The Nehilion

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

Jayne raked her dirty blonde hair back, as she continued to peek through the window in Hector’s room. She ignored her copper tone skin reflection and studied the world.

And what is left of it.

It was Jayne’s first time boarding The Nehilion. Along with her are the other fresh cadets of the same age. All thirteen years old, boys and girls, groomed for their First Forage. This is the farthest that Jayne has ever been to since leaving The Primas Mainland.

As soon as a child is ready to walk, they begin their training. They were trained to shoot as young as seven. The youth were trained in close range fighting among other skills of combat. Jayne excelled at it all.

Captain Hector was loved by most. Like most of his peers onboard, he was a seasoned soldier, at fifteen years old. The captain was well built and had long raven hair. He was exceptional on the field, as words swirled around his reputation. That’s why he stays in one of the best rooms in The Nehilion. After all, It did have a nice view of the broken world.

The Nehilion was among the many mobile fortresses that the Primas Mainland constructed. Food and water are scarce.

Especially the water.

That’s why the annual excursion of all fortresses is to break new frontiers for resources.

The Nehilion was described as a ramming fist in the sands.

The mobile fortress was vast than what Jayne imagined. It is a multi-storey carrier that housed hundreds like Jayne, eager soldiers. Boarding the mobile fortress with a lot to prove. Within it are training quarters and countless rooms. All manned by soldiers and crew between ages thirteen to sixteen.

The initial ride was bumpy. Once Jayne got past the motion sickness, she swelled with pride boarding to her First Forage with other soldiers

“Fix that collar, soldier! That is an order!” commanded Hector.

Jayne rose upright and stiff, fixed the seams of her Primas blue uniform. She stood in attention and saluted Hector.

Hector chuckled, “Relax. I’m only teasing.”

“Don’t mess with me... I’m nervous!” Jayne replied.

“Why the hell would you be nervous? You are on top of your class,” said Hector, helping Jayne line up the buttons of her uniform.

Despite being only two years Jayne’s older, Hector has been a paternal figure for her. Jayne excelled training because Hector was there to mentor her.

“How was your First Forage like?” asked Jayne.

Hector shrugged his shoulders, “No different than training. Then again, I wasn’t the best among my peers at that time. I’m always dead last at everything... That’s why you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself!”

Hector’s smile assured her. Jayne wished she could study more from the window, but The Nehilion’s morning went off, signaling for breakfast.

***

A full bowl of porridge and a full glass of water. People would kill for a full glass.

Being a fresh cadet of The Nehilion has its perks. It was more than what Jayne was used to back in training camp.

The Nehilion stops for breakfast and every soldier and crew dines at the assembly hall at the bottom level of the fortress.

The hall filled with chatter. Unlike other cadets, Jayne didn’t need to worry where to sit. She tagged along with Hector and sat with the other captains.

Along the long table, the captains boasted and gloated. Hector just nods along. He elbows Jayne to follow his cue and look attentive.

One of the captains, Jager, made his way to the table. He had a skinny face and bright red hair. The seat made space for him. Jager slammed his bowl of porridge to the table, “Let this be known that my squad will be the one to loot most!”

The other captains snickered. One of the female captains replied, “Maybe next to Captain Hector.”

One of them adds, “After all Captain Jager, second place is the first loser!”

The captains’ table erupted in laughter. It was then cut short as the hall faded to a silence.

The commanding officer of The Nehilion, was to give his morning speech.

Mister Jackson, as he preferred to be called, was slow to climb up the stage. The man is about four times the age of the average soldier. His top dome was thinning out of hair and he had a belly that hung out his trousers.

“Greetings, proud soldiers and crew of The Nehilion,” Mister Jackson began. “Another year and another adventure awaits us...”

Jayne set aside her bowl, and made her lose her appetite. From the stories she heard about Mister Jackson sent chills down her spine.

***

The Nehilion was situated on a desert plain at ten o'clock that morning. It was the farthest the carrier could travel, as to avoid the sand storms. The mobile fortress has deployed dozens upon dozens of dune buggies. The soldiers are to fan out in various directions, all to search for the elusive water.

