The Silence of Iota Arietis VI

Posted on Mon Feb 13th, 2012 @ 1:54pm by Commander Jaeih Andorzai

Mission: Character Background
Location: Chaltok IV - Romulan Treatment Facility
Timeline: Summer, 2378

[ON]

The din of battle rose up over the side of the trench as he stood rooted to the spot. He was night watch and he knew the consequences of moving from this exact position. It was worse, far worse, than anything the Jem'Hadar could throw at him. He kept his rifle trained on the flashes and explosions coming from no-man's land.

There was no doubt that the Jem'Hadar would attack again. Subcommander Rekath was quite sure that their attack would come sooner rather than later. The whole plan hinged upon it- they had to throw everything they had at their lines before the Romulan battalions could overwhelm them with their counter-attacks.

He had been told so little about the circumstances that he found himself in he had been forced to do his research during his off-hours. He had ideas above his station and he was determined to move beyond his rank, the lowly, nigh-on insulting Uhlan.

The planet they were sworn to protect was known as Iota Arietis VI. The reports that he could get hold of at his lowly access level suggested that the atmosphere was such that conventionally powered heavy ordnance and fighters would be rendered useless. As such, it was back-to-basics attritional warfare.

No-one cared about them now that they were here. The last time they had received fresh food or troop reserves, they had been able to see their feet in the mud. The rain was incessant and the troops had all but given up on ever seeing Romulus again. The Jem'Hadar were relentless but their supplies of Ketrosel White were running low and their attacks had become less frequent. Everyone assumed that they'd be back, they were running sorties into the system, beaming down supplies and sacrificing fighters in order to do so.

They were terrifying in their dedication to taking this planet. This fourth planet in a system that no-one wanted. This backwater hovel that seemed to have no strategic importance. They would die for nothing.

Die out here. Alone.

He focussed down the sight and zoomed on a lit area in the Jem'Hadar trench. Their defences were dug-in deeper than the Romulan ones and it was impossible to pick out numbers or individuals over the parapet of the trench. His fellow patrolmen occasionally retargetted their rifles on something that they thought was moving. In truth, it was nothing more than a trick of the light.

He took a long, slow breath as his finger hovered over the trigger of his rifle. The basic field artillery that both sides had cobbled together stopped days ago. Although neither side would admit it, they had both run out of the huge power cells required to charge the guns.

All that remained was the silence.

It grew and grew until it seemed to envelope everything. He had heard soldiers say that they were too afraid to talk in case the Jem'Hadar became aware of their numbers. It was nonsense of course but nonsense and superstition quickly took hold in these situations. It quickly became the only truth they knew. Don't talk- the Jem'Hadar will get you.

Their presence loomed like a spectre over the fallen bodies in no-man's land. The big bad wolves standing sentinel in their trenches with only the order to death or glory spurring them on. One patrol had reported that the Jem'Hadar stood in silence, in formation inside their trenches, unmoving, unswerving, unspoken, awaiting their orders like mindless automatons. It had become the truth.

[Romulan Treatment Facility - Chaltok IV]

Andorzai nodded as the Romulan soldier finished his pontification. Had he not been a soldier, the counselor believed he would have made a wonderful author.

The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress among Romulan soldiers had been much, much more prevalent in the survivors of Iota Arietis VI as opposed to other, more mobile theatres of war. Andorzai and his fellow counselors put it down to the nature of their entrenched battle. Constantly waiting for attack, living in filth and in close proximity to the corpses of fallen comrades seemed like something reserved for another time; another, darker age.

These soldiers were so often overlooked. The forgotten heroes of a forgotten battle in a war that could never be forgotten. The many remembered huge fleet-wide manoeuvres involving hundreds of Starships and the bloody struggle for Cardassia Prime, while the few remembered the foetid stench of death that seeped into their clothing and hung like a malodorous reminder of their fate. The few remembered the silence and the fear of their resolute enemy. The few remembered the faces they saw one morning, and never saw again.

[OFF]

Uhlan Jilai
Romulan Soldier
Iota Arietis VI Survivor

Lieutenant (JG) Jaeih Andorzai
Counselor
Federation Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic
Chaltok IV