The Second Dark Age

[Monk]

part ii
Confused Signals

"Silent Mountain” outpost
0700 hours

"I want to know what that is!" shouted the sergeant as he stood over the Communications officer in the confined space of the radio room. Loud noises echoed from the machine that they were in front off, mostly static, yet they could make out gunfire and loud screeching noises. Each time those noises came over the com system they couldn't help but grind their teeth as the piecing shrill cry slowly filtered out.

"I don't know sir!" The corporal said as he adjusted nods and smashed buttons desperately trying to filter out the static. "I've never heard that sound in my entire life!"

"So it's not interference?" The sergeant asked in wonder.

"No sir!" replied the corporal as he tried to clean up the transmission. "Whatever it is...it's got nothing to do with signal jamming or a weak signal"

"What about the ORDER?"

The corporal turned in his seat and looked at the sergeant, "If the ORDER wanted to block out communication they wouldn't have any trouble!" he turned back to the system and worked frantically before finally shouting in joy, "I think I got it!"

"Well don't just sit there!" the sergeant smiled, "play it!"

"Yes sir!" the soldier shouted as he hit a button and he turned up the volume. a large amount of static could be heard. "This is the best we're going to get it" he added. The two listened for a moment, and suddenly the sound of gunfire overtook the static and then shouts and screams.

"...Ov.r..here!" the signal was overcome with static as a voice came through followed by a hail of gunfire and then what sounded like a small explosion. "Thi...Res..arch...eighty-two...An..one..Read?"

The sergeant hit a button to broadcast a reply, "This is Silent Mountain, What's your situation?"

Their was intense static as they awaited a response, it was the only sound they heard for quite some time, it seemed to fill the room and deny any other sound from being heard until finally a voice came through. "St..tion...o.er run... Ne..d..." The transmission cut out suddenly before he could finish.

"Overrun?" the corporal said confused, not really sure what was going on. "What did he mean? Solicous isn't at war with anyone."

The sergeant stood up straight and looked at the communication system puzzled, he was just as confused as the corporal beside him. "I've no idea." he finally said.

"Sir," The corporal began to readjust the system looking concerned, "we're receiving a distress beacon, and it’s the Research Station..."

"What the hell do they think they're doing!?" The sergeant couldn't hold back his anger. "They know if the ORDER catches wind of this they will pounce on it!"

"Too late sir..." The corporal sighed, "This is broadcast on all channels, the ORDER will is hearing the same thing we are." The sergeant shook his head.

"We're about five kilometers from Station 82..." he looked at the communication system again. "i want you to forward this message to the government...there's something going on here."

A sudden red flash on the communications board got their attention; the corporal began to press buttons and brought up a screen on the side of the machine, displaying an infrared scan of the areas around the mountain down in the jungles below. They looked in horror as the screen showed that the entire area was covered in movement.

"That's not possible..." The corporal said as he read the screen, he was completely in awe at what it was telling him. "If this is correct...something has us completely surrounded. Whatever it is, I’m not detecting power sources."

"What about life signs?" the sergeant asked urgently.

"...No human life signs..."

"Send the message to the higher ups! They will know what to do!" the sergeant shouted as he watched the red markers on the screen slowly begin to climb the mountain. By now they had triggered the perimeter defenses, and a warning started shouting loudly over the inner base communication system.

"Sir what are we doing?!" The corporal shouted in fear as he began to relay the message received from research station 82. Yet as he did the sergeant just looked up “We'll hold here as long as we can." he said with determination. "Sound the alarm! Whatever these things are, we're gonna’ give them one hell of a fight!"

The corporal smashed a red button and the entire base came alive with blaring alarms and flashing lights. A warning came over the system "Warning! Outer Defenses have been penetrated! Unknown Contacts are inside the base!”

[Monk]

Thank you froggy, good to see I still have a bit of talent left

Glad to see some like this, I’ll keep it going then.


part iii
The New War

The sun was had already risen and was well on it's way to settling into the western sky when the members of the high council met to discuss what was happening in the south of their own nation, slowly they had lost contact with every outpost and station in the southern jungles, and by 1400 hours, the only response they received from communications was a thick layer of static. Already questions were being raised as to what was going on, confusion was sweeping military installations and government positions like a wave hitting a beach. Their only salvation was perhaps that the Public was not yet aware of the situation.

High Council Chambers
1700 hours

A long hall, filled with shadows and the echoes of ages passed sat in the center of the government building in the capitol city. It was dimly lit, with a single, long table in the center of the room. For years it sat empty, but when the civil war had ended the new king decided to elect a number of council members, deeming them the "high council" It was to ensure that a power mad individual could not plunge the nation into war like had happened not too long ago. The members of the council had come together to discuss the events conspiring in the south, already three hours had passed since they began, and no progress had been made. They sat together, cloaked in darkness as their voices sounded loudly in the hall.

"How many times must I tell you people," a council man said as the darkness around the table seemed to swell as the sun finally escaped sight. "The ORDER is not what we need to worry about... they clearly have nothing to do with this!"

"How can you say that!?" a second council member said as he rolled his eyes, "The ORDER has been a threat to us ever since the Civil War!"

"A threat that could destroy us if they wished." the man at the end of the table said, his voice silenced the room, perhaps because he was their eldest and wisest member. "Let's get serious" he continued, his voice seemed to show no emotion, only logic, "The ORDER is vastly larger than Solicous, and vastly advanced when it comes to technology. As of now they are our "allies", mainly because of the deal that was made in the days of the war."

