The Adventures of Cento

When Buck opened his eyes again it was night. It wasn't pitch black but it was rather dark. Pain ran through his body and the battle came back to his mind. How long had he slept? Maybe they had indeed thought that he was dead. Otherwise, surely, they would have extracted him. Right?

Buck got up from the mountain of dead and looked at the sky. The command ships were still up there with several Republic ships circling. Now that he was moving and waving his arms he hoped that they would see him. Then a thought came to him. He might not be the only survivor. There were ten thousand dead bodies to sift through but that just had to mean that someone else on either side survived. He looked around and tried to be careful as he stepped on heads and other body parts besides.

As he scanned the area with his eyes he saw a bit of movement. Instinctively he rushed over. It was him, the guy who went hand to hand at the very end. His uniform was too damaged and covered in blood, as well as other things, to see what his hex was.

"Hey, you ok?" Buck asked.

The other clone groaned in agony. He tried to respond with words but it was clear that he was in intense pain and that was interfering with his ability to speak. When Buck reached over to feel his face the other man felt hot to the touch.

"Look. We're getting out of here." Buck promised. He did a check of the other man with his hand to try and find out if anything was broken. It seemed like it would be safe to pick him up. His programming informed him of the correct way to do just that. Buck got the other man across his shoulders and held the other man's arm with one hand and leg with the other.

"What's your name?" Buck asked as he carefully carried him through the battle field to the end of where the bodies laid.

"9F2." the man said with his raspy voice.

"You can call me Buck."

"Buck?"

"Yeah, I sort of, urg, made it up for myself." Buck's foot fell into a gap and he almost fell over. He got his balance back and then slowly pressed on.

Even when they were clear of the killing field and there was a good bit of untainted ground between themselves and all the dead, the ships above still did not pay any notice to them. Buck put 9F2 down and then waved his arms to be seen. It didn't help. Neither did yelling.

An hour passed, and then another. Buck was hungry but more than that he was thirsty. He could only imagine what 9F2 was feeling as he laid in the fetal position on the sand. Way off in the distance Buck saw light reflecting off clouds in the night sky. That could be a settlement or a military base. There was no way to go up into the sky to the ships above but if there was a land base over there, then that was a place that they could reach.

Buck took a moment to gather his strength and then asked if 9F2 was ready to move. 9F2 refused to be carried again, and struggled to get to his feet. The two men walked leaning on each other as they did so. Step by step, they moved ever closer to an escape from the horror they'd both lived through.

"What do you think happens now?" Buck asked.

"Don't know. Maybe we retire."

"That would be nice. Think we'll get medals?"

"They can keep it. I don't ever want to be reminded."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll be the commander's new bodyguards or something."

"If I ever see that little snot nosed fop again I'll ring his neck."

Buck was a bit taken aback at first but after a second of reflection he knew where that sentiment was coming from. "Yeah, maybe we'll have desk jobs or something."

Buck's legs hurt. With each step there was a pain inside the knee on each side. His lower back was so stiff he felt like it might petrify that way. But he carried on. He kept moving ever closer to their destination.

Far in the distance they began to be able to see what was going on. There were a few temporary structures up and several landing vehicles around. This was all military and it looked like the two sides were meeting.

Buck and 9F2 never got close enough to the buildings to ever know what was going on. They were spotted as they approached and the two were taken into custody by Republic sentries. Each of them wore a different face and Buck stared at them in fascination since he had seen so few faces that were not his own.

There was a short round of questioning and then the two clones were handed over to Danbolhako. 9F2 was taken to receive medical treatment and to his utter surprise, Buck was put in shackles.

"What are these for?"

"Insubordination." said the clone officer who cuffed him.

Then there was a long time waiting in a room. He was given no food nor anything to drink. There was another day he was on the ship going back to Danbolhako. Once there, Buck was put in a holding cell and no matter how many times he asked for food or drink, they brought him nothing until the next day. The cell had a sink next to the toilet so he was no longer in danger of dying from thirst but that did nothing to calm his stomach. When they finally did bring food, all he got was more of that white soup. Yet, as hungry as he was, he slurped it all down eagerly and painstakingly licked every last bit from the bowl.

