Planetary War

The scent of smoke and blood wafted through the air as I fixed my concentration on the battle ahead. My opponent was a lean, slender man, probably in his twenties and I had seen him training a few weeks back. If recalled correctly someone called him Raj. I could tell by his stance that his tactics were mostly offensive. I took a defensive pose and motioned him forward with my hand. Surprise reflected in his eyes but he didn't back down. He lunged at me as I sidestepped and twisted his hand. He swept my feet from under me and held me down. My initial shock of this strategy passed in a matter of seconds and I lifted my leg and flipped him over while licking his hands behind him while I pinned down both his legs. two words uttered out of his mouth, "I surrender", and I released him and helped him up. "Your tactics were good but you can't let your left side be unguarded. The Erisians would have finished you off by now if you went into the battled grounds in this shape. work on your defensive status and we'll have another go at this then, "I advised him before returning to the mess hall. 

I walked down the corridor of the East Gullivar fort. It had become home over the years during this war against the Erisians. The Erisians came from the dwarf planet- Eris six years ago after that planet became too small for all their citizens. We were lucky that our scientists discovered their satellites and the conversations they were having about this war to their other spaceship. We had enough time to inform all of Earth's citizens and discover some of their weaknesses and powers.

 A couple of years passed and by then the Erisians had figured out that we were eavesdropping on their battle conversations so they started sabotaging our army camps but we had realized that the only fatal weapon against them is the crystals and gems that are mined from the earth and we could fend off their attempts. Then the real problems aroused as they started kidnapping the citizens who were mostly below twenty. The economy of the world collapsed and the chaos spread far and wide just as the Erisians predicted. The part that they hadn't predicted was that this also influenced many people to join their armies for vengeance. After a whole year they attempted rescue missions to get back the kidnapees. The realization soon hit that most of the ones who were captured had gone mad or were in a coma or died from brain damage but the ones who were still alive and hadn't gone mad were permanently altered in some ways. Most of them-us joined the armies and climbed up to the top to get our revenge for what they made us suffer through. As for what was done to us, that will never be spoken in words.

As soon as I stepped in the mess hall, silence crept through and everyone stared at me. Captain Dekar came by my side and pulled me to the corner for what I thought was the new information on the Erisian army center to the west of our fort. It was supposedly the largest center they have set up. Captain Dekar was just a level below me and I trusted him a lot of my plans and missions. He looked worried as if the burden of the whole world was on his shoulders. "What's wrong?" I asked looking at him in the eye. He took a breath and answered, "Our spy team just got back and it's not good. They are planning to attack on the next full moon and it seems that this center is bigger than any other and also more powerful as they have the Commandant with them." This was not good, not at all good. The Commandant was the leader of their armies but why he was here and not on their space satellite I didn't understand. A month was long enough for us to prepare. This battle will be the end of the Commandant. I will make them pay for the torture and pain they made us suffer through that year. In the end, all of it only fueled my anger and will to survive. Pushing aside all of my thoughts, I walked to the center of the hall and announced, "My fellow soldiers, there has been news that the commandant himself is going to be leading the Erisian army center located on our west. They will attack on the next full moon. We are more than ready to take them down once and for all. All unit captains meet me in the strategy meeting room in an hour. Any questions?" 

"Do we have enough crystal weapons for all the additional men that came in last week?" one of the captains whom I recognized as Megh Farley asked. "There isn't any deficiency of weapons. Captain Sarah worked on that herself," saying that I walked out of the mess hall and spent the entire day strategizing the best way to win this battle and hopefully also the war.

The next four weeks went in a blur of training others, finalizing the strategies and training myself. I knew that after getting rescued something within me had changed. A shadow now lingers in the back of my mind. I can feel it grow every day that my anger grows.

I sighed and shook my head."This is no time to be dwelling on these thoughts", I thought and walked towards the strategy meeting room.

I opened the ombre door and saw two of the captains had already arrived and were in deep conversation. As soon as I came in the stopped and looked at me. I could tell something was very wrong.

 "What's wrong? What news did the other units give you?" 

Captain Dekar sighed and said, "All Erisian camps are planning to attack in unison on their respective forts. This isn't just a battle anymore it is turning out to be a war and it seems like our targeted camp is one leading all the forces. This is not a battle we can afford to lose at all." And that was it. I spent every waking hour training or getting others ready until the day of the battle. Because no matter what I will get my revenge for what they did to me, to my sister, and so many more people. 

