CHAPTER 7.1
DUCKY’S HISTORY LESSON
Briank and Yolanda called for a short break after Cera’s history lesson was over. Briank asked the Saurians if they wanted some water and a little something to eat. Most of the Saurians admitted that they were thirsty, and a few said that they were a little hungry. Briank and Yolanda broke out some plastic bottles of water and a tray full of sweet bubbles. The Rainbow Faces offered Chomper some jerky, but Chomper politely refused saying he was still digesting the steak dinner and sundae he had awhile ago.
Littlefoot and his gang had already seen plastic water bottles on the Enterprise, so it wasn’t new to them. While the two footers were able to remove the plastic caps off of the bottles, it wasn’t that easy for the four footers. Briank offered to open the bottles for them. While Spike asked for Briank’s help, Cera and Littlefoot proudly said, “No,” and managed to unscrew the bottle caps with their teeth. Chomper simply bit off the end of the bottle with his sharp teeth. “Must you do that!?” Cera said with some annoyance, to which Chomper simply flashed a toothy teasing smile at her. Cera simply rolled her eyes. This made Yolanda have second thoughts about simply handing the water to them in plastic bottles.
Those who were hungry helped themselves to the bundles of sweet bubbles from the tray. Mr. Kark even grabbed a bunch, picked up the bubbles one by one and popped them in his mouth.
After about half an hour of relaxing and idle chit chat, Briank offered to continue with the lesson, to which the Saurians eagerly said, “Yes.”
Briank cleared his throat before continuing. “This next part of the lesson takes place some decades after Cera’s ancestor’s time. It was a time of great progress for the Rainbow Face civilization where many new means of transportation were being invented.” Briank pressed the hand held clicker a few times to display a series of images on the cave wall. Littlefoot and his friends OOOHed at the images being displayed. “Many different kinds of motorized four wheeled vehicles, two wheeled peddlers and aircraft were being built and perfected. You remember seeing images of these on the Enterprise, don’t you?”
The Saurians all smiled, nodded and muttered “Yes!”
“It was also a period that saw the rise of a grand popular culture movement through the means of music and moving pictures, better known as movies.” He then pressed the hand held clicker one more time, and a movie scene was shown on the cave wall. “This is a clip from a movie called ëThe Jazz Act,’ which was the first ever motion picture movie with sound that was created. You remember seeing something similar in our quarters on the Enterprise, don’t you?”
The Saurians nodded.
“Yeah, but the pick-churz weren’t as bad as this.” Petrie commented.
“And the sound wasn’t as bad, either,” Chomper said.
Yolanda giggled. “Motion picture cameras back then weren’t as highly advanced as they are now, or even a hundred years from that point.”
Briank nodded. “That’s right. Everything was still experimental, but it was cutting edge technology, for its time.”
The Saurians all nodded in agreement.
“Eventually, though, motion picture cameras would become capable of not only capturing better sound, but also colour. Like these.” Briank clicked the hand held controller a few more times to display clips of other movies that did include colour images and better sound quality.
“You’re right!” Ducky said. “These moo-vees do look and sound better. Yep, yep, yep!”
Briank smiled, but then immediately grew more somber. “But while this period in history was a time of great progress, it was also a time of great upheaval.”
The Saurians, seeing Briank’s somberness, became increasingly worried.
“While some of the advances in technology that were invented were used for good; others, still, were used for evil.”
Gasps and cries of shock were heard from the Saurians as Briank displayed images of early missiles, bombs, grenades, rifles, and machine guns. “It was with the introduction of these weapons of destruction and chaos that made some nations very concerned about some of their neighbors, so they made agreements with other nations that they would fight together, should one of them end up being attacked. Eventually, tensions got so high that all it took was the killing of just one leader to set off a chain reaction that made everyone on each side declare war on the other side, thus bringing about the First Great War.”
Littlefoot and his friends cringed as Briank displayed a few “homemade” moving pictures of trench warfare that was common during that period in their history. There were even scenes that depicted Rainbow Faces and Saurians of all kinds getting shot down or blown up.
“Now, after thisó” Briank continued.
“Uhh… I-I-I don’t think we should see anymore!” Littlefoot interrupted, sensing his friends’ concern.
“Y-y-y-yes! This is very scary, and I don’t think we should continue with this lesson! No, no, noooo!” Ducky whined almost to the point of tears.
“I understand how you feel!” Yolanda sadly said. “But we feel it is necessary to show you not only the good parts of our history, but the bad parts, as well.”
Briank nodded. “Yes! Keep in mind that history isn’t always ëpeaches and cream’.”
“Peaches and…???” Chomper uttered, somewhat confused.
“An old Rainbow Face expression,” Mr. Kark said. “What it means is that things in life aren’t always pleasant. There necessarily has to be darker and more somber periods intermixed.”
“So in other words: Good times, bad times?” Cera offered.
Yolanda smiled. “You got it, dearie!”
Cera nodded. “I understand now. And can you stop calling me ëdearie’!? It sounds almost childish, and we’re not kids anymore!”
Yolanda giggled. “As you wish.”
“Besides,” Briank continued, “it’s not as if you haven’t seen anything like this before. Remember the Petrograd Massacre?”
Littlefoot nodded. “I remember.”
“Uhhh…” Ducky began, raising a finger. “Most of us looked away when that moo-vee started, including me.”
“I didn’t look away!” Petrie said proudly.
Cera humphed. “Yeah, right! A scaredy egg like you!?”
Petrie glared at Cera.
“I’m pretty sure you did look away, Petrie,” Spike smiled, which caused Petrie to glare in his direction next.
“Well, regardless of who saw it and didn’t see it, if these new moo-vees have to be seen, then we should all see them,” Ruby suggested.
Finally, Littlefoot nodded. “All right, continue with the lesson, Briank.”
Briank smiled. “Very well, then!” He pressed the handheld control, and the First Great War video clips appeared on the cave wall again.
“As I was saying: After the First Great War ended, many nations signed a peace treaty, thus officially ending that conflict. During the negotiations, it was decided that many of the devastating weapons that had been used for the first time in that war, like poison gas, should never be used again.”
