Chapter 24: Fury of the Present, Curse of the Past

January 31, 2024 8:03 AM

Jacob headed to the barracks, having to fight to stay balanced as Pyrrha's footsteps rocked the platform. He went inside and hooked his belt into a hook on the ground. Inside, Gerard was shooting the breeze with the last two people Jacob wanted to see, Henderson and Taylor. Both of them gave him an angry sneer as Gerard turned to him.

"Jacob, finished with your work already? Guess I am going to have to give you some real ballbusters now," Gerard said with a smile as he got to his feet. Jacob tried to keep his face a steely stare as he took a deep breath.

"What happened to Samantha?" he demanded as he shifted to absorb another quake from Pyrrha's steps. Gerard barely twitched from the quake and just stared at Jacob for a second. Finally, he shook his head and mumbled something to himself.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just go back to your post and you can ask daddy all ab-" was as far Jacob let him get before he interrupted.

"WHAT happened to her?!" he demanded again. He unhooked himself and began to move closer to Gerard as Henderson and Taylor both got surprised looks. Gerard's slight smile faded a bit and he let a sigh.

"I'm not going to tell you, so just go back to your post. Just wasting mine and your own time," Gerard said before turning away from Jacob with a dismissive wave. Jacob’s anger flared white hot as he saw his concern, and Samantha's life, casually brushed away like it was nothing. That...fucker was just waving her away like she was nothing! Fucking BASTARD!!!

Jacob charged across the room, keeping his balance through sheer will, and went to tackle Gerard to the ground. Both Henderson and Taylor had just enough time to look surprised while Gerard only started to look back when Jacob smashed into him. Gerard let out a stunned cry as Jacob plowed into him and sent them both tumbling to the ground, along with the chair Gerard had been in.. Jacob reared his fist back as he got ready to smash the back of Gerard’s head in.

"Don't you fucking DARE brush Samantha off like that!" Jacob yelled before punching Gerard head and burying it into the padded floor. Gerard grunted in pain, but recovered far faster than Jacob had thought possible. His elbow came flying backwards and smashed into Jacob's face. Jacob cried in pain and jolted backwards before being thrown off Gerard's back. He crashed to the ground and had just enough time to blink the stars away before Gerard wheeled around. Gerard raised his fist and brought it flying toward Jacob's head, but Jacob managed to shift just enough to get out of the way. Gerard's fist sank into the padded ground as Jacob kicked out and sent Gerard reeling backwards.

They both leap to the feet and came up in combat stances as Henderson and Taylor got to their feet as well. Taylor looked about to jump in to aid Gerard, but Gerard shot her a look that made her back down. With her and Henderson backing away, Gerard turned back to Jacob.

"Alright, boy, let's see just how badly you want to save your fuck-buddy. If you can beat me, I'll tell you everything. But, if you lose, I'll kick your ass AND tell your dad about how you sucker punched me. I’m sure he will come up with some inventive punishments...and if not I sure as hell can," Gerard said as he licked his lips as if in anticipation. Jacob, however, barely even noticed as his rage was still burning through him. This was just a fucking game to him, wasn't it? Samantha's life was on the damn line and he wanted to play GAMES!?

"Just shut UP and tell me what I want to know!" Jacob yelled before rushing Gerard again. He tried to throw a punch at Gerard, but Gerard side-stepped it with ease and sent Jacob stumbling away from him. He swore as he came back at Gerard, but stumbled away again as Gerard slipped away. FUCK!

"All that anger would be great to have if you could actually hit. Too bad you are shit are channeling it," Gerard taunted as he slipped away from another punch by Jacob. Dammit, he was avoiding everything Jacob threw at him and wasn't even fighting back! He was just toying with Jacob! Jacob rushed him again, but tried a kick this time. He was about to smile as it looked like he had connected, till his foot stopped dead in its tracks. He tried to pull it down, but Gerard had it tightly gripped in his hand.

"My turn," he said before pulling Jacob toward him. Jacob swore as he stumbled forward, the rocking of Pyrrha's steps making it near impossible to stay up. Gerard raised his fist and smashed Jacob's right in the face and sent him crashing to the ground. Jacob cried in pain again as he clutched his face and felt the bruise already starting to appear. He swore in fury as Gerard stood over him.

"Never going to get anywhere if you don't learn to use that anger properly. Sure as hell are not going to save Samantha," Gerard said with a cruel grin. Jacob's fury came back in full as he pushed his pain aside. He started to rise to his feet, but a quick kick from Gerard into his side sent Jacob reeling back down. Fuck, he was losing and if he lost Samantha… No, no, no, NO! He would NOT fucking lose!

Jacob had to fight himself back to keep from trying to stand. He needed...needed to think...channel that rage...dammit he HATED taking this fuckers advice, but Samantha’s life was worth swallowing his pride. Gerad was too good for Jacob to beat in a straight fight so...so he needed an unfair fight.

“Giving up, boy? Decided your girlfriend isn’t worth the pain?” Gerard taunted, but Jacob ignored him. He had to think of someway to turn the tables on Gerard. Something...another rumble from Pyrrha’s steps gave him his answer. Jacob started to act like he was going to stand and hoped he was timing this right. Just like before Gerard kicked out at him, but this time Jacob was ready.

Jacob grabbed Gerard’s foot as it came to him and rolled a bit to lessen the blow. Gerard swore as Jacob pulled on his foot, but managed to keep his balance, at least till another quake shook the platform. The quake caused Gerard to shift a bit too much to the side and he swore as Jacob managed to pull him off his feet. Jacob didn’t waste a second as he rolled onto Gerard and stopped at his target.

"How's this for channeling?" Jacob said before reeling back and smashing his fist as hard as he could into Gerard's groin. Gerard eyes bulged out as he let out a silent scream of pain. He tried to double over, but couldn’t thanks to Jacob being on top of him. Jacob’s fury was not spent with that blow, though, and he smashed down a second time, putting every ounce of rage he had into it. Gerard was either in shock or his mind simply refused to process the pain, as he didn’t even shift from the blow. Jacob smiled as he knew he had won. But he had no time to celebrate.

Suddenly, Jacob’s peripheral vision caught Taylor's foot flying toward him. Jacob shielded his face with his arms, but gritted in pain as her kick smashed into him sending pain shooting up his arms. He rolled away and back onto his feet, but Taylor followed him and went right back onto the assault. She feinted right and went left and Jacob barely managed to avoid the punch. She looked to start going for a second punch, but instead lashed out with a kick that sent Jacob stumbling back into a bed. Jacob swore and rolled over the bed to break Taylor’s assault.

