A few years after the '15th Attack of Tegresse', Frank and Amelia became best buddies. Helping each other out whenever they can. Frank had turned 25 by then. They hadn't fought ever since the battle. The 'Brave Rookies' platoon was officially called the '50000th Infantry Platoon'. The name was given to them by some other soldiers from a different platoon and they adopted that name but it wasn't the official name. The '50000th Infantry Platoon' was now ordered to defend a forest in front of a mountain fortress. Lt. Ferguson was promoted from 2nd lieutenant to 1st lieutenant, meaning he would have to recruit more soldiers for his new '1265th Mechanised Light Armored Infantry Company' and the new nickname, 'Ferguson's Light Tankers'. It was the same nickname but it had a different feel to it. They were now given light armoured vehicles. They were mostly transport vehicles and scout vehicles but some were equipped with anti-aircraft weaponry. The area where the mountain fortress was located was called Umbarken. It was quite snowy as it was winter there so the infantry had to wear specialised uniforms that were augmented with a heating system and warm winter clothes but most of them were provided for free.

It was one snowy afternoon in the middle of a forest, Frank and Amelia were having a good time playing with snowballs. Then the two decided to walk a bit and talk about each other's lives. They were immersed in their conversation when out of nowhere, two soldiers in different uniforms walked up to them. The two soldiers looked different. They didn't belong in the '1265th Mechanised Light Armored Infantry Company'. They were from a completely different one. Frank held up his rifle, preparing to shoot when needed. Once the two unknown soldiers got closer, Frank could just make out their armband. It was the symbol of the Q.A.F. Suddenly one of the two soldiers shouted.

"Friendlies! Friendlies! Don't shoot!"

Frank held his rifle down.

"We're recruits!", the soldier yelled again.

Frank wanted to offer them help.

"What do you need help with?", he yelled.

"We're just lost! Can you give us a direction back to the camp?", the soldier yelled back.

"We're going back to camp too! Join us on our way back!", Frank yelled again.

The two soldiers finally got close enough to Frank and Amelia to start talking normally.

"So how'd you two get lost?", Frank asked curiously.

"We went on a walk for a bit and we couldn't find our way back as our GPS was broken.", one of the soldiers answered.

"All right then, follow us and don't get distracted okay?", Frank ordered dominantly.

"Of course!" the soldier replied.

The two unknown soldiers and Frank and Amelia then walked back to camp through the snowy track. On their way back, Frank was on the lookout for any enemies hiding in the tree lines or any animals that might attack them. Then, Amelia asked the two soldiers their names,

"What are your names?", she asked.

"Mine's Jeremiah but you can call me Jerry and this is my friend, Eric.", the soldier answered.

"Full name?", Amelia asked further.

"I'm Jeremiah Garnes the third son of General Garnes. And this is Eric V. Solem", Jerry answered.

"Wait, the son of General Garnes? Like the infamous General Garnes?!", she exclaimed.

Amelia sounded shocked upon hearing the name but Frank was confused so he asked Amelia.

"Uhh, who is this General Garnes you are so shocked about?"

"Wait, you've never heard of General Garnes?", Amelia asked Frank.

Frank was perplexed.

"He's the General of the entire P[s]TC!", Amelia shouted.

"Ohh that's why.", Frank spoke in awe.

Frank had been enlightened with new knowledge.

"Well, welcome to the '1265th Mechanised Ligth Armoured Infantry Company'."

"That's a lot of words I must say!", Jerry laughed.

"Just call it the 'Ferguson's Light Tankers' for simplicity's sake.", Frank helped.

Amelia and Jerry started talking about a bunch more military leaders. Frank helplessly watched and listened. Once they finished talking and Frank's discovery of new and profound knowledge of notorious generals and their infamy, the four started walking back to base. The snow got deeper and deeper as they marched on. The trees were covered in snow which blocked the sunlight, creating large shadows where it was impossible to see. Thankfully they had the power of Global Positioning System(GPS) on their side.

