Fox Tales - Kiyoko's Lesson

[TheRealBigBoss]

Yeah, so I missed JAZCASH's art competition because I was busy working and stuff (sorry man :'( ). I rushed what I was doing for it anyway, some quick concept art of two Cog soldiers, Mortis Clay and Seth Marshal. They're another two members of Kiyoko's squad (a female gear concept I did some time ago). And I wanted to do a short story to give them some character and show people what they're like. And that's what this is.

Anyways, this is basically chapter one of a short story about a squad of Gears designation Fox (Foxtrot? Not cool). But unlike my other stuff which I consider fairly safe and conservative this is pretty dark and bleak. When playing through Gears, I remember thinking that The Coalition Of Ordered Governments seemed a little right wing, you know, a little fascist. I also remember wondering why the stranded were so hostile to the Gears, I was thinking, "Why are these dudes ragging on us? We're the good guys!". And those thoughts led to this story. The reasons behind what happens in the story are explained more in chapter two (which I'm still working on).

WARNING - SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS ONLY!

Yeah, I think it's fair to warn people that this isn't a warm fuzzy action adventure (check Hannah's story, The Survivor for that kind of thing). It focus's on a darker side of the Gears universe. A side which certainly could exist, given what we know. But should it ever be highlighted? Probably not in any official way, but in a fan fic it seems okay to try other things. I found parts of it tough to write and I sure hope no one is offended by any of it, because it was never meant to cause any offense. If that's the case then I apologize in advance.

If you want to know just want Kiyoko looks like here's the link....

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/sho...d.php?t=574863

And if you're curious about how Marshal and Mortis look here's the link to that too....

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/sho...=574863&page=2

If you want to know what Diego looks like, well, you'll just have to wait. I ran out of time on that one.

And that's it. If anyone made this far, then well done and I hope you enjoy the story. All feedback is welcome too!

Gears Of War

Fox Tales - Kiyoko's Lesson.

Chapter One.



A bright full moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the broken landscape. The scattered remains of shattered buildings and crumbling debris were all that remained of the once beautiful cities and towns surrounding Jacinto Plateau. Kiyoko stared into the vast black crater in the distance, a reminder that it wasn't the Locust who had scorched these places with powerful weapon satellites, it was the COG, it was people that burned the world, not the monsters. Lieutenant Marshal's voice com crackled into life. Kiyoko however couldn’t hear what the operations director was saying, only Marshal's response.

"Intercept and eliminate.... understood.". The last word seemed to be uttered with a certain hesitation. Unusual for Marshal. He ran a gloved hand slowly through his bleached hair, before turning to address the squad.

"Form up.". Kiyoko, Mortis and Diego gathered round their CO.

"So? When’s the Raven due? This sh*t was a complete waste of f*ckin' time.", Diego asked, not trying to hide the frustration and anger he felt. But then, Diego always seemed angry and frustrated. He was right though. They had been sent to check on possible seismic activity in this area, an indication that the Locust may be attempting a new attack on Jacinto. In the end it turned out to be nothing more than a massive collapse of a network of old Locust tunnels. Like Diego said, a waste of time. Marshal however, shot him a glance that quickly silenced him, and Mortis smiled at that, his scarred face looking more demonic than ever in the moonlight.

"We've been given a new objective to complete before we head back.", Marshal continued. "A bunch of stranded are making their way toward Jacinto in a large truck, coming through the Reamer pass. We got about forty minutes before they reach the junction at Eastmore. We're to intercept them and eliminate. No survivors."

"F*ckin' A! Finally! Some goddamn action! Let's go then, c'mon muthaf*cka's, let's hit that sh*t!". Diego always got a rush from combat situations, it was just the quiet moments he couldn't handle. It was slightly at odds given his handsome features, which even the gang tattoo above his right eye didn't detract from.

"Hold on a minute Diego.". Kiyoko interrupted, she focused on Lt. Marshal. "Sir. Why are we being asked to target civilians?". Marshal just stared at her for a moment or two, perhaps trying to read something in her expression, or her body language. Judging by the scowl that formed on his grizzled face, he hadn't read anything he liked.

"These orders come direct from Colonel Gurant himself. That's all you need to know. Now let's move out.". And with that, he turned and walked off. Diego checked his lancer rifle, he turned his head to Kiyoko and grinned widely.

"Yeah baby, it's f*ckin' goooooooo time.". And then he followed after Lt. Marshal. Kiyoko remained still, watching them go. She had a dark unapproving look on her face.

"Ki.". She turned to Mortis who had also yet to move. She raised her eyebrows as she did.

"Listen. Whatever problem you have with our orders. Just leave it behind you. Nothing good can come of it. You understand?". Maybe it was the soft expression in his eyes, curiously at odds the rest of his battle scarred face. Maybe the fatherly tone in his voice. Either way, Kiyoko always felt that Mortis and her had some sort of understanding. She had always felt that he was looking out for her in some way. She felt that now. Her face softened, and she nodded silently.

"Good girl.", he smiled. "Now let's get outta here."



They had made it to Eastmore junction in good time and managed to block the road using an old telephone pole. The plan was simple enough. The truck would have to stop so the stranded could clear the road. Kiyoko on the right side would take out the people in the front cab, and then eventually, the wheels. Diego would cover the back end of the truck with suppression fire, keeping the people inside. Finally Marshal and Mortis would toss two frags from the left, taking out the truck and it's passengers. They had taken up positions, and now, they waited.

Kiyoko pulled the hood of her poncho over her dark glossy hair. Marshal had suggested once that she get it cut, get it cropped tight. She had informed him that she was Kiyoko first, and a soldier second to which Marshal had just smiled sadly and said, "You'll learn.... someday.". She wondered sometimes what he had meant by that. But there was little doubt she was an effective soldier. An excellent markswoman, quick, agile and silent. Some had called her the Ghost Sniper. She was the first name on Marshal's list when he came looking for replacement squad members three years ago. Fox squad had a reputation for excellence, but they also had a reputation for being difficult. There were numerous rumors about them too. None of which had bothered or even interested Kiyoko. She focused only on the job at hand, in the end it was the only thing she had. A low whispered voice came over her com unit, it was Lt. Marshal....