Taylor swore and shifted around the bed. The short break had given Jacob enough time to get ready and he took up the fighting stance his dad had taught him. Rather than wait for her, he went on the assault. He swung a hard left for her head and cursed as she ducked under it. He leap back to avoid her counter-punch and nearly stumbled as the ground shook again. Jacob growled as he saw Gerard starting to recover and realized his time was slipping away, it was time to end this damn thing.

Jacob rushed forward and swung an uppercut at Taylor. Just like he had hoped, she dodged the punch and went straight for the counter. She swung a left hook toward him, and got a shocked look.

Jacob caught her fist with his own and stopped it dead in its tracks. Taylor had just enough time to get a worried look before Jacob reared back and head butted her square in the temple. Jacob's world burst into stars from the impact, but Taylor was sent reeling from the impact. She stumbled a bit as another quake shook the ground and was left completely open. Jacob rushed in and reeled back for a gut punch, but stopped as the clicking of a gun’s safety echoed through the room.

Jacob looked over and saw Henderson with a rifle leveled at his head. Henderson was glaring at him with sheer rage on his face and looked seconds away from pulling the trigger. Taylor shook her head and finally recovered enough to see what was happening. She smiled and reared back before smashing Jacob's face with a punch of her own.

"That's for fucking headbutting me you fucking asshole," she said as Jacob stumbled back, but managed to keep his feet. He wanted to retaliate, but Henderson's gun followed him backwards. Fuck, he should have kick their asses before he got to Gerard.

"Pu...Put that...gun down," a voice said from behind Taylor. Jacob risked a glance over and saw Gerard pulling himself back to his feet, though still looking to be in serious pain.

"But sir he attac-" Taylor started to say before Gerard interrupted her.

"I said...put it down!" Gerard said, this time sounding more like himself and with a glare. Henderson lowered the gun, but keep his finger near the trigger. As much as Jacob would have loved to punch his face in, he knew Henderson was too quick for him. He would be shot before he even got a step, but Henderson was unlikely to disobey Gerard. Gerard was not known for being kind to those who defied him.

Gerard moved over, still grunting a bit in pain, and got between Jacob and Taylor. He gave Jacob a cold stare for a second before chuckling a bit.

"Well, you did beat me so I guess I have to tell you what happened. Just wish you had gone for the face instead, damn..." Gerard said as his stare turned to a slight smirk. Jacob, Taylor, and Henderson all looked equally shocked by that sentence and it took a second for each of them to recover.

"But..but he cheated!" Taylor said as she gave Jacob a venomous look which Jacob returned in kind. Gerard just scoffed at that and waved her off.

"Cheated? The only thing we agreed to was if he beat me I told him what happened. We never set any rules for how or anything like that. Besides, cheating is how we Resistance fight, ain't it?" Gerard said with a grin. Taylor opened her mouth as it to debate that, but closed it as she realized she had already lost. Jacob gave her a triumphant grin and had to fight not to laugh in her face. She stormed out of the barracks, but Henderson didn't follow her. Instead, he put his gun away and moved off to the side.

"And people say you have an anger issue... Ohh...give me a second. Those punches...really did a number on things..." Gerard said as he, slowly, sat down in one of the chairs. He grimaced as he settled down and bent over a bit as he groaned. Jacob might have felt sorry for him if he didn't remember his brushing off of Samantha and all the other shit he had just did. Considering that, he deserved the pain.

"Enough stalling, tell me where Samantha is!" Jacob demanded with a scowl. Henderson looked about to say something, but stopped as Gerard chuckled again. He looked up at Jacob with a pained grin.

"Fine, fine, not like my balls nearly got punched in or anything," Gerard said before leaning back in his chair.

"Samantha was sent out with William and a few others to scout out Lindale. They were supposed to find us a way into the town so we could look for whatever Sanders brought us here to find. They, however, never made it back in time. We sent another group north, lead by Christa, to get some eyes on the town from a big hill. Only one of her people made it back, though, half-eaten by catmonsters. Guy should have just let them have the rest, as he had made a blood trail leading right to us. Darius made the call that we needed to leave before the catmonsters that attacked him showed up, so we did," Gerard said without a hint of remorse or regret. That...that bastard...and Darius...he had LEFT THEM!!! Gerard must have seen the rage come over Jacob's face because he chuckled and shook his head.

"Get mad all you want, kid. Won't change the fact it was the right call. If we had stayed, those catmonsters would have attacked us and killed far more than the eight people who went with William. Eight lives lose out to thirty plus every time, no matter who is in that eight," Gerard said with a harsh look that made Jacob's rage stall a bit. He...he was wrong. Sacrificing eight people, no matter how many it saved, was still wrong! It still meant eight people had to die...but...NO, no he wouldn’t think like that!

"It wasn't the right call, it was the worst call! You can try to come up with whatever excuse you want, but it doesn't change the fact you left people to die!" Jacob said as his hand clenched into a fist. He wanted to punch that smile off Gerard, but held his rage back for now.

"Is it any worse than your call to get your entire group killed just to save a few people?" Henderson, suddenly, spoke up. Jacob whirled on him, but Henderson didn't budge as he stared at Jacob.

"Considering their choices keep most of us alive whereas your choices got everyone killed, I don't think you are in a position to judge them. In fact, maybe you're the one in need of judging, amigo," Henderson said as he poked Jacob's chest with his finger. Jacob's rage flared up again and it was all he could do not to smash Henderson's face in. He keep it under control, however, as he growled out a response.

"I did what was right. I did what a good person should do. I didn't leave people to die out in the woods without any help or anyway for them to find us!" Jacob said into Henderson's face. Henderson tried to glare back at Jacob, but his angry look started to crack. He looked to be trying to think of a comeback, but was drawing a blank. Gerard, however, began to laugh even harder. He slowly got back to his feet and seemed to have recovered from his low blow.

"Did what a good person should do? HAHA, funny, kid. Why don't you go ask Jason how well that works out, oh wait you can't because he got himself killed trying to be a "good" person. The sooner you get that idyllic crap out of your head the better cause out here, that stuff don't work. All you are going to do is get more people killed trying to take the moral high road," Gerard said with a mocking smile. Jacob turned back to Gerard and shot him the most hateful glare he could manage.

