El'Anorath (First Draft)

Chapter Three

         The sun sat low in its ascent and peeked over the eastern horizon as the three sat in the Sergeant's truck, speeding down a long and flat dirt road headed north through an area of flat land.  The sky was a vibrant orange and yellow and clouds crowded together in patches of deep purple and red cotton.  Wells sat in the back, her arms crossed as she glared at the back of Sergeant DeVega's head.

         DeVega occasionally slowed down to turn round a bend in the road, but kept his foot down on the accelerator as much as he could.  He kept a watchful eye on the road ahead, looking for any signs of a trap or ambush.  His vigilance was unnecessary, however, and they passed along the road without incident.  Though the dirt and dust kicked up by the truck did not go unnoticed by watchful eyes sitting atop distant hills.

         They soon passed out of the open land and down into a wide valley overlooked on three sides by tall snow-capped mountains.  Nathalya sat in wonder at their magnitude.

         "Those are the Hollin mountains," announced DeVega.  "There is a large Corrinite force holding the area.  The locals regard the mountains as sacred and have set up numerous outposts scattered throughout.  They also have some villages and temples on some of the hillsides.  We've tried many times, but we can't seem to break their lines and take the tallest peak there," he said as he pointed to one peak that stood over the rest.  "A communications tower on that would push out a clear signal strong enough to reach all of our troops."

         "All of this for a comm tower?" Nathalya asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

         After another hour of driving into the deep valley, the three passed small patches of snow now melting in the morning heat.  Winter was coming to an end and the flowers were beginning to awaken and blossom brightly.  The road cut its path through the sloping terrain and turned sharply at the bottom of the valley.  In the distance, small tents loomed into view and smoke rose from the morning cooking fires. 

         "Welcome to base camp," announced DeVega as they drove up to a wide gate.  The gate guard peered into the truck at the passengers and then waved them in.  The gate swung open and DeVega drove inside.  He continued down the road and came to a stop next to several other trucks.  He turned the engine off and the three exited the vehicle.

         Nathalya turned and looked around.  There were many tents in neat rows and one large tent in the center of the small compound.  Soldiers walked about and maintenance crews were hard at work.  Vehicles weaved around foot traffic and an occasional transport or fighter aircraft roared overhead.

         "Is that..," started Wells, her eyes fixed on something large moving around at the other end of the compound. 

         "A war machine?" finished Nathalya.

         "Pretty wild, isn't it?" DeVega boasted.  "We only just got that one in yesterday.  He's been acting up though, doesn't want to accept our archaic control systems."

         They watched as the machine ran a basic field test sequence.  It lifted a small truck over its head, then set it back down gently before walking back and forth in alternating directions.  The ground shook as it landed with a thud after performing a leap over the truck.

         "Seems to be working just fine to me," said Nathalya.

         "They're getting the bugs out of it, still too unreliable to take it into the field, though," DeVega said, then added, "It'll be nice to finally get to see it in action when they get it to cooperate."

         Just then, a soldier came up to DeVega with a salute.

         "The commander wants to see you in his tent. All three of you," he reported.

         "We're on our way.  Thank you," said DeVega.

         The three walked to a white tent with two banners, red with the Alliance insignia and two gold stars in the center, hanging out front.  Once inside, they walked up to a man sitting behind a large desk.  They saluted him and gave their names.

         "I'm glad you've made it, finally," said the young Commander.  "I am Commander Proudmore and your timing could not be more perfect, I've just sat down for tea.  Would you care for some?" he asked.  The three refused politely.

         "Well, Sergeant DeVega, thank you for getting them here safely, but I wish to speak to Agent Harms and Technical Wells alone," he requested.  DeVega saluted, then turned and left the tent.

         "So tell me, Agent Harms, what is your history with the Alliance?" the Commander asked.

         "I've been in the service for just under two years.  I spent my first year in training, and most of the second year on Pharris where I was a team leader," told Nathalya.

         "And your mission success rate?"

         "Ninety-five percent."

         "Impressive.  Sergeant DeVega has no doubt told you of your assignment here?"

         "He has."

         "Good.  You'll be starting today," said the Commander.  Nathalya's eyes widened.  He went on.  "I took the liberty of digging into your records a bit.  I'm very impressed and I want you to hit the ground running.  I realize you will be a bit out of place, being a Ghost and all, but do you think you can handle such a fast turnaround?"

         "I will do my best, Commander," said Nathalya.

         "Very well.  I've done my research on "Ghosts", and I do eventually plan to utilize your specific position.  But first, let me fill you in a bit on our background here, take a seat and feel free to ask questions," the Commander motioned to a chair.  Nathalya pulled it up and sat down.  Wells stood quietly behind her and listened to the Commander as he began.

