Chapter 6 – No Man Left Behind

“No man left behind,” I whispered to myself, mouthing the words without really speaking them.

Sunlight danced in a myriad different colors as it spread out onto the valley below, showing me the breathtaking vista I’d been waiting for the whole night, ignoring the knife-edged jabs of the arctic wind and subzero temperatures.

Slowly and without taking my eye off the scope, I relaxed the finger that had been squeezing the trigger in a death grip until I felt the minuscule CLICK that told me the firing mechanism had been safely disengaged. I groped around blindly with my other hand until I found a handful of snow that wasn’t frozen solid and scooped up it up gingerly. With the same deliberate movements, not too fast, not too slow, and therefore the least likely to draw the eyes of enemy snipers, surveillance satellites and reconnaissance bots, I brought my hand up to my mouth and took a small bite off the icy snow. I shuddered involuntarily. It was cold, and my body was already teetering over the edge of hypothermia.

I was no longer shivering, which was a very bad sign. It meant my body no longer had enough calories to fight off the wind howling in my ears. My supply kit lay discarded a good 9 miles back over the rocky mountain tops, along with the rest of my squad. Or what was left of them, in any case. As usual, I had been the only survivor. Officially, that is. In truth, there had been one other survivor.

Alan. My best friend. Likely the only friend worth calling such in all the time I’d spent in the Special Forces.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, struggling to control my breathing. If my hand began to shake now, I would never be able to recover in time to take the shot. Yet another storm front was moving in. I could see the massive flurries of snow flying in dazzling patterns that were as beautiful as they were deadly. I would not survive another blizzard.

Glancing down at the HUD display imbedded in my cornea, the low battery warning icon insistently reminded me I now only had 4% power left. I had diverted all life-support and backup power to the jamming device that masked my body’s bio-electromagnetic signature. Without it, enemy laser cannon emplacements would pick me off within 15 seconds and vaporize me faster than you could say, “Massive Heat Energy Displacement Phenomenon”. This meant I had no life support, no augmented vision, no pulse-breathing regulatory system, no wind-speed adjustment vector, and no Coriolis effect compensation algorithm.

It was just me and good old Katherine – my modified VSS 625. Cal kinetic pulse rifle. I could put a hole through an orange-sized, 1-foot thick reinforced steel plate target ranging at over 1.5 miles using Titanium-coated depleted Uranium shells for maximum drag reduction and optimal kinetic acceleration.

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know that the range finder on my scope would be blinking red, warning me the target lay an impossible 2.4 miles away. At that sort of distance, the odds of hitting a target with any decent chance of success were astronomically low even with every cybernetic implant and assisted aiming gadget I could bring to bear to eke out an edge. Which I did not have.

Just me, Katherine, and the eerie calm of the windswept mountain top.

I knew a pocket of calm like this was an extremely rare and narrow window of opportunity. Like an unexpected gift from fate - that capricious, petulant child - It was the last chance I had to complete my mission. Any moment now, the howling gales would pick up again, obscuring my vision and spoiling any chance of a projectile travelling in a reasonably straight line.

I suppressed another shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. Yeah, I would only get one shot at this. Slowly, I was able to relax jittery muscles once more, regaining mastery over myself. Once I was satisfied, I let out a deep breath. I could do that now that the ice in my mouth was preventing any steam from giving my position away. My finger found the trigger once more and I slowly opened my eyes and sighted down the scope for one last time.

The crosshairs were resting on the forehead of a remarkably handsome young man with dirty blond hair. He had the high cheekbones and sharp features one typically associates with glamour and affluence, though they were stained with grime and blood now. The only flaw was an unfortunate crooked nose, no doubt where it had once been badly broken.

Alan had always claimed he was the most handsome lieutenant in the whole Federation armed forces, with an imminent and meteoric rise to wide acclaim as the best post-war actor in holo-deck films looming just under yonder horizon. Until, that is, I squashed his hopes flat – along with his nose - with a bar stool over an argument about the virtues of homebrewed beer versus moonshine.

