War Memories

August Prompt: Inspirational
Word Count: 1,997

War Memories

     “It’s a war that we should never have gotten involved in. A war that we are only in because we do business with both Momna and Thounis.” Kevom sat in his hover chair in front of a group of sixty fifteen-year-olds.

     “Since we do business with both planets we couldn’t choose just one to fight for. So we fight against them both. Pretending to be the other planet while doing it. Except for the space battles. Those we have to fight as Rannons. Our objective is to end this war as quickly as possible.”

     “Unfortunately, this war has been going on for almost fifty years. Now the belief is that this war is going to continue for another twenty-five to fifty years. I am here to teach you how to survive this war.”

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     Kevom sat in front of a Video Monitor not watching the Announcer on it talking about the latest about the war. His head sagged to the side and his arms dangled over the arms of his chair. He didn’t even react when his almost fifteen-year-old sister came into the living area.

     Teona placed some Data Pads on a table next to the living area entrance then stood in front of the Video Monitor. “You haven’t done anything since I left for the Learning Center earlier today.”

     “Why should I.” Kevom continued looking down at his legs.

     “You need to stop feeling so low. You’ve been acting like this ever since you came back from the war two months ago.”

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     “Can anyone tell me why we call our space fighters Sun fighters?” Kevom scanned his new Warriors. Names started appearing above their heads.

     Kevom pointed at Gorni. “I believe you were the first to respond to my question.”

     Gorni swiveled her chair around then got up to face Kevom. “They are called that because they get their power from the sun for their space travel and their weapons.”

     “I’m sure you have all seen them in War Updates. Most of the fighting has happened on Momna or Thounis, but there have been about forty space battles over the years. Has anyone ever been in a Sun Fighter?”

     No one’s names appeared. “That’s okay, you will soon enough. I’m not here to teach you how to fly them. I am here so that you don’t end up Challenged like me.”

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     Teona squatted to down to pick up some food. “You shouldn’t be doing that. I’m the one who dropped it. I should be the one to pick it up.”

     “I know you can do it yourself. It’s just easier and faster if I do it.” Teona finished scooping up the food with her hands then she emptied it into a tall metal can. The can started a munching sound.

     Kevom brushed the rest of his food onto the floor. “I don’t need any help, and I don’t want it.”

     “Yes, you do. You’re just too independent to admit it or accept it. You have changed a lot in the last two months. Your appearance is much better and so are your feelings about life, but you still need a lot of help.”

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     A Laser Spear came flying out of some wooded area and struck an armed male in his chest. Just before it struck him he turned toward it because of a faint whistling sound.

     The female walking next to him also turn and fired a single Laser Bolt from her weapon just before getting hit in her neck by another Laser Spear. She shot two more bolts as she fell backward. The two bolts hit the top of a tree.

     Almost right below that tree, a group of individuals came charging out with weapons out and firing at anyone with a weapon. Laser Spears and Bolts flew everywhere as a battle began.

     “For Thounis.” Kevom continued running as he glanced in the direction of Jakin.

     “Death to all Momnan Warriors.” Kevom glanced in the other direction at Yelta.

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     Vallinia kept looking at Kevom as she pumped his right leg toward his chest. No response on his face. She lowered that leg, and straightened it out, back down hard. Still no reaction. Going to the other side of that table Vallinia did the same thing to his left leg. Once again nothing.

     After picking up a Data Pad on a small table next to Kevom Vallinia tapped it several times then looked at it. “This doesn’t look good.”

     Kevom opened his eyes and looked at Vallinia. “Did you just say something?”

     “I did. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good. You have been coming to these Leg Exercises for seven months now and you still haven’t made any progress. I hate saying this, but it doesn’t look like you are ever going to be able to walk again.”

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     “You need to get some help. I can’t be the only one to do it anymore. It’s been eight months, and I can’t take it anymore. Especially this last month. Ever since you found out about your legs not being able to let you walk again it has been even worse.”

     Teona was leaning over Kevom with her hands on the arms of his hover chair. “All you do every day is sit here watching War Updates. I’m fifteen now. I’ll be joining the war soon. What is going to happen to you when that happens?”

     Kevom suddenly perked up at Teona. “You’re not going anywhere. I won’t let you. You don’t have to anymore because of me being Challenged. I’m your way out of this war.”

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     A Sun Fighter speeded between three Star Fighters and four SpaceFighters. Spinning sideways firing Laser Balls out of its nose cone continuously. One by one all seven exploded.

     That Sun Fighter suddenly stopped. It slowly spun around as though it was scanning the fierce space battle that was going on between Momna and Thounis. The spinning stopped on the other side of the battle. That Sun Fighter speeded to that side to destroy six Star Fighters and five SpaceFighters.