         "The Corrinites are heavily fortified in the mountains.  We are here to bring down their defenses and construct a communications tower on the tallest peak, which the locals call 'Li'im Rul', or 'High Place', in the common tongue.  They hold it sacred and believe that it is a beacon or symbol of power.  That doesn't matter, though.  What matters is that once we break their lines and build the tower, a communications unit can join us here and have unlimited range to all of our camps and outposts.

         "We work in large forces here, sometimes up to a hundred and fifty infantrymen.  Things have slowed down lately, but with yesterday's convoy from Xera, we are resupplied and ready for our next big push into the lower hills.  That will come this evening, so make sure you are ready.  Technical Wells, you will set up in the command tent," he said, and drank the remainder of his tea.  More tea was brought in and they spoke for another half hour before Nathalya and Wells were dismissed.  They left the tent to find the sun was now directly overhead and the wind had picked up.

         The Commander had given them a combined living assignment and they made their way down the rows of tents until they found one that had their names on a plaque out front.  Wells opened the flap and they stepped inside. It was furnished with two green cots and a dresser.  Together, they unpacked and when finished, headed out to the mess hall for lunch.

         Sitting together, nibbling on biscuits, Nathalya and Wells spoke little.  They were mentally preparing for the events that would follow in just a few hours time.  They finished eating and stood to leave. Before they reached the exit, Sergeant DeVega caught up with them.

         "Mission brief in one hour, Harms,"  he said.  He looked stern and not as cheerful as he was when the two had first met him. 

         "We'll be there,"  replied Nathalya. 

         "We'll be leaving straight from the brief to the transport vehicles, so bring everything you need with you."

         "Right,"  nodded the two.

         Time seemed to be racing forward.  Before they could relax again, Nathalya and Wells had packed for the evenings events and were sitting in the command tent with around a hundred others, waiting for the brief to start.  The room stood as two men, one clearly battle-worn, the decorations on his uniform plentiful, and the other, a young man carrying a laptop, entered from the front. The laptop was plugged in and the battle-worn man motioned for everyone to take their seats.  Then he spoke.

         "The time is now fourteen hundred hours.  I am Lieutenant Jonathan Springer and I will be conducting this afternoon's mission brief.  Slide, please." he said.  The second man clicked a button and changed the projection. 

         "At approximately zero four hundred hours this morning, our scouts reported heavy Corrinite troop movement from a small village located here," he said, pointing to a spot on a map of the mountains projected onto the wall of the tent.  "Just two miles north of the main line of resistance.  They were moving south and took positions along the lower hills.  They know we're coming for them, boys and girls.

         "No doubt they noticed yesterday's supply convoy from Xera.  Slide.  Long range satellite images also show that they have reallocated several fighter jets.  Avengers, watch yourselves out there and radio back if you need us to scramble reinforcement jets," he nodded towards the fighter pilots.  "To the ground forces, keep your eyes up.  Watch for ballistae and napalm.  Slide.  They've also dug large trenches throughout the hillside.  Our initial plan is to use those trenches to our advantage. 

"Avenger zero one will lead a bombing run parallel to the main trench, here.  After the bombs drop, our ground forces will charge in three waves; the first from directly south, the next from the west and, finally, a charge from the east will envelop the trenches.  We'll come at them like a hammer striking an anvil, as they said of old.

"Once we secure the trenches, Avenger zero two will lay down a suppressive bombing run down the face of the next hillside here, while our units bunker down in the trenches.  From there, the enemy should be scattered and disoriented enough that we can diverge and charge the apex.  Slide.  We expect they will retreat to the next hilltop, but their numbers should be small enough at that time that we can send out small task units to clean up," he finished and then asked, "Does anyone have any questions at this point?" When no hands went up, he continued with the briefing. 

They spent another hour going over the finer details and timing coordination.  The young man took a roll call and Springer broke the large group down into three smaller units which would be loaded, one group to each, onto three large rotary aircraft. They would then be flown in low and slow and make several touchdowns to disperse the units over a two mile area.  Nathalya's name was called and she was assigned to the first group to exit the aircraft.

Lieutenant Springer looked at his watch and concluded the brief.  "Barring any further questions, this will conclude the mission briefing.  Whatever god you pray to, may they be with you and keep you safe.  It is an honor to fight at your sides and I would gladly give my life to protect any of you.  Seeing as how likely that is, the Commander has bid me to stay here at the control center.  Good luck and Godspeed.  Dismissed!"  he finished and saluted the group.

The group stood in sync and saluted back, then they hustled out of the tent and finished preparing for takeoff. Wells stood in front of Nathalya.

