Vanya's journals: The Battle BeginsWhen you finally reach the pale blue sheets of paper, you find that Vanya's following entry has clippings of them pasted throughout, as if she was trying to use them to help tell her story. Among the entry's pages are whole, loose sheets, and among those, the ones that had fallen out earlier. Supper was just as it had been the night before, except Katie sat next to Saemin this time. I found it difficult to notice anything else. They laughed, talking about everything and anything that came to mind. He listened intently to everything she said, easing her fears and telling her she would do amazingly the following day. He told her she was special to him; she kissed his cheek and they embraced.
I envied her; I'd always wanted something like that. It ate at my heart, nagging incessantly, deflating my spirits. It had been easier when everyone around me was single, too, but now that I could see how Katie and Saemin acted together, I couldn't take my mind off it. I
wanted to be single so I could avoid the pain of failure... but at the same time, I wanted love. I wanted someone to love me like Saemin did for her.
I wanted someone I could love in return.
After supper, outside the mess hall, I heard Jonah calling my name. I looked upwards and saw him standing at the trench's lip, twenty feet above me.
"Vanya, come up here," he called again, and disappeared from view.
Unsure what he wanted, I emerged from the trench via the stairs and looked around for him. It was a moonless night, as black as charcoal, except for a glow around the trench, and the twinkling stars above. As soon as I'd made out Jonah's shape, standing off to the edge of the shield, I walked over to him, picking my way around the craters, and soon reached his side.
"Vanya, have you ever studied the stars?" he asked softly, looking skywards.
I followed his gaze. "I've looked at them sometimes... Usually I'm underground."
He glanced over at me, and then looked back up. "Every universe... every galaxy... every
world... has a different set of stars; a completely different sky. Every sky is special."
"What's special about ours?"
"Everoc's star is right in the middle of a supercluster, near the center of your galaxy. You haven't even named it yet, but it's special by itself: a loose spiral." He paused, taking a few steps closer and holding his head close beside mine, pointing with his arm. "Your constellations... The Honey Badger," he said, tracing a line across a set of stars with his finger.
I could almost see it with him: it had a bright eye and teeth, its tail a faint glitter of stars.
Jonah lowered his arm for a moment, and then raised it again, pointing and tracing out a longer shape: "The Greatsword." Then, turning, he pointed again: "The Demon's Maw. So many constellations, and every one of them with a story behind it, passed down through the generations."
"I can see them," I whispered, absorbed in the beauty of the heavens. "Do you know all of them?"
"The stars?" he asked. "No one can know all of them."
"No, the constellations," I clarified. "Nobody ever pointed them out to me like this before."
He smiled softly. "You're a bit odd for an elf," he said.
"And you're a bit odd for a dwarf." I smiled too, amused.
He chuckled, leaning close again and pointing out another. "The Soldiers," he said, tracing out a set of stick figures. "Also known as 'The Sisters'."
At this, I stepped away and eyed him suspiciously.
Jonah pursed his lips apologetically. "Katie told me the story of your past," he explained. "There's a story behind this constellation, too. Do you see how the smaller sister is kneeling, looking towards The Demon's Maw? The taller one, on her right, is reaching an arm across the sky for The Greatsword," he said slowly, leaning close again and pointing it out with a finger. "Some dwarves say that when the world ends, the older sister will finally reach the sword, striking down the demon and banishing him, and the world will begin anew... others say that the demon will devour them both, and everything will come to an end."
"I don't understand."
"The world hasn't ended yet," he said softly. "There's still a chance to save your sister."
I spun, taking a step away. "What are you talking about?" I asked, a little angrily. "She's dead!"
"Hush," Jonah whispered urgently. "We could both get in trouble for this. Wari told me about you once, and –"
"You knew Wari?" I interrupted, my eyes widening in surprise.
That was as far as I got. A stern shout interrupted us, emanating from the trench. "Jonah, Agent, get back here and get to sleep! I need you well-rested!"
Jonah gave a gentle smile, turning away and starting back, shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets. "I'll explain tomorrow," he assured me. "Goodnight, Vanya."