After some moments, they finally arrived back at camp where they split off and went their separate paths. Frank and Amelia into their tents and Jerry and Eric went to meet their new commander. It was nighttime already. It was pitch black and a blizzard was storming. Frank and Amelia were having a peaceful sleep when suddenly the air raid sirens blared out loud. They both immediately ran into an air raid shelter. A bombing run was happening. The bomb shelter looked steady and ready for impact. There were 10 other soldiers with them all waiting for the bomb to hit. Then, the bombs finally hit the ground. With each explosion causing Frank to skip a heartbeat. It was frightening. The shaking from the explosions was horrifying. With each explosion, it felt like the shelter was going to collapse but it didn't. The constant bombing was making Frank dizzy. It was like an earthquake but instead of the ground shaking violently, it was the ground violently shaking in a beating pattern. It lasted for more than an hour.

"How long is this bombing run going to last?", Frank thought.

Amelia hugged tightly and cuddled into Frank's arms. She was scared. Then, the bomb shelter's lights went out. It was now pitch black. Frank quickly turned on his flashlight. The darkness only made it scarier. Frank, Amelia, and the rest of the soldiers all sat down. Waiting for it to be over. The sound-deafening headphones had helped them yet again from the deafening explosions.

After more than an hour, the bombing came to a stop. No more explosions were heard outside so the soldiers including Frank and Amelia came out of the bomb shelter. The destruction above the surface was devastating. All the trees that used to block the sunlight now lay in pieces burning in the snow. The entire forest was levelled to the ground. The 'Faue Forest' was home to more than 1000 species of unique animals, plants, and insects, all wiped out just like that. Frank could see crevasses in the distance, opened due to the bombing. They were large. But most of all, paratroopers were descending upon the base. Frank quickly ran to get a high-ranking officer for an order. Lt. Ferguson was the first person that came to his mind. It wasn't long before gunfire began and explosions were heard once again. The anti-aircraft guns opened fire at the descending paratroopers mercilessly. Frank ran up the steep mountain to get to the base's headquarters. Meanwhile, Amelia stayed behind to help defend. Frank ran as fast as he could, but a soldier in front of him got shot and his blood splattered all over him. He was traumatised by this and was so paralysed that he couldn't move but in a few moments, he got himself together, got back up, and kept on running. He could hear a commotion from the HQ, it was a well-built structure within the mountain ridges alongside the rest of the 'Nashik Fortress'. It was a compound almost. The closer he got, the clearer the sounds became. Once Frank arrived at the HQ, he ran into the compound's large metal door in the middle part of the Nashik Mountains(That was the name of the mountain range), he crossed rooms full of luxurious furniture. When he arrived at the meeting room, he discovered a shocking sight. The high-ranking officers who were in charge of the fortress were all murdered. Lt. Ferguson came out of nowhere and attacked Frank.

"Lieutenant!", Frank yelled barely dodging the knife.

"Frank?", Lt. Ferguson spoke with blood all over his uniform.

"Frank, a spy had done this! He shot all the officers and I managed to escape!", Lt. Ferguson explained.

Frank found this rather suspicious but still obliged Lt. Ferguson's orders. They were ordered an immediate retreat. Frank quickly grabbed a radio and connected it to all the soldiers' radios. Frank shouted into the radio.

"WE NEED TO RETREAT! I REPEAT WE HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO RETREAT AND EVACUATE!"

Once Frank announced this all of the remaining survivors of the '1265th Mechanised Light Armored Infantry Company' started retreating in trucks and other transport vehicles. They jumped into the vehicles carrying injured soldiers. Frank watched helplessly as they desperately drove off with a barrage of gunfire still ensuing. Then, just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, tanks came out of the trees rumbling the ground and instilling fear among the Quadaric soldiers. The tank shot high explosive rounds at the already retreating Quadaric soldiers, creating massive explosions. Frank could see legs, arms, and all sorts of body parts for that matter being blown off into oblivion. Frank prayed that most survived, especially Jerry, Eric, and Amelia. Soon enough, the base was covered in a white mist of smoke and gunpowder. Once all the infantry were safely evacuated, Lt. Ferguson issued an immediate artillery barrage. Frank waited as minutes went by, and then the barrage began. Frank watched in horror as limbs and organs were flying in the air as the artillery barrage continued. Frank then felt satisfied as they met the same fate too but survived. The shockwaves from the impacts were strong and Frank could see enemy soldiers getting flung into the air and dying on impact with the ground. Then, the enemies started retreating. Frank felt fulfilled with a sick and twisted joy, seeing the enemy face the same fate as their soldiers had. Lt. Ferguson wanted to get out of the place as soon as possible. Frank grabbed an automatic gun and started running for the entrance of the headquarters bunker with an injured Lt. Ferguson to regroup with the rest of the company, carefully working his way around, watching out for any enemies with his weapon ready to unleash a hail of bullets upon them. The bunker was surprisingly not infested with a flood of soldiers. Mostly because the bunker was meant to be hidden and the soldiers haven't found out about it yet. Frank suddenly heard voices outside.