The sights trembled ever so slightly, but I immediately steeled myself.

No man left behind..

When our whole unit had been caught in the enemy ambush, only Alan and I had been able to escape.

Then..

***

“C’mon Al, we gotta get out of this hellhole,” I spat out between clenched teeth as I surveyed the small mountain of corpses around us.

“Yeah, no argument he.. WATCH OUT!”

Abruptly, Alan had grabbed me by the shoulders and flung me against the ground while shielding me with his body. Moments later I could hear the all-too familiar buzzing of the rotors from an unmanned suicide drone, meaning it was already too late.

A flash of light and a deafening roar, then both Alan and I were flying through the air.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a heap of torn flesh and blood on the ground. As I gathered my senses and leveraged myself to a kneeling position, the liquid warmth flowing from my ear and a high-pitched ringing inside my head told me I’d lost at least partial hearing. Scrambling to my feet, I began to look for Alan on unsteady legs.

I found him half a minute later. The explosion had only flung me for a short distance, both because I’d been prone and I had been shielded from the worst of the impact. Alan, however, had been propelled high into the air, and over the edge of a nearby ravine. I climbed down the steep rockface faster than most men can descend a ladder, but I knew it was over for him. My expert eye told me Alan had survived the explosion thanks to his Personal EM Defense Field, but it had never been designed to handle the blunt force trauma of hitting solid granite at near terminal velocity.

“He.. hey chief. Why the long face? Finally forced to admit you’re gonna miss ol’ Al..?” chuckled Alan, then had to stop to cough up blood.

“…”

I knelt beside him and busied myself by frantically tearing through my first aid kit. We were both veterans, and we knew there was nothing I could do, except perhaps ease the pain. However, at least I didn’t have to meet his eyes.

Surprisingly strong hands grasped mine, stopping me with a gentle, yet firm grip.

“Chief.. they’re closing in on our position.”

“No man left behind,” I echoed flatly.

“Damn it, Chief..”

“No man left behind,” I chanted once more, like a mantra.

“.. Chief,” Softly this time, an entreaty.

“…”

“Michael.”

I finally looked up, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

“Michael, you must complete the mission.”

“No man..” My choking voice was unable to finish.

“It’s over for me. You and I both know that,” came the serene reply. As if to emphasize his point, another coughing fit splattered Al’s chin with flecks of blood. Not now, not like this.

After he got his breath back, Alan wheezed, “Michael. Finish. Mission.”

“…”

“Michael,” grated Al, and his hands shook as he squeezed my hands between his. “Jake, Razor, Skip, Big Ray, Colette, Rocky.. they’re all gone. Look at me.”

Slowly, against every instinct buried deep in my chest, I complied.

Al’s steel grey eyes were clear and calm, though the lines around them told me how much pain he was in. “Don’t let our sacrifice be in vain.”

Unable to bear the raw honesty of the plea in his eyes, I squeezed my eyes shut and slowly nodded.

I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder, then hearty laughter echoed across the ravine as Al grabbed the back of my neck and whispered, “That’s the chief I know! Now, get out of here before you steal my thunder!”

I slowly shook my head in the negative. I ground my teeth, then lay my hand on Al’s neck and pulled him closer, until our eyes were scant inches from one another. I wanted him to see the manic fire burning in mine.

I would scorch the world in white-hot flames for him. A fitting tribute.

Al nodded his understanding. He’d seen the look before. “Alright then. What’s the plan?”

I narrowed my eyes, which only made the fire in my eyes blaze all the more fiercely.

“Depends. How much c6 do you have left?”

***

I shook myself free of the memory. I could not afford any distractions. It was gametime.

And I always play to win.

The ultra magnification scope allowed me to easily make out the faces of both the soldiers holding Al’s sagging figure between them, and the high-ranking official approaching them from the nearby command bunker. Shifting my scope slightly, I followed his movement across the field.

Yeah, that was him alright. The high priority target we’d been sent on this suicide mission to terminate. High General Chong Moon Ki. A ruthless and fearsomely competent commander. his towering intellect and deep grasp of complex strategic concepts more than made up for his relative lack of smaller scale tactical acumen and field experience.

Too bad that very same deficiency would see him dead today. There were some things you just could never learn in the Officers’ Academy.

The center of my crosshairs lingered longingly over his head. Of course, I didn’t take the shot. Even from this distance, I could see the strange ring of shimmering air around him. Light refracting off an EM containment field so strong that it was visible with the naked eye. I doubted even a direct hit from an artillery shell could burn through that monstrosity.

EM fields were very strong against kinetic impact and energy discharges. What it wasn’t so good against were 4 pounds of high density C6 compact-fusion charges. Well, nothing short of a nuclear shelter was much use against a baby nuke, as they were nicknamed. One pound was enough to level a 20 city block area. 4 pounds of it would fit comfortably inside both hands, but could probably blow a small city to bits. Very small, mildly radioactive bits.

Of course, Al had been stripped of anything remotely threatening before being dragged before General Chong. Certainly, they would screen for C6. It was a very popular explosive, extensively used through multiple fronts of the conflict. However, the downside was that it was very easy to detect.

C6 emitted a distinct radioactive signature. Sure, it could be concealed through the use of spectrum scrambling coating, a fine layer of highly toxic military-grade polymers. However, the detonator was another matter entirely. You just couldn’t conceal the electromagnetic signature of such a device. The alternative was using a bulky device completely devoid of any electrical parts along with a strong impact fuse, but such methods relied on a preset timer, could not be remotely operated and were ultimately just too unwieldy for practical applications.

Satisfied that the target had been positively identified, I smoothly slid my scope’s sights until they rested on Al once more. There were dark bruises under his eyes, and his skin had a deathly pale complexion that told me there wasn’t much time left. I had administered all the painkillers I had, but it could only do so much to blunt the pain. However, I thought I could still see the glint of bluster and good humor that had characterized Al for as long as I’d known him, buried deep beneath the drug-induced stupor.

“Good bye, old friend. Your fight ends here, but mine goes on.”

My finger slowly squeezed on the trigger as I emptied my lungs of the last of my breath with one final whisper.

“You won’t be alone though. I will give you the best god damn wake in history. Like you always wanted, you’re going out with a bang.”

I increased the pressure on the trigger, and I felt the smooth CLICK as it actuated, then a deafening roar as I was jerked backwards from the recoil.

My eyes never wavered, however.

I fancied I could see the hybrid Titatium-coated depleted Uranium shell soar high through the unearthly calm of the dawn air, drawing one last beautiful arch that slowly descended until it finally came to rest upon the bosom of my best friend.

A human bomb with an utterly deadly payload inside.

The light was instant and blinding, and even from here I could feel the impact wave stinging my eyes.

“No man left behind..”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head one last time in silent tribute, then stood up to stow Katherine away and pack what was left of my gear.

It was time to go home.

***

With a start, I bolted upright. I’d been lying on a straw pallet inside a dimly lit tent. Stray rays of sunshine filtered through the gaps in the corners. As I leaned my weight against my hands to roll to my feet, a sudden stab of pain made me wince.

Looking down, I saw my right hand had been expertly splinted and bandaged. From the smell wafting from the slight greenish tint of the bandages, I assumed some herb or medicine had been applied as well.

“You shouldn’t move just yet. You were in pretty rough shape when he carried you in,” a man’s warm, gentle voice offered next to me.

“Where am I?” I demanded, with more force than I had intended. I was grateful for the help, but I couldn’t afford to be lying down.

No man left behind..

I’m coming, Sol..

A calming hand descended on my shoulder, and I had grind my teeth not to bark out my next works. This person had obviously gone to great lengths to give me assistance, and the least I could do was to refrain from screaming at him or breaking his damn wrist off.

Not that I could, apparently. I grumbled in my head. Probably just end up breaking my other wrist.. with a leg or neck added in the bargain.

I would have to rapidly adjust my tactics for any future physical combat encounter. I was obviously not very well equipped to deal with such - if at all.

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The unknown stranger must have mistaken my expression for one of pain, for he quickly apologized, “Forgive me. You’re probably still under a lot of pain. I tried to give you the best treatment I could, but under my present circumstances, a splint, bandages and some local herbal medicine was all I could afford.”

Turning to face my benefactor, I saw a man in his twenties, with flowing blond hair and honest blue eyes. He was dressed in plain but sturdily made robes, not too dissimilar from my own. A healer or a priest, perhaps?

I glanced around the tent and saw that we were alone. It was a bare room, hardly more than a hovel with a ragged cloth flapping at the entrance to provide some privacy. The only furnishings were the pallet I lay on and a small portable writing desk with a tiny stool set in front of it. I could see bales of some sort of cloth stacked high against one of the walls.

“Look, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I need you to tell me who you are, where I am, and how long have I been out.”

The young man opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it, then looked away from me.

“You’re just as he said.”

“Who?”

“The man who carried you in.”

“Who was.. look,” I let out in a strained voice, trying to hold on to my temper. “I don’t have the time to play 10 questions with you. If you won’t tell me, I’ll just..”

“I see you are awake, Khazik,” The cool, toneless voice that reminded me of boulders sliding down mountains cut in.

Instantly, my hairs stood on end and I tried to get up once more. And failed. Damn, my whole body was still shaky from the ordeal I’d just gone through. I’d lost my first fight on Aeterna - badly, and if that wasn’t galling enough, one of the bastards was right here with me!

I narrowed my eyes and I found his silhouette, hardly visible until my eyes adjusted to the dim shadows inside the tent. Had he been standing there the whole time?

It was Jae’thun.

He stood with his arms crossed in front of his naked chest. Both arms and chest were crisscrossed with numerous scars. This guy was either very lucky or very, very good in a fight. You didn’t earn that many scars and walked away from them in one piece without a very good reason.

We stood in silence for one long moment while I coldly assessed my situation, and corroborated my conclusions with the facts I had available so far. Hey, just because I enjoy a good fight doesn’t mean I’m stupid. Far from it. I graduated with honors from West Point, after all.

Jae’thun simply stood there, returning my scrutiny. He looked inscrutable and uninterested on the outside, but I thought I had his number now.

I made up my mind, and spoke out first, “So, you want to know how I can move and fight the way I do, but flop and flounder about like a drowned kitten in the actual execution?”

Surprise widened Jae’thun’s eyes. Bingo.

I glanced sideways at the other man in the room. I was a pretty sharp judge of character, and unless I’d badly misjudged these two, they could be trusted. To an extent.

“I’ll explain, but first you must tell me why an honorable warrior would stoop to help trash like Tarik enslave children and butcher their only family for profit.” I suppose the mutt qualified as family - barely.

The corners of Jae’thun’s eyes narrowed, then his mouth twitched into a bitter sneer, “Honor? What use does Jae’thun for such fickle, useless trinkets.”

“But you have your code, and you live by it. I can see it in your words and actions. Why else save me from Tarik? Why bring me here after I fought and wounded your comrades?”

“Those rats are no comrades of mine,” hissed Jae’thun, then his lips quirked slightly as he looked pointedly at my useless right arm. “And I think your wounded pride was the only casualty other than your wrist.”

I ground my teeth but didn’t deign that with a response. Damn barbarian, I’d shown him one day..

Jae’thun held my gaze for a moment longer, then he looked away. “That was unworthy of me. Still, I must admit you present me with a great puzzle. Your eyes are those of a fierce predator, a proud Khazik prowling the dunes. You pounce on your prey like the shadow of Ashkari, the great huntress, swift and deadly. Then you.. flop on ground and mewl on your belly like newborn cat, yes.”

