The Southern Calt pt. 1

A glimpse into one of the worst wars in Astra and how it came to an end...

Note: It isn’t necessary, but for more background on this character and his story, check out The Children of War parts 1-3 (part 1 linked here).

By the time Akashi Pacè joined the war to the south of the city-state of Cain, it was already generations deep. He grew up with romantic stories of the war. Almost as many stories of heroism and bravery as the quiet whispers of people who never returned - his own family included. Akashi was drafted when he was 19, ready to face the romanticized tales he had been fed his whole life. All those thoughts tumbled away from his mind the first time he laid his eyes on the wartorn mountain pass known as the Southern Calt.

The Southern Calt was once an extraordinary place. It used to be a winding mountain pass with walls of rock that ended in tall jagged snow draped peaks. It connected the southernmost desert of Astra to a lush green forest on the other side. Slowly, cacti and sand gave way to beautiful succulents that slowly faded into blades of grass and greenery blooming with flowers as you traveled further north. It was beautiful once upon a time. Akashi remembered the old photos from history books of the trade route between Cain and the desert people to the south that used to travel through the mountain pass. No one knew much about them other than they were good for trade and now all they knew is they were a threat.

Akashi's grandfather was part of the first group to go to war, leaving behind his life in favor of going to war. He never returned. Then both his parents followed. Then his sister. 

Now here stood Akashi on the cusp of the mountain pass. On the cusp of horrors he wasn't prepared for. Basic training was a mere 3 months. “Just long enough not to be a meat grinder when you get out there.” as his squad’s drill instructor had said. They were dropped off by a supply convoy at the edge of the pass. He was already breathing in dust and sand leaving a feeling of grit scratching the inside of his nostrils and throat. He stood at the precipice of the mountain pass with little in hand, and even less idea of what he was doing. None of the dozen squad members he stood amongst knew. The convoy leader told them to wait for pick up. Pick up by who? To go where? They could’ve asked the woman that was dropped off with them, but she stood in silence in the back with a collection of magnetized floating supply crates.

 The Calt was a whirlwind of glowing sand that hid everything behind a sheet of the remains of past battles. The glow was beautiful, but Akashi couldn’t help but think about the ethereal sand as the lingering scars of war. Scars that could burn your skin if the wind picked up even slightly.

What troubled him more than the dangerous terrain was how the squad was equipped. Growing up, Akashi heard stories of power armor that glowed a brilliant blue with mechanical magnificence. Shoulder mounted cannons and skin tight bodysuits that neurally linked to the power armor, making a soldier a perfect machine.

But this? This was something different. He and his compatriots stood before the Southern Calt’s sandstorm of superheated sand and shrapnel in one piece cloth jumpsuits, thick metal pauldrons, used combat boots, communication earpieces, and cracked goggles. The goggles felt like the greatest offense. The crack was just enough that when he checked his aim on his standard issue rifle - a glorified hunting rifle with an advanced scope with a built in camera welded onto it - he could barely see down range. Akashi ripped off the goggles and threw them down into the mud. Several others watched on in silence.

“Soldiers,” a crisp voice bloomed in Akashi's earpiece. The voice of an authoritative man broke the silence of the storm, “Welcome to the land of the fiends on Astra. Welcome to the Southern Calt.” 

In the distance, a collection of figures broke through the storm. The clear commanding officer came forth in more heavy and new armor than the rest of the squadron that kept watch behind him. He stepped forward with his hands behind his back, the rest of the troops with him with their weapons trained into the sandstorm. Akashi and his unit snapped to attention, saluting the man. He waved them off.

“No need for that here.” They all dropped their hands with discomfort and uncertainty.

“Alma, you have the good word?” The woman in the back of Akashi’s squad nodded and pushed forward one of the floating carts.

“Good word and good food.” She replied.

“Excellent. We'll take it from here.” The commander announced. Alma nodded in confirmation, removing a satchel and placing it on the crate. She stepped away.

“This is convoy delivery. Package has been exchanged, ready for pickup…” 

The commander scanned the squad, “Which one of you is… Pace?” They all stayed quiet looking between them. Shiv - one of Akashi's squadmates elbowed him in the back.

“Did you mean Pacè, sir?” Akashi stammered. The commander's eyes narrowed and he glared at Akashi.

“No. I meant Pace. Is that you or not?” Akashi looked around confused. He assumed a salute and replied,

“Akashi Pacè, first class scout, sir.” The commander laughed. He stepped in closer.

“I knew your aunt, Panshin. She was a good soldier. I wouldn’t be here without her. I already know all about your ‘troubled streak’ boy. Let me tell you something: you pull that shit here, you're not going home to a nice cozy prison. You're dead on sight, hear me? And if we don't kill you, then may the Lord Strala have mercy on your soul because the enemy doesn’t play gentle when they catch our people.” The commander stepped away. Akashi's usually brown skin flushed red. “Are we clear, Pace?”

Akashi tightened up his salute, “Crystal, sir.”

.

.

. 

