Chapter 1: A World in Ruins

=i looked up at the parachutes and yelled in victory. I signaled Alex to cut the gunfire and he did. He also started shouting for joy. I could also hear Jake in the tank doing the same thing. I finally noticed a wounded Imperial soldier on the ground next to my tank. I hopped down and went over to him=

I got a live one!

"What, really? Lemme get a crack at him."

=i put up my hand to stop Alex=

No, remember our rules. We don't beat the shit out of the enemy.

=he stopped and kinda pouted, which looked almost perfect on him. I almost burst out laughing when I saw that, but I knew that if I did, I wouldn't stop due to hysteria. I waved over some medics=

Keep him alive. But please, don't go out of your way.

=we all chuckled and they dragged him off to what I would assume would become the brig, or jail, or whatever the correct term was. Tankers don't have prisons, it's just dead, or about to be dead. There is no middle ground. The paratroopers had landed by now, and I went over to go talk to them, Jake stayed behind to man the radio, and Alex came with me, just because I guess. First thing I did was give the CO of the paratroopers a bear hug=

Thank God you arrived, sir. We would've been dead meat without you.

=she promptly broke out of it=

"Your welcome, as long as you don't do that again. Who's your CO?"

Colonel Taylor, Ma'am.

"Where is he?"

"Dead, ma'am."

=i was shocked at Alex's words. I turned to look at him=

When...?

"Mess tent. Round came in and blew his neck out. No way he could've survived that. Looks like you are in charge, Iron."

"Iron?"

=i turned back to the CO=

Name's Iron Foot, 'cause I drive so fast. Look, ma'am, I'm not one for command-

"None of us are, but you're it."

=Xazhi's vision and hearing faded in slowly. He looked around lazily, seeing bright lights in his eyes, and hearing muffled talking in a language not his own. He attempted to sit up, but was put back down from the pain in his leg and back=

Kuvyhm 'viil...

=one of the soldiers "guarding" the prisoner kicked his leg=

"Stop being such a baby. It's just a scratch."

=the medic put anesthetic on the prisoner and started looking at his various wounds. Back in the "meeting" between me and the paratroopers' CO=

Ma'am, you don't understand, I'm a CSM. I don't have any command experience! I can't lead these men!

"Well, I'm not, if that's what you are thinking. I have my hands full with these idiots, I'm not taking on any more."

Ma'am, with all due respect, this is insane! I'm a tank driver! I ca-

"Shut it. You can, and you will, or this whole operation will be done and over with right here!"

=i thought for a moment before finally nodding=

Okay, fine. I'll lead them. But once I find someone who is willing to do it instead, I'm stepping down.

"Whatever."

=she walked off, and I turned to look at Alex=

"Nice job, Iron. I think she likes you."

Oh, shut up.

=As his leg numbed out, he tried to communicate with the doctor. His accent didnt help. Although uncommon, there were English and American doctors in the empire. And, being an officer, he assumed that one of his men had taken him from the battle and back to camp=

Zo, doktorr. Did ymy skvad make it out ov thi battel alrite?

=the doctor replies, doing his best to ignore the fact that the patient would kill him as soon as he got the chance=

"Don't know. Don't care."

=Xazhi looks at him confused=

Ok.... Well, I shud geht bak to Liza. She'll wahnt to heir abot sis. Sank you fur se treatment, Doktorr.

=He takes his helmet, and sits on the edge of the bed for a moment. He tries to stand, which feels clumsy on his numb leg. He goes to leave the tent=

=the guard raises his gun and steps in front of the prisoner=


"You aren't going anywhere, buddy. Sit back down."

=Xazhi again stares at the guard for a moment. Realizing that nobody in the Delta Wing would have the balls to threaten an officer of his rank, he assumed it to be a joke. He chuckled=

You know i koud hav you hung for sat.

=He again attempts to leave the tent=

=the guard shoves him back towards the bed=

"I said, sit down."

=He stands back up again, staring the guard in the eye, looking slightly down at him=

Do yu know who i am, solgher? I am Kommandur Narok ov Delta Wing. Now yu bitter siht don beforr i deside to hav yur balls cut off und fed to se dogs.

