Brian Larson.

Private.

121st Platoon. 12th Company.

1st Armored Battalion. 1st Phasewalker Regiment.

23:00. Day 1 of deployment:

Honestly, I don’t know why I’m even doing this. I’m so tired. The others in the platoon are resting now, but I feel like I shouldn’t just go to sleep like this. What we are doing here, what we are going through, it deserves to be recorded. Perhaps that’s why I’m writing this. What even is this? A journal? A notebook? Whatever. I just want to write down my story.

We moved through the Portal today, all 1,000 of us. Generation III Phasewalkers, they call us. Apparently we are the third group of dumbasses that joined the Phasewalker project and got sent to this god-forsaken land. We were designated to different units before we came across. I got designated as an Armored Trooper, which people tell me is one of the better units. Neat. I guess I should be happy I’m not one of those average Assault Troopers, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing when push comes to shove.

I was worried for a while, but the officers are actually nicer than I thought. They taught me and the others how to operate the Defender Gauss guns and what to do to stay alive. Apparently we are mostly fighting Mutated Animals. Intel says just their claws could dig through the armors we’re wearing. I just hope our tanks and cannons can keep them at bay.

It’s getting late. I should probably get some rest.

22:00. Day 4:

We are being mobilized tomorrow. A few of my friends in the platoon were talking about Regiment Commissar Carlson being the commander of this operation. I’ve seen him a couple times before, and obviously, I heard the stories of what he did. But if it’s up to me, I’d rather have Colonel Hunter in command. Commissar Carlson always looks so grim. He reminds me of the officers in movies that would gladly send their men to their demise just to secure victory.

A few hours ago, the commissars in the unit kept on trying to get into our heads. First they talked about how important our job here is. The fate of everyone back home is in our hands. Only our bravery and sacrifice can protect Earth from being a lawless apocalyptic wasteland like World Alpha. A few of the boys got really excited. I guess that’s what all boys dream of: Fight and maybe die for a worthy cause.

And then the commissars went over the rules again. If we refuse to obey orders on the battlefield tomorrow, they can shoot us without bothering with a fair trial or anything. Allen, he’s one of the guys in my Platoon, asked if it was constitutional. One of the commissars said no it’s not, but if Earth is at stake, he didn't give a crap about the constitution.

I don’t want to think about it, but they’re probably telling the truth. Regiment Commissar Carlson shot a soldier who refused to follow orders and the camera feed of him doing that was available to everyone to watch. I guess if it’s death either way, I might as well go down a hero.

15:00. Day 5:

Things are better than I feared.

The 1st Armored Battalion was moving through the North of Fortress Alpha. That’s the direction High Command decided to focus on and we Armored Troopers were the vanguard. We were supposed to clear up the main road and open a path to a city called New Sara. High Command was hoping we would find some nice tech there to bring back and learn from. The 2nd Battalion was in the sky as we moved in from the ground. That’s something I guess.

My platoon came across a number of broken cars and bodies, but thank God we weren’t under serious attacks. There are rumors that some other platoons ran into Mutated Animals and took some casualties. I think they’re probably true. At some point, the attack choppers hovering over us moved away and we could hear gunshots from where some other platoons are.

I feel bad for them and I hope they came out just fine, but at least it’s not us.

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15:20. Day 5:

We’re taking a break right now. A few minutes ago we were attacked by a Mutated Tiger. That thing must be at least three meters tall or something! Thankfully, we saw it coming a long way away. Well, the boys in the sky did anyway. They lit the thing up with anti-armor machine guns. We fired some shots too. The tiger got turned to this pile of blood and meat. Reminds me of my grandma’s apple pie dropped on the ground.

16:30. Day 5:

Ok. It has been confirmed. Two companies of our battalion were ambushed by Mutated Animals that came out of the ground. Worms or snakes or some shit. Rumors say things got really bad and the commissars had to shoot a few deserters to hold the line. By the time the 2nd Battalion moved in and the 4th Battalion arrived, one of the captains was killed. Both companies were crippled. They had to replace the two companies with the 4th Motorized Battalion just to keep moving forward.

Major Nelson ordered us to take extra caution while we advance, but I doubt that’ll be the silver bullet. Truth to be told, and I hope the Commissars don’t find this notebook, I’m a bit scared. I haven’t even killed anyone or anything before. How the hell am I supposed to survive the Mutated Animals? If I die here, I’ll never get to see my girlfriend again.

Then again, as the Commissars said, it has to be done. What we are doing here is a necessary sacrifice. I just hope at the end of the day, I won’t be in another slot in the Hall of Martyrs.

18:00. Day 5:

The day is getting late and we are just halfway across to the city. Captain Barnes ordered us to create some fortifications at our current location and be ready for some rest. I’m pretty sure we are baits. The Mutated Animals that were active during the day we’ve killed already. Now we just have to lure the nocturnal ones into our trap and slaughter them all.

A company of the 4th Motorized Battalion and a company of the 3rd Artillery Battalion reinforced our position. The leader of the motorized company was a girl called Alex or something. Hmmm...there’s not a lot of girls in the Regiment, at least not in front-line combat roles. Well, I guess a Gauss gun in the hands of a girl is as dangerous as if it was held by a guy. I spent most of the time digging trenches but I saw the three captains talking about something.