"How could I forget?" The first voice grunted in anger, "It pains me to think that they have absolute power and there is not a thing we can do about it!"

"Learn to deal with it." the council leader responded in his normal tone, "The ORDER wouldn't waste time with our far flung outposts in the jungle, most are just scientific or listening stations."

"If not the ORDER," a council man began to question; he had until this point stayed silent. "then...who?"

"I don't know" the second man said, "but I know a way to find out. We send the Black Dragons in on recon." The room was filled with gasps of shock at the last two words. A horrible silence filled the room as they were not sure why he could even suggest such a thing. Shouts of "are you mad!?" and "You can't be serious" became common place for quite some time. Finally though the eldest among them threw his hands up and silenced them all at once, their eyes turned to him and awaited his words. Even though it was a council meeting, he still held absolute authority.

"We have nothing to lose by sending them in." he said with an unusual smile on his face, strange for he rarely showed any emotion at all. "They are known for causing lots of damage, and these areas are covered with hostiles. They may be just what we need..."

“What of the King?” one questioned

“I think we should leave the King out of this…for now” the Council leader said “perhaps it’s best if we only informed him if things get, out of hand.”

Troop transport
2030 hours

The sound of the helicopter blades cutting into the wind could be heard for long distances, as the land below was full of silence. Nothing made a sound as the troop transport thundered over head and over the horizon speeding to the jungles in the south. The cracked and dried land below was one of many spots that were affected by the nuclear fallout after the great Civil war. A once thriving land of grass and beautiful meadows was in a flash transformed into a broken and brown land that could never be compared to what it used to be. It was like that all over the Nation of Solicous sadly, before the attacks most of its landscape was considered harsh, but now it was in many aspects uninhabitable, yet still people thrived there, for if nothing else, the people of Solicous were determined to survive.

Inside the transport, a dim red light illuminated the cargo hold which was otherwise sealed off from the world, and inside this hold sat 14 soldiers. Covered from head to toe in black armor that gave a haunting shine in the dim light, the only marking was their insignia on the right shoulder guard and the chest plate, that of a silver dragon seething downward, they were the Black Dragons, an ancient order of knights that had served the nation of Solicous since it’s founding, only called into action when the situation was grave. As they approached their destination, there was an uneasy calm among them as they stared emptily before themselves, battle was close, and they could feel it.

The main lights in the confined space of the hold came up in a flash and the red light drew away. They turned their attention to a man who stood up before them, their commander; he looked over them as he put his hand upon the top of the hold to steady himself as he stood. His face held a great scar over his right eye, no doubt received during the war, and finally when he spoke his voice seemed to be weathered by time, but still carried with it a sense of pride and respect, the kind that one follows willingly.

“Alright Dragons!” he said with a smile on his face, “On your feet! We’re hittin’ the LZ in five!” The Dragons put their helmets on and each hit a button that resided on the chin guard, almost instantly on each helmet a face guard deployed itself with a slight scratching noise, it covered their face until all that was seen was a fully armored person, not a single inch of flesh was exposed. Their eyes were covered with a green material that went only as far as their eyes, it which locked into the face guards; they seemed inhuman to look upon. A voice came over the speaker, “ETA, two minutes to Landing Zone,” it was the voice of the pilot; they had already passed over the jungles and were now deep into them.

“Squad one.” the commander said, as he spoke about 5 soldiers looked to him and held their weapons to their chests. Their hands clutched around the S-23 rifles which held enough fire power to stop any enemy they knew of, their black surface was like their armor and refused to reflect any light but still looked deadly. The commander continued to issue his order, “Secure the LZ and stay on the heliport until otherwise commanded!” a sergeant in command of the squad saluted, his voice did not reach outside of his armor but instead sounded over the communication channel “Yes sir!”

“Squads two and three, I want you in that station as quickly as you can!”

A second voice came over the channel, “Thirty seconds! Get ready!”

The Chopper thundered down low skimming the treetops, the sky above was clouded and dark as the night sky held no light, no stars and no moon was out this night, the only light came from the research station that the transport now fast approached, and the scars of battle were ripped into it. The transport shot up and then hovered over the station, an opening appeared in its bottom and ropes were thrown from the hovering machine, and one after another the Dragons descended upon the station, putting a three hundred and sixty degree field of fire. The five members of squad one came down first and secured the small heliport, the sound of the word “clear!” signaled squads two and three to descend, followed by their commander.

When finally all fourteen members of the dragons were on the ground, the chopper withdrew it’s ropes and sped off. As the sounds of the whirling blades disappeared into the distance, the air about them was overcome with silence. Red lights were flashing on the structure, a voice came over the com system “Emergancy power engaged…all personnel please report to evac area three, base defenses have been breached!”

The Commander took point by the single door leading off the heliport and motioned squad two to advance up, “Alright!” he said as he kept his weapon ready, “Let’s get to work dragons!”

[zelda12]

'Please sir, may I have some more?'

This is really good monk, I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Ludens]

Very good Monk. I like the way in which you started the mysteries in the first parts but start to clarify them in the third part. The third part is certainly better than the two preceding ones. Please write more.

P.s. it's scar, not scare. A scare is a fright. It could be a typo, but you made this mistake twice in succession..