The Routine
August 5, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.08.05
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
Paint the target. Use Logos to direct the shot right where I want it. Fire. Repeat.
I've never been one to hate routine. It's part of my job. Snipers have to be patient yet alert. When you dig into a nice spot and spend a few days picking off patrols, it gets boring. Still, you're the man for the job. Hundreds of kills without a scratch? No other soldier can boast that. Who knows how many lives I've saved because there was no Bane patrol to attack them on the road.
I read some reports of Snipers and how their job isn't exciting. They take a weapon designed for long range and use it up close, then blame whoever made it when it doesn't work. I have no fault with the designer. If the AFS could make a weapon like my TSR that could be used up close, we'd hand it out to every soldier out there. There's plenty of practical weapons that are useful in any situation. But when you need something special, more power, longer range...the TSR is there.
Nothing personal, but a weapon is only as good as the person using it. Snipers aren't meant to be flashy or exciting. You want to take down 5 Thrax and get your heart pounding, talk to a Guardian. It's been over a month since any Bane were within 50 meters of me. Yes, my job can get very boring. Nothing changes even after hundreds of kills. I chose this life, and only the Bane suffer for it.
Billy Glass
Black Ops Sniper
Squad 288
Goodbye
July 10, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.07.10
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I killed again today. Not Bane. Their blood isn't red. The red stains on my armor. Never cleans off right. I just tell people it's my blood. Must not lose control again. Breathe.
Breeeaaattthheeee...
Penumbra. Why do they do this? These scientists were no threat. You had them contained. They could have done their work and all you had to do was let them stay in there. I didn't want to kill them. I'm so sick of human blood. Human faces. How can we win this war if we can't stop killing each other? Maybe it's not we. It's me. I'm the one killing other humans. I could have stopped myself. What about next time? There won't be a next time. I won't stop myself then. I'll have to stop myself now. Goodbye...
- Unknown Entry
The Protector
June 26, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.06.26
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
Being torn from someone is never easy, being torn from those you love is even harder. My girlfriend was one of the ones that was chosen to be left behind during the Earth evacuation. It was nine long weeks of hell before I finally started living again. I always wanted the power to protect someone, but I failed at it. I couldn't save the one I loved the most.
Part of me died on the inside that day, and I thought I would never see that part of me again. That was until I met a familiar face on the battlefield. By some miracle, my girlfriend turned out to be receptive just like me. Now my life has meaning. That is why I am a guardian. A protector for all those I care about. A defender for those that cant defend themselves. My job is never easy, but it is worth it.
Lando Omaclaro
5th Guardian devision.
Waiting in Darkness
May 29, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.29
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I lean back against the reinforced wall of Foreas Base, and watch the other AFS soldiers go by. I hate them all. I hate this place, I hate the Foreans, and I hate the AFS. No one knows but me. Sure, I do my duty, I fight the fight. But I will never do it because I want to. I am stuck in this god awful situation, and I can’t do a thing.
I hear the other soldiers in their “off-time” talk about how much they despise the Bane, and the most brutal ways to kill them. I sit quietly and watch with unblinking eyes. I don’t dislike the Bane. I am fascinated by them. Of course, if any of the other soldiers knew this, they would surely kill me where I stood. But they don’t know. I want more than anything else to be able to desert to the Bane and fight alongside them. I watch with amazement the exceptional combat and tactic skills of even the lowest rank cannon fodder troops. I sit alone watching the other AFS soldiers discuss recent battles with so much confidence. It takes all of my effort to keep my hands from gripping my stave and cutting them down like so many saplings.
My Guardian trainer Lt. Baeten insists that I follow the “Guardian Code of Conduct.” To me it is nothing but a bunch of unpractical rules that make life just that much more unbearable. He really gets into this whole idea that Guardians are Neo-Knights, and we need to be chivalrous and honorable. Honestly I couldn’t care less. I became a Guardian because I was a natural with the stave. I am truly in my element when I am fighting with one. I feel it fly through the air and strike my enemies with flurries of blows, leaving them dead. They crumple to the ground and I move on to the next group.
Waiting is the worst part of life. I wish to leave this place everyday, but I must continue telling myself, “It isn’t time, it isn’t time.” But one day, it will be time, and they will remember it vividly, or not at all.
— Wolfen Shadowclaw, Orion
That Sound
May 27, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.27
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
That sound. We all know it by now, and the new recruits learn it fast. It haunts me even while I sleep. Bane drop ship coming in and releasing their terror on us. Even know as I write this I hear them, drop my pen and grab the shot gun at my side. Everyone around me looks at me like I have lost it. They don't know the half of it.
