Chapter 3: Chapter 1: A Soldier II

A single C-130 transport aircraft flew to the air. People can probably see its large fuselage even in some distance away. Four of its engines roared in the vast skies and the sea beneath. Along were creatures that resembled gigantic birds. Except that its color defied that of a normal one. Four striking colors that had faded into white painted their feathers, with each creature having its own unique combination. Their beaks reflected the shades of the sun, as if they were steels.

 

Raul, Kanon, and some staff officers of the 1st BCT were inside the transport aircraft. They were on their way to Jolo, an island of Sulu archipelago. It was in the southmost part of the country, the closest to the newfound lands. Kanon had just finished her situation report to the officers. “You will standby there and prepare for a possible enemy invasion. Coordinate with the local units for your battalion placements. Meanwhile, the colonel and I will go on a mission to the new lands. While the colonel was away, the command of the brigade will fall under lieutenant Tolmen. Understood?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” all the officers chorused.

 

“Yep… seems about right. Are there questions?” Colonel Raul put the mission report that he had been reading in his pockets. Garbed into him was a uniform with a jungle pattern of the Philippine army. He looked around and saw that no one was raising a concern.

 

“Well then, rest until our arrival, dismiss,” he said.

 

The soldiers saluted. Kanon moved closer in his direction and sat beside him. She buckled herself on the strap of the seat. There were no people in the near proximity. They all went on with their own businesses. Some were talking, some used their phones, and some retired to sleep.

 

Wanting to relax his eyes, Raul gazed at the window of the aircraft. The sun was just rising on the horizon, but the dark skies above it seemed to prevent its appearance. Dark red orange lights were there in the whole skies.

 

He asked Kanon, who was now fixing the wrinkled part of her uniform, “How was the mission last night?”

 

“The mission last night was a success. There are no indications of betrayal from the target,” she said, happily swaying her legs back and forth. If she took out her uniform and wore civilian clothes, people who saw her would think that she was a normal teenager.

 

He smiled at the rare sight he saw. “So, you act like your age once in a while. It’s weird coming from you who just tortured a man with a knife.”

 

She puffed her cheeks and playfully punched his shoulders. “Hey!”

 

Kanon was the only person left close to what he could call a friend. Many soldiers found brothers when they served the military. But there was always an exception, and he seemed to be one. It was not as if no one had talked to him. He got along with almost everyone in his unit. But their slight indifference to him and Kanon had not gone unnoticed. Others were just terrified of what they were. Some just felt downright pity at them. Because of that, she had been the only one that he can call a friend. After all, the two of them were the same.

 

The two friends talked for a while. They did not really have a topic to discuss; the conversation was just all about the things that they can think of to pass time.

 

When their talk was about to die down, he asked, “what happened to the little girl last night?”

 

“We passed her along the intelligence unit. I don't know what happened after that.” No one knew what exactly was happening inside the intelligence unit, a secret branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that was directly commanded by the president. But they had some guesses, and they were ominous guesses.

 

“Hmmm… A terrible thing we did.”

 

Kanon nodded. The playful motion of her legs stopped. Her eyes seemed heavy to Raul. He wanted to offer her words, but he did not know where to find them. Thus, the colonel embraced the peaceful silence of the place.

 

When they landed on an airfield in Jolo, Sulu, trucks were waiting for them. They gave their goodbyes and parted. Officers of the 1st BCT moved to an encampment and waited for the rest of the troops to arrive. Meanwhile, Kanon and Raul headed to a military headquarters.

 

It was more accurate to call it a temporary installment than a permanent army camp. Nipa huts lined up in its surrounding area. The only concrete structure it had was the command center that doubled as an ammo depot. Thick trees and shrubs enveloped the slightly elevated area where the base was located.

 

Local army units greeted them when they arrived. They guided them to a nipa hut visibly larger than the rest. Inside was a round table with three seats that complimented it. A large muscular man who seemed to be in his forties occupied one seat.

 

“Welcome Colonel, lieutenant, I bet you are hungry from traveling. Eat up,” said Carmello. The soldiers behind the man filled the table with three of the usual foods that people of Sulu ate every day: Mee Goreng, Beef Kulma, and Pianggang. Their captivating aroma wrapped the entire room. It was a relatively simple feast for a standard lunch of the middle-class families in the Philippines. But the one who invited them to dine was a lieutenant general — no doubt that something was up.

 

“Thank you for your generosity, general.” They sat in the two remaining seats and started eating. Raul took a portion of the Mee Goreng first. It was a fried noodle mixed with spices and vegetables. When he put it into his mouth, the sweetness, spiciness, and saltiness of it twirled in one perfect combination. The taste, however, was not the Filipino fried noodles he had grown accustomed in Luzon and mainland Mindanao. It was a dish from the Malay culture that the people of Sulu were fond of.