"Target sighted, assume fire positions. Kiyoko, take the first shot when ready."

Kiyoko glanced down to road. A beat up, covered flat bed truck rumbled toward them. She leaned in against the short wall, making sure she had sufficient cover among the long dried grass. Diego hid among some rusted car wrecks some sixty feet or so from her. Marshal and Mortis were behind a collapsed bridge on the opposite side of the road, they were out of sight because the road was elevated on a slight embankment. It gave them the advantage of knowing that they wouldn't catch any of their squad with stray rounds. They could fire with impunity.

Finally the truck rumbled to halt as the driver sighted the pole blocking the road. The engine sputtered and coughed out smoke as it ground to a halt, but remained ticking over. Four or more people seemed to be packed into the trucks front cab. The doors creaked open and two men and a women jumped out. The driver, also a woman, remained behind the wheel. From what Kiyoko could see, left in the cab with the woman was a small child. Kiyoko chewed at her bottom lip, trying to regain some focus she narrowed her eyes and trained her lancer on the three people as they approached the pole. She took a breath as they lined up before the pole, waited for the right time and then squeezed the trigger twice firing two short bursts into them. The bullets ripped through the group, ripped through ragged clothes and frail bodies. As usual Kiyoko's aim was near perfect. The man closest to her dropped silently as bullets tore through his chest. The other two took rounds to the face and head killing them instantly. Kiyoko expertly swung her weapon to target the driver and unleashed a volley of fire at her. The woman bounced round in the cab as the shots peppered her body. Wild panicked screams came from the back of the truck. Out of the corner of her eye Kiyoko saw the flash of Diego's lancer rifle as he laid down incessant blanket fire on the back of the truck, pinning the occupants inside. The plaintive cries of the small child still alive in the front cab distracted Kiyoko momentarily but she continued to focus and targeted the trucks front wheel firing a couple of rounds into it. Air hissed out of bullet holes and the wheel quickly went flat. As it did so, two metallic objects slid under the truck, the grenades. Moments later the grenades exploded lifting one side of the truck some two feet off the ground rolling it onto it's side, a massive fire ball erupted as the fuel tank also went up in the explosion. It ripped away the tarp covering the back of the truck and Kiyoko watched as bodies spilled out down the embankment. Some of them engulfed in flames from the explosion. The cries of the dying, the wounded, the panic stricken echoed in the dead night air.

"Sh*t!", Kiyoko shouted and stood up. She swiftly targeted any of the survivors who tried to run, dropping them with short controlled bursts as she back tracked to Diego's position. Hearing the hideous pained screams of a woman, she turned in that direction. The woman’s lower body was covered in thick flames as she crawled from the burning wreckage of the truck, her screams were pitiful, anguished. Kiyoko pointed her lancer, and fired. Mercifully, the woman died instantly.

"Stop! Please! We're people!.... We're.... f*ckin' people!!!!". She jerked her rifle in the direction of the voice. It was a man, maybe forty years old, he was on his knees, tears streamed down his smoke streaked face. His arms reached out to her, as he pleaded with her to stop firing. Kiyoko took aim, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. When she opened her eyes again, the man was dead, lying face down in a pool of gathering blood. She forced herself to keep moving, searching, firing on anything that moved. Rounds from Diego's lancer tore into a target she had lined up in her sights, a man who had been scrambling up the embankment, his lifeless body rolled back down. As she looked around for other targets she spotted a small child, a girl, about five years of age sobbing beside the body of a dead woman. Even though the child's clothes were little more than rags, someone had taken the time to wrap her up warm against the cold, someone who cared for her, someone who loved her. The child's eyes locked with hers, and Kiyoko felt the terror, the fear, the despair that this little girl now felt. And as Kiyoko stared, she began to lower her weapon.

"Kiyoko! One on the road! One on the f*ckin' road!", screamed Diego over the voice com. She turned to look up along the road. Seeing a fleeing man half jogging up the road clutching at his injured leg, she shouldered her lancer. Aiming slowly and carefully for the head she fired a single round. A skull fragment flapped into the air as the bullet struck home, the body pitched forward onto the road, twitched twice, and then was still. Kiyoko turned back to where the small warmly wrapped child had stood, but her tiny body now lay sprawled lifelessly on the ground. She was dead. Marshal and Mortis had joined Diego and now all three of them emptied lancer fire into the remaining survivors. Kiyoko lowered her weapon and walked down to join them, as she did the gunfire started to die down, becoming more sporadic. And after a short time, it was finally over.




"This is Marshal. Target eliminated."

"Yeah, all confirmed kills. No survivors."

"Understood, we're on our way.". Marshal switched off his com unit and turned to address the others.

"A Raven will pick us up in front of the Liger Museum, ETA about twenty minutes. And nobody talks about the mission until we've been debriefed by Gurant, understood?"

"Man, what the f*ck? That's about two blocks from here."

"You'd rather walk home Diego?", snapped Marshal, his bright, ice blue eyes flashing menacingly.

"No sir. Let's go then. The smell here is killing me anyway. I'll take point, and yeah, got it, no talking. Hey I'm cool with that, f*ckin' flyboys ain't got sh*t worth talking about anyways man.". And with that Diego stormed off. Marshal ignored him and glanced in the direction of Mortis and Kiyoko.