Some number of days passed and Buck wondered what would happen. On what grounds had he been accused? What was the punishment if he was found guilty? Eventually, 9F2 was also brought to the cell, having recovered from his injuries.

"Why are they doing this to us?" Buck asked.

9F2 just shrugged. "I don't know."

"What was the hospital like?"

"It was just a bunk and a robot. I think they were hoping I would actually just die."

"What the hell was this all for?"

"A treaty. They were negotiating a new treaty based on the assumption that both sides had annihilated each other. I would have died out there if you hadn't carried me out so it was all even. But we lived. Zukuway was offended and pulled out of the talks."

"How is that our fault?"

"It wasn't a draw anymore. Danbolhaku won and that was supposed to mean more territory or something but before they could even talk about it Zukuway walked out. Their pride won't allow them to lose. Now they're gearing up for real war."

"So we were meant to die." Buck realized. "10000 lives created and snuffed out for a piece of paper."

The days passed, and the two survivors spent their time talking about all the things they'd love to do if they ever got out of there. They didn't have a lot of information about the outside world but somethings they just knew.

"A farm." said 9F2. "I could be a farmer. Imagine. You know, all the food you could eat and if you don't like the menu then you can change it."

Buck thought of it for a moment. "And horses. Imagine going riding on a grassy field with the wind in your hair."

"Can I ask you something about the battle?"

"The battle? I thought you didn't want to ..."

"Well, I was thinking. I was in the back, well, more like the middle but sort of in the back. But you were on the front line. How?"

"How did I not get gunned down?"

"Yeah."

"I fell. I know it might sound stupid but I got this idea in my head. I saw my death before it happened and then I saw what I had to do to live."

"What do you mean?"

"The moment before the blast would have hit me, I threw myself to the ground. As I did so, I got buried in ..."

"Yeah. Ok. I see."

"But I did fight. I took shots from behind cover."

"You were the sniper?"

"Sniper? I guess."

"If more of us had thought to do that there might be more of us alive."

"And in here."

9F2 nodded. "I wonder if they're ever going to let us out."

"I don't know. But it would be a shame if they didn't. I don't want to live as just a meaningless number. I want to live. To really have a life. I don't want to waste away without anyone ever knowing my name. What's the point?"

"Yeah. We have to get out of here. You know. I guess we'll just do whatever they tell us and then maybe they'll let us out."

"Somehow I have a feeling that's not what they have in mind."

"But we didn't do anything wrong. We won the battle for them. Eventually, they'll have to recognize that."

Weeks passed in that manner and each man was slowly getting thinner and thinner. The white soup they ate everyday was a poor substitute for actual food. Then, after perhaps a month of incarceration, they were both hauled out of the cell and brought to the room where the commander had given them the battle plan previously. There was a new army assembled in ranks and the commander had apparently just given a speech. All the soldiers were chanting "Long live the King."

"And this is what happens if any of you think to disobey orders or the battle plan I've laid out for you." The commander pointed to the two prisoners and each one was chained with his face to the wall.

At first, Buck thought that this would just be to shame them. Two of the guards came and cut of the ragged prison uniforms and the two veterans were naked. Just as Buck was thinking that he was thankful that he was not being forced to see the faces of the new batch of clones, the lash of a whip struck his back and he yelled out in pain.

Buck heard a man counting as each lash struck him and he had a hope that they would stop at five. Yet six came and his new hope was that they would stop at ten. Then eleven came and the white hot pain nearly blinded him in all his senses. The man counted all the way up to 18 and then Buck collapsed unable to support his own weight anymore. He was struck twice more as he dangled from his wrists and then they finally stopped.

And yet, it still was not over. Buck was left to try and understand what had just happened to him as he heard 9F2 scream as the whip found a new target. Even though they stopped at ten there was nothing to be envious about in this situation.

Then, instead of going to medical, or back to the cell, they were given combat uniforms, and marched to a transport. They were both restrained in their seats and an officer gave them their battle briefing.

