Chapter 9

Other than that, enjoy XD

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Chapter 9

Rampant Spirit of War

30th of April, XXXX

I believe this is the first time that I am actually speaking to you, and I believe I shall be speaking to you more and more on my trips; more so to keep a log of my travels than for personal comfort. To sum up everything that has happened so far, it has been hell.

I recently figured out the standard for galactic time. It is somewhat different than real world time, but not by much. The day runs on 20 hours with about 6 days to a week and 7 weeks to a month. I found after my first week stuck in this game that it equates to 24 hour’s worth of time in the real world. This means that I am gonna have to be extremely careful when it comes to time lag and keeping up with outside appearances. I also had to make a call to Hubert to ask for a little more time off because of this game and he seemed alright with it.

While on my trip, I had the time to grill Ms. Sanchez on the inner workings and how-to basics of Neos. Neos seems to be a branch off of the traditional path that heads toward a second reality. The second reality that allows for system assisted skills that are determined by how the player makes them. That’s right, I said makes them. As far as I understand it, in order for this game to have system assisted skills, the players themselves have to create them. This gives the A.I.s’ sufficient data in order to copy the moves of the player down and input it into the gaming system. This allows others to use the skills, as well as generate more interest in creating the skills. Not sure if I would like to have my style copied though…

The psi stat can only be used in full force once the player gets a psi tuning. However, they can also use its raw energy form. There are no special skills for rockets, energy shields, bullets, guns, and mecha…or mechanical suits. I think I will stick to my freedom of non-system assist. Otherwise, you can basically do everything that you want and more without the hazards of extra rules and guidelines that say differently.

Another difference within Neos as compared to other games is the fact that the only ‘drops’ (dropped items) from monsters and such are confined to crafting materials and reagents. This allows for a heavily enriched crafting system where you can do things with the system assisting you, or by going wild and experimenting by yourself and damn the consequences. There will occasionally be a drop where a complete item is offered, but the chances of this happening are only if the player willingly spends the time to gut open the slayed monster to search its guts for items.

This means that anything that dies within the game stays dead, and doesn’t disappear like the other games. Monsters and creatures are confined to their species and if they are all hunted to extinction, they will then be permanently gone from the game. Other than that, Neos is a game where you combine the old with the new in an interesting blend of allowing the player to adventure through the galaxy. Everything that happens within Neos is a direct consequence of the actions of everything within it. That includes the NPCs. I honestly didn’t expect there to be this much seamlessness between the real world and the game world. Most games typically involve only the players that influence the events of the game, not both NPCs and players alike; this is just from what I have read at any rate. I am not used to playing games and it is something new to me; therefore, I will endeavor to raise my understanding of the gaming conditions.

Other than that, I’ve learned a bit about the first open world of Terra. It’s relatively similar in aspect to Earth, the only difference is that genetics, cybernetics, robots and other scientific research have been uplifted drastically. Fortunately, before we left, we stopped by the research center to pick up a couple ‘light reading’ materials from Doc before we headed out. ‘Light reading’… more like massive textbooks for everything that there is to learn.

Ever since I received the first part of the implants, Marneus seems to think that I can run to everything and that I don’t feel fatigue. This guy brings a new meaning to cross-country running. He seems to be a man that enjoys everything in life no matter its form.

It’s been 3 weeks since we left Dictator’s Demise. Ever since we headed north, the amount of cities we came across have been interesting. Inside some of them, he has various…‘contacts’. And when I say ‘contacts’, I mean lady friends. He has a LOT of old flames out there, and I don’t really think he is the type to ever settle down.

He says we will finally be arriving at Aranov Firebase by this morning via cargo ship. I’m hopeful in this regard, because that means I might actually be able to take a rest longer than 30 minutes at a time. We didn’t ever stay in one place too long, no more than a day at most to catch a bit of rest. Sometimes we just passed through, picked up some essentials, and continued on.

He isn’t much of a sightseer, but I’ll forgive him for that. He seems kinda bored with everywhere we’ve been so far, as if he has seen everything within Terra and wishes for more adventure. He looks to be far keener to actually be at our destination than the trip there.

Every time we enter a new city or town, I get more Fame points. Not exactly sure what these are used for, but I’m racking up quite the count. I’m starting to wonder what this game would’ve been like if I had started out on the station instead of on the planet. No use fretting over it though, I can’t roll back time.

Marneus said last night that I’m about as strong as he is now, which is saying something considering he practically made my muscles turn into minced meat over the last 3 weeks. When he said it however, I started feeling giddy because this meant that I got a massive head start compared to everyone else.

On the way, while reading the books I pick up here and there at every city, I found out that with every 50 Intelligence points that are picked up, my Psi regen gets a .5 boost. I should keep my eyes out for more material that I can use to strengthen that if I’m gonna make use of my Aura skill.

Fenris seems to be taking all of this freedom with extreme pleasure. Although I’ve had to turn away some prying eyes every now and then when people saw him. For some reason, whenever I turn them away “politely”, I seem to gain some Infamy points. Not sure what that means but I could really care less what others think when it comes to him. Now that I think about it, he is extremely effective when it comes to sensing predators. I guess that gland he has isn’t just for show because whenever something tries to approach, he can sense them from at least a mile away.

Speaking of things trying to approach, it’s been three days since the last attack by an assassin. Each of them sent by a Signor Luciano. One would think that the amount of people he has sent against me would actually be able to stand after a few hits. Plus he seems to have finally stopped sending them considering he is wasting his resources hunting down a guy like me.

As for me, I’m currently stuck on a ship waiting to leave for the base. The ship is docked in the northernmost tip of the Dola Harbor. Dola Harbor is an old fashioned port that ferries just about anything around the world surrounded on almost all sides of a vast white capped mountain range. It has a multitude of ships moored in its harbor for the night and an old stone lighthouse stands at a tip on the ridgeline of the mountains overlooking the bay. It’s also known for its nickname Aurora’s Delight… and with good reason.