Captain Hector called up his squad for a pep talk. He pulled strings to get Jayne in his unit.

The squad surrounds Hector. “Caution above all. Don’t forget your training, especially to the cadets. The outlanders are hostile. Shoot if you must,” he briefed.

Shoot if you must.

That last reminder echoed in Jayne’s head a few more times. Her stomach began to churn as if the bowl of porridge was about to make another appearance. She gripped her rifle tighter.

Hector distributed scarves and goggles for his unit. “When the wind grows, make sure to cover up. The sandstorms indulge these lands.”

Jayne strapped on her seat belt. The buggy accommodates six passengers. The cadets are to sit in the rear.

Next to her was a stout boy named Wagner. Wagner the wagon they called him. His wide frame earned him that nickname. He was last among his class. Slow and sloppy in training. But the boy was strong. He can haul heavy loads when no one wished to carry. No one believed him that his excess weight was some sort of sickness. After all, the soldiers ate the same amount.

Captain Jager’s buggy approached Hector's to a loud engine hum, “Good luck to us today. I’ll make sure there’s enough loot for you once I find a prized forage!”

“Remember, Jager, second place is the first loser!” Reminded Hector, as Jager’s buggy sped off.

Hector’s unit drove for another hour or so.

Jayne looked around and everything around her seemed the same. All sand. Dry. Scorching heat.

Wagner sweats to no stop. His forearms drenched, rubbing against Jayne’s.

Captain Hector pulled out his compass. He raised his hand to signal the buggies to stop. “The engine hums could be scaring off any potential livestock that dwell here.”

“Livestock?” asked Jayne.

Hector pointed east. There were tracks of animals that the wind hadn't faded. Just recently.

“We are to search on foot,” commanded Hector. “Remember when there’s life out here, there should be water. Be light on your feet!”

“Are we to walk?” complained Wagner.

Hector inches himself closer to Wagner, “This unit does not go well for complainers. So yes, cadets. We will walk.”

Wagner gulped.

Jayne held her rifle firm as she followed one of the older soldiers. The unit split into groups of four trying to track the living creature that roamed the area. A gush of wind came forth and dusted any possible tracks.

Wagner starts to complain how his shoes are cutting the circulation of his feet. He starts limping. Jayne paces herself ahead to get away from Wagner’s incessant whines.

A few feet ahead stood a steep dune. Jayne wanted to check what’s on the other side. She slings back her rifle to get on all fours. As she readies the climb, she hears a distant bleat.

Jayne hushed Wagner as she was slow to climb. The other soldiers waited at the base of the dune. Jayne reached the top and her jaw dropped to what’s beneath the other side.

A herd of goats, well above two dozen, congregated on the sand.

Before Jayne can signal the soldiers beneath the dune, she hears an engine hum approaching on the far side.

Captain Jager’s unit approaches the herd of goats.

The goats rally around in frenzy but a rider mounted on a mare, keeps them close together. The rider was covered in one giant fabric.

From the incoming buggies, Jager’s unit starts to aim their rifles.

The mare rider directs the goats to retreat further.

Jager’s unit began to fire.

Jayne slid down, gun at the ready.

One of the bullets struck the mare’s leg. The mare toppled over to a thud. The rider flew a few feet away and the mare cried to its wound.

Jayne rushed towards the fallen rider.

The rider failed to get back on his feet and tried to crawl.

Jayne yanked the fabric that covered the rider.

The rider stared at Jayne. He was just a boy of the same age as her. He had a tad darker complexion than Jayne and he had curly hair.

Jayne studied him for a few moments but before she could aim her gun, the boy kicked it off her hand. The boy thrust his shoulder to Jayne’s sternum and fell on the sand.

The boy ran off.

***

“One dead horse and no water?!” yelled Mister Jackson. “That’s all you got for me?”

Hector and Jager’s squad stood in silence at the foot of The Nehilion.

Mister Jackson was fuming. Was it the heat or anger that made the commanding general glow in red. It could be both.

It has been said that Mister Jackson has a temper of a firecracker. Out of his outbursts, he grabs a soldier from Hector’s unit and kneed the soldier’s stomach. The boy dropped down to his knees. Mister Jackson then rained stomps on the poor boy’s head until he was a pulp.