"We've got to keep quiet.", Frank told Lt. Ferguson.

"How many can you spot?", Lt. Ferguson asked.

Frank peeked around the corner of the entrance.

"Five, six, ten!", he counted.

"There's ten of them!"

"Shh!", Lt. Ferguson shushed Frank.

Then, one enemy soldier started walking towards the bunker entrance.

"Guys!", he yelled in an unknown language.

"There's an entrance-"

Before the soldier could continue further, Frank grabbed the soldier and put his hand over the mouth so the soldier couldn't shout for help. Frank then slit the soldier's throat with his combat knife. The soldier struggled, wiggling and trying his best to shout but he couldn't. He choked on his blood and fell limp to the ground. Frank quickly dragged the body inside the bunker. Frank had an insane idea. He took off his gear, equipment, and his winter jacket. He unbuttoned the dead soldier's uniform and wore it as well as the winter coat. Lt. Ferguson witnessing this knew what Frank's plan was.

"Are you insane!", he whispered.

"Well, it's one way to get us out of here!", Frank responded.

"What!?", Lt. Ferguson screeched.

"Don't worry, this will work out fine.

Just as they were whispering, more enemy soldiers surrounded the bunker.

"Okay, let's pretend that I've captured you.", Frank told to Lt. Ferguson.

"You want me to pretend to be a POW?"

"Yeah.", Frank replied.

"There's no way! I will not be destroying my dignity.", Lt. Ferguson spoke arrogantly.

"Well, sir, you have to choose living over dying.", Frank explained pessimistically.

Lt. Ferguson having no choice, stood up and held up his hands. Frank pushed him forward outside the entrance. Frank and Lt. Ferguson cooperated carefully and slowly walked, sneaking away around the enemy soldiers. Frank scanned for an escape. Then, he saw a sledge in the corner of his eye that was near the edge of the mountain. He guided Lt. Ferguson towards it. The two blended in perfectly, Frank looked like just another one of their comrades guiding a POW. Frank walked close to the enemies, the closest Frank had ever been to an opposing side. Then, a soldier yelled out.

"Kras! Kras!", the soldier yelled in the same unknown language.

Frank panicked and tried his best to ignore the soldier but the soldier only got closer as he walked towards them. Frank couldn't understand the soldier. He didn't understand the language all of the soldiers were speaking in. It sounded similar to Umbarkish but not quite.

"Kras? Hey!", the soldier shouted even more.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As the two walked away faster, the soldier got closer.

"Kras, what's wrong?", the soldier started to suspect.

"You can hand the Quadaric scum to me."

"I'll take care of him."

"Hey Kras! Slow down!"

Frank and Lt. Ferguson panickingly walked away faster and faster until they were practically running.

"Kras!", the soldier shouted extremely loudly.

This attracted the attention of other soldiers. The shout shook Frank as he nervously turned around. He knew they were in big trouble. He and Lt. Ferguson were near the edge of the mountain already. A crowd was forming as tension rose between Frank, Lt. Ferguson, and the enemy soldier. Frank didn't want to be shot but he ended up just staring weirdly. The enemy soldier talked a few more times before suddenly taking out his gun and aiming it at Frank but just as he did, Frank threw Lt. Ferguson on the sledge and they slid down the mountain. The other enemy soldiers started shooting at the sliding Quadarics. The bullets whizzed past, barely missing. They narrowly slid down the steep mountain into the forest. Once the sledge stopped, the two got off and started running for the regroup. Frank felt Deja Vous as he remembered something similar happening in his childhood. Lt. Ferguson was bleeding out from his arm so Frank briefly halted to take a rest and to carry Lt. Ferguson back to the regroup point. It was looking quite dire. The company had travelled quite far and Frank had to walk all the way there. Frank was lucky it wasn't as cold that day.