"Zukuway is moving to take one of our mining colonies. You both will be part of a forward attack. While Zukuway is distracted with you, our main force will move in from the south, resupply the defenders and attack the enemy lines from the rear. Now, you two dumb asses are too smart for your own good so yes, you're just a distraction. Yes, you're all going to die. No, there will be no rescue, extraction, or rendezvous. You two have been sentenced to death. Be thankful that you can die in service to our King."

The old programming was still in there but Buck found himself unable to say the words. The King could choke on his own vomit for all Buck cared.

Buck watched as soldier after soldier who were meant to die were given these flimsy uniforms while the real soldiers were issued armor and went to different ships. They had armor and even from a distance Buck knew what kind it was. It was strong enough to not even budge if blasted with one of those weak ass bolts from that first battle. You'd have to be a really good shot or have a really big gun to kill a man wearing that. And here Buck was in essentially a paper bag sown to look like clothes.

Buck and 9F2 were not given real weapons. The soldiers behind them were ordered to shoot them both if either Buck or 9F2 tried to run.

The trip wasn't as long as the one to that cursed moon now stained with the blood of the dead. They were in space maybe ten hours and then all the men lined up to deploy the moment the craft landed. The ship started its descent down to the surface and Buck started to get that feeling again. He started to see something happening that didn't make sense. He saw a hole in the ship. He heard screams that were just in his head. He heard the wind howling in his ear but it wasn't true. A chill ran down his back.

"Hold on." he told 9F2.

"I am holding on."

"Not the release strap. The ship. Hold onto the ship."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just grab something and hang on tight."

9F2 was getting his arm around one of the side seat supports when suddenly the ship rocked and there was a loud boom from an explosion. Part of the hull blew open and soldiers flew out into the air to fall to their deaths. The ship itself turned to its side as it plunged through the air.

Buck might have been weak from malnutrition and having been whipped but his combat programming informed him how to survive this situation. The emergency parachutes were marked and so far no one seemed to be going for them. How many seconds did they have? Was any part of the ship trying to keep them in the air? It was clear they were no longer space worthy so they would have to land but that really meant crash.

There were five chutes in the first container Buck opened and the threw one to 9F2. Hurry. Hurry. Snap, clamp. Hurry. Get it on. Hurry.

Some of the other clones that had not been thrown to the void got the idea to copy what they were doing and then two clones started shooting at each other for a parachute. Go ahead and kill each other guys, thought Buck.

Buck saw 9F2 safely make it out the hole in the hull and he was going to follow. He jumped and pulled his cord as soon as he hit the air.

There were so many strange feelings in that moment. The pain on his back was still with him. The gnaw of his stomach was there too. There was also the exhilaration of jumping into the empty sky and then the rush of seeing the raging battle below that had already started without them. But mostly, there was the pain of having his leg shot off by one of the other clones who had fired his gun at Buck in that last moment before he was clear of the ship.

He looked down and saw all his life's blood spraying out into the thin atmosphere from what was left of his knee. Then, as the ground rushed up, his back seemed to stop hurting. His stomach stopped gnawing. Even his leg no longer hurt anymore. He wasn't able to think anymore. Who was he? Where was he? Was he going to die? No. No way. That couldn't be true.

...

9F2 nearly broke his leg when he landed just a bit too hard. There was no time to think of that just then with all the fire and smoke around him. Zukuway it seemed hadn't come to take the mine, they'd come to destroy it. There was nothing left to resupply. Zukuway had set a trap and they were using overwhelming force to obliterate both the feint and the main attacking force.

None of it mattered he decided. He'd already had his battle and he'd already won his battle. Whatever this was, it wasn't his fight. He needed to get the hell out of there. He saw Buck coming down for his landing.

"Oh shit." Something was wrong. Buck hit the ground at full speed and it looked like he didn't even try to roll or anything. 9F2 got out of his straps and ran over to his friend. No. No. NO! His leg! NOOO!

"Come on. Don't die. Stay with me."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Food. Right on. We'll go get some food. Me and you. No going back this time. Ok?"