"Mortis, Ki you ready?". Mortis nodded, but Kiyoko gave no response. Marshal noticed how withdrawn she seemed after they had taken out the stranded, and it looked as if he was about to say something to her. But, instead he just nodded his head and started off, leaving Mortis and Kiyoko trailing behind. They walked in silence through the moonlit rubble of a broken city, the taller buildings outlined in a soft blue haze. Mortis watched Kiyoko as she walked slightly ahead of him. Her head was down, her face covered by her dark curls, her shoulders slumped. Any other day she'd be alert, her dark, hawk like eyes constantly on the lookout for trouble. But, not today.

"Kiyoko.", Mortis said softly. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged him off, his fingers sliding uselessly down her poncho.

"Ki, we're just soldiers, we don't make the rules, we just play the game the way we're told. It's what keeps us alive. You understand, right?". Kiyoko didn't answer him, she just kept walking.

"And, you know, it's... it's okay to cry, I wouldn't think any less of you if you did.". Kiyoko stopped in her tracks. She stood there, silently for several moments then suddenly spun around to face him. There were no tears in her eyes, only the cold numbness of defeat.

"I have no more tears to cry old man, I used them all up in during my time being passed around from state institution to state institution. All those lonely, empty nights spent wondering if I even had a future, poor little Kiyoko, the little girl that nobody ever wanted. So you see I have no more tears to cry. Save your pity for our victims, I... I have no use for it.". Mortis stood and watched quietly as she walked off.

"I'm sorry Kiyoko, but... maybe this means you're one of us after all....", he whispered to himself sadly.

He looked up into the starry night sky. In the distance, the steady beat of a Raven's blades could be heard approaching.



End Chapter One.

[za Rocky]

I like this.

a lot

especially the bits that are cruel and disturbed, your squad has a very nicely expressed attitude and Kiyoko is pretty awesome. I hope you write more!

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Thanks. Yeah, with writing this stuff or even getting a chance to do some art it's always a question of time. But I'm most definitely going to do more stuff. And all the fan fics I do about Fox Squad and Kiyoko will be dark. It'll also be interesting to see them finally interact with Marcus, Dom, Baird and Cole too. But that might take a while. But it sure will be fun.

[Bate Mars]

Nice, that's probably one of the few fanfics I've truly enjoyed. The story tied itself together, didn't go too fast or slow, gave good detail, and flowed nicely.

Good job with the ideas, very original, and good job with the writing.

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Thanks, I usually re-read through and edit wherever I think it needs it to make sure it flows well, makes sense and has a nice balance between detail and story.

[capt dec]

Nice, that's probably one of the few fanfics I've truly enjoyed. The story tied itself together, didn't go too fast or slow, gave good detail, and flowed nicely.

Good job with the ideas, very original, and good job with the writing.

hmm thats because you joined before the fall of the twelve my friend they had probably some of the gretest fanfics ever written. but then some stuff happened between themnm and teh admin guys and almost all of em got banned look for threads made by Black Asgard if you can because his work is amazing

PS hey big boss is this the same FF you posted on CZ or is it diffrent?

[TheRealBigBoss]

hmm thats because you joined before the fall of the twelve my friend they had probably some of the gretest fanfics ever written. but then some stuff happened between themnm and teh admin guys and almost all of em got banned look for threads made by Black Asgard if you can because his work is amazing

PS hey big boss is this the same FF you posted on CZ or is it diffrent?

No, this is different. On CZ I posted The Survivor and the prologue for Convergence Day. This is a just quick short because I know some people just don't have the time to read something longer. So if theres a bunch of short stories grouped together it makes it easier for people to digest. (I hope).

Should be finished chapter two soon too. Which will complete this story.

[capt dec]

i see ok cool do keep writing i rather like your stuff

[Bate Mars]

I'm still waiting for a sequel to this one, or Hannah's fanfic lol.

Kinda late to say that now, but I still have hope you'll do em' .

[Theron Berserker]

awesome so far boss

[Carnage Soldier]

Yer thta was pretty good dude

[TheRealBigBoss]

I'm still waiting for a sequel to this one, or Hannah's fanfic lol.

Kinda late to say that now, but I still have hope you'll do em' .

No I'm still doing them.

The second part of this is very light on action and heavy on dialog which is causing some problems. And it's incredible bleak too, with no happy comfortable ending. But I'll try to get them finished soon as possible, one way or another. I'll post the second and final part of this story before the end of the week. Promise.

Thanks again to everyone for the comments. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this stuff, and I'm glad that people enjoy it.

[Theron Berserker]

this rox boss

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ LMAO....



(Sorry, couldn't resist a little revenge, lol. And hey, thanks. )

[Carnage Soldier]

choice bud

[TheRealBigBoss]

So finally got around to chapter two, which was supposed to conclude this story but it kinda took on a life of it's own, and yeah it is kinda short, but sometimes you do things in short bursts. So yeah, I'm gonna need so to a chapter three soon... *sigh*

Gears Of War

Fox Tales - Kiyoko's Lesson.

Chapter Two.


The journey back to Fronthills Academy in Jacinto had been made in virtual silence. One of the pilots had tried to start a conversation but Marshal gave him a look that let him know they were in no mood for small talk. Once the Raven touched down, they had been rushed through a de-briefing by General Gurant and his aide. Confidentiality papers had been brought out and that's when the trouble started.

"Hey man, what's this?", Diego asked, holding the papers up, staring at it, his brow furrowed.

"That's just a standard ND agreement son, sign it and hand it to Lt. Franklin.". The General gave him a hard look, his thick black eyebrows twitching and indicated to Lt. Franklin who stood beside him near the tent's entrance. Franklin tilted his square blond buzzed hair head, and smiled ever so slightly.

"ND? Hey Clay, Clay man, whats ND mean man?", Diego asked, nonchalantly slapping the back of his hand on Clay's arm. Clay raised his eyebrows at this, looking a little offended, but then he grinned.

"Non disclosure son. It means you agree not to talk about the mission, not to mention it in any logs or reports. Basically, you just forget it ever happened. Think you can grasp it now?"

