Raymond Kell worked his way through the rubble of a bombed out apartment complex in the Kanto precinct of Japan. They had been deployed to Japan eight months ago after a surprise force of Isilik guerrillas had made landing and gone to ground in the ruins of a city.
"Up ahead movement north by north west two at most, lookouts most like." Came the sultry feminine voice of his love, DELILIA. An A.I that was implanted into his head at age 16, suffice to say they had been inseparable since then. Though they had not become a couple till several months after his eighteenth birthday, at the end of his basic training.
"N by NW lookyloos double or nothing" Kell, as he liked to be called, gave the signal to his squad. "Pop 'em if you got 'em, but remember the pain farms are always looking for captives."
The Pain Farms. Torture Towns, to his american sensibilities of nomenclature. When the Isilik Divine Choir had invaded sixty some odd years ago the Sol system was on the brink of war. Mars and Terra were at each others throats, Luna considered it self a kingmaker but was at its core Terra loyalists, and the outer colonies lead by Titan, wanted to watch the system burn.
Then it happened. The Exploratory Peace Bringer fleet, invaded. Claiming to bring peace and understanding through forced empathetic implants (that just so happened to make people love the Divine Choir) the Isilik Choir descended on Terra. They had spotted Terra with unmanned probes almost one hundred yeas ago. And just now got around to saying hello (something to do with warp gates and internal politics, we learned in pain sessions with the survivors)
They hit Terra hard and fast, bringing much devastation. But since they wanted to convert the populace, there was little orbital bombardment. They also had no idea about Mars and the Titan confederacy, thinking only a small mining base on Luna existed. That was the first mistake. The second was underestimating the tenacity of Terrans. We fought them tooth and nail, with the help of the Martians the Peace Bringer Fleet was annihilated. The Invasion forces that landed, some twenty million, based mostly in jungle climes reminiscent of their own home world. The Congo, Central America, South East Asia. Years of brutal guerrilla warfare took place after. In this brutality the pain farms were established. At first it was just Vengeance, psychopaths and the those driven to any length by anger inflicting their rage on the captured Isilik.
It turned into something more. Something tactical. The Isilik were an empathetic race. Not a hive mind, more like a collective democratic(ish) consciousness. They felt each others happiness, love, and pain. Pain... Pain we could use. So began the industrial scale torture of the Isilik, and the collapse of an interstellar empire driven mad by a pain beyond the comprehension of the larger galactic society.
Raymond Kell had worked on a Pain Farm (Torture Town to Americans) since he was twelve. San Antonio, his home town, had been hit hard in the first invasion, and hit hard many years later by survivors of the first invasion. A ground force of several hundred thousand had come up from the Yucatan and layed siege to the city, killing his father, but he had not yet been born.
Raymond Kell had just turned twelve when the second invasion arrived. He joined a pain farm to help the war effort, and to free up manpower for the actual fighting.
The so called "Cleansing Fleet of Liberation". It had been much more willing to orbitally bombard a planet to dust. And the newly united Greater Terran Union struck back with all its fury. And all its artistry at inflicting suffering. The war had been brutal on all sides, but in the end the Terran Union prevailed after five years. Still millions more invaders had landed on Terra ( it was almost impossible to go to ground in the bunker cities of Mars, Luna, and beyond).
After implantation and meeting DELILIA, joining the Terran Marines, and falling in love with DELILIA, The war officially ended. All that was left were remnants, and die hards. Or so the propaganda outlets said. In truth Kell, DELILIA and his squad did counter insurgency work for five more years.
He was twenty two now and things were about finished. This surprise attack on Japan was widely considered a last ditch effort. The Isilik had been driven into a frenzy they said, though Kell's lowly sergeant's mind thought at least another year remained of hard fighting. But who was he to argue with the higher ups.
An explosion rocked the little bookstore on the bottom floor of the apartment complex. Kell and DELILIA rushed in. Private Shorty rushed in to flank, crinkling glass from the window she climbed through. " Hope she doesn't cut herself again" Kell thought. "Look at you so worried. I might get jealous" came the voice of his life partner.
"AI IF" he snorted at the A.I.
Looking quickly to his left he saw an ichor spray. Too much green fluid for that crumpled mixture of shell and slick amphibian skin for that Froggy to survive. He was sure. Still he shot it once in the head to be double sure.
A click filled and flemmy groan escaped from a collapsed bookshelf near the newly painted green modern art display. He signaled to Private Shorty, and they advanced.
At his mark, Kell heaved the bookshelf up and Shorty lock aim onto the pitiful half broken form of the Isilik.
"Vitals look good enough, only a shattered pelvis and some carapace damage near the beak tentacles." The lovely voice of DELILIA entered his mind, from every where and nowhere.
Kell grinned despite himself. He new a few words of High Isilik from his years in the pain farms, far more than the other grunts. He had to push his throat and move his mouth unnaturally but he was able to say "Your suffering has only just begun foolish singer" He leered down at the little Isilik, smaller than most, probably a juvenile.
His years in the farms had also taught him to read Isilik emotions rather well. Kell saw abject horror in the little Isilik's four eyes.
"Good" His thoughts mingled with DELILIA's source less words. "That was how you Knew who your soulmate was, someone who shared your passions." They both thought in unison.
Submitted February 05, 2019 at 12:44AM by thegoldengrekhanate http://bit.ly/2TuDjo5
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