The Outpost Miracle

Altean Army unit ALT-274 was patrolling a footpath deep in the equatorial jungles of Nuulhammer, heading from one village to the next. He was accompanied by two other units, ALT-266 and ALT-301. All three held their E4 pulse carbines at ease, focusing on their footing on the worn dirt path. The Altean mechans had been stationed here on Sasha's orders, in response to reports of black mechans stalking the outside of villages in the area. The accuracy of these reports were was in question in ALT-274's mind, as the shadows in the evening at the corners of his vision often had him jumping to combat parameters, only to confirm there was indeed nothing there. The other two units were equally jumpy, not wanting to be ambushed by anything that may be lurking just off the path. There were of course the guhr native to this region to contend with, their armoured hides glinting copper or slate in the evening light every now and again. Those overeager young might challenge the Alteans just for something to do, and it would be their job to subdue any guhr without killing them.
A rustle in the brush to the right made all three mechans halt, raising their carbines slightly. Seconds dragged on. Finally, as they were about to move on, two guhr leapt out into the open. They were a mess, both bloodied and one missing half of its left arm. Their yellow eyes looked at the mechans pleadingly and full of fear.
ALT-266 spoke first, "What happened to you? Can you speak?"
The guhr looked at each other before looking back at the patrol. The one with both of its arms, a copper-skinned specimen with severe bruising across its body, barked out "Bad mechans, kill guhr. Kill guhr!"
"Calm down," ALT-301 gestured, "What bad mechans? Do you mean Diezen mechans?"
The squad's internal communications were abuzz with activity. All three were rapidly discussing the possibility of Angor's Diezens being involved in code while trying to calm the animated guhr. Odds were at calculated at 62.7% between them that Diezens were indeed behind the guhr's injuries.
The one armed guhr, with grey skin and a nasty gash across its bald scalp, replied shakily, "Black mechans, chop, stab, hack, cut, maim, kill...!"
Black mechans specifically raised the odds of Diezen involvement to 94.1%. Guhr were a sentient species, even the more feral individuals had a mind of their own, and their suffering would appeal to Diezens nearly as much as humans'.
ALT-274 spoke now, "Where are they now? The black mechans?"
Both guhr pointed down the path. The copper one said, "Humans next. Bad mechans brag about next kills while we escape. They no have... gun? Gun. They no have gun."
While not unheard of, it was odd for Diezens to not carry firearms of some kind. It seemed this group was taking pains to go unheard. Without a further spoken word, the Altean squad lurched forward into a running gait. The guhr started and dashed back into the underbrush. They would survive, reasoned the mechans. The humans ahead would not if they didn't hurry. Daylight was fading, casting the jungle into deeper darkness. ALT-274 had to switch to night optics, casting the world in a bright green. The three of them were crashing through the jungle, plowing straight through what vegetation grew over the path. They were trying to send a message back to headquarters as they ran, combining their signal strengths. They didn't have time to wait for a response.
The screams had begun.
Urging their servos to go even faster, the Altean mechans sprinted to the village. This one was supposed to have fifty-seven inhabitants all told. That was based on an old census and could have gone up or down since then.
One of the screams was abruptly cut short. Fifty-six and dwindling.
Torchlight was visible now, along with shapes moving in it. Two brandished axes at one another. ALT-274 wanted to save the human there, but couldn't make out which silhouette was flesh and blood and which was cold, unfeeling steel. One hacked into the other. They could now hear the speaker-generated laughter of the Diezen as it shrugged off the blow and drove its own axe into the shoulder of the first shadow, eliciting a cry of pain. ALT-301 was faster on the draw than ALT-274, leveling his E4 pulse carbine with the Diezen mechan's chest and firing, a tall beam of blue energy searing the air with a superheated scream and melting a thin rectangular hole in the Diezen. The black mechan spun around, yanking its axe out of its victim with a spray of blood. The still glowing hole had punched through the Diezen's maiga harness, meaning that its remaining time was measured in seconds. The Diezen charged the Alteans, brandishing its axe menacingly. However, it lost steam, going from a run to a strained trudge before falling forward, unmoving.