The aurora borealis that frequents the sky above its icy waters is everything one could hope for in a light show. The magnificent hues of deep bold blue, bright red, and eerie ethereal green permeate the sky every night, casting their light on the still waters of the bay. All of the colors mixing and twirling within the atmosphere above the tops of the mountain.

Reminds me of the time I was in Norway on a trip to hunt down a drug lord a couple years back…

Anyway, we should make it to Aranov within the next 4 hours. Marneus never told me that the base was out in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, but he is on his PDA at the moment talking to someone. Hopefully I can get some sleep on the ship in the meantime, and that nothing too drastic comes about.

-Bazz Totec

P.S.

This game seems a bit broken somehow. The acquisition of stats comes too quickly with too much gained and Marneus mentioned that physically I’m at the same level of fitness as he is. Sooner or later, I might end up becoming a super hero in Neos. I’ll have to make a mention of this to Ms. Sanchez, because this would potentially cause a rift when compared to other players. They should have to work hard for the acquisition of stats, not just run a couple blocks and gain a stat increase.

P.P.S.

This is a really great game so far! I wonder...is it possible to make a living doing this? I’ve heard in the past that people can make a healthy sum of money by solely gaming their entire lives. Not sure if I can but…I’m going to look into it.

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“Wake up Princess! The ship’s about to dock!” Marneus yells behind him.

Bazz’s eyes snap open. He takes a deep breath in, and shivers as the cold salt ridden air assaults his nose. He lays on the bench for a few more seconds, feeling the ebb and tide of the waves smashing against the hull of the ship before slowly getting up.

The four hour rest was very heavy on him and his body protested from the movement, as if wishing for him to return to the stiff steel bench. Fenris gets up from his position beneath the bench and watches his master with a concerned look.

~Come on body. It hasn’t been that long for you to forget what life you used to lead~

“Show status” he mutters in a low voice.

Status WindowName:BazzAlignment:NeutralLevel:1Class:???Race:HumanGender:MaleTitles???Fame:3,650Infamy:750-Health:1,500/ 1,500Health Regen:5 / SecStamina:1,500 / 1,500Stamina Regen:5 / SecPsi:1,300 / 1,300Psi Regen:1.5 / SecSatiety:65 /100-Strength:150(225)Agility:150(225)Vitality:200(300)Dexterity:136(204)Intelligence:130Presence:50Luck:18Wisdom:130-Attack:45-49Defense:0Physical ResistancesSlashing:0Piercing:0Crushing:0Damage Reduction5%Elemental ResistancesFire:0Water:0Wind:0Earth:0Internal ResistancesPoison:65%Disease:65%Mental:0

He notices that his satiety is low and reaches down below him, fumbling for his pack. Lifting up the pack to on top of him, he reaches inside and grabs a Nutritube bar to start munching on. It was kinda bland for his tastes but it got the job done and filled his Satiety bar to full.

He looks at his surroundings amidst the high stacked green and red cargo pods, and notices that they are still in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. The dull grey heavy clouds shift overhead with a constant twirl as the wind patterns change. The light of day is slowly creeping on the horizon, warming the frigid air. He spots Marneus leaning on a railing at the prow of the ship, and slowly gets up from his seat to walk on over to him with Fenris in tow.

“Did you say that the ship is about to dock?” he asks casually, leaning on the wide railing next to Marneus.

“Yup!” Marneus replies looking over at him with a small smile tugging on his cheeks.

Bazz looks out over the ocean, watching the choppy seas collide with the hull of the ship.

“Well where the hell is it? Obviously there is something I’m missing here.”

Marneus continues to watch him curiously and states,

“Look closer at the water princess. I’m sure you’ll spot a clue there.”

Bazz glances at Marneus for a moment and notices the smile still tugging at his cheeks. He turns his gaze towards the sea once more, searching for the possible clue that seems to be alluding him.

He looks at the water carefully, scanning forwards based on the prow of the ship. He takes his time, carefully observing the way the water dips and rises.

“I’m not sure what—”

“Bark!”

He starts before Fenris interrupts him. He looks down at Fenris and sees that his tail is wagging and is looking straight ahead.

“What do you see buddy?” Bazz asks stooping down to Fenris’ level.

Fenris glances over at him, plants a big sloppy kiss on his cheek, and looks back into the distance. Chuckling, Bazz wipes off the slobber and looks in the direction that Fenris seems to be looking. The follows the direction that Fenris seems to be looking at and notices a wave slap against the air about 40 meters in front of them.

Bazz slowly stands up and puts both his hands on the railing, looking closer at the place that had drawn his attention. The more he stares at the area, the more he notices a subtle finite line that stretches across the water in front of the ship. The line stretched for at least 6 or 7 km to each side of the ship.

“I’m not surprised that Fenris noticed it first. You need to work on your eyesight boy.” Marneus states with a chuckle.

BBRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

The ship blares its fog horn across the open waters and its pace starts slowing.

“Open her up!” Marneus yells out across the sea.

Five minutes later, the air above the line in the sea starts fluctuating. The air above the line starts changing colors and creates a domino effect stretching towards the sky, revealing a massive dome-like structure. The dome-like structure continues to change colors before it settles on a pale grey.

CLANK!!!SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….

The dome starts having pieces of itself detach and fold inwards, finally sliding down into the sea, and revealing a staggering amount of buildings inside followed by a tower creeping out of the center. Groups of people of all ages are out running around the edge of the base. All of them were dressed in dark grey jumpsuits.

A large metal dock slides out from the side of the structure, along with a crane swinging out overhead to start unloading the supplies.

~Holy Hell~

WELCOME TO ARANOV FIREBASE, AILEN

You are the first to enter one of the Alliance Marine Academies.

Be sure to have balls of steel, a solid backbone, and street smarts because Aranov Firebase is the place that only the best are allowed to enter within all of the Alliance.

If you visit all of the Alliance Academies, a bonus will be given.

