Chapter Text
The humming of an old four-cylinder could be heard, driving down an old dirt road heading north. The radio was playing an old music CD. Droning on about love and fun while the vehicle's occupant drove alone. A phone was propped up on the dashboard of the old pickup truck. Displaying a downloaded map of the region. A few folded travel guides and pamphlets were seen on the passenger seat. Fields of snow and spruce trees passed by the driver as the sun slowly began to set. The further north he got, the longer the sun stayed up. Which was a significant sign that he was moving in the right direction. The male driver would look at the fuel gauge, reading near empty, and he would sigh. His eyes were getting heavy, too. “Maybe it would be best to set up camp for the night.” the figure muttered to itself. The truck began to slow down as it made a turn, entering the spruce forests that surrounded the area far beyond the eye could see. The truck slowly came to a halt.
The CD player was turned off, and the radio was turned on. It was yet another news bulletin. A door was heard opening and slamming shut, the driver, a young male around 18, exited the vehicle. Wearing a parka, some snow boots, and cargo pants. Walking to the truck's bed, he picked up a small canister of gasoline, starting the simple refueling process. The radio droned on, giving some reports of the war. There was always a lack of good news.
“-Had to withdraw from yet another city, evacuating what little civilians they could.” he was lucky to be so far up north when the invasion began. The Daxy hated the cold. It seems that the easiest way to kill a Daxy up here was to eliminate its heat sources. The man would continue his routine of setting up camp in the bed of his truck. Setting up some tarp to cover himself from the elements, getting a sleeping roll out, etc. An old revolver glinted in the setting sunlight on the man's hip. His last resort for self-defense. The man continued setting up his little camp as the radio continued on.
“Daxy advancements have shocked the Continental Army, and rumors of surrender are high. We will keep you listeners updated as we get more information verified. In a short moment, we will give you advice on how to stay safe during these trying times. If you are listening from a major city, you are advised to stay tuned. The time is currently 10 PM PST. For those of you turning in for the night, Good night, and good luck” the radio would cut to some transition music. As if it was a daytime talk show and not a station dedicated to survival in a desperate war for humanity's freedom.
The man, satisfied with his handiwork with the makeshift tent, would walk to the truck, turn the radio off, and close the doors before returning to his tent. He took one last look around his surroundings before crawling into the tent. Setting his revolver to the side. And a small bag of ammo next to it. In total, he had Eighteen bullets. From what he had heard and seen from videos on social media, he should save one for himself. Laying down, he took out a printed image from his pocket. On it was himself, his mother, his father, and his older brother. In the middle of a group photo was a cake with two candles. One is shaped to the number one and the other to an eight. "Maybe one day, we can meet again…" he muttered before tucking the image back into his parka pocket. Taking the parka itself off and getting wrapped up under the bedding. An alarm was set for early in the morning on his phone. Slowly, the man's eyelids met, and he allowed sleep to take him.
In the morning, the man was back on the road. His destination, north. The Arctic Circle, to be specific. He had heard stories about how hard the Daxy fought in cities like Murmansk and Norilsk in Russia. The Russians fought bravely, according to the news reports he got. In such an age of information, videos were everywhere. The cold was a tremendous ally, but alas, it wasn't enough. What exactly happened to the two cities was not known. Most agree that they were pheromone bombed. Others say elite hunters alone took it, with a minority saying they simply gave up the will to fight. But the lesson he took from those two battles was simple. Daxy suck in the cold. The stabbing cold dampens their senses, disorients them, and weakens them. Unless they were wearing those fancy power suits they had. In which case, he was fucked.
As he drove, he saw an old road sign, rusted to all hell but still readable. On it was the name of a relatively small settlement. Minto, Alaska. He turned the radio back on just in time for the morning news bulletin. Fun. The radio would crackle to life as he drove.
"-has put a boil water advisory into place for the aforementioned cities after rumors of pheromones leaking into the aquifer began to pick up. Remember, if a loved one or someone you know has been exposed to pheromones, remain calm and contact emergency servi- what?" The host was distracted by something off the mic. He sounded shocked. "You for real? Let me see that-" The sound of paper rustling was heard before the host took a deep breath to compose himself. "Ladies and gentlemen. I have some somber news. Earlier today, the Continental Army finalized an unconditional surrender to the invading Scaleback forces. Shit… We have an audio recording of a representative announcing this… it checks out. This isn't a trick… fuck…" The mic was cut off as the recording began to play. Before it could properly start, the man slammed on the brakes. Turning the radio off. His heart sank as he stared ahead down the road. The Continental Army humanity's finest. Defeated. Just like that. The man rested his head on the steering wheel. He had a horrible feeling. Anxiety hit him like a truck. The man's arm slowly lifted and turned the radio back on.
"-After numerous setbacks and countless tragedies, it became clear that humanity's submission wasn't a question of if but of when. Laying down our arms in the armistice was the only reasonable choice to avoid any more unnecessary bloodshed. This decision was not made easily. I-" the man changed the channel to another news station, "-all sources are confirming humanity's surrender." He changed it again, "We cannot surrender to these scaleback fucks! I have two daughters! What will happen-" Again "videos our Frontline correspondents have sent back show Daxy soldiers entering a city. Civilians stand to the side, watching in terror" One last time, "we have a message from a captain of the Daxy military. To all men, please come to us willingly. We come not as invaders but as loving mates. We will deliver you from your weak and inferior human women and give you the-" he turned the radio off.
