by Z H Brown
Despite the carnage, the attack was still coming. The ground churned with spiky-backed and horned burrowers who violently emerged from the dirt snarling and roaring. Flyers rained down energy blasts at the turrets, whose energy shields took the brunt of their attacks. Insect corpses rained from the sky, the fragile speedsters being shredded by the weapon fire. A mass of monstrosities stood between the two squads and the base.
Ansaria and Kiryu took the lead, racing at full speed for the slaughterhouse that had become of the gate. Ansaria blasted a spiky burrower as it emerged from the ground, its head struck by numerous plasma beams. Kiryu dropped a primate that was charging the gate as fast as it could on all fours. Their squads quickly followed suit, a new chorus of blasts and explosions filling the landscape.
Just as Ansaria and Kiryu reached the pile of bodies at the gate, a scream came from the back of their unit. A massive arachnid had appeared from the fog and pounced on Tianus, its massive fangs puncturing into her throat and ending her cry. Kriegmar roared in fury and blasted the creature, annihilating most of it. He started running back towards his squad mate.
“Kriegmar! Into the base!” commanded Kiryu.
The enraged soldier ignored her and kept running. Before he could reach Tianus’ fallen form, the ground opened up beneath him and a spiky burrower emerged. It dug its claws into Kriegmar’s arm to hold him still as it placed its jaws around his neck. With a sharp crack, the beast snapped the soldier’s neck and dropped the limp body to the ground, roaring in triumph. Slog and Tread, who had been just in front of the other two, both unloaded a blast of plasma at the creature, quickly killing it.
As Ansaria made it over the wall of corpses, she saw the extent of the damage that had already been inflicted within the base. Bodies were strewn about the courtyard, most monsters, but far too many in Imperial armor. Two vehicles were flaming wrecks, while soldiers in the one remaining ATHV kept up a constant barrage of turret fire on the aerial attackers that came within range. The base’s soldiers seemed to be holed up in the garage area, and one of them waved them over as the rest laid down cover fire.
Despite the best efforts of the tri-lasers, plenty of creatures were coming over the walls and converging on the soldiers’ location. Ansaria raced toward the others, on the way telekinetically shoving an arachnid into a primate, tangling the two up and leaving them easy prey for the soldiers. As she reached the safety of the garage, she doubled over to catch her breath, turning to watch her fellow troops make it through the chaos.
A soldier approached Ansaria.
“The attack came out of nowhere!” it was Goreman. “We scrambled as soon as the first wave hit, but the numbers- they’ve never come like this before!”
Before Ansaria could reply, a strangled cry filled the air. Galla, who had been sprinting toward the others alongside Wulf, had taken a direct energy blast. A smoking hole now filled his chest and he fell to the ground, his arms trying to stiffly reach out before becoming still. Wulf howled and unloaded into the sky, hitting at least three monstrous flyers. The heartbreaking cry summoned forth a new ferocity in the defenders’ attacks, and it seemed that for a moment at least the monsters had retreated. Even the gate guns went silent.
The rest of the troops made their way toward their location and Goreman continued to inform them of the situation.
“I diverted the base’s shield to cover the civilian area. It’s holding up, but it’s left us at a disadvantage. We’ve taken massive casualties, and aside from us, what’s left of the troops and the security bots are with the civilians as a last line of defense.”
“Where’s the governor?”
“I am here, sergeant,” said Solemn, who emerged from the garage. “When this madness began, I knew you would need to meet immediately with the lieutenant, so I decided to accompany him in order to receive my property as soon as I could.”
“We have your damn piece, Solemn,” said Ansaria, exasperated. “But there are bigger things at the moment. I doubt it’ll do you much good if we’re all killed here.”
“On the contrary, Ansaria, this is a perfect opportunity to test the application of this device. With your Replanoid’s help, I could install the circuit you recovered and boost my own mental abilities immensely, including my telekinesis.”
“How long do you need?”
“A few minutes, tops.”