Fame +300

~So I’ll get more Fame points for reaching places of importance…that’s very interesting~

“Welcome to Aranov princess! It’s been a while since I was last here and boy has it changed. I wonder if So—”

“MOVE YO ASS PRIVATE!! WE DON’ HAVE TIME TO PUSSYFOOT AROUND OUT HEA’UH!! THIS IS DA TURD TIME IN 2 DAYS DAT YOU DONE FUCKED UP, AN’ IT SURE AS HELL DON’ LOOK LIKE YOU IS GEDDIN ANY BETTAH!!! DO YA WANT ME TO SEND YOUR ASS BACK TO YO MOMMA?!?!” an absurdly loud masculine bark rings out in the base.

“Ah he is still here, good!” Marneus says with a smile.

Bazz glanced towards the disturbance and noticed that on the way, all the personnel that were running were subtly glancing over at the disturbance. A few were even showing a wicked smile as they continued to run.

“I’m sorry sir, I’ll try harder!” a female voice pleads.

Bazz looks over at the two, trying to ascertain the situation. A young white woman with short brown hair with slanted bang covering her left eye, was leaning over picking up papers that were scattered all over the ground. She is a thin, frail looking woman, with a damaged complexion shadowing her face. Her figure barely filling out the jumpsuit she is wearing.

The man standing over her could only be considered as monstrous. His grey jumpsuit had the sleeves ripped off and chest area ripped open revealing his well chiseled body. A magnificent black beard and Mohawk adorned his face and head, being the only sources of hair on the man’s body. The man stood at a staggering 6’6”, making any of his subjects feel his intimidating stature.

~He looks like a military version of that hall of fame wrestler. What was his name again… ah it’s Mr. T! ~ Bazz thinks to himself with a chuckle. ~Does Neos try to emulate old people with awesome personalities? I wonder…~

“DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK PRIVATE?!?! I’M TIRED UH LOOKIN AT YO RAGGEDY ASS SITTIN HEA’UH!! IF YA AIN’T GONNA PUT DA WORK INTO IT I CAIN’T DO NUTHIN WID YA, WHICH MEANS I’M GONNA HAVE TUH MAKE ONE VERY INTRESTIN CALL TO ONE VERY SAD MOMMA NOW AIN’T I?!?! JUS’ MOVE YO ASS AWREADY!!” The man continues.

The woman continues to pick up the papers frantically, trying to fix the mistake she made. Bazz watches the ordeal and watches the runners as they pass by, almost all of them are laughing under their breath. The rest are focused on the running and start outpacing others in an attempt to not gain the wrath of their overlord.

Fenris starts whining to him, starting to be scared at the loud noises being thrown at him. Bazz’s hand reaches down and starts rubbing his head right between the ears trying to calm him down.

“Captain Solide! Is this what you call a warm welcome?!” Marneus calls out as they walk off the ship and onto the dock.

The man looks over at the dock and sees three figures walk onto the base, and a massive grin spreads across his face.

“Well, well, look what we ‘av here! Commanduh Marneus Yordam, so glad of ya to join me on this fine day. Are ya here fuh work or pleasure I wondah…” Solide excitedly states before, “WHAT ARE YA SLOWIN DOWN FUH?!? KEEP RUNNIN!!!”

Bazz turns around to notice that all of the recruits started double timing it. Apparently they had slowed down at the mention of Marneus’ name. Bazz turns back around in time to see the young woman finish up with collecting the papers on the ground.

Solide and Marneus walk towards each other leaving their students behind. Meeting half way, the two of them stop and shake hands. One towering over the other.

A scent of baby oil reaches Bazz’s nose as he starts walking forward, along with a subtle scent of sweet honeydew. Just as he processes the scents, Solide wraps his arm around Marneus’ head and tries to clinch him.

Marneus breaks out of the clinch, throwing Solide to the left sprawling him on the ground, and winds back to throw a haymaker at him. Solide jumps up and starts throwing his own haymaker at the same time.

Marneus decides to keep his current course, regardless of the consequences. Even though Solide started his swing later, he was still a bit faster. Which consequently reached each other’s jaw at the same time, knocking them both to the ground with a hard smack.

~The hell are they doing? ~ He thinks as he looks over at the young woman.

The young woman’s mouth hangs open in shock at what is happening before her eyes. Her papers are crumpled up in her arms as she watches in apt fascination of the fight playing out before her.

Bazz starts walking towards her with Fenris following closely behind, completely ignoring the grunts of the two men as they brawl on the ground.

“I’m sorry about this madam, he usually isn’t like this.” He says politely to the woman with a smile.

She nearly jumps out of her skin at his voice, almost dislodging the papers in her grasp once more. She looks up at him with almond shaped and colored eyes and then down at Fenris. Not knowing how to respond, she fumbles with her papers trying to get them in order while a slight pinkness blossoms on her face.

“*sigh*… Are you two done yet?” Bazz says aloud while turning towards the oversized kids wrestling on the ground.

After about five minutes of waiting, the two grown men untangle themselves and lie down on the ground heaving with overly exaggerated breaths.

“You’re gettin slow ol’ man, maybe I should give ya a handicap.” Solide says heavily as he takes deep breaths to calm down his breathing.

Marneus chuckles before saying, “Says the man who is out of breath from fighting a slow old man, eh? Maybe I should be the one giving YOU a handicap!”

“We both kno that ya can’t keep up anymo. Why won’t ya just go an take ya nap now Commanduh.” Solide retorts with a laugh.

“I don’t need a morning na—”

A cold sinking feeling spreads to the both of them, stopping Marneus from responding. The frigid air seemed to be even colder as it creeped down both of their spines and seeped into their muscles, turning them stiff.

“Do I need to extricate some body parts gentlemen? Because I would hate to start tearing things apart seeing as I just got here.” Bazz curtly states, irritation showing through his veiled threat.

The woman next to him shivers and tries to move away from him, but fails and freezes in place.

“Besides, don’t we have some business to do here?” Bazz continues with an icy glare.

Marneus looks over at Solide and sighs.

“You really need to brighten up princess, being always the businessman will leave you empty on the inside.” Marneus says lightly, “But you are right, we came here with a purpose didn’t we.”

