10ANOTHER PLACE, ANOTHER TIME
Unknown date, Unknown time
Pain. That was all he felt. This throbbing pain at the back of his head. It was as if somebody had spawned a high pitched scream in his head that just wouldn't end for an eternity.
Confusion.
Panic.
Chaos.
Urgency.
Orders.
"John."
'What?' why did that voice sound so familiar?
"John!"
It sounded urgent worried. Why?
"JOHN SAWYER! WAKE UP!"
John widened his eyes in and sprung up from the metal floor. Instinctively reaching for his sidearm from his hip holster but quickly came to the realization that it was missing. A quick glance informed him that he was in a metallic room with a bunk bed with a young man leaning against the wall to his right. The man had crew cut brown hair and wore a pair of rounded glasses. He wore what appeared to be an officers uniform consisting of a tan shirt with multiple badges and matching pants with a loose neck tie.
John was going to question the man when his head when into overdrive. The memories of his past, his younger brother, volunteering into the army, the brutal war, ambushed home coming, all of it went caving in. When he returned back to the real world and found the man-more correctly his brother- smirking.
"Nice to see you still here brother."
Rushing over to him, his eyes immediately began assessing his status.
"Look, I'm fine man just a twisted ankle."
"You sure about that. How about your head."
"To hell with mine. See yours."
Looking back into the mirror from where he originally stood in his stupor and he immediately saw the reason. A deep gash and a lot of red was slowly dripping from his right temple.
"Just a flesh wound. Been through worse."
"Oh really."
"You have any idea what the hell happened Quentin."
"I dunno. One minute Jerry was hammering us, next thing I know I felt like my head was going to blow."
"Then you woke up here and found me on the floor." letting a tired sigh. He proceeded to slowly begin bringing Quentin to a standing posture. "Come on. Let's if we can find someone to fix your leg. Then find out what the hell Jerry dropped on us."
"I'm with you man."
The man slowly began moving towards the door to his quarters with the younger version of himself in tow. His left arm over John's shoulders.
Unknown to them though this pair of blood bonded brothers were going to play a integral role in the history of a foreign world. And that the role they will play will both continue to shape and break them and all those around them.
(Three days later)
The Amerian destroyer, Henry's Calamity, sailed lazily across the sea. The vessels armaments consisted of 2 8mm guns at the stern and two more at the aft. The ships sides had multiple machine gun emplacements and a smaller cannon on each side. Despite its small size it was a fast and nimble vessel able to deal modest damage to vessels of its size and pelt the armor of larger ships. Like most ships in the Amerian navy, the vessel had little if any job to do other than torturing patrols or the occasional naval drills organized.
On the bridge of the vessel, Captain Clarke sat idle on his chair yawning every so and then. No one could blame him since today just seemed like yet another completely "disastrous" day filled with the much hated enemy that is boredom. The enemy had already token out more than one-seventh of the crew. Its captain already beginning to succumb as well.
"Captain, I have a mast on the horizon." This perked the captain.
Despite being completely neutral throughout the entire Europan War years ago, the thought of pirates or naval deserters had put most of the Amerian navy on high alert. The most feared were the various pirate clans whom had grown bolder on raiding European waters after the war by taking advantage of the weaker nations that had suffered tremendously throughout the war. The deserters were another thing entirely as most prefer to isolate themselves from civilization their plans a mystery until now.
"Who is it? Are they Europan?"
"Negative sir. I don't recognize them nor the flag but they look like hammered shit that's for sure." The ensign replied as he looked through binoculars.
Rising up from his chair the captain made his way to the ensign on the far left sight of the bridge. The ensign took the gesture and handed the binoculars to the commanding officer. The captain looked through the direction the young sailor was pointing which was at the port side of their current course. His immediately narrowed his eye at what he saw.
There was a fleet of ships, consisting of 5 transports, 3 destroyers, and a single cruiser. Each with varying degrees of damage ranging from moderate to outright crippled. The ships had gaping holes in their sides and most of the guns had been blown apart. What caught the captain's attention was the fact that he saw what seemed like bullet holes across side of the sole cruiser of the fleet. The holes were mostly facing upwards as if they were shot from the sky. But that was not even possible, what sort weapon could fire at such angle, let alone even have the height for that…
"Captain! I see lights coming from the cruiser." Another nameless ensign said, only his voice was filled with a noticeable tinge of anxiety.
The captain turned his sights to the bridge. There was a series of blinking lights that were originating from the cruisers bridge notably from the sides. It took the captain a minute to realize it was Morse code but his lieutenant had beaten him.
"Sir," the lieutenant spoke as he handed the captain a piece of paper.
Lowering the binoculars he took the small piece and read the contents.
"Attention unidentified destroyer. Do not engage. We are not hostiles. Request permission for boarding. "
The captain breathed a sigh of relief at the message but he wasn't going to let the matter go yet. Answers were still needed.
"Radio the nearest ship and tell them to bounce a message back to the admiralty of the current situation. Inform them we have initiated contact with an unknown fleet just northwest of the national border. Report saying to be prepared for anything and that to await our next transmission."
"Aye sir,"
The captain turned his gaze to the fleet in the distance. "Helm set course for that fleet, move into position to board the cruiser."
'Who are you people?' the captain thought.
Author's note: Shout out to Haven of Umbar, candeneil8 and vrppga for liking the story. I've got plans for more but I want to get this out first before I do something else. Cheers