"I'll keep my eyes open for you, Nat," said Wells, handing Nathalya one of the earpieces she received earlier.  She put the other in her ear.

"See that you do, I don't really know what to expect out there," Nathalya replied, fixing her own earpiece in place.  They shook hands and parted ways. 

Wells made her way to the control tent and set up her workstation while Nathalya

stood and waited on the flight line for the aircraft to board.  In her mind, she ran through her basic combat maneuvers.  She checked over her rifle and pistols and pulled the straps tight on her armor.  Finally, the time came.  Nathalya steeled herself and climbed aboard the aircraft when the doors dropped open. She found a seat near the back and strapped herself in.  She couldn't decide if the shivers running down her spine were from her nerves or from the cold air pumped through vents over their heads.

         The engines roared to life as boarding continued. When everyone was seated, the doors closed together.  Nathalya found she was shaking her legs nervously.  Suddenly, there came a voice from her earpiece.

         "Can you hear me?  Check.  Check,"  It was Wells' voice. 

         "Loud and clear, Wells, how me?" replied Nathalya.

         "Loud and clear.  I'm syncing up through the earpiece.  You might feel a little fuzzy at first, We haven't used this system before," Wells said, and no sooner that she did that Nathalya indeed saw her vision blur slightly and a wave of anxiety came over her body.  As soon as it came, however, the feeling left her and she returned to normal. 

         "I'm in," came Wells' voice in Nathalya's ear.  "I can see everything you see, just keep your head on a swivel."

         Nathalya's stomach dropped unpleasantly as the aircraft took off.  She watched out of a small window as it rose above the ground higher and higher.  When it reached its travelling altitude it lurched forward and sped towards the Hollin Mountains, the other two aircraft in tow.  Nathalya checked her weapons one last time.

         "Take a deep breath," said Wells' voice, "Your heart rate is sky high,"  Nathalya closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  She breathed several more times and felt her nerves lessen.

         "That's better.  You'll need your oxygen for when you touch down.  Don't try to be a hero out there, just stay safe.  Have you checked your weapons?  How's your ammunition?" pried Wells.

         "You're making me more nervous, Wells," snapped Nathalya. 

         "All right, I'll cut the chatter.  I'll be watching."

         A few more minutes flashed by and the aircraft began a rapid descent.  Nathalya continued breathing deeply and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach.  Suddenly, the wheels touched down and the doors swung open.  Nathalya was the first out of the back of the aircraft.  She ran for cover behind a small rock formation where she was joined by five or six others.  Soon, the hillside was dotted with Alliance troops.  Some running up the grass-patched hill, others taking cover, but always their rifles were fixed towards the hilltops.

         Nathalya surveyed the land around her; the eerie silence over the hilltops was deafening as the soldiers rushed to cover.  There was a small creek east of her position that ran down into the valley.  On the west side of the creek, the land was sloping gradually with many structures.  On the east side, it seemed impassable.  A steep bank rose out of the water and broke high above their heads.  It was covered in loose skree and large boulders.

         Higher up the hill on the west side, it leveled out and gave way to a large, somewhat flat area.  Nathalya assumed that this would be, based on the images she had seen at the briefing, where the trenches dug by the enemy would start. 

         "The rest of the troops are almost on the ground, the bombing runs should be starting soon,"  announced Wells.  Nathalya gripped her rifle tightly and kept her head low.  A minute passed by, then another.  Nathalya wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

         There came a rumble overhead and an Alliance fighter jet roared over the hilltop,  its engines spouting flames like dragon fire.  It disappeared as quick as it came, but not before delivering its payload.  On the hilltop came three large explosions followed by countless others as the larger munitions split into hundreds of bomblets.  The sound was deafening and could be heard for miles around.

         The first unit, directly south on the hillside, began to charge before the dust could settle.  Still it was quiet and a strange contrast to the din of the bombs that had been dropped. They reached the top of the hill and pointed rifles into the trenches.  There were no enemies to be found.  The hillside was still and quiet as the dust continued to settle.  The infantrymen looked around for any trace of life, but none could be found. 

         There came a low hiss from off to Nathalya's east that grew steadily louder and then stopped altogether.  She looked over in time to see several more fire lit arrows flit down into the trenches.  A whoosh filled the air as one of the arrows hit the mark.  A great fire erupted from the trench just in front of Nathalya's unit.  Several men were caught in the blaze and were burned or singed by the licking flames, their screams piercing through the air.

         Nathalya jumped back and looked up in time to see several men with bow and quiver standing atop the opposite bank beyond the creek that divided them.  She looked around for cover and ducked behind another formation of rocks.  The rattle of gunfire replaced arrows as the ambush was revealed. 