"Frank, stop for a moment.", Lt. Ferguson ordered.

"Why sir?", Frank asked.

"Just let me have a little rest before my death okay?", Lt. Ferguson spoke quietly.

"But sir!", Frank tried to reason.

"Just do it, okay?", Lt. Ferguson forced.

Frank softly dropped Lt. Ferguson near a fallen tree. Lt. Ferguson rests his head against it. He was succumbing to his wounds.

"Here, Frank.", he took out a letter.

Dear Carole,

I have been facing many challenges this year. I have formed a new company and have recruited many more soldiers for it. I'm afraid I'll have to retire soon. I know you admire me for being brave and fighting for our nation but I want to spend more time with you, my daughter. My only star in this cruel and twisted universe. I'm sorry if this deeply upsets you. Tell your little brother that Papa is coming home soon. Stay good care, sweetie.

See you soon.

Your father

Frank looked at Lt. Ferguson. He nodded his head in acceptance. Frank was disheartened by this. He didn't want to let Lt. Ferguson die. He wanted him to live and go see his children.

"Sir...", Frank spoke sadly.

"Don't worry. I understand. I've accepted my fate. Tell my children that I fought bravely and that I always thought of them every day.", Lt. Ferguson spoke calmly.

Frank was in denial. He couldn't what was happening in front of his eyes. It was unbelievable. The commander of their company, the one that had been leading them was about to die.

"Give that letter to her.", he spoke his last breath.

Frank knew what this meant and put the letter in his pocket. He saluted Lt. Ferguson one last time before running off. He ran and ran through the dense forest, jumping over fallen trees and climbing rocks. He took a look at the GPS on his TeleCom device. He was only a mile away from the regroup location. It was positioned near a gorgeous, frozen waterfall. Frank looked up into the sky. He could see a tower of smoke. It was probably from the company. With an assured confidence, Frank marched on.

Eventually, Frank felt as if his chances of making it back to the fallback location seemed completely possible. Frank looked around his surroundings, cold and desolate, although no more trees in sight. The fog lowered his vision made worse by the fogging of his goggles. He couldn't take them off though. His eyes would get frozen and he would go blind permanently. That was a terrifying realisation that never occurred to Frank before this but now, he has and it was getting annoying. He could barely see a glimpse of light through his goggles as a large portion of it had already been fogged up. He wondered whether he could wipe off the fog quickly before putting them back on. He was too nervous to try it out though.

"Could I possibly put it on in time?" Frank thought.

"No, that can't be possible."

"It's getting impossible to see."

"My goggles, the very thing that had protected my eyes are now blurring them."

"The idea is madness but I must try."

Frank stopped walking. He breathed in and breathed out.

"Okay, let's do this."

Frank slowly slid the goggles' strap behind his head and raised it slightly up. Then, the part of the goggles opened up and let an immense air in. The icy wind bit into his face as he squinted into the blinding white of the snowstorm. The moment the frigid air hit his eyes, a sharp, searing pain shot through them. He felt the moisture on the surface of his eyes began to freeze almost instantly. His vision blurred, and a thin film of ice started to form over his corneas, causing his heart to race in panic. Instinctively, Frank shut his eyes tight, the pain intensifying as the ice crystals scratched the delicate surface of his corneas. He could feel the cold creeping deeper, threatening to freeze the very fluid within his eyeballs. Fighting the urge to scream, he fumbled for the protective visor at his side, knowing he had only seconds to act. With a desperate motion, he slapped the visor back onto his face, the device automatically sealing against his skin. He activated the emergency heating element, a faint warmth radiating from the visor as it tried to combat the extreme cold. He pressed his palms against his closed eyes, trying to will the warmth into his frozen lids, praying it wasn't too late. His vision remained dark, and he couldn't tell if the blurriness was from the ice or the tears of pain welling up beneath his eyelids. He couldn't afford to lose his sight—not here, not now. For what felt like an eternity, he stayed still, focusing on breathing steadily as the warmth slowly began to melt the ice. The pain lessened, and Frank dared to crack one eye open. It was still blurry, but he could see—the warmth had worked. The ice was gone, leaving behind raw, sensitive eyes that watered uncontrollably. Frank gritted his teeth, knowing he’d need immediate medical attention to prevent permanent damage, but for now, he could see. He could still fight. Blinking through the pain, he forced himself to move forward, every step a battle against the cold, his mind racing to find shelter and treatment before the cold claimed more than just his vision.

