Long Shadows

Just being on the other side of the Vekta City Wall was a crime really.

Sometimes, Lucas Kellan didn't get why the Colonial Administration had agreed to the scheme that had led to the grand clusterfuck the VSA was now faced with. Helghast were pissed. They were pissed off at humanity before the Second Extrasolar War, they were pissed off duringthe war, and after their planet got sent back to the hell that spawned it, they were still pissed. And so, in its infinite wisdom, the higs had been given their own territory on Vekta, kept separate from the human population, and expected to live out their lives in peace. Separate from humanity. Sedate. Secure.

So, when helghast were found on the UCN's side of the wall, that was a crime punishable enough already. And when those helghast carried out a bombing and tore entire blocks up with gunships they shouldn't have access to, that was a crime that Lucas felt should be out of his jurisdiction and left to the navy. To either pound the helghast down to oblivion or ship them off to some backwater world where they could die in peace without bothering anyone else about it.

"Message for you Sir."

"Thanks. But don't call me 'sir.'"

But it was the way things were, and would continue to be. He'd chased the bastards. He'd caught the bastards. He'd let the helghast bigwigs claim ignorance of the terrorist attack and hauled the perpetrators back over the wall into UCN territory. And now, on the side controlled by the VSA, he was being contacted to report on the entire incident.

Silently, Lucas followed the trooper along the base of the wall – VSA soldiers on the ground, gunships in the air, basically everything to remind the helghast that they could claim ignorance all they wanted, but that wouldn't stop the VSA from firing first if they had to.

"Colonel Luger on the line for you Sir."

Lucas nodded and sat down in front of the laptop. He turned up the brightness – here at the base of the wall, with Alpha Centauri B on the other side of it, all the VSA troopers were operating in the shadows.

"Ah, Lucas. You're looking quite well for someone who was nearly killed."

Then again, he was a shadow marshal. Operating in the shadows was what he did best.

"I've had worse," Lucas lied. "All in a day's work ma'am."

"Good to hear it. And don't call me 'ma'am.'"

Lucas didn't smile. It was his instinct to, but Luger was a woman of extremes. On one hand, she came across as light-hearted. On the other, she never smiled. On one hand, she was a commissioned officer, the head of the Shadow Marshal Branch. On the other, she hated being addressed by rank. Lucas could only guess that she would still be in the field in an ideal galaxy, but the galaxy was far from ideal, and indeed, all he could do was guess. All the files he had on her all said the same word – "classified."

"So, tell me," Luger said, leaning back in her chair. "What motivates a group of helghast to infiltrate our side of Vekta City, kill our soldiers and civilians, and make no secret about their intent in doing so?"

"They're helghast ma…Luger. They don't need a reason."

"But why now?" Luger asked, leaning forward and twiddling a knife on her desk, its point resting on the wood. "They've always hated us. As long as the wall is up, they'll continue hating us."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "The wall? Ma'am, without the wall, they'd be able to slip into our territory even more easily."

If Luger was put off by being called "ma'am," she didn't show it. She opened her mouth, but Lucas kept speaking.

"I'm telling you, there's no secrets for me to find here. You want me to infiltrate the higs and stick a knife in their backs, I'm your guy. But if you think there's an underlying motive for all this, then the burden's on the higs to provide it. And speaking freely, I'm not expecting anything too intricate."

"Oh, you've been speaking freely for the last half-minute," Luger murmured. "Don't stop now."

Lucas leant back in the chair.

He didn't know much about Luger – there was only so much you could get out of the word "classified." Still, he'd heard things, and even read things in other files that were bound by much less red tape. Things such as rumours of his commander playing a vital role in repelling the helghast invasion back in '57, that she'd been part of a group that involved famed war hero Jan Templar and, of all things, a helghast. It might explain her apparent lack of antagonism towards the goggle heads. Of course, Lucas reflected, his commander was a cold fish regardless of what the higs did or didn't do anyway. Scuttlebutt was the only time she showed any emotion back in the war was when news reached Vekta of the destruction of the New Sun.

"Well, anyway," Luger said eventually. "While I have no doubt that you'd perform admirably if you went over the wall, I'd need to get approval."

"You need approval? I thought the Shadow Marshal Branch operated on a carte blanche principle."

"In theory, yes. In practice, no." Luger sighed. "It's the damn wall you know. It casts too much shadow."

"I'm a shadow marshal," Lucas protested. "Working in the shadows is what I do best."

"And it keeps the helghast in the shadows as well." She let out a sigh. "We had a chance, you know. To offer integration. Not just sequester the helghast away and let the cycle of violence begin all over again."

Lucas bit his tongue. If he hadn't, he might have spoken what was on his mind and ask something that began in "what?" and ended in an expletive."

"Anyway," Luger said. "Get yourself back to HQ. God knows you probably need the R n' R that only report writing can bring."

"I bet. Lucas out."

Shutting off the terminal, Lucas stood up.

"Everything okay sir?"

"Need transport to HQ," the shadow marshal said to the trooper. "I've got a date with a pen. Or a computer if I'm lucky."

The trooper nodded and Lucas cursed. Paper was meant to have gone obsolete centuries ago. Unfortunately, that only seemed to apply to Earth.

For a moment, he glanced back at the wall. For a moment, he wondered if Luger was right. What would have happened if it never went up? What if it was possible for helghast and humans to integrate? What if Alpha Centauri B could cast its light over all of Vekta City, not just one half at a time?

Still, if it didn't exist, he supposed he'd be out of a job.

He was a shadow marshal. Working in the shadows was what he did.

A/N

Yes, I know Shadow Fall was revealed ages ago and it might seem odd that I've written a oneshot based on the gameplay trailer only now, but hey, better late than never right?

Anyway, not much to say. I don't even own a PS3 yet, let alone a PS4, so in terms of gameplay, I have a lot of catching up to do (hoping that once the PS4 is released, the PS3 price will come down). But it terms of story, I've got to give Guerilla credit. Certainly it's an interesting direction for the story to take, and allows the series a breather after the events of Killzone 3. Certainly I consider the original game to have the best storyline in part due to its personal nature, so maybe we can have a repeat.