Only War Lasts Forever

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

War. That was just about the only topic that was on anyone’s lips anymore. As far as many were concerned, it might end up being the last topic talked about by everyone. Depending on who you asked, the last 10,000 years were either a cluster of wars, or just one big war altogether.

Jaan Reeth was a shopkeeper’s son who lived on Fondain IV with his mother, father and his cousin, Andi Reeth. Fondain IV was the name given to the planet by the people who lived there. The galactic community actually identified Fondain IV as 29GGA3. The practice of naming planets only goes as far as the inhabitants of that planet. In fact, there were numerous planets that had the same name, simply because the residents of each planet had come up with that name by themselves.

Fondain IV was a simple trading and agricultural world that orbited an aging red giant, and one of the many planets on the lengthy Fresda-Conna trade route. It was also a multiracial world, with numerous species dwelling there in relative peace and harmony. Fondain IV had no oceans, but it had countless rivers of various sizes. There was always lots of sunshine to be had, as well as very low humidity. Though Fondain IV had generally a hot, dry climate, there was numerous plant life. The planet itself had no production to speak of, though it had a fair amount of smaller, uninhabitable planets nearby which it could mine all kinds of metals from.

Jaan had been born and raised on Fondain IV, essentially having spent his whole life here, and that was fine with him. He figured that one day he would take over his Father’s store and run it until he passed it on to his own son or daughter. Jaan also figured that the wars would never come here, or if they did, it was only to resupply and then leave.

Fondain IV had no real, big government to speak of, and the only thing there that could be considered “government” was there just to stave off absolute chaos. Mostly, the traders and farmers were left to themselves, and they liked it that way. Everyone knew that trouble was bad for business and bad for harvesting, so things were relatively quiet. Still, there were those occasional would-be galactic emperors that would come along and declare that Fondain IV was part of their little upstart kingdom. Of course, these little fish would be devoured by the bigger war in the end.

So, more often than not, Fondain IV, like most trading worlds, was pretty much just left alone by the bigger war. Those involved in the war realized that there was a need for a strong galactic economy, because if something ever happened to it, then there would be nothing left once the fighting was over.

Jaan had been walking down the street to a friend’s bar when large ships with strange insignias that he vaguely recognized began landing on the planet’s surface. Had he thought a little harder about what that meant, he would have immediately run straight for home and hid there for a long time.

Instead, he had gone ahead to the bar, and was welcomed by his friend, Jeb. Jeb was the owner of the bar, and was a Kishik. Kishiks were generally fat, short, and very lively creatures. They looked mildly similar to a short, fat human, except for the reddish orange skin, the yellow eyes, and the lack of humanoid ears. Though Jeb’s head only reached Jaan’s mid-torso, he had the kind of personality that could fill the room. That was partially why people liked his establishment so much, because he was friendly with almost everyone.

Jaan sat down at the bar and Jeb came and talked with him for awhile. Their conversation did not have any particular topic, though just as Jaan began to mention to Jeb the ships he had seen, a small group of soldiers entered the bar in a quick and concise manner. In fact, one might have thought they were there to rob the place. Instead, they were there to recruit more men for their war.

There were five men total that entered the bar, and four of them stood in a line against the wall, with the one other man standing a few feet in front of them. The four men had simple uniforms of dark gray and red, with that familiar insignia on the chest. Their heads had neatly trimmed haircuts. The man in front had a slightly more elaborate uniform, with a few medals on the front.

Jeb, being the kind of person he was, immediately went over to the man who appeared to be in charge, and began to speak before the officer had a chance to open his mouth.

“Ho there! Welcome, welcome! My name is Jeb, and yes I’m a Kishik. This is my establishment, and I welcome any visitors, new or old. What can I do for ya?”

The officer stood with his back straight, his legs slightly spread, and his arms crossed behind his back. He tilted his head so he could look Jeb directly in the eye.

“Well, since you have put it so nicely, I shall return the favor. My name is Jocelyn Herdan. I am an Officer of the 237th Naval Corps of the HDGA. My mission on your planet, and as of now in your place of business, is a peaceful one. I do not wish to cause any trouble whatsoever.”

Jeb gave a solid laugh. He placed his hands on his chest and leaned slightly back.

“So ya mean to tell me that you’re here to buy a drink?”

The officer gave a slight frown, and in a grim tone he responded, “No. I am here to recruit men for the ranks of the HDGA. As I said though, we wish for no trouble at all. This can be a peaceful matter and I assure you that no harm will come to your bar or to anyone in it as long as everyone here complies.”

Jeb raised an eyebrow and looked the officer up and down twice. He turned away and walked back to behind the counter.

