous."
He felt his hand against his armored patulates, causing him to turn.
The sight of his armor took Isaac's breath away. He took a second to sigh.
Isaac brushed the phrase inscribed on his armor, feeling the weight of his words clamping down on him.
"Back on Mars, they called us the lucky ones." Isaac shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "No one thought of it that way. No one knew if rescue would arrive in time, or if they could breach through. No, we were the damned, and our bunker was our tomb. So some realized. That it didn't matter anymore. What was the point of holding on to anything when the monsters were just outside?"
Even with his sealed Combat Armor, Isaac could smell the blood and rotting flesh, like a familiar song from another room.
He turned to his subordinate.
"Am I like them, Emmanuel?"
Carlos took a deep breath, before facing Isaac, his black visor stripping the emotions in his voice to the bare minimum.
"What was on your mind when you gave me that order?"
Isaac sat in his thoughts, picking up pieces of the chaos of the past few hours.
"To ensure everyone gets to go home."
"But did you regret it?"
The look on the bird creature was still burned in his mind.
"Yes."
Carlos sighed, his large frame somehow shrinking in size. His stature becoming vulnerable.
"First time I killed someone, I could still remember the exact moment, the dusty room, the shouts. I could remember it all. It sticks to you Isaac. Best you just live with it and try to make the best of what remain."
Isaac let the words linger, before realizing what the last few wprds probably meant.
"I never knew you were from Homeworld Defense."
"I wasn't."
Isaac nodded, as Carlos' tone shut him off from anymore pondering.
"I'll help carry that burden with you. In secret. Everyone will tear you apart if you go Section Eight, including me."
"Are you telling me as my Sargeant or as my friend?"
"Yes."
Isaac chuckled, before turning to the NCO.
"Staff Sergeant Carlos. Tell the team to get ready to move."
He nodded, before walking to the two other members of the team, who were quietly conversing like pouring steam over ice, as the conversation over the team channel was more jovial.
Until he felt death's cold hand as he saw one of the bodies being looked over by that young girl, crying.
Until a sweet yet Icy voice came over his proximity comms.
"Why are the bodies prepared like this?" Rory asked.
Without looking away, Isaac responded.
"Preparing them for a burial. Regulations."
She giggled. Isaac turned around to she her red eyes burning into him past his visor reflection on crismon eyes showed him as helpless prey as he was drawn to her
A endless moment passed before she asked,
"Why do you bury the dead?"
Isaac's trance broke as he fell back to reality.
"...Because of disease. We'll ultimately be responsible if an outbreak occurs here."
"And well, respect?"
"Respect? For the people who tried to kill you?"
Isaac tapped on his armor. "For one, this armor is hard to destroy."
"Oh? Let's test it." Rory teased, pointing her halberd at Isaac's chest.
"Two. It's the right thing to do. We try to do better, to act against evil. Anything less and we're less than mere animals."
Rory giggled. The little girl suddenly grew more cold, eyes more predatory as it scavenged for answers buried behind the lies, seeing them for what they are. He averted from her intense gaze, to little avail. The Victorian getup, while risque, gave a haunting appearance.
She bared her wolfish fangs.
"That's not the truth is it? The truth is it's for covering up your sins. These people had lives, and you robbed them of it. And you try to justify what you did by giving them a measly burial in order to ease your soul of the greatest crime you had done to them."
Isaac gave her a hollow smile.
"Ain't that the damn truth."
"As I said, little boy. I am the apostle of Death and War." She purred.
He then watched her as she bathed in the new dawn, staring at the dead. She then kneeled, arms clasped in prayer. As she chanted a prayer, Isaac could've sworn he saw something.
After such time, she stood up, and gave a tinge of a small smile.
"But still, good for you. Yet your answer is peculiar coming from the Apostle of Mars."
Isaac shook his head, brushing his gloves the carved Son of Mars, a somber feeling began to well in his throat.
"There was a place that was named Mars. It was my home."