"Sure man, no problem, I'm down.". Diego took a pen from the table and quickly scrawled his name along the bottom. Kiyoko however, scanned the document briefly, then pushed it away and absent mindedly glanced around the tent that served as a de-briefing room. General Gurant noticed this and stared in her direction, he moved his hand to his hip and rolled his unlit cigar round his mouth.

"You got a problem there sweetheart?", he asked in a gravely voice. Kiyoko looked at him from the corner of her eye for a moment, she then leaned forward in her seat to respond.

"Why aren't we allowed to talk about this? You afraid people will find out you ordered the murder of innocent civilians General?". General Gurant rolled his cigar again, then smiled at her.

"All you need to do is keep your mouth shut and your legs open sweetheart. Think your pretty little head can handle that?". Clay swiftly moved his hand to Kiyoko's under the table and held it tight to get her attention. He gave her a look and shook his head lightly. Her eyes blazed, but she bit her lower lip and held back. He then turned his attention to General Gurant.

"It's not a problem sir, we'll get these documents signed ASAP.". He said assuringly.

"You bet your ass you will Sargent.". Gurant then turned to Marshal, who stood beside him near the tent's entrance.

"I need to talk to you outside Lieutenant. After you, if you please.". He spoke the last part with a certain amount of unhidden sarcasm. Marshal nodded in compliance and walked outside. General Gurant gave one last meaningful look in Kiyoko's direction before following Marshal outside into the cold night air. Lt. Franklin burly shape hovered about at the tent entrance, his strong hands folded in front of him, dutifully waiting for the papers to be signed. Kiyoko didn't seem in any hurry to comply, but Sgt. Mortis Clay signed his and leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and waited expectantly. Several minutes passed. Diego stared hard at Kiyoko, eventually he began tapping his fingers on the table impatiently. But Kiyoko didn't seem to notice at all. Finally Deigo had had enough and leaned toward her.

"Just sign that f**kin' papers! What is your problem man? I don't give a rats ass about this sh*t man, I just wanna catch some goddamn f**kin' shuteye, aight?", he slumped back in his chair in exasperation. "F**K!", he shouted, slamming his fist on the folding table, more annoyed with his own lack of patience than anything else. He moved his hand to his chin, rested his jaw on it and stared blankly off to the side. Kiyoko rolled her eyes in his direction, then looked down at the document on the table before her and sighed audibly. She reluctantly reached for a pen, and finally signed her name. When she was done, she stood up, and caught Lt. Franklin's eye....

"Bullsh*t...", she said, to no one in particular. And with that she walked out of the tent. When she was gone Diego turned to Clay and smiled.

"Bitc*e's man... what the f**k do they know? Right?". Clay took his time to respond, he seemed lost in thought.

"Yeah, what do they know? What do they know....", he answered quietly, his brow furrowed. He seemed to drift off, his mind lost in thought.




Kiyoko had made her way back to the small room she shared at Fronthills with three other women. A Raven pilot (Rachael), and two clerks (Elissa and Beth).There weren't a whole lot of women serving as combat infantry troops. Kiyoko was lucky, she guessed. Once her test scores came back, they had little choice but to put in the infantry. She had good eyes and a steady hand. Her skill with firearms was undeniable. She always been mechanically minded, and with a little help from one of the engineers who worked on the Ravens she'd even been able to modify and customize a sniper rifle so it better suited her build. She had also improved the weapons accuracy, the only downside being the shortened range from cutting down the barrel length. As she walked into the room she noticed that both Elissa and Beth were asleep in their bunks. Rachael (as always) was up late reading technical manuals on the Ravens.

"Hey Ki, how did the mission go?", Rachael asked smiling softly. Kiyoko stood quietly for a moment, staring at the cracked tiled floor.

"It was... successful.", she answered without ever looking Rachael in the face. Rachael sat up on the edge of her bunk, blowing up at her fringe, when that failed to brush it out of her eyes, she pushed it aside with her hand.

"Hey... you uhh, you need a hand taking off that armor?". Kiyoko turned to her, and nodded slowly. She was so tired. She just wanted to lie down, close her eyes and sleep. Rachael stood up and began helping Kiyoko remove her COG armor, no matter how lightweight they said it was, it was just never light enough for Kiyoko's tastes. Just as they were finished and Kiyoko was carefully stowing the armor away, there was a knock at the door. Seconds later a female officer strode into the small room. She wore the standard gray uniform, including the long tailored jacket. The thing that struck Kiyoko as odd, was her hair and the make-up she wore. The womans hair was bleached a bright blond, almost white in a frizzy edged bob cut. Her eye make-up was dark, with thick black eye liner offsetting her bright green eyes. It seemed very strange, the COG preached propriety, especially in women. And in the military there were certain standards which you were obliged to observe.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something here private?", she asked coldly. Kiyoko stopped and turned to face her, standing a little straighter as she did so. Rachael also stiffened noticeable.

"No sir, just stowing my gear sir."

"Private Kiyoko Yumi? Yes? Get dressed, and make it quick. You have an appointment with Captain Spiers."

"Sir?", Kiyoko asked puzzled.

"Just do it private!", the woman snapped. "I'll wait outside.". And she walked right out the door.

"Ki, whats going on here?"

"Rachael I have no idea. I've never even heard of Captain Spiers.". Kiyoko grabbed her uniform off the rack and quickly started to get dressed as Rachael blew at her fringe nervously.

"It's kinda late for a de-brief don't you think?". Kiyoko didn't answer, just looked her Rachael, various thoughts rushing through her head as she slipped her blouse on and began doing up the buttons. Rachael nervously glanced at the door making sure it was closed. She then leaned forward slightly.

"Did you see her eyes? And her hair?", she whispered.

"I saw Rachael."

"Well, don't you think that it's a little odd? I mean sh*t! Even as a civilian that women would get disapproving stares, but as an officer in the COG? It just doesn't add up Ki."