Briank pressed the hand held control again, and another silent movie appeared on the screen wall. “This is a news reel clip of the signing of that peace treaty.” Briank let the movie run for a few minutes so the Saurians can take it all in.
He then pressed the handheld control again. A warbling sound was heard from the projector as it vanished from the cave wall.
“This peace, however, was short lived. Only a few decades later, the Europan nations that were defeated in the First Great War were taken over by evil leaders who wanted to extract revenge on the nations who won that war.”
He pressed the handheld control, and other “homemade” movies appeared, depicting grand parades of Rainbow Face and Saurian armies and their weapons. Some of the movies were black and white, and some were in colour. “As you can see, some video cameras able to capture colour were already in use at that time.”
He let the movies run while he continued his lecture. “These nations spent years rebuilding their armies and building new, more sophisticated… and devastating weapons that they would use to wreak havoc on the other Europan nations.”
He pressed the handheld control again. The projector warbled as more “home” movies of fighting appeared on the cave wall. “When Germania invaded its nearest neighbor, Polia, this brought about the Second Great War. As you can see, some cameras capable of capturing sound were also being used.”
The Saurians cringed as they heard the sounds of explosions, machine gun fire, and screams of death and injury. Nobody, however, looked away or complained. They all just stood silent as they watched the drama unfold.
Finally, Briank pressed the handheld control one more time, and the projector warbled as the movie disappeared from the cave wall.
“As you saw, it was a time of great chaos and peril,” Briank said somberly.
“It certainly was,” Littlefoot said as he still bore a stunned expression on his face.
“Ducky’s ancestor, Jack Swimmer, lived in these tumultuous times,” Briank said.
“He did???” Ducky asked in surprise.
“Indeed he did!” Yolanda answered. “And soon you will learn the important part he played in that part of our history.”
“You see,” Briank continued, “Jack Swimmer was an ordinary factory worker living in the United Laurentian States. He was already married and had three children when Laurentia entered the Second Great War. He, like many other ordinary civilians, felt compelled to volunteer for the Army and help defeat the evil nations who wanted nothing more than to conquer the world and enslave every last Rainbow Face and Saurian living in it! But mostly, he wanted to protect his family, and provide a future for his children, a future in a free world.
“Jack became a part of our history one fateful day, while he was shopping for supplies in the downtown area of the town he lived in, then he ran across…”
Jack Swimmer was walking home from his factory job in Columbias, High Hoe state, like any other day. On his way home, though, he saw a most unusual scene. At an Army recruiting station, there was a large line up of Rainbow Faces and Saurians of all kinds, and he saw several posters depicting the sharptooth character Uncle Szam looking rather fierce and pointing his finger at no one in particular with that familiar slogan “We want YOU.” Only this time, it was accompanied by another phrase “to join the fight for freedom. Sign up today!”
As Jack proceeded up the sidewalk past the long line up of Rainbow Faces and Saurians, he was stopped by a good friend of his.
“Jack!” his Saurian friend called out.
“Billy!” Jack called back to his friend.
William McKay, “Billy” to his friends, was another swimmer who worked at the same factory as Jack did. The two had started working there at around the same time and had become fast friends. He had finished his shift a half hour earlier than Jack did, and Jack assumed that he would be home to his wife by now. He certainly wasn’t expecting to see him here.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, gesturing toward the long line up.
“Haven’t you heard? The war in Europa has gotten pretty bad, and they need all the help they can get. I hear they have an especially dire need for swimmers like us to join some kind of special unit.”
“What sort of unit?”
Billy shrugged. “Don’t know. All I know is that it’s supposed to be special. So what do ya say?” Billy smiled in an attempt to coax his friend into signing up.
Jack took one look at the lineup, taking in all of the brave young males eager to sign up, looked back at his friend, smiled, nodded, and moved to take his place at the back of the line up.
“Atta boy, Jack! You won’t regret this!” Billy called out to his friend.
“I hope not!” Jack called back.
A short time later, Jack finally arrived home. “Honey! I’m home!” he called out.
But he was greeted by somebody else almost as soon as he arrived. The little swimmer female flashed a huge smile, gasped, and ran up to him. “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!”
“Hey, sweetie!” Jack smiled brightly as he picked her up in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Almost immediately, he was also greeted by his older daughter, who came up to hug him, and his son, the eldest sibling who had just turned twelve. “Hey, dad,” The boy said as he came up to give Jack a small pat on the shoulder. Jack smiled and rubbed his son affectionately on the head.
Then his wife, still wearing an apron, as she was still getting dinner ready, appeared. “Hi, dear!” she said as she sidled up to him.
“Hey, honey!” Jack as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They both shared a kiss on the lips.
“You’re late!” his wife said, adopting a more serious look.
Jack nodded. “I know, and with good reason.”
“Not sharing drinks with Bill at the local bar again, I hope!” she said, anticipating that same old excuse.
“No. Better. I’ll tell it to you over dinner.”
The female swimmer nodded. “All right. Can’t wait to hear what your excuse is this time, and if it’s another one of Bill’s lame brained ideas.”
Jack laughed. “This time, I assure you it’s not.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” His wife said. “And remind me to kill Bill, if it turns out that it is.”
Jack laughed again as they all made their way to the dining room.
“You did what!?” Jack’s wife exclaimed from her place at the dinner table.
“I joined the Army,” Jack repeated with a grin.
“Why???” his wife asked, almost in a whine.
“The war in Europa is going pretty badly. They need all the help they can get.”
Jack’s wife adopted a serious look. The children preferred to stay silent throughout this entire argument.
“Is this another one of Bill’s ideas?” she asked.
Jack grinned nervously. “Kinda.”
The female swimmer slapped her hand down on the table. “I knew it! I KNEW IT! Of all of the dumb ideas he’s had, this one is, by far, the worst one yet! I told you that he was bad news from the start, and that it was a bad idea befriending him, but NOOOOOO… You decided to ignore me and become buddies with him, even though he married a swimmer girl I absolutely hated from school!” She then pointed a finger at him. “I want you go back to that Recruitment station tomorrow first thing and tell them that you want out!”