Before he knew it, the distance between them closed, and her eyes bugled in delight.
"Really? Well, Isaac of Mars. Why do you fight?"
The apostle touched him the right places, like a well performed play that he was glued to her eyes, unable to even look away.
Isaac sat in thought, before finally uttering a phrase into the wind.
"I-I don't know."
Rory gave Isaac a sad, motherly smile, before patting him in the head.
"I see."
"A fool's errand. But this world is full of fools anyway."
Rory watched as the man from Mars left her side, calling his group to form up.
With a graceful turn, she turned to the surprisingly neat pile of dead, awaiting transport.
She fixed her gaze on a single body of a man, who resembled his father's. Even his face resembled his on the bed they used to share.
Rory sighed. Such a waste of a good man.
Isaac was in a daze.
Thus, they walked back to the Palace, tired and beleaguered.
Along the way, Isaac felt every eye hitting him from behind from every door and window, fearful of his wrath.
"That wasn't there before."
Isaac looked up and took a glance.
It was a group of men and boys hanged. Some were still twitching. His auto translation kicked in, letting the words of 'Thief', and 'Soddomizer' burn into his head.
Isaac merely walked by, more concerned about his stomach rumbling, and hoping to God the walk to the Palace was close enough. He had enough on his plate.
The palace battered walls came into view, and with that, the puking of the Rose Knights singalling the distance being closed between them.
Isaac's suit showing the SEALs on guard on the Palace walls. He decided to spend the rest of the last of his energy to continue walking rather to laugh.
As the gates opened, everything was a blur for Isaac, but more like flashes, as they reported to Major Lindhall and Hasegawa, dispered the teams for R R.
He finally found himself in the driver's seat as he glanced at Pina, who was canvassing around the civilians like sheepdog to her flock. Her soft white skin radiated like the sun, her smile burning through his armor as she tried to provide a warm fire in the cold despair setting in.
Isaac was frozen in place, unable to move as he locked on to her.
But ironically, it was the frozen gazes of the dead that melted his frozen stance, as they looked with him with envy.
Rory was right.
He turned right back for his heart to stumble its ceaseless march, as he caught Pina's red eyes staring back at him.
"Y-your Majesty."
Pina giggled.
"It's Highness, Sir Isaac." Her soothing voice flowing in his sensors like warm coffee in the morning, which triggered his stomach, letting a loud growl.
Pina responded with more gleeful laughter.
"M-my apologies, I haven't eaten since the battle."
"No need. I should be thankful, Sir Fields. I am eternally grateful."
Isaac blinked, before shrugging off the bait incident. "I did what I had to do."
She cocked her head, as if expecting for something. Isaac smirked behind his visor.
"An allied unit was being overwhelmed. I merely acted as the relief force."
Pina laughed once more., tears coming out of her eyes.
"You rescued the daughter of the Emperor. You do know what that means?"
Isaac was tempted to play dumb, but shrugged it off.
"I know what it means. But seeing you alive is more than enough, since we're in this together. Who knows how his Majesty would react if his daughter was killed or captured."
Pina dropped her smile a bit to awe, before curtseying to him.
"Thank you, Sir Fields."
Isaac stared at the woman, whose soft skin was marred and cratered from the stress of battle. He then looked below, seeing her hands unsurprisingly shaking. Isaac inhaled.
"I'd suggest being with your friends." Isaac mentioned.
Pina raised an eyebrow.
"Well…Whenever we return from ops. The first thing we do is cope. We're too shaken up from the mission."
He saw the princess' face fell deep into pain, her radiant locks now dulled.
"...Fighting my own subjects. Is that what one should celebrate about?"
Isaac looked at her solemnly, his head trying to wrap what she tried to say.
"Why do you fight Pina? There must've been a lot of effort to be in such a fighting unit." Isaac asked, narrowing his eyes.
Isaac nearly regretted it as he saw her bloom with confidence, eyes burning wirh delight.
"I fight for the Empire. As any common legionare would. And to protect my subjects from those who do ill."