"Look, Rachael I better go.". Rachael sighed, she reached out and held Kiyoko's hand, shaking it gently.

"Well listen, you take care Ki, you hear.". Kiyoko pulled her hand away embarrassed, and nodded awkwardly to Rachael as she left. She closed the door quietly behind her, seeing something in Rachael's eyes as she did so. A pained look? Almost sorrowful? Whatever she saw there, it unsettled her. The sound of clapping caused her to turn. The female officer with the bleached hair was clapping slowly, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

"About damn time. Straighten that blouse, you look like complete sh*t. Now come on, follow me.", she ordered striding off her head held high, her walk precise as she swung her hips from side to side. Kiyoko, shaking her head, caught up with her.

"Sir, what is this all about?". The officer glanced at her briefly before speaking.

"Captain Spiers will explain everything in good time private.". Neither woman spoke again until they reached the lift. Then the officer spun toward Kiyoko and, with a wide grin on her face proudly declared...

"Ahh, the lift. Going down private?", she slid her hand along the lift door frameway, stretching her fingers out as she did.

"Sir? The basement? Isn't that just for files and records, storage? That kind of thing?"

"It's quiet down there private, peaceful. Captain Spiers doesn't like to be disturbed while he works. Here we go.", the lift doors opened and she stepped inside, Kiyoko followed. The officer then hit the button for the basement, while Kiyoko's mind raced. None of this made sense. This woman not only looked strange, but she acted very strange too, nothing like a COG officer. And now they were headed to the basement? Kiyoko understood that space was at a premium at the academy, with tents and pre-fabricated buildings providing much needed extra room but, there was nothing in the basement except filing cabinets and equipment, ammo and supplies, spare parts. Something strange was going on....

To be continued...

All comments welcome, even you hated it. But I'd be a heck of a lot happier if you liked it though.

[ShadowHunter]

Its really good.
When will the next chapter come?

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Right now actually.

Gears Of War

Fox Tales - Kiyoko's Lesson.


Chapter Three.


As the lift ground and stuttered to a halt at the basement Kiyoko looked over at the female officer. Her insignia designated her as a 2nd Lieutenant.

"Who are you... exactly? And what unit are you stationed with?", Kiyoko asked. The woman rolled her eyes before answering.

"2nd Lt. Natalia Blain. And I work for the department of Military Intelligence, The CMI. There, happy now?"

"But whats the CMI want with me?"

"Listen, private. I'm not here to hold your hand, or babysit you. So save your questions for Captain Spiers, understood?", the Lt. snapped. Kiyoko nodded glumly. They walked in silence around the labyrinthine corridors of the basement of Front Hills Academy for some minutes, before finally reaching a heavy metal door. It was old, stained and rusty. 2nd Lt. Natalia Blain knocked, before pushing it open slowly, the door groaned and creaked as she did. She motioned for Kiyoko to enter, Kiyoko did so. First thing Kiyoko noticed were the four COG soldiers decked out in full COG armor with helmets. And what they tried to conceal behind their backs. Rubber encased steel batons. They stood, two on either side of the room near the doorway. Partially hidden by shadows. At the very end of the empty room was a desk and chair. In the chair sat what Kiyoko believed to be Captain Spiers. He had a tightly buzzed almost shaven haircut, and small dark beady eyes. His feet were crossed resting on the desk as he disinterestedly flipped through what looked like a personnel file. The room itself was dank and oppressive, the walls stained with patches of damp and peeling paint. The only light was a single dirty bulb that hung just over the desk area. Casting bleak garish shadows about the room. Lt. Blain put on her hand to Kiyoko's back urging her forward until they both stood before the desk of Captain Spiers. Lt. Blain coughed briefly trying to gain Spiers attention.

"Sir. Private Kiyoko Yumi.", she said.

"Good, you may leave now Lt.", Spiers didn't even glance at either of the women, he continued to flip through the personnel file. Lt. Blain leaned in close to Kiyoko, and whispered to her...

"You have fun now my pretty pretty.". She laughed, and then left the room, a twisted smile on her face. A long silence followed. Captain Spiers continued to flip through the personnel file, which Kiyoko could now see was hers. Occasionally he paused at points to lick his finger before turning a page. Other times he sighed loudly, or even raised his eyebrows. Until finally he spoke...

"Are you familiar with Dannigs theories of memory retention private?", his eyes remained glued to the file, as he flipped the pages some more.

"No sir."

"Shame. They are quite fascinating I can assure you. Particularly the parts about traumatic situations and how they affect memory. Did you know for instance, that even buried traumatic memories can directly influence the subconscious mind in various powerful ways?"

"It certainly sounds plausible. Sir."

"But I digress, my apologies private Kiyoko Yumi.". He carelessly tossed the file onto the desk, leaned back in his chair and stared at Kiyoko, seemingly trying to guage her mood or evaluate her somehow. His beady eyes twinkled in the light. There was an odd silence for a time, before he spoke again.

"It would appear that you have some difficulty following orders private. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Sir?", Kiyoko asked puzzled.

"Your last assignment. You described it as... murder.".

"I also completed that assignment, as ordered. Sir.", the last word, Kiyoko uttered with a certain amount of irritation.

"Part of following orders is knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Private.". Captain Spiers folded his arms and stared thoughtfully at his desk before speaking again.

"It also appears that you are a dissident, that you do not believe in the current administration.". Kiyoko rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. What makes you think that?".

"Let me quote directly from your personal log private... ". Spiers leaned forward, reached over and picked up the file again, and after flicking through some pages, he begin to read from it.

"Last night I had a dream, a strange kinda dream. I dreamed that the Coalition purposely started the war with the Locust. And that they used the war as a means to gain power. They used the peoples fear against them. It was frightening, but at the same time, it made me wonder...

Private Kiyoko Yumi.".

"Really Captain, a dream?", Kiyoko laughed. Captain Spiers smiled, a cold hollow smile.

"Let me quote your personal log again...