         "There are too many of them!" shouted Wells.  "I couldn't see them before; they've just popped up out of nowhere!  There must have been some kind of jamming device active!"

         Nearby explosions echoed off the hilltops and rounds pelted the ground around Nathalya and the others trapped with her.  Just for a moment, she wondered how the other two units were fairing.

         "Well this is messy.  The other two teams are completely pinned as well, taking heavy losses.  This will be one for the record books,"  came Wells voice into Nathalya's ear, seemingly guessing Nathalya's thoughts.

         "How many are there?" screamed Nathalya.

         "Too many to count by what I'm seeing on screen.  I'd say the entire plan from earlier has been nullified. What do you want me to do?"

         Nathalya yelled loudly so Wells could hear her over the battlefield noises.  "Tell the Lieutenant what has happened, ask him to send Avenger zero two early.  Tell him to suppress the east bank!"

         "Right, hang in there and I'll be back. Don't do anything stupid," said Wells.

         "I'm not going anywhere," Nathalya replied.  She chanced a look over the rocks and saw that many other soldiers were pinned under heavy fire.  Medics tended to those that had been burned and made it to cover, but several others remained wounded and in the open.  Nathalya brought up her rifle and rested it on top of the rocks. 

She spotted several enemy soldiers attempting to flank to her east and started firing.  Two fell dead before they knew what was happening and could run for cover.  Another fell before the remaining two made it beyond a small brush and out of Nathalya's sight.  She knelt back down behind the rock and kept her head low. From overhead there came another roar of a fighter aircraft.

"You might want to take cover.  Avenger zero two is on his way,"  said Wells.  Debris showered Nathalya from the opposite bank and the jet was gone again.  The gunfire slowed to just a few shots here and there and Nathalya chanced another look.  The top of the bank looked deserted.  She joined many other soldiers as they abandoned their cover and made for the creek.  Keeping low but fast, she trotted into the shallow but icy water and stood below the overhanging foliage.

The explosions had shook loose part of the high bank and dammed the water a little ways up the hill.  Nathalya followed her fellow combatants to it and soon they stood on top of the bank, weapons pointed up the gently sloping hillside.  As she peered further up the hillside, she saw that there were barricades set up a short distance away.  The gunfire broke out again in furious bursts from the direction of the barricades.  Nathalya ducked low and put her back to a small tree.

More Alliance soldiers began making their way to the top of the bank and then took cover among the rocks or trees. Some never made it, and fell lifeless to the ground.  Those that did make it checked their ammo and then started to return fire.  Nathalya had a thought, just then, and looked off to the eastern side of the steadily thicker trees.  For the most part, the east flank was exposed.

Silently and alone, Nathalya kept low and passed quickly from tree to tree until she could look behind the barricades. She crept closer and closer until she stood directly behind an enemy soldier at one of the rear barricades.  With a quick strike to the back of his head with the butt of her rifle, he fell to the ground. She sprinted to the next barricade, but the gig was up.  The enemy soldier turned and pointed his rifle directly at her as she ran. 

She chose a spot behind the enemy and blinked her eyes.  When she did this, she disappeared from his sight.  He stood dumbfounded for a split second before Nathalya appeared behind him and lashed out with her rifle.  It connected with the side of his head and he fell to the ground unconscious.

She rested for a minute with her back pressed against the steel barricade.  Looking around, she noticed a number of Alliance members had seen what she was doing and were now closing in behind her.  They came up beside her and started firing at the backs of enemy soldiers.  Many dropped their weapons and put their hands up in surrender.  The gunfire came to a cease in the area and the Alliance infantrymen reloaded.

"I'm not reading as many signatures, now.  I think they've retreated to the wall behind the next hilltop," said Wells' voice.  Nathalya saw that the remaining Alliance soldiers were now advancing and removing the weapons from the surrendered enemies.  She slung her weapon and walked from behind the barricade.  She walked to a gaggle of resting infantry and leaned against a tree to catch her breath.

"I'm glad things have settled down for you, Nat, it is a war zone up here in command.  The Lieutenant and the Commander are furious,"  said Wells.  Nathalya stood and walked over to the end of the hilltop.  She found herself overlooking another deep valley to the east.  There was a deep lake in the middle of it and a river that flowed from the lake off into the horizon. Breathing deeply, cold air filled her lungs and she felt slightly refreshed. 

