Frontline

“Amalgabeasts are a mysterious and frankly frightening species. The creatures seek out new organisms to consume in order top become stronger. A single specimen is capable of breeding a hive on a new planet, necessitating a quarantine of any ‘infected’ worlds. Illegal transportation or possession of an Amalgabeast is punishable by death.”

-Excerpt from The Newcomer’s Guide to the Empire

“Sarge, we’re coming up on Brakka.”

Slog’s voice emerged from Ansaria’s comm. as she made her way back to the cockpit. Slog was there, alone at the controls. In the viewscreen, the planet Brakka loomed before them; vast, blue seas broken up by varying expanses of green landmasses. Ansaria heard the sound of metallic walking and turned slightly to see Solemn join her in the cramped space.

“At last,” she heard him whisper.

“Anything about this planet I should know, Solemn?” asked Ansaria.

“There’s nothing special about. Imperial colony world, specializes in R&D for the Empire, corporations and private individuals, though not without oversight, of course. Until the communications blackout, I would say this should be as simple as going up and ringing the bell.”

“And you have no idea what could have caused the blackout?”

Solemn’s answer was to hold his out his empty hands.

“Great. Have they spotted us, yet, Slog?”

“Negative, Sarge. Or, if they have, then they’re keeping quite about it.”

“Bring us in then, and keep the comms open.”

The small ship accelerated towards the planetary location provided by Solemn. As they got closer and closer to the day-side of the planet, the communication system remained silent and Ansaria’s unease began to grow. It wasn’t until the ship entered the atmosphere that the comm. system sprang to life.

Garbled and unintelligible words filled the cabin, intermixed with bursts of static and high-pitched shrieking as the equipment tried to compensate.

“Any way to clean this up?” said Ansaria, who almost had to shout to be heard over the incomprehensible din.

“I’m doing all I can, Sarge, but none of it seems to be working.” Said Slog, as he fiddled with the equipment, and all the while the ship drifted closer and closer to the surface.

As they broke through what should have been the lowest level of clouds, the ship’s inhabitants saw a sea of mist stretching out in all direction, completely obscuring the ground below. Ansaria’s feeling of unease intensified as she saw the opaque fog beneath them. As the seconds stretched on, she felt Solemn beginning to fidget behind her.

“Sergeant Ansaria, please, we must go on. We won’t learn anything hanging in the sky, and there’s our deal and my experiment at risk.”

Ansaria mulled the situation for a few more moments before speaking to Slog.

“Take us in, Slog.”

As the ship drifted down and finally broke through the fog, the stuttering comm. finally began producing some intelligible messages.

“Imperial starhopper! We….immed….Base loca…need…”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Said Slog.

Before Ansaria could reply, she was knocked against the wall as the ship shook from a sudden impact.

“Slog! Report!”

“We’re under attack, Sarge! Whatever this fog is, it’s playing havoc with our sensors, cause I can’t get a fix on ’em!”

Another blast rocked the ship and Ansaria heaved her way toward the port viewscreen. She was uncertain what she would be able to make out in the thick fog, but she had to do something.

Another blast hit the ship as they approached their landing site. Dark shapes flickered through the mist, nothing recognizable to Ansaria as she prayed that their attacker wouldn’t be able to knock them out of the sky.

“Slog, how much further?!”

“Beginning our final approach, just a few more seconds!”

Ansaria keyed her TIG.

“Squad, meet me at the hatch, and prepare to engage unknown hostiles!”

Ansaria moved to follow her own orders, making for the ship’s exit, Solemn close at her heels.

“Whatever happens, Solemn, stay behind us. If we are forced to split up, you come with me or Alvara, got it?”

“Understood. Any weapons in that rattletrap?”

“Honestly, sergeant, I find that term offensive,” said Tread, as he approached the exit, his Plasma Cannon whining as it began powering up.

“Afraid not, Ansaria. I may be able to tap into my mental powers and utilize some telekinesis, but I cannot guarantee it.”

She reached the exit and saw Alvara waiting there with Critter tucked away on a belt pouch. She felt the shudder of the ship as it landed followed by rocking explosions from their unknown attackers. Heavy foot falls behind her announced the arrival of Slog.

“All right everyone, as soon as we’re out, we head straight for the nearest cover. Keep low, watch your fire, and above all else, stick together.”