“Tread, get over here and help the governor with his mad science. Everyone else, defensive positions! We’re not losing one. More. Soldier!”
As Tread and Solemn got to work in the garage, the Imperial soldiers readied themselves for the next wave. Before long, the droning buzz of the mantis beasts filled the air, while rumbling once again shook the ground. Roars, shrieks and hisses were quickly joined by the firing of the tri-beam turrets’ blasts. The primate creatures and giant arachnids made easy work of scaling the walls in droves while burrowers were beginning to claw their way through them.
The Imperial soldiers again opened fire on the attacking monsters. Ansaria strafed the incoming arachnids, dropping four of them in rapid succession. Alvara dropped one primate after the other, the simian attackers presenting the easiest targets for headshots. Slog unloaded into the swarming insects constantly diving towards them, taking out swaths at a time. Critter was using his drone’s mortar launcher to pummel the beasts in the middle of the courtyard, each attack taking out at least two at a time.
The hover-vehicle’s turret continued to provide aerial cover as it kept the more dangerous flyers at bay. Still, the monsters’ energy blasts pelted the structure and more than one trooper had taken a glancing blow. Goreman was firing a low-slung Lancer-cannon that cut through multiple lines of attackers, ripping them to shreds. Kiryu was peppering the incoming attackers with blaster fire. Wulf’s weapon sliced through three beasts at a time, felling droves with each clip.
As Ansaria took aim at a spiked burrower that had clawed its way over a pile of dead creatures, its head suddenly disappeared in a thin blast from behind it. Ansaria strained to see the shooter.
Galla? A small part of her hoped.
Peering through the smoke and fog, Ansaria’s stomach twisted as she made out a hulking silhouette approaching them from amid the carnage. She could see red eyes glowing, black thermal plates illuminated by laser blasts- Ansaria gasped as she recognized the figure.
Reno. Its armor had not changed since last they’d fought, apparently having served the robot well in their last confrontation. Despite the automaton’s fall of a mountain in their last encounter, it looked no worse for wear.
The machine was annihilating anything in its path, killing dozens of monsters with its distinctive finger beam. Any creature that managed to get in close was mercilessly dealt with; one burrower snapped its jaws onto Reno’s arm, and the mindless killer reached over and crushed its neck, its body falling limply from his limb as it continued to walk. A primate screamed as it leapt toward the android, but Reno caught the beast in the air before driving its metal fist straight through the thing’s chest and tossing the body aside.
It took a moment before any of the other combatants took notice of the menacing killbot on the battlefield.
“Reinforcements!” cried Goreman.
“NO!” screamed Ansaria before anyone could grab on to this perverse and cruel ray of hope. “KILL IT!”
She immediately opened fire on Reno, her squad re-targeting to join her, and the rest quickly following suit after a moment’s hesitation.
The first barrage from Ansaria and her troops was shrugged off by the killing machine. Glowing eyes locked onto Ansaria, and the bot had only just taken aim with its pointer finger when the barrage from the rest of the troops hit it. The blast knocked its shot off target, but only enough to kill a soldier behind Ansaria.
While the majority of the blasts also failed to damage the machine, Goreman’s Lancer did, leaving two gaping holes; one in Reno’s shoulder, one in its right side. If it was possible for a soulless killing machine to make a f
ace of surprise, then Reno likely did so. It reached down to feel the extent of the wound, and its hand became coated in melted metal; Goreman opened up again and again, striking the machine in the chest and torso.
After taking catastrophic damage that even the killbot’s nanomachines were having difficulty repairing, Reno was forced to withdraw. It turned and bolted toward the ruined gate. With the organic monsters still coming over the walls, everyone turned their attention back to the immediate threat - everyone except Alvara. Taking aim at one of the retreating android’s wounds, Alvara fired.
The blast struck the inside of Reno’s chest and caused a small explosion. Reno cried out in alarm and distress, a sound that was heard even over the sounds of death and battle, but was still able to keep running, knocking monsters aside left and right.