Chairman Prescot's private residence is quite a sight. I couldn't begin to estimate the number of rooms in it. It seems like such a waste when I think of the potential number of stranded families that could be housed there. Of course most of the higher ranking members of the Coalition party enjoy similar benefits while regular citizens are left to struggle. Perks of the job? I don't think so, just a case of the powerful abusing their power for their own benefit.

Private Kiyoko Yumi.".

Kiyoko stared hard at Captain Spiers. She was begining to get a little angry, going through her personal logs? What the hell was going on here?

"Yeah, well it's true. Why does Chairman Prescot live in a damn mansion anyways?"

"Granted private, you didn't have quite the education I did, but I'll try to explain it in words you might understand. It's a simple fact that people expect their leaders to be set apart from themselves.Otherwise they would have problems accepting them as leaders. It's one of those peculiar perceptions that people have, if their leaders are the same as them, then why should they be leaders in the first place? Anyway, you also seem to have a soft spot for the stranded. Why, exactly?"

"Because they're human, just like me and you. We should be out there taking back our cities from the damn Locust, not murdering innocent people!"

"Fine. Let me bring you up to speed on a few things private. You probably have no idea how stretched the resources of Jacinto have become. And you might justifiably question the impact that truckload of stranded you eliminated would have had on those resources. But, here's the thing. Word travels quickly, quicker than you might think. If those stranded had made it to Jacinto, it wouldn't be long before word got out and more would follow them. The resources of Jacinto wouldn't be able to cope, dissension and social unrest would begin, and then the riots. Jacinto would tear itself apart, making it an easy target for the Locust, and that would spell the end of humanity as we know it. That's why we have no choice other than to dissuade the stranded from coming here. For the most part it's worked so far. You've played your part in that. And I admit, it can't be an easy job, especially not for someone with your childish notions of morality. But it's one we have to do. Any of this make any sense to you?". Kiyoko just smiled bitterly, shaking her head.

"No. Any government that kills it's own people to protect itself isn't a government worth protecting in the first place.". Spiers sighed loudly and placed his hands behind his head. Leaning back in his chair, he staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Do you have any idea whats going on here private Kiyoko?", he asked finally.

"If I didn't know better I'd say it was a drum head court martial sir. And that being the case, I'm guessing that you and your four friends here are part of the infamous Knives."

"So. You know of the Knives then?"

"I know that several years ago, the Knives murdered Colonel Graves and almost one hundred and fifty men as they slept."

"Graves was a traitor, as were those who followed him. I was there that night at Keel fortress. We had one of our men on the inside, working kitchen duties. He managed to steal a large quantity of heavy sedatives and without a better plan he was ordered to add them to the evening meal. We got lucky with the timing of the attack. We managed to strike before they understood what was going on and had time to deal with it. We only had to deal with a couple of drugged up soldiers who were left on guard duty. Then it was just a case of finishing off the rest. Most of whom had, by that time, fallen into a drug induced sleep. We went around from man to man, sticking our knives deep into their throats and ripping outward. The blood sprayed upward like miniature fountains, by the time we were done, we were covered in it. But the traitors were dead, and we disappeared, into the night. After that night, dissension in the ranks went down quite considerably.".

"Disappeared like the cowardly a*sholes you are. The Knives, the self proclaimed Lords Of Discipline... what a crock of sh*t."

"You're really not doing yourself any favors private."

"Like I care. It was obvious what was going to happen from the first moment you first spoke. Your four friends there aren't just for show, are they? I just hope those pussies know how to fight, cause I ain't going down without giving them one."

"Be realistic Kiyoko. You don't stand a chance. If you fight them you'll only make them angry, and when they're angry they get sloppy, make mistakes. And that's when people die. You need to understand I'm trying to help you here.". Kiyoko laughed bitterly.

"Trying to help me? No, your just trying to justify murder. Hiding behind a bunch of words."

"Don't blame me for your inadequate education private. You don't understand half as much as you think you do. Your precious morality which you blindly cling to for instance. If you understood anything about human nature then you'd understand it's nothing more than an evolution of human social interaction. We, as humans recognize that a stable society will benefit us as individuals, so we naturally develop the social tools necessary to perpetuate this idea. Morality being one of those tools. However, we need to understand exactly what it is if we're to prevent it from forcing us to make bad choices. Sometimes logically it's necessary to kill, even though our minds will say otherwise because of such conventions as morality and civilization. But in the end that's all they are, mere conventions. We need to learn not to be governed by such things, especially in a situation like ours, where the survival of the human race is at stake. Our leaders have brought us this far, we must preserve the chain of command, despite our own silly reservations. We must be an effortless part of the machine if we are to make it to the end. Do you understand any of this Kiyoko?". Kiyoko didn't answer. She seemed lost in thought, frustrated somehow. Spiers shrugged and continued his little lecture.

"Why feel sorry for the stranded? They turned their back on humanity when they refused to fight. Refused to meet the obligations that being human puts in front of us in the situation we're now in. They chose to hide like rats while the brave men and women of the Coalition give their lives to save humanity. Do they cheer us like the heroes we are? No, they scorn and mock us, and they would kill us given the chance. I've seen the reports of Gears being ambushed by stranded for their weapons and ammunition. I seen the reports of the bodies of fallen Gears being mutilated by these animals. They're not like us Kiyoko, and they don't deserve our sympathy.". It took a while before Kiyoko answered. She seemed to be struggling with something internally. The pain and confusion easily read on her face.

"Sir...", she said. Her voice close to breaking.

"Sir, I need a little time.". A wide smile broke out over Captain Spiers face.

"And you shall have it private. I'm so happy you're finally starting to understand. I won't lie to you, this will be painful, but try not to resist. We will talk again.". Spiers indicated with his fingers that his men should move forward. Kiyoko heard the boots as they walked slowly up behind her. Then, her legs gave way and her head begin to spin as the first hit struck her in the back of the head, pain shot through her body. The ground zoomed up toward her and after she fell she curled up into a ball as more hits landed, again and again they struck, her arms, her legs, her head, her body. Hit after hit, until finally the darkness came and she felt no more...


