Musings in the dirt

Explosions rocked the dark. Crisscrosses of fire being traded across a city in flames.

That's where a figure of a volunteer soldier finds himself... In a hole. A burned-out building offering shelter to him, his squad, and the darned refugees they agreed to protect. Stitch offered assistance to the wounded while Ashton and Carter lay down cover fire to keep the rebels back from their position.

'It wasn't supposed to be like this.' he thought to himself. My wife is with our baby boy and I'm here slugging it out with manic rebels with a penchant for bio-warfare. It was the very same refugees they were protecting that informed the squad that the local Vrax plague that swept the planet wasn't natural but a stolen designer virus planned to cripple the local wildlife that caused issues with the farm and infrastructure on Ostacre.

These people turned out to be scientists operating in the field attempting to reverse engineer the plague that was twisted to harm humans and got caught in the crossfire between government forces and rebel government abolishment factions. His team had taken the job to cover the retreat of civilians in the combat zone and got roped up in their quest to access the same facility the virus was initially stolen from and give them time to download the data. They found the site and downloaded the data without issue. Of course, that's when everything had to go to hell in a handbasket. The figure chuckled to himself 'I really am a sap for heroic opportunity and a sob story.'

Ostacre being a food producer for the larger system colonies was given a modicum of support from its allies and partners it supplied. However, the fighting still took its toll on the local industry and further exacerbated the disparity in wealth for most of its citizens when compared with the rest of the Ostwick Republic they lived in. Situated midway on the outer rim of human-controlled space the republic and its citizens constantly dealt with supply shortages and the occasional ingress of alien wildlife found dispersed on several planets on its colonies. For the poor and the desperate, that's also where many a freelance prospector staked their claim, and small mercenary companies dealt with petty pirates. Or in this case, manic rebels discontent with their lot.

Stitch sidled over to the cover he was using and gave him a look. "You're looking a bit shaken Z."

Zepher replied dismissively "Nothing that some bandages can't hold and painkillers can't help me ignore. Stim me and let's get out of here. The other two can't push out of this position by themselves." Stitch shook his head... speaking while getting his kit out and cleaning the exposed wound on Zepher's flank. "There's a bio-weapon on the loose and you're saying a pill and a prayer are all you need. Luck is gonna run out next time you storm a mortar."

Zepher scoffed "It's not my fault these idiots are launching ordinance in a city full of civilians. Even more so these civvies tried to tackle the crew around all those bio-canister shells they were prepared to fire. If I didn't rush in this lot would be dead and we would all be dealing with the plague. Damn shell in the tube cracked a bit but I feel fine. Just glad it didn't go off then and there."

Ash keyed the comms "If you two are done stroking each other we could use the help down here. Locals are getting restless. We need to move before they get wise and use the ordinance we left out on that mortar."

Stitch sighed and finished applying the medical gel to the exposed wound. "That will have to do, I will round up the civvies."

Zeph nodded and climbed up to the ridge of his hiding place. Taking the stock of the area around them. He noticed the rebel squad filtering through the debris across the street trying to get an angle on his squad pinning the rest down. Taking aim with his rifle, Zeph laid down fire and dropped the squad to their surprise as they exposed themselves crossing the street. Grimacing at the twitch of pain still in his side he called out to the rest of his squad. "Evac station is a block or two east from this position, lay down some smoke and advance to cover the civilians. Stitch and I will cover the rear."

The mic clicked once in acknowledgment of the order, Both men downstairs popped their smoke grenades and advanced back toward the safety of the government quarantine zone.

The last vestiges of the rebel squad made themselves known but were promptly put down when they attempted to fire upon the two leaving their cover. The public city block going quiet for the first time in the last half hour.

Navigating the city took time, but the squad was able to use sidestreets and holes in infrastructure to avoid the major fighting. Soon they found themselves at the quarantine line of government soldiers.

Tension fell from Zephs shoulders that he didn't realize he was carrying. That's the last time he goes in with a minor loadout. He felt handicapped and vulnerable without the extensive armaments his mercenary band is typically allowed to bring to combat engagements. Unfortunately, since it was all company-owned and the mission an independent volunteer assignment he couldn't use any of the normal hardware.

Shepherding the scientists thanking their squad profusely the government verified their info and spirited off the civvies to no doubt begin grueling work in putting a stop to the bioterrorist's new favorite toy.

After finalizing the assignment, the team withdrew and spent the remainder of the evening volunteering around the camps offering whatever assistance they could. Time passed and after much fighting the rebel forces were defeated and taken into custody. The scientists were able to adapt a vaccine for the plague to prevent any further infections. The only downside is that those already infected wouldn't be able to ever fully recover.

Personal tragedy struck on medical scans when Zepher started to show symptoms of early infection. While he was fast-tracked to receive treatment for his efforts in putting a stop to the plague he was in no luck due to the time it took to design a cure. The virus ravaged his body causing cellular degeneration to slowly take his muscle mass and fine motor function with time. Further compounding the issue that his mercenary medical insurance didn't cover any treatment since the team wasn't on active duty given the mission's volunteer nature. The government was nice enough to offer a subsidized loan to help cover rehabilitation, something Zepher took as a blessing to be with his family more often. Despite the circumstances. Maybe he could finally teach his kid how to catch...

Years passed and still, his condition worsened, he had to divest his shares in the company and get bought out just to satisfy the growing loan payments to cover his regular suppression treatments. Still, having his wife Myra and his son to look after made him focus and work hard on the local factory farm he managed to find work in. Eventually, his success as a freelance mercenary faded and the visits from his squad of his past life stopped coming by as much or calling to regal him of their missions and antics. Such is the life of a forgotten freelancer.