"Idyllic crap? You think trying to save people is just idyllic crap?! What kind of fucking monster are you?" Jacob asked in rage. He had hoped that would cause Gerard to react with anger, but the scarred man only chuckled again.

"One who was made by this monster of a world we live in. As much as I would love to keep discussing this, I can see a lost battle, so why don't we settle this the proper way. You want to go save Samantha so bad, fine, let's go save her then. You convince Pyrrha to take us back to where we camped and we can go look for her," Gerard said with a shrug. Jacob blinked in surprise at that sudden change and felt his anger cool a bit.

"Just...just like that?" Jacob said, wondering what the catch was. Gerard smiled and nodded.

"Just like that. Only, there is one thing. Make sure you remember who decided to go on this mission. Be a real shame if it wound up like the last mission you lead..." Gerard said with a grin that looked almost psychotic. Despite himself, Jacob couldn't help but feel a bit of fear hit him from that smile and the memories of that mission... He had made the right choice, he knew it, but...but... Was Samantha really worth the risk of all their lives? What was he thinking? OF COURSE SHE WAS! And it wasn't just here, Gerard had said William had gone too and he was important!

Jacob turned away and headed out of the barracks without a word. He had had enough when it came to talking to Gerard. He paused a second as he tried to shake of the doubt that Gerard had put in him. Was... was this really the right thing to do? Bah, of course it was, what was he worrying about?

"Jacob," Henderson said from behind Jacob as he came out of the barracks after him. Jacob groaned inwardly and turned to face the annoying hispanic. He swore if he poked fun at him with some damn spanish words... Henderson opened his mouth to talk, but stopped and looked away before turning back.

"I think you are an idiot for getting those people killed back then, but...that doesn't mean you are wrong all the time. You're right, leaving Samantha, William, and the rest to die was wrong and we need to go save them if we can. Just...make sure you don't get us killed doing it and make me regret telling you that," Henderson said with the barest hint of a smile. Jacob was so taken off guard by that that he didn't even manage to look surprised. Instead, he just numbly nodded as Henderson turned and headed back toward the cannon. Jacob wasn't sure if he was happy, stunned, or just...confused by what had just happened, but he knew it was...kinda nice to hear that he was right for once.

He shook off the feeling as he turned to face the back of Pyrrha's head. He needed to focus on getting up there and getting Pyrrha to do what he wanted, rather than what had just happened. He sighed to himself as he rubbed his head and wondered just how the hell he was going to get the catmonster to understand. And even if he managed that, how he was going to get her to go along with him, the guy who had shot her... Fuck...

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Pain...pain came first, stabbing and pulsing and seeming to make up the entire world. How long it ruled alone, she could not say, but it was, slowly, joined by others. An odd feeling at first, not pain and yet was... hunger? Yes it was hunger and..tiredness. She, she? yes she, was hungry and tired. And her head, why did her head hurt so much?

Samantha groaned to herself as she forced her eyes open. Above her was a clear blue sky with only a few hints of clouds. The beautiful sky seemed to make her head hurt less and she smiled a bit at the sight. She rubbed her head and was relieved to find the pain subsiding. Whether it was because of something she did or just that it no longer was all she felt, she couldn't say. She, also, found a large knot near the top of her head. At least the mystery of her headache was solved.

Samantha started to try and sit up, but was stopped by a gentle, yet firm, hand on her shoulder. She looked to her side, wincing a bit as the movement made the pain come back. William was kneeling down beside her, a smile nearly hidden by his big beard. He pushed her back down as he brought a damp cloth up to her head.

"William? What happened? I..." she started to say before memories began to flood back. Their arrival at the old camp site, William's plan, them hiding, the giantesses coming for them, Luk-OH GOD!

"LUKE!" Samantha yelled as she tried to bolt upright, but was stopped as William held her down.

"Samantha, look at me. Calm down and just relax. It's too late to do anything for him and you are still hurt," William said in a calm and soothing tone. Despite his words, Samantha felt anything but calm and soothed. She tried to wiggle out of his grip so she could get up and look for Luke, but William keep a tight grip on her.

"Let me go, WIlliam! I need to go look for him to-" she stopped as a spike of pain went through her head and drove her down faster than William could ever have managed. She winced in pain and gasped as it, far too slowly, subsided. William brought the cloth back over and put it on her head again.

"That is why I told you to keep calm. You took a nasty blow to the head, Samantha, and probably have a concussion. You need to stay put and rest, not get all worked up over things you can’t change," William said as he keep his hands hovering near her shoulders in case she tried to rise again. Samantha took a few deep breaths as the pain went back to its original level. As much as she wanted to get up, the massive shot of pain had taught her to listen to William. Instead, she tried to piece together more of what happened.

She remembered nearly being crushed, but feeling herself be pushed forward. She had looked back just in time to see... Samantha closed her eyes as everything came back now. Luke had...pushed her to safety only to be caught under the boot himself. He had sacrificed himself to save her... No...

Samantha didn't bother trying to hide the tears as they started to come. She raised her hands to try and wipe them away, but they came faster than she could wipe them away. William knelt over her and patted her shoulder, but said nothing. She didn't want him to die for her, not after she had rejected him so many times. How could he sacrifice himself for her after all that?! How could he do it with such a calm look on his face? How could he...how could she have let this happen?

"I know you are going to start to blame yourself for this, everyone does, but try not to. Luke's death was no more your fault than Nathan's," William said, as if reading her mind. Samantha moved her hand enough to look at him and saw him give her a knowing smile. Samantha didn't return it as she turned away from him. Not her fault, of course it was! If she hadn't been standing where she had been or moved to the side of the boot or..or...done...SOMETHING else Luke would still be alive!

William sighed to himself and patted her shoulder again. She heard him stand up and move off a few feet before sitting down. Samantha didn't bother looking back, having no wish to see him or talk to anyone. Instead, she went back to her grief and guilt of getting her friend killed.

She might have stayed like that for...hell she didn't know, if she hadn't remember Susan and two others had still been with them. She rubbed the tears out of her eyes and looked around to see if they were around. The only thing to her right was William and bare trees. William looked up from the piece of wood he was carving to watch her, but didn't say anything. Samantha turned to her other side and was saw a man laying a few feet away from her. He was either asleep or unconscious and looked to be bad shape. Actually, horrid shape considering his right leg was gone. Blood soaked bits of clothing was all that was binding his stump and an unhealthy tint was starting to take hold of the rest of his leg.. Oddly, she was positive he hadn't been in their group, but did have Phoenix gear.