She gave herself a moment before hitting the control pad on the door, which slowly opened. The fog shrouded everything, rendering the world outside a mass of gray filled with hazy, black shapes. Energy blasts struck the ground outside the door, creating small, burning craters.

Ansaria dashed out, her head low, her senses straining for any hint of an enemy or incoming projectiles. She ran full speed to the nearest black shape, which resolved itself into a two story building of some kind.

The heard the footsteps of her troops behind her before they were drowned out by the thumping of Tread’s plasma cannon as his advanced senses were able to pick out the aerial threats better than the others.

As the building became clearer and clearer, Ansaria noticed the building sat dark and silent, with its main door firmly shut. A flicker in her vision caught her attention and she fired a burst from her rifle into the fog. Uncertain if she hit anything, she turned her attention to the rapidly approaching door. Summoning her rapidly diminishing energy, she telekinetically struck the door, the blast blowing the heavy back into the building. With a last burst of speed, Ansaria threw herself over the entryway into the building, with her squad quickly following.

“Slog, Solemn, block that hole! Tread and Alvara, get upstairs and take positions at the windows!”

As her troops scrambled to comply, Ansaria raised her TIG. They had gotten a signal on the way down, and that meant that there were people here, probably in the same situation as them.

“This is Sergeant Ansaria broadcasting on an open channel! To any Imperial forces in the area, we are under attack! Are ship was engaged by an unknown enemy upon approach, and we are currently taking shelter in a small structure but we are besieged by the enemy attackers! Can anyone hear me!?”

The building shuddered as a pair of blasts struck it, but this was followed by a screech that sounded distinctly like an animal in pain.

“Bagged one!” came Alvara’s voice from over the comm. unit.

“Keep it up!” yelled Ansaria. She raised TIG to repeat her distress call before a staticy voice emerged from it.

“This is Lieut……I have dispatch…..old your position! ETA less than…..”

“Come in lieutenant! I didn’t read that last! What is ETA?”

“….ess than ten standard minutes!”

Less than ten minutes. They could hold out for that long. After all, Alvara had already taken down one of them, so obviously they weren’t unstoppable. It’s just that damn fog gave them the perfect cover.

“Troops, help will be here in less than ten minutes. We just have to hold on till then. And we’re going to make it out of here, cause I didn’t escape an unstoppable killing machine three times to be killed by a fog monster. Understood?!”

“Yes, sergeant!” came the chorus of replies.

Slog and Solemn had propped the door back in the entrance and had turned over a heavy metal table to hold it in place. Slog had taken up position next to a window with a steel shutter obscuring most of it, while Solemn had retreated to next to the staircase. Ansaria moved to take up the other ground window floor.

More energy blasts struck the building, a couple even blowing small, smoking holes in the sturdy metal walls. The fog air outside exploded with light as a fireball tumbled through the air before hitting the ground out of sight, its glow the only thing still visible.

“Hit one of them with a plasma blast and it went up like dry grass.” Said Tread over the comm.

The next few minutes settled into a pattern: the attackers would swarm the structure only to be forced to retreat once the troops returned fire. They heard cries of pain from the creatures that indicated they were scoring hits, but they never recreated Tread’s results.

Ansaria slapped a fresh clip into her rifle and realized that it was her last one. After this, she’d be left with nothing but her sword and her powers, both of which were of limited use in this situation.

She checked her TIG and saw that eight minutes had passed since she had gotten the reply. Help should be here any second. She hoped.

She saw figure swooping through the darkness. She raised her rifle and unloaded on the target. The plasma rounds struck the mysterious shape and knocked it out of the air with a cry of pain. This was followed by another chorus of blasts from their attackers, and Ansaria was forced to duck away from the window as multicolored beams struck nearby. As soon as the blasts subsided, she cautiously peeked out the window to see the constant cover of fog.

As she tightened her grip on her weapon, the sky outside suddenly filled with light. A mighty boom shook the building and Ansaria was just barely able to make out the sight of one of their attackers disappearing in a fireball. Laser blasts began filling the air, though these came from behind the building and were streaking into the fog-filled air.

The beams illuminated the mist enough to briefly make out pieces of the creatures. Ansaria saw a multicolored wing of one beast and the scaly talon of another. It was only after wrenching her eyes away from the sky that she realized that the small structure was filled with the sound of her squad cheering. