“Hey, this place looks pretty nice!” I exclaimed, slapping my hand on the shoulder of my friend as we stepped of the train. “Isn’t it?”
“Hah! I couldn’t agree more Kurtis!” Konnor said, swinging his E/VIII Rifle back onto his shoulders. “Just look at that glistening water and the silvery sand! They really weren’t lying when they said Whitemouth was a paradise!”
We continued walking until we eventually reached the bridge where we were designated to be stationed.
“Private 2nd Class Kurtis Klarke, I presume?”
I turned around.
“I believe I have a letter for you.”
It was my company commander for this place. Lieutenant David Hendrikks. I jumped up eagerly.
“Sir!” I saluted, proud to be a soldier of our Imperium, before looking at the letter. “You know I can’t read, Lieutenant. You’ll have to read it for me.”
Lieutenant Hendrikks sighed, and tore open the letter.
My Dearest Kurtis,
As I sit here, penning these words, I kan’t help but feel the weight of your absense like a heavy stone pressing on my chest. It’s only been a week sinse you left for deployment, but oh, how it feels like a lifetime without you here. Your laughter used to fill every korner of our home, and now it’s eerily quiet, missing your vibrant energy. I find myself reaching for you in the empty spaces, longing for your komforting presence, your reassuring voice. You’ve always been more than just an older brother to me; you’re my konfidante, my partner in krime, my protektor. Please know that as you bravely face each day out there, I’m here, holding you klose in my thoughts and prayers, eagerly awaiting the moment when you’ll walk back into my arms, safe and sound. Until then, stay strong, dear brother. You are missed more than my words kan express.
Forever yours in heart and soul,
Mary.
I let the words sink in.
“Good ol’ Mary.” I said, punching Konnor playfully in the shoulder. “I knew that spending our family savings for her to go to school was one the best decisions we made.”
“She obviously misses you a lot, Private Klarke. Perhaps you should write back.” Lieutenant Hendrikks said, smiling sadly.
“Just tell her that everything will be fine. There’s nothing to worry about!” I laughed, waving my hand, before gazing into the sky, daydreaming. “War is like an adventure to me. A journey with honour and respect waiting for me with open arms when I inevitably come home! And plus, we get to go to magnificent places such as right here! In Whitemouth!”
“And here’s to that!” Konnor yelled, raising an imaginary glass. “I can’t wait to go home and crack open a bottle of wine!”
I looked back at the Lieutenant, the sun shining into his face. I could have sworn that there was a sliver of water sliding down his right eye.
“You boys are so naive,” Lieutenant Hendrikks sighed quietly, shaking his head. “War isn’t the adventure you think it is. It’s not all honour and glory. It’s filled with chaos and death. Believe me. I was your age before. I believed that war is an adventure as well. But you probably won’t believe me. Just like how I didn’t believe my superiors at the time… Sometimes you will see things that shock you. Literally and Metaphorically.”
He stood up. “Well, we mustn’t wait any longer. We must start building up the defences.”
We stood up as he directed us to start fortifying the positions. Konnor and I got to work, along with all the rest of our Antarean compatriots.
“What’s with all this work?” Konnor grunted, as he lifted a sandbag onto a pile. I shrugged.
“Apparently the Cetan Naval Infantry is going to launch an offensive on Whitemouth tomorrow.” The Lieutenant responded. “In an effort to take back their land.”
I gritted my teeth in anger as I lifted a massive crate filled with ammunition. Those damn Cetes. Always stubbornly trying to fight back. Why couldn’t they accept the fact that their miserable country Cetus has fallen into our mighty Empire, and will be directed into a new light under the guidance of the royal House of Tau?
“Alright everyone! Get some rest! We may need to fight tomorrow!”
The Next Day
“Oi, Kurtis, wake up.”
“Wake up Kurtis.”
“Kurtis! Wake! The! Hell! Up!”
A slap hit my face. My heavy eyelids opened sluggishly. Konnor came into my view. I looked around, noticing I that I was somehow comfortable enough to fall asleep onto the ground of the bridge.
