The Aurigan Republic

Chapter 5

AG leaned against a tree as he caught his breath. It had been an hour since he ran from the firefight. He suspected that all of his fellow mercenaries were dead already. Stranded on a planet he knew very little of, AG didn't like his odds of survival. He couldn't call for an evacuation as he would be branded as a coward and be hard pressed to explain how he was the only survivor of the one-sided battle. While there would be opportunities for him to return to the mercenary profession at a later date, he had to survive first. The wilderness offered very few sources of food unless one was willing to eat unidentified plants and grass. With no knowledge of plants, AG was certain he would eat something poisonous and get himself killed.

There was the option of nearby settlements. They offered all a person needed to survive. Given how hostile the locals were to outsiders, AG was certain that he would be killed on sight though. If word had spread regarding their earlier firefight that cost the lives of many locals and dogs, he expected a lot of locals wanting revenge. He certainly didn't want to learn what fate awaited him if he was caught by the locals. Doing his best, he navigated through the wilderness using the tall grass and bushes as cover. AG never stopped listening for any aircraft sounds. There wasn't a lot of cover if anyone was searching from the sky. Luckily, he was certain that his camouflaged uniform could aid him if he laid down on his stomach. Thus far, he saw no need to test his ideas. AG desperately hoped he didn't have to.

According to Intel given to the mercenaries before, AG learned that he was in a very rural part of the planet. The ordinary citizens were largely farmers who generally never left the community they were born in. The farmers kept to themselves with only a handful of representatives interacting with outsiders. These representatives ensured that the crops fetched a good price and purchased anything the farmers needed. While the farmers saw the usefulness of outsiders, they still desired to stay away from those who didn't understand their way of life. With the recent push from the provincial governments to maintain greater control over the rural communities, the farmers grew even more hostile towards outsiders. They felt the need to fully arm themselves to ensure that no one was taking away their freedom and land.

The arming of the locals was a problem for the mercenaries as they learned when they got too close to a town. AG wasn't certain, but he had a suspicion that them getting discovered resulted in the later ambush. If that was the case, he was rather surprised how quickly the opposition was able to field the personnel to make the ambush a great success. There were a lot of enemy personnel who had to be gathered in a short time and be ready for combat in time for the ambush. AG was lucky to survive thus far, but armed farmers made his odds of continuous survival very unfavorable.

Still armed with all of his weapons, AG crept under the cover of the tall grass. Internally, he was still debating on what to do as he moved in the direction of the largest city, Claso, in the region. Claso was, by many standards, a small city. It was home to a few hundred thousand people. The city wasn't well developed either as it served more as a trading hub for agricultural goods that were produced in the region. The city had a small airport for the occasional planes, while it relied heavily on its coastal ports. An estimated one hundred ships came and went daily to make the delivery of all the food products. Some of those ships went to major metropolises that could be a useful stop for AG who needed some ways of leaving the planet. He suspected that a dozen days were necessary for him to reach Claso, but he certainly lacked the supplies for the trip.

For the trip to be successful, AG had to sneak into a storehouse where he could acquire all that he needed. Stealth missions weren't exactly his forte, but desperation could do amazing things for an average human. As a mercenary, he wasn't unfamiliar with spilling blood. If the situation deteriorated, he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. With his life on the line, he would gladly take the life of others if it preserved his. As a precaution, he still had the safety on for his weapons. If gunshots ran out from his position, he was expecting numerous parties to investigate. His surroundings offered barely sufficient cover when his presence wasn't known. He doubted that he could effectively evade detection from groups actively searching the area.

After a thankfully uneventful day, AG sat down in the darkness. The moon above offered some illumination but he couldn't even see his own hands. Using a light would only give away his position. Instead, AG used the opportunity to take a quick nap. Being a mercenary meant one had to be able to fall asleep and wake up at a moment's notice. They rarely picked when and where they could rest while out on a mission. While moving under the cover of darkness made sense when it came to avoiding detection, AG was also exhausted after being on such high alert. He needed rest so he could make more progress the following day. In addition, nighttime posed a different challenge. Unfamiliar territory meant one traversed through unfamiliar terrain. Any injury like a sprained ankle could be a very costly injury. Recuperation after his lengthy trek and minimizing injuries would greatly improve his chances of survival until he got to Claso.

After much internal debate, AG decided to raid a storehouse the following night. He would spend the next day finding an isolated settlement where he could make a move. If he was lucky, he would have plenty of time to observe the settlement for any threats like dogs. The more he knew, the better his odds of succeeding in all his tasks. The unfavorable odds for survival meant anything going smoothly could go a long way. AG never considered himself a lucky man, but circumstances would determine if he was one. With a plan in mind, he went to sleep. Another thing mercenaries excelled at was taking short naps. Their bodies had been well accustomed to very short and efficient naps that would happen whenever they had a chance. AG preferred, by minimizing sleep, to get a headstart on finding a settlement when he had a chance and spend the entire day setting up surveillance.

Sleep came easily and, before long, AG did a quick stretch. He listened and noticed no new sound. He stood up just so his head poked out slightly above the tall grass. He looked around until he saw some light in the distance. After a slow and steady trek, he arrived close enough to make out the various structures. The settlement looked small with no signs of walls or guards. If this was a simple farming community, AG knew he was in luck. The lights came from a few structures that probably belonged to those in charge. Farmers tended to go to bed early given how early they had to rise for work. He made note of the structure locations so he could observe them more clearly during the day. He had to know who worked there and who could be up after dark.