Should've known.
Isaac wrapped his arms together, his dark colored battle armor in stark contrast to her steel plate armor.
"Your Highness. You and I both know that such idealism is blinding to the situation at hand at best, and dangerous not only to yourself but to your subordinates at worst."
He watched as she was taken aback by his words. Her confidence breaking apart, affecting her words as they stuttered out of her mouth
"S-sir Isaac, I-"
Isaac swatted her off.
"I fired on civilians with a thermobaric weapon. A weapon that's considered a war crime. And I don't feel honor in doing it. In fact, I feel sick. But I had to do it. I had to make the choice to save us or to let us be overrun by those civilians, especially if they had a hold of you guys. If you were on my shoes, will you do the same?"
"Your Highness. If you can't answer that simple question, then you're nothing more than a civilian playing kni-"
He caught Pina's eyes as they flared with rage, before storming off into the depths the palace.
"Your Highness…"
"... I'm sorry." He mumbled, to no one.
He sighed.
She's going to get herself killed.
Pina walked into the palace, paying little in lip service to those who offer their greetings to her, as she selfishly horded most of her attention to the caverns inside her head.
As the sea of humans and their voices swelled, and the scent of food grew stronger and sultrier, she buried herself in her thoughts.
Ever since that man dropped from the heavens, or space, he'd always find to irritate her. From threatening to berating her, his moves were erratic and, ungentlemanly.
"Your Highness. You and I both know that such idealism is blinding to the situation at hand at best, and dangerous not only yourself but to your subordinates at worst."
He didn't seem to act like a noble, if their nation had nobility, but they didn't talk much after all. But his words carried a hint of refinement, like the warm meals being served.
And with those monsters that they were fighting for years, what horror had he'd seen?
Her chain of thoughts suddenly broke as she collided with a person, nearly bringing her back to unconsciousness as she fell.
She braced, yet the impact of the fall never came.
It was a young brunnette woman, whose youthful face was being ravaged by hunger and dirt, as her foul smell somehow overpowering the food. A chilling sight.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" The young woman asked.
Pina smiled.
"I'm alright."
A sharp, inhuman voice called from the depths of her mind.
If you were in my shoes, would you do the same?
Pina watched as she held the black, bulky stave in her hands, chanting an explosion spell as she aimed at the woman at point-blank.
Would she?
She continues her chant with vigor, then proceeding to execute the spell.
The woman's eyes pierced her first, sweet, innocent eyes.
Without a doubt, she pointed the stave at Fields.
He shook his head, then the man took off his helmet, revealing a dark force lurking inside of his suit, causing her to narrow her eyes.
The chant of the Empire echoed loudly within her.
I fight for the Empire and it's glory. To spread the light of civilization to all of Falmart.
Barbarians are still the same, no matter where. Uncivilised and uneducated.
But a small voice whispered into her ear.
I did it because it was the right thing to do.
In an instant, the form became human once more. And the stave in his bloodied glove was smaller and more compact. In front of him were the two men's bodies, twisted and motionless.
Stealing a slave? To kill others to rescue such an animal? She asked him, the voice by High Father Lyra within her.
She then remembered his face back in the capital, his words back in the Marketplace.
The sight of so many women defiled and butchered. Blood boiled inside of her as she saw Hamilton, Bozes and so many of her Knight's nude bodies. But then these were placed neatly, with a white cloth covering their bare selves. Exactly what an animal would do.
Did they deserve such a cruel fate?
People who treat others like that, are less than human.
Was he a man possessed by the spirit of Mars, damned to endure his endless chant?
Just who was Sir Fields?
"Your Highness."
Pina looked up, as Sir Fields was gone, replaced by Hamilton.
She found herself in the palace's thermae, staring up into the intricate ceiling as the hot water removed such thoughts in their head.
"There will be a feast prepared soon. It's for the liberation of the city."
"I suppose so."
Pina lept up from her bath, the dirt and the grim now washed away. It only occured to her in the vast baths she was the only one in them.