"That's Jenkins. He was with the group that went north. Also a good reminder of how lucky we are even if we don't feel like it," William said, apparently having seen her take notice of him. Samantha glanced back at William in confusion and had to fight not to try and sit up again.

"The group that went north? You mean the one Christa lead?" Samantha asked as she tried to rub the last of her tears away. William nodded before speaking up again.

"Yes. After the giantesses left and we found you, Christa and the two survivors of her group showed up in the camp. We joined together and headed west to put some distance between us and Lindale. We stopped here after a few hours of travelling to let you and Jenkins rest. I volunteered to keep an eye on you two while the others headed out to try and find some food or signs of the main force," William answered as he went back to carving...something out of the wood he had found. Samantha almost nodded, but stopped as her head preemptively flared in pain. Instead, she just turned to face the sky again and thought about what she had heard. It was good to hear that everyone, save Nathan and Luke... had survived the giantesses. And they had Christa and tw- well one, considering Jenkins, other person to help them survive.

Samantha was about to ask something else, but her stomach decided to make itself known. She blushed a bit as she grabbed her stomach as if to silence it. William chuckled at that before his own seemed to respond in kind, getting him to let out a hearty laugh.

"Seems we both need them to hurry up with our order. I wish I had something to offer, but all I can make is a wood burger," William said as he held the piece of wood up like it was a burger. Samantha couldn't help but giggle at that and, for a second, forgot about what was happening. Her smile faded, though, as reality set back in, along with her dull headache.

"Yeah, that joke wasn't much of one. Though I do have something else I can offer. One thing us old men have a lot of, besides hair in odd places, is stories. I got the perfect one for you, too, how does that sound?" William asked with a pleasant smile. Samantha gave him a "seriously" look which made him frown.

"Now what is that look for?" he asked as he crossed his arms. Samantha shook her head and sighed to herself.

"We are out in the middle of nowhere, starving, and probably being hunted by something and you want to tell a story. Nathan and Luke are dead and..." Samantha trailed off as she turned away from William.

"All the more reason for one. We both need a distraction from this mess. And, honestly, do you have anything better to do?" William said with, Samantha imagined, a smug smile. Samantha sighed at that and, sadly, couldn't come up with a good counter-argument for that. She was stuck here unless she could stand up. The slight pulsing of her head told her that was unlikely.

"Fine, tell me a story," Samantha said as she turned back to face William. He gave a big smile and sat up a bit.

"Good, good. Just think of it as paying me back for hauling you all the way here from the camp, us old people love nothing better than young people listening to us. Let me think...yes why not the story of how the Phoenixes got started, and no I don't mean the fake one that you have already heard. No, I think you need to hear the real story of how it all started and how Darius wound up in charge. Kinda on-topic with us being stuck out here," William said with the same smile, though something about his face shifted a bit. It seemed almost...sadder? darker? It was hard to tell. The real story of how it started and Darius... Samantha wasn't sure she wanted to hear this now, but William was already starting..

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You know the basics of how the Phoenixes started, yes? The Society attacking without warning, eleven brave survivors from various villages coming together to make the Phoenixes, etc... All of that is true enough. There were eleven of us at the beginning and we did call ourselves the Phoenixes. However, the story that is told does diverge a bit from the truth.

Back then, the Phoenixes were lead by Jason Hambly, the husband to Kimberly. He was a great bear of a man, nearly as big as Derek, and had a heart to match. He never turned anyone who needed help away and made his mission to save as many people as possible from the Society. His confidence and charisma inspired people to hope and helped to swell the ranks of the Phoenixes. He was the first into any fight, the last to leave a battle, and would take on giantesses by himself if necessary. He was, in every sense of the word, a hero. However, he was still all too human...

For all his good qualities, his bad ones were damning. He had no tactical sense and spared few, if any, thoughts for the future. He could inspire people, but didn't know what to do with them. He was the first into a fight, but never thought of escape. He rescued everyone he could, but never thought about the cost. Soon enough, the villages we saved were gaining us fewer and fewer people as the villagers who couldn’t fight had to be sent away. We didn’t have Hope back then, in fact we had no home base so we were forced to send soldiers to escort the young, sick, old, etc… to other groups that did have places for them to hide. Our numbers began to dwindle faster than we regained them, and I began to fear for our future.

For a time, I tried to keep Jason reigned in and provide him with the tactical knowledge he needed. It worked, for a time, but the job was...exhausting. Jason made every choice to leave people an excruciating task and would be furious for weeks at a time, even if saving them would have cost us everything. Worse, his inability to see things from a tactical standpoint often made it a struggle to get him to understand the big picture. To him, saving people was all that mattered rather than making a group that could oppose the Society long-term. This was all a rescue mission, not a war of survival.

I may have been younger back then, but I was still too old to keep that fight up. I knew I had to find someone else to take my place in case...well us old men do tend to die. As I began to look, however, I came to the realization that there was almost no one qualified for the job. Lindsey was, perhaps, the best candidate, however she was our best scout and I was loathe to put her to another task. General Holmes, though he was just Holmes back then, was another I looked at, but he was far too similar to Jason to work as a counter-balance to his need to save everyone. Those two became the usual pattern, either the person was in a role that fit them too well or was simply not willing to counter Jason, or just lacked the skill needed. I had almost given up when I meet with Derek.

Derek failed as well, he simply didn't have the head for grand strategies and such, but did give me a glimmer of hope. When we talked, he mentioned how Darius had changed so much. From a notorious criminal, to a well liked part of the community, to a broken man barely able to get himself out of bed. That innocent comment set me on my course.

From Derek I learned that Darius had once been a criminal, and a very successful one. He had travelled all over the north-east Georgia area doing various non-violent. Despite never killing anyone, he still became notorious to the Police in the area thanks to his ability to slip away. Derek had been a cop in Alpharetta and had tried to catch Darius more than once, only for him to escape every time. Darius gained a reputation for always being two steps ahead and only became more elusive when his sister joined him. The two were all but impossible to catch and could vanish from towns in a matter of hours, only to reappear miles away having already done a new crime.

This got my attention as such perfect escapes and well executed crimes demanded a brilliant mind. I talked to Darius many times and found that he was, indeed, a genius. Even better, he agreed with me that Jason’s current goals were short-sighted and doomed to fail. However, he still had a major problem. The lose of his sister had sapped all of his will. He showed promise, but would never do more than that if he couldn't find his fire. Even if I taught him ever trick I had learned in my...original profession, it would mean nothing without the will to use them. I was not going to give up so easily, though. I saw a great future with Darius as the brains and Jason as the heart of the Phoenixes and I was not going to let it die so easily.