“It’s too late for that, dear. The enlistment papers are signed. It’s a done deal.”
“But don’t you realize how dangerous it could be!? I mean, what if you get killed!? I couldn’t stand to lose you! Not now! Think of your kids. Our kids. They need you, now more than ever!”
Jack got up and moved to be next to his wife, who was to the point of tears. His children stayed in their places, but looked really sad. “I thought about all that, I really did,” he said in a comforting tone as he knelt down next to her beside her chair. “True, it might be dangerous over there, but I can take care of myself, you know that. But this is more than just a… senseless war. It’s another fight for freedom. If we just sit by and do nothing, things could end up being worse than the First Great War. I, for one, don’t want our kids to grow up in a world where they are not free to choose what they want to be, live the way they choose to live, benefit from the nourishments of liberty. That’s why I signed up, and that’s why Bill, and countless others, signed up.”
After taking a few moments to take all this in, Jack’s wife sniffed and looked to him with sad eyes, and nodded. Jack smiled at this, and kissed her on the cheek. “W-when do you have to report?” she asked him.
“A week from today,” he answered. “They’ve already notified the factory of this.”
Jack’s son got up to move next to his father, and lay a hand on his shoulder. “Dad, are you absolutely sure that you’re going to be safe over there?”
Jack smiled at his sad looking son. “I will. I promise.” He then rubbed his son’s head.
The swimmer boy smiled slowly. “Then go kick Germania’s tail!”
This made Jack laugh. His two girls both got up to come hug their father, still feeling quite sad. Jack felt their sorrow as they all shared a family group hug.
One week later, Jack Swimmer arrived at the recruitment depot in downtown Columbias. It was here that he was supposed to board a bus to take him off to boot camp. His family had come to see him off. They were surprised to see hundreds of dinos and Rainbow Faces there! It seems that all of the recruits of the entire state of High Hoe were gathered there today!
“There sure are a lot of dinos gathered here today,” Mrs. Swimmer even commented.
“Well, there was a long lineup at the recruitment station that day,” Jack said in response.
Then Jack’s friend, Bill, showed up. “Hey, Jack!” Bill said as he greeted him.
“Hey, Billy,” Jack said as he greeted him back.
“Mrs. Swimmer? Kids?” Bill said as he nodded to Jack’s family.
“Bill?” Mrs. Swimmer said as she returned the nod.
“Hi, Bill!” the kids said in unison.
“So, are you ready for this?” Bill asked his friend.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Jack said in answer.
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Mrs. Swimmer said.
“Hey! It’s a new fight for freedom, Mrs. S!” Bill smiled. “Besides, it’s too late to back out now.”
“And I have you to thank for this, Bill!” Mrs. Swimmer said sarcastically.
Then the buses pulled in. “All right, people! Let’s go!” an Army Sargeant shouted out, thus causing everyone to line up to board the buses. As had been the case throughout history, all of the army regiments were segregated; each consisted of nothing but one type of Saurian, and half of them were often for Rainbow Faces. This meant that everyone had to get in line with their own kind, so that each bus would take them to their respective boot camp.
“Time to go,” Jack said as he grabbed his duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder. He then gave his wife one final kiss.
“Please be careful,” Mrs. Swimmer said to him.
“I will,” he replied back with a smile.
His children looked sad as they hugged their father goodbye. His youngest daughter, though, felt the saddest. “I don’t want you to go!” she sobbed as she hugged her father deeply.
Jack knelt down to face his daughter. “I have to, honey!” he said softly to her. “Don’t worry. I’m coming back. I promise.”
She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Okay,” she said hoarsely.
Jack kissed her on the forehead. “Remember, daddy loves you.”
“I love you, too, daddy,” she said as she gave her one final hug.
“Swimmer! McKay! Come on, let’s go!” the Army Sergeant called after them, seeing that they were lagging behind. Bill had lingered to observe the touching scene between his best friend and his family. Bill had already kissed his wife goodbye before he left home. She had decided to stay home and look after household chores.
“We gotta go, Jack,” Bill urged.
Jack nodded, gave his family one final wave as they moved to take their place in the lineup to board the nearest bus.
Bill was in front of Jack, but when it came his turn to board, he was stopped by the Corporal that was at the foot of the entry door. “You’re McKay, right?” the Corporal asked him.
Bill nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“You’re in the wrong line. You’re over there,” the Corporal said as he pointed to another bus not far away.
Bill looked concerned, “But Ió”
“No buts, Private! Move!” the Corporal ordered.
“Y-yes, sir!” Bill stammered as he moved to take his place at the lineup for the other bus.
“I’ll catch you later!” Jack called out to his friend as he rushed away. To have more than one bus for swimmers could only mean that a lot of swimmers had been recruited. Whether most of them had signed up or were drafted, he had no idea.
“Okay! Swimmer! You’re right here,” the Corporal said as he gestured towards the bus in front of him, to which Jack boarded and took a seat.
The buses soon pulled out. Jack’s family stayed and sadly watched them leave. They caught sight of Jack in the bus window, who smiled and waved to them as the bus rolled out. They smiled and waved back to him. When the bus was out of sight, Mrs. Swimmer started to walk back home, comforting her sad kids as they went.
As soon as they arrived at boot camp, which was in some remote location in northern High Hoe near one of the Big Lakes, everyone was told to go stand at attention in rows of two to be inspected by the Staff Sergeant. Jack looked around for Billy, but did not see him. That’s when Jack realized that he must’ve been sent to a different boot camp. He sighed inwardly and went to take his place amongst the row of soldiers.
“AttenTION!” the Corporal called out, which prompted every dino in the rows to stand straight with their feet together, as they were taught to do at the recruitment station.
The Corporal then moved to face a swimmer standing at the far edge of the rows. Both saluted each other. The Corporal then stood aside to allow the swimmer to walk by. Jack glanced over and noticed that the Sergeant was a rugged looking Saurian with a light grey colored hide and a scowled look on his facial features.
“I’m Gunnery Sergeant Heartman, your senior Drill Instructor!” the male swimmer said in introduction. “But you may call me ëBig Mouth,’ because I have a very big mouth! And when I talk, you’d better listen! From now on, the first and last words out of your puny little cake holes had better be ësir’! Do you maggots understand that!?”
