| Pheidas | |
| Fictional Character | |
| "Occupation Duty" POD: c. 1000 BCE | |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct POV |
| Nationality: | Philistinia |
| Date of Birth: | c. 1988 |
| Religion: | Dagonist polytheism |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
Pheidas was a 19-year-old conscript in the Philistinian Army. He was based in Gaza but spent duty time patrolling in Moab.[1]
On one occasion, he and his squad under the command of Sgt. Dryops were traveling to Hierosolyma in a convoy of APCs, when the convoy was attacked by a murder bomber. His particular carrier rocked but when it stopped and the soldiers deployed, they could see a command car on fire as well as a flipped APC. The murder bomber had rammed the command car with a civilian vehicle before setting off his explosives.[2]
Sgt. Dryops ordered his squad to deploy and prevented the Moabite onlookers from rioting. When the scene was secure, Pheidas went to the aid of the wounded. He bandaged a wounded soldier and then went to a screaming Moabite woman. He saw she had a severe leg wound and so knelt down to give first aid. He was interrupted by a young Moabite man who demanded to know what he was doing. Pheidas indicated he was trying to help her the best he could but said the man could take over if he wished. The man refused but continued to glare as Pheidas tied off a bleeder. As he finished an older Moabite man approached and identified himself as a doctor. Pheidas had him take over and asked if he could give aid to the injured soldiers. The doctor hesitated but refused, indicating it would be dangerous for him to do so.[3]
After the wounded were treated and the dead collected, the convoy continued to the barracks in Hierosolyma.[4] While underway, Pheidas reflected on the long history of the conflict between the Philistinians and the Moabites. It went back three thousand years to when Lord Goliath defeated the Moabite champion. He couldn't recall the name of the Moabite so called to his buddy Antenor, who replied immediately - Tabitas of the Evraioi.[5]
The next day, Pheidas went out on foot patrol with half his squad. At first it was tense but quiet. However, shortly they heard the sound of gunfire. The half squad hurried toward it and found another patrol had been ambushed. Pheidas took cover and began firing at Moabites who revealed themselves to fire on the Philistinians. He broke cover to do a pick-up on a soldier from the other squad who was wounded and then gave him first aid.[6]
An APC came up to give fire support from its heavy machine gun turret but was hit by a gasoline fire bomb thrown by a Moabite and put out of commission. However, more soldiers came up driving away the armed Moabites. When a tank came up escorting several ambulances marked with the Green Waves emblem, the immediate danger receded.[7]
As the ambulances withdrew with the wounded, Pheidas heard someone with a Philistinian accent shout "To me! To me!" He sprayed a quick burst of automatic fire to make the Moabites keep their heads down and ran towards the sound. He saw it came from a grocery shop and he jumped in through the blown front window. There he found a Philistinian captain guarding the grocer Chemoshyatti with his rifle. The captain indicated that he suspected the grocer of being a Turkic Sword Buddhist fanatic from Babylonia, in Moab to stir up trouble. The captain had found Sword Buddha tracts in the cash register drawer advocating insurrection against Philistinia.[8]
Pheidas heard others approaching. He cautiously stood up showing his helmet and uniform to Antenor and several other soldiers from his squad to indicate where they should go. The captain urged them on indicating that with them there would be enough troops bring the suspect into the base. The grocer realized the same thing and without giving himself away, flung himself at the captain. However, the captain had been on his guard and hadn't allowed him to get up close, so he squeezed off a four round burst into the suspect, killing him.[9]
References[]
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