Soldiers died. New soldiers came. Rinse and repeat. It was Akashi’s job to scout ahead for the battalion of the city-states of Cain and Sant. Every time he missed a trap or an ambush, more people died. People he knew. People he fought alongside. He couldn’t sleep through the night anymore. The sounds of bombs, gunfire, and screams kept him awake. 

It wasn't always real. 

As the weeks turned into months, he began to bury himself in his responsibility. It wasn’t work for him anymore. It was his sacred obligation to scout ahead. To protect his people. Now that they had been pushed to a stalemate with the enemies of the south, they were trapped in their emergency trenches. Originally they were made when supplies ran short for camps resistant to the charged sandstorms, but it quickly became defensive as well. 

With brown skin burnt to a blistering red glow and slim hungry features, his brown eyes stared down his rifle scope. He took cover behind a large boulder in the center of the mountain pass. The once sandy earth of the Calt had turned to a yellowish mud. His feet sank hours ago. His rifle had become a sandblasted gray and tan. He adjusted his knees - one jammed against the rock, and the other sinking into the sandy mud.

“What’s it look like?” The commander’s voice asked into his earpiece.

“Not sure… way I see it, looks like a whole ton of kicked up sand - nothing new. Plasma-storms are passing though - downwind, luckily.” They often took the time when the storm grew more violent like this to regroup, send messengers back to their homes on datapads distributed by comms specialists, and replenish supplies. The storm had been raging for three days at this point. Today the kicked up sand had a faint teal glow as it swirled around. The frontline of the battalion was nestled inside the trenches behind Akashi, waiting for the chance to push forward and fight back. “If we’re real lucky, maybe the storm will damage their defenses. Don’t want to slow the push again to tear down more walls - and uh - well - hold on now.” Akashi reached his hand forward, and adjusted his scope, “We’ve got something here…”

He and Shiv, the other surviving member from his squadron, were the only soldiers outside the trenches. She was 50 yards against the side of the pass behind a fortified wall. “Shiv, you seeing this?” Akashi asked over the comm. There was an uncomfortable silence before she replied.

“Seeing it. Looks like a person coming out of the storm.” The voice of their commander boomed in their ears,

“Pace. Shiv. Get me an image on the target.” Akashi began adjusting a toggle on his scope. The recording mechanism clicked on and transmitted its signal to the commander.

The figure they saw in the plasma began to take form, “Hold for feedback…” Akashi grumbled as he adjusted the scope.

“Holding for image, Pace.”

“Adjusting color…”

“Holy shit.” Shiv whispered into the comm. “That’s Brends. I know that’s Brends…”

“Can’t be.” Akashi responded, “We lost Brends three weeks ago.”

“Look at her! It’s Brends!” She snapped back at Akashi.

“How? They never took prisoners before.”

“I don’t know how, but I know it’s her!” Shiv stood up, exposing herself to the storm. Her side of the conversation became caught in the winds of the storm.

“Rifleman, get your head down, now!” the commander snapped. Shiv began waving her arms.

“Brends! Brends, it's Shiv! Come this way!” Akashi tensed up.

“Focusing on target. Ready to fire on command.” He announced.

“Don’t you dare! What are you doing, Pace?” Shiv yelled, the disbelief in her voice was palpable.

“It’s a trick, Shiv. Has to be. You need to get down.”

“Who else could it be, Pace? Brends! Come over here!” 

“Pace, hold your fire, keep a steady feed on the figure. Shiv get back behind cover immediately, you’re endangering the entire battalion.” The commander interjected.

“Heard.” Akashi replied. He relaxed and waited for further instruction. The figure seemed to sway in the winds of the plasma-storm. Its body twisted with the blowing of the spinning sands. Strangely, it did look like Brends. Akashi couldn’t place it though. It was as if something was telling him it was her, but also… how could that possibly make sense? He couldn’t see any identifying traits. Nothing looked like Brends. But every fiber of his being said it was her. That it had to be her. He began to want to encourage Shiv, but he was too worried. 

“Shiv, something’s wrong here… you gotta get down.” He implored. The feeling of pressure deep in his gut fought against the certainty in his mind.

“Can it, Pace.” Shiv replied. “Brends!” She yelled again, “BRENDS!” She let out a scream that howled across the wind and echoed off the rocky walls of the pass. The figure stopped. An endless wavering halt in movement. The body contorted and turned about facing Shiv. She waved her arms and jumped up and down. The figure looked curious almost. It stood still against the wind as it appeared to be thinking. Until its eyes began to glow. They were so bright that it could be seen through the storm, and no longer was the shadow of Brends visible. As the eyes illuminated, the sandstorm began to glow brighter. The hairs stood up on Akashi’s hands.

“Gods be damned, take the shot, Pace!” Rung a command in his ears. Akashi tensed up, deep breath in, deep breath out. He fired into the storm. The energy bolt heated the dancing sand, leaving a streak of gold through the light show. He could see pieces of colorful glass falling and shattering on the ground, but the shot didn't pierce its target.

“That’s a miss, sir.” He stayed focused.

