Post by flession on Feb 20, 2010 6:19:55 GMT -5
I still dream about what happened that day, even now...
We were flying over Africa, one of my first missions since I graduated high school and was able to fly out. Routine training mission. Fire at a few targets, test out our squad's new redesigned Tin Cod's evasive capacity, followed by heading back home for hot, passionate, still technically newlywed sex with the wife. Yes, she's running the show, showing me the ropes and leading me on this path. Didn't really matter if she outranks me, since we got married shortly before I joined up with the Earth Federation military.
Felt really good to fly around the paths. I remember watching down a few camps of some natives when we came in low. It was as if the world had passed them by, leaving them merely in the desert with nothing but whatever nature provided.
Jane had decided to take us on some evasive maneuver courses. It had just been recently declared hot, but the orders never reached us as we were doing maneuvers. So, we continued on that desert strip, unaware of what was to come.
What was best determined by the higher ups was they were on patrol when they came across us. They were a few rookies.
A few rookies in what was then the new Zaku II units. The war had nearly begun, lines were being drawn in the sand as Zeon slowly began to take over control of the area. Me in my Tin Cod, her in her GM S, we started to confront them.
They fired first. At least that's what our report says. I honestly couldn't tell you. That moment in time is still a little fuzzy. What I can remember is what happened next.
We all move into a formation, keeping her surrounded as she moves in to engage the 3 Zaku II's. We weren't all that familiar with their new capacity, and, even with Jane's test mobile suit in play, she was still outnumbered.
I remember first seeing Yanda go down in a ball of flame. Wasn't even that close to me. Only talked to him a few times, really. Seemed nice enough, but that hardly mattered anymore. There was little time for stressing over that. We came in and fired our missles, launching at their legs to bring it down. The Zaku managed to take the attack in, burn marks and sparks flying thru the shot, but managing to get the next shot in at Koiwai.
I actually talked to Koiwai. She seemed very ditzy, but kind-hearted, and could find herself easily capable of getting out of almost any sticky situation in a pinch.
That didn't do her much good getting blasted like that. I stopped by her empty shell of a grave several months later and laid some flowers. She probably would have made a joke about the wheelchair, knowing her. She was never really sensitive to shit like this. But, even now I make jokes about it. So what does that make me?
She liked pink roses. Store only had red when I went. I know she would understand.
It was me and her left against the two standing Zaku's, as Jane fired a shot directly at the fallen one, ending his pathetic existence. I was proving that the exercise was no laughing matter, managing to avoid the shots that had doomed my comrades. One kept their eye on me, the other, focused on Jane, pinning her down enough to keep me distracted. She somehow managed to get a good shot at the bastard, knocking him down and leaving only myself left.
Everything that happened next is something I won't soon forget.
A shot nearly comes close to me as I fire my missles. I manage to avoid it. The lights keep blinking from the sheer force of the shot, causing me to lose altitude. Bearing with it, I arm the rest of my missles, and headed straight for the Zaku's beaming eye. Jane fired so rapidily at the Zaku ahead as I gathered close, shouting over the intercom for me to stop, but it was too late. I hit the ejector as it got close, slamming directly into the forehead of it, causing it to go. I remember shouting, just before I ejected, "Get out of here Jane! They're reinforcements will be here soon. Just go!"
With the last Zaku down and a gathering duststorm of the first Zaku units as well as tanks and other monstosities, there was little time for her to argue. I landed on the ground, mostly safe, feeling the hot sand touch against my leg.
This would be the last sensation I ever felt from them.
The bastard shot at me from behind, exiting his blind Zaku and firing like a coward. A coward's bullets do the same damage as a brave man's, though.
He shot me in the back, and I fell down. I started blanking out quickly from the pain, it slowly took over me as I could feel the sweet grasp of death take over me, and I, knowing that she was safe, was ever willing to accept its cold embrace.
I awoke 3 days later in a hospital bed. I had been bandaged up pretty well. As I started to try to walk around the bed, I had discovered the awful truth of my predicament. The cowardly bastard had managed to shoot a nerve. A rather important one. Prevented me from telling my brain to walk around or do with the lower portion of my body.
For those reading this and have to ask, yes, I still could get it up. I have been asked it more than once, and quite frankly, the penis jokes get old quick.
I stood there, waiting for my loving wife to come in, to comfort me, to hold me and tell me she'd still love me and be with me.
It was several weeks later when I heard what happened. She had come back for me. She risked her life to come back for me and save me, and her thanks was a court marshall for ruining that prototype, leading us into enemy territory, and the deaths of the other two.
