Kadance

1

The screams of long dead men and the remembered smell of ordinance wake Jayse from the nightmare. The sweat feels cool against his skin even as the smell of the rain helps lessen the memory of the smell of the exploded ordinance. But nothing helps the memories of the dying fade.

Jayse frustrated and angry slams his fist against the mattress of his bed. It's been three years since they died. Since Sigma died. He wearily wipes his face with his hand and impatiently gets out of bed. He knows there won't be anymore sleep that night, not with the memory so near.

Jayse knows why the nightmare made its appearance this night. He shoves down his anger at the duties that he can no longer put off. He walks over to the half opened window and stares unseeing at the rain and jeweled lights outside. He ignores his ragged reflection in the window.

The window shows a man about six and a half feet tall, with dark blond hair and rough unshaven features. Had Jayse not been so deep into his stress he'd be disgusted with his disreputable look. He has many scars from the years of war, but the worst scars only show when you look into his gaze. There you see the look of a haunted man.

Even the soothing sound of the rain fades as the memories take over. Once more Jayse is back to that last battle. "I told you we need air support." Jayse yells into the com unit. His anger flares as he listens. "I don't give a rats behind about that. If you don't give us that air support there won't be a Sigma Company to save."

Jayse unconsciously ducks as a mortar goes off nearby. The screams of the dying override the ear protection his helmet provides him. Just as the smell overrides the air filtration. The sweet smell of blood and the overwhelming smell of death compete strongly with the smell of the ordnance.

Jayse cuts in on the excuses of the officer on the other side of the com. "Look, how many times has Sigma ever asked for air support of any kind before?" Jayse listens to the silence satisfied that the officer is finally understanding just how bad it is for them to be asking this. "That's right, never. NOW GET THAT AIR SUPPORT OUT HERE NOW!"

Just then an explosion is felt and the sight of the enormous cloud lifting up on the front lines sends cold sweat down his back. Jayse immediately coms to Thompson. "Thompson, tell me that you just forgot to inform me of the imminent explosion taking out the shifters." Jayse waits tensely for an answer that never comes.

Jayse starts swearing profusely as the mortars pickup speed and intensity. Then he's cut off mid word as he's picked up and thrown by an invisible force. Jayses eyes go dark and he knows a fraction of time of dread. His last thoughts were of Sigma failing and it being his fault.

The next thing he remembers is opening his eyes and seeing people coming towards him. He reaches for his weapon, but the pain overwhelms him and before he can complete the act he becomes unconscious again. The intense sound of silence was all he heard in his short time of consciousness.

Sometime later he once more comes too and this time he can hear. As his eyes clear and his head stops ringing he sees the people moving around where his people had been. He refuses to accept what the blood and body pieces meant. He must have made some sound with the small movement he made. Moving hurt so bad waves of pain scream along his nerves. Jayse is able to deal with a great deal of physical pain, but that pain was more than any he'd ever had to deal with before.

Before he blacks out once more he hears one of the people look over at him sharply and say over the open com link, "There's one alive over here." Only then did he realize that they are from the med unit attached to the ship that brought Sigma to their last battle. This time when he blacks out he's sure or fairly sure that he'll wake up again.