Mister Jackson then marched towards Hector. He cupped the captain’s chin, “Apologies, captain. You and some of your soldiers will have to take the blunt end of this blunder.”

The soldiers were slow to retreat back inside The Nehilion.

Jager then grabs Jayne’s arm, “Congratulations on your first forage, newbie... You froze... If you didn’t apprehend that horse rider, we could have interrogated him. We will be feasting tonight on goat meat and water. Instead, you got your captain punished.”

It wasn’t just Captain Hector that was punished. Some soldiers in Jayne’s regiment were also called to Mister Jackson’s room. Who knows what ungodly deeds that man will do to those boys and girls.

That evening Jayne was prohibited from having dinner. She was to do a shift by The Nehilion’s engine room. The engine room was at the bowels of the fortress. It is as hot as the outside scorch. Most of the children's crew complained about the dehydration.

Word went around that Captain Hector’s back was whipped to no stop. Much to the delight of Mister Jackson. Jayne did not bother hearing what the other soldiers went through in that room.

***

Jayne had no sleep that night. Mister Jackson has dispatched Captain Hector’s crew back out. The squad is to trace back its steps. The squad is not to return until there’s anything of value.

Captain Hector was limping and spoke very little. The other soldiers that went inside Mister Jackson’s room have gloom painted on their faces. They were battered, bruised and punished.

Jayne tries to get Hector alone but he ignores her.

The older soldiers began to spat on Jayne.

“You screwed up!”

“Useless!”

“Good for nothing!”

“Frozen Jayne!”

There was no point backtracking. The squad would just have to accept their fate.

The squad set up camp to where they last saw the herd of goats. Captain Hector looked lost most times. No one bothered searching further. The squad just circled the campsite in an attempt to say that they scouted the area.

Jayne was forced to take the night watch. No one bothered to partner up with her.

The heat faded and the breeze was loud enough that it reshaped the sand dunes. Except for the tall dune where Jayne first saw the goat herd.

Jayne walked away from the camp and stood on top of the dune.

She replayed the moment when the boy disarmed her.

She replayed the moment when Mister Jackson was threatening Hector.

She replayed that solemn look Hector had throughout the day.

Jayne slid back down the dune and crept back into camp. She surveyed around, as everyone was asleep. Even the night watch was dozing off.

She then walks toward where the buggies are stationed.

Jayne waited until that strong breeze passed by again so she could start the engine.

***

Jayne drove the buggy in blind faith. Hoping something would come up. She was certain she messed up navigating the compass. Her throat was dry of thirst. Her ration will not be enough. She tried to follow northeast to where the skirmish happened.

She checked her compass once again, but the sweat from the head was stinging her eyes. Jayne thought she lost control of the buggy as it straddles away from a straight path.

To her shock, a horse rider was next to her, galloping along the buggy.

It was the same boy that disarmed her. The boy is now mounted to a different horse. He reaches for the steering wheel trying to knock it off course, but Jayne tries to fend him off.

“You need to leave,” uttered the boy.

“Surrender your supplies, or it will get worse for you!” responded Jayne.

“You don’t belong here!” the boy then jerks the wheel to the right.

Jayne manages to straighten the buggy once again, but it is too late. The buggy ran into a hill and flipped to its side. Jayne’s body then stayed in the seat thanks to the seat belt. She began to unbuckle herself. She drops to her side and reaches for her rifle.

The boy was nowhere in sight.

Jayne searches around the tilted buggy, and from above the boy jumps at her, tackling her down the sand.

Her rifle slipped off her hands within a few feet, as the two grappled along the sands. The boy was on top of her, restraining her every move.

Jayne surprised the boy, as she tilted her hips up. With her sweat, she slid off his grip. She squeezed both her hands in between his legs and pushed him upward.

She broke free and ran for her rifle.

The boy was close but the tip of the nozzle was a few inches away from his face.

“Well done,” commended the boy.

Jayne smirks, “Where do you keep the food and water?”

The boy smiles back as he throws a handful of sand to Jayne’s face.

Jayne struggles with her vision and begins to fire at random. The boy was just around creeping within her.