I tried being kind and supportive as I taught Darius what I knew, hoping the activity and support would help. I even began to bring him into the meetings of the leaders to see how things were done. Darius listened and learned, but still there was no fire in him, no passion. Fear began to take hold of me as I worried if he would ever snap out of this. Seeing support and kindness not working, and being an utter fool, I tried a different approach...

I...I tried being cruel. Rather than show support, I was critical of everything he did. Rather than assure him he would see his sister, I reminded him how he had watched as she had been taken, how weak he was. It was...painful to do, but I thought it worthwhile when I saw some passion appear on Darius. Slowly, he began to show more and more life and I keep teaching him. He absorbed everything like a sponge and was soon outpacing me in fake battles. It wasn't long before he could best me even when I had the odds stacked in my favor. Better still, at least from my point of view, he was pragmatic and rational with his tactical decisions. I had to fight not to beam in pride when he began to ask why we were risking our best troops to save villages with, maybe, three or four fighting people. Darius had learned from me well...and then...and then everything fell apart…

Rather than work with Jason, Darius took to openly defying him. He was constantly critical of all of Jason’s plans, second-guessed everything he did, and began to sow seeds of doubt in Jason’s leadership. Jason did not take the challenge to his authority well, doubly so with Darius openly stating saving people was a fool’s errand. Rather than come together to make the Phoenixes better than ever, the two of them became bitter rivals and a deep seated animosity grew between them. And I….I did nothing...until that day came...

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March 5, 2018 6:21 PM

William sighed as Jason got up to pace about again. The big man was not big on patience and Lindsey's scouting mission was taking longer than usual. That did not bode well, but Jason was either unaware, or didn't care. Knowing their leader, probably a mix of both. When lives were on the line, Jason tended to forget everything else.

William understood why Jason was so worked up. The village they had found was one of the biggest they had seen, and yet seemed completely unaware of the Society's rampage. Worse, they had built their village in a defensible position with only one entry/exit. While that would have been great if they were attacked by people their size, a giantess could just walk right over their defences. Jason might have still gone charging in if he and Darius hadn't stopped him and got him to agree to scout the area first. William still prayed to what was left of England that Lindsey was just running a bit behind...yet knew the chance of that was close to bugger all.

"This is taking too long. Derek, go get the soldiers and let's get this started," Jason said as he spun around to Derek. William swore in his head and started to try and craft a lie, something, to keep Jason from risking them all. Before he could, though, Darius spoke up.

"You are going to get us all killed if you do that," Darius said in a cold voice that seemed to be becoming his usual tone. William didn't like it, and REALLY didn't like Darius picking a fight with Jason. Darius was smart enough to know Jason despised when he said things like that, doubly so when others could hear. Hell, that boy was starting to make him wonder if bringing him into the main leadership had been a bad idea.

Jason slowly turned back to Darius, an annoyed glare on his face. William pushed off the tree he had been leaning on and moved toward them to try and stop a potential fight before it broke out. He seemed to be doing that more and more these days. Dammit, how could things have gone so wrong?

"Darius, we do not know that. Lindsey could be lagging behind for all kinds of reasons. That said, Jason I think it best we wait for her. She might find us another way to get people out of the village or find there is no giantesses around. Our people are tired and that village probably has enough space for us to stay. A rest would be good for all of us," William said, hoping to placate Jason with his concern for the other Phoenixes.

Jason turned the glare at William, but it softened as William brought up the other Phoenixes. Jason gave Darius another glare before sighing and shaking his head in anger. Despite the look, William knew he had gotten William to come around.

"Fine. I'll give her two more minutes, but that is all," Jason said, getting a relieved inner sigh from William. It wasn't much, but it was something. And he had stopped Darius and Jason from going at it, again. Derek looked just as relieved as he gave a nod of thanks to William. Thus far, Derek had managed to stay out of these fights and looked to be staying in that position, but hated them nonetheless.

They all waited a few more minutes, though with watches and clocks being a thing of the past William couldn't say if it was two or not. Far too soon for William's liking, Jason turned back to Derek. Before he could speak, however, another voice cut him off.

"If you were just going to go ahead and do whatever without my information, why bother sending me?" Lindsey said as she, suddenly, appeared out a few bushes nearby. William had never been so glad to hear her voice, despite nearly jumping from her sudden appearance. Both Derek and Jason looked taken aback by her sudden arrival, but Darius managed to hide his shock. Jason stammered a bit before getting his composure back.

"I really wish you would stop doing that. Bad enough having giant women to worry about, I don't need sneaky normal-sized women added to it," Jason said with a slight smirk. Lindsey shrugged at that and gave her own cocky smile.

"What can I say? I like surprising people, their faces are just too great," she said before her smile faded away. She got a more serious look as she moved closer to them.

"But I don't like this kind of surprise. I found a big hill to look out over toward Atlanta and saw two giantesses heading straight for us. Their ten, probably less, minutes away from us. Worse, their making a beeline for this village. They know it's here, no doubt about it," Lindsey said with a sad tone. William closed his eyes and swore as he realized what that meant. There was no way to save this village. There was simply too many people and too little time to get them out. Their best bet was to pull back before they got caught in the slaughter. He was about to reach to pat Jason on the back in comfort when Jason spoke up.

"Then we still have some time. Derek, get the men ready to move out. We need them in position ASAP. I'm goin-" Jason started to say, leaving William stunned. Before he could finish, and before William composed himself, Darius spoke up.

"You can't be serious. Lindsey just told us two giantesses are heading straight for that village and you want us to throw our best people at them? They would be hard pressed to hold off one long enough to evacuate a village that size, but two? We would be better off leaving them and saving our strength for a battle we can win," Darius said in anger and disbelief. William swore to hell again as Darius made a bad situation worse. He might have been able to talk Jason out of this, or at least take so long that they had no choice but to leave, but now... He needed to get the others out of here before this got worse and Jason’s leadership was dug out by Darius.

"Lindsey, Derek, head back to the rest of the group, we'll be along once we sort this out," WIlliam said, as he motioned for Jason to hold his tongue. He gave William a furious look, but stayed silent as both Lindsey and Derek headed off. Both looked rather glad to be out of the firing line and moved a bit quicker than usual. No sooner had they vanished did Jason lay into Darius, moving up to tower over the smaller man.

