Starting In Starship Troopers

Hey everyone let's start things off with a little introduction, my original name was Shane T. I was a late 20's something…I underachiever, obsessed with reading fanfictions, from anything from anime, tv shows, movies and even books; I would read anything that interested me, even falling into the endless abyss that are cultivation novels... though I'm happy to say that I've been sober of that genre for a few years now even got my Wuwuxia 2 year sobriety chip…but anyways.

When Covid 19 hit, I lost my job and was forced into quarantine, and…by circumstance became an introvert...maybe the tendencies were always there I don't know.

But like many I fell into wasting away my days…watching TV shows, reading ffs and trying to write my own ffs, novellas and novels with little success.

During that time…those antisocial tendencies kicked in and I found that I craved social interactions with other people less and less.

It got to the point where when the lockdown was over I would still stay inside and avoid people, since I'd rather not interact with anyone unless I absolutely had to.

The only reason I went out was to earn some money to keep being able to stream/read, and to help out my family if needed.

Doing a little bit of Facebook stalking, I came to find out that everyone was basically the same as before the lockdown if not worse off, especially after living fat on that Stimulus.

Except for a few people, I was disappointed to find that almost all people my age were still immature and unable to perceive a future outside of high school, even though we'd already graduated 4-5 years earlier, and were still slowly killing themselves by doing/selling drugs and partying every night.

Even though I knew it wasn't true, sometimes, I'd think and feel that they'd become inferior to me…because I grew out of that bullshit.

Though deep down I knew the truth that it wasn't long ago that I was just the same as them partying away, acting irresponsible until I got jammed up with the law one too many times and had to change.

So in the end I didn't judge them too harshly, in fact even felt worried for some of them as we'd been close before my antisocial introverted disposition became so pronounced.

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Jackson (Jax) Rico

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Sitting at my desk behind Dizzy Flores trying not to be jealous of my older fraternal twin brother for having her obsessed with him and having his smoking hot girlfriend too.

'I'm glad today is my last day of highschool…at least I won't have to watch the girl I grew up to have a crush on, pine over my asshole of a brother…honestly though I'm not sure why I got shuttled off to this universe…I mean sure I put Starship Troopers on the TV and then fell asleep on the couch and then when I woke up…sitting in a food court of a massive mall with my mother Stephanie Rico, my little sister Amanda and our father Bill, Johnny was with our grandparents in Buenos Aries.' my mind wanders as Mr.Rasczak drones on about ethics and Civilians vs Citizens.

'I don't want to die by bugs before completing my target goal.' my mind continues to wander as Mr.Rasczak drones on about ethics and Civilians vs Citizens…as I imagine Dizzy and I getting together…though seeing the drawing Johnny drew on his computer terminal takes me back to that day…the day I realized that I was in a shit universe…and not one I ever fantasized about going to.

I was just fluttering my eyes open after getting flooded with memories of my new life, mom and dad started kissing and Amanda made a sound of disgust.

Suddenly there were massive sonic booms above us and asteroids hammered into the mall throwing us all up into the air, metal seats of the food court and all.

My ears ringing my vision blurry I look to my right and saw Amanda brained by the heavy metal table, mother was gasping in pain as the leg of a chair was punched right through her midsection nailing her to the floor, dad was thrown a few feet away from me but besides a cut on his forehead he seemed uninjured.

I crawled over to mom and held her hand but her eyes were vacant blood pooling behind her head in addition to the large puddle forming underneath her body.

I hear myself crying "Mommy, Mommy, wake up, please Mommy wake up!!!" I feel big hands rap around me and I'm pulled against a sturdy chest from the scent of cologne. I can tell it's my father, I buried my face into the crook of his neck and sobbed my heart out.

After a few long minutes of my father's shuddering mournful breaths I pull my face from the crook of his neck and spot a group of ten or so people cautiously approaching a group of asteroids.

'How…are we not dead?' I ask myself internally.

Suddenly the asteroids crack and open and things with big bodies flood out of them, most of them have big bodies, and they're around three to four meters tall and three meters long , half their body seems to be a mouth, their body's are supported by six legs…so sharp they cut through the inquisitive troup of people like a hot knife through soft butter.

'Oh Fuck…Archnaids!' I murmur internally and start insistently hitting Dad's back just behind his shoulder joints.

"Dad Monsters!" I finally cried out as I watched people get impaled, taken into the mouths of the bugs and shaken around like a dog's favorite toy, blood sprays and splatters everywhere, while body parts are flung around.

A warm wetness started to soak into my pants from my knees and realized my father was pissing himself in terror as he clutched me tighter.

As one of the bugs approached us a security guard in military armor but decorated in blue denoting him as security instead of gray, green or black of the other military branches, his large rifle blaring to life as he held it and fired at the hip as he grabbed my father's shirt with his other arm and pulled him to his feet.

"GET UP CIVILIAN, YOUR SON NEEDS YOU!!!" The man bellowed and seemed to snap my father out of his terror or at least got him to his feet.

"FOLLOW THE OTHERS TO THE SECURITY TERMINAL!!!" The man bellowed again and my dad started running as other security personnel waved him and 14 other survivors to the security terminal that is a small concrete bunker looking thing inside of the mall.

I start counting the bugs I only get to twenty before we enter the security terminal one of the security personnel gets impaled by a bug just behind us, from behind just as father sets be down the rifle slides across the floor to me and I don't hesitate, I throw myself forward and struggle to move the rifle that is about as big as my body but manage to angle it towards the bugs gaping maw, jam my whole hand inside the loop of the trigger guard and open fire.