“Coward!” yelled Jayne. She rubbed her eyes but the vision was limited.

The boy was just standing in front of her, but looking elsewhere.

Jayne followed to where the boy was looking.

The sky was no longer clear and the wind was picking up. Jayne could taste the sand the strong winds carry.

“Storm is brewing up,” yelled the boy. He then rushes to his horse.

Jayne puts on her goggles and scarf. She ran towards her tilted buggy. She began to push to whatever strength she can muster but the buggy won’t budge.

The wind is growing with anger, and a storm nearing. She has no choice but to run away on foot.

Jayne began to sprint away, but was not fast enough. Her foot caught in a sunken hole and she heard a crack on her ankle. She winced in pain. Jayne fought to get up but her weight was too much. If she starts digging with her bare hands she may have a chance.

She didn’t have to.

Behind her was a beating hoof among the sand. The boy stopped and helped Jayne mount behind him.

Jayne gripped tight on the boy's torso as they rode to evade the storm.

***

Jayne woke up to the crackling of the fire pit. The storm winds seemed distant. They nested themselves in a stone cave, with very little opening that was fastened in tarp.

“The storm should be over soon,” said the boy.

Jayne rose up to her feet, “Fight me!” A pain then shot up her ankle and she collapsed.

“Maybe later,” laughed the boy. He seemed to be of the same age as her. He threw a cask of water towards Jayne.

“Name’s Cale.”

“Jayne.”

Jayne looked at the cask. As soon as she saw trickles of water, she grabbed it and took massive gulps.

She has never drank that much in a while. The coolness soothes her dry throat.

“I was about to offer you water earlier but you passed out as soon as you laid there,” said Cale.

Jayne blushed. She was surprised how that cold rock gave her the sleep she wanted compared to the cozy beds in The Nehilion.

Cale brought out a small pouch. He took out a fruit of bright pink and a hint of yellow.

“Peach!” yelled Jayne, her eyes widened. “I’ve read about them.”

“Now you get to taste them!” offered Cale.

Jayne studied the fruit for a while. She then sank her teeth into it. The sweet juices flow. Once Jayne tasted the sweetness, she went for more bites.

“I only bought two,” said Cale. “If you come with me, there will be more.”

“Why are you being nice to me? You had the choice to kill me out there,” Jayne says, wiping her mouth from the fruit’s juices.

“True,” agreed Cale. “But you are injured. It won’t be much of a fair fight. Besides, if you follow me, someone can treat that sprain. You’re lucky it isn’t broken.”

Cale peeked through the small gaps of the opening, “Storm has passed. I’m afraid there will be more.”

“How can you survive these conditions?” asked Jayne.

Cale snickers, “Compared to where you are from, I’d rather live with this.”

Jayne was confused. Before she could ask, Cale had taken off the tarp and was ready to head out.

***

Jayne sat on the horse’s saddle, while Cale walked, holding the mare’s reigns. She looked around the plains they trekked into. An elongated stretch of dunes tower the pair.

“It won’t be long... The place we are heading is protected by these high dunes, we are just riding through the gaps,” explained Cale. Jayne had no choice but to trust Cale. He seemed familiar with these lands.

The high dunes provided shade from the scorch and the winds. Cale said that beneath the dunes were structures from the old world.

“The elders back in Primas said that things were different in the old world. People our age were weak, and that we are bred to be superior,” recalled Jayne.

Riding past the dunes, Jayne’s eyes widened.

Tall fresh greenery, with leaves bloomed at the top welcomed the incoming Jayne and Cale. These shrouded greens surround the vicinity.

The air was relaxing, not just from the breeze itself. The air carried a cooling sensation that came from a lake of blue situated in the middle.

Jayne hobbled to the shore as fast as she could, cupped her hands and drank as much water her palms could fill. The other settlers watched and giggled at her.

Along the banks are makeshift huts that are scattered all over the settlement.

The settlers are her own age. Young children, careless, running free, and dipping in the waters. The goats bleaked and cattle roamed however they wished. Much contrast to the confines of The Nehilion.

Cale carried Jayne to one of the huts to where a girl came out. She was shorter and looked younger.