That day I and my sister- Maya had been sitting on the porch when a bright light suddenly came from nowhere and then a man stood in its place. He wasn't like any human I had ever seen. His eyes were emerald green, his ears were pointier like an elf, his skin was shiny and reflective like metal. His attire though was like a soldier. I couldn't move, it was like I was paralyzed and then he lifted his hand toward us and we fell into a dark infinite void. I don't remember how long it'd been from that day to the time when I opened my eyes again but when I did it was in a room which looked like a cell. There were five more kids there, all unconscious. One of them I recognized as Maya, my heart broke at the sight of her. I crawled over there and tried to wake her up. I was scared for my sister and myself. Then after some time, somebody must have heard me because two guards came in and one them pointed a gun-like weapon at me and then everything went black for the second time.

I take a deep breath and remembered that even if they had invaded our minds, I had come out alive and with a thirst for vengeance I had never felt before but Maya, even after six months she is still in a coma just like the rest of the kidnapees. But there is no way I am giving up hope now.

We decided that we would stand a better chance if we attacked their camp first. Captain Dekar would take the east entrance, Captain Farley would take the south, Captain Sarah would bring in the cavalry to distract the gate guardians and I, with our most skilled soldiers, would storm the Commandant's ship from the air.

Two days before the Erisians attack we took our positions outside their camp. "Is everyone ready?"I asked the others with my earpiece. "Yes, sir", they all answered in unison. " Good. Lieutenant Shekhar? Go time," I ordered. I had a bird's eye view of the camp from up here. The uproar that rose from the ground alerted me that the battle had started and soon it was our turn to join in. "GO, GO, GO"," Just hover the aircraft over the roof of the ship until we get off and jump inside through the outer vents. After that, you can join the other planes in the aerial bombing," giving my orders to Arya, our designated pilot who had been in the military plane service for seven years now. 

Getting the plane to the ship and entering the vents were easier than I thought but then I remembered that with aliens involved nothing easy. If it's easy, its a trick. I signaled my men to stop as I stepped forward cautiously and bent down to look through a hole to see what was going on. I cursed violently, they knew our attack plan, they knew it and were planning to ambush us the second we set our foot inside. I quickly made up a plan that'll turn this in our favor. I pointed to five of the soldiers behind me whom I knew would be able to hold their own against several Erisian for some time to move forward to the where we all were going to go and signaled the others to follow me to another entrance where we'll enter and attack the Erisian soldiers from behind when they will be too busy trying to take the other five down. After taking care of that, we headed towards the main control room where the Commandant is supposed to be.

 We swiftly entered a circular room with lots of electronic machines and spread out. "Are you looking for me?" " I am right in front of you. If you can't see me, you must be blind. Blind to the fact that you have brought your crew on a suicide mission. No one can counter my power. Why do you think you are strong enough? Run, run and never come back, and then maybe your worthless life can be spared. These weak humans do not stand a chance. If you won't run then let me show you that you have nothing against me. You are nothing!" I staggered back a few steps and clutched my gun with a stronger grip. What was that sleazy familiar voice and why did it seem like it was in my head alone? I took a deep breath and calmed myself but when I looked back towards the others, they were all on the ground, unconscious. That is when I realized that indeed another person was speaking in my mind. " I will not run. Show yourself Commandant or will you just lie in the shadows and cower."

A gruff, hollow voice chuckled and a tall figure stood in front of me. " I am not the one that should be cowering here. I can and break into your mind and I think that you know how painful it can be to human brains. So once again I am generously offering you an escape." Anger, rage, and a feather of fear rose from within me. I gripped my gun and started shooting but unfortunately, he was too fast. He suddenly came from behind me pushed me towards the wall and my gun slid on the floor away from me. "I gave you a chance but now I will take over this planet and only the Erisians shall live here," he shouted. I felt something dark and rough trying to push into my mind. My head felt like it was on fire and I was in agonizing pain. but I wouldn't give up now. Not after everything I'd been through to get my revenge. I pushed my mind's wall against the force trying to barge in with all of might. I turned that anger into determination and pushed against him until I could feel no presence of him. " No what is this? What are you doing? This is impossible," he screamed and clutched his forehead and stumbled back. I crawled to my gun and with trembling hands aimed it at him and took my shot. "What are you?" he whispered before the crystal bullet tore through him and my vision went dark.

The day I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed. They explained to me that after I killed- yes I finally killed the Commandant, the others regained consciousness and took me to safety. Killing him also made the others weaker, so we won most of the battles across the globe. They are going to send some more soldiers to the places where we might have a chance to lose. I also got a Nobel prize for saving the world though I am still not sure how I did it.