“Sir! Yes, sir!” everyone in the rows replied simultaneously.
“Mammal crap, I can’t hear you! Sound off like you got a pair.”
“SIR! YES, SIR!” everyone replied a lot louder.
“That’s better! By the time I’m through with you, you will be soldiers! Proud to be a part of this great Dino Army! You will also be killers, capable of killing another dino with your bare paws, mark my word on that! You will go through a rigorous training. You will beg for mercy. You will not like me! But the more you hate me, the more you will learn, mark my word on that!”
Jack heard a young swimmer next to him snicker quietly and whisper to him, “ëBig Mouth.’ Sounds appropriate, don’t ya think?”
“YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, MAGGOT!?!”
The young swimmer was startled as Sergeant Big Mouth practically shouted right in his face. “Uh, n-no, sir,” he weakly replied.
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” shouted the Sergeant.
“Sir! No, sir!” the young swimmer shouted in response.
“Good! And you will continue to say nothing, unless I expect you to say something! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?”
“SIR! YES, SIR!”
As Sergeant Big Mouth returned to where he had been standing, Jack thought to himself, That kid has a lot to learn.
“Also, let it be known that there is no favoritism here!” continued Sergeant Big Mouth. “I don’t care if you’re a swimmer, a fast runner, a flyer wannabe, or even a damned sharptooth! Here, you are all equally worthless, and it’s my job to turn worthless scumbags like you into fighters, proud to boast that you are a part of this grand Dino Army. Do you maggots understand that!?”
“Sir! Yes, sir!”
“Mammal crap, I can’t hear you!”
“SIR! YES, SIR!”
With a satisfied grin, Sergeant Big Mouth turned to face his Corporal. “Corporal?” he called.
The Corporal came forward.
“Carry on!” Sergeant Big Mouth ordered.
“Sir! Yes, sir!” he replied and saluted.
After returning the salute, Sergeant Big Mouth left the ranks.
“All right, ladies, listen up!” the Corporal began as he addressed the troops. “Here’s what were gonna do today…” He then gave a rundown of what the schedule for the first day was.
Jack only half listened to what the Corporal was saying. His thoughts immediately went to his family. He found that he missed them already. He also wondered if he made the right decision. This wasn’t at all what he was expecting! He also thought about Billy. He wondered where he was, and what he was doing. He wondered if he was gonna have a hard-nosed Drill Sergeant like he was going to have.
The Corporal’s barking brought him out of his reverie. “Am I understood!?” he asked in a bellow.
“SIR! YES, SIR!” the troops responded.
“No need to call me ësir’! That’s reserved for Sergeant Big Mouth! ëCorporal’ will suffice.”
“YES, CORPORAL!” the troops barked out.
The Corporal gave a satisfied smile. “All right, ladies! DISMISSED! Report back here in half an hour for your first assignment.”
With this, everybody broke rank to go collect their duffle bags and bring them over to the barracks where they were to be assigned their bunks to sleep in during their stay. Jack’s thoughts went back to his family, and he prayed to the Primal Force that he would be all right, and that he would one day be able to go back home to them.
For the next few days, the recruits at the boot camp were put through their paces, and it was a literal Hell. Although Jack and the other swimmers were told that they would be part of a special division, they were not exempt from the rigorous training the other dinos and Rainbow Faces went through. Jack had to endure obstacle courses, battle simulations, weapons training, and several dress downs from Sergeant Big Mouth whenever he performed badly. Those were, by far, the worst! He was also taught how to clean and care for the uniforms he was given, and the rifle that was entrusted to him. He was even taught when, where, and how to take a pee and a crap!
One day, during a break in their training, Jack was sitting on the steps that lead to the barrack he was bunking at, trying to relax. A younger swimmer, who also happened to be his bunkmate and the same dino who had foolishly spoken up on their first day here, came out and sat down on the steps next to him.
“Rough day so far, isn’t it?” he began in conversation.
“Damned right,” Jack snorted.
“You’re Jack Swimmer, right?” the young swimmer asked.
“Yeah. And you are?”
“Floyd Jenkins,” The young swimmer smiled and stuck out his hand.
Jack smiled back as he grasped the younger swimmer’s hand for a shake.
“I’m from Daytonia, you?” young Floyd asked.
“Columbias.”
“No kidding!” Floyd exclaimed in surprise. “I have family in Columbias. Perhaps you know them.”
“Maybe,” Jack grinned. “You look rather young, though. How old are you?”
“Sixteen,” Floyd said rather shyly.
Jack was surprised. “The minimum age to sign up is eighteen.”
“I know. I lied,” Floyd admitted. “I wanna do my part. I wanna fight the Germanians as much as anybody else here does! Don’t tell anyone, ok?”
After a few moments, Jack smiled. “Sure, kid!” He then jokingly added, “Just remember to not speak up in front of Sarge, again.”
Floyd nervously chuckled. “Yeah, that probably was a dumb mistake, but I’m sure everyone’s had a first day like that.”
Jack smiled as he shook his head. “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid.”
“Ten HUT!” came the bark from their left side. This caused both of them to immediately get to their feet and stand at attention. It was Sergeant Big Mouth.
The big swimmer moved to face Jack. “What’s the meaning of this, Private!?”
“Sir, I don’t understand, sir!” Jack said in response.
“I mean this!” the Sergeant motioned to Floyd. “Interacting with this young male! What’s the meaning of it!?”
“Sir, I really don’t understand, sir!”
“Are you really that dumb, Private!? Look around you!”
Jack stood still.
“I’m serious, Private! Look around you!!”
Jack did as he was ordered. He saw several of the troops milling about and going about their business.
“If there’s one thing you can be sure of, it’s that most of the dinos you see here are coming home in a box! If you become buddies with these males here, and you see them get killed over there, it will only break your resolve! Which is why I will not tolerate any kind of fraternization at this boot camp! In case you forgot, we’re going to war! It’s not going to be a cake walk over there! War is a really messy, messy business! You can mark my words on that! Do I make myself clear, Private!?”
