The Ousland Uprising

Vosper was awakened by the jolt of his train car going over a bump. He leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair and stared out the window. Vosper was a tall, skinny man with long dirty blonde hair. The cumbersome armored train lumbered down the bumpy frontier rails, there was massive trees that went on for miles on both sides of the tracks, most of them were going to be cut down for harvest in the near future. Vosper was a Bush-Ranger, tasked with trekking out into the wild and uncharted frontier for woods-warfare. At one point he fought for his home country; Ousland.

Five years ago Ousland was recognized as an independent nation, until a power hungry imperial regime called The Boarality Federation invaded the small backwoods nation. The war between Ousland and The Boarality Federation went on for three bloody years, the Bush-Rangers fought alongside the Native Harddeen; a sentient spices of two legged humanoids. The Harddeen species resembled a cross between humans and animals, complete with a coat of fur, claws, a few sharp teeth and had extremely good hearing and smelling. Together, the Rangers and Natives fought bravely against the better equipped Federal Soldiers but were eventually forced into surrender. Immediately after the war, the Federation forced the Bush-Rangers to enlist into the Federation. To keep the Rangers from rebelling, the Federation took their families as prisoner, including Vosper’s wife. Instead of surrender the Harddeen retreated deep into the Ousland Frontier, and formed a shaky truce with the Borality Federation.

Vosper glanced up, sitting near him were three Boarality Soldiers all armed with automatic rifles and clad in heavy looking body armor. He didn't know these men, but he hated them regardless.

"What's your name, Bushman?" One of the soldiers asked

"Vosper BuckLee, sir"

The Federal soldier had an arrogant grin on his face

"Tell me Vosper, how's your family doing?"

Vosper scowled at the soldier who then burst out laughing.

"Cheer up Ranger. A few more years of service and who knows? Maybe you'll see them again." The soldier’s comment was followed by another burst of laughter.

Vosper was seriously considering pulling out his heavy-caliber revolver and shooting the soldier between the eyes. The thought of what would happen to his wife Serendipity is what kept his pistol in its holster. He turned away from them and looked into the distance. Their train was heading to an isolated town known as Okensburg located hundreds of miles away from civilization deep in the Ousland frontier. It was the last town to hold out against the Boarality Federation during the war. Now it was the home of the Federation's notorious prison, and served as an aerodrome for launching massive zeppelin airships. At one point, it was also Vosper's home town.

They arrived shortly before dark. The train's engine shunted and hissed to a stop and they all hopped out. It was the first time he had been in Okensburg since the war ended. So much had changed, he could barely recognize his home town. Many of the prewar buildings had been destroyed during the war or demolished after. His house was among them, a vehicle refueling station stood where his house used to be. Almost half of the town had been bulldozed to make room for the massive prison complex that loomed over the town or for the zeppelin aerodrome. Vosper's heart sank as he took in his newly industrialized town. He needed a drink. Surprisingly the towns bar was still standing.

The next morning he got up and reported to the Town Hall which now served as the headquarters for the Boarality military units stationed in the town. After checking his weapons in, he walked into the main office. Sitting behind a large desk was a woman dressed in a stylish Boarality military uniform. She had an angular face and a tight, neatly kept bun. She was intently focused on the papers on her desk and didn't seem to notice him. Vosper cleared his throat to get her attention. She didn't look up, she simply snapped her fingers at him and said

"You. Sit."

She pointed to a chair and he sat down.

"Vosper BuckLee, Nice of you to join us. My name is Commander Montaigne Viscera. I'm the superior officer here as well as the prison warden. I believe your wife Serendipity is in my prison right now."

Upon hearing her name he stood up and said "Is she ok?"

Viscera spitefully smiled "You can find that out soon enough. Just keep doing what you've been doing. As of right now I have an assignment for you."

He frowned and signed "Let's hear it"

Viscera looked up and made eye contact with Vosper for the first time

"Watch your tone with me boy. Disrespect me again and I'll slice her throat from ear to ear."

"My apologies ma'am. You were saying?" Vosper said through grit teeth

"That's better. I need you to go out on a recon mission to the far north of here. We're planning on establishing an outpost there."

"Isn't that Harddeen territory?"

"That's correct. Is there a problem with that?"

"I'd be trespassing on their land..."

She laughed as if Vosper had told her a joke

"Do you think I give a rat's ass about those inhuman savages? They're animals! You will do as you're told. Go to the north, take note of anything out of the ordinary and report back here. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. A gun-truck will drive you up the road a ways and a Federation Soldier will accompany you. Dismissed."

Vosper's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. He wanted to grab the woman by the neck and scream "WHERE IS SHE?!" into her face but knew what would happen to Serendipity if he did. Just before he exited the hallway Viscera looked up and said:

"Oh and one more thing..."

Vosper was on the other side of the doorway and halfway down the hallway when he turned around

"Serendipity... She's doing well."

Vosper stared at her blankly for a while. It was something about the way she said it that infuriated him.