It seemed strange to Nathalya how quickly things had come to an end that evening.  As she continued to look down into the valley, feeling the cool breeze rustle her hair, her adrenaline subsided and a heaviness came over her.  The land, though vast and beautiful, seemed lonely.  She wondered if Erath had felt this way when the titans of legend she'd read about turned against their masters and began to destroy the planet they had helped to recreate. It would be strange, she thought, to feel the joy of renewal, only to be betrayed and left to wither once again. 

The sun now sat just above the horizon and there were several small camps set up throughout the hillside, one of which housed the Corrinite prisoners taken that day.  Night soon fell and the fires were lit and watchmen posted on the perimeter.  Nathalya lay on a patch of soft grass near a tall tree and looked up at the star filled sky above.  The moon shone bright enough to cast the shadow of a figure that came and stood over her.

"That was a crazy thing you did today," said the figure.  "But it was your quick thinking that dug us out of the hole we were in."

Nathalya looked closely, but the figure's face was hidden in deep shadow under a hood pulled over his head.  "Who are you?" she asked, sitting upright.  The figure lowered the hood and Nathalya breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized the man.

"Sergeant DeVega," she sighed.  "I'm glad to see you are okay."

"I'm well, but we have a lot of dead and even more wounded to report tonight.  We can hold the hill, at least, but not for long.  The Lieutenant is talking with the Commander to come up with a plan for tomorrow.  They're not pleased with the lack of communication that occurred here today.  When the trap was sprung and all hell broke loose, we acted more like scared children than soldiers of the Alliance," he said, clearly disappointed. Nathalya attempted consolation.

"But we managed to complete the objective set for us at the briefing, we took the hill," she said.

"We did, but at a great cost.  I fear that if you hadn't taken quick action, our men would have broken down completely.  Our commander was most impressed with they way you and Wells operated together and says he's thankful to have gained you two.  I think it's the first time he's seen an Agent and their Technical at work. 

"When our men saw the bombs drop over the bank, their spirits renewed.  To see you, again, take the first action to flank those barricades, they were inspired.  You have a knack for rallying troop morale.  There was one curious thing I noticed, however.  I watched you as you charged the barricades; I thought you foolish and was certain you would not return from such recklessness.  You certainly have more about you than can be guessed. Was it a trick, or do you have some kind of device that hides you from sight momentarily?" DeVega said.

"I've been able to do that for a long time, ever since I was a little girl growing up on Pharris.  It is neither a trick nor a device.  My mother taught me how to do that and a few other things before she passed away.  She was one of the Calari and I inherited some of her power."

Sergeant DeVega's eyes widened when he heard the word 'Calari'.

"You've heard of them?" asked Nathalya.

"Most of my people have.  It is an old tale told to young children in a small farming village on Pharris, where I was born," he said, then sat beside Nathalya and looked into the night sky.  He then started recounting the tale as he had heard when he was a child.

"Long ago, when the planet Erath was dying, there came into being a great race of people that brought with them the knowledge to save the dying planet.  They helped build the titans to reform and revitalize Erath just in the brink of time.  When Erath was finally rebuilt and stabilized, the Calari trusted the power of the titans to mankind.  The greedy men of Erath saw the opportunity to use the titans for profit and personal gains.  Soon, others saw the power and wanted it for themselves.

"War broke out and the greedy men used the titans as weapons, quickly destroying the opposition.  The titans became too much for the greedy men to control, and they turned on them, deeming them unworthy of the gift they had been given by the peaceful Calari.  The rage of the titans destroyed the very planet that they had helped to rebuild.  Those that were able to, fled the planet and the remaining humans and Calari were left to die with Erath once again.

"Erath was plunged into darkness and the titans fell silent before dealing the final blow.  Now, humankind wanders the dark planet, cold and lonely and fighting day and night to survive.  Some are hopeful that the titans will awaken again and grant them a second chance, but others believe that the titans pitied them, and thus left the humbled humans to die of their own fates."

Above the two, a star flew across the sky and disappeared over the black horizon.  Nathalya knew the story as well, with minor differences.  But the moral of the story was the same as the story told by DeVega.

"My mother left Erath on a small merchant cargo ship and met my father some years later.  They built a home on Pharris where I was born.  I was fifteen when she was lost.  My father said that the time of the Calari had finally come to an end, and she was needed by her people on the other side.  This belonged to her," she said, and pulled the ring and chain from her shirt. 

"It's beautiful," said DeVega.

         They sat together for a while until DeVega bade her goodnight and left her alone.  The night grew cold and Nathalya found that she was shivering.  She gathered wood and tinder and lit a small fire.

         "Good night, Trin," she said.

         "Good night.  Sleep tight," Wells replied through the ear piece.  Nathalya pulled her cloak tight about her and then lay her head on her pack and fell into a light sleep.