“Sir! Yes, sir!” Jack bellowed.
Sergeant Big Mouth flashed a satisfied grin. “Carry on, ladies!” he said as he walked away.
“Sir! Aye, aye, sir!” Jack and Floyd said in unison.
Then they both glanced at each other, and went their separate ways.
About a week later, the troops in Jack’s squad, who became known as Platoon number 6392, were called to attention at the parade square of the boot camp. Sergeant Big Mouth said he had an important announcement to make. Everybody in the squad were hoping that they would finally be deployed to Europa to fight in what has now become known as the Second Great War. They were fully trained for combat, and were eager to see action.
Despite strict orders from Sergeant Big Mouth not to socialize, Jack struck up conversations with other males in the camp every chance he got, and when the Sergeant was not around to scorn him. He became friends with a lot of them, and they started calling him “Big Daddy,” mostly because of his three kids but also because he was older than most of them were. A lot of them were teenagers barely out of High School! A lot of them were under aged, too, having barely turned seventeen!
Today, however, was the big announcement promised them by Sergeant Big Mouth. The Corporal called them all to attention, then the big swimmer moved out into the ranks as he spoke.
“We have just received our orders! Finally, we are being deployed, and we are going to see combat!” Although the troops stayed perfectly silent, they were screaming with excitement on the inside.
“Contrary to what many of you believed from the start, we are not going to Europa!” Many of the soldiers in the ranks shared confused looks amongst themselves. “Instead, we are headed to the islands of the Panthalassic Ocean to fight the Yapanese Army.” The confused glances turned into worried glances. They had heard many horror stories about the armies of Yapan. “The Yaps have been especially ruthless, and merciless. The troops already over there are in dire need of reinforcements, and this is where the swimmers among you will be especially useful. The special training you have received will help you out a great deal!
“From now on, you are no longer maggots! You are soldiers and killers, and I feel exceptionally proud to have each and every one of you serving under me. Am I understood!?”
“SIR! YES, SIR!” everyone bellowed out in unison.
“Excellent! We ship out in two hours! You are all free until then. You have time for one last letter to your friends, family, and any loved ones you may have. I suggest you make the most of it, because we really don’t know when you’ll have this opportunity again! That’s all! Dismissed!”
Jack did take the opportunity to write out a detailed letter to his family telling them about the orders he and his platoon have received. He could already imagine how they would react. If they were worried now, they’d be even more worried once they read the news that he was going to the Panthalassic to fight what was arguably the most ruthless of the three enemy nations.
At the appointed hour, all of the troops gathered in the parade square where they boarded buses that took them to the airport where they would be flown to Los Angela in Caledonia state, where they would then get on a Navy ship that would set sail across the Panthalassic Ocean towards the first of many islands that were currently held by the Yapanese Empire.
A few months later, Jack found himself in a small boat with other swimmers floating two miles off shore from an island in the Panthalassic Ocean. Due to its strategic location, the island came to be known as the “Gateway to the Panthalassic,” and it was controlled by the Yapanese Army. It was from here that the Yapanese had launched their devastating surprise attack over a year ago against the Navy base at White Harbor, which ultimately convinced the United Laurentian States to finally join the war. What made this island such a vital objective to control was that it was the only island in the middle of the vast Panthalassic. If the Yapanese wanted to capture the islands to the east, or if the Laurentians wanted to capture the islands to the west, control of this island was a must. What the actual Yapanese name for it was, nobody knew, but they were off shore of this island, and it was about to be invaded.
Inside the boat Jack was in, Sergeant Big Mouth was gazing through binoculars towards the island, hoping to catch a glimpse of the enemy.
“Anything, Sarge?” the swimmer Corporal standing next to him asked. This was the same Corporal who was at the boot camp in northern High Hoe, and the swimmer platoon under his command was made up almost exclusively of soldiers that were trained at that same boot camp. Sergeant Big Mouth was their commanding officer.
“Nothin’!” Big Mouth said as he lowered the binoculars. “But they’re out there, camouflaged.”
“You sure?” the Corporal asked.
Big Mouth turned to face the Corporal “Like I always said: Those Yaps are ruthless.” He then brought the binoculars back up and continued to gaze out through them at the island ahead of them.
“Hey, Big Daddy, what do you think’s gonna happen?” the young swimmer Floyd Jenkins asked Jack.
“Don’t know, kid,” Jack said in answer. “But we’ll soon find out.”
“Quiet!” the Corporal whispered harshly at them. Both swimmers smiled apologetically at the Corporal. The Corporal continued glaring at them for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to his commanding officer.
There were several such boats lined up all along the east side of the island. Each boat contained a platoon of swimmer soldiers that were specially trained for the mission they were about to embark on. A thick fog hovered over the water, which was to their advantage, for it provided cover for them.
Then Sergeant Big Mouth noticed something to his left. He saw swimmers emerge from a boat a few hundred meters away from him, and slowly immerse themselves in the water, followed by other swimmer soldiers in other boats.
“Here we go.” Big Mouth said to himself. “Okay, ladies! Move out!” He ordered in a loud whisper, to which the swimmers sprung into action.
Slowly, quietly, they immersed themselves in the water and started to silently swim towards the shore. This was what they were trained for: A stealth amphibious attack! What made this a very effective tactic was that it gave the enemy the illusion that the invading force was much smaller than it actually was. Once all of the swimmers soldiers were in the water, the two Rainbow Faces who were sitting at the back of the boat took up oars and started paddling the boat forward, following the swimmer platoon behind.
The swimmers all sank low in the water, keeping the upper parts of their heads just above the surface so they could breathe through their nostrils. This made it very difficult for any enemy soldiers to see them. They were equipped with cutting edge waterproof semiautomatic rifles that could fire underwater, as well as on land like a normal rifle.
Sergeant Big Mouth, who remained in the boat as ordered by his superior officer, continued to gaze through his binoculars as they crept closer and closer to the shore of the island. He began to fear the worst as he noticed the fog begin to lift. Suddenly, when they were only a few dozen meters off shore, he saw several puffs of smoke rise up from the jungle on the opposite side of the beach, which was followed by a series of loud bangs and booms along the coast.
He bore a stunned look as he lowered the binoculars. “Damn! We’ve been spotted,” he said. “INCOMIIIIING!” he cried out in warning.
No sooner that he cried out, several explosions resounded all around them, many of them harmlessly splashing into the water. “MORTAR SHELLS!” a swimmer cried out as the explosive rain fell.
“SAAAAARGE!” A young swimmer cried out, literally scared out of his wits.
“Keep moving!” Big Mouth ordered. “There’s no turning back now!”
As soon as he said this, the boat he was in took a direct hit from a mortar shell and exploded into flames. Young Floyd Jenkins’ eyes betrayed shock as he gazed upon the scene. “CRAP!” he cried out. “They just killed Sarge! What do we do NOW!?” he asked as he turned to face Jack.
“Corporal,” Jack muttered as he looked around. “Where’s the Corporal!?” he called out.
“The Corporal’s dead!” a swimmer called out from his left. The Corporal’s lifeless body was floating on the surface of the water, face down. A mortar shell hit only a few meters away from him, resulting in him taking shrapnel from the explosion, killing him instantly. The swimmer nearest to him flipped the Corporal face-up to hopefully keep him from drowning, but he was already gone.
Jack was stunned. It was already predefined that if anything was to happen to Sergeant Big Mouth or his Corporal that order would fall on him next, being the oldest member of his platoon. “I’m Squad Leader now,” he mumbled almost to himself.
“So what do we do now, oh fearless leader?” a swimmer to his right asked. The surviving members of his platoon gathered around him, waiting to see what he will order them to do.
After several moments, Jack reached a decision. “We move forward!” he said as he pointed towards the beach.
“I’ll follow you anywhere, Big Daddy!” Floyd Jenkins said with a smile.
“Are you crazy!!?” a young swimmer to his left exclaimed. “This is SUICIDE! We’ll all be KILLED!”
“Better than dying out here in the water. Let’s move out!” he ordered as he waved the troops forward. The young swimmer hesitated before he, too, groaned lightly and followed his orders.
They all resumed their swim towards the shore with shells continuously exploding all around the beach, and sounds of death and suffering echoing everywhere.
A few minutes later, the surviving members of his platoon reached the shore. More were taken out by exploding shells and sharpshooter bullets fired from beach bunkers. By the time they made landfall, nearly half of the platoon had been killed.
Despite their casualties, they pressed on! They found cover wherever they could on the beach, and fired their semiautomatic rifles at enemy positions. Jack was able to secure a machine gun nest by strategically waiting until the Yapanese soldier had to reload, then he stormed in and took him out. The other enemy soldiers had seen him charge, but the only hit he took was a bullet that just grazed his tail. He seized the machine gun and used it to take out other nearby soldiers in their own nests. When the members of his platoon saw this, they moved in to secure the nest positions and seized the ammo to use against the other Yapanese soldiers hidden in the surrounding jungle. Seeing the overwhelming odds stacked against them, the enemy soldiers retreated further inland, abandoning the beach to the swimmers.
By the end of the day, the swimmer troops had complete control of the beach! Word was sent to the Navy ships fifty miles out to move in and mobilize the remaining army for an attack further inland. Jack’s platoon played a key role in securing the beach for them, but over half of the soldiers in his squad were lost. Nevertheless, the surviving members of his platoon have earned their rest!
Having set up camp on the beach the night before, Jack’s platoon, who now called themselves “Big Daddy Squad,” were relaxing on the beach, waiting for their next orders. It was nice and sunny, so it was ideal weather for it.
Floyd Jenkins saw something in the distance to his right that he had to point out to Jack. “Is that who I think it is?” he asked.
“Yep!” Jack responded. “That’s General McCarthy.”
“What’s he doing here?”
“Probably paying his troops a visit.”
It was, in fact, General McCarthy, Commander of the Laurentian Army in the Panthalassic Ocean, and his aides. They slowly walked up the beach meeting with the individual platoon commanders, and asking some questions as they went.
“Heads up, Big Daddy Squad!” Jack said. “We’re about to be paid a visit by Army Brass.”
Everyone in Big Daddy Squad stood at attention when General McCarthy and his aides approached their position. When the General, a Rainbow Face, strolled up to Jack’s platoon, Jack stepped out to greet him. He saluted the General, and the General saluted back. Jack noticed several medals on his uniform shirt, and that there were four stars on his helmet. He was a four star General!
“You the leader of this Squad?” the General asked. His voice was gruff with age.
“Yes, SIR!” Jack said in response.
“What’s your name, son?”
“Jack Swimmer, sir!”
“Well, Jack Swimmer, I wanna congratulate you and your troops. You’ve helped secure this beach for us. This island’s a vital strategic point. Whoever controls this island controls the war, but I’m guessing you and your troops already knew that.”
“We do, sir.”
The General smiled and nodded. “Good! There’s one last thing we need to take care of: There’s a radar station on the far side of the island that’s still being controlled by the Yaps. They’ve set up anti-air guns all over the island, but if that radar station is destroyed, they won’t know when or where our aircraft will arrive, catching them off-guard. Normally, our Special Ops Rainbow Face squad would take care of this, but they were taken out during the invasion. Given your valiant efforts in securing this beach, I think you and your troops would be a good substitute for the Special Ops team. Feel up for the job?”
“We’ll do what we can, sir.”
The General smiled again. “Good! Somebody’ll come by to brief you on the specifics of the mission and give you everything you’ll need to accomplish it. And since you’re now the leader of these fine troops, I’m promoting you to the field rank of Platoon Sergeant.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The General then raised his voice so that everyone in Jack’s squad could hear. “You’ve done a fine job, all of you! You make me proud.” He then said to Jack, “Carry on.”
“Yes, SIR!” Jack said as he saluted.
The General returned the salute, then moved on towards the next platoon a little farther up on the beach.
Sure enough, a half hour later, a Rainbow Face weapons expert came to brief Jack and his squad on the specifics of the mission and gave them all of the tools they needed to carry it out, including some plastic explosives they would need to blow up the radar station.