~~~
"Wake up," someone was whispering, pushing me with their hands.
I sat up quickly, unaware of my surroundings. "What?!"
A hand clapped over my mouth. "Silence, Agent," Almory hissed. "Get dressed. Your friend is waiting for you outside."
With that, she left the room.
I hastily dressed myself and hurried after her, careful not to awaken Katie, who was still asleep on the bunk below me. After I was ready, I left the room.
The trench was eerily quiet, so much that it spooked me. The railcannon was silent, for the first time since I'd gotten there, and everything was as black as ink. A tiny light-tube, capped at both ends with black plastic, rested on the floor outside the door. I picked it up, walking carefully through the darkness, shining it in my path.
"Vanya!" someone whispered loudly from below.
Holding the light out over the empty space, I could faintly make out a face below. "John?"
"Yes! Hurry up! We were supposed to leave five minutes ago."
"Okay," I whispered back, hurrying down the stairs and slowing by his side. "Where is the lieutenant?"
Almory appeared, holding a weapon. "It's Ballpoint make," she explained, handing it to John. "We snatched it off the battlefield a while back – this is the best one we have."
John looked it over, pulling out the cartridge and snapping it back, flipping open the barrel and examining the inside, looking in the different compartments and adjusting the viewfinder. "This'll be perfect," he said, giving Almory a nod.
Turning, the lieutenant handed me a computer clip. "Plug this into the portal when you get there. I set it with coordinates for Parasol."
"Yes sir," I said, putting it into an empty pouch.
Almory folded her arms and spoke to both of us. "You have two hours to get over there. Stay out of the light, and don't move into their camp until they start emptying it out. Stick to the plan, no matter what. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," we said together.
She seemed to fight off a sigh. "I'm still sure this is a bad idea," Almory said regretfully, "but this is what we're going to do. I'm going to open the shield. I will open it for a total of five seconds – listen for a metallic clang. That will be the signal. Now,
move," she ordered, snatching the light from my hands and switching it off.
Together, John and I jogged to the end of the trench and started climbing the ladder. I followed him up, groping blindly for the cold, metal rungs. After reaching the top, he jogged ahead, holding his arms out ahead of him, feeling for the shield.
"Found it," he whispered suddenly. I stopped by his side, and we watched the trench for the signal.
Clang. "Move!" John whispered urgently, and together we rushed towards the west, out through the same path we'd entered through when we'd first arrived at the camp.
I was praying.
~~~
A blue snip of paper is pasted here. In the black of night, in the depths of a Parasol trench, a commander stood before her little squad. Everyone was suited up, wearing full suits of black-camo armor and a jetpack.
"All right, soldiers," Lieutenant Almory started, looking at the squad assembled in front of her. She didn't seem hopeful, only as determined as she'd ever been. "You all already know what's at stake here. If we don't win this battle, Ballpoint is going to open our portal, wipe us out, and take over the entire continent. I don't like making speeches, but..." She stopped for a moment, glaring at Trebor, who was snickering at this last. "I doubt we'll all make it back alive."
"We're gonna be all right, Captain," Saemin offered in his gentle way. "Everything'll work out in the end, just like it always does." At his side, his girlfriend clung to his arm, dwarfed by his size. "Isn't that right, Katie?"
The girl nodded, smiling. Saemin bent down, and they shared a brief kiss.
Normally, Lieutenant Almory would have put a stop to it. This time, she let it slide, instead casting a wishful eye at Hawkins, who mouthed, "Just stay safe."
"For Parasol," Lieutenant Almory said. The rest of her squad echoed the words: "For Parasol."
It was a quiet moment, but full of hope.
The lieutenant spoke again. "Katalina, disable the shields. Tames, Gearbox, Jonah... you're with me. The rest of you... get to your positions."
"You show 'em, Captain," Katie said, smiling.
Lieutenant Almory nodded in acknowledgement, putting on her helmet and fastening it, while everyone else did the same. With that, she pressed a button on her palm, and her jetpack activated, propelling her over the top of the trench. Jonah followed last, muttering, "I hate heights."