After such luxuries, Pina entered into her commandeered room, gazing at her armor, before being dressed with assistance from the maids, in a toga and headgear fit for a princess.
She walked down the hallways to the room, feeling the coldness of the silent stares and glares from the uncleaned masses, trying to hold her dignity as a noblewoman
She then flet relief as she arrived at the waiting room outside the dining hall.
There, she met her knights, tired and beleaguered, but the memories of their first battle energized them.
Under the ornate walls and chandeliers, she could see Beefeater rest comfortably under the armrests, while Bozes was currently pressing some sort of green slime that one of the NAC troopers applied on her head. Nikolasha was redressing the blonde's wounds with eager determination.
Norma and Grey were bunched together in low whispers, while the former also held some green slime on the part he had been stabbed.
Panache and Shandy watched from the window as a gaggle of troops were preparing one of the Dragonflies to leave, while some were talking to the civilians.
"Are they really human? They haven't slept for a while." Panache asked.
"I believe a few of them were women." Shandy replied. "I had asked about their weapon… but one politely told me she uninterested."
"Women?" Pina asked
"Yes, Even on the disciple of Mars' team, he had a female with him." Hamilton replied, breaking her intimate conversation from Suissesse in front of the Count's portrait and the many, many demi humans serving as his maids
Bozes turned to Hamilton, eyes narrowing in anger.
"Was it the shorter one of them?"
Hamilton froze, then quickly melted from the intense gaze from the blonde knight. She meekly nodded, letting the floodgates open.
Bozes rose from her seat, face red with anger.
"She hit me with her stave! How is she-" Bozes complained, rubbing her head asshe felt the searing pain. Nikolashi attempted to alleviate the pain, but was stopped by the roaring laughter of Beefeater as she rose from her armrests.
"I don't know what's more surprising." She paused, drowning in laughter "A girl strong enough to beat you, or the fact someone got through your thick skull."
Everyone the burst into laughter at the gorilla Knight's expense. Bozes face glowed in colors of the sunset, suddenly thawing the room from the horrors of the battle. Pina smiled, and sat in the armrest opposite to Beefeater. She then thought of a memory.
"I heard, while he was carrying me, Sir Isaac said that 'the designers didn't anticipate this scenario.'"
Sir Isaac. Still calling him that? The man was a mystery than anything else.
"Well. they were capable of wielding weapons that can destroy those massive creatures." Hamilton noted. "And we seen how impervious it was."
Beefeater smiled.
"You think they'll lend us that armor of theirs?"
Pina shook her head.
"I don't believe they think we could handle such responsibility."
This time, Grey spoke, up, voice grave from the years of campaigns.
"It would be a miracle if your father signed such an agreement. Sadera is anointed by the Gods themselves as the leaders of placing order into this nation."
Pina nodded. The Empire had built it's reputation for Centuries in blood and concrete. Subordination meant that it goes against the will of Gods.
"It's humiliation, or destruction." Pina finally concluded. She looked into the direction of the ancient Empire of the Elves, a nation older than the Saderan Empire, one of considerable standing as they were. Until they lived with Savages, so they became Savages as the Gods willed them to.
"Unfortunately, your father has little time to choose."
He sighed, turning to his former students.
"As of now, we'll have to use our old weapons, which all of you have remarkably done well I may add. Your training had done it's duty."
Pina smiled, her efforts boring fruit. Had it been ten years already?
"This talk is making me hungry. Shall we eat?" Norma asked.
The head maid opened the large doors, and smiled upon the nobility.
Everyone eagerly arrived through the doorsz seeing the pieces of china laid out for them under those wonderful magical chandeliers, and were immediately appalled by the food.
The culinary offering were there and to die for, yet they were overshadowed by Tiscana Barrica, Barley Palenta, and Barley Bread.
The head maid bowed in deep shame.
"My Apologies. The food stocks had rapidly depleted during the seige."