"I have HAD IT with your shit! I said we are going to save these people and, dammit, we are. I am not going to leave them to die simply because you, or YOU," he pointed at Darius then William, "tell me its not tactical or too risky. Fuck you and fuck your tactics. Those are people, PEOPLE down there that are going to die, fucking DIE, if we don't do something. Now either you get with the damn program and help me save them or get the fuck out of my group." William didn't need to look at Jason to know he was furious. If there was one thing he hated above all else it was people telling him to let people die. He just hoped he was still willing to listen to reason.

"Yes, we are all aware of that, but we have people here as well an-" William started to say before Darius cut him off.

"That makes two of us then. I have had it with your stupidity and need to be a damn hero. If you want to go out in a blaze of glory, fine, but don't drag the entirety of the Phoenixes down with you," Darius shot back. Bloody fucking hell, why was Darius not shutting up?! Jason's face twisted into rage.

"You fucking BASTARD! I am doing this to save people, not for personal glory you fuck-" Jason moved forward and looked about to punch Darius when William threw himself between them. Dammit, no this was all wrong! They were supposed to work together not be at each other's throats!

"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU! This isn't helping anyone!" William said holding Jason back from Darius. Jason pushed against William, but only enough to show that he was. Darius, however, stood his ground and didn't make a move to defend himself or attack. Finally, Jason spun away and walked a few steps away as he took a deep breath to recover.

"We are going to save those people and that is final. William, go tell Derek and the others to get into position and have Kimberly bring the rest to help me evacuate people. Darius, you...you can go fuck yourself and die in some hole," Jason said as he shot a glare back at Darius. With that he turned and stormed off toward the village without another word. William tried to say something, but Jason had vanished before he could get more than half a word out. He swore outwardly as he rubbed his head in frustration. There was nothing for it now...dammit.

“Darius, why would yo-” William started to say before Darius spoke up again.

"Do not obey those orders, William. You know just as well as I do that you will be sending our best to die for people who either can't or won't fight," Darius said getting William to turn back to him. Darius regarded him with a near emotionless stare, but William thought he saw a bit of...hope? Longing? William turned away as he stared after Jason. He sighed and shook his head.

"If I do that, Darius, I will be dooming Jason to death," William said, figuring that would put an end to this. Surely Darius could see that as well. Jason wouldn’t be dissuaded, not now anyway thanks to Darius. And leaving him to die was not an option.

"Yes, but that is just as well. Jason would have gotten us all killed or left the Phoenixes crippled before long thanks to his...obsession with saving everyone. We will be better off without him," Darius said as if he was simply stating facts from a book. William turned back to him in shock as he stared at Darius. He...he had to have heard that wrong.

"Darius! Jason has problems, I will admit, but he means well and-" William started before Darius interrupted.

"And would still have damned us all. Good intentions are fine enough in stories, but this is war. And war demands sacrifices to be made, you of all people should know that. Jason is not willing to make said sacrifices and that will destroy the Phoenixes as well as any giantess. Someone else needs to take over, someone willing to make those sacrifices," Darius said as he moved a step closer to William. William had to fight not to take a step back, stunned by what he was hearing. How..how could Darius even CONSIDER this?! No, no he was just angry at Jason and letting his temper cloud his judgement.

“Darius, I’m going to forget you said that and we won’t speak of this again. We are NOT going to leave Jason to die simply because he doesn’t think like us. Now let’s get back and try to salvage something of the mess you helped make,” William said, slowly and as calmly as he could. He turned away and started to try and leave, but stopped as Darius grabbed his shoulder.

"William...please. You taught me what is needed to win this war, you taught me this IS a war, not matter what anyone else might say. So help me make the right choice to win this war and save my sister," Darius said in a pleading voice. William turned back and, for a second, saw the same broken and lost young man he had first started to train, the one shelled by his despair. William turned back to look at the village and felt himself torn in two.

If he sided with Darius...he would be dooming Jason to death. Jason was a fool and, at least in part, Darius was right about him dooming the Phoenixes. But he didn't deserve to die for that, and certainly not like this. It had been his courage and his charisma that had made the Phoenixes into what it was and without him, there never would have been Phoenixes. William could still remember that day the eleven of them had been together, the way he talked and the hope it had ignited into them all. He was a great man...hell probably one of the best William had ever known...and Darius was asking him to let him die, no, to murder him.

But...Darius was right that Jason would doom them, eventually. Hell, this could be that doom already. If those two giantesses broke through and got to the village, anyone inside was dead. Their losses could utterly cripple them and end any hope of them being a force to counter the Society. And, perhaps worst of all, Darius would undoubtedly leave. Not only would that leave them without one of their best minds, but WIlliam had grown rather close to the younger man. He didn’t want to see him leave, but...murder? Darius understood this was a war and had the potential to be a great leader...but was that worth letting Jason die?

William closed his eyes and knew the answer he had to pick. No... it was not worth this. Jason was a fool, a loud-mouth, and could be infuriating, but he did not deserve to be left to die. After this, he would have a serious talk with Jason about their future and try to put the idea of him stepping down forward, but that could wait. The Phoenixes needed Jason and Darius would have to accept that.

"I won’t leave Jason to die, Darius, and the fact that you would disappoints me in more ways than I can say,” William said as he turned a hard glare toward Darius. Darius’ face darkened and his emotionless mask came back over his face.

"So you think I am wrong, then?" Darius asked, his face darker but not angry. If anything he seemed...at peace with it, though still saddened. William shook his head at that, though.

"No... you are right Jason will doom us, eventually. But I can't just leave him to die, not like this. He does not deserve that after everything he has done for us and so many others," William said as he stared at Darius. Darius stared back for a second before sighing and looking away.

"I see...very well then," Darius said as he looked to deflate. William turned back to head toward the camp, but only got a step before pain erupted from the back of his head. Suddenly, the world went black.

William didn’t know how long he had been out, but it couldn’t have been more than a few moments. He groaned as a slight headache nagged at him, but he pushed it away as he tried to remember what had happened. He had been talking to Darius and...yes he had told him he wouldn’t leave Jason to die but...everything was blank after that. What the hell happened?

Getting to his feet, William had just enough time to look around before an all too familiar rumbling shook the area. Foot steps...giantess foot steps. Oh no, he had never told Derek to get into position! William took off at a full sprint toward the camp site and hoped there was still time for them to get ready. If those giantesses reached the village first...

