Politics
It had been over five hours since the alarm went up. They were at war again, but Jean wasn't entirely sure who was the enemy. What Yuli had said the other day made her think more about the current situation, and how everything was in a state of chaos. There was an ambush, but no massive enemy movement, "It doesn't make sense." Jean and her unit were standing in their barracks, wearing full protective gear. They still had the shotguns meant for security, but Jean insisted they be loaded with live shells. The Sister was sitting next to Garrett, not saying a word, but clearly waiting for something.
"You aren't too bright in the morning, are you?" Garrett's first words since early yesterday.
"What do you mean?"
He was sitting in front of a chessboard he pilfered from the mess hall, "I'm a soldier, but I'm not blind. Everything was planned. The monsters were just a catalyst." He set up two pieces, a white pawn and a white knight, in the middle, "For simplicity, I'm the knight, you're represented by the pawn."
Jean shrugged, "Why a pawn?"
"Both pieces can be sacrificed, but a good player wouldn't give up a knight unless necessary. Pay attention." He set up a line of black rooks, ten in total, around the two, and then four more white pawns in the middle. A black queen was set up near Garrett's piece.
Jean and her team were curious until they looked up. Ten Sisters were in the room, surrounding them. Each carried weapons of varying size, all of which were designed to be combat ready despite the decorations. None of them wore a hat, "What the..."
"Pay. Attention. This isn't a war against the monsters, though they are obstacles. We've been able to fight them back on their own turf, and there is no doubt Earth is a target. According to Alice here, the Children of Iron know how they are traveling. Soon there will be an assault on the entryways, led only by the Sisters and soldiers loyal to the Children of Iron. The rest... well..."
He took away one of the white pawns and replaced it with a black queen, "What are you doing?"
Garrett looked at Jean, "Blind as a bat I see. Who planted suspicions in your head? Who watched over everything as it happened? Who was quiet, but spoke to point out something you hadn't noticed?"
Jean shook her head, "I trust everyone in my unit!"
"Greta. I'm surprised you haven't shown your true colors. Yes, I know it's you. You were placed here to facilitate and provide intel, all based around acquiring me as a Legatus."
Greta nodded, "I work for all of us, Legatus."
Jean stepped back, as did Lisa, Yuli, and Cassie, "You bitch!" Cassie was the most upset. Her father was taken into custody by the Sisters, and she wasn't allowed to visit.
Greta's expression didn't change, "No, I am acting towards the best possible outcome for all of us, both soldier and civilian. Your father's imprisonment was simply a part of the plan."
Cassie turned to Garrett, "Is that why you don't have a piece for him? Because he's not important anymore?!"
Garrett looked down, then slowly grabbed a white king from the wooden box in which pieces were kept and set it sideways on the side of the board, "Jonathan was stupid, greedy, and only concerned with himself. However, he cared deeply for you, and he's the reason, the sole reason, you were never in combat. It would be best to remember him fondly."
Lisa was writing everything down, "Uh... when did..."
"Yesterday. In here, holding a stolen pistol." Alice sounded smug and spoke in an emotionless factual way, not a matter-of-fact-in-your-face sort of way, "He charged in. Military procedure is to shoot any escaped prisoner, especially those holding firearms, on sight."
Garrett held up his hand and Alice went quiet, "Listen, there isn't time for anger. Jean, you seem to be a decent person, you at least tried to figure out what was happening before the shit hit the industrial-sized fan, so I will do you a favor." He reached into his pocket and pulled out four blue slips of paper, "Each of these will grant you a one-way ride to Earth. I suggest you use it and keep low. Also," He directed his head over to the far wall, "I made them pay for me. Inside are standard pistols and rifles, take what you can carry. Plasma won't do much good soon."
He stood up before Jean could comment, and left the room with the Sisters in tow. Greta left as well, Jean thought it would be best. But for now, she knew what needed to be done, "Everyone, get packed, grab whatever you can carry and conceal. We're leaving this shithole of a planet."
Cassie was in shock until Lisa shook her, "Come on, we need to get out of here. I don't like what's happening." She snapped back to reality and grabbed her military issue bag before loading it with weapons and ammunition.
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Garrett sat in a transport, surrounded by Sisters. He was noticeably shaking, "What's wrong? You've fought in battle many times."
"I'm scared."
Each of the Sisters looked at him. The legendary Great White Hunter was afraid of monsters, the very same he had slaughtered in dozens of battles, "Legatus, there is no reason to be afraid, we are here to fight and give our lives at your-"
"So you're saying you're no better than them." The Sister who was talking went silent, her expression changing for a fraction of a second, "You're saying, that your lives have no meaning. You have no emotions. You have no fear. All lies." He stood up, holding the ceiling bars to stabilize himself, "You're people just like everyone else. You haven't seen combat like I have, you showed up to shoot monsters at a distance and then let the soldier rush in. I've been face to face. I've had to fight literally tooth and nail to live, and yet I still failed my unit."