More movement in the torchlight. People running into their huts, running down the path past the Alteans. The braver people had gathered weapons, the staccato bark of gunfire mixing with shouting, screaming, and deranged laughter. ALT-274 darted forward, carbine at the ready, past the Diezen's victim. ALT-266 was looking to her. It was a severe wound, having cut through the collarbone and deep into the shoulder. ALT-274 would have to leave that to ALT-266 as he and ALT-301 continued into the village. They nearly stepped on a corpse missing its head as they located another Diezen. This one noticed them right away, holding a man up by his shirt collar. Dropping the man, this Diezen charged them as well, wielding a machete. Not overly dangerous to the Alteans, the force behind the weapon was what made it lethal in Diezen hands. ALT-274 was prepared, and shot off a blast of blue energy, shearing off the Diezen's machete arm. Cursing to himself, ALT-274 prepared another shot, but ALT-301 was faster and fired his carbine, landing a shot dead center of the Diezen's chest. The Alteans thought that was done with, but the black mechan kept running at them without slowing despite the glowing rectangular hole in its chest and the cooling stump of its shoulder.
It was too close now to risk a shot from the E4 carbines. ALT-274 released his grip on the fore of his carbine to reach for the energy blade at his hip. Releasing the clip keeping it attached, he thumbed the activator and held out the light blue blade eminating from the cylinder that made up the grip. The Diezen was practically on top of him when he lashed out horizontally across its chest. High yield energy carved through the Diezen's chest and maiga harness, leaving behind white hot metal. ALT-301's shot must have gone through the hole in the middle of the spinning disk that absorbed the ambient maiga to power the mechan, ALT-274 reasoned as the Diezen fell, bisected and motionless. ALT-274 deactivated his energy blade and replaced it on its clip at his hip.
Still more screaming, more gunfire up ahead. ALT-274 helped the man the Diezen was attacking to his feet while ALT-301 rounded a corner ahead. A deep red beam pierced his chest, sending him staggering backwards before a second beam melted its way through his head. ALT-301 went silent on the Alteans' code comms, falling over after tripping over his own feet. ALT-274 darted to cover behind the corner ALT-301 had ran past and peeked out. ALT-301's killer was lumbering through the street, a monstrously large mechan with its head between its shoulders. It was at least eight feet tall, slightly pot-bellied with wide shoulders and hips, its legs making a squared arch with wide shins and large feet. Its lower arms were replaced with a twin maigun similar to the Alteans' E4 carbines on the right and a high calibre machine gun on the left. It released a mechanical roar upon seeing ALT-274 and raised its machine gun. ALT-274 ducked back as the corner of the building started being blown apart by large rounds capable of shredding steel.
ALT-274 hailed ALT-266 for aid, but the other Altean mechan didn't respond. Something must have happened, he cursed to himself. There was still screaming and other gunfire making a cacophony of the jungle village. While ALT-274 wanted to help the people, he couldn't leave the heavy Diezen to stalk the walkways of the village, free to rain death from afar. Another shout was cut short as a Diezen elsewhere claimed its prize. How many of them were there? There was the heavy Diezen here, plus the two that were defeated already. There were likely at least two more, one that attacked ALT-266 and another that silenced the shout just now.
The machine gun fire ceased as abruptly as it started. ALT-274 dared to look around the corner again. The heavy Diezen was much closer now, having lumbered forward while firing its gun. ALT-274 saw an opening: the Diezen couldn't protect itself at close range, where an energy blade could do some damage and hopefully cut down the monstrous machine. He grabbed the metal cylinder on his hip and detached it once more. There wasn't a lot of power in the charge in that hilt to begin with, and some of it had already been used on the other Diezen earlier. ALT-274 just wished it was enough to deal with the current problem and that the E4 could handle any further foes. He darted forwards, around the corner and right at the heavy Diezen now roaring at him in challenge. It attempted to level its maiguns at him, but he was already too close for them to get an angle on him. He was just about to carve a molten gash through the Diezen's side when its front errupted in heat and flame, sending ALT-274 flying backwards.