"We have a few hours until sunrise," Almory said over the comm system, as her squad jogged towards the edge of the shield. "Stay low and don't use your jetpacks until we start back. You know what to do: get them angry."
"Aw, I can't wait, Captain," Gearbox said, struggling to stay quiet. "This is gonna be fun."
~~~
Vanya's handwriting continues. The walk was silent, but long. Neither of us spoke: not only did we not want to give away our position, but we also didn't really have anything to say. Almory had already briefed John on my plan, as he seemed to know exactly what to do. We wound our way through rocks and boulders, keeping out of sight of Megaportal Hill.
After a couple hours, we rounded a ridge, and finally came upon the back of the Ballpoint camp, immediately noticing that something was wrong.
John checked his watch. "It's only 2:00," he muttered, confused. "Nothing should've happened yet."
Though it was almost completely dark outside, I could faintly make out the outlines of abandoned tents dotting the backside of the hill... but there was no one in sight.
"There!" John hissed, pointing. "Their vehicles, their infantry..."
I followed his gaze to the crest of the hill, beside the megaportal... Everyone and everything Ballpoint had was readied at the top: a huge column of tanks, and row upon row of soldiers, waiting in silence.
"It's a trap," I whispered.
John swore, pacing briskly back and forth, staring at the ground. "That's impossible! There's no way they could've known Parasol was attacking them tonight! Unless we'd shown up, Parasol would've just kept doing their thing, sitting and waiting. It's what Ballpoint would expect."
"Maybe the attack is coincidental," I suggested.
"No!" John hissed, brushing past me. "I
know how Ballpoint thinks. I used to
be Ballpoint, remember? They'd be content to wait it out, so long as they got action when it was all over. They don't care about troops, but they do care about their equipment. Striking Parasol like this would net them more losses than they'd be willing to handle, as they would think Parasol would keep its shield up the whole time, except for the railcannon bursts."
I followed him with my eyes. "They're not watching for us, though," I pointed out.
"And why
would they be?" he asked, cursing under his breath. "We've spent the whole day in weapons training, digging little tunnels in the ground like moles..." John stopped short, his eyes widening. "Moles..." he whispered. "Oh, no..."
~~~
Several blue sheets of paper are inserted here. "She lowered the shield," Almory radioed suddenly. "Let's move!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the hill in front of them exploded with light, hundreds of muzzle flashes brightening the skyline.
The little squad of soldiers didn't even have time to react before the ground erupted beneath them, flinging them aside.
"Retreat!" Almory yelled, leaping to her feet as another explosion set the sky aflame. "Retreat!"
"Sorry, Lieutenant, this is the end of the line for me," Tames said through the radio as he jetted away. "You know there's no way this could've worked."
Everyone stood in horrified silence as it slowly sank in.
Almory was the first to speak. "Tames?? You
betrayed us?!" she screamed in fury. "
How much did you tell them??"
Without a word, Gearbox jetted after him, narrowly dodging Ballpoint's shots as he flew through the sky.
"Gearbox, get back here!" Almory yelled. "I order you to stop!"
"Captain, I've had enough of this!" the biomech boomed, flying off into the distance. "That bastard is going to get what he deserves, if
I have anything to say about it! I'm gonna kill him, just you wait!"
"Gearbox, now!!" she screeched, starting after him as he shrank to a tiny speck in the distance.
Jonah grabbed her arm, pulling her back as dirt fell around them, cannon fire echoing in their ears. "Captain, it's no use!! You know how Gearbox gets!"
Reluctantly, she nodded, watching a huge line of tanks and troops roll down the hill. Behind her, the railcannon began to roar, firing off rapid bursts of shots at the line of enemies; she watched as the projectiles hit their targets, throwing a tiny portion of Ballpoint's line into disarray.
"We'll close the shields," Almory said quietly, adjusting her radio as she sprinted back towards the trench. "Katalina, close the shields. We're cancelling the operation."