Garrett shivered, then shouted, "They died because of me, people with hopes and dreams! They fought to protect their homes! Their friends! Their loved ones! They had reason to fight and they still died all because of your idiotic bureaucracy! You have no emotions? You don't deserve to be fighting by my side! You aren't even a quarter of the warriors they were! You aren't half the warriors the fresh recruits are! You're just psychopaths with authority! Tell me, why do you think you can win? Huh? Why? Tell me!" He was shouting in the face of the Sister who talked, and specks of spit were visible on her fur.
She looked away, embarrassed, as did the others. Alice was able to whisper, "It is our duty, we cannot abandon that. Don't you understand?" She looked up to see Garrett grabbing a pole with both hands, shivering and beginning to sob, "You do, but please know that we are on your side."
He wiped the tears from his eyes, "You're my second, you carved the symbol into my arm, and yet you don't understand a thing about this world." He took a breath, "You exist for the religion and to maintain the army's funding. That's it. Have you never lost someone dear? I doubt it, just like you've never faced any real danger. The rest of you are trash to me, you are the reason the soldiers don't like the Children of Iron. Just nameless, emotionless robots without purpose."
Garrett pulled out five dog tags from under his uniform, "These are the men and women I trust. This is all that's left. Each of these names tells a story, there are hard times, sad times, good times, and fun times. Entire lives are remembered only by these bits of metal. What happens when you die? You get replaced. These people can never be replaced!"
Alice drew a slow and steady breath, attempting to hide her doubt and panic, "Then what do you want from us? You can't fight alone, nobody can." The transport stopped.
Just as the Sisters rose up, "Stop." Garrett walked to the door, "Only those who have a reason to fight, who have a real purpose dear to them can follow. The rest can stay here." The door opened and he stepped out.
The Sisters didn't know what to do at first, but eventually they left the transport, "Garrett, we are not mindless robots as you might assume. We have emotions, we have feelings, we know pain, and we know joy. It is simply our training-"
"Then your training is wrong. If you plan on following me, you need to let your masks go. I won't fight by any who can't even shed a tear."
Alice looked at the others, "Very well, but you may regret that decision soon enough. Some of us are... quite talkative."
Garrett looked ahead. The massive pit in the ground was the only thing for miles. About twenty soldiers surrounded the area, and the four sentry guns were aiming down, "This is all we have to work with right? Very well."
At the very bottom was a circle of what looking like purple water. The light being emitted told onlookers that it was something more, but it was still a mystery. Even the teleporters created by the Children of Iron couldn't compare in both construction and function. Hundreds of thousands of monsters could come through as fast as they could fit, while the Children of Iron's teleporters took a day to transport 100 soldiers.
Alice spoke out above the hum in the air, "This. This is how they are getting to planets. Our evidence suggests that they are far from intelligent enough to design these portals, but they are using them. Our goal? Kill everything, infiltrate, and shut them down." She gave a signal and the other Sisters took positions around the circle.
Garrett stepped forward and looked down. It was only a matter of time before something came out, and then they would meet a very unfortunate ending. The sentry guns came to life, and the surrounding soldiers took aim. Garrett had his ash white rifle on his back, but gattling gun in his hands.
Strange creatures began to pour out, complete with elongated arms and green eyes made, of all things, out of plexiglass. Their bodies were coated in a steel purple hide with breaks to allow for movement. Underneath was purple flesh, a weakness that existed, but was nearly impossible to exploit because their steel hide rarely let it show. Their triangular heads and small mouths gave them a futuristic look, but they were no more than violent animals. Garrett aimed his gun, "Fire until nothing moves." His gattling gun fired full steam, as did the other four Sisters equipped with such violent weapons.
Monsters crawled out at an increasing frequency, but the plasma cut right through them. One made it to the top and howled at Garrett. He bashed the creature with the body of his gun, then shouted out, "You soldiers make sure nothing interrupts this place. You see something purple, you shoot." With that, he dove into the hole. This was going to end by his hand, and if that meant taking the fight to their home, then so be it.
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"...nobody...honks at... batman..." Jean had to shove Yuli. Teleportation had an unfortunate side effect of drowsiness and inducing a dream-like state, but most could snap out of it within seconds. Yuli... was not most people.
"Alright, everyone follow me. That's a direct order. I know where we need to go."
Lisa wasn't so sure, but she was responsible for Cassie, "Where? It looks like we're at war."
The chaos was perfect, it meant a small group could vanish quickly. This was probably how Jonathan got to the base unnoticed. A small community about a mile away in a bad neighborhood was the destination, not because it was hidden, but because nobody would go there willingly. Jean knew that it was safer than a police station though, she was born there, and she knew the people.
"Boss lady, the air doesn't feel right."
Yuli was right, but there wasn't time to think on it. The tension could be cut with a knife, it was only a matter of time before everything and everyone went crazy. Jean hailed down a large cab, "Hey, take me to this address, no questions asked, got it?" She handed over a scrap of paper.
The driver looked, nodded, and took off, "Jean, where are we headed?"
"A safe place, we can figure out what to do when we're there."
Lisa was scribbling something, "From what I can tell, someone is pushing for a rebellion. My evidence suggests that there is may be as little as two, three hours tops before an event happens. Mr. Cab Driver, do you know what's been happening?"