“Adela… she’s eleven,” whispered Cale.

Adela points Cale inside the hut to where a bed is situated in the middle. The small girl examined Jayne’s swollen ankle. She poked it a few times in different angles and Jayne cringed to the pain.

“Not broken,” concluded Adela. The girl brings out a mortar and pestle and begins crushing herbs to a mint paste. She massages Jayne’s ankle and applies the mint paste.

Adela snaps her fingers and in comes one of the settlers and with a crutch made of wood and vine.

“Don’t put pressure on that foot,” cautioned Adela. She leans closer and kisses Jayne’s forehead, “Welcome to our oasis! You’re welcome to stay until you are healed. Then you may return to your own settlement.”

***

For days Jayne roamed around the oasis. She is still trying to get used to her crutches. One thing she isn’t complaining about is the food. The oasis boasted heaps of potatoes and fruits. A lot of the huts farmed them. And of course, the amount of water.

This is what we came for.

Once Jayne stopped using the crutch, Cale took her out horse riding. They rode past the towering dunes and back out in the sand plains. The same sand plains where the goats are to run around, away from the oasis. Cale said it was to divert anyone from finding the water.

They pair would ride towards higher ground. Cale brings out his binoculars, “I’m checking for possible storms. I can’t predict the storm exactly but I can estimate where it will be, and how big it will be.”

Cale hands the binoculars to Jayne, “Look through it. There’s a large thunderhead cloud forming. Soon the wind will pick up.”

They rode once more, enduring the heat.

“How long do you plan on staying,” asked Cale.

Jayne was reluctant to answer, “Soon. I’m feeling better.”

“Good,” said Cale. “I’ll have to blind fold you on your way back to The Nehilion.”

Jayne stammers, “H-h-how did you know about The Nehilion?”

Cale stops and takes a deep breath, “I’m also from the Primas Mainlands… I was a soldier in one of its mobile fortresses, The Oasis.”

“Why did you leave?” asked Jayne.

“I’m not certain you’d understand… They are training you to be killers, Jayne,” Cale explains. “Those children our age that live in that oasis? I massacred their parents and took everything they owned!”

“But we are trained to provide food and water for everyone back home,” Jayne reasons.

“Your mind is diluted!” Cale shot back. “You are choosing your convenience and comfort over truth! You have the resources to take everything with force! I don’t want you to burden that guilt that I carried over the last two years!”

“So this is where we stand,” answered Jayne. “I'll prepare to leave… Let me at least say my goodbyes to Adela.”

***

The ride back to the oasis was silent. Cale was colder than the afternoon breeze and spoke no word.

Upon entering the oasis, both were welcomed with silence. Only the trickle of the water and the cattle can be heard. Everyone was in a state of melancholy. Jayne and Cale walked towards Adela’s hut.

“Did anyone die?” Jayne asked.

“Nobody yet!” said Mister Jackson emerging from Adela’s hut. He then went towards Jayne and ruffled her hair, “Well done, young cadet! You made us proud!”

Dozens of Nehilion soldiers emerge from the huts.

Inside the hut was a sobbing Adela, all bound up.

“Ungrateful bitch!” yelled Cale. “You led this monster into our home!”

Mister Jackson studies Cale’s face and chortles, “Well, what a surprise indeed. Word is that you and your rag tag group of outlanders buried the old fortress, The Oasis?”

“ I didn’t lead them here,” Jayne pleads to Cale.

Cale spats on Jayne, “I thought you were worth saving in that storm!”

Mister Jackson intervenes, “I hope I’m not getting in between this lovers’ quarrel, but I’m afraid Cale needs to be dealt with.” The Nehilion’s commanding officer struts towards Cale and cups the boy’s chin, “Boy, we shall tie you up, collect all the water. Then we will shoot all your friends while I torch this whole place!”

***

Hector and Jager’s squad has rounded up all the settlers of the oasis and tied them. Among the bounded settlers are Jayne and Cale.

The other captains loaded hundreds of barrels from the lake. For sure Wagner was put to work. They await for The Nehilion’s arrival.

“Well done my boys!” praised Mister Jackson, as he places his hands around Hector and Jager. “What says we torch this place up?”