“Done!” cried Solemn excitedly, racing up from the back of the garage with Tread.
“Then do something!” said Ansaria.
Solemn’s robot body began to glow with the same blue light that suffused his lab back on Myrthal, then rose up into the air until he was above Ansaria’s head and floated out of the garage onto the battlefield. Before anyone could call out to him, his glow increased until he seemed to explode with blinding, blue light. The next moment, the hordes of beasts and monsters were stopped in their tracks, held in place by Solemn’s power. The next instant, the creatures were all lifted up, and then as though caught in a great wind, whirled around though the air with even the corpses of the dead beasts. The air teemed with the swirling maelstrom of shrieking, clicking monsters before, with a gesture from Solemn, they were flung away; back towards the sea from whence they came.
The light faded from Solemn as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. Everyone in the garage was too stunned at the display to speak. It wasn’t until the governor stumbled as he walked back toward them that Ansaria was snapped from her revere and ran out towards him. She grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him.
“Tell me, sergeant,” said Solemn, a little weakly, but still pleased. “How did I do?”
“Well- that was certainly something,” she replied, grinning.
Ansaria led him back towards the others who were beginning to shake off their shock.
“So, does this mean you’re gonna help us stop whatever’s going on at Hoto?” she asked hopefully.
“I’m not sure. What I just did was incredible, to be sure, but you must understand that this is only a fraction of my true mind. Utilizing the capacitor proved more taxing than I had predicted and if I’m not careful, the part of me occupying this body could become frayed and damaged from over use. While I won’t die if this piece of me burns out, it still behooves me to ensure I remain whole permanently. Doing so otherwise would be like having a limb hacked off; still whole, but diminished.”
“And you have no idea how much you can safely use this thing?”
“I believe I could use it to operate at a telekinetic level equal to yours. I could push it beyond that if need be, but I’d have to be careful. And I probably have only one more stunt like the one I just pulled left in me.”
“So…is it over?” asked Goreman. He had remained at the front of the garage while the rest had gone to check the wounded and civilians.
“I gathered all the attacking forms in the immediate area, lieutenant. Including that malefic robot.”
Reno! In Solemn’s dazzling display, Ansaria’d forgotten all about the hostile hunter. If only there’d been some way she could’ve had Solemn hold on to it. She wanted to make sure it was finished permanently.
“Three casualties here, sir,” Kiryu informed Goreman. “The force field held up over the civilians, no losses there.”
“Total losses?”
“Since the first encounter with the enemy… seventy-five percent, sir.” The pronouncement hit those within earshot hard.
“That leaves us with just a couple squads-worth of soldiers and some security bots to launch an attack on the island lab,” Goreman said quietly, sitting down hard on a nearby crate. He draped his weapon over his lap and his chin sagged on to his chest. The weight of the situation hit him hard. After a moment, his helmeted head rose.
“We’ll have to leave immediately. We can’t weather another attack like that. Everyone get patched up and rearmed, then meet me by the gate. We’re taking back our planet.”
Chapter XII
Attack on Monster Island
There are those Imperial citizens who scoff at the idea that base creatures like the Amalgabeast are able to overpower entire battalions of elite Imperial soldiers. While Imperial troops are indeed formidable, the fact is that there are many forces in the galaxy, both known and unknown, that may challenge our troops in ways we can’t even imagine. Only by working together can the citizens of the Empire ensure the safety and prosperity of all.
--Excerpt from The Newcomer’s Guide to the Empire
Goreman ordered the remaining troops to see to the repair of the base while he, Kiryu, Ansaria and her squad assembled in the courtyard by the main gate.
“What we are about to embark on will decide the fate of these people, this world, and possibly others. Because of our current situation, I have decided that the strike team shall consist of myself, Sergeant Ansaria, and her squad. Kiryu, I am hereby putting you in charge until we return.”
The shock and anger were clear in Kiryu’s face.
“Lieutenant Goreman, forgive me, but you can’t be serious. You expect to storm an island teeming with Emperor-knows how many hostiles, and you want me to remain here? If there’s anyone on this base who should be accompanying you, it’s me.”