“Fine. Do your business and leave. I don’t want any trouble, now. You’ve promised that, and I’ll keep you to it.”

The officer gave a grim smile, nodded to his men, looked around at the patrons of the bar, then cleared his throat.

“Many of you probably have heard of the HDGA by now, no? If you have, then you undoubtedly have heard of our long line of successful military campaigns. And whenever we have not been entirely successful, our losses have been nothing at best, and minimal at worst.”

“The HDGA is a long-time ally to the Graaffikian race and more specifically to the Graaffikian military. We have a history of providing support to them where necessary or wanted. In return they supply us with food, weapons, medicine, and planets to call our very own.”

Before the officer could finish his pitch, one of the men in the bar threw his drink in the direction of the officer. The cup missed, but its contents landed on the officer and three of the men behind him. The soldiers nor the officer did not make any movements. Jocelyn reached into one of his pockets and produced a small cloth that he used to wipe his face.

The man who had thrown the drink began speaking, clearly having had more than a few drinks, “Look ‘ere, you. We is a peaceful planet, we don’t want no fightin’ here. Besides, don’cha only recruit humans? More ‘en half of the folks in dis bar ain’t human. Why you ‘ere, eh?”

“We are here,” said the officer, with a blank expression, “out of necessity. This place is not our only stop, nor is it our first. My team here is one of many teams dispatched to recruit for our military.”

“And yes,” the officer continued, “we do only recruit humans. That is, after all, why we are called the HDGA. However, we are not one of those extremist groups who believes that only humans should exist in the galaxy. We are instead a military that only recruits human men and women solely because of our heritage.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you had to come here.” said Jeb. He had been quiet, tending to his customers and their orders while the officer gave his speech, “If you wanted to recruit from only humans, you could have simply set up shop somewhere in the city and waited for them to come to you. Why come into my bar?” The crowd in the bar murmured in agreement.

“Because, my friend, I was not ordered to do so. Besides, do you think that this world and its history of neutrality would make it that easy for us to recruit from here? After all, we would need to set up more than a recruitment office. We would need a space port, a ground military base, and of course we would need a steady shipment of supplies, all of which would officially make this planet an HDGA controlled planet. This would of course make you a target for all of the other militaries not allied with us to come and destroy our presence here, as well as the immeasurable collateral damage that would doubtlessly occur during all of the fighting. Is this what you and all of the other customers of your bar want, simply so they can drink in peace?”

Jeb stroked his bald head thoughtfully, considering what the officer had mentioned. He let out a long sigh and decided to not say anything more. He knew he couldn’t win this one.

Jaan had been quiet during this conversation, mostly because he hoped that the soldiers might not notice him if he blended in with the crowd. For the most part, the crowd in the bar had continued to enjoy their drinks and conversation, not paying much attention to the soldiers out of disinterest, but when Jeb had started talking again, many including Jaan had listened to the officer’s response.

The officer continued his pitch, and Jaan drank down the last few drops of his drink, got up from his seat and walked over to where Jeb was standing behind the counter. Jeb caught sight of him and met him halfway.

“Jaan, what are you still doing here?” Jeb said in a hushed tone, “These military fodder will try to recruit you if you stay too much longer. Get out while you can.”

“I’d love to, but they’re blocking the front door, pretty much. You see the way the soldier on the left is standing? He is facing in such a way that he can spot anyone who leaves. I’ll be spotted for sure.”

“Hmm. Well, you can use the back door if you’d like. It’s just right over there, behind those empty crates. Be careful though, Jaan. If there are indeed more fodder out there like these goons say, they’ll for sure be looking for guys like you roaming about. And I know he said they’re only looking for volunteers, but I have a hunch they’ll be pretty forceful in their ‘recruitment’ efforts.” Jeb hissed that last part with a dark undertone.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out. And thank you.”

Jaan and Jeb shook hands with one another as Jaan walked casually over towards the crates. He made sure to keep an eye on the soldiers standing near the entrance. He counted them, one officer and three men behind him.

Wait, thought Jaan, shouldn’t there be four men behind him? What happened to the fourth one?

Jaan stopped thinking about it and went back to paying attention to remaining stealthy. He approached the door, and did a quick 360 degree check of his surroundings and opened the door.

There was one HDGA soldier standing directly in front of him with a polished blaster pointed in his direction. Jaan’s face went white when he thought that the soldier was going to shoot him. The soldier motioned for Jaan to back up and turn around. He complied and began walking back into the bar.