The voice of a terrified, panicked young woman answered her, static roaring in the background. "Captain, I can't! Something happened – as soon as I turned them off, the generator exploded! Everything's on fire, and I can't put it out!"
Almory reached the edge of the trench and began shouting orders as she leapt down, level by level. "Hawk! Leave the railcannon to Saemin and see if you can get the mag-deflector started up on the emergency generator!"
"Yes, sir!" Hawkins shouted over the din. He climbed out of the gunner's seat, sliding down the ladder to the ground. He took off running, but Saemin quickly overtook him.
"Saemin Lo, get back here!" the lieutenant shouted.
"I gotta save Katie, Captain!" Saemin yelled back, leaping up the steps in huge bounds.
"I gave you an order, soldier!" Almory roared, rocketing upwards and landing in front of him. "Get back to your post NOW! Man that railcannon!"
Saemin clenched his fists, looking furiously at her from several steps below and staring her down. She held firm, glaring at him through her visor.
Around the trench, gunfire echoed. One end exploded in a fireball – the point where the railcannon had been only hours before crumbling to the base of the trench in a cloud of dust.
Saemin swallowed, turning away reluctantly. "Yes sir," he said, rushing for the railcannon.
"Good." Saying this, she turned away. As she ran up the last flight of steps, Almory paused and called out, "Jonah, get Trebor out here, and get Reudh's crew! Have everyone armed and ready!"
"Yes, Captain!" He rushed off, just as the railcannon began firing quick bursts into the enemy lines.
~~~
Vanya's handwriting continues. John jumped, falling over as the hill exploded above them with the sound of a hundred cannons.
"They're attacking," I whispered, biting my lip. "John, what do we do?"
Getting to his feet, John shook his head roughly. "We run, that's what we do."
I spun. "Run??" I asked. "Are you crazy? Our friends are under attack!"
"They're not our friends!" he hissed, picking up his railgun. "We knew them for less than a week."
I wanted to hit him. "How can you be so callous?! They
need us, John!! Ballpoint doesn't know we're here, so we can still open the megaportal!"
"As if," he muttered, scanning the horizon.
"We can!"
He stepped close, bearing down on me. "We
can't! We
don't know if Ballpoint knows we're here! Even if we surrender, Ballpoint will
kill me for deserting them. There's no way to get up there."
"The whole camp is empty!" I pointed out angrily, looking up at his face. "We won't have any problems getting through!"
Snarling, he spat, "They have soldiers guarding the portal! What do you think you're going to do once you get up there? Kill them? Pretend to be Ballpoint? Pretty them to death?" Sighing, he began walking away, muttering curses. "It's hopeless, Vanya. You're dreaming. There's no way to save them."
"We have to
try."
By the starlight, I saw him clench his fists, trembling with fury. He spun around to face me. "Do you know what happened
last time I 'tried,' Vanya?" he growled, and his voice escalated to a near-shout. "I arranged for Ballpoint to get inside Spearbreakers! That was
me, Vanya!!
I'm the one who almost brought down the entire continent!"
I shook my head, agape. "That's not possible..."
"Think about it, Vanya!" he yelled. "Four years! I spent
four years in Ballpoint! Splint's reign was only two years ago. I'm a translator – a diplomat! They wouldn't give me a position as a soldier because of my nerves! I met with Baron Splint and he agreed to let us into Spearbreakers in exchange for a little manual labor.
I'm the reason Ballpoint expanded!
I'm the reason Ballpoint is destroying your friends!!" He quieted, slowing his breathing, and then turned and kept walking away. "I wasn't sure about your idea before, but there's no chance of it working now."
Staring at John, I shook my head, dumbfounded by his sudden change in demeanor. Behind us, during a lull in the gunfire, I heard an agonized scream echoing over the hills. It sounded like Katie; the thought of my friends in danger strengthened my resolve.
"Leave, then," I said quietly, starting for the base of the hill. "I'm still going to try."
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Topic: [34.11] Spearbreakers - It shudders and begins to move (Read 2280051 times)