Ashes to Ashes

The Duality of Man

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Five Years Ago, MOB Twilight

Light misting rain fell down, only thwarted from landing upon me due to the canvas that covered the entire truck. I sat in the bed of the vehicle with about twenty-three other soldiers. I had my combat rifle tightly, tucking it against me; as close as one holds a lover. My knee was bouncing up and down like an out of control jackhammer. The truck hit a bump, and for a fleeting moment I was terrified that it was a land mine. No, no that wouldn't make sense. The Imperium hasn't made it this far inland yet. Readjusting my M1 helmet, I looked down the truck. Most of the soldiers were silent, although a few of them were chatting with each other. 

Suddenly, a hand tapped my right shoulder. Looking over, I saw a young man who appeared to be a year or two older than me. "Want one?" The man was holding out a packet of cigarettes. His hair was a dark auburn and he had faint mutton chops crawling down the sides of his face. I shook my head. The soldier looked at me intently with his steel grey eyes, then nodded slowly before turning to throw the pack of cigarettes out of the truck. "I never liked them anyway," he said with a shrug. "Bo Haxton." The soldier offered his hand.

"Rowan Hollow," I replied, shaking his hand. "Are you part of the Bloody First?" I asked, unable to see the patch on his right shoulder.

"Is that what they're calling it? Well that's reassuring."

I scoffed in weary amusement. "Were you from?"

"Krymar. You?"

"Ockwick City."

Bo Haxton regarded me with an inquiring look. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Bullshit. If you're eighteen then I'm thirty."

I licked my lips nervously. "I'm sixteen."

"Good God," Bo said. My mouth tightened at Bo's use of the Lord's name in vain. "You're barely just a boy."

I shrugged. "I've gone through all of the training that you did and then some."

"What do you mean?"

I pointed to the medic cross on my helmet as answer to his question. "I'll be the one pulling you to cover when you're wounded in battle, although God be merciful that won't happen to you, yeah?"

Bo scoffed. "I think I'll manage on my own without you until then," he said.

I smiled thinly. "If you think so."

From further down the truck, I could hear a few soldiers talking. "The war will be over within the year. I mean, just look at how Admiral Ceaser kicked the Imperium's ass at the Rat Fort. I heard that he sunk nearly six ships; four destroyers and two carriers!"

"But we still lost, and the Rozites are encamped on our southern shores," Bo murmured.

"Hopefully he's right though. Lord willing of course."

"You know that's why they're invading us, right?  Some sort of fucking holy war against... against a cruel god and its barbaric followers." Bo spat on the floor of the truck angrily. "Fucking pig bastards."