"Why did I do that?!"

Frank questioned himself.

"I should've known it would be a horrible idea!"

"Augh! My eyes!"

Frank tried to scratch his eyes as if the goggles weren't there.

"What am I doing!" he thought.

Frank was starting to question his sanity.

"How am I supposed to know my way back?"

"I can't even look at my TeleCom anymore!"

"Oh god."

Frank was starting to panic.

"Please! Somebody help me!" Frank suddenly yelled out.

Frank scrambled and wailed his hands around hoping for a tree to latch onto. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't feel anything with his hands. He was too far away from any tree to feel them. Frank walked around in circles until he got tired. He fell flat on his back onto the snow. He gave up trying.

"Please!" Frank yelled out again.

"Somebody!"

"Anybody, please! Help me!"

"I can't see!"

"Somebody help me please!"

Frank was sure that he was alerting the enemies. He was starting to give up hope and just accept his fate. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He still had a family to return to. The Federation may take care of them but he still wanted to see them one last time.

"What have I done?" Frank thought.

"Why didn't I stay with my family after my training?"

"I could've had a peaceful life with them, away from all this destruction!"

Frank contemplated his life decisions.

"Why did I choose this path!" he suddenly yelled.

"Why?"

"Am I destined to do my duty for the Federation?" he questioned in his mind.

"What if I didn't want to?"

"What if I just didn't feel like fighting for my nation?"

"Why shouldn't I have the ability to choose?"

Frank realised he contradicted himself.

"But I chose this path myself!" he thought.

"I should take responsibility for a decision that I've made."

"But I regret the decision, I wasn't expecting such conditions on the frontlines."

"It was supposed to be honourable and brave."

"Not horrifying and regretful."

"This is not what I'd imagined the war was going at all."

"Why did I believe in such obvious propaganda?"

"Am I that gullible?"

"Or did I wish that it was true?"

Frank was getting to the bottom of his decision. He was dissecting it to the very bones.

"W-Was I too hopeful and deluded?"

"No, that can't be."

"There's no way, right?"

"Am I delusional?"

Just as Frank was wondering about his personality, he heard footsteps in the distance.

"Wait what was that?" he thought.

"I-It's footsteps!"

Frank suddenly regained energy.

"Someone there!" he yelled as loud as possible.

There was an awkward silence. Frank couldn't hear any response but he could tell that the footstep had halted.

"Please! I need help!" Frank yelled again.

"I swear I won't do anything!"

"I can't see a single thing!"

"Please I beg of you!"

Then, whether of miracle or not, the mysterious people responded in Dinen.

"Quadaric?" a male voice asked.

Frank was relieved to hear his language.

"Yes!" he yelled quickly.

"Alright, we'll help you!"

Frank heard the footsteps get closer. The mysterious man stood beside Frank to assess his situation.

"What happened?" the man asked.

"I couldn't see through my goggles!"

The man wheezed from hearing that.

"No, seriously, what are you doing out here soldier?" he asked again.

"I'm being serious! My eyes got damaged and I couldn't see through my goggles!" Frank cried.

The man burst into laughter again.

"Alright, I'll take you back to camp," he said.

The man proceeded to pull Frank up and guide him. Frank blindly walked along, unable to see anything.

"So what's your name?" the man asked Frank along the way.

"Frank. My name's Frank," Frank responded.

"Wait, I recognise that name," the man spoke.

