The Lone Soldier ran through the battlefield, a once beautiful forest now filled with the screams of dying men and women, it's trees that were once unmarred by human means now pockmarked and splintered by man's tools of war.
No, not war... This was murder.
The Soldier stumbled his way through the dark forest, his body had long since been running on instinct alone. The same instinct that is instilled in every human being. Survive. His mind was a fog; he couldn't tell where he was going or what was going on. The grim staccato of heavy machine gun fire tore into the forest all around him, from what seemed like every direction. He dropped to the forest floor as the trees around him erupted into splinters. He lay there on the floor for what felt like years, and the dull forest colors blurred together as tears slowly slid down his cheeks. He didn't know why he was crying; he didn't even feel sad. Emotionally, he didn't feel anything. He was numb. The soldier lifted his head out of the leaves just to see the morning sun cresting over graceful hills in the distance, light gently filtering into the forest through the treeline that ended just in front of the soldier. To the soldier, the treeline resembled freedom, and it was just a short crawl away. He was so close. He no longer had the strength in him to stand and walk, but he could not give up. To give up now meant giving up on life. He reached out, tearing at the dirt, clawing the ground as he dragged himself forward. Inch by inch, he pulled himself to the treeline.
"No... This can't be happening..." The Soldier whimpered upon seeing the red and blue flag of his countries' enemies. Of his enemies. The quad-legged war machines that were the pride of his nation, the Lixhi Republic's Artillery Machinae Corps were in various stages of disrepair, their large cannons warped or completely blown off, some were missing legs, some were on fire. They all had the same thing in common. They weren't moving. The Soldier desperately scanned the countryside that surrounded the capital for some sign that maybe they stood a fighting chance. He didn't want to accept what he was seeing. That was when the canopy of one of the Artillery Machinae Corps' Striders popped open and a human figure hopped out, clad in the distinctive flat black combat suit with orange stripes that signified someone as a Machinae pilot of significant skill. The humanoid figure reached back inside of the Machinae and produced what looked like the standard issue SMG issued to pilots. It was nicknamed the "Dagger", but the soldier didn't know why. He never really cared to think too deeply into something like that. All of their weapons seemed to have nicknames that related to weaponry from centuries past. The soldier was just about to try and contact the pilot when a loud explosion erupted and the pilot was reduced into little more than a fine red mist with the occasional piece of armor from his combat suit. The pilot didn't even have time to know he was dead. The Soldier felt sick and had to close his eyes and focus in order to avoid spilling what little was left in his stomach. The shot was obviously from an enemy Machinae, after all, nothing short of an autocannon would do that to a human.
The familiar silhouette of the Kesh Democracy's most feared Machinae, known as the "Mantis" lumbered into view from the direction of the capital's gate. The Mantis is a bipedal Machinae, structurally unlike the Lixhi Republic's most common Machinae, the "Strider", which was a quad-legged artillery platform. The Strider lacked the maneuverability of the Mantis, but it's four legs made for an increase in stability that was perfect for housing large cannons and indirect fire weapons. Unfortunately, the Mantis' more direct speed and power caused the Strider's indirect fire capabilities to be nearly useless. The Mantis absolutely shredded the Strider in direct combat, it's speed and maneuverability made it a difficult target for the Strider's heavy weapons. In general, a Mantis could easily beat a Strider in direct combat. But in war, tactics and the environment have to be taken into account. So even though it can take a Strider no problem, it should be mentioned that the Kesh forces had taken heavy losses to the Strider. The Lixhi may have limited Machinae forces, but the combination of foot soldiers spotting enemy movements, the Strider's full potential was realized. The main guns struck with such force that it was said a full battery of Striders could carve a hole into the side of a mountain. Exaggeration, probably, but one can't deny the effectiveness by which the Strider's artillery absolutely demolished the Kesh's Mantis wings before they could get into direct fire range.
The Soldier became quickly disgusted with himself after feeling a bit of awe at the accuracy of such a shot, to be able to hit a human being from more than 1,500 meters away with a 20 meter tall war machine. It was impressive. And brutal, sickening, and most of all an inhuman act. But in war, people no longer take on the guise of humans, but rather monsters that seek to do whatever possible to crush their enemy in as efficient a way as possible. The sound of leaves crunching underneath boots behind him brought The Soldier's attention back to his current position. The Soldier rolled to his side and brought his pump shotgun, known as the "Sabre", up and aimed at the direction where he heard the sound coming. The target was no longer there. Suddenly, a boot came out from the left periphery of his vision, too fast for him to respond. The boot gave his weapon a solid kick, knocking his weapon aside and stomping hard on his chest. The Soldier's shotgun thumped heavily to the ground as The Soldier released it in order to try and struggle with his opponent, but the stomp to the chest had done it's job, and The Soldier was too busy wheezing for breath to put up any meaningful resistance. Then a voice, at first in the quickly spoken soft tongue of the Kesh, but it was followed by the widely acknowledged tongue that was just called "Common" worldwide, as it was taught in nearly ever school, and to not know Common was considered a sign of ignorance or idiocy.
"Surrender", the female voice said softly, but there was an obvious threat of imminent violence there.
"I... Surrender...", The Soldier said, his voice soft and weak not just because he had just put his fate in this Keshian's hands, but also because he was still straining to catch his breath underneath the boot of the female.
Sign In
Create Account
Back to top