A chorus of grumbles replied, but a rich smell coming from the maid's entrance suddenly cut them off, as a large iron pot was held by a bunny maid.
"I tasked some of my maids to 'requsition' some meals. Sir Lindhall and Sir Hisegawa were eager to hand us the meals from the refugees."
Everyone looked at one another. No one wanted to eat the foods of commoners, but on the other, the emergency rations incident from their training days.
Humiliation or Destruction… of our bowels.
Immediately all of them eagerly consumed the commoner meal like wolves.
The Palace was even more hellish than last time. Luckily, Polaris Actual had called in the Battlecarrier's Hospital crew, as how there were four dropships now on the courtyard.
Isaac turned off his proximity channel, trying to block out the screams from the medical tents.
Near one of them, he caught Jasper talking to the Section Lead of Spaceborne Rescue, whose armor was drenched in crimson blood.
"-to the limit. And STO decides to shuffle one of my experienced Sargeants to-"
"We'll have to make do for now Ken,"
The two began to talk at length in the officer's channel about how divide up the manpower, But was rudely interrupted as a scuffle was unfolding between two men screaming at one another, fists clenched on one of the burly men, and the cat eared man holding his ground in front of a family of cat humans with meals.
The two were staring the other down in the longest moment, before one scream in pain.
The other man didn't have time to react as several volts of electricity was shot up in his torso by Fleet Masters at Arms descending on both like a flock of hawks.
The two men then fell to the ground, twitching violently, eyes rolled back, before being picked up by the MPs like trash.
"What's going on here?" Jasper asked, authority dripping in his question as his superiority overwhelmed all of their ranks.
The human spat at the hybrid, glaring at it
"This…thing grabbed a few more pieces of your food, your grace."
The cat person's eyes widened in shock and terror, before dilating at the man. Isaac saw the claws from it's hands, which the MP held his crowd control stick with a death grip.
"What? These pieces are for my family!"
Jasper sighed in frustration.
"We have more than enough food here for all of you. You do not need to worry. We can feed ourselves." He turned to the Master at arms, nodding at the two.
The two men were quickly escorted off. Jasper then looked at the litter of felines. Isaac noticed the scars amongst the fur on the woman's body.
"Are you alright Ma'am?"
The feline nodded graciously." Will my husband be alright?"
"Yes." Jasper then took a moment to play with the litter of kittens, petting one and talking to another. Isaac then looked around, feeling the tension in the room as human and demi humans looked at one another in fear, but the food eased things a bit
After waiting for Jasper to finish playing before the two officers went to their side of the room.
"God what a shitshow." Isaac replied, exhaustion taking hold. Jasper took a look at him, and pointed to an olive drab tent.
Jasper shrugged. "Chow tent is down there. Get some R R. I have to discuss the section leads about what to do next."
Isaac saluted.
"See you Jasper."
Jasper nodded, saluting back.
Isaac hurriedly got into the tent designated for rest, and gingerly removed his helmet, feeling the sweat from his face feel the stale filtered air from the outside now replaced by the even more stale filtered air from supply. No matter. He wiped his sweat off from a towel provided, and grab a cold water bottle provided to him by the table near the entrance.
The R R was just a bare floor in the tent, but everyone knew where to go in the huddled groups.
Isaac sat in the Officer's corner, saying a few words between his fellow officers. He then sat on the floor leaning against the wall, Catching rest before it flew away from his grasp. He failed.
It wasn't long before Major Linhall appeared, with a pallet full of rations.
The entire room groaned, anticipating what's next.
"Due to the rampant demand for our hot meals, the STT will eat field rations."
A few troops grumbled, grabbing anything from the bag since the variations were meaningless, it was all soy with different flavors.
Isaac then found himself staring at a ration pack labeled Meal Ready to Eat No. 5 Beef Patties. The best meal for the best fighter.
Isaac shrugged in indifference, and ate gleefully, his stomach already accustomed to eating this garbage.
Merry Christmas everyone expect future chapters in the coming days because I'm so Lazy