The cold atmosphere quickly evaporates and returns to normal, allowing the two men on the ground to get up. Solide shivers a bit as he gets up and slowly walks over to his student. Marneus does the same.

“Marneus, can he use it?” Solide asks warily.

“Yes he can, he learned how to in Agora. Well, let’s get situated with our bunking. We have enough recruits gawking at us right now that I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.” Marneus states with a smile.

“And whose fault do you think it was to make it that way, hmmm?” Bazz curtly says in a clipped tone turning to look at Marneus.

Solide and the young woman watch the two with astonished looks on their faces. Who would’ve thought that the world renowned Commander Marneus Yordam, would be chewed out by someone at least a third his age?

“*sigh* Alright, alright, I get it. Let’s get this show on the road then. Captain Solide, you already know what we require yes?” Marneus asks in a business-like tone.

“Yes suh, got everythin ready fo yuh. But uh, is dis da Spacer? Looks like a pretty boy ta me. Anyway, all I have is one question fo yuh.” Solide says.

“Shoot.” Marneus says.

Solide’s face darkens dangerously and looks down at Fenris.

“What’s dis beast doin on my base?” He asks vehemently.

Marneus looks down for a moment, then looks back up about to say something when,

“Fenris is part of my family Captain, will that be a problem?” Bazz blurts out politely with a cold smile.

Solide looks over at him, not knowing how to respond. He knew the dangerous reputation of the Naeri and he wasn’t sure on how he was going to break it to the recruits if they asked. He didn’t want to start a manhunt on his base.

“As long as he don’ wander dah base, I’m good wid him bein here. I cain’t guarantee dat he might be ‘unted as long as ‘ees ‘ere doh.” He replies coolly, softening his gaze.

“Good, because I’ve had enough of losing—” he starts before he pitches forward with a face contorted with pain.

THUD!!

“BAZZ!!!!” Marneus cries out as Bazz’s body hits the deck.

But by the time Bazz had hit the deck, he was already unconscious. Plunging deep into a memory that should have healed years ago.

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Marneus drops to the ground and flips him over, trying to assess what was happening to his charge.

“Wha’s wrong wid him Commanduh?” Solide asks slightly unnerved.

Marneus slowly stands back up after having finished his inspection and sighs. He looks over at the two standing in front of him, noticing the telltale signs of nervousness. Each of them having looks of concern written on their faces.

Fenris walks over and lays down next to his master and starts nosing and licking his hand, trying to offer some small manner of comfort.

Marneus looks down at Fenris for a moment and says quietly,

“He has severe PTSD Captain. You have just triggered a panic attack by saying something concerning someone who he regards as family.”

Solide’s face drains of all color as he looks down before saying in an apologetic tone,

“I’m sorry suh, it won’ happen again.”

“Don’t apologize to me Solide. Apologize to him when he—”

BRING…

BRNNNNNN!!! ………BRRRNNNNNNNN!!!

An alarm siren starts blaring across the base just as Marneus looks down at his pocket where his PDA is ringing.

BRNNNNNN!!!

“Dah hell is goin on?! Gimme a sitrep people!!” Solide calls out across the base.

All of the previous activity stops and is subsequently turned into chaos as the recruits sprint to their respective positions.

BRING…BRING…click

“This is Papa Bear speaking what can I do for you?” Marneus says aloud putting the PDA on loudspeaker.

“Commander we have a major problem! The Shakur Empire is attacking the station!” The major’s voice breaks through.

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Meanwhile in the Real World…

Corellec Inc. HQ

~He’s doing absurdly well in this Beta~ Rebecca thinks to herself as she stares at her computer screen. She had been watching his progress as he went through Neos.

She scrolls to the side of her screen, looking at the progress of what is going on with the other users. None of them had the same kind of stats that her client is set at, but seem to have the same kind of feedback when compared with her client. The more she scrolls down however, red blinking names start flashing violently on the list.

CRASH!!

She looks over her shoulder through the door to see what had happened. The office was bustling with activity as people scurry around the building. It was akin to bees swarming the hive and bumping into each other in the process.

“Ms. Sanchez, please report to the conference room. We have a situation that requires your attention.” A male voice blurts out in a frantic tone from a speaker above her desk.

“I’ll be right there,” she replies.

~What the hell is going on?~ She thinks as she stands up from her desk and starts walking out the door.

“Why?! Why now?! This didn’t happen in the simulations!”

“One of the A.I. shouldn’t be reacting to the stimuli this strongly!”

“Warn the players in game! They should be able to hold out if they combat the reaction!”

A flurry of voices ring out in desperation as she passes down the corridor. The more she walks, the more concerned she is with the situation that is occurring.

She reaches the conference room and opens the door only to find a disgruntled CEO and a nervous looking secretary staring at her. The room was filled with high ranking personnel, all of whom had contributed the most into the making of Neos.

“Lead Programmer Sanchez, so good of you to join us!” Barbas says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The rest of the room looked up at the mention of her name and politely nodded in respect towards her.

“What seems to be the problem here Mr. Barbas?” she asks as she takes her seat.

“Well for starters we have a rampant A.I. that has started a war with the players inside Neos and we have no way of stopping it. What we need to know is will this affect the outcome of our business model. If we have a disreputable game, we cannot in good faith sell it.” He states with a sigh.

Rebecca looks around the large room, gazing at the other nervous and disgruntled leaders of the company.

“Well, look at it this way. This is a major opportunity for us.” She says as she looks towards Mr. Barbas.

A question mark could literally be painted above the heads of everyone in the room.

“Think of it this way. You have a Beta for a game that came out earlier this week and you asked the testers to find out the bugs and such within the game as well as to provide feedback on how everything works. The fact that an A.I. went rampant and started a war with the players gives them a chance to test themselves against the other races within the game world of Neos.” She continues.

“So if we give them something to test their bodies and minds, this would generate interest in their final reports for the game. We could also use this as footage for our advertisement campaign!” Barbas excitedly says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Rebecca looks at him for a moment and sighs.