Once in the bar, the HDGA soldier holstered his weapon and placed a hand on Jaan’s shoulder. He gave a slight push, and Jaan walked forward, toward the officer who sounded like he was finishing his speech.

The officer noticed Jaan and the soldier, and rose one of his hands up halfway, using all of his fingers to point at Jaan, palm facing upward. He looked around at the crowd in the bar, and began speaking once more.

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of our coordination, skill, and ability to identify and successfully navigate our way through any situation.” The officer had a grin of satisfaction.

“During my speech, I saw this young man ignoring me to a point that it was noticeable, even in this dense crowd. I applied a few discreet and subtle hand signs, issuing orders to one of my men to find an alternate exit and to block it off. Together we were able to stop this young man from leaving the building.”

Almost immediately, the crowd began talking loudly amongst themselves, but none were as audible as Jeb. Jeb quickly grabbed a large, but primitive looking weapon from under the counter and aimed it at the officer. The soldiers behind the officer quickly drew their shiny weapons and aimed them at Jeb. The officer signaled for his men to lower there weapons and they did, albeit slowly.

“Tell me, bar keep, for what reason have you drawn your weapon? I told you we were here peacefully.”

“Only a fool would still believe that.” Jeb’s face was a dark red, even darker than its usual color. “You wouldn’t let this young man leave, so clearly you’ve not come in peace. If you truly are being peaceful, then you’ll let him go.”

The officer gave a slight, yet obviously exaggerated frown, as if he was disappointed. “I only used him as an example, because his actions drove me to it. If he hadn’t attempted to leave, then I wouldn’t have had one of my men stop him. I only did this because it was a chance to showcase our honed skill set. He is not being forced to stay with us if he does not wish it.”

“So you’ll let him go then? And anyone else who doesn’t join your cause?”

“Of course. After my men and I speak with a few of your customers directly we will be on our way.”

Jeb lowered his weapon, but not his fiery gaze. Even if the officer was telling the truth, he had lost Jeb’s trust. The crowd returned to its buzzing chatter, and Jaan was released. The officer and the three men began dispersing into the crowd to talk with any humans that were there. The soldier that had stopped Jaan offered out his hand to him.

“My name is Greg. I’m just a grunt in the HDGA. A well-trained grunt, but a grunt nonetheless.” His face had a toothy grin.

Jaan shook his hand and returned the grin with a forced smile.

“I’m Jaan Reeth. I’m a shopkeeper’s son. And, you really scared me back there.”

“You mean when I caught you trying to sneak out? Ah, well I’m sorry about that. When Captain Jocelyn gave the sign for me to circle around back, I wasn’t sure who or what might come out, so in a way you startled me.”

“Highly unlikely.” Jaan said with a chuckle. “I mean, aren’t you trained to be prepared for a fight?”

“Well, yes and no. We are trained to fight in battle, but we have other training that involves peace-time efforts, such as this.”

“So you mean you’ve trained for scenarios like this one?”

“Of course. Actually, Captain Jocelyn is one of the best for this kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong, he is a more than adequate military commander when the time calls for it, but he really struts his stuff when we go recruiting. You’re lucky you got to be recruited by him personally.”

Jaan tried to picture the officer from before on board a battlecruiser giving the order to fire. His daydreaming ended when he realized what the soldier had said. “Wait, wait. Recruited? I haven’t joined yet, and I don’t want to.”

“You don’t? Huh. That’s odd. Most people would have joined up after something like that happened to them. If you’re a bit skittish about combat, that’s understandable. When you first enlist, you’re almost guaranteed to see combat, but once you get promoted, they give you opportunities to do things like this. But hey, if you’re still serious, we’re not here to force anyone into this.”

“Honestly, that lifestyle doesn’t appeal to me. There’d have to be some very serious circumstances for me to join. I don’t see how anyone could, but, what did you find appealing? What drove you to become recruited, hmm?” Jaan was honestly curious as to how anyone could find war appealing.

“Me? Oh, I was never really ‘recruited’. You see, my Ma and Pa were HDGA, so I was born into this. See, the HDGA encourages any children born to its soldiers to pursue other career options before considering officially joining the military. Can you believe it? I wanted to fly a garbage barge. You know, pick up the trash from planets and then fly it close to that planet’s local star and let it go. I used to think that would be a great job. Of course, I changed my mind once I realized something: trash stinks.”

The two of them shared a laugh, followed by silence for a few minutes.

“Well, I suppose that since you’re not interested I should move on. Maybe someone else will join, eh? Wish me luck.”

Jaan gave a slight smile and a quick nod, then waved him goodbye. Though that soldier didn’t seem like a bad guy, he didn’t really want to wish him luck. In fact, he hoped that they didn’t recruit anyone at all, and would leave Fondain IV empty handed.