"Wait a minute, aren't you the soldier that ordered us to retreat?"

Frank was surprised to hear this.

"So you're a Quadaric soldier?" he asked back.

"Yeah, a part of the Ferguson's Company," the man responded.

Frank was glad to hear that.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Frank thought.

"Well, Frank, where's Lt. Ferguson?"

Frank remembered.

"He's dead," Frank coldly answered.

"He died in the forest."

The soldier was shocked dot hear this.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We don't have a commanding officer anymore!"

"We'll have to disband!"

Frank knew that. He knew the results would be like this. It wasn't that surprising to hear the reaction.

"Anyways, what's your name?" Frank asked the soldier.

"Eric," the soldier responded.

Frank recognised the name.

"Wait, Eric? Like Eric V. Solem?" Frank asked the fellow Quadaric soldier.

"Yeah!" the soldier responded.

"We've met before remember?"

Frank was surprised to hear that.

The duo walked for some more time until they arrived at the designated location. Frank, still blinded asked Eric to bring him to a medical doctor. Eric complied. He guided Frank to the nearest medical tent. As they walked into a medical tent, Frank could hear grunts of agony and pain. Clangs of metal equipment were loud and all the medical doctors were busy dealing with all the injured soldiers.

"New patient!" one of the doctors yelled.

A doctor in a surgical apron walked towards the two.

"Who's this?" the doctor asked.

"He's Frank, he needs medical care," Eric replied.

"What's his problem?" the doctor asked further.

"He—"

Eric was suddenly cut off by Frank.

"I-I can't see anything with my eyes, doctor," Frank spoke.

"Please help me!"

The doctor was confused.

"Were you injured?" the doctor asked further.

"Well—"

Eric was cut off again.

"Yes, I-I tried to open my goggles and I can't see with my eyes anymore!" Frank desperately explained.

This only made the doctor even more confused.

"Is this some sort of joke?" the doctor asked.

"N-No! I swear I'm not kidding!" Frank cried.

The doctor questioned whether he should help the poor soldier out or let him wait and suffer.

"Okay, fine," the doctor said to Frank.

"Go straight from here to your right and go to the tent on the left of the corner."

"Thank you," Frank sighed.

Eric guided Frank one more towards the given directions. The duo walked for some more time until they arrived at another medical tent. It was certainly smaller than the other. Eric brought Frank inside.

"What's the issue?" a voice spoke.

There was another doctor but he wasn't like the other surgical doctors.

"He can't see with his eyes," Eric finally spoke.

"Oh, let's see here," the doctor got closer to Frank.

"Why are you still wearing your goggles?"

"I'm too afraid to take them off after what happened, doctor," Frank responded.

"Well, you can take them off here," the doctor explained.

Frank once again pulled the goggles' strap and pulled it off. This time, his eyes didn't get damaged. The doctor's jaw dropped at the sight of Frank's eyes.

"Oh god!" the doctor yelled.

"Get on the medical bed right now. I need to examine this."

Frank slowly walked towards the direction. He knocked over something in doing so.

"Don't go near that!" the doctor yelled.

Eric stepped in to guide Frank. Frank finally lay down on his medical bed.

"Let's see here," the doctor spoke with interest and curiosity.

"Your eyes are bloodshot."

"Oh," Frank replied.

"I could only imagine what it looks like."

"Oh, let me tell you, it's bad."

The doctor grabbed a tiny light and shone Frank's eyes. Frank's eyelids were completely frozen. They could still move but they were hard and solid. Frank's eyeballs were covered in a thin layer of ice that dug into his eyes with every blink. Luckily for him, the doctor seemed to be experienced with this type of injury. Franks was given sleeping agents and he fell asleep quickly. When he finally woke up, he could feel that his eyes were covered by a cloth.

"Oh, you're awake!" the doctor spoke.

"Am I fine now?" Frank asked.

"Sort of," the doctor replied.

"Don't remove the cloth."

Frank decided not to continue the conversation. He could hear the sound of a sink with running water. He could hear the chatters of soldiers outside, some were in sadness and agony but others were cheerful and joyous. He assumed he would have to rest for some time so he went back to sleep.