What was that explosion? Directional explosives as proximity defense? ALT-274 scrambled to his feet and glared at the heavy Diezen through a cracked eye display. Its pot belly was gone, leaving ragged material where it had connected to the torso. ALT-274's attention quickly shifted from the explosive belly to the machine gun being aimed past him. It was again diverted by a shriek from behind him. Spinning, he saw a priestess of Aanstrom cowering outside of the meager shrine that had been behind him this entire time, clutching a child that couldn't have been older than seven to her chest. Without thought or hesitation, ALT-274 put himself between them and the Diezen as it opened fire. Hot lead tore into his body as he shielded the priestess and child. He was half blinded by a shot to the head as he leveled his E4 pulse carbine at the behemoth, firing a beam of superheated energy at its core. His shot landed on the left side of the Diezen's chest as machine gun fire shredded the carbine, shattering its stone and wood internals and shredding his arms. The machine gun stuttered to a halt as the lights in the Diezen's eyes went dim before the entire machine fell over, having lost its generator.
ALT-274 looked back to the priestess. She was already shepherding the child to the jungle's outskirts, away from the mayhem of the village. There was a visible silhouette of bullet holes in the stone of the shrine where ALT-274's body had blocked the gunfire from ripping into the civilians. He did a quick damage assessment. His right arm, along with the E4 it held, were torn to shreds, shorn off at the elbow. There were holes all across his torso, but he still had his energy blade in hand, which he remembered to deactivate now. There was little more he could do now but look for Diezens to fight, though his weakened structure would make that a risky proposition. That didn't matter to him, he was built to protect life from the Diezens, and that's what he would do.
Trudging forward, ALT-274 stumbled toward the nearest source of gunfire. His stability gyro must have taken a hit as his gait was uneven and unsteady. A form flew past him as he rounded a corner, accompanied by maniacal laughter. It took ALT-274 a moment to register that a human corpse had been thrown by the Diezen in the middle of town square. Citizens were firing on it with hunting rifles and handguns, all too weak to do significant damage to a Diezen mechan. It was surrounded by half a dozen broken bodies, wielding a longsword. It glared at him, sensing an actual threat, but began laughing as it got a good look at the damage ALT-274 had sustained.
"I see you've met our heavywieght contender!" The Diezen barked raucously, "I assume that he's dead now, yes?"
ALT-274 answered by activating his energy blade and charging forward, aiming to end this Diezen murderer before it could continue its rampage. He lunged forward to impale the other mechan, but stumbled as his balance began to fail. The Diezen sidestepped and slashed him across the back, rending the thinner armour there.
"Is that all you've got, Altean dog?" It sneered, "I guess I'll have to put you out of your misery along with the rest of this gods-forsaken village!"
"If they'd forsaken it, I wouldn't be here," ALT-274 straightened himself out, turning to face the Diezen again, "I'm going to save this village from you and your ilk, just you watch!"
The Diezen errupted into laughter as ALT-274 dashed forward again, this time aiming for a cross body slash. The Diezen pulled a cylinder from its waist and activated an energy blade of its own, deep red clashing with the Altean's light blue as it blocked the blow. ALT-274 struggled to regain his footing as the Diezen began attacking with both blades, forcing him to parry the more dangerous energy blade while the longsword was thrust time and again into his chest, looking to hit a weak point in his already perforated torso. It didn't take long before it struck ALT-274's maiga harness, gouging the collection disk as it continued its rapid spin. This disrupted his maiga flow enough for him to start slowing down, lacking sufficient power to keep up with the Diezen's assault. Finally, he slipped right as the Diezen impaled the harness with its energy blade, shattering it with its heat. ALT-274 fell back, fading senses detecting a dismayed cry from the human onlookers mixed with deranged, mechanical cackling.
Damn it, he thought, not like this! The image of the priestess and child running into the jungle played before his mind, and an idea formed in his rapidly dwindling conciousness. Aanstrom, he prayed, hear me! You cannot let the Diezens win here! They will burn this jungle and its people to the ground in the name of senseless slaughter! I beseech you, send a sign to the rest of the Altean Army. I lack the power to continue myself, but cannot shut down... in good conscience while... while they...
...
Darkness.
...
...
Then, a voice. Proud and booming, ethereal and strong.
"Then you will rise to fulfill your duty, Vacius."