She chose to leave honorably discharged than to face prosecution. They allowed it. Another month later, I was given the divorce papers. I only saw her once or twice after that; both of which she was obviously dead emotionally.
It was only after the war truly started heating up that she would get to pilot again...and ultimately lead her to her heroic death.
Should the Earth Federation survive thru this "War of Independence" as Zeon calls it, she will be remembered for her sacrifice.
It is only now that I realize how much she had sacrificed.
I received her journal about 2 weeks ago, but never had any time to read it with all the recent attacks we've been doing.
"As I rushed in to save Jack, the artillery fire squared directly into my GM model, tossing me asunder bashing the mobile suit and the life within me was tossed asunder. Banging against my womb, the baby died without me even knowing of its existence. It was a choice I chose to make without realizing it. My husbands over my child's.
If I had known then that its life remained in me, I know, despite everything, I would risk its life again to make sure that it had a chance to know its father.
I read that paragraph several times, each time my mind refused to let it sink in. Jane was with child. My child...it would have been our son.
And she risked its life for me. It is a burden most unfair for me now, to know that two people sacrificed themselves so that I may live still in this crippled form with nothing more to live for but the thought of revenge.
As I read through the pages of her most secret thoughts, I stumbled upon another fact...one that merely crushed me as much as the first:
She had found another...a 17 year old girl.
"Ella invited me into her tent tonight. Must keep reminding myself shes only 17...then again different laws in Africa..."
She never would have come back to me, even after this war was over. To find out in such a way...with another women, of all things.
My heart is shattered, my mind, torn. I cannot explain on paper how this comes.
It's now that I realized that, despite everything, when this despicable war had ended...I would have been alone, merely drifting thru the remaining days of my pathetic existence. How could anyone truely understand what I feel right now.
My vengence continues on, for the love I had for Jane still remains true...but now, this will merely add fuel to the rage I feel for Zeon. I will slaughter them all, if given the chance. Let them know what is to come from this attack, for the lives they have taken from me will not go unpunished.
I hope that I may live to see the end of the war, see something that is worth continuing on. For I doubt with today's revelation, that there is anything capable of keeping me from ending my life once the drums of war have been silenced.
--
Corporal Jack Murphy
87th Integrated Fleet
October 26th, 0079
We were flying over Africa, one of my first missions since I graduated high school and was able to fly out. Routine training mission. Fire at a few targets, test out our squad's new redesigned Tin Cod's evasive capacity, followed by heading back home for hot, passionate, still technically newlywed sex with the wife. Yes, she's running the show, showing me the ropes and leading me on this path. Didn't really matter if she outranks me, since we got married shortly before I joined up with the Earth Federation military.
Felt really good to fly around the paths. I remember watching down a few camps of some natives when we came in low. It was as if the world had passed them by, leaving them merely in the desert with nothing but whatever nature provided.
Jane had decided to take us on some evasive maneuver courses. It had just been recently declared hot, but the orders never reached us as we were doing maneuvers. So, we continued on that desert strip, unaware of what was to come.
What was best determined by the higher ups was they were on patrol when they came across us. They were a few rookies.
A few rookies in what was then the new Zaku II units. The war had nearly begun, lines were being drawn in the sand as Zeon slowly began to take over control of the area. Me in my Tin Cod, her in her GM S, we started to confront them.
They fired first. At least that's what our report says. I honestly couldn't tell you. That moment in time is still a little fuzzy. What I can remember is what happened next.
We all move into a formation, keeping her surrounded as she moves in to engage the 3 Zaku II's. We weren't all that familiar with their new capacity, and, even with Jane's test mobile suit in play, she was still outnumbered.
I remember first seeing Yanda go down in a ball of flame. Wasn't even that close to me. Only talked to him a few times, really. Seemed nice enough, but that hardly mattered anymore. There was little time for stressing over that. We came in and fired our missles, launching at their legs to bring it down. The Zaku managed to take the attack in, burn marks and sparks flying thru the shot, but managing to get the next shot in at Koiwai.
I actually talked to Koiwai. She seemed very ditzy, but kind-hearted, and could find herself easily capable of getting out of almost any sticky situation in a pinch.
That didn't do her much good getting blasted like that. I stopped by her empty shell of a grave several months later and laid some flowers. She probably would have made a joke about the wheelchair, knowing her. She was never really sensitive to shit like this. But, even now I make jokes about it. So what does that make me?
She liked pink roses. Store only had red when I went. I know she would understand.