"Ok." Buck said weakly.

9F2 started bandaging the leg and he did as good a job as he could hope with what was around him and a fierce battle still going on. He hoped it was good enough to stop the bleeding. He picked Buck up and started going at full speed out of the war zone, pain in his leg be damned.

Got to get out of the fighting. Got to get to safety. Got to get to a medic. Please. Don't die, Buck. Please.

He stopped running when he got to a river. The fighting was a good ways behind him and he put Buck down so he could think of a way to get to the other side. He stood there looking at the river and scanning the opposite bank for a place to come out.

"Right there. See. We just have to get ..." 9F2 turned around and looked at his friend. Buck's eyes were open but there was no longer any life behind them.

9F2 felt his desperation melt away and even his fear was gone. He started to feel sorrow for the first time in his life. His friend was dead. Buck was dead. 9F2 checked for a heartbeat and there was none. He died with only one other person ever knowing his name and if 9F2 didn't make it out, then that name would be extinguished for all eternity.

9F2 stayed there with Buck even when he knew he had to move on. But he didn't have the heart to leave Buck behind, dead as he was. Buck had saved his life twice. He was owed. He deserved to live.

"They will know you name. I swear it."

9F2 would have stayed there all day with no thought of moving but then the battle came closer. Zukuway troops were gunning down any survivors they found, even those who tried to surrender. They were giving no quarter and when they started to move closer to the river 9F2 had to get up and get to a hiding spot. Upstream a bit there were the remains of a burned bridge. He tried to hide as best he could there.

So this is what it felt like to know you were going to die. This is what it was like to know that you were so unwanted that even if they knew he had survived they would just kill him rather than deal with him.

What was the point?

Time passed. 9F2 didn't know how long but a good deal of time passed. He could hear fire and burning but there were no more shots being fired. He couldn't hear any communication or footsteps.

9F2 came out from his hiding place and snuck around the remains of the battle. He picked up a weapon but it was damaged. It didn't matter, though. If either side came for him, he wanted to go down fighting.

9F2 waited among the ruble. He put his head out and looked around. Random fires were still going in ever building and every large piece of equipment but he couldn't really tell if there were any enemy troops left. He started to get the idea to get some armor on but then he figured he'd need to get to another settlement and find a way off this world. There were support farms to the east and a spaceport not much farther. That would be the way to go and he'd make better time without armor.

Just as 9F2 was picking a direction to walk he saw four big ships descend to the surface. They spread out far from each other. They weren't marked as anything 9F2 recognized. All of the combatant ships seemed to have left the area already.

9F2 hid among the dead. The ship that landed closest to him opened and a four man team came out with several robots and a couple of big machines. They were using metal detectors and magnets to sort out weapons and equipment from flesh.

9F2 moved and hid. He found a gun that still had a full charge. It was one of those crap guns but it had five shots and that might be enough unless he had to kill the robots too. But maybe these guys were friendly. 9F2 wasn't going to just assume that after seeing all that he'd seen in his short life. For all 9F2 knew, this sort of clean up crew worked for the commander and they just wanted to recycle the weapons. As the crew got closer to 9F2's position he could tell that they weren't wearing uniforms of any kind and they weren't clones. Well, they might be clones but each one was different from the other and from 9F2.

"James. Over here." said the young guy.

"You found something?" asked the one with gray hair.

"This one's still breathing. What should I do?"

"Kill it." said the short, thin one with the mustache. "But don't waste a round on it. Just use your knife."

"My knife? Um ... Ok."

"Leave it be." said the gray hair. "It'll die soon enough anyway."

"Boss says no witnesses." said the mustache guy. Then he turned to the young one. "Can you do it or should I?"

"Um ... well ... uh,"

"Move." The mustache guy pushed the young one out of the way. He pulled out a big knife and stabbed someone on the ground that 9F2 couldn't see. He didn't know which side the newly made corpse had been on but 9F2 felt like it didn't really matter. They would kill him if they found him. That was all he needed to learn from this.