This night is not gonna be a quiet one.

Thank god my platoon got stationed near a Predator II. Those things are bigger and more scary than any tank I’ve seen on Earth. Some of the other platoons got put around the M2A1s. Poor bastards. We managed to dig a line of trenches around our position and the artillery units were set up in the center. Now it’s just about waiting for the enemies to strike.

Prayers on.

1:00. Day 6:

I can’t sleep. Actually most of my platoon are awake. We were just talking about t

The entry ended there.

12:00. Day 6:

It’s over. It’s all over.

They were everywhere. Mutated Wolves. Our trenches did nothing. What type of fucking mutation give wolves wings? For fuck’s sake! They came out of nowhere and glided across the trenches! Our mortars and Howitzers trimmed down the horde but there were still so many of them and they got too close! The Predator II got ripped to pieces, along with the troopers inside. The Company commissar screamed for us to hold our ground and there was nowhere to run to, but I guess we were all driven mad. Me included. And then Allen’s head exploded. The Commissar was the one that killed him, and he threatened to kill us too if we fled.

Ironically, fear seems to be the only weapon against fear. We turned around and started shooting at the wolves. Somehow, we held the ground until the choppers from the 2nd Battalion came in and started mowing down the wolves. In the end, every single one of those mutated bastards was dead on the ground, but this wasn’t a victory. No. Half my platoon is dead. The company’s commissar got his head bit off. I expect us to be pulled back for some R&R.

This is a nightmare. I’m just glad I lived through it.

19:00. Day 6:

What? That’s unbelievable! We weren’t ordered to fall back! We were tasked with moving forward! The entire 1st Armored Battalion was regrouped throughout the day. Three of the six Panther IIs are nowhere to be seen. We lost at least one third of the Battalion, and we were told to keep moving forward? Why?

A few of us are going to talk to the Major. This isn’t fair. We didn't sign up for suicide missions.

20:00. Day 6:

I...I finally understand now.

Humanity is at its darkest hours. Countless threats are encroaching from the shadows. To ensure everything we value lives on, someone has to venture into the dark and light the path for mankind. We are that someone. We, the Phasewalkers, are the torchbearers! The martyrs! It is our duty to ignite ourselves into a light so bright that the path forward shall be void of darkness!

For Earth! For Humanity! For Victory!

Major Nelson silently closed the notebook. He glanced at the body placed into a casket before giving it a final whisper.

“Your sacrifice will be remembered, Private Larson.”

The operation that lasted three days was both a success and a failure.

It was a success in that the Phasewalkers successfully cleared up a path into New Sara. From the local intel gathered, New Sara was to the United Earth Confederacy as New York was to the United States. It was the home of a huge population and countless information and technologies. By gaining access to the city, the Phasewalkers have cracked upon the door of a bank vault.

It was a failure in that 400 Phasewalkers gave their lives to see this task accomplished. Half the 1st Armored Battalion was gone. The 2nd Airborne Battalion and the 4th Motorized Battalion each lost around 100 men. The 3rd Artillery Battalion was more protected and the 5th Motorized Battalion tasked with protecting Fortress Alpha was untouched.

Casualties were always expected. In fact, one unspoken objective of this mission was to toughen the troops. All the addition of Generation IIs and Generation IIIs have increased the quantity but lowered the quality of the Phasewalkers. Now, through the three days of highly intensive combat, the Troopers quickly transformed. They became stronger both physically and mentally. Whereas previously they were just teens in armors with Gauss guns, now they were real soldiers who had witnessed blood and death and held their ground.

The ones that survived, of course.

Nelson has seen losses, but 400 Phasewalkers? That was nearly ten times of all the casualties the Phasewalkers have witnessed before this. Even worse, half of them perished under his direct command. Even with the help of Section X analysts, there were too many unpredictable factors at play here. The losses went way beyond estimations.

The operation that crippled Brian’s company was supposed to be a carefully laid trap. Instead, due to a lack of information, it was almost turned into a rout. Three commissars and lieutenant commissars gave their lives to hold the line.

Major Nelson has always held the pose of an unwavering, determined officer in front of his men. He was unforgiving and relentless in pursuing his goals. But that was what he had to do. The 1st Armored Battalion was designed to be the vanguard of the Regiment, the sharpest blade. Major Nelson had to set up an example for those under him to follow.

But, deep down, Nelson was human. He had his hobbies and he had things he disliked. He could feel sadness and guilt just like the next man, if not more. He simply couldn’t brush off the fact that he was part of the decision that sent so many into the Hall of Martyrs.

But ultimately, the guilt of losing so many people was something Nelson had to learn to live with, especially since he knew very well sufferings like this wouldn’t be a stranger to the Phasewalker Corps or to him.

All he, the Major in command, could do was keep his expression cold, send these bodies back to the Motherland into the Hall of Martyrs, and then proceed to command the rest of the Battalion. If the mission meant pulling more teenagers from their parents, turning them into soldiers, and sending them to die on foreign land, then so be it.

Just like the final declaration Brian made in his journal.

For Earth. For Humanity. For Victory.