The Soldier

Chapter 1

Born: September 23, 2092
Name: Jett Thompson
Sex: male
Occupation: soldier

June 26, 2112
I'm being promoted to Captain today. I'm not so sure if I deserve it. I wouldn't be here without Regent, I never would've made it out of the nest if it wasn't for her. I only wish she could be here to see this.

July 2, 2112
We're shipping out today. My unit has been assigned to replenish the troops on the front lines under the command of General Black. Black's face hasn't been seen by a single soul, some say he isn't even human, but I don't believe it, no way he'd get into our military. The guy is a total mystery, he only talks during battle in order to keep his troops in line and make sure the battle plan is carried out flawlessly. I must say he does a pretty damn fine job, I'm relieved that the attack is under his command. No possible way we could lose. I did acquire some annoying new recruits. However, my name isn't Jett "The Handler" Thompson for no reason. They'll find out soon enough that I am not to be fooled with.

July 3, 2112
Harpies are just one of the many species we're at war with, and I must say, they are by far the most repulsive of all our enemies. The Harpies, being extremely intelligent, perceptive and ugly is what makes the Harpies terrifying to our soft troops (troops that have never seen battle). Standing at an average height of 13 feet tall the beasts are a class all their own and are a force to be reckoned with. Using nothing but immense speed and power, combined with melee weapons of their own design makes warfare with these demons intensely gruesome.

July 4, 2112
We landed on H-78 today, an awfully hot, barren, once uninhabited planet until the Harpies fled here from their home planet. General Black has led the offensive against these brutal monsters after they massacred a group of researchers from SAHP (Space Association for Human Protection) were sent to their planet to gain more knowledge about the planet and the intelligent species occupying it. Many say General Black over reacted to the situation. I mean, ordering the extinction of a species because of the deaths of a few of our own seems excessive. Rumors have surfaced that Black's daughter was a member of the team that was slaughtered, but no one has confirmed those rumors.