“Damn it, Konnor.” I grunted. “What is it?”
“Those bloody Cetes may strike at any given moment today. Lieutenant Hendrikks told me to wake you up. So unless want to die, grab your rifle, and get up!”
I grabbed my E/VIII rifle and looked around. The landscape had undergone a stark transformation from what it looked like yesterday. An eerie fog enveloped the surrounding areas, shrouding everything in a haunting cold haze. The sun struggled to pierce through the fog’s stubborness, casting feeble rays that barely illuminated Whitemouth. Even the vibrant foliage and lively fauna seemed to have succumbed to the oppressive atmosphere as their vitality was sucked away. I could barely see the shore.
I moved across the bridge, crouched besides Konnor, and raised my E/VIII. Hendrikks stood at the left of me. He seemed to have polished his white gloves very rigorously today. His right hand holding his Sub E/XCV officer’s pistol and clutched the hilt of his Southern Ensis sword with his left. There was a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Can’t blame him. The same could be said for all of us.
Minutes, possibly hours went by with nothing significant happening. The silence was deafening.
HOOOOOONNNNK!!!
My fellow riflemen and I straightened our backs and aimed. And in the distance, obscured by the fog yet distinct, was their warship. The Cetans immediately disembarked.
We began shooting. The silence was suddenly replaced with the clicking of levers and the blasts of guns.
“Damnit!” I heard someone cry. “Nothing is happening to them!”
Lieutenant Hendrikks raised a binocular. He took a small step back in horror.
"STOP!!! HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!
I was a bit confused. But all commands must be respected and followed.
“THEY’RE NOT CETANS!!!”
I looked back at the charging swarm. They looked very much like the Cetus Naval Infantry. They were definitely wearing the same naval uniform, and their ship definitely was the CIS Naiad. There’s no way they were not Cetans… right?
“What the hell…” Konnor muttered, eyes wide in shock as the enemy got closer.
The Lieutenant’s next few words would haunt me forever.
“THEY’RE NOT EVEN HUMAN!”
A gritted my teeth in a surge of fear that I have never felt before. I looked at the charging swarm, this time with more focus.
He was right. The impeding mass were not Cetans.
They were something else. Something subhuman. Their uniforms were torn and shriveled, showing that the discipline had been torn into savagery. Their elongated limbs moved with the feral nature of a wild animal, with many abandoning their rifles all together and running on all fours. Their skin was a sickening shade of grey, with some having skin as dark as the night sky. And their eyes were pitch black, whereas others had purple eyes that glowed with a vivid intensity.
They let out sickening snarls and screeches. As if they were trying to mimic the battle cry let out by humans. And the closer they got, the more details were visible.
Some had fins, some had scales. Some had escae, and some had tails. They looked like the legendary monsters plucked out of the gargantuan Inanis Sea, and was given some uniforms and some guns.
Some courageous Antareans let out some battle cries of their own. Their E/VIII extended with bayonets fixed and pointed and they charged. The monstrosities tore through them with ease. Some had their heads eaten off by ones with shark heads. The scenes were beyond macabre.
Konnor grabbed my shoulders. His face was etched with fear and despair.
“Kurtis.” He said, shaking me vigorously. “Kurtis! I want to go home! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I can’t die here! Not in the hands of these… monsters!”
All I could do, was nod and turn back to firing. The feeling of powerlessness was immense.
Every second that passed probably meant another death to an unlucky Antarean, who gets turned into literal seafood. Food for those from the sea.
Every second that passed probably meant that our defences are growing weaker and weaker, as the monstrosities claw, rip and tear easily through our sandbags and barbed wires.
Every second that passed probably meant that the hope of survival grew smaller and smaller and the reality of fighting a losing battle sinks in deeper and deeper, as those monstrosities that are the Cetan Naval Infantry truly lived up to their names as they slaughtered us one by one.
Exercitus Maris.
The Army of the Sea.
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