Kiyoko woke up in a hospital bed, her head feeling like someone drove a derrick through it. Her entire body hurt, and she found it difficult to move. The doctors had told her that she was lucky, that she'd be fine in a week or two, that there was no serious injuries, just some severe bruising and a minor concussion. Kiyoko didn't feel lucky. Even though the fact that she hadn't suffered any broken or fractured bones, no torn muscle tissue, or damaged blood vessels, she was in great pain and just found breathing difficult because of her bruised back and ribs. Despite this it wasn't long before she was asked to vacate the bed for more seriously wounded soldiers. Basically they just dumped her in a corridor. And now here she was sitting on long wooden bench in the entrance hallway to the Front Hills field hospital. Every time the door opened, she felt a cold breeze chill her body since she was still dressed in a flimsy hospital gown. Ugly black, blue and yellow bruises covered her body and she found she had to lean forward just to struggle to breathe properly. The pain shooting up her back and neck was immense, and she felt incredibly tired. Kiyoko found it hard to remember a time she was this miserable, this scared. Maybe back at the orphanage. The day her only friend Suzie had found a family. Kiyoko had packed her little green bag with what few possessions she had, including the old cloth doll given to her by Suzie months before. She had waited with Suzie, patiently holding her hand, waiting on her new family to arrive. Two content little six year old girls, chattering constantly, wondering about their new life. But they were too young to understand that it was only Suzie the family had wanted. Only Suzie the family were coming for. Blond, smiling, happy little Suzie. When Suzie's new family came both of the young girls started crying when they realized what was happening. Realized that Suzie was leaving, realized that Kiyoko was staying. Kiyoko was dragged away sobbing. She lay on her bed for hours, crying, clutching tightly at the cloth doll Suzie had given her. Her only friend... was gone...

"Kiyoko? Sh*t! What are you doing sitting out here in the hallway?". Kiyoko snapped out of her reverie and looked up at the scarred face of Mortis Clay. She wanted to say something but found she couldn't form the words. Her eyes almost teared up, she was so relived to see a friendly face. Seth Marshal her CO was there too. His face was like stone, but his ice blue eyes blazed with fury. He seemed seriously pissed. Clay sat down beside Kiyoko and gently took her hand. Marshal strode up to a passing doctor and grabbed him by the neck forcing him up against a wall.

"Listen pencil neck, I want a word with you in private, understand?". The doctors face went pale and he simply nodded his head.

"Good. Now, where can we talk?". Marshal released the doctor and smiled. The doctor nervously indicated a doorway to an office and they both went inside, Marshal nodded to Clay before disappearing through the doorway. Clay laughed out loud.

"Yeah, Seth ain't a patient man by any means. And he's capable of some very violent things. You can tell when you look in those blue eyes of his, you can almost see the cold rage burnin' away inside. It's f*ckin' weird and scary as sh*t, but I'm just damn glad he's on our side.". He laughed at that, and then continued.

"Hell, I've seen him tear out a Locust's eyes with his bare hands, man I'll never forget that horrible scream, or the sight of Seth tugging at the nerves attached to that Locust's eyeballs as he finally ripped them clean outta the sockets. The grub screamed for what seemed like forever before Seth stepped on it's neck, smiling when he finally heard that sickening snap that meant it was dead. Damn.". Getting no response from Kiyoko who's breathing was still labored Clay thought it might relax her more if he kept talking maybe.

"Yeah. But the man has his reasons to be full on angry though. His wife and son were killed early during this damn war. Not by the Locust either mind. It was people killed that man's wife and son. People...". He sighed loudly and leaned back. Kiyoko glanced at him puzzled. He could tell she wanted to hear the rest, so he leaned forward and continued.

"They were trying to evacuate during the initial attacks. Seth's wife had taken the car, bundled their twelve year old son into it and headed off for a way outta the city. It wasn't long before they got to Wakefield Armory, hoping the military there could re-unite them with Seth somehow. But there was only a handful of raw recruits guarding that place. And they were beginning to get swamped by an angry, frightened mob. The Locust attacks were spreading throughout the city and panic had started to take hold. As Seth's wife tried to make her way through the crowd in the car, they turned on her. They wanted the car and started banging on it and breaking the windows and sh*t, hoping to drag her outta there. That's when Seth's kid reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. Someone in the crowd saw what was happening and started shooting wildly into the car. It rolled to a halt, both Seth's wife and his kid were dead. The gun Seth's boy had pulled out was nothing more than a harmless replica. A gift given to Seth by his CO for saving his life during the Aspho fields assault. Boy was only trying to protect his mom from the angry mob, that's all. The troops stationed at Wakefield fired their Lancers in the air, and pushed through the crowd to get to the car, but it was too late. They were both dead, and Seth has never been the same man since. Makes you wonder about people though, don't it? To shoot a kid and his mom for a damn car? F*ck man. That's some messed up sh*t right there.". Kiyoko didn't speak. Just sat there with Clay in a comfortable silence. Both of them deep in thought.

Seth Marshal emerged from the doctors office, the nervous doctor followed him out. Marshal walked over to Kiyoko and Clay as the doctor entered the ward.

"Okay listen, I gotta take care of some sh*t, I gotta find Diego before the dumb son of a b*tch does something stupid too. Just stay here, a nurse will be over in a minute.". Clay nodded as Marshal turned away and stared through the large glass panels into one of the wards. He looked at the various beds with wounded COG soldiers, and the medical staff who floated around them. He shook his head.

"Look at these f*cks, they work on a man, the man dies, and they go back to making bad jokes around the coffee machine like nothing happened. Goddamn a*sholes. F*ck it Clay I gotta go man, I'll talk to you later...", and with only a second glance at Kiyoko, he left. Without warning a nurse suddenly stopped in front of Kiyoko and Clay surprising them both.