“I understand your feelings, sergeant, but we simply do not have the troops to spare. I need someone I trust holding down the fort while we’re gone; and if the worst should happen and I don’t return, I want you in charge.”
It was clear that Kiryu wanted to continue arguing, but she bit her tongue dutifully. “Very well, sir. Any other orders?”
Goreman shook his head and saluted.
“Not at this time. Now get back to your soldiers… Lieutenant Kiryu.” Surprise filtered across the new LT’s face. She saluted her former superior and briskly walked back towards the base.
Goreman addressed Ansaria and the others. “I know that, realistically, helping us end this nightmare is the only way to ensure you’re able to get off world, but I still wanted all of you to know how much I appreciate your help. You let me know if there’s anything else I can do to ensure that your primary mission is a success.”
Ansaria mulled over the lieutenant’s offer. She disliked the idea of trusting the data drive to anyone outside her own squad; after all, they still weren’t sure just how deep the conspiracy against the Emperor actually went. On the other hand, Goreman was right; this was essentially a suicide mission, albeit a necessary one. There was a very real chance none of them would be coming back, and if they all died and the information was lost, then the whole of the Empire would suffer.
After mulling over the mater several times and coming up with the same solution, she realized there was only one person she could entrust it to at the moment.
“The fate of the Empire rests with this information, Governor Solemn; I trust you to keep it secret and safe.”
Solemn took the drive and protectively held it to his chest, conveying his promise to do so in a deliberate nod before turning away and following Kiryu’s path to the base.
“Well, now that that’s taken care of,” said Goreman, “Sergeant, you and your troops pull the ride around while I grab something from the armory. After that, we’ll make a pollenus-line for the shore.”
Slog cut in, “But how’s a crate gonna get us to an island?”
“On the remote chance we’d ever get this far, I had all the hover-vehicles outfitted with aquatic stabilizers so that they could make the trip over open water. We just have to hope we don’t get brought down by any of the crustaceans we’ve seen swarming the waterfront.”
With that the squad got to work prepping the ATHV while Goreman headed to the armory. He returned after the squad had piled in the jeep by the front gate, his weapon slung across his back and a heavy case in his arms.
“What’s in the box, sir?” asked Ansaria.
Goreman gently set the box down in the back of the jeep and opened the top. Inside was a metallic oval with three yellow stripes around the middle. A digital interface was the only other feature on the object. Slog gave a low, impressed whistle.
“That’s a Nova bomb,” he said.
“A class-three Nova bomb,” specified Tread, “capable of annihilating everything within twenty square kilometers.”
“Good eyes, soldiers,” said Goreman. “This baby ought to have enough force to put a stop to whatever we find on the island.”
With that, the troops all settled into the hover-vehicle with Slog at the wheel and made their way out of the ruined gate into the battle scarred, fog-covered cityscape beyond. They drove through the silent town at a brisk pace, everyone aboard wary of another attack and anxious to make it to the island.
They heard the sound of lapping waves and smelled the salt air before they actual caught sight of the harbor. When they finally got close enough to the water to see it through the fog, they came to a stop. The waterfront was just as decimated as the rest of the city, with ruined structures and vehicles dotting the shore. Two of the crustacean creatures they had seen in the lab patrolled the beach while a third emerged from the water, its long, thin antenna twitching in the air.
“Orders, sir?” asked Slog, who looked back at Goreman and Ansaria in the gunner’s position. Goreman was silent for a few moments before answering.
“Floor it.”
The jeep took off at full speed toward the water. The creatures reacted to the whine of the engines, but Ansaria, Goreman and Alvara each took down one of the beasts before they could do so much as shriek at them.
There was a single, nauseating moment where Ansaria’s stomach dropped as they hit the water and it seemed like they would suddenly plunge into the cold liquid. However, the stabilizers kicked on and the craft leveled out as they continued to rocket towards their destination.