Chapter 4 A Fire Casted in Rain

It was raining harder than i had ever seen as we flew back in the Pelican, Titan was awfully quiet as well too when all of a sudden the Pelican comes to complete stop "why are we stopping?" I said as i stood up, the back hatch started to open up as Titan turned to face me "Hyde i want to believe all of this i truly do but i just don't think that your chosen one material, no hard feelings right?" He asked as he proceeded to kick me down to the jungle below and fly away to the Federation City, each foot down there was branches smacking me in every way possible causing my visor to crack, scratching my armor and suit and badly injuring my body as i finally landed in the river below the trees, the river was filled with large rocks that the current would smack me into until the current became more tame and i ended up at an abandoned gas station, i brushed myself off as best as i could and as best as i could in my condition tried to get inside, the garage door was open just enough for me to get under and inside. I removed my helmet and turned on the flashlight i had on my belt to try and get more light in the room. It was cold and bitter but it had to do for now, i carefully gathered enough to make a fire to warm myself up and i laid next to it. The next day i got up from the ground, picked up my helmet and quickly started to look for a way to the Federation City, on my way i stumbled upon an old St. Los Church which i took note of and continued my way forward to an outpost with two soldiers in it sporting Federation armor. I threw a rock over to the other side of the outpost to distract one and then i knocked out the other, i then quickly knocked out the other and grabbed his radio to tune into Titans comms frequency "do you honestly think i would be bested so easily?" I asked into the radio with no response following to which i say "St. Los, residential apartments, if i see you first your gone" i then threw the radio onto the ground and smashed it with my boot

—2 hours later—

The bell tower of the church was high enough to see the residential apartments, i grabbed my rifle and looked through the thermal scope to watch for a sign of his arrival, i scanned around the apartments and the windows until i stopped at the ruin of my pod and next to it was Titan with his helmet off who looks like hes paying some sort of tribute, i adjust for wind speed and bullet drop in my scope and pull the trigger hitting him in between his elbow and shoulder plating in his left arm, as soon as he dropped to the floor three soldiers began firing their assault rifles at the church tower and as a result i get hit in the right shoulder and fall down the ladder to the upstairs of the church, as their rifles continued to fire i rushed to escape out of the church and into the sewer system, the tunnels felt like a never ending maze the more i walked through them, hours go by when all of a sudden water starts rushing past me, the current overtakes my balance and sends me into the lake that borders between the region of Cernunnos and the Gehenna Desert region where i was met with several officers of the Army of Osiris guarding the border, they ordered me to swim to them and they grabbed me by the shoulders asking "who are you?" To which i respond with "my name is Hyde Jackson im an ex officer of the federation, the leader betrayed me and casted me to the jungle, i tried retaliating against him but it was fruitless" they handcuffed me and put me in the back of a military jeep where they took to the capital city of Nowari for questioning with the Secretary of Defense, before they started questioning me i stayed in a POW camp where i worked to survive, in that camp they had us manufacturing munitions out of used casings and remade bullets, manufacturing small arms like sub machine guns and pistols for the military, some like me were scrappers, our task was to sneak to the crash landed and abandoned several hundred year old super carrier from earth that was never on any documents back on the USS Apollo, from the looks of it the super carrier was the USS Almighty a military super carrier with 99.9% of cargo being armor, vehicles, guns and ammo, its last recorded mission from one of the datapads in the wreckage state it was on its way to the human colony of sazurito the purple planet to help with a civil war but it got shot down and set off course to where it is now by the edge of the region of Cernunnos. The officer that is tasked with watching me pilots us to the top of the wreckage where I'm sent in on a rope, i rappel down and start to gather useable pieces of scrap metal and electronics, i put them all in my satchel they gave me and i climb up to the helicopter to go back to the camp, i give them the satchel and am sent back to my cell which is just a hole in the ground with a cell door above it, i lay on the ground of the cell and begin to meditate as i do so, this would go on as a routine for three long years, each year i would feel more stronger than the last mentally, i would become more mute as the days went by until i wouldn't speak a single word any longer, after the three years were up i was sent to a concrete interrogation room with the secretary of defense who would attempt to question me for weeks with the same questions, "whats your name boy? Do you know who i am?" And "what does your military plan to do with their technology?" But i wouldnt answer him until after five weeks i was sent back in where i saw my hilt on the steel table, i was hand cuffed to the table by a latched pair of cuffs like always so i couldnt escape and i was asked "you know what this is dont know? It was connected to your belt on your armor we confiscated when we captured you" i looked down at the hand cuffs binding me and then proceeded to look at him "its a Phakizaki hilt" i answered and he sat down on the other side of the table "so you do speak" he chuckled as he leaned forward and studied me. He asks me "what is it you seek to accomplish?" And i keep an emotionless look on my face "i left the federation borders because i was hunted by a leader who i thought to be good but instead was greedy and corrupt, my goal was to try and stop him but i got under fire and ended up in your waters" i had stated while looking at him knowing i couldnt be silent forever. The secretary of defense left the room for what seemed like an eternity but was only an hour. After that hour he came back and unlocked the handcuffs stating "we'll let you go to carry out your mission, your belongings will be given back to you as well, you will also have a pardon from the Army of Osiris that as long as you remain in our borders you wont be hassled but as soon as your seen leaving we cant guarantee your safety am i understood?" I nodded and shook his hand grabbing my Phakizaki hilt. As days went by i found myself wondering the desert plains of Gehenna not knowing where i should go or start my path, i found myself wandering into a small village where a local woman gave me a room at the village hotel, i set down my helmet and sat down at the desk in the room. A couple hours go by and static begins to sound on my old radio in my helmet "must be busted from the shoot out" i said as i began to dismantle it and slowly repair it, unfortunately during the repair process i also had to repair the thermal sensors in the visor which i didnt have the tools for so i got up, went theough the front door of the small hotel room, locked it and went to the nearby hardware shop to browse parts and tools, the secretary of defense gave me a decent chunk of Credits if i needed it which made it easier all things considered. On the small television the shop owner has on top of his counter was the news "the united space force of earth was seen at the abandoned city of St. Los this morning holding what looks like to be a crazed preacher, sources have identified this preacher as Jeremiah of the Federation Army, sources also state that this crazed preacher was later executed at 12:41 pm, the united space force of earth gave no words to any faction of requiem and have since left the orbit of the planet, no further information has been given at this current time." After picking out what i needed in terms of parts and tools i paid for everything and quickly got out of the store after saying to the owner "have a great day." I rushed back home to repair my helmet and quickly left that following night paying for my room in full to then wander once more