He pushed his worries away as the camp site came into sight and… he found nothing. William looked around in stunned wonder and found no trace of anyone. Everyone and their belongings had gone. Had Darius gone and told them to move out or had Derek taken it upon himself to do it? And why had Darius just left him there? Dammit, what was going on?

William might have headed to the village if something hadn’t caught his eye. He moved to the edge of the camp leading away from the village and was stunned by what he found. Tracks, lots of them, moving AWAY from the village. What the hell?

Suddenly, a gut-wrenching realization started to form in his head. No...no he wouldn't...he couldn't...by God yes he would and could...William tore off through the brush, following the tracks as he tried to catch up. His mind spun in circles as he tried to find some other explanation, some other person who could have done this, but there was only one who came to mind. How could he have not seen this coming?! How could he have let his guard down?!

William started up a hill that the tracks had gone up when he felt the first full on tremor. Oh sweet Elizabeth no... the giantesses were here and no one was there to stop them. Jason was all alone and...no... William charged up the hill, and nearly plowed over a Phoenix scout who tried to stop him. William slowed just long enough to ask a question of the confused man.

"Why did you retreat?" William demanded as the man stammered out a confused greeting.

"Hel-... What? Did...Jason not tell you? He told us all to fall back while he got as many out of the village as he could, Darius said so," the scout said, dispelling any doubts from William's mind. By God, what had Darius done?

"Where is Darius?" he asked, trying to hide his fury. He wasn't sure how well he managed it, as the scout still looked odded out, but pointed him to the top of the hill. William took off up it as the rumbling steps began to get louder, and louder.

William crested the hill and found Darius, alone, at the top. He was staring down at the top of the village which could barely be seen. Behind it, the massive forms of two giantesses were walking their way closer and closer. By now, it was far too late to do anything. Anyone they sent would arrive long after the carnage. The village, and everyone in it, were doomed.

"Darius...how could you? How could you-" William started to say before Darius cut him off with a harsh glare.

"How could I do what needed to be done? How could I make the choices you were too weak to make? Quite easily, actually. I thought I might feel something more...profound lying to them all and knowing I was damning Jason. Instead, all I got was a bit of guilt...easily ignored," Darius said before turning back to look at the village. William felt like he had been slapped with that answer. Just a bit of guilt? He had just signed an entire villages death warrant along with Jason's and he had was a bit of GUILT?!

"That's it? Dooming a village only got you a bit of guilt?" William asked as he moved closer to Darius. Anger began to form in him as he moved up. Darius didn't even turn, just shook his head.

"Dooming? I had nothing to do with that. That village was doomed before we got here. Even if we had, by some miracle, held the giantesses off long enough to get it evacuated, where would we take them and, more importantly, hide them? The Society would have been on our trail in moments and even I can't hide that many people. No, that village was dead before we even got here. The only question was would we die with them..." Darius trailed off as he looked back at William, the glare back on his face. William tried to keep the glare up on his, but his mind began to realize the Darius was right.

Even if they had gotten those people out, the giantesses would know they had run. They would have given chase and hiding that many civilians, many of them with no experience staying hidden, would have been all but impossible. Jason would have sent them to defend them...and they would have died. And William...William had been too busy focusing on keeping Darius and Jason from each other’s throats to see that. But Darius had...

"Jason decided that he would die with them. A stupid choice, but his to make. However, I was not going to allow the Phoenixes to be wiped out because of his stupidity. We have some of the best soldiers of any group and the potential to be a force capable of opposing the Society. I was not going to let him, or you, waste that for morale reasons that have no place in war. My sister is too important for that!” Darius said as he turned to face William.

Behind them, one of the giantesses let out a short giggle as they came within sight of the village. Their booming steps were loud enough to drown out nearly everything and the earthquakes were shaking the leaves and knocking loose branches down. Darius ignored them, however, as he coldly regarded William.

"However, I could not bring myself to get rid of you, so now you have a choice. You know I lied about what Jason told us to do. You can, easily, tell everyone about that and there is nothing I can do to stop you. Of course, the others are likely to kill me in revenge for dooming Jason, at least if Kimberly has anything to say about it. However, with both me and Jason dead, the Phoenixes would need a new leader. Perhaps you or some of the other officers would lead it more morally, but we both know none of you have my skills or intellect," Darius said without even a hint of arrogance. He was not bragging, simply stating facts. William’s fury had burned out at this point as he realized just how blind he had been. This...this couldn’t be the same young man he had taught...and yet there he stood. And the horror did not end...

"Which leads to your second option. Say nothing and let me lead the Phoenixes. I, unlike you and many others, can make the sacrifices that need to be made to win this war and, most of all, have the qualifications to lead. But, that would mean letting Jason's death go unavenged and leaving me to lead as I see fit. I wouldn’t blame you for either choice, but I can tell you that me leading is the best chance we have of winning this war. The choice is yours, William," Darius said as he turned back to watch the beginning of the slaughter. William could almost swear he could hear the screams of panic as the giantesses began to crush the village. Dust and bits of buildings began to fly through the air. The giantesses only laughed more as blood stains began to appear on their boots.

William stood there for a moment, too stunned to think or do anything. He felt like every hope and dream he had for Darius had been smashed apart in less than a second and now...now he felt just as empty and hollow as Darius had been when he had first meet him. He had tried to make a hero...and had made a monster. A monster who had just doomed their hero and left them with no choice but to side with him. William could not take over...not after this and the others...all the reasons why he had not picked them were still there. William shook his head and could only manage to get out one word.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why?" Darius parroted as he glanced back. Slowly, his mask shattered to be replaced with a  darkened and depressed face. His shoulders slumped and he looked down at the ground..

"Because you were right. I did fail my sister. I failed her completely and utterly. I'm her big brother...I should have protected her or...or at least tried. Instead I...I just laid under that rubble and watched as they took her. She looked at me just as they were taking her and..." he stopped as he took a deep breath, obviously fighting back tears.

"I will not fail her again, William. I WILL save her. But to do that, I need an army. An army capable of fighting the Society and winning. The Phoenixes are not there, not even close. But they will be, no matter what it takes, no matter how many Jason's I have to leave behind, no matter what sort of horrid choices I have to make, I WILL make them into a force capable of crushing the Society and I WILL save my sister. And when I do, this world can burn for all I care. Now...go tell everyone what happened or start hardening your heart,," Darius said as he put his mask back on and turned back to the carnage. William stood there as realization washed over him. This...this was his fault... He had pushed and pushed and pushed till something in Darius broke. Darius was a monster...a monster William had made...