I wasn’t sure if he was complimenting me or insulting me. I decided to take the high road, for now.

“Time presses, Jae’thun. I must know.”

“Ah yes, the child.”

I didn’t respond. I was still strangely reluctant to show just how desperately I wanted to rush out and hunt those bastards down.

“Very well, I shall answer if  you tell me why you care so much about what happens to him. I can see you’re new here, and you bear no resemblance to the child, even for distant kin.”

For a long time, I didn’t answer as I pondered that very question myself. I’d only just met the kid and his insufferable pet. Why did I care so much? It wasn’t out of some misguided sense of justice or a sudden aspiration to become a hero. If anything, I’d always rooted for the villains. Much more fun that way. So why?

I frowned, then spoke softly, in a measured tone. I wasn’t used to speaking to others about my past. “In my lands, I was a member of a band of brothers. Not born of blood, but rather a purpose. We were the best at what we did, but ultimately, still expendable. They used us like..” I paused as I stopped to consider the best possible analogy for toilet paper in this world, then decided I could come up with a more dignified analogy. “.. like a poison tipped arrow of the blackest obsidian.”

There. Apparently the language had the word for Obsidian, so I assumed he’d understand what it was. A black volcanic rock, much like glass. It could easily be sharpened until it slid through armor, skin and flesh like butter. However, upon impact it would shatter into so many shards. It was a one-time only kind of deal.

I looked at Jae’thun, who nodded grimly. Yeah, warrior types understood. Been there, done that.

“Thus, we lived by a single code. One oath that bound us harder than death, than anything. It was this: No man left behind. It meant that no matter who manipulated us, sent us crashing to our deaths or stabbed us in the back, we would never leave one of our number alone. We would either stand and die, or run to fight another day, but always as one. To the death.”

Jae’thun looked at me and I gazed straight back, letting him see the truth behind my words. True, Al had been my only true friend in the squad. However, we had all shared that bond, that special something that bound us more tightly than blood ever could have. Even me, the slightly unhinged, dangerously psychotic commanding officer. They would have still died for me, each and every one of them, and I would have done the same.

“No man left behind,” repeated Jae’thun, and I nodded to him. “It is not such a bad code to live by. Jae’thun approves.”

As if to emphasize, his fist rose towards me and I could see impressive muscles bulging under all that scar tissue.

Aw, what the hell.

I reached up and bumped my fist against his.

Jae’thun looked puzzled at first, but he seemed to understand the gesture. He nodded to me once more, then let out a deep breath.

“I am Jae’thun, son of Gar’thal, son of Nunwei, of the Red Sun tribe. I have wandered the endless dunes for many years, unconquerable, undefeated. But at long last, I tasted bitter defeat at the hands of a vicious band of Jektal. Bandits,” He clarified at my uncomprehending expression. “They fell upon me like a pack of hyenas, surrounded me, and poisoned the tips of their spears. Cowards.”

I raised an eyebrow as I re-evaluated my stock of Jae’thun’s combat prowess. Damn, surrounded on all sides by enemies, wielding spears to boot, and they’d had to resort to poison? This was one dangerous son of a gun. I was forming a mental flowchart of Jae’thun: Quiet, brooding, and kicking ass all over the place.

I kind of liked him already.

“They left me for dead, but I survived for five days and nights, until someone rescued me.” Jae’thun didn’t look none too pleased about this last bit. In fact, he spit to one side and growled softly.

“Tarik found me and has his women treat my wounds. Ever since, I have owed blood debt to him. For many years, Jae’thun beholden to the fat worm, and lose face before all worthy hunters of the Great Steppes.”

I could certainly understand why his friends would look down on him for keeping company with the likes of Tarik. There are worms, and there are Worms.

“Finally, I ask Tarik to release me. I will do his bidding no more. He has requested one final task,” Jae’thun continued, looking at me, stone-faced.

Ah, damn. I had a bad feeling about this.