=the guard stares him back in the eye, a small smile on his face=
"And I'm PFC Joker, and either you sit down, or I blow your leg off and beat you to death with it."

=i had decided to check up on the prisoner. I walked into the med tent to see the prisoner and Joker having a bit of an argument. I waited patiently=

=Xazhi swings his right hand at Joker's wrist, holding it so the gun is pointing towards the floor. At the same time, his left hand draws his own sidearm and he sticks it under Joker's chin=

Du yu hav any childrenn, PFC Jokerr?

=He lowers his gun so it points at the guard's groin=

Du you want sem?

"I'll have to ask the CO about that."

=i move behind the prisoner and put him in a big bear hug, pinning his arms to his sides. Joker takes the gun back and smacks the prisoner on the side of the head. I let him go and stand back=

"Stand down, prisoner. We won't hurt you if you just do what we say."

I wil not be taken fur a foole in my ovn encampment! I am sekont-in-kommant ov sie Delta Wing! No meer mariine will givt me ordurrs!

=i give him a look like "are you serious?"=

Dude, you aren't in your camp. You are a prisoner. Now start acting like one before I decide to send you back in a box.

=He rubs one of his eyes as his vision returns to normal. He sees the alliance uniforms on the two soldiers. He sits down on the bed again, aggravated. He chuckles sarcastically an shakes his head=

Se fahck will be nekst? Disney fahckin lahnd?

=He looks at PFC Joker=

I suppose tis explanes se men akting like mentahl incompetents.

=He holsters his sidearm=

So ansver me ehn kweschin, Amehrikans. Why keep se sekond in kommand of Delta Wing aleiv?

I didn't know what you were. You coulda been the greenest soldier in the Empire. We have rules. Treat prisoners as humans, not as animals. Humans get treatment when they are injured. Ergo, you got treatment.

=i crossed my arms=
Now, tell us what you are planning.

=He chuckles=

We jav a sayink in Delta Wing. "If an enemy asks what you are planning, ask them the same. If an enemy tells you your life depends on it..."

=He grins=

"Tell them to eat shit."

Well, seeing as how your friends and family's life depends on it, we'll see. Can you live knowing you let us kill your family? All we want, is the city, to let resistance members out. But, if you get in the way, then we will have to go straight through their lines, your lines, which means, more of your friends are going to die. And, there is a very good chance that we may get lost in the confusion, and destroy a nearby town, and another one, and another one, and so on. How many civilians do you think would die?

=He laughs=

You leave out a few key points. One, I have no family, and no friends. Two, if you attack any innocent civilians, or even go so far as to kill them, more will rally to our cause. Three, Fall Protocol.

=He grin crookedly=

Fall Protocol? Lemme guess, your version of Scorched Earth?

Fall protocol dictates that if three of the four leaders of the Empire, that being Hitler, Steinherz, myself, and Hitler's brother, or by majority vote among them, that all states outside of the empire will be bombed, burned, and gassed untill no survivors are left, and the empire may at last have the peace we have been striving for since the death of Adolf.

Oh, so, shooting you would be bad? Good thing I wasn't going to shoot you.

If you dont intend to shoot me, Alliance man, please enlighten me of what you do intend to do, unless you prefer that i be kept in the dark all this time.

=I smile=
Nah, you can just wait. It'll be a bit more fun that way, don't you think?

=I looked at one of the guards=
Keep an eye on him, but keep him healthy. We still have standards.

=I chuckled and walked out the door. I went over to the command tent, which still felt odd to be called mine. I felt like a student in the principal's office. The woman from the paratoopers was there, waiting for me=

"Sir, I have something to tell you."

Yes'm?

"We aren't here for you."

=I moved behind the...my desk and sat down=

"We were here to hold a position in the event of a failure to break through the front lines. You weren't supposed to fall back at all."

Are you saying we were supposed to simply go on a suicide run into their guns? Why?

"I don't know. I just thought you would like to know."

Thank you. Is there anything else you need?

=She scratched her head and combed her hair with her fingers=

"Uh, well. We could use a bit of a snooze, if that's okay."

Of course. Find any empty bed and it's your own. It's the least we could do for saving our asses.