“That will only be the case if the players actually succeed with the war. We have no way of stopping it. The way all the A.I. are programmed is to react to the choices made by everything within the game. If the players mess around with this and end up annihilating the human race in Neos, we can effectively kiss all hopes of good reviews goodbye.” She cautions.

“Then we will make sure that doesn’t happen!” The rest of the convened people reply in earnest.

~These greedy, power hungry idiots. They have no idea on what will happen if we change the game while the players are still within it~ she thinks to herself.

“If you interfere with the way the game operates at this moment, you may trap the players themselves within the game. Their minds will become slaves to the A.I. running it. So don’t get any ideas of forcing changes within the game solely for the fact that you want better reviews on Neos. Forcing something to become a favorable outcome will only spur an unfavorable response from the source.” She lectures.

The entire room becomes silent at this statement. It took a couple minutes before someone had the courage to ask the question everyone was thinking.

“How will we be able to get a favorable outcome then? We can’t exactly just wait for the end.” Barbas says quietly.

She looks over at him and states in a clear voice,

“You may as well resign yourself to it. Waiting is what we do best and when it comes to the players, it is the only thing we can do. If you really want to do something concerning this issue, look into the backgrounds of the players to see if you can come up with a fair idea of how this will end. Other than that, all we can do is wait.”

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Zephyr Lane High School

“Please check the boxes on form that you would like to take for your electives next year!” a teacher says enthusiastically.

Lirin looks down at the list while she sits in her desk, wondering what she should take for the next year. The more she looks down, the more she comes to be disinterested with the types of classes being offered.

All until her eyes stop on one class. World Religions: The Mystical Side of Humanity. It was taught by someone whose full name was too long to pronounce.

“Can we take it home to figure out what we want?” a male student asks from the back of the class.

“You may indeed, just make sure you have the form turned in to the office by this Friday. We don’t want to make any mistakes to the system.” The teacher replies.

DING! DONG! DING! DONG!

“Alright class that’ll be it for today! I’ll see you again tomorrow!” the teacher states with a smile.

The entire class starts packing up their things, hopeful to get their homework over with and looking forward to hanging out with their friends.

Lirin however, is still sitting in her seat looking at the form in front of her. The rest of the class leaves and the teacher starts packing her things.

“Ah Lirin, is there anything that I can help you with?” she asks looking over at her student.

“I’m just looking at the form for next year teach. I don’t remember this class ever being on the roster though.” She replies with a confused look.

“What class is that?” her teacher asks as she walks over to her.

“This one. The World Religion course.” She states pointing to it.

“Ah. That’s to be expected I suppose. It is a one-time deal for next year though because he will only be staying in this state for a specific amount of time.” She says.

Lirin perks up at this, knowing that a time specific class is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Who is the person teaching the subject?” She asks.

“I think he is a Buddhist monk with the name of…hmmm, how was it pronounced exactly…Amrakathus Weerasethakul. His name is so long that he shortened it to just his first and last. I can certainly understand why though. Everyone mostly calls him Mr. Weera.” She replies.

“Hmmm, Mr. Weera. I’ve decided! I’ll take this course!” Lirin states proudly with a sense of finality.

“Hehe just be sure to check the box and turn it in dearie.” Her teacher states with a smile.

The two of them finish packing up their things and head out the door, chatting on the way on what the next year will provide them.

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Back in Neos,

Bazz’s Flashback of 4 years previous…

“Mr. Totec…Hello? Earth to Mr. Totec!” a sweet female voice calls out, waking him from his reverie.

Bazz looks up at the person calling to him and is suddenly blinded by the direct sunlight. He feels around for the heavy weight of his unique rifle resting on his legs, making sure that it was still where he left it. The person talking to him was his new charge for the week. A group of reporters that were looking into the affairs of the rebels of the Sudanese people.

“You almost dosed off there Mr. Totec. Are you sure you aren’t dehydrated?” another female voice pipes up, one with subtle British accent showing through.

He puts a hand over his eyebrows to see better, shading his eyesight from the directness of the sun. A dry, sandy wind blows across the group as he sits there on top of a cargo crate next to his personalized Humvee.

A group of 5 reporters and cameramen are standing around the civilian section of a PM base for independent contractors (Private Military). Strewn about is all manner of cameras, video recorders, and audio tapes, all being packed into bags as the group gets ready to leave.

“Mr. Totec you might need some water if you keep sitting out in the sun all the time.” The first voice states with some concern.

He looks up at her, seeing the mid 20 something reporter with a lithe figure, a charming face, and sun bleached hair. A pair of tight fitting jeans and a tan t-shirt showing off what little of her figure could be seen. She had the look of a fresh out of college reporter showing in her stance and demeanor. Her sea green eyes gazed at him with concern as the group was making their final preparations. This was Ms. Clarence Freeman.

“I’ll be fine Ms. Clarence. No need to worry about me.” He says.

Two of the male reporters a couple meters away start quietly talking behind his back.

“Can we really trust this guy? He doesn’t exactly seem reliable now that we have met him.”

“We’re gonna have to aren’t we? We already footed the bill for his fee so all we can hope for now is to make sure that he delivers on his job.”

“But aren’t you considering the fact that he looks a bit young for doing a job like this? For this amount of pay that we are hiring him out as doesn’t seem like the best use of our funds.”

“I agree, he does look a bit young considering the fee we had to pay him. Although I’m starting to wonder if that was all a scam. I mean just look at his armaments! They aren’t exactly standard issue and I don’t think anyone would willingly bring something into a war zone that looks that flashy.”

Bazz pays no heed to the two reporters talking away.

“Which convoy are we heading out with today, Ms. Clarence?” He asks aloud.

She continues to gaze at him as he stands up from the chair, picking up his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.

“We are leaving with the Marines 2nd Battalion 4th company convoy in about 30 minutes.” She says looking at her watch.

His ears perk up at this and he looks straight at her.

“Did you just say 2nd Battalion 4th company?” he asks her quietly.