Jeb came over and just looked at Jaan in the eye for awhile. His face had a firm expression, one that a parent might use when disciplining a child.

“So what did you say to that soldier you were talking to, Jaan? You’re not thinking of joining, are you? You better not be.”

“No, no. I’m not. We just talked a bit about little things. I explained to him that I wasn’t interested and so he left to look around for others.”

“Good. You’re a young man with some solid years ahead of you. Last thing you need is to go run off and fight in some war.”

Jaan nodded in agreement and let out a sigh. He glanced around at the military recruiters, and saw one of them, Greg, giving someone a holo-form to sign. The person signed, and Greg shook hands with the man. Jaan continued looking around until he’d come almost a complete full circle. Once turned completely around, Jocelyn was standing a small distance away at the bar, ordering a drink. Jaan tried not to make eye contact, but reacted too late. Jocelyn caught sight of him, and walked over to where Jaan was standing.

“So, what’s stopping you from joining? You look a bit young to have already started a family, so maybe it’s a love interest? I can assure you, we won’t keep you all to ourselves forever.” Jocelyn gulped down half of the beverage in his hand.

“What makes you think I haven’t joined? After all, you impressed me when you used me as an example on the fly.” Jaan tried to hold back a smirk. He was just echoing Greg’s words from before, and wanted to see how puffed up this officer really was.

“Because, smart ass,” Jocelyn sounded annoyed, “I pay attention. I saw that Corporal Greg left you without having you sign any forms. Also, you would have been given orders to report to the ship dock where we are currently landed for your registering and physical inspection. Now, I dislike repeating myself, which is why I’m having this drink. After all, I need to repeat myself pretty much every damn time I go anywhere for recruitment. So just answer the question.”

“Hmph. Well, I simply I don’t want to. Isn’t that enough? Shouldn’t you just be fine with that?”

Jocelyn gave him a hard look. “Honestly, no. If we didn’t try again and again, then we’d have no new recruits. It’s my job to keep at until we’ve got the numbers we need and maybe more. I’m not thrilled with this job, but combat leadership alone doesn’t get someone far in this game.” Jocelyn downed the rest of his drink.

Puzzled by his last statement, Jaan gave the man a confused look. As if he could read Jaan’s mind, the officer began speaking,

“Normally, in a typical military and in a typical war, combat leadership is sufficient—nay, required—in order for a soldier to make a career for himself. Human history itself is a prime example of this. Throughout our history the individuals and groups who rose to the top and stayed there for some time were largely those who could wield an army effectively.”

There was a look in Jocelyn’s eye that Jaan couldn’t look away from. He seemed to be staring off into some indeterminate point in space, but at the same it looked as if he might not be looking anywhere at all. Jocelyn closed his eyes and shook his head.

“But, times have changed. Or at least the time we are in is different and requires an exception to that rule. You see, this war has carried on for so long that it’s no longer enough to just conquer a planet with brute strength. Sure, you can do that, but the inhabitants won’t willingly support your cause that way. Lines on maps are redrawn so frequently that there is hardly any loyalty in the hearts and minds of the people anymore. Today, it is almost without exception required that you come promising more than guns and soldiers. You need to convince the inhabitants that your cause is worthy of their support.”

“And what exactly is your cause?” Jaan at this point was ready to leave the conversation, but at the same time he found he wanted one more answer.

Again Jocelyn gave Jaan a hard look then shook his head again, “That’s not the point of our discussion, now is it? Honestly, with as much resistance as you’ve given me here, it won’t matter what I say to you, you’ll simply reject it. But on the off-chance I’m wrong, why don’t you find out for yourself by joining up?”

Jaan felt a sense of revulsion creep into him. After his little philosophical rant and seemingly deep moment, this officer had the audacity to turn it around into yet another recruitment pitch? “I’m sorry, but I’m not joining. End of discussion.”

Jaan was about to get up and leave, but then Jocelyn called him back.

“Wait. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t, but my name is Jaan Reeth. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving.”

“Hold on, I’m still talking you, jackass. Reeth, hmm? That name is familiar. Let me check my recruitment records for today.” Jocelyn pulled out a small device and pressed a few buttons. “Ah! Here we are. ‘Andi Reeth’. Does that name ring a bell? He joined us shortly before we came into this bar.”

Jaan’s heart skipped a beat. Andi was Jaan’s cousin. His parents had died when he was little, so Jaan’s folks took him in. The two of them had been like brothers pretty much all of their lives. It shocked him that Andi would want to fight in a war. Not only that, but Andi wasn’t exactly a strong or healthy person.

