Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kaheem Hurst sat at his desk in the command center, taking a sip of his coffee the aroma bringing life to his tired eyes as he looked at the screens set up in front of him. The feed was connected to the helmets of the marines who were currently in a gas-hazard environment. Setting his mug down he turned to his Chief, “Gunny how long have the marines been out there? And what is the status on figuring out the source of this gas?”
Gunnery Sargeant Mathus was a small blad Latino man who had a fat lip of dip in his mouth at nearly all times, bring his torn-open can to his lips he spit the excess saliva in his mouth into the can, “Sir it has only been about 30 mins since this particular mission began, we sent two other teams out during night shift to see if there was any clues as to what the source could be, the gas is something we have never seen before.”
“Mhmm” CWO Hurst grunted as he watched his marines move through the thick shrubbery of the Alaskan forests. He was at a small outpost far from the main base, 80 miles from the eastern Russian border. He was one of 2 officers on the outpost, the other being a Junior Lieutenant who just graduated from her MOS School. While technically outranking the CWO, LT Brooks knew better than to use her rank to pressure the man into doing anything, he was there to mentor her on how to be a good Officer.
The rest of the marines were enlisted, a total of 172 of them on this small Island part of the Alaskan archipelago. After declaring the United States an enemy for the first time in history Russia has become more aggressive on its shared border with the nation, which is why this outpost was established in the first place. Hurst was selected due to his talents as a CBRN officer (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) who has deployed to some of the most aggression-filled parts of the world where unknown particulates were found in the area.
‘Just 3 more years till I retire.’ Hurst thought as he was finishing up his coffee. 17 long years in the Marine Corps as he enlisted in the reserves at 17 years old, he deferred his enrollment to NYU until he finished his training. Shortly after he arrived at his reserve unit it was activated, sending him to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. The now 19-year-old Cpl Hurst was a completely different individual from the teen he was before, war changed him. He finished his Degree in Civil Engineering in 2007, then went to Stevens Institute of Technology for his Master's in Chemical Engineering 2008.
As a poor black kid who grew up in Brooklyn, the military was his key out, his key to an education he used it to his advantage but paid for it with his mental health. He stayed in the Marine Corps reserve while working for Lockheed Martin designing weapons. He earned his Warrant in 2013, taking up positions in various countries before reaching where he is now in Alaska.
So CWO Hurst is by no means a fool but, “What the fuck is that?”
A dense red haze started to roll in on the monitors, causing the marine’s visibility to drop. It moved quickly, soon covering the command center, and even entering the building which was supposed to prevent all foreign gasses from outside the facility from entering. Hurst panicked momentarily before he noticed all eyes in the room turned to him. Their gazes full of uncertainty burned his flesh jolting him back to his senses. “Purge the ventilation systems and recall the marines.”
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“YES SIR.”
Boots moved in a flurry as they tried to accomplish the orders given, however, Outside in the designated smoking area was a young LCpl, he took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and placed one in his mouth. Then he struck his lighter…
When the flame from the lighter came in contact with the haze, it caused an immediate reaction. The haze set ablaze turned blue and reduced that poor LCpl to a puddle of plasma, the temperatures on the island reached an astonishing 12000 Degrees Fahrenheit in an instant leaving nothing behind.
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Heath awoke with a jolt as he gasped for air, his hand knocking over a chalice filled with wine as the feeling of his death assaulted his mind. Memories of a life far different than the one he lived on earth filled his head as the wine he spilled dripped onto the stone floor. Still, in a state of confusion, he looked around, he was currently seated in a rather uncomfortable wooden chair situated behind a desk covered in various tomes and documents. Covering the four Walls were bookshelves that extended from floor to ceiling, on the stone floor in front of the desk was an area rug made from some creature's fur as an unidentified power lit the room in the shape of a small orb floating a few inches from the ceiling.
No longer paying attention to the room he looked at his hands, no longer were they the Amber Brown color he was used to but a deep Sable Brown, not only that but his skin looked youthful far more than it had in decades. Soon the memories that flowed through his head were organized and deciphered.
“I'm too damn old for this.” His voice cracked as he said that, still trying to reach it's full potential. There were now two sets of memories in his head, one belonged to his current body Heath Frost Everclear VII, the only child of the Duke of Frost and hier of the Frost Duchy. He just turned 15.
The other memories were that of Kaheem Hurst, a Chief Warrant Officer 3 in the United States Marine Corps, a highly decorated officer a few years away from retirement.
“Mhmmmmmm” As the noise escaped his body there was a knock at the door.
“Your Grace, is there anything you need?” The muffled voice came from behind the door as there had been no order to enter.
“Anderson, I accidentally spilled my wine could you get someone to come clean up this mess as well as another refreshment.” The Words flowed out in an unfamiliar yet familiar language naturally as Heath tried to organize his thoughts.
“Right away, Your Grace.”
This world was in either a faraway galaxy or something else entirely, Heath found himself on a Planet called Jarqez, a large planet in a blue binary star system. There are 4 known continents controlled by the 5 major races: Beastmen, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and lastly Demons. Mana is the basis of all life on Jarqez as all beings are given access to a “Reader” which displays the being's Name, Rank of Existence, Species, Class, Class level, Age, and Skills.
Heath was a Noble of the Jude Kingdom, a large island nation almost 8 million miles in surface area. The Frost Duchy took up ⅓ of the nation, the entire southern portion of the Kingdom, while most of the territory was unoccupied due to the Forest of Death, and the Great Frost Mountain range beyond it which was said to house dragons. Only the Northwestern portion of the territory was occupied where the weather was slightly better for humans to live and sustain themselves.
His Father, the Current Duke, Heath Frost Everclear VI was bedridden due to a disease he had for many years leaving his young son as the Regent of this massive territory. Rubbing his temples Heath digested this information and came to terms with his second life begrudgingly.
“I guess ill have to get used to this, I was so close to retirement."