“Agreed!” snickered Jager.

Mister Jackson strolled around the bounded settlers, “I’ll save at least one of you. One of you can go home with me.” He crouched down to one of the settlers. The settlers jerked back in fright. As Mister Jackson was to touch one of the settlers, a loud bang filled the air.

The commanding officer of The Nehilion drops face down. Mister Jackson’s face was expressionless, but the back of his head was engorged out in crimson pulp.

Above Mister Jackson’s body stood Jager, holding a rifle.

“Just as planned,” smiled Hector. The captain looks at his squad and commands, “Untie everyone!” Hector rushes to Jayne and unsheathes a knife and begins cutting her rope.

“Not so fast,” halted Jager, shifting his aim at Hector. “Plans change. I pulled the trigger, therefore I’m the shot caller.”

Hector was halfway cutting Jayne’s bound. He leaves the knife on the ground. He was slow to rise up with his hands in the air, “You’re out of your mind, Jager.”

Jager prompts Hector to step away from the prisoners.

The other captains were confused on who to side with.

Jayne began tapping around for the knife that Hector left, but it was too far for her reach. She tried to wiggle without being caught, finding the knife.

“Be still. I found it,” whispered Cale. He leaned next to Jayne and felt her hand. Jayne held Cale’s hand in place, letting his fingers work the knife behind their backs.

Her hands are loose, and she did the same for him.

“As of this moment, I am the commanding officer of The Nehilion!” declared Jager. “We go as planned… torch the area!”

With his other hand, Jager flicked a lighter, and threw it at one of the huts.

Hector grabbed his chance and tackled Jager down the floor.

The other captains fought amongst each other, telling their squad to open fire, while the huts blazed. The flames spread in an infernal wave.

Jayne finished cutting Cale loose. They both crouched down avoiding the crossfire.

Cale grabs the knife, “I have to take the rest of the settlers to safety.” He begins cutting everyone else loose.

Jayne tries to look for Hector and Jager, as the two captains are still grappling for possession of the rifle.

Bodies of soldiers begin to sprawl out by the lake side. Poor Wagner didn’t make it, as he took one to the neck. Jayne takes cover by the one of the unburnt huts. She crept closer to the two captains.

The rifle was a few inches from both Hector’s and Jager’s reach. Hector manages to mount Jager but snuck a knee strike between Hector. Jager pushes Hector away to crawl towards the rifle, but Hector rises up, grabs Jager by the waist, and pulls Jager back to the ground.

Hector held Jager for as long as could. He then sees Jayne creeping by the huts.

“Take the shot, Jayne! That’s an order!” yelled Hector.

Jayne picks up the rifle and aims at Jager.

Frozen Jayne.

“Do it!!!” Hector yells once again.

Jayne grips the rifle tight and squeezes the trigger.

Both captains stopped grappling and laid still.

***

The sun rises and flames die out. The filled barrels did prove useful in putting out the flames. Adela tended to the wounded while the carcasses were carried off to a pit, where the settlers dug at the edge of the oasis.

Save for Captain Hector’s body, which lay still to where Jayne shot him and Jager.

Jayne knelt by Hector's side.. She cried all her tears for the rest of the night, but she felt she could give more. All she had left was soft whimpers and swollen eyes.

Cale sat next to her in silence.

“Alright… I think I’m ready to bury him,” said Jayne. “I don’t want to waste anymore time crying. The Nehilion is coming here soon. We need to be prepared.”

Cale gave her a warm smile, “I doubt that… The storm we saw earlier will eventually swallow up The Nehilion on route here.”

“What makes you so certain?” Jayne asks.

Cale answers, “That’s how we sank The Old Oasis fortress… Those tall dunes that protect this settlement? Beneath the sand is that old mobile fortress.”

“That’s why you call this place, The Oasis,” realized Jayne.

“So take time to mourn for your captain. He is a great soldier,” said Cale.

“Cale…” Jayne muttered, “Is there a name for this desert plains?”

“No… No one really gave it a name as far I’ve been here,,” Cale shakes his head.

Jayne rose up to her feet, “We should call these lands, The Nehilion then.”