     The Sun Fighter started scanning again. It stopped when it spotted another Sun Fighter being chased by a Star Fighter and a SpaceFighter. That Sun Fighter swerved out of the way seconds before being hit. The scanning Sun Fighter speeded off in that direction. It almost got there when its back end suddenly exploded.

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     Kevom hovered into the living area and practically fell out the back of his hover chair when he suddenly stopped. He looked angry as he briefly glanced at the three males and three females sitting in his living area. “What’s going on?”

     Teona stepped up behind him and pushed him into the living area. “These individuals are here to help you adjust to living in a hover chair for the rest of your life.”

     “I have told you a million times I don’t need any help.” Kevom looked at Teona then back at the six individuals. “You aren’t needed here.”

     “They aren’t going anywhere. You need help, and they are here to talk to you about that help. There is a lot of help out there. All you need to do is ask for it.”

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     “I thought this place was supposed to be a Weapon Manufacturing plant.” Jakin led a group of fifteen Warriors down a long hallway.

     “For Momna.” Yelta was right behind Kevom when she shouted that.

     Kevom glanced at Yelta as he continued walking flat again the wall down that hallway. “Would you stop doing that. Every time someone shouts that it endangers our success.”

     Yelta didn’t say anything else. No one did. After about a minute Jakin stepped past a closed entrance that suddenly opened. Jakin didn’t even have a chance to bring up his weapon when a Laser Bolt sent him into the opposite side of that hallway.

     The next Warrior in line did a roll by to get on the other side of the entrance, and the following two practically crawled very quickly to get to the other side. Once there both sides started firing Laser Balls into that room. Another battle had just begun.

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     Kevom’s face crinkled up as he fought back the pain. He opened his mouth and started to scream, but stopped himself. Instead, he pushed his left foot down on a large metal box which caused his right foot to rise up on another one.

     Vallinia wrote something down on her Data Pad then looked up at Kevon standing with his arm on metal bars sticking out and his feet going up and down on metal boxes. “That’s enough Foot Lifts for today. Let’s try a few Leg Pushes.”

     “I’m getting better, right?” Kevom evened out the metal boxes then hovered slightly above them. He floated over to a metal Sleeper and laid down on it.

     “Yes, you are. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great, but why the sudden change in attitude?”

     Kevom smiled. “Because I’m going back into this war, and I can’t do that without my legs.”

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     The entrance to Kevom’s residence opened, and Kevom hovered into it. Teona was waiting just inside that entrance. “How did your Leg Exercises go today?”

     “I thought I was getting better, and I am, but it’s not good enough.” Kevom looked up at Teona with a sad look. “Vallinia said that at the pace I am going I should be walking again by the end of the year. That’s the good news. The bad is that I will never be a Rannon Warrior again.”

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     “We don’t know how this war began. It started so long ago they might not even know why. A lot of Rannons believe it probably started over something stupid. Like a dispute over a bad business deal. That’s how we got involved in this war.”

     Kevom hovered up and down the rows of new Warriors. Looking at each one as he floated past them. “Both sides wanted us to help them. We couldn’t do that. They didn’t know what to do. One option was not to get involved at all.”

     “That’s what we were going to do. Then one of them, we’re still not sure which one, attacked us. That did it. We got involved, but we still didn’t want to choose sides. So it was decided to stop this war by going to war with both sides.”

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     Teona glanced over her shoulders at Kevom. She shook her head sadly seeing Kevom sitting in his hover chair sagging and dangling again. Only now he had his Warrior uniform, that didn’t look like it at been cleaned in years, on. Teona returned to looking at the Data Monitor aka the Video Monitor.

     “As you can see he’s even worse than before. He’s given up completely. There’s more to the war than the war itself. Kevom could still be a part of it if he wanted to, but he doesn’t. I don’t what to do. What should I do? Help me to help him.”

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     “At first, I wasn’t going to take this opportunity, but after seeing the latest Warriors about to join this war I changed my mind. It wasn’t spontaneous. I took several days before I make it.” Kevom sat in front of his new Warriors again.

     “All I could think about was all the battles I was in. Especially the battle that put me in this hover chair. Every other memory I had was involved that battle. I don’t want what happened to me, and millions of other like me, to happen to anyone else I agreed to this opportunity.”

     “I didn’t agree to teach you how to fight. There are others that are going to do that. I’m here to help you how to survive this war. Especially the space battles.”

     “There’s another reason why I am doing this. I saw the list of new Warriors I would be teaching first, and there was no way I was going to let her end up like me or worse.” Kevom pointed at his little sister Teona.