All heads turn as he says this, not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. A nervous shiver runs down her spine as she looks back into his piercing gray eyes.

“Yes. Yes I did. Why do you ask?” she asks cautiously.

A devilish smile spreads across his face.

“The Magnificent Bastards! I never thought I would get to see him in this wasteland.” He says with a chuckle. “Start gearing up!”

The group has confused looks plastered on their faces as they watch their hired bodyguard strap on his pack and start loading his gear into the Humvee. The group finishes up their packing and start putting on their bullet-proof vests.

5 minutes later, a large group of Humvees drive into the base and stop in front of their group. Bazz smiles as he watches the Marines clamber out of the vehicles, watching for his special bastard to make an appearance. Clarence walks up to him wondering what the big man was doing.

“Mr. Totec shouldn’t we—”

“Well, if it isn’t the Bossman! I was wondering when I was gonna see you again!” A deep charming baritone voice with a crisp timbre rings out across the road interrupting Clarence.

The two of them look over at the voice and Bazz breaks out into a wide grin. A group of marines coming out of the vehicles walk over, all outfitted with their gear and ammo. A man stands out from the crowd sporting a wide grin and twinkling blue eyes.

“I had a feeling I would meet you here when they said the convoy we are taking is yours. It’s good to see you Clive.” Bazz states and walks over giving the man a hug.

“I never thought I would meet you here of all places! I mean really, who in their right mind decides to take a job posting for the middle of Sudan! You not only picked one of the hottest places in the world but one smack dab in the middle of a god damned desert!” Clive exclaims loudly pulling away from the hug.

His fellow marines stare at the man Clive is talking passionately too, studying whether or not he is who he says he is.

“Ramsey! Who the hell is this? Are you gonna make some introductions or are you just gonna stand there and look pretty?” a gruff male voice that sounds like a cigar had been shoved down his wind pipes pops up behind him.

Clive looks behind him and notices his C.O. walking up behind him.

“Ah, this is the guy I kept telling you guys about! Sorry about the late introductions Colonel!” Clive apologizes quickly.

The C.O. walks up to the two standing in the middle of the road, allowing Bazz to get a clear look at him.

A 5’7” middle-aged broad-set man with an overly sun tanned complexion walks out into the open. His complexion would closely be reminiscent of a tomato that had been out in the sun too long and became shriveled as a result. He had a crooked nose and a scar running through his upper lip and nose. Dark gray eyes and graying hair could be seen poking out from under his cap. A subtle darkness hangs under his eyes, hinting at secrets that will never see the light of day. A hardened man in a war-torn country, constantly seeking for a way to bring his comrades home.

“So this is your old Boss? He doesn’t look the same as I envisioned him. I’m Colonel Cyrim Taenor, nice to finally make your acquaintance Mr. Totec.” He continues with a smile.

Bazz looks over at him and smiles,

“I didn’t know my legend had proceeded me! Had I known I would’ve brought a couple kegs of beer to keep us all liquidated and a few stories to pass the time!” he says smiling.

The rest of the marines start grinning and chuckling at this.

“Ramsey tells me that you’ve been at home on the battlefield and in the wilds since you were 13 years old! Racking up quite the kill count and performing countless feats of strength against dangerous predators. Going up against a Bengal Tiger at the age of sixteen with nothing but a machete and a paring knife; fighting off grizzlies and leopards and who knows what else!” Taenor elaborates. “Wild tales of adventure and fame ridden glory is what he tells us.”

The reporters behind Bazz start staring at him with stunned expressions on their faces.

“He tends to exaggerate things sometimes Colonel. Although in this case, all of those things are true. The exact details on the matter are… not so clear however. I was just a guy dropped into an unlucky situation by an overly enthusiastic mentor.” Bazz says with his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Taenor looks intently at his face before he glosses over his body. His eyes stop on the slung rifle and holstered pistol under his arm. He also notices the long machete firmly tied to his lower back, right at the top of his green cargo pants.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen armament quite like yours out here in the warzone. What pray-tell are they?” Taenor asks with a hint of respect.

Bazz looks over at his shoulder at the slung rifle.

“Well, they aren’t exactly standard issue as you can already see. One is an antique Chiappa Rhino, the other is what is closest to say being a cross between an old lever action Rossi Circuit Judge and an M14. Is the reason you ask because of you being a gun enthusiast Colonel?” He asks with a smile.

“Aye. That I am.” He replies with a crooked grin.

The reporters behind Bazz shiver at the Captains grin. They didn’t like the pirate-like evilness of it. Bazz swings his rifle around to show the Colonel his beauteous beast.

“As you can see, this a cross between a Circuit Judge and an M14. It has two barrels going vertical down the center. The top half is reserved for the shotgun shells of any type which consequently makes the barrel bigger than the bottom. The lower smaller barrel is reserved for the semi-automatic glory of a marksman. It makes the best of any range and can use practically any type of ammunition as long as it is below a .50 caliber bullet.” Bazz says holding his gun in a show-man’s posture.

“The reason for this is because you can’t expect to lug around your ammunition everywhere you go. Thus, I eliminate the need for carrying it. Just make the receiver adjustable in order to accommodate the various magazine clips out on the battlefield. The butt of this beauty carries an extra four 2 gauge shotgun rounds just in case you run out. There is a switch on the side of it for an easy transition between the upper and lower barrels depending on the needs of the situation. Along with this is a huntsman targeting scope for in case one needs to take out targets at extreme range.”

Taenor looks at the rifle with eyes twinkling in interest before he looks up at Bazz.

“Might I have a look?” He asks politely.

“Sure” Bazz replies handing the gun over.

As soon as Taenor takes ahold of the gun, his hands dip from the weight of it. He hefts it in a two handed grip, feeling the wood work put into the gun. He walks towards a nearby wall about 5 meters away, and takes a stance with the gun. Aiming for at an imaginary target at the wall away from the group. He takes a few seconds fiddling around with positions, before he stands up and looks over the weapon, marveling at its craftsmanship.