 

“No. No. That is nothing. I don’t waste time, so let us cut straight to the primary topic, shall we?” he said, chewing the sliced beef. He continued, “I will send you two as part of the emissary to the government of the new lands. Your destination is the capital of the Kingdom of Rovell, where you need to attend conferences and parties with their royalties. Our scouts reported them to be in the medieval age. So prepare yourself. Understood?”

 

“Yes, sir!” the two of them answered.

 

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“Now, colonel, what do you know about the military of the new lands?”

 

“Not much, general. We only know that they use swords and bows, and magic, apparently.”

 

“That’s right. We have been monitoring them with our UAVS and planes for the last two weeks, but we still lack information about their all over strength and tactics. I do not need to explain to you the value of information in war,” said the general.

 

“Indeed,” Raul had to agree. Knowing what your enemy was capable of was essential to warfare. Many times, it even dictated the outcome of a war. Back in the revolution against the Spanish Colonialization, the planned takeover of Manila by the revolutionaries failed when their existence leaked way before than they intended. With just a single information, the colonizers had prevented the capture of their capital even if the enemies outnumbered them.

 

“That will be one of your missions in the new lands. Gather as much information as you could in their army.”

 

“Yes, sir!” “Understood!”

 

“Another thing. This one is more important.” The general sipped his drink and stared intently at Raul. “Everywhere you look, the world had doomed us. We don’t have enough food for everyone. Our gas and oil are slowly being sucked dry. The electricity is now unreliable; almost every day there is a power outrage. If we don’t move right now, we will collapse.”

 

He nodded. Everyone knew it. No matter how the government tried to stop the news from spreading, the people knew — for they all felt it. The rich lived half as decent as they had before. The middle-class had slowly turned poor, and the poor to beggar, and the beggar to bones.  

 

“We need to get the resources we need, even if we have to get it not in our lands. Luckily, the new lands are ripe for picking. With our technology, we won’t have much problems with their army. Almost 501 years ago, our ancestors are in their situation. Maybe now is the time to get what they stole from us before.”

 

Raul had expected the government to go this way, but it was still too early. History had told time and time again that those who help power will always seek the riches of the weak when worse came to worse. Such had been the rule of the world, even in animals. However, the ideology of liberty and democracy had long lived in the hearts of Filipinos. There was no way that they would consent to conquer someone just because of the gain.

“Is that really okay, sir? To take what others had just because we need it. I doubt our people will agree with this. Their sympathies always fall in the oppressed. We will technically be the aggressors here,” he said.

 

“Of course, they will not. That is where you two enter. People agree to war if they felt threatened — no matter what morals they hold. After all, we are all humans. It is on our instinct to survive,” said the general.

 

“What do you mean, sir?” asked Kanon.

 

“We will bring some rouges of the new lands to attack our capital. I trust you to not be so narrowminded to not know that this is of utmost secrecy. No one should see you two helping the attackers. If you have to, kill anyone who glance at you. You fail this, and we fail the entire plan.”  

 

Raul and Kanon had stopped eating. The atmosphere became heavier than it had been before. They noticed that the room was empty except for the three of them. “But sir, will it not shame the army? They might say that we are incapable of protecting our territories. And… many of our countrymen will die from this.”

 

“And many more will die if we do not do this. What will we do with our reputation? The people cannot eat it. It cannot give us the things that our country requires. Don’t worry; we have a plan. We will not blindly hope that such an attack will anger our people,” said the general as he took a cigarette from his pockets. He scratched a match and used the fire to light his cigarette, and puffed it.

 

Silence filled the scene for a moment. Raul looked as if something had been stuck in his throat. It was not his place to question orders whether he like it or now; he knew. Years of military service had thought him that.

 

The one who broke the silence was a voice of a middle-aged man. “I know you do not want to do this, Colonel, but you must. It is not an understatement to say that the future of our nation depends on this. The general staff agreed that to send you two. You know what it means, right?”

 

Raul gulped as if swallowing the same candy that he had always hated. What made him swallow such candy was a mystery to him. He found it distasteful and tiring. Yet he did for as many times as he can imagine. “It is our duty to follow orders, I understand, general. We will accomplish whatever missions you give us.”

 

“Good. I cannot discuss to you the entire plan yet. We will give you instructions now and then through our usual secured radio line. But your first mission is to meet with Princess Alisha of the kingdom. Confirm her participation on our plan. The details will be on this paper.” Carmello produced a sealed document and handed it to him.

 

“Yes, sir. We will not disappoint you, general.” He paused and continued, “I just want to ask, are we performing as much as the military wanted?”

 

“Yes, you are. Even now, I can say that the experiment was a success. Maybe we will produce some more in the coming years. Those who willingly drenched themselves in the mud are what our nation needs right now.”

 

He intently looked at the general. “What if there is too much mud? Will we not get drowned by it?”

 

“Yes, we will. We are soldiers, after all. That’s has always been what soldiers are.”

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