It is hotly debated why Aanstrom answered this call when so many other prayers go unanswered in the world. Perhaps the act of saving his devotees spurred him to action? Perhaps it was the dire implications of letting the Diezens run free? Or was it just a god's whim? Whatever the reason, awareness flooded back into ALT-274. No, his name was Vacius now. He realized that he was radiating light, a humanoid sun in the middle of the square. More power than his maiga harness could ever generate surged through him, bidding him to stand once more. He placed his right hand, restored, on the ground and pushed himself back onto his feet. He eyed the Diezen, who was shielding its cameras from Vacius' glow, but lowering its hands as it dissipated.
"How?! How are you standing here, alive and well, after I killed you?!" The Diezen charged, furious.
Vacius brought up his energy blade, briefly noting that it had a much wider emitter now along with a hand guard. On flicking the activator, a wide, pale yellow blade of potent maiga emerged. Both mechans surprised, Vacius nonetheless held it up with the flat of the blade blocking the Diezen's longsword swing, severing its blade from its hilt in a flash of molten steel. As it clattered to the flagstones, Vacius brought up his blade and brought it down on the Diezen's head. The Diezen struggled to block the attack with its own energy blade, sparking where the two met. With a surge of power to his arm servos, Vacius forced his weapon past the Diezen's energy blade, into its head, down through its maiga harness and stopping at where its navel would be. 
As the Diezen fell, motionless, Vacius crushed its energy blade underfoot, "My work isn't done. I cannot fall while I have my duty."
The crowd surrounding the square, unsure of what they saw, began to cheer. The Diezen was dead, and they were still alive. It was worth a little celebration, Vacius figured. Another batch of shouting caught his attention, and he ran off to see to the rest of the settlement. He quickly checked over his body and inner systems, everything was back in prime working order. Better, even, as his maiga harness was working on overdrive and allowing him to pound his feet into the ground to run at a great pace, flying past dazed or fleeing civilians. Skidding around a corner he came face to face with two more Diezen mechans brandishing energy blades. Without missing a beat he charged, the flow of his own blade leaving a trail of light in the darkness. Before they could react, one Diezen was severed from waist to shoulder. As the other one shouted in surprise and brought down its own blade, Vacius swung the flat of his weapon at the Diezen. It sheared away a thick band of the Diezen's chest along with its blade arm, reducing so much metal to slag piling on the ground.
Turning away from these two, Vacius listened for the next sounds of Dizen activity. There were none, only sobs and the sound of a couple of buildings burning. The villagers were already clammoring to put out the fires and see to the surviving injured. Vacius decided now was a good time to check on ALT-266. Deactivating his energy blade and walking over to where he'd left the other mechan treating the injured woman, he was greeted by a grim scene. The woman lay in a pool of her own blood, fresh wounds across her body. ALT-266 was nearby, a molten hole slashed through his back and his maiga harness. As Vacius considered next steps, new images flashed across his mind unbidden; a boxy aircraft, large mechan warriors to form a new order within the Altean Army. These would have to be shared with Damon as soon as possible. For now, he consolidated the village. Seventeen dead and five injured of the fifty-seven inhabitants. Vacius felt guilty looking at the collection of bodies laid out under blankets in the main square, wishing he could have done more. The villagers tried to console him, saying that more, if not all, would have died had he not miraculously risen again in his fight here.
Upon his return to the Altean Army, Vacius was promoted to sergeant and had his audience with Damon. The Order of the S'Vacian was subsequently founded under his name and supervision. The village renamed itself to Vacian in the sergeant's honour with a small monument on its outskirts to commemorate the fallen.

Summary

Sergeant Vacius awakens during a raid by Angor's Diezens via divine intervention, an event rarely seen on Tarsis.

Historical Basis

Sergeant Vacius and his unique energy blade exist, along with the Order of the S'Vacian. Some say the legend was something crafted to explain their existence by some storyteller with a wild imagination, though there are enough who believe in it to treat the Sergeant as god-touched.

Related People

• Sergeant Vacius

Related Organizations

• Altean Army
• Angor's Diezens
• Order of the S'Vacian