“He ask me to slay the barbarian who spit on his honor,” a slight sneer was all I needed to know about what Jae’thun thought of that particular virtue in Tarik. Besides, it had been his eye. Nothing about honor there, but I digress. “Since I did not allow him to do so himself.”

“At first I think, this is a great opportunity. I would fight a brave warrior and gain my freedom or die gloriously and pass on to the shores of Aerwa, the land of the dead, where brave hunters gather for the last hunt.”

“But now..” After this last bit, he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly as he openly looked me up and down. So that’s how it was, was it? Damn ignorant bastard..

“I bring you here so you may heal. When you recover enough, I will give you the choice to stand, fight and die like a warrior. Or you may run. I will not chase you, but the coward’s mark will be upon you, forever staining your soul.”

*Ttiriing*

You have received a quest: “A Hunter’s Redemption”

A Hunter’s Redemption Difficulty: CDescription:

The Red Sun tribe has long wandered the endless sands of the Arioch Wastelands. Though their prowess is undisputable, their pride eventually became their downfall. One such is the famous hunter, Jae’thun. Unwillingly, he has incurred in blood debt to Tarik the merchant. Though no chains confine him except those of his own making, Jae’thun is a caged beast seeking one last fight before that which he values more than life itself, at last crumbles away.

His Pride.Goals:

* Accept Jae’thun’s offer to duel him to the death in glorious battle.

* Free Jae’thun from the odious influence of Tarik.

* Restore his wounded pride.

Jae’thun expects you to heal and fight him to the death. He will await until you are fully healed and provide any supplies you require towards that end.Requirements:

* Must not commit any actions that might damage Jae’thun’s pride.

Quest Rewards:

* Jae’thun’s gratidude.

* ???

Figures. Just my luck.

Sighing heavily, I stopped to ponder for a moment. On the one hand, I needed to go after Tarik as soon as possible. However, it seemed as though he was still under Jae’thun’s protection. I would have to go through him first. Sizing him up and remembering my disastrous debut in hand-to-hand combat in Aeterna.. I didn’t give myself very good odds at all.

I’m a gambler, not a retard with a deathwish.

“Wait, before that, what about Sol?”

Jae’thun looked unhappy, but his gaze did not waver, “The child is an orphan, and his beast is a Khazik whelp. The villagers here have not realized it yet because the child hides its eye, but it will continue growing until they realize its true nature.”

He shook his head sadly, “They will then be forced to kill both the beast and the child, for he will not stand by and let others do what must be done.”

“Wait, what? What is a Khazik? You called me that before.”

Jae’thun nodded to me. “Khazik. Great hunter of the dunes. Deadly beast of the steppes, many brave hunters’ grave lie in its shadow.”

Which told me nothing except for what I already knew. That mutt was a damn nuissance.

Sighing deeply, I once again pondered my options. There are times when one just has to be decisive, even in the face of overwhelming odds, in order to make progress.

Inch towards daylight.

“Jae’thun, you asked me for my secret. I vow to give it to you, but first I must have time to settle my affairs. How long until Sol is auctioned off at the slave block?”

“10 days, if he wishes to receive a good price. For that he must travel to the caravan city of Taishen. 3, if he decides to settle for less and sells him at the local market.”

“Very well. Give me 10 days, and I will give you my answer.”

“I understand. However..”

I interrupted him with my palms up. “I swear that I will inflict no physical harm on Tarik or any of his toadies, unless in self-defense. Is that enough?”

Jae’thun nodded to me, “That is good to hear. However, until you give me my answer, I cannot offer you the hospitality of my shade nor the water of my well.”

I frowned at that. That put a wrinkle in my plans. Well, no matter. I didn’t like being indebted to anyone, in any case.

Particularly if that man was looking forward to slicing my guts for his own perverse justification.

“That is fine with me.”

“It is agreed, then.”

“Agreed.”

Jae’thun held out his fist towards me, and after a moment of puzzled bewilderment, I understood.

I bumped fists with my would-be killer.

“Now, tell me who I have to murder to get some grub around here..”

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