He grumbled, "You ladies seem nice, so tell you what. Don't kill me, and I'll tell you. Some of those military types have been riling people up against those Children of Iron people. Stuff like how they're kidnapping people, killing innocents, and trying to take over. I don't believe that crap, they haven't done nothing to me."
The vehicle stopped and Jean paid, "Here, take this too. Try to stay off the roads, it doesn't look good." She handed over a pistol.
The driver nodded and drove off.
"Follow me ladies, I know a place..." She drew a rifle and aimed it at some bushes, as did the others, "Step out or we'll shoot."
A young woman with an old plasma pistol raised her hands and stepped out, "Wait... it can't be... Jeannie?!"
Jean lowered her weapon, "Is it that bad already?" The girl nodded, "Where is everyone holed up?"
The girl looked around, "The old town hall building, but you need a password to get in. Follow me!"She skipped over to an old, abandoned building. Yuli started skipping too. The girl knocked three times, then twice, three times, once, then three times before the door opened, "Jeannie is home!"
An older man with an old rifle smiled, "Well, glad to see you survived the grinder. Who are your friends?" Tables and cabinets were moved and the doors fully opened.
"Old Man Greg, nice to know you're still alive." She smiled for a moment, "They were a part of my unit, it got a little crazy. Anyway, what's the situation here?"
Old Man Greg rubbed his matted chin, "Well, we mostly got everyone's valuables secured and everyone is in here for now. Plenty of food and water, but we aren't the best with guns and fighting."
Jean shook her head, "I know enough, if that's alright." Nobody seemed to disagree, "Okay, well, first thing's first. Yuli, Cassie, Lisa, get these people armed. Plasma will be shut down if there is a civil war again. These are traditional firearms, so they have more kick. If everyone is here, that's a good start."
Cassie looked around after handing out some guns, "Jean, if it's as bad as the last civil war, we won't stand a chance here. The riots alone will take us down."
It was truly a bizarre situation. The air was tense, just like during the civil war a few years back, but now there was a strange serenity about it all. As though nothing was happening, yet everything was happening. Jean was put in charge of the scavengers, but she was no military leader. If the numbers were too great, and plasma weapons weren't shut down fast enough, the community would fall. Nothing was in her favor, "Listen, just tell everyone to try and relax. Hopefully not much will happen on this side of the city, but if it does..."
She wanted to say that she was afraid. That she didn't have a plan. She didn't know how to shoot people not in uniform. Her humble beginnings taught her how to manipulate the system, not fight against people. Yuli patted her on the shoulder, "No worries boss lady, I'll be on the roof, making sure nobody gets close." She smiled her big, goofy, contagious smile, but that faded when something exploded.
The entire town hall went silent, everyone was afraid to even draw breath. Whoever was in charge made their move fast, but it was nearly impossible to tell how far away the chaos was. Yuli was on the rooftop before anyone could stop her, another good trait for the sleepy soldier. Jean picked up her radio and whispered, "What do you see?"
The few seconds of silence felt like an eternity, "I see... they're attacking the Cathedral. Bunches of people. Soldiers too, but the place is sealed up tight. No sign of the people inside... wait, nope, there's one of those non-Sisters in the clock tower. Aw dammit..." The radio contact dropped, but everyone heard Yuli's rifle fire once, "Okay, she's safe."
"Yuli, did you just..."
"Boss lady, I don't know how you got through the last civil war," She yawned, "But I had to fight. That girl was unarmed, so judge all you want. I pledged to protect the innocent and stop the monsters. What are you doing besides hiding?"
Jean looked at the ceiling with shut eyes. Yuli was right, but she didn't know that Jean survived on the "pen is mightier than the sword" method, not the "shoot anything that wants me dead" method. Even while she was in charge, her unit still did everything on their own. Jean knew it was simply a title given to help the pencil pushers organize, but she took it seriously, "Yuli... what do you need us to do?"
Another round was fired, "Well, I suggest we go throw a wrench into the rioter's plan. Get ready, we're moving closer. I recommend both long range and automatic weapons." Another round was fired, "Oh, and be sneaky. Like a slithering, sneaky snake."
The radio hit the rooftop, "Yuli? You still there? Yuli?!"
"Hmm? Sorry, I got sleepy. Heh heh..."
Within minutes, the group lead by Yuli traveled through back alleys, and eventually onto a rooftop near the Cathedral. Guns were firing, explosions ringing through the air, and pointless shouting were all that could be said of the chaos. No leaders were present as they were in the last civil war, "Clever..."
Cassie and Lisa looked at Jean, "What do you mean?"
Yuli fired, "Well, the last civil war had the leaders and antagonists on both sides present. The aggressors here are hiding. It makes them invisible so they can't take any blame in case of failure, and like the last war, they can't be shot first to calm the masses." Jean stopped right as Yuli fired again.
"Something's happening..." Yuli's statement lazily ended, but it wasn't necessary. Hundreds of plasma bursts shot skyward from inside the Cathedral's yard.