It was a bigger gun than most, but what it lacked in compactness, it made up for in sheer versatility. Its barrels’ were slightly longer than the standard issue or of any type of gun he had known. It had a heavy trigger and an elegant woodworked frame, harkening to the feel of a hunter wading through the woods.

“This is two times heavier than I thought it would be.” Taenor states finally after about 10 minutes.

“Haha well it’s gotta be seeing as where I’ve taken her. She’s only lasted these past 5 years because of the amount of time I put into making the darned thing!” Bazz says chuckling.

Taenor’s eyes widen at this. The only other weapon that was known heavily for its sheer endurance was the classic AK-47, and no one uses it anymore.

“What’s she called if you don’t mind my asking? Surely a weapon as marvelous as this has a name?” He asks.

“I call her ‘Little Liri’.”

“Would you be willing to make a blueprint for this? I’m sure the US military would greatly enjoy getting their hands on such a well thought-out weapon.” Taenor asks with a determined glint in his eyes.

Bazz stands there with an impassive expression, while everyone in the immediate vicinity had a stunned look spread across their faces.

“I would rather not Colonel. She’s too costly for the mass production that you are thinking of. I would like to keep my secrets to myself thanks.” Bazz says with an equally hard determined glint shining in his eyes.

Taenor stares at him, surprised that he had been turned down for a contracting offer that could have potentially made the original designer not only famous but also rich.

“Well we best get out onto the road if we are to make our deadline. Clarence, get everyone in the Humvee please!” Bazz states clearly.

Taenor hands the rifle back to him, and moves off to his men to delegate who is helping the reporters with the equipment, leaving Bazz and Clive standing in the middle of the road.

“So what are you doing here Boss? You feel like getting a suntan?” Clive asks.

“You know me, I always want my suntan out in the middle of a warzone surrounded by countless dangers. No, I didn’t come out here for a suntan ya bleeding idiot! I came out here to make a paycheck!” Bazz retorts.

“Ouchy, that’s a sore subject I take it? How’s my little princess doing?” Clive asks with a smile.

“Liri’s doing fine… I hope. Last time I went back to the states, which was about a week ago mind you, she was starting 7th grade in middle school. Thank god that I’m out here and not over there, I don’t think that I can handle her puberty boom. Women are scary like that.”

“What do you mean women are scary like that? She’s going through puberty, not her first marriage!”

“Well, she better not get married or have a kid while I’m gone or so help me I’ll—”

“The point is, I don’t think Master Reyes would allow any boys to go after your sister while you are gone. He just isn’t like that. He will however wait till you get back and then watch you deal with it while he laughs his ass off.”

“Oh shut up. Where is the convoy heading to anyway?”

“You didn’t bother to read the Intel package we provided did you. *sigh* Oh well, we’re going to Khartoum delivering a bunch of supplies to the rebels stationed there. That’s the reason for your reporters’ big boy.”

“The capital of Sudan? I woulda thought the rebels had been wiped out al—”

“RAMSEY, GET YOUR ASS IN THE TRUCK!!” a marine yells at the two.

Apparently they had been completely oblivious to everything around them. Everything was packed and ready to go along with everyone already hunkered in for the drive while the two of them were standing there like fish out of a pond.

“Anyway, let’s hope there isn’t any dangerous elements this time around. There aren’t supposed to be any loyalists in the area we are going to. Be sure to set your radio frequency to channel 7. We managed to have a clear and secure channel for once.” Clive says.

“We’ll see when we get there. And Clive… Subsisto tutus meus amicus” Bazz states with a smile and holds out a hand.

“Subsisto tutus meus amicus.” Clive replies with a smile and grasps the hand being offered turning it into a brotherly embrace.

The two of them leave their embrace and head towards their respective vehicles, Clive’s was directly in front of the Bazz’s. Getting in the driver’s side of the Humvee, he clips ‘Little Liri’ into a side pocket next to the door and starts the vehicle.

After about a minute of prepping, he notices that the entire vehicle is silent. Looking around, he finds that all of the reporters are staring at him, completely at a loss of what to say in this situation.

“Everything alright? We didn’t leave anything or anyone out did we?” He asks concerned.

“No sir, everything is in the truck.” One of the male reporters from the back states with a strained voice.

Clarence, who is sitting next to him, opens her mouth a bit to try and say something, but abstains from it at the last second, not knowing how she should form her question.

“Good, that means we won’t have to turn around quite so soon.” Bazz says simply.

The convoy starts to leave the PM base, heading towards the capital city of Sudan. As they get about 5 minutes on the road, Clarence finally voices the question that had tugging at her mind.

“Why did you choose to take our contract, Mr. Totec?” She asks.

All eyes in the Humvee turn towards him, as if wondering the same thing. Bazz takes a couple minutes to think of something.

“You were fresh. A blank slate if you will. Something to slow down the pace that my life had been heading. I wanted to try something that wasn’t as likely to kill me, given the way my life has been shaped.” He says with a hint of regret.

Concern as well as wonder becomes apparent to the rest of the reporters. Concern over the fact that he was living a life no one should ever rightly lead, and wonder at what stories he could share with them.

“Then I thank you for choosing us. Although you aren’t exactly cheap for a hired gun.” Clarence says with a smile.

“Hehe, you’re lucky I took you for that amount of pay ma’am.” Bazz says glancing over at her with a smile.

“What makes you say that?” She asks.

“I usually charge four times the amount that you contracted me out for. Although, I guess you are kinda lucky that you didn’t get her. She would never have taken a job like this, and even if she did, your lives would’ve been thrown all to hell.” Bazz states chuckling.

Their faces start draining of color.

“Who is she?” Clarence asks softly.

“You don’t need to know that. Anyway, let’s go over the situation and what we intend to do while you guys are over there.” Bazz says evading the issue.

Clarence turns around in her seat to look at the four other members of the group.

“Alright, I guess we can do that. Let’s turn on the tapes to record the beginning of this.” She says taking out a handheld recorder.

