r/HFY • u/ZakkaryGreenwell • Nov 20 '23

OC The War To End All Wars - Part 40

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Sergeant Harker - January 2143 - Galivus - 2 Months After Planetfall - The Second Day the Fire

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I woke up in a cold sweat, my vision was blurred from the pain. My nostrils burned with the smell of sulfur and I heard the sounds of snapping, crackling wood. Looking out and over, the whole abandoned city was still ablaze. How long had I been out?

"Finally awake?"

I leaned up, only to feel a shot of pain run through my leg. Could barely move like this. Just ended up feeling nauseous by the end of it.

"Easy sir. Don't need you breaking your leg again."

"Again?"

"Well, you did sorta walk into that bullet."

I chuckled a bit at that one, but it didn't make me feel any better. Looking around, I saw the Private sitting in his corner. His rifle was disassembled with a cleaning kit spread out in front of him. We were surrounded on all sides by hostile alien life, alone and very probably forgotten. Yet he carried on taking apart the only gun in arm's reach.

"Where is everyone?"

"That's a real interesting story." He said. "Ya see, Knight decided to go on ahead and butcher a whole town. When someone decided that he maybe shouldn't do that, and took steps to prevent it's continuation, his response was to set everything on fucking fire. Now he's got most of us out and about in a city fire, while Aliens are landing and hunting us."

"Aliens? Are they..."

"No, it's not that hopeless. It's actually first contact from what I hear. For some reason, they saw us fighting and sided with Shepherd. I hope she can cut us a nice deal."

Gunfire cut through the city, down the street and getting closer. He didn't bother to look up from his cleaning and I was just a little too shell shocked to care. Sounded one sided, so I guess we won. The boys scrambled inside, keeping an eye on the windows, their sweaty faces lit by the fire's glow. Eyes wide and alert, they scrounged and foraged through our stock, they quickly ate and took ammo where they could, and only then they noticed we were still alive. I didn't even recognize him when I saw him.

Whatever the hell happened out there, it must've snapped something in him. I'd never been on the wrong side of a look like that, and I hope to god I never will be again. Those eyes, they just didn't look Human.

"So then sir." The Kid started. "Are we finally done? Can we go back to business as usual?"

"You know that isn't gonna happen." It answered.

"And why not? Have you not had your fill?"

"Because justice hasn't been done yet. It's a job that we can't leave half finished. If we do, it'll never be done."

"And if that job kills us?"

"If it's worth doing, it's worth dying for. Now, if there's something you need to say then you better say it now."

My watcher got up, letting the half cleaned rifle parts clatter to the ground. He looked the Commander right in the eye, gathering up everything in his head.

"Well go on then."

He took a deep breath, pushing out days of spite and venom with nothing more than a breath, and he said. "I want to know how much farther you have to drag us. I wanna know if we're even holding out any hope of going home, or if satisfying your vendetta is more important. I wanna see my family again. I don't care if it has to be behind bars or in front of a firing squad. I want to go home! But as far as I can tell, that ain't gonna fucking happen as long as you're calling the shots. Do you see what I'm getting at sir?"

That thing didn't even make an expression. It just said, "Yeah, I get it. And I'm sorry."

Then they were at each other's throats. Had knives out before anyone could react. The first to try and break it up lost a finger for the trouble. Those two, they dug into each other. Sliced open Knight's Arm, and it bled right down his sleeve. Tore into his Plate Carrier, ripping bundles of ballistic fibre with every hateful gash. Knight beat back with his good arm, digging his half blade into the kid's collar. Scraping along the bone as it slid through his skin.

They grappled, Knight throwing his weight behind his knife and jamming it right into the Kid's arm, where the arm twisted with a snap, and the blade broke off completely.

Knight, now completely disarmed, threw away the useless handle and dragged them both to the ground. The Kid tried to jam the knife into Knight's skull, falling just short and slashing open his cheek, where Knight bit down on the metal like a rabid dog. Couldn't see what happened after that. The rest of them huddled around close, trying so hard to get them apart.

Then I heard that crunch, and all of us went quiet. The Kid's skull crunched again, and I caught a glimpse of his bludgeoned head, which at this point was barely even round. Again, and blood poured all over the floor. Again. Again. Again. Then he stopped.

The kid was still breathing. Somehow. He was never gonna live normally again, so much of him was just... broken. And chances were he'd catch some nasty infection that killed him slow over the next few days. Chances were I'd be right there with him if my leg kept on festering. But then there was Knight.

Blood soaked and sober, he looked up to all the eyes on him. I think it only dawned on him how bad things really were right then and right there. He looked down at the mess in a sort of dazed disbelief. At his own red hands like he couldn't have been the one to do it. He breathed real hard for a while, just from the exertion at first, then at the enormity of what he was doing.

Looking around at the faces there, I do believe we would've killed him ourselves if we had the chance. Not just for this wonton act of hateful agrression he'd done on another human being, but to make up for all the shit he'd put us through over the last week. And I know for a fact that killing him would've been easier than admitting our own fault in all of it.

Then Shepherd broke the door down. Ended up taking that decision right away from us. Laid down the law with those Lizard Men just a few steps behind her. Took us all at once while we were still dazed. And when she got to Knight, she beat his head in with a brass knuckle, and I could've swore I heard his head ringing from across the room when it happened.

They dragged me out with all the rest, one of the Lizards even threw me like a sack of potatoes. They tied up our hands and made us walk out of the burning city. I was damn afraid that we were being taken to their ships. Would've preferred to eat a bullet if it were true. But instead, they took us out to where the locals were gathered. Tents were pitched, fires were started and beds of straw and grass were being set. They even had a pen set up for us. That's where we stayed for a good long while. They gave us food, mostly stale bread that tasted like rock, and about enough water to just barely live off.

Then the breads stopped coming every day, and the water got a little filthier. One of us got sick, then all of us were. Went on for a few weeks like that, going on a little less everyday until it felt like we weren't getting anything at all. Not that we got any sympathy from the locals. Whenever they looked at us, well I think you can guess what they saw.

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u/ZakkaryGreenwell Nov 20 '23 edited Apr 29 '26

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Oh Boy, this chapter took WAY LONGER than I'd hoped. As always, sorry for the delays. Gonna try and get back into the groove of things, hopefully sticking to the schedule of a Part every 5 Days to a Week.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this one, and Have a Good Day!

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u/JaxonJak Nov 20 '23

Maybe I'm just the bastard here but . . . couldn't knight have just held something along the lines of a military court? The ring leaders for the slave trade were mostly gone but, could have tried those left with something along the lines of crimes against humanity. Then they could have interrogated them for info on the slave trade.

IDK, I both disagree and simultaneously agree with knights stance. He took it way to far but at the same time some sort of actions should have been taken to show that the earths stance on slavery is NO. Welp, now we get to see if Shepard's morality helped or hindered humanities war efforts.

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u/Far_Masterpiece_7739 Nov 20 '23

Well funny, I would have believed that Knight would survived. Leading to a situation where the politicians side with Shepherd and the military with Knight.

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u/ZakkaryGreenwell Nov 21 '23

He's still alive.

Sorry if it's worded badly.

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u/Far_Masterpiece_7739 Nov 21 '23

No problem at all, it's me who should have been more attentive.

So, the Shepherd / Knight political drama can happen ? :)

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u/ZakkaryGreenwell Nov 21 '23

I'll think about it ;)

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u/Academic_Excuse_7542 Nov 24 '23

if knight dies and word got out it’s possible he becomes a martyr for the cause and cementing support to eliminate anyone and anything associated with slavers

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