William fell to his knees as he watched the giantesses slaughter the few people in the town, one of which was Jason. He turned away and felt tears begin to stream down his face as he silently begged Jason to forgive him. Not just for this...but for the choose he was about to make. What other choice did he have? And all the while, Darius stood there and watched without the slightest look of guilt.

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Samantha stared at William in silence as he finished his story. She...had no words for how she felt. Confused, betrayed, angry, sad... all of them were just mixing around like clothes in a washing machine. All she could do was stare at William's ashamed and regretful face as he let out a heavy sigh. Finally, a question slowly emerged from his turmoil-locked mind.

"Wh-..why did you tell me that?" Samantha asked as she tried to shift through her emotions and thoughts. She had known Darius was not a kind man, but had not...had never... William looked up and gave her a sad smile.

"Why? Fair enough question. Obviously, I did not tell anyone what really happened that day, otherwise Darius would likely be dead and certainly would not be leading the Phoenixes. So why tell you now? It is, to be completely honest, quite simple. Because someone needs to know the truth in case the worst should come," William said as his sad smile gave way to a serious look. Samantha's mind began to settle and process what she had heard, but still gave William a confused look. She didn't say anything, though, figuring William would continue.

"I have been watching Darius for a long time now and have come to a...realization. Despite what Darius is, despite the...monster I turned him into, he is still the best, perhaps only, chance we have of defeating the Society. Without his tactical knowledge and...willingness to do what is needed, I doubt any attempt to defeat the Society will succeed. He was the one who made the watchpost system, he helped pioneer out giantess and monstergirl tactics, and he has never let us suffer a complete and utter defeat till the Manchent incident. However, Darius is not our ally, not completely. Ultimately, all he cares about is saving his sister. For now, that requires the Society in Atlanta to be defeated as he has no way of getting into their base otherwise. But, if a way should reveal itself for him to reach her without defeating them..." William trailed off as he gave Samantha an expectant look.

"He'll abandon us to save her...and flee once he does," Samantha finished, remembering Darius' words. William's reasons for telling her, and not telling everyone else, were becoming slightly clearer, but something still bothered her.

"I understand why you didn't tell everyone, but why tell me? Wouldn't Susan, Derek, or Sanders be a better choice?" Samantha asked, confused as to what made her special. William smiled at that and gave a soft chuckle.

"Partly because you don't understand what makes you special. Humility certainly helps, but there was more to it. I needed to tell someone who was smart enough to know the advantages Darius brings and was not blinded by their morals, yet still had them. Someone like Jacob or even Sanders, to an extent, would turn on Darius the moment they heard the truth. Whereas someone like Gerard or General Faine would not care in the slightest and brush off my warnings. I doubt even Derek would be able to work with Darius as readily as he does if he knew the truth, though I expect he has had suspicions. I think, and hope, that you are the middle ground I need. That you can see the need for Darius' help, but are not so cruel as to dismiss his lack of morals," William said with a hopeful and kind smile. Samantha felt a bit of blush come on her face, embarrassed by the praise. She...she...wait no, she couldn't be it.

"But...but I'm just a grunt! What am I supposed to do if Darius does betray us?" Samantha said, suddenly feeling very UNready for this. This..this was way too much too quick. Suddenly being told your leader is a potential threat and you had to make sure he didn't screw everyone...she didn't want that kind of pressure! Then again...

William chuckled at her protests and shook his head. He leaned back against the tree he had been sitting next to and sighed to himself.

"I have a good eye for people who are more than just grunts. I highly doubt you will stay in that position for much longer, doubly so with us moving to fight the Society. People are going to die, officers as well as grunts. I would not be surprised if you wind up in charge of a squad by the time we head back to Hope," William said before pausing as his smile faded a bit,

"As for what to do, I cannot say. There are simply too many variables and possibilities of how such a turn of events could come about to give you instructions. However, I can say that your best resource is your charisma. You have a natural charm, Samantha, much like Jason did. Use it to your advantage and make sure you stay well-connected to those with power, like Sanders.  Those connections could save you and the Phoenixes from disaster. But most of all, never forget that Darius is not on our side. Watch him and always be prepared, and listen for anything that could lead him to his sister without the need of the Phoenixes."

William's face had gone back to stern and serious as he had spoken and he stared at Samantha for a second. Samantha nodded and William's stern face melted back into his usual easy smile. He went back to carving his wood, and looking as if he hadn’t just had a talk like no other.

Samantha turned away and stared up at the sky for a few minutes as she thought about all this. William had said she would be an officer...before that would have sent her sky-high, but now...now she would be an officer under Darius. And Darius was no longer their leader, leading them to victory, but a potential threat that could damn everyone. Then again, considering they were still lost in the woods, potentially left to die, all this might not even matter. They could, easily, all wind up dead and no one would ever know the truth about Darius till it was too late. That filled Samantha with dread and she turned back to William.

"But what if we die out here? Who is going to warn Sanders and the rest about Darius?" Samantha asked in worry. She was confused as William chuckled a bit at that and stopped his wood carving.

"Do you remember how I said you were well connected? Do you, honestly, think either Sanders or Jacob would leave you out here to die? Or Pyrrha for that matter? No, I have no doubt that some, if not all, are coming to try and find us right now. In fact, I would be shocked if we had to spend another day out her-" William's words stopped in his throat as his eyes widened a bit. He closed them and groaned as his face seemed to lose all color. Samantha was going to ask what it was till she heard it too.

Sniffing...catmonster sniffing…

Excerpt of Study on Old Resistance tactics:

While much of these tactics have become disused by Resistance groups, I still feel it is worth studying this old tactics. Understanding the thoughts and reasons behind such tactics will give us a better understanding of Resistance soldiers thoughts. And if we can think like a Resistance member, we can plan for what they will do.

Original tactics:

During the early days of our war against the Resistance, there were few things they could use against us. A few of them managed to make guns or other such weapons, but most were more muskets than proper firearms. Such weapons were useless against out shields and, at best, were distracting. Ironically, this was their first tactics.

Typically, Resistance groups would send a screen of soldiers out to fire on us to try and distract our soldiers from their task. Using the woods and other things to hide from sight, they would take turns firing at a soldier before hiding to avoid their inevitable death. This tactic was less than ideal and, often, proved fatal. At best, the tinies could distract a soldier for a few seconds, but most began to learn to ignore the weapons and focus on the mission.