Glancing over to the revolver sitting on the passenger seat. Dark thoughts began to enter his head. Very dark thoughts.
Just get it over with. Die now with your dignity. Die a free man!
What if your family is still alive. What If Jacob's still around? What If they got Dad alive!?
Keep going north. They will struggle to move in the arctic temperatures. So long as you stay off of Dalton Highway, you'll be safe.
The man sat up in his seat. His eyes were watery, tears flowing. But he didn't sob. He didn't scream. He didn't yell. He just stared into the horizon. "avoid large cities, trade with the natives, survive." He muttered as he reached for the ignition. Turning the truck back on before driving further north. His trek would continue, no matter what.
~
The Empire's hold on the north of the earth was looser than anywhere else, but it was slowly tightening. With most resources going to fight for the city centers and areas of importance, such as industrial zones and refugee camps, to allow for the Liberation of the men suffering in them, the forces garrisoning the far north of the planet weren't as strong as the others. In the region known as Alaska to the humans, the Daxy set up a regional base of operations in the recently liberated city of Anchorage. The Garrison itself was led by Major Axara Vexus. While not as glorious as a colonel or general. The rank allowed Vexus to work both in the field and in the command center, depending on the urgency of her mission.
The surrender of the Continental Army allowed for more advanced and specialized units to be redeployed across the globe. Although, this redeployment would take time. Mass celebrations were taking place on the Daxy’s side. Hunters and soldiers alike celebrated with kidnapped or drugged men. Their belief in the empire's dogma ran deep, blinding them to the atrocities they celebrated. While the Daxy danced and sang, fathers and sons hugged mothers and sisters goodbye. Some people left with little penned goodbye letters, recorded final testaments, and sought other means of escape. Some escaped to the wilderness to try and delay what seemed like the inevitable, while others escaped this life entirely. For those already in the hands of a Daxy however, such options were hard to come across or act on. Even in Anchorage, Vexus could hear the celebrations coming from the grunts of the Empire in her command ship. Hovering just over the city hall of Anchorage. Vexus herself was seen staring at a map of the region, including some territory from Yukon. The man displayed the names and locations of various settlements and roads. Many of the smaller settlements with populations in the low hundreds, or even simply dozens, remained overlooked or poorly garrisoned, with the lesser equipped grunt soldiers relying on drones and scanners to patrol the vast wilderness of the northern frontier. Even then, the effectiveness of these items varied depending on the weather. Vexus was given a few tasks that seemed simple at first. Gather as much intel on the region as possible, evacuate the males to Anchorage, Fairbank, and Juneau, and lastly, round up and intern any human women found.
As Vexus stared at the map, her tail swayed from side to side. She was lost in thought. Her trance was disturbed when the metallic door to her command room opened. A Daxy a foot or so smaller than she entered, sporting light red scales, a greyed left eye, and the uniform of a captain. When Vexus turned to look at the officer, the officer saluted. Vexus would quietly return the salute before the Captain spoke, “Major Vexus, today is a day of celebration. Humanity is on the cusp of induction. Their weak women are being herded and destined for the planet these humans call Mars. And yet your still working here tirelessly” She said. Her tone was that of slight concern. “The ladies secured some local human beverages. Despite their backward ways, these humans can make quite the impressive brew” she said. In her hands was a glass bottle of some human liquor. The branding of the glass bottle remains hidden by her large hand.
Vexus would look to the brew, tempted to indulge herself in a temporary distraction from the stresses of war and soon occupation. “Thanks for the offer, captain, but I mustn't rest. Not until the men are safe and not until their women are dead and gone” she replied as she looked to the holographic map again. The map itself was a bit worrying. The further north you went on the map, the lower their presence was.
The captain looked beyond Vexus and to the map.”Major, the war is over. Plenty of our sisters will be stationed here to assist in the evacuation effort. It's not a question of if anymore, but when.” she said. To which Vexus would sigh “Captain, the humans up here are resilient. We’ve found abandoned camps in the most remote regions during excursions north. Whenever the elements allow our ship scanners to function, we find human life in places where it simply shouldn't be. We had to call in the hunters to deal with an encampment of ignorant humans at the top of Mount Denali” she said with a sigh “Enjoy the day off, Major. Rejoice and celebrate with the others. Today is an important day in our history. Tomorrow, we will redeploy our forces. Our current methods of evacuation are ineffective” she said as she looked at the map. “Tomorrow, I want you to assemble the women under your command and expand our existing operations at Fairbanks. It has a population of a few hundred people. The current commander there is to be relieved and reassigned. Expand her base of operations there. It's just south of the Arctic Circle, so prepare for harsh weather.” she told her. “The slower we act, the more men die trying to appease their corrupt women” she said. Her tone was somber. If the captain could see her eyes, she’d see a pair of exhausted eyes. “Is there anything else, major?” the captain asked. To which Vexus shook her head “No, your dismissed captain. Get your women ready. I’ll have some transport ships waiting for you. May Axillis be with you” The captain would give a salute before doing an about-face and walking out of the room. The metallic door slid shut. Leaving Vexus alone, staring at the map of the region. Why? Why do these men fight?