The sound of it firing is deafening the bug's thick viscous blood splatters against me, I don't even notice when I run out of bullets just that the security guard from before enters the terminal looks between me the rifle and the dead bug, walks over to me switches out the mag and rubs my head on comfort.

"Good job kid, you saved everyone." He says to me while smiling at me but I barely hear it over the ringing in my ears and then, I watch as he's ripped out of the terminal, sliced in half by the sharp jaws of the bug and I start firing again, I was screaming as images of Amanda and Mom flashed in my head tears in my eyes ears ringing.

The rifle stops firing, just the empty mechanical clicking of the firing pin hitting air and cycling back.

I feel someone shaking my shoulder, harder each time…I start throwing punches and kicks at whoever is at my shoulder trying to take my rifle from my hands, I feel myself pinned down and restrained.

"LET ME GO I HALF TO KILL THEM, I HAVE TOO, FOR MY MOM AND LITTLE SISTER, I HAVE TO KILL THEM ALL!!!" I was screaming and struggling on the floor as adults held me down, a Security Guard grunts and hits me in the face with the butt of his rifle and I'm back in my classroom being pinned to the floor and restrained by Johnny and Mr.Rasczak, Diz was looking at me in concern, her cheek already turning purple from where I'd punched her, while in a day dream.

"JAX, FOR FUCKS SAKE SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU'RE NOT AT THE MALL!!!" Johnny screams at me, his voice cracking, I start to feel sick to my stomach, as I stare at Diz cradling her cheek, her eyes watering, while I stop struggling, my eyes stinging as the well up with tears.

Mr.Rasczak and Johnny let go of me and I stand up, meeting Diz's eyes and start to raise my hand to her, but I stop look away from her murmur my apology, before ducking my head down even further and speed walking out of the classroom to whispered jeers and snickers.

"'Fuck all of you!" I hear Diz yell and slump my shoulders even more as I quicken my pace for one of the exits.

Breaking free of the school hallways into the outside warmth of Bueno Aries, stopping closing my eyes I breath in deeply through my nose and mouth, before releasing an explosive breath.

"Finally, I'm free!" I murmur as I start towards the parking lot where my Ze-O Sportscar is which is a mix of a modern Dodge Challenger and a Tesla mixed with elements of a Saab.

"Jax wait!" I hear Diz yell from behind and hear her feet smacking against the pavement as she runs to catch up, to me Johnny's heavier footsteps coming up behind her.

Just as I reach my car Diz reaches me, her small hand firmly grips my bicep and tugs on me.

"Come on Jax it's not that big of a deal, I get little bruises like this all the time playing Jump Ball.' her voice smooth and soft as she guides me to turn around and look at her, a cheeky smile on her face.

I turn my head to look away from her to find Johnny glaring at me while his girlfriend Carmen comes up behind him and hugs his arm, and Carl Jenkins the boy wonder, following them.

"Come on Jackson, we know it's not your fault those pussy's have no idea what you went through that day." Diz says and thumps her fist against my chest in a show of comfort, which only makes me feel worse. In the past 8 years I've had dozens of episodes…and every time I've either broken something or hurt someone.

"PTSD is a bitch." Carl jokes with Barney Stinson's flair for the dramatic, and most everyone but Johnny and I chuckle, Johnny hates being reminded of our real mother and little sister's deaths, and every time he is he blames me for their dying.

Though it wasn't my fault, heck I didn't even want to go to Destiny USA...which was once the mall for the super rich, The reason I was there at all was all Mom and Amanda…I wanted to stay home with Grandpa and Grandma like Johnny but Amanda begged Mom and Dad to make one of us come with them.

"Come on let's get back to Mr.Rasczak's class, you don't want to get spended on the last real day of highschool do you?!" Carl says lightly though he was starting to get twitchy and knowing him as well as I do that was a sign that he was really freaking out inside.

"Right." I grunt and am surprised when Diz's hand slides down my arm and takes my hand.

"Come on, I need my best fan there cheering for me at tonight's game." Diz says to me with a mischief filled light in her eyes.

'What, why's she holding my hand and not drooling over Johnny?!' I wonder as she starts pulling me back to the school and I can feel Johnny glaring a hole in my head.

'Oh…I get it…trying to make Johnny jealous with me…as Carl shot her down.'

Once back inside Mr.Rasczak continues class like nothing happened reprimanding any one who tried talking shit about my episode.

The bell rings and I start to get up out of my desk. "Please stay Mr.Rico…" Mr.Rasczak says to me, making most laugh but one glare from the man shuts them up…

"Sorry about earlier sir." I apologize to the veteran, who waves off my apology with his handless arm.

"It's fine son, I used to have those moments too…" he says easily while looking at his nub.

"I see on your file that you're already enlisted and ship out before graduation…" Mr.Rasczak says as he sits down on the desk in front of me.

"Yes Sir, is there any issue Sir?!" I ask him as my foot starts to tap the floor restlessly as I know if this guy decides it he can end my military career before it begins.

"No…don't worry son, I'm not going to cock block you from the Infantry…in fact…I've been paying attention to you and Jenkins because I think you're both a good fit for specific…special projects."

"Special projects…Sir?!" I ask him curiously…

"Yes…how would you like to ship out tonight?" He asks me.

"I'm ready to go Sir, I can't stand one more day at home…if I can get the fuck outta here." I admit, honestly.

"That's all I wanted to hear…go home say you're goodbyes and meet me at the airport…in two hours."

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