I have lost more than they know, some have lost as much, some maybe even more, but I don't pry, and neither do they. Friends, family, pets, home...all gone. They gathered the ones of us that could fight, looking back, I think I would have stayed away from those martial arts classes now. They aren't overly helpful now with a gun in my hand, but it sure feels good to drive a well placed back side kick in the gut of those creatures right before they die.
So I try to sleep again and think of home, to hold my wife one more time, even if it isn't real, until that sound brings me to the real world again.
Rick Dragonrage
A Lost Friend
May 20, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.20
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I’ll never forget his screams… You know, I’ve seen a lot since the past two years, but nothing has horrified me quite so much as seeing my best friend being ripped apart and made into a machine. It was like any other day, me and Mike were being relocated to some place in the Foreas Wilderness called Purgas Station or something like that. When we heard the orders we just smiled at each other and entered the drop ship wondering how many bane we’d be able to kill on our new mission. It’s too bad Mikey is never coming back.
We dropped as usual, got orders, and we hiked our way to the front lines. When we got there we noticed how many rookies there were, hell, we couldn’t stop laughing at this one idiot who didn’t even know what AFS stood for. Well, after about a week of waiting, me and Mike were finally chosen to lead a squad into the station. Unfortunately for us, we lost almost every member by the time we even reached the entrance. Mike blasted his way in like he always does, but we found that the whole place was damn near deserted.
Now, our orders were to destroy the main processing plant, but we didn’t have a clue what we were looking for. We trekked through the bane structure and we eventually found our way to a fork in the road. We parted ways, hoping to find the plant easier… I’ll always regret that decision. About ten minutes into it I heard some noise on my walkie-talkie and I immediately picked it up. “Mike, is that you?” I said. The was no answer. “Mike MIKE!” this time I yelled. But there was still no answer.
I don’t think I’ve ever ran as fast as I did that day. I sprinted back to the fork in the road where Mikey left me, and I continued down his path. Almost instantly I heard screams coming from a familiar voice, and I followed them. I kept following them until I came to a room with one of those linkers with what looked like the bane version of a scalpel and hammer. I pulled out my shotgun and I blew that bane to hell. I looked down at the table, and I saw what looked like Mike half opened, with metal and circuits in him. He looked up at me, not even able to speak, and he nodded his head. I knew what I had to do. I pulled out my pistol and aimed. I couldn’t control the tears coming out. I pulled that trigger and I killed my best friend that day.
Tabula Rasa, clean slate...
— JC Severini
Be Careful
May 15, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.15
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I finally made it to Palisades yesterday. A pretty green squad leader had picked me up for some patrols on the northern end of the area, and it was supposed to be heavily infested with Bane.
We ran into a few Thrax, but the 6 of us overpowered them easily. After about 2 hours of walking we ran into a group that had taken cover behind some rocks. The pistoleers were keeping us down while the grenadiers stopped us from trying to get any closer. One of the other soldiers, didn't catch his name, got a good shot on a grenadier. We heard him scream and what sounded like his gun going off. The quietness afterwards got us curious, so we snuck closer.
We saw the grenadier with a burn mark on his face, and it looked like 2 more Thrax lying beside him. Some of us chuckled, the adrenaline of the battle wearing off. Our squad leader knelt beside them checking to make sure they were dead. She accidentally kicked something the pistoleer had dropped, and it sprang to life. I saw what was about to happen, but our leader didn't. The necromite sprang up, and dived into a corpse. I jumped away as it exploded, even still the heat was scorching. I landed with agony, feeling the 2nd degree burns all over my body. I could barely move, and the screaming I heard told me others had survived at least.
The specialist had been spared most of the blast, his hazmat suit protecting him more than the rest of us. He opened a wormhole back to base, and did what he could to help us through it. I saw the squad leader before I went through, a blackened heap still smoking.
- Billy Glass
What if?
May 8, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.08
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
The mission was supposed to be simple. We were to infiltrate a small Bane operation base located in Crucible on the planet Arieki, and retrieve intelligence. Simple huh? Well lets just say we wasn’t as prepared as we should of been, or at least I wasn’t!
We were all deployed to outpost Prometheus. There General British gave us our orders. “You are to access the Bane’s main terminal in Khulago base and retrieve data. A diversion will be set to assist you in penetrating the defenses. Once you are in the facility you are to hack the system, and download the information. Since the time frame for the diversion is minimal you won’t be able to come back the way you came in, so you then will use a squad waypoint to exit the area, and safely deliver the package back here.”
We had our orders, and we were ready. The diversion was placed on the front lines of the trenches while our squad was dropped in further down of the battle field. Breeze used cloak wave to minimize any exposure to bane radar. We bumped into a few small bane patrol, but quickly resolved any unwarranted conflicts. Grex however want to exam the bane bodies, and we had to drag him away. Once inside the main facility I quickly hacked into the security feed to assure no alarms would go off to alert the bane of our presence. A few bots were left in the facility that Freedo just blew up with some nice grenades.
Once we had enter the main terminal room I started a direct feed into the bane system using my data tools. Once I hacked the system I started the download. What I found being downloaded shocked me! The Bane it seemed not only was using POW’s as machine experiments to fuel their war, but also was using residence prisoners of Earth. Before I could decipher any more of the downloaded information Bane teleporters where activated. All of sudden incoming Bane! I quickly disconnected from the terminal to set up shields, and laid down turrets. Deet laid down cover fire while we were setting up for evac. Scat starting using a radial repair perimeter to maintain our armor. Squid, and Freedo kept the Bane off of Grex as he laid down the waypoint. Once the waypoint was up, Breeze threw down a magnesium flash to blind the Bane as we made our escape.
There were no casualties! No complaints! We did our job, and we did it well… but I couldn’t help but to wonder what if? Could Earth still have survivors? Could the Bane be really using more humans to covert them into killing machines? Could one day we see home? General British soon walked up to me and my squad to congratulate us on a job well done. As I handed him the disk I told him about some of the information on it. I asked him if he thought it was true, and what we’re going to do if so? He looked at me and replied “ There’s a lot of questions to be answered, but who has those answers is the real question."
G. Ford, AFS
WHY?
May 6, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.06
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
Some one asked me the other day, What are we fighting for?
I took some thought into this, i pondered what this man just said to me,
I replied and said... I fight...... I FIGHT because I have no other choice,
I FIGHT BECAUSE I yearn to kill
I FIGHT BECAUSE THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME
I FIGHT BECAUSE I WANT REVENGE
I FIGHT BECAUSE THEY DON'T DESERVE TO EXIST
I WILL FIGHT till every last one of them is dead.
I belong on the battlefield.
I am AFS.
This is my soul.
~ Unknown Soldier
It's the Smell
May 1, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.05.01
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
They won’t let me out. Five transfer applications and five denials. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. The Omega Squad, ha, should have called it what it is, the Foreas refuse squad. I’m sick, I tell you, just sick. How many battlefields can one person cleanup? I’m gonna snap. I told my frackin' sergeant that I’m losing my sanity and all he could say was “Get back to your post soldier!” I had him in my sights today, almost pulled the trigger too, maybe tomorrow I will.
I don’t think I can bear picking up another bloody limb. Clone or not, I’m still human, at least I think I am. I have memories, I have dreams, they may not all be my own, but I have them nonetheless. And now, well they’re all turning into nightmares. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat anymore. It’s the smell. The smell of fried human flesh has permeated my mind, it’s all over me, and I can’t wash it off. For crying out loud, I can’t even stand my own stench!
Someone needs to get me out of here. Hold on just a second…I’ve got an incoming radio transmission. Interesting…Base Commander Jayjack wants to see me right away. I better reload…I mean respond. I gotta go, catch ya later.
Sic Helrazor
Omega Squad
I Hate this Swamp
April 28, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.04.28
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I’ve been bounced back and forth from world to world, from base to base. The scenery changes from beautiful to, well… different. Now I’m in this stinking swamp. I hate this swamp! My boots are always wet, my helmet has mold in it, and my rifle is rusting! Do you know how hard it is to clean a torque shell rifle? Well let me tell you… damn never mind, you don’t really care and it keeps me from drinking while I’m on down time anyway.
I took down a big time crusty today. I just found a good spot and got myself situated and waited. Stealth armor is a good thing, lets me drop a shot on crusty from a good ways off and crusty just dies, never knows where it came from. Sometimes it takes more than one shot, that’s when stealth really pays off. My boss was pleased with the kill and the mission paid off real well. But now I got rust. Did I tell you how much I hate this swamp?
I don’t know if we are winning this war or not. Some days I think we are doing well and others not so good. I got to talk to one of my Clan the other day and she was having a time in the Mires. I remember the Mires. No rust. Did I tell you how much I hate this swamp…?
Soan Eldralor
Forsaken Legion
The Unwanted
April 24, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.04.24
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
I've been stationed at the Prometheus base on the crucible continent for a month now and as an engineer I build the stuff that kills the bane best and repair the shredded amour of the soldier next to me while being kept safe by one of my powerful shield bots.
But as the alarm shuts down and we go out to collect the spoils of war from our fallen enemies no one will ever thank me, they even shun me, ignore me, if I'm lucky. Two of them have already tried to kill me but my enhanced genes make me hard to kill. That's why I sleep alone under the sky on the base walls. Told the commander it was so I could make sure the defenses where up and running if another attack came in. Know what he told me? He told me that that's where I belong anyway, like the animal I am. If I ever meet that penumbra puke that convinced my ….. original me to make me I won't be responsible for my actions.