"Dismissed..."

Vosper kept staring her down, not moving or saying anything

"I said dismissed. Get out of my office."

"I'm not in your office ma'am." He said before turning around and walking out.

He stocked up on ammunition, took a flash-stun grenade and some food for the recon mission then headed to the motor depot. The Boarality soldier who was going with him was a massive beast of a man, with broad shoulders and biceps like tree stumps. His entire body was covered in thick armor and he was armed with a massive belt-fed machine gun and automatic handgun. Vosper's slim frame and weapons were small in comparison. The two of them regarded each other with much trepidation for a minute before the soldier said

"You Vosper?"

"Yeah."

"The name's Krauser. If you're done dicking around let's get going."

"You sure you want to carry all that heavy armor and that big-ass gun? We're going to be hiking a long way..."

The soldier rolled his eyes "I think I can handle it. I'd rather have this MAN'S gun than your little pea- shooters" He motioned to Vosper's weapons.

Unlike the unreliable machine guns troopers used, Rangers had a preference for simple yet robust leaver-action rifles and revolvers. Vosper carried a short-barreled, .52 caliber leaver-action rifle with a side mounted scope. His sidearm was a long .40 caliber revolver that had a small single-shot .20 gauge shotgun attachment under the barrel. His guns looked like toys in comparison.

Without further delay the two of them boarded an armored truck and began their journey north. Vosper knew the road they were traveling on; after The Federation captured Okensburg the rangers tried to use this road to escape into the woods, but were ambushed by Federation Flamethrower troopers. Vosper's heart shot up into his throat when he saw the charred skeletons of his fellow rangers. It disgusted him that their bodies were just left to rot for two years and never given a proper burial. The area around the blackened bones was completely devoid of vegetation, the flamethrower's chemicals poisoned the soil and now plants refused to grow there.

It took them the better part of a day to get to the end of the road. The truck stopped and they dismounted.

"I'll pick you up in a two days." The driver said and turned around

Vosper looked at Krauser

"Lets get to it." He said and began hiking into the woods

"Do you even know what we're looking for?"

"Anything out of the ordinary."

"What does that even mean?"

They hiked for only one hour before the soldier needed a break. He stood there panting with sweat dripping off his face.

"How do you do that?" He said in-between breaths

"Do what?"

"Walk for so long?"

"I don't weight myself down with heavy armor and fancy guns." Vosper said lighting a cigarette

As he waited for the soldier to catch his breath he suddenly heard something. It was the sound of a twig breaking. He could feel a distant pair of eyes watching him

"Quite!" He sharply whispered

"Don't tell me what to do Bushman!" The soldier snapped

"Shhh! You're making too much noise."

"I don't take orders from a dirty-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP. They're watching us..."

The soldiers face suddenly turned white

"Who's watching us?" The Soldier whispered

"The Harddeen."

"What do those savages want?" The soldier said gripping his machine gun

"They probably want to know why two humans with guns are trespassing on their land..."

"It's not like they'll try anything... Will they?" The soldier say with evident fear in his voice

"They might. We are on THEIR land. Lets move out."

The soldier followed closely behind him and jumped in fright every time he heard something. Ahead of them was a steep valley passage. Vosper stopped and looked at it.

"That's a good spot for an ambush. You stay here and I'll scout ahead."

Before the soldier could protest Vosper was already climbing up the side of the valley. He knew the Native Harddeen wouldn't attack unless provoked so he wasn't too worried about an ambush. The real reason he was scouting ahead was to get some alone time on the frontier.

People of Ousland used to be very in touch with nature before the Boarality invasion. It also felt good to get away from the ignorance of the Federation soldier. He reached the top and looked out over the endless miles of trees. He knew that if the Federation made their outpost here the entirety of the forest would be cut down.

Suddenly he heard Krauser shouting at someone. He listened carefully then heard the rapid crackle of an automatic rifle. He rushed down the side of the hill, sticking to the cover of trees to keep hidden. The loud shooting continued but then abruptly stopped followed by Krauser screaming in pain. Vosper opened the breech on his rifle to make sure it was loaded then pumped the gun shut.

When he reached the bottom of the hill he saw three dead Natives on the ground, they were still clutching their long-bows and crossbows, all were riddled with gunshot wounds. Krauser was also on the ground, he had been hit with so many spears and arrows he looked like a porcupine. His jammed and overheated machine gun lay smoking beside him. Several of the a crossbow's arrows had punctured in-between his armor's steel plates and pierced into his chest. Bloody foam bubbled out of his mouth when he tried to breathe. Vosper knew the soldier wouldn't make it. Krauser looked up at him with bloodshot and red-rimmed eyes

"Kill me..." He gurgled

Without hesitation, Vosper drew his pistol and shot the wounded man in the head. He stood there for a second and thought about how he didn't even think twice to kill a man, even if it was a mercy killing. He holstered his pistol and turned around to continue his mission. As soon as he did he realized he was surrounded by six Harddeen warriors.

