Tiberia Series

Tiberia: Planetfall chapter 2 the death of men and bugs

Those screaming angels blew open a path for us. We were thankful for the opportunity, as we cleared the mounds of burnt bugs we saw the actual Guns. The were giant bugs who every 10 seconds on the mark launched a gout of black flame skyward. It was almost a shame to kill these bugs. But then I remembered my duty, you see I was the "Anti-tank man" I was in charge of the neutron S warheads on my rockets.

If you don't know what a neutron S warhead is it basically forms a small black hole on impact it is only there for seconds. Even then, it gets the job done, any way I loaded the charge. When I pressed the launch I button I didn't hear the thing launch but I heard the screams of those launcher bugs as their flesh spaghettified and fell into the pitless maw of the black hole.

I was still excited when a flying bug dove on me. In seconds I was airborne the thing was tearing at me, I saw as it ripped my vocal chords it somehow left the throat unharmed like a surgical procedure. I tried to scream but well I couldn't then Thawn showed up. He blew that demon out of the sky clinging on to me. I'll never forget the look on his face. It was cold and inhuman. I wondered why, had he already seen war. Had he been steeled to it's horrors.

Somehow I survived the hundred foot drop. That was not the last time I saw Thawn though. He had me as his personal security officer many years later but that is another story.

This man vividly depicts the action, why his memory hasn't failed at all. He has opened my mind to wars horrors. This is disturbing and intriguing at the same time. I have uncovered an old video clip from the hanging of one of Tiberius Thawn's squad mates.

"The convicted Dax Ulson has been accused of treason, desertion, and sympathy with the enemy, his sentence has been confirmed as death.", "Any last word son before the final phase of the proceedings." , Says a rather large man in the uniform of a 22nd century judge. Dax simply says "While you may have proven this case I will go into the pits of hell with nothing to fear my captain has taught me how to spit in the face of the demons of the fell haven!"

The convicted ties the rope around his throat and at the call of the drums has his neck broken by the primitive filament rope. Several people begin to weep. This pilot died with no regrets even with the minor tarnishing of the mocked up trial, this man died and lived a hero.

At this Thawn gets up and walks out barely keeping his composure. When finally leaving the person holding the camera questions him. The mop of curly black hair even with a bowed head fail to stop those penetrating blue eyes.

"He was my best soldier. A true hero all the way."

Only tow months later the locusts of Chiron die off at waves of Imperial Troops. When this happens another enemy shows it's ugly face, more on that in my next report.