“Are the two of you related? Brothers, maybe? He’s a little younger than you, am I correct?”

“We’re cousins, actually. And I can’t believe he actually joined. What did you do to get him to do it? And how did you make a connection between the two of us?”

“I didn’t do or say anything to get his attention. He must have heard we were here recruiting, because when we were walking down the street, he ran up to us and asked to join. And, I overheard the conversation you and the bar owner were having. He called you ‘Jaan’, and I remembered that name from when your cousin put you down as next of kin.”

“I can understand that last part, but not the first. It’s nonsense. I’m going talk with him when I get home. There is no way he is doing this.” Jaan’s blood felt like it was boiling.

“Look, I know you’re probably worried, but the HDGA isn’t as terrible as you seem to think it is. I mean, you seem ridiculously adamant about not joining in any kind of fighting.”

In truth, that wasn’t the case. Jaan had been in more than a few fist fights as a boy, and even on occasion went out looking for a fight with a neighborhood kid, just so he could show off to the cute girl who lived one block over. It was more that he just didn’t want to get involved with the politics. He had been taught in school about all of the numerous would-be conquerors and space pirates who tried to take over Fondain IV for their own purposes and failed. Honestly, he just wasn’t impressed with these people.

But, Jaan was just simply too angry to continue talking. He stormed out of the bar and began walking at a quick pace back home. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and began to think about what he was going to say to Andi when he got home.

About an hour later, Jaan arrived back home. Jaan’s parents owned a small emporium on the corner of a semi-busy street. The house that they lived in was on the second and third floor of the three story building that their shop was located in. Jaan walked into the shop and was soon greeted by his Father, who was behind the counter at the back of the store.

“Hey Jaan! Where have you been? Your Mother and I expected you back some time ago. We had a shipment come in today that you promised to help unload, remember?”

Jaan cringed. He had forgotten about that. “I’m sorry. I was kept later than usual at Jeb’s bar.”

His Father laughed. “Ha! Did he need help serving drinks again? I keep telling him that eventually he’ll have to start paying you if he keeps you from my store for long periods of time like that.”

“Well, no. It wasn’t that. Some military folks came in and gave this big speech about how they need recruits. They called themselves the HDGA. They wouldn’t exactly let me leave before they finished talking.”

His Father’s face turned white. “You didn’t sign on, did you?”

“Relax. I didn’t. But, that is part of the reason why I came home.”

“Eh? Why’s that? Did they threaten you or us or something?”

Jaan took a deep breath. His Father wasn’t going to like this. “Andi signed on with them.”

His Father’s face went white as he collapsed into a chair, with shock and grief quickly showing themselves. After a few moments of silence and stillness, he spoke up.

“Jaan, are you sure? How can you be sure? Something like that is just… well, it’s not impossible, but at the very least the chances of something like that happening are about as likely as a meteor striking our house dead-on.”

Jaan shook his head. “Well, it’s true. I saw his name on the recruitment officer’s list, along with his address. This address.”

His father let out a long sigh. He closed his eyes and leaned back. Jaan could have sworn that he looked like he was about to cry.

“I don’t understand, Jaan. Your cousin is a good kid. Why would he do it? I thought he was happy.” Jaan saw his Father’s fists clench out of frustration.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me at all either, Dad. All we can do is hope and pray nothing happens to him.”

Shortly afterward, Jaan and his Father told Jaan’s Mother. She took the news even harder than her husband had. She did cry, and inquired as to when he might be back. The both of them could only shake their heads in response.

Later that evening during meal time, there was a knock at the door. Jaan stopped eating and looked at his parents, and they in turn looked at him. Considering the time, there was only one person who it could be. The knock came again, just a little bit louder. Jaan’s Father started to get up, but Jaan stopped him.

“I’ll get it. You sit down, Dad.”

Standing up from the table, Jaan approached the stairs. He started down the stairs hesitantly, and once he arrived at the bottom he began heading for the back door. He saw a figure on the other side, though he couldn’t see the face. The person seemed to be wearing a uniform. Jaan opened the door once he reached it, and he saw a familiar face with unfamiliar clothing on.

“Hey, Jaan.” The figure wouldn’t look Jaan directly in the eye.

Jaan sighed. He knew that the figure knew what had happened. “Hi, Andi. You should come upstairs.”

Jaan turned around and began heading for the stairs, and Andi walked in after him. Once they both reached the top of the stairs, Jaan’s parents stood up at the same time out of surprise when they saw Andi’s appearance. He was pretty much a son to them, and the concern on their faces reflected that.