The funny thing is; I don't fear the bane, I don't hate them either, I only fight them because they fight me. The one thing I do fear is waking up one night with a knife stuck deep into my chest and the hating eyes of the soldiers I fight besides every single day staring down into mine. I can feel their fear, their hatred.
For I am not Human.
I am not Thrax.
I am The Unwanted
— Maaza
AFS Thrax Hybrid
Missing Link
April 21, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.04.21
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
It has been a while since I left Earth. The Bane took everything except for my humanity away from me, at least until my last recon mission went sour. I was sent on an Intel gathering mission near Maligo Base as part of a Two man team with a fella named Volotov, we never learned the each other's first name, the less we knew, the less the Bane could use against us.
Little did we both know that the Bane were waiting for us. Long story short, we got captured, and experiments were conducted. I suppose I got lucky, I was infused with Thrax DNA, which actually made it easy to escape, but the price was high. As I was escaping, there was a Lone Machina guarding the cell block, but i almost lost hope when i saw its face, it was Volotov. I did what i needed to do to get out, and possibly find a way to use this Thrax "hybrid" against the Bane.
Making it back to Fort Defiance, i was rushed to Foreas base, where samples of my DNA were taken, and apparently shipped out to some Operative in Crucible, they never told me who. Now I see people running around who have had their DNA willingly spliced with Thrax DNA, and i suppose it is necessary for us to finally defeat the Bane.
And now i silently stalk the Bane and I only hope that when i strike down a Bane squad, and they happen to catch a glimpse of my face before they die, that they realize Humanity will never back down, no matter how badly they disfigure us.
"Uglyfaic" Malefor
AFS Spy
Invictus Company
Cog Knocker
April 17, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.04.17
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
When I first showed up it was an interview and sorting process. They wanted to know everything: strengths, weaknesses, skills and knowledge. If you didn't know what you wanted to do already they chose for you based on that information. I had the skills to be a long rifle or an engineer thanks to years of hunting and growing up in a do-it-yourself family. They were running low on mechanical minded people so engineering it was.
They told me to report for duty at the Foreas Base Garage, to Base Mechanic Pike. That was the cozy job, mechanic, got to stay inside the base all the time... She did have to deal with the Mech Pilots though, that has to be rough.
She gave me the basic rundown of everything, I was astonished at how everything had a nickname to these guys. Garage was the "Engine Room", Engineers were "Cog Knockers" and the list goes on. Not sure how I felt about being called a Cog Knocker. After she was through telling me the purpose and name of everything she sent me over to Engineer Trainer Scott for my field training.
Scott was a good guy, gave me a more in depth look at the field engineer. I'll tell you something, those polarity guns, those are mean. He dropped some more terminology on me that I'll have to figure out later and laid out the job of a field engineer plain and simple, we are there to give our soldiers the edge they need to win against these constantly overwhelming odds.
Sounds easy enough...
Michael Eris Septumus
~Umbral Seraphim~
A Wasted Life?
April 14, 2008
Xenet 71.43.1 System Msg
TTY31201.04.14
Network Connection Enabled
_____________________________
Another Soldier lost, I spent 2 hours keeping this woman alive 3 days ago and here she is back again in a body bag tagged for home. "Home" Ha! More like the alien world that damn wormhole spit us out on.My newest Patient is only 19 years old and excited about getting to come to an alien world." How many people back home can say that", he said as I put the 36th and last stitch in his leg. How many indeed...but how many are still out there is the question. Are we ever gonna see earth again?
I cant believe I have to ask that question. "OUWWW", he screams, "watch it". Ooops 38 stitches. I gotta get some sleep, but every time I close my eyes I hear those damn Bane whispers haunting me. " Surrender or Die". Over and over. Maybe I am the one who needs a medic? My work keeps me going, even though every life I save is another one for them to try and take at least my newly learned skills make a difference.
What I do here and now makes a difference. I owned a construction company in Colorado back on earth...wonder if any of the stuff we built is still there, or was it all just wasted life. Funny how we used to place value on stuff that wasn't worth the thought. Building a fiber network or power grid can't compare to the sense of accomplishment you feel when you're making a heart beat again, even if is only for a few more days. I started experimenting with making some new types of pharmaceuticals and med packs for the soldiers. Might be a nice hobby to start to get me outa this emergency room. Plus the woman who sells the DNA and Nucleotides is kinda hot, and its been a long 2 months since I got here!
Dan Yankee
27 BioTech
