The Battle for Humanity (Part One)

"The new age has arrived. I realize this as I sit here on this rock and stare into the vastness of space. Mankind is a troubled species, never finding comfort in its own miracle of life. Never believing that maybe all that is needed to unlock the mysteries of creation is to lay down their old and tired ways. But no, war and destruction still reigns supreme. I stand up for a second, looking at the magnificence of it all, of how on this small rock, we were born together, we supposedly live together and we die together."

-Unknown Author

Late 24th Century

***

"Lieutenant, how much time do we have left?" I looked back. It’s Daniel. He holds his MAT 56 firmly to his side. His armor bloodstained and worn out.

"About an hour, the pulse satellite is targeting us now. Command says that it’ll pick us up as soon as the interference is gone." I pulled out a pack of GOODS. "You smoke Daniel?"

"No sir," He says whipping the sweat from his brow. "Those things will kill you."

"Your very right. But seeing on how I may eventually die because of this war, it really doesn’t measure up, does it?" Daniel shakes his head. I take one out and light it.

"How bad do you think we got hit today Lieutenant?" Daniel asks.

"Call me Richard, son. That whole superiority thing has gone down to shit." Daniel smirks.

"Yeah, Richard." He sits down next to me. Placing his MAT 56 on the ground.

He was a kid, maybe twenty. Throughout the entire engagement we had maybe spoken twice, and now...Now things were different. War does that to you. You fight next to each other, you die for one another, and things change.

"We got hit pretty bad today. I don’t know the actual figures yet, but from what Command said..." I paused for a second, for the first time I feared the human race wasn’t going to make it. I feared that this was the point of no return. "...Half a million."

When I looked at him, I was surprised. He wasn’t shocked. He actually, nodded as I told him. A nice calm nod, one that says to you, Yeah I thought so.

"You’re not surprised Daniel?" He looked down at his MAT 56 and picked it up for a closer view.

"You know something sir?" He said, polishing the gun with his hand "Today while we were battling, I killed about a hundred and fifty Drones. And all I could think of was on how right it was." He turned on the pinpoint targeting system (PTS) on the 56. He aimed toward the horizon, toward all the dead bodies. "I like to think of myself as a pacifist. But when I was in battle, this fire lit up in me. Righteousness maybe." He shuts down the (PTS). And sets it on solar charge. "I would die for this cause. I know all those others would have to."

"It makes me happy to hear that son. Hopefully we’ll be the lucky ones." I got up and dusted myself off. "I’m going to check up on the others."

"You do that Lieu...Richard." He stayed there, looking out into the scorched desert landscape. We all have our own demons I guess. They are as varied and lasting as any formidable foe. And we deal with them in our own ways. Some, like Daniel’s are better than others.

***

Shortly after that the pulse satellite picked us up. High Command rushed our unit in first; apparently we were the sector with the least amount of casualties.

"Lieutenant Swift?" The old man said almost shouting.