With this, Big Daddy Squad set out on the mission they were assigned.
A short time later, Big Daddy Squad was hacking their way through the thick jungle with the machetes they were given. Finally, they reached a clearing. Jack signaled for his troops to stop while he observed the situation. The swimmer to his right started to step forward, but Jack stopped him.
“Wait! I don’t like this. It could be booby trapped,” Jack warned the soldier.
“Pfft! Come on! What could possibly go wrong?” the cocky soldier said before he stepped forward. He only went forward a few feet before an explosion from underneath him took him out.
“Minefield! CRAP!” Jack said in wide eyed surprise.
“BANZAIIII!” came a shout from behind him as several Yapanese soldiers jumped out from the jungle and ambushed them.
A few of Jack’s troops were taken out before they could even draw their weapons. Those that did shot randomly at Yapanese soldiers attacking them, who were armed only with the lethal Samoorae swords that was a long standing traditional weapon in their culture.
“Eat lead, you damned Yaps!” a soldier to Jack’s left cried as he shot his semiautomatic rifle at them. It wasn’t long, though, before he was taken out by a Yapanese soldier who came from behind and stabbed him through the back with his sword. The piercing blow through the heart killed him instantly. Jack took out the soldier with a blow to the head from the butt of his rifle before he could move on him. Then he shot randomly at other Yapanese soldiers he could get a bead on.
When all was set and done, all of the two dozen or so Yapanese soldiers were taken out. Jack, still breathing heavily in panic from the ordeal, looked around and saw young Floyd Jenkins a few feet away from him, collapsed on the ground, also hyperventilating from panic.
“Hey, kid! You all right?” Jack asked as he got beside of him.
Young Floyd took a few more deep breaths before answering. “Yeah,” he nodded. “That was close!”
“Damned close,” Jack said with a return nod. “Go check to see if anyone else is alive.”
Floyd nodded, saluted, and moved to do what he was told. Jack took the opportunity to get his wind back and take a few sips from his water canteen.
A few minutes later, Floyd came back. “Bad news, Big Daddy! They’re all dead.”
Jack stared at him. “You sure?”
Floyd nodded sadly. “Positive. All dead.”
“Dammit!” Jack exclaimed.
“What do we do now?” Floyd asked.
Jack rubbed a hand against his face, trying to think. “Continue with the mission.” He then turned to face Floyd. “Are you with me?”
Floyd smiled and said without hesitation, “You know I’d follow you anywhere.”
“All right. Go find the explosives and take whatever gear you’d think we’d need.”
“Yes, sir,” Floyd said and saluted. “I thought I saw a mine detector back there. The Yaps were probably gonna use it to go through the minefield and get back to their base.”
Jack smiled. “Yeah, we’re definitely gonna need that.”
Floyd smiled back. “Be right back!” With that, he went and gathered up the explosives, a couple of extra rifles with ammo, some rations, and the all important mine detector. Then they set out to navigate though the minefield that lay before them.
It took them about twenty minutes to go through the minefield. They proceeded slowly, bypassing any mines that the mine detector signaled out to them. Jack didn’t like the idea of being out in the open, exposed like they were. They were vulnerable to attack at any time. None came, though, to which Jack thanked the Great Beyond for.
When they were finally clear of the minefield, they abandoned the mine detector. They were now at the foot on the mountain where the radar station was at, and Jack felt that they wouldn’t have laid down any mines along the mountain slope. Jack gazed up through the binoculars he was carrying. “That’s it! That’s our target,” he announced to Floyd.
“See any bunkers?” Floyd asked.
Jack passed the binoculars over the mountain slope. “No,” Jack admitted when he finished his sweep. “But they’re out there, somewhere. Be careful.” With this, they proceeded up the mountain towards their target.
About halfway up the mountain slope, Jack caught movement in front of him. That’s when he saw the enemy machine gun nest, camouflaged so well that it seemed to blend in with the mountainside. He heard some shouts from the Yapanese soldiers in it. They had spotted him and Floyd! “Crap! TAKE COVER!” Jack shouted to his friend. They had just enough time to find shelter behind a large boulder before the spray of bullets pierced the ground where they were standing, and ricocheted off the boulder they had just hidden behind.
“Go back, Laury! You no belong here! You die if you come!” one Yapanese soldier shouted out in broken Britanian.
“GO TO HELL!” Jack shouted back.
Another spray of bullets ricocheted off the boulder. They were nothing more than warning shots.
“It useless! You no win!” the Yapanese soldier shouted in defiance.
“Jack! I think I can sneak around the bunker from that side,” Floyd said as he pointed towards his left, “and take them out from behind.”
Jack looked out at the forest canopy to their left, and realized that Floyd could remain unseen, if the Yaps weren’t looking in his direction. He then nodded. “All right. I’ll distract them.”
Floyd nodded.
Jack raised his semiautomatic rifle, readying himself to unleash a hail of bullets toward the bunker. When he was ready, he signaled for Floyd to move out, then unleashed his volley.
The Yapanese soldiers quickly fired back. This provided the cover Floyd needed to sneak past their field of vision. But he was only able to move about ten feet before he fell through a booby trap. The Yaps had dug out a hole in the ground and covered it with foliage for concealment. It was a classic ground pit, and Floyd fell right into it. Floyd cried out in pain as he landed hard at the bottom of the pit.
“FLOYD!” Jack cried out as another hail of bullets struck the ground around him and ricocheted off the rock.
He then heard cries coming from the Yapanese soldier’s nest. He peaked around to see that one of them was preparing to throw a grenade towards him. He quickly raised his semiautomatic rifle, aimed, fired, and scored a head shot on the soldier just before he was able to throw the grenade. Since he had already pulled the pin to load the grenade, it was already set to explode. His two compatriots tried to escape the enclosed bunker, but the grenade exploded before they could get away. They were both killed instantly.