It was me and her left against the two standing Zaku's, as Jane fired a shot directly at the fallen one, ending his pathetic existence. I was proving that the exercise was no laughing matter, managing to avoid the shots that had doomed my comrades. One kept their eye on me, the other, focused on Jane, pinning her down enough to keep me distracted. She somehow managed to get a good shot at the bastard, knocking him down and leaving only myself left.
Everything that happened next is something I won't soon forget.
A shot nearly comes close to me as I fire my missles. I manage to avoid it. The lights keep blinking from the sheer force of the shot, causing me to lose altitude. Bearing with it, I arm the rest of my missles, and headed straight for the Zaku's beaming eye. Jane fired so rapidily at the Zaku ahead as I gathered close, shouting over the intercom for me to stop, but it was too late. I hit the ejector as it got close, slamming directly into the forehead of it, causing it to go. I remember shouting, just before I ejected, "Get out of here Jane! They're reinforcements will be here soon. Just go!"
With the last Zaku down and a gathering duststorm of the first Zaku units as well as tanks and other monstosities, there was little time for her to argue. I landed on the ground, mostly safe, feeling the hot sand touch against my leg.
This would be the last sensation I ever felt from them.
The bastard shot at me from behind, exiting his blind Zaku and firing like a coward. A coward's bullets do the same damage as a brave man's, though.
He shot me in the back, and I fell down. I started blanking out quickly from the pain, it slowly took over me as I could feel the sweet grasp of death take over me, and I, knowing that she was safe, was ever willing to accept its cold embrace.
I awoke 3 days later in a hospital bed. I had been bandaged up pretty well. As I started to try to walk around the bed, I had discovered the awful truth of my predicament. The cowardly bastard had managed to shoot a nerve. A rather important one. Prevented me from telling my brain to walk around or do with the lower portion of my body.
For those reading this and have to ask, yes, I still could get it up. I have been asked it more than once, and quite frankly, the penis jokes get old quick.
I stood there, waiting for my loving wife to come in, to comfort me, to hold me and tell me she'd still love me and be with me.
It was several weeks later when I heard what happened. She had come back for me. She risked her life to come back for me and save me, and her thanks was a court marshall for ruining that prototype, leading us into enemy territory, and the deaths of the other two.
She chose to leave honorably discharged than to face prosecution. They allowed it. Another month later, I was given the divorce papers. I only saw her once or twice after that; both of which she was obviously dead emotionally.
It was only after the war truly started heating up that she would get to pilot again...and ultimately lead her to her heroic death.
Should the Earth Federation survive thru this "War of Independence" as Zeon calls it, she will be remembered for her sacrifice.
It is only now that I realize how much she had sacrificed.
I received her journal about 2 weeks ago, but never had any time to read it with all the recent attacks we've been doing.
"As I rushed in to save Jack, the artillery fire squared directly into my GM model, tossing me asunder bashing the mobile suit and the life within me was tossed asunder. Banging against my womb, the baby died without me even knowing of its existence. It was a choice I chose to make without realizing it. My husbands over my child's.
If I had known then that its life remained in me, I know, despite everything, I would risk its life again to make sure that it had a chance to know its father.
I read that paragraph several times, each time my mind refused to let it sink in. Jane was with child. My child...it would have been our son.
And she risked its life for me. It is a burden most unfair for me now, to know that two people sacrificed themselves so that I may live still in this crippled form with nothing more to live for but the thought of revenge.
As I read through the pages of her most secret thoughts, I stumbled upon another fact...one that merely crushed me as much as the first:
She had found another...a 17 year old girl.
"Ella invited me into her tent tonight. Must keep reminding myself shes only 17...then again different laws in Africa..."
She never would have come back to me, even after this war was over. To find out in such a way...with another women, of all things.
My heart is shattered, my mind, torn. I cannot explain on paper how this comes.
It's now that I realized that, despite everything, when this despicable war had ended...I would have been alone, merely drifting thru the remaining days of my pathetic existence. How could anyone truely understand what I feel right now.
My vengence continues on, for the love I had for Jane still remains true...but now, this will merely add fuel to the rage I feel for Zeon. I will slaughter them all, if given the chance. Let them know what is to come from this attack, for the lives they have taken from me will not go unpunished.
I hope that I may live to see the end of the war, see something that is worth continuing on. For I doubt with today's revelation, that there is anything capable of keeping me from ending my life once the drums of war have been silenced.
--
Corporal Jack Murphy
87th Integrated Fleet
October 26th, 0079