“Fire again, rifleman.” Akashi let out a deep breath and took another shot. He swore it should’ve hit between the glow of the eyes, but again it flashed by.

“Another miss…”

“What in the hell is going on here?” The commander snapped.

“Couldn’t tell ya. I swear, I’m hitting these.” Akashi replied. The eyes were like the beacons of a lighthouse as they flashed. A high pitched hum began to pierce through the storm. The air became charged with energy. “Shiv! Get down!” Akashi yelled. From Akashi’s view, Shiv appeared to snap to her senses. She realized something was wrong and jumped back, moving to get behind her wall of cover. 

“Everybody get to cover!” Someone yelled from the trenches. Akashi brought his rifle across his chest and slid down behind the rock. He looked to the other side of the pass, and saw Shiv clambering to get behind the wall. Before she could, the storm had turned downwind. Fast. The air was like static, and a soft sound like a puff of powder against a cushion left a faint echo in the air. The air was flashing all around them, and the scream of a woman echoed through the mountain pass. Everything was hot, and the sand that did get around the rock burned Akashi’s skin. He watched Shiv’s head dissipate in the air. Her rifle toppled to the mud covered ground. Her body fell into the trench behind her. He clutched his rifle, and felt himself shaking. He could feel the rock vibrating with the released energy from the attack. 

That’s what it was. 

An attack.

“Gods… damned sorcerers…” a soldier whispered over the comms. Akashi rolled down from the rock and landed on his back inside the trench.

“Fates… Shiv…” His hands shook. His body heaved. Everything spun. Another one gone. Another soldier lost.

“Pace!” The commander yelled, “Get up out of the sand!” Akashi looked up at his commander and stammered - he didn’t have anything to say, but his mind couldn’t wrap around what just happened. They always said the sandstorms were dangerous, but this? This was different. “Pace! Get your ass up!” He stood up and at attention, but he could barely stop the tremble he felt vibrating through his body.

“Yes sir. Sorry sir.” He wiped mud off his face. He could still feel himself shaking, and the heat from the plasma storm still blazed overhead.

“Now listen up!” The commander called to everyone. Even though he looked shaken, he was better at covering it than Akashi. Other soldiers began gathering around. “It’s official. We’re on the move. Today’s the day, ladies and gentlemen. We’re pushing through the pass and breaking their defenses. Overhead surveillance tells us that we have them pushed back. We’re less than a kilometer from the opening into the desert.” Akashi thought it was weird that they were just finding out how close they were. They’d been surrounded by the walls of the Calt for months. How long had the commander known? “Whatever the hell that thing was that they sent after us says they’re getting desperate. They’re afraid, so now they need to attack with their sorcerers. We have them. The moment that storm clears, we push forward. Pace!” Akashi jumped to attention.

“Yes, Commander.”

“You’re on scouting duty. Keep it quiet. Clear the way.”

“Yes sir.” Akashi began preparing himself to go back out there. Back out into the heat. Into the horrors.

“Today is the beginning. Today we push and make it to the desert. Out of this forsaken mountain pass. Then we take - we destroy whatever they’re hiding out there. Their ultimate power they’ve threatened us with for generations.” The soldiers were hesitant, but knew their place. They all nodded. Morale was too low for cheering and celebration. “Rifleman, get back up there and keep an eye on the storm. Here, just in case of burns, take this mask.” Akashi’s commander gave him a loose fitting mask that had ‘burn resistant’ printed on the rubber around the eyes. The mask was made up of a cheap pair of goggles with a rubber breathing piece like a snorkel for his mouth all stitched into black cloth. Akashi put the mask on and immediately wasn’t able to see. It was disorienting to breathe through the mouth piece. He checked his scope and knew it wasn’t going to work if things went poorly. He had the sudden realization that this mask was more to make him feel better than to actually protect him. He threw his rifle up behind the rock then proceeded to crawl out of the trenches and lay behind it - back to where he was before - leaning his head against it like a crooked pillow. Beneath him the commander shouted,

“Let’s get packed up, be ready to move out in 20 or you'll be left behind!” Akashi sighed and closed his eyes. If they had 20 minutes then he had 10 minutes to rest his eyes before he had to scout ahead. The strange high pitched hum of dispersing energy was still in the air, but the sand that whipped around the rock didn’t burn his skin as much as it did before. He wouldn’t dare to look to the other side of the rock until the wind died down, though he wanted to know: Were those eyes still out there? If he looked out there, would they meet his gaze? Would he see anything? If they sent in a strike team, the battalion wouldn’t see it coming and he wasn’t ready to walk out into that. Not yet. He looked to where Shiv once kept watch. He was all alone on the frontlines now. He missed her already.

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Hey there, friends, thanks for reading! This is going to be a hefty one, but I’m feeling good about it! As always, I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned next Friday for part 2! Feel free to leave some feedback or let me know how you’re feeling about this one! Remember, if you want more out of Astra, feel free to check out the backlog of my substack page. May I recommend starting with the Trials of Astra Directory?

See you next week!