Jack quickly swept the area, making sure no other Yaps were around. When he was sure the area was all clear, he rushed to the pit where Floyd had fallen. “Floyd! FLOYD!” he cried as he reached the pit. “Oh, no!” he said as his heart sank upon gazing at the scene.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go on with you, Sarge,” Floyd said in a hoarse voice. The Yaps had set up wooden spikes at the bottom of the pit. It was a classic booby trap! One of the spikes had gone through Floyd’s right leg. It was a miracle that Floyd didn’t get impaled by any of the other spikes!
“Hang on! I’m comin’ down to get you,” Jack said as he sprung into action.
Floyd immediately shook his head, which stopped him. “Forget about me. Complete the mission.”
“I’m not gonna leave you here to die alone!” Jack argued.
“You’re the only one left who can blow up that radar station. You have to complete the mission. That’s what’s most important,” Floyd counter argued.
Jack grew sad, and was sobbing almost the point of tears.
“You’re the only one who can do it,” Floyd said.
After a few moments, Jack regained his composure, and nodded. “All right. But I’m comin’ back for you once I’m done.”
“Yeah,” Floyd said, then he started to close his eyes and lay his head on the ground of the pit.
“Don’t you fall asleep on me, Private!” Jack almost ordered.
Floyd immediately reopened his eyes and lifted his head. “I’ll do my best, Sarge.”
“That’s all I ask,” Jack said before grabbing his gear and moving out.
As Jack proceeded up the mountain, he kept a sharp eye out for booby traps and machine gun nests. He heard a distant scream coming from the area where he was at. He recognized the scream as belonging to Floyd. “Great Beyond, I hope he’ll be all right,” he said as he continued on his climb up the mountain.
Eventually, he reached a clearing where he saw the radar station that was maybe a quarter of a mile away. The clearing looked very suspicious to him. He felt it was too much at an incline to lay down mines, but he was cautious, thinking there may be Yap snipers hidden somewhere, ready to take him out, or soldiers hiding in ambush.
He caught movement to his right. He raised his semiautomatic rifle and fired without hesitation, taking out the approaching dino. The dino collapsed in front of him, having taken the shot through the heart. “Fast biters!” he exclaimed. “CRAP!”
More movement and shouts from in front of him made him turn. They were more fast biters, and they were attacking! Jack quickly took them out with sharply aimed bullets to their skulls. There were about a half dozen of them, and they came out of nowhere! He figured they must’ve been hidden in the ground somewhere. Sure enough, he found one of the places they had been hiding. It was a hole that was dug out with a trap door covered with foliage to conceal it. They were armed only with long samoorae swords, but they also could’ve easily bit into his neck and snapped it with their sharp teeth, had they gotten close enough. Jack knew, however, that it wasn’t over. He knew this wasn’t the last line of defence. There were probably guards at the actual radar station itself. With this belief, he proceeded on towards his final destination.
Sure enough, when he neared the radar station a few minutes later, there were guards. He only saw two Rainbow Face guards with their samoorae swords, but also small machine guns. Jack crept up slowly and silently from their left, and kept himself hidden in the surrounding foliage, in true sniper fashion! When he was close enough for a clear shot at them, he slowly raised his semiautomatic rifle, aimed, and fired, scoring another head shot at the guard standing closer to him. He fell to the ground, dead. His compatriot only had enough time to scream and raise his small machine gun before Jack took him out as well with another head shot.
Jack waited for about thirty seconds to see if other guards would show up. When none came, Jack figured he was in the clear, and moved up towards the station.
When he arrived, he immediately set to work in setting up the explosive charges at strategic points on the station. It was a small mobile station designed to be set up and taken down quickly and efficiently. Jack made sure the explosives were set up in such a way that it would leave no trace of the station when they were detonated. Once the devices were installed and armed, Jack quickly moved off to a safe distance, brought out the remote controlled detonator that was part of the explosive kit and armed it. “Bye bye!” he shouted as he pressed the detonation button. The massive explosion was instant! Jack felt the shockwave of the explosion only a second after the explosion. The huge ball of flame followed by black smoke was a clear indicator to anyone within five miles of the station that it was gone. He heard distant shouts from Yapanese soldiers who saw the incident occur. He figured they must’ve been horrified at seeing their portable radar station go up in smoke, but Jack didn’t care.
He then pulled out a radio from another pack, switched it on and spoke into it. “Staff Sergeant Jack Swimmer to base, over!”
He waited a few seconds. When no response came, he called again. “This is Staff Sergeant Jack Swimmer calling base! Do you copy, over?”
The response finally came a few seconds later. “This is Home Base. We copy, over,” came the static voice from radio’s receiver.
“Home Base, mission accomplished. Radar station destroyed, over.”
“We copy, Staff Sergeant. Nice work! Sit tight and stay out of danger. We’ll rendezvous with you and your squad shortly, over.”
“Roger. Over and out!” Jack then switched the radio off. He then moved back down the mountain to get back to Floyd, who would still be in the pit waiting for him to return.
When he arrived at the pit, he was shocked to see that Floyd was gone. All he saw was the bloodied wooden spike that Floyd had landed on when he first fell in. He immediately looked around, thinking that he might’ve freed himself and crawled away to safety, but he didn’t see him. “Floyd? FLOYD!” he called out, but no answer came.
He heard distant shouts coming from in front of him. He raised his rifle in a defensive posture. Then he saw who it was that was nearing his position. It was the Laurentian Army, who was moving inland. Jack smiled, relaxed and lowered his rifle, knowing that he was now safe.
A few minutes later, the army platoon approached his position. He could hear artillery and rifle fire off in the distance, telling him that the Laurentian Army has moved inland and were attacking Yapanese positions.
The platoon was being led by a fast runner Lieutenant. Jack went to greet him. He stood at attention in front of the Lieutenant and saluted him.
“Name? Rank?” the Lieutenant asked after returning the salute.
“Jack Swimmer, sir. Staff Sergeant Jack Swimmer.”
“Well, Staff Sergeant. What you and your squad did here today gave us the advantage. This island is all but secured. Well done!” the Lieutenant smiled.
Some planes flew overhead, headed west, thus signaling to Jack that the army was meaning to move towards the western side of the island, where the Yapanese Army was believed to be gathered as a last line of defence.
“Thank you, sir!” Jack said as he smiled back.
“Speaking of your squad, where’s the