They had bodily features of both human and animal; they walked upright on two legs but also had a coat of fur. Their faces had a slight resemblance to a human's, but was predominantly more animal-like, reminiscent of a feline or canine. They all carried either a long bow or some kind of crossbow. Each of them wore short baggy pants or something resembling a loin cloth, the males were shirtless and the females wore small sleeveless shirts to cover their chests. What appeared to be the leader stepped forward and glared at Vosper, he had a canine-like face and was an entire foot taller than Vosper.

"What's a Boarality Trooper and an Ousland Bush-Ranger doing in our territory? The truce said neither side would trespass... Let alone shoot us on our own land!" He roared

"I didn't have anything to-"

"SILENCE! You Ouslanders betrayed us and whored yourselves out to the Federation!" He said and they all moved a little closer

"We didn't have a choice!" Vosper protested but they didn't seem too care

One of them snuck up behind him and put a knife to his neck, his muscles tensed up when he felt the knife's cold steel

"Give me the gun..." The warrior said, this one sounded like a female. He vaguely recognized the voice, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where

She grabbed his rifle out of his hands and tossed it into the bushes then stepped back

"You humans with your guns and your bombs and your poisons... You're kind is all the same... We could smell you since you got here, you humans always reek of gunpowder and oil" The leader said snarling and raised a crossbow

Vosper didn't want to fight them, in the war they used to be allies. He looked at the leader and said

"Forgive me"

He pulled out the pin to a flash-stun grenade and covered his ears. The Harddeen spices had an outstanding sense of hearing and eye sight so the stun-grenade's bright and loud blast deafened and blinded them for a moment. In a heartbeat he hauled out his pistol and cocked it as he drew. The leader was still recoiling from the flash grenade when Vosper shot him through the chest. The female warrior that took his rifle swung at the ranger with a tomahawk but he ducked in time to evade it, he then caught her wrist and threw her aside. As he gained some distance away from her he was able to get a very brief glimpse at her face, he knew he had seen this warrior before but didn't know where. The other four drew back arrows on their bows and released them. One of the arrows hit him in the fleshy under side of his arm and he screamed aloud.

Vosper leveled the pistol at the archery-warrior and fired the small single-shot shotgun mounted under the pistol barrel. Buckshot peppered the warrior and wounded him before the Ranger killed him with two more pistol shots. The female warrior rushed at him and used the tomahawk to knock the pistol out of his hand. With incredible skill and speed she jumped into the air and kicked him in the chest with both feet; the air was knocked out of his lungs and he gasped for breath as he stumbled back and fell over. She sprang forward to finish him off with her hatchet but he was able to roll out of the way.

He quickly got to his feet and scrambled away. He needed a gun, trying to fight a Harddeen Warrior hand to hand was suicide. He then noticed the automatic pistol still in Krauser's holster. He ran over and grabbed it, pointed it at the closest warrior and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

The warrior shot him in the leg with another arrow. Vosper grit his teeth and limped back and tried to shoot but the pistol refused to fire. He tried cocking the gun but it still wouldn't work. Vosper had never been trained to use automatic weapons. The warrior who shot him smiled as he drew back another arrow to finish the job. That's when Vosper noticed the small switch on the side of the gun labeled "SAFETY." He pushed the switch down with his thumb revealing the word "FIRE" in bold red letters. He pulled the trigger, this time the gun roared to life with a three round automatic burst, cutting down the warrior, the gun's recoil almost knocked Vosper over. The Ranger then turned the gun on the rest of the warriors. He held the trigger down in an uninterrupted burst of gunfire, killing another two.

The female warrior was the only one left. She backed up as he pointed the machine-pistol at her. The gun only made a clicking noise when he pulled the trigger. He dropped the empty automatic pistol. His revolver was laying on the ground between them.

There was a few seconds of silence as the Ranger and Warrior looked at the gun between them, then looked up at each other. They both simultaneously dashed for the revolver, but even with a wounded leg Vosper was a little faster. The warrior was only four feet away when he put the gun in her face and thumbed the hammer back. She froze and held her breath.

For someone who knew they were about to die, she was incredibly well composed. Her face was completely devoid of fear in a dignified and defiant expression. Out of all the killing he had done, either Human or Harddeen, she was the most fearless of them all. He stared at her for a moment and realized who the warrior was. Vosper gently un-cocked the hammer and lowered the gun. He remembered this warrior, the two of them used to be on a first name basis. They had fought alongside each other many times in the war between Ousland and the Boarality Federation.

She exhaled in relief when he lowered the pistol. Before she could ask him why he didn't shoot her, he took of his wide brimmed Stetson hat that was obstructing his eyes so she could get a better look at his face. She recognized him instantly

"Vosper!?" She exclaimed

"Hello Moon..." He said and flipped the pistol around before he bashed her in the face with the butt of it, knocking her out cold.