“Ever since it became known that the Sudanese Chief General pulled a coup over leadership of the government, tensions have been running at an all-time high. The Chief General took most of the influential members of the government hostage and incited Commonality Law. The law states that any who harbor ill will towards the Chief General and the military would then be executed for terrorism within the country. The UN only decided to put an end to this once they found out the extent of what was happening and sent in the US military to help the rebellion among the general populace.” A male member states.

“In the report submitted to the UN, it was announced that the entire military and government structure had been corrupted and were then heavily taxing its citizens in a mad rise for nuclear power. The evidence proclaimed by the UN and numerous sources of underground militias stated that there were mass torture, rape, and murder among the citizens done by the military.” A female member pipes up.

“The rebels then held out for a couple years in order to build up their forces which managed to seize the capital city Khartoum, thereby freeing some of the influential members of the government who were against this behavior. This made it possible to start a mass upheaval of international support. While this is going on, the military continued to engage with the rebels in an attempt for the capital and has now led to a stale mate between the rebels and the military completely cutting the city in half.” Clarence says aloud.

Bazz listens intently to them as he drives the Humvee.

~Hmmm, maybe I should’ve taken that assassination contract on the Chief General a couple years back. It might have cleared this up quicker than the massive war that it has turned into~ he thinks to himself.

“In any event, the goal of this reporting team is to garner more attention for the rebels in order to get their country back on its feet. Now…are there any questions?” Clarence finishes and turns off the recorder.

A hand gets raised from the back.

“What is the intel on how close to the front we will be? We don’t want to be caught in the cross-fire of two opposing armies.” Another male voice asks.

“The intel provided by the rebels and the US military tells us that we will be entering next to the border at first, but then we will be heading further behind the rebel lines towards the HQ. They seem to be very grateful for the attention they are getting and want to put their country back together with as little casualties as possible.” Clarence answers.

“We have a little more than 225 kilometers worth of road to cover before we get there, and that also includes passing through the industrial city of Uruay.” Bazz says with his eyes still on the road.

The group finishes up their discussion and starts settling in for the ride. Bazz sets his radio up on the channel that Clive told him, just in case something happened at the front of the convoy that needed to be addressed.

“Mr. Totec?” Clarence asks beside him.

“What’s up?”

“How do you know that Marine? Ramsey I think his name was.” Clarence asks.

As she asks this, the group’s ears perk up at this, curious to know the relationship between their hired bodyguard and the marine.

“Hmmm, he and I grew up together. We both were trained by the same man along with a couple other people whom I regard as family.” Bazz says.

Clarence looks at him questioningly.

“Well I wouldn’t say that he and I completely grew up together. I met him on my first job when I reached 13. I was in Chicago hunting particularly violent Cartel leader and he was one of the bodyguards of the leader I was contracted to kill. So that means consequently, I tried to kill him.” Bazz says leaning his head on the back rest of his seat.

“Hold on a sec, are you telling me you were being hired out for assassinations at the age of 13?! That’s ridiculous and preposterous! No one should be able to—”

“You really have no idea of the way of the world do you?” Bazz interrupts a man looking through the rearview mirror.

“But…but these things don’t normally happen—” the man tries to continue.

“You obviously have not experienced the underground life.” Bazz interrupts again.

“Please continue.” Clarence urges and with a stern look silences the man interrupting.

Bazz turns his eyes back onto the road.

“I ended up managing to kill the cartel boss first, but I was stuck at a 1-v-1 fight with Clive. He had no formal training whatsoever and still managed to beat me to a pulp. At the end of it though, he sat there bruised and bloody while I just barely won our bout. As I was getting ready to leave however, he started crying into the floor. A 14 year old teenager was crying into the floor. This isn’t something that you see every day.

I asked him quietly why he was crying and noticed the cuff marks on his wrists and ankles. Chain marks and bull whip scars were showing through his ripped shirt. He told me through teary eyes that he was gonna get sold back into slavery again if he screwed up again. He didn’t know when the slavers would be back for him because he was only on loan to the cartel boss.”

Bazz could feel the atmosphere in the vehicle take a nose dive as he told his tale. The convoy passes into the city of Uruay as he takes a momentary pause. However, he pressed on.

“I asked a simple question, one that isn’t given lightly. ‘Do you wish to continue living?’ He answered with a simple nod of his head. Then I took him by the hand and brought him with me. He didn’t know what to do with his newfound freedom so he took it a step at a time over the years. Along with this my master decided to train him formally, except Clive didn’t really stick to the formal way all that much. He was more of an improviser. After a while, he eventually turned into the cheery man that he is today, but it wasn’t easy to turn that man’s life around to tell ya the truth.”

He could hear two of the women in the back start quietly sobbing as they got jostled around by the Humvee. The convoy continues to pass through the city, undisturbed by the hustling of midday lunch hour. Cars line the road on either side as they pass through the downtown area with the skyscrapers hugging tightly to each other.

“I didn’t realize that your relationship was so…checkered.” Clarence says quietly.

Bazz continues to stare at the road.

“He turned into a really great guy. One I would give my life for. He’s my friend and my family, and no one will ever take him away from me…not while I still breathe at any rate.” Bazz says softly.

“-This is the Joker calling for Bossman. Over-” Clive’s voice calls over the radio.

Bazz picks up the radio and responds promptly.

“-This is Bossman, what can I do for you Joker? Over-”

“-I got a couple enthusiastic cheerleaders sitting in my Humvee waiting to make your acquaintance. Or mostly mine through you, you know how it is. Over-”

“-You bloody idiot, grow a pair and woo them yourself. I’m done introducing you to girls. Just because I introduced you to that nice Indian woman 3 years back doesn’t mean that I should have to introduce them to you every single time. Over-” Bazz retorts.

“-Oh come on Boss! All you have to do is be—”

KABOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

Two cars on either side of Clive’s Humvee in front of Bazz explode, completely decimating the occupants inside and the buildings to either side.

“CLIIIIIVVEEEE!!!!” Bazz screams.