This is the first story that I share with you all. Huzzah!

This was actually a little experiment that I felt like trying. It's set in the universe of an old story I wrote long ago. And when I say old, I mean I saved it all on floppy discs. This little piece is kind of my way of saying goodbye to the first stories I ever wrote . You don't need an extensive knowledge of the back-story to enjoy this piece, just know that the Torridians are an insectoid species from beyond the Perseus Arm who ruthlessly attacked human colonies and often enslaved the colonists.

This piece takes the shape of an interview with Thomas Pendleton, a soldier who fought in the Perseus Arm War. He was stationed in a relatively isolated colony that was attacked by Torridians. He tells the life-altering events he went through on that day.

Before you read the story, keep in mind that it is written in first-person, which I never do. Also, in its current state, I consider this piece just a step above a rough draft.Therefore, it may be a little rough around the edges. I would very much like to have your opinions and constructive criticism would be great. Thanks for reading.

Quote:
Corporal Thomas Pendleton

Battle of Coral Valley, Serendipity Colony

So, you want to hear about Coral Valley, eh? Well, it’s pretty simple: we got caught with our pants down. We lost a lot of good men and even more innocents. At the time, I was stationed in Serendipity with November Company, “The Good Ol’ Ground-Pounders”. We always said that it was one of the dullest possible postings, but we would never have complained, had we known what we were in for. When that Torridian dreadnought blocked out the sun over our heads, the whole damn colony descended into chaos. While it dropped Roaches on us by the dozen, their fighters performed strafing runs over Serendipity and knocked out most of our anti-aircraft guns.

The first priority was to evacuate the citizens, but in all the disorder we didn’t even manage to save a quarter of the colony. Orders were to bring the civilians to the underground shelters through Coral Valley. It was a damn mess, though; there was no cover whatsoever, unless you counted the wrecked LIVs. My fireteam was part of a diversionary tactic to draw some fire off the teams escorting the civvies. Our squad leader, sergeant Thompson, was pushing the Light Infantry Vehicle to its limits and I was riding shotgun, taking potshots at any enemies I could see, when it happened. There was a blinding flash of light and this terrible feeling of being crushed. Then, everything went black.

I remember—

The first few seconds after I opened my eyes were a blur. I had landed on my back, because the first thing I saw was two enemy fighters streaking across the dark-blue sky, leaving a trail of white smoke behind them. My ears were ringing like mad. Just this constant ringing that overshadowed every other sound. It was odd, because as I struggled to stand up from the dirt and mud, I could see the violence of the battle all around me yet everything sounded so far away. My entire body was aching and bruised, just getting to my knees was an immense challenge; it felt like I had been run over by a truck. That was one of the major problems with the Army’s standard-issue armor: it would stop a few rounds, but that was about it. The Marines and Special Forces got the good stuff with kinetic shields and nanoid-enhanced armor. When I finally did manage to stand up, blood was pouring down my forehead and into my eyes. You know, in basic training, they tell you to always keep calm and assess each situation as it comes. Well, when you’re pissing blood and surrounded by death, calm slips out of your vocabulary.

I found out later that a shell hit near our LIV and I was thrown from the passenger seat. I must have hit my head pretty damn hard, because my helmet fragmented and a jagged piece of it sliced the top of my head open. And, hell, just to make things more interesting, my chest armor was cracked and barely hanging on to me, so I had to remove it. Like I said, the Army’s armor system wasn’t impressive. My radio still worked and through it, I heard the Colonel ordering everybody to fall back.

We were losing. Badly.

I’m sure I looked like the worst soldier in the war, standing in the middle of a battlefield while gripping the top of my head and spinning in circles. Honestly, I had no idea where I was and I couldn’t orientate myself at all. At first, I was looking for my team, but they were nowhere to be found. In the end, I just blindly picked a direction and started marching. Maybe it was the concussion, but as I limped through the smoking remains of what used to be a gorgeous landscape, I just kept staring ahead of myself. It was as if I was entranced; focusing solely on what was in front of me and trying to ignore the blinding pain. Through my radio, I could hear cries for help, pleas for reinforcements and screams of despair when those requests went unanswered. I’m not ashamed to say that it was too much for me to handle; I just turned it off.

Finally, I reached a small group of soldiers who had been pinned down. One of them, a young private, had dropped to his knees and wept, while another soldier kneeled down and held him. That young man’s face embodied the sorrow and despair of every man fighting in that valley and I have carried that image with me ever since.

An older soldier, a sergeant, stood up and grabbed me by my shoulders. He was inches from my face and shouted something at me. I could hardly hear him over the ringing in my ears and the gunfire, but it sounded like he was telling me to get down. His green eyes opened wide, his mouth followed suit and his nostrils flared while blood splashed on my face. I stumbled backwards and fell to the ground as the bronze-skinned Torridian twisted its blade inside the sergeant, before effortlessly tossing his body aside. It’s a terrifying thing, staring into a fellow soldier’s eyes during his final moments and even now, half a century later, that scene haunts my nightmares.

Before that moment, I had never been so close to a Roach. It was so much taller than I thought. I was so scared, I couldn’t think of anything except getting out of there. My feet were kicking up dirt as I tried backing away from the damn thing. It just watched me with its huge black eyes and began advancing towards me. Since I had lost my rifle, I tried reaching for my sidearm, but it was gone as well. There was no doubt in my mind then, I was dead. Finished. Kaput. Game over, man. So I just gave up, shut my eyes, pictured my wife and waited to feel a cold blade tear into my gut. It never came.

I half-opened one eye and in the Torridian’s place stood the members of Bravo squad. They had showed up in time and dropped the Torridian. Words just can’t describe how relieved I felt. I wanted to get up and shake their hands, but the blood loss finally caught up with me and I passed out. I woke up, relatively safe and sound, in the medical bay of the UEG Magellan.

The rest is history. Humanity was struck a heavy blow with the loss of Serendipity. For years after, colonists lived in fear and few people dared to venture beyond the Perseus Arm. I was one of the lucky few who lived to fight another day, and I made the most of it.