July 5, 2112
People give me so many looks. I'm 8 feet 11 inches tall and I've trained for war my entire life. I got my nickname from the war story that gifted me my current rank. My partner, Regent Skyy, and I were tracking a band of pirates to what we thought was a cave that was home only to inferior creatures. However, upon arrival, we discovered the remains of the Pirates we were tracking. I could sense Regent's uneasiness, she inched forward into the mouth of the damp cave, stopping where not even light would dare to tread. She motioned for me to come forward and take point. As I moved in front of my partner I looked at my C-D and it depicted the tracking device moving deeper still. I heard an ear piercing shriek from deep inside the cave accompanied by the scent of death. Sweating now, I glanced at Regent and I was met by a reassuring nod that released my newly fear bound body. My senses were elevated and my heart felt as if were desperately trying to escape my rib cage. We traveled about 250 feet into the cavern and the smell was horrid. I could feel something watching me. Suddenly my foot slammed into the face of a pirate. The only thing left of him was his head. As I inspected the surrounding area for the item the pirate had stolen, Regent signaled for me to hurry. I grabbed the item and turned around only to be met by the glowing eyes of a Jackal. I'm about the same size as Jackals so I was able to defeat them easily in one on one combat. I grabbed it's throat and threw the slimy creature into the stalactites above. I pulled out my sword and readied myself. This was a nest. The Jackal's breeding grounds. They're pale savage monsters with razor sharp 5 inch teeth that are visible at all times. They have pitch black eyes and slimy skin, but in place of their hands they have spikes made out of their bones. I dodged their built in spears and sliced through their bodies. The more I slew the more their numbers grew. I turned to Regent, she seemed to be doing fine. She is a fine marksman and has never missed a target she aims to kill. I yelled at Regent to run and call for an evacuation, I ran close behind her and when I caught up to her I plucked her from the ground and sprinted full speed ahead. The Jackals followed and I threw Regent out of the Jackal's sight. I continued to hold them back as Regent called for back up. Then, the Jackals suddenly stopped charging and I was thankful for being able to catch my breath. I looked up and saw a Jackal the size of which no one had ever seen. It could speak, and it asked why we disturb them. Before I could answer, it lunged at me and I knew in that moment I was going to die. Everything I worked for was all going to be in vain. Time moved slowly and I thought about Regent. The two of us had grown up together. Since our training started at age 5 she had been my closest friend. Everyone else treated me like a freak due to my size, but not Regent. She helped me with my academics and I helped her develop her fighting skills, classic brawn-brains combo. When we turned 18 our training was finished and only the top 5 academic and athletic soldiers got to pick partners. The academics picked first and Regent chose me. From that point on we were an unstoppable team, able to handle any challenge thrown our way, but this unexpected battle had obviously proved to be too much. I closed my eyes expecting to feel it's arm plunge into my stomach, but it hadn't. I opened my eyes and discovered that Regent had sacrificed herself for me. Time stopped. I was engulfed in the flames of rage and tears flowed down my red cheeks. My head was throbbing. I heard the rescue Hawk circling close by. I reached out and caught Regent's falling body after the Jackal had removed it's pike. She was still alive. "I had a good run, thanks for everything" she whispered to me, laying in my trembling hands accompanied by a pool of her own blood. Knowing I could do nothing, I laid her down and unsheathed my sword. I leapt at the leader's head. I threw my sword into the Jackal's chest and latched onto one of it's teeth with my hand. I squeezed the tooth so hard I shattered the said unbreakable Jackal bone. Now standing on the beast's shoulder, I ripped out the abomination's teeth out one by one. Completely silent I stared into the eyes of my opponent before slamming my fists into each eye socket and violently tearing away it's dark eyes. I jumped off and pried my sword out of the Jackal's chest and charged once more, knowing full well that my enemy had perished, I longed for revenge and I was not satisfied. I planted the hilt of my blade into the ground, launched my left leg at the back of the falling leader's head and connected with it. Decapitation followed. The body fell on my blade and I caught the leader's head. The lesser Jackals now horrified, started to back away slowly. I let out a cry so loud it could be heard for miles. The Jackals retreated and I gathered Regent's body and stared into her lifeless eyes. I was a battle hardened soldier that fought only with a blade, but in that moment I was reduced to a small boy who's world had just been shattered. The air was cold and even though the leader hadn't stabbed me, it sure as hell felt like it. I begged her to come back to me, crying, I yelled at her in anger for saving me. It should've been me I thought. I should've died. A crew member from the rescue Hawk went to retrieve me. I boarded the aircraft and returned to base, the crew had witnessed my brutality and word spread amongst the ranks, that I was a monster myself.

July 6, 2112
The rumors about General Black were confirmed today. A friend of mine was sent with his partner to search for the remains of the 3 of the researchers that were never found. After ambushing a patrol of the few Harpies that still inhabit Draton, my friend, Scott Trimone, had retrieved the dog tags of the the 3 researchers. Their tags had been turned into a necklace so the Harpy could show off how tough they were. One of the names recovered was Victoria Black, daughter of General Francis H. Black. Upon receiving news of Scott's findings, Black went to the sight himself. I've never personally seen Black, and now that I'm a Captain with the added fact that I was at the top of the athletic charts for my graduating class, I have special privileges. I traveled to the sight where Black was stationed to get my first good look at him. He was absolutely magnificent. Wearing full black body armor with red and golden trim, a helmet which resembled a black skull and carrying on his back a short sword with a design that flowed like wind and inscribed upon the blade was a symbol from the dead language, Japanese, that meant "black". He had to be at least 7 feet tall. He is my idol, I strive to be like him, his war stories are legendary, he is considered by many to be the most competent General that human kind has ever known.

July 7, 2112
Victoria's funeral was scheduled today at 1400 hours. Black gave a speech, which was a very pleasant surprise to all of the people who attended the funeral. Black spoke about her achievements. Apparently she graduated a year before me and was at the top of the academic charts. She had a partner named Jason Gratt, however he went rouge years ago. No one knows his whereabouts as of now. Victoria was here to learn about the Harpies, which are a newly discovered species, and about the planet they called home. Her findings have not been found yet however, when they do, it could give us a major insight to the Harpies genetics and a possible way to take them all out while abiding by the Geneva code. One major rule is that no one in any branch of the military may destroy a planet or sun. Another rule is that Generals may not order the extinction of a species without a just reason. So that leads me to believe there is more to this war than what many think.

July 8, 2112
I returned to the front lines today. This would be the first time I'll be fighting solo...