"Hello, private Kiyoko Yumi?", she smiled in that way only nurses can smile.

To be continued....

[TheRealBigBoss]

Phew! This was tough to write, mostly because it's two people just talking to each other I think, and the dialog was quite tough to work on too. That's probably why it has some parts I feel are a little weak. But it has some good bits in there too. Like when Clay and Marshal show up, those guys really liven things up for me.

The part about the knives is interesting I think. It throws a sinister light on the Coalition government that they would endorse these thugs and their behavior. Kinda like a creepy secret military police.

Looking forward to the end, which will set up Fox squad for their encounter with Marcus, Dom, Baird, Cole and Hannah.

Any thoughts, questions, criticisms, or anything else you like to post, feel free to! I always appreciate feedback, keeps me from losing the plot!

Well Silent, it's finally here, hope you enjoy.

[ShadowHunter]

Lol

I feel bad for that Locust.

Again nice job.

[S1leNt RIP]

Boy did I ever enjoy! I'll give my full reveiw later since I'm on my PSP right now.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Lol

I feel bad for that Locust.

Again nice job.

Thanks. And yeah (lol) Fox squad have some psychotic tendencies which surface from time to time. I'm hoping to show that later in another story.

Boy did I ever enjoy! I'll give my full reveiw later since I'm on my PSP right now.

Sure man, cool. And yeah, soon as this is finished, I'm still on for a cross over story.

[Auzzie Legend]

Great story Boss, entertaining and perfect grammar. Top notch!

[ShadowHunter]

Lol. (yeah i know is to much lol )

You should make a book.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Great story Boss, entertaining and perfect grammar. Top notch!

Thanks. You have a fan fic too? I gotta check that out when I get the chance.

You should make a book.

Lol. Think I'd need to work a lot harder on some things before that could ever happen!

[ShadowHunter]

Ok then.

A comic book.

[mutedvoicebox]

it's interesting
but it doesn't feel like a GoW story
I know you're looking at it from just the human side, the corruption of the government
But all you would have to do is taKe out the one time you mention the locust and change the name of the stranded and it's your typical war story

[TheRealBigBoss]

Ok then.

A comic book.

I used to ink comics. I hated it.

it's interesting
but it doesn't feel like a GoW story
I know you're looking at it from just the human side, the corruption of the government
But all you would have to do is taKe out the one time you mention the locust and change the name of the stranded and it's your typical war story

That's an interesting point. But what exactly does constitute a Gears story? I mean, the only official setting we've experienced so far is the original Gears Of War game. And that took place almost entirely in the ruined city environments. To stick with that setting alone would severely limit the kinds of stories people could tell and would make character development pretty difficult. People are curious about the world outside the games story. And I think it's okay to explore those areas. I guess you are right though, in that this isn't a typical Gears story. But I'm trying to flesh out these characters so that when I do drop them in a typical Gears story, their behavior resonates that little bit more.

Thanks for the input though. I am planning on doing something with more battles, more Locust, just generally more Gears like overall.

[ShadowHunter]

Ok then.

I'm out of ideas.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Ok then.

I'm out of ideas.

I know, I'll keep practicing and someday maybe I'll be good enough to write a book. Until then though, guess I'll keep doing this stuff!

[Omega360x]

Awesome! Very Good!

[TheRealBigBoss]

Awesome! Very Good!

Thanks, sometimes it feels like no one even reads this stuff and we're just wasting our time posting it. But now I realize that so long as even one person enjoys it, it's worth pursuing. So yeah, thanks.

[Jfabulous]

Excellent job Boss, great read.

[LiquidLeary]

Nice work. Admittedly, I haven't seen many of these so it feels a little weird reading Gears . But the GoW1 campaign was a little light on story. Excellent job on following your idea this far!

Thanks!

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Thanks, just one more chapter to go and it's done.

The epilogue is quite a good one too.

[S1leNt RIP]

SWEET! Can't wait!

[BlkBullet23]

What, I've just read the first few paragraphs and am amazed on how cool it was.
I'll have to finish it later though on account I can't concentrate with all this noise in the room.

[BlkBullet23]

A good read.
Some good stuff so far, I like the part where Kiyoko first stepped into the room with the four soldiers. Gave me an eerie feeling and had some potential for them to be bad-ass.
And Yeah, at least one battle with the locust couldn't hurt.

You know I hadn't really though much of how ugly the situation was with stranded and COG until now. Makes me wonder if your gonna have to kill some stranded in the next games.

I'm looking forward to more.

[AboutMeteor]

Some really good physiological things in there, makes you think about your morals and humanity in general but what i dont understand is this set before Operation Lifeboat because from everything else i have seen is that COG are quite happy to enlist more Stranded

[TheRealBigBoss]

Some really good physiological things in there, makes you think about your morals and humanity in general but what i dont understand is this set before Operation Lifeboat because from everything else i have seen is that COG are quite happy to enlist more Stranded

No this is set after Emergence Day, but before the events in the first Gears game. By Operation Lifeboat I'm sure that the numbers of original Gears troops have fallen significantly enough to warrant enlisting stranded, but I'm guessing that's more out of necessity than anything else, and I doubt the powers that be have substantially changed their opinion on the stranded, but they do recognize the need for more cannon fodder.

When I played through the first Gears game I got the distinct impression that there was more going on with the stranded than just them being pissed at the Coalition for leaving them to fend for themselves. So I could easily imagine scenarios where stranded attack wounded COG's for weapons, ammo etc. I can even think of extreme cases where stranded turn to cannibalism to survive, but I don't really want to write about that. But it's certainly a possibility. Eek!

Also notice Baird's reaction to the stranded. In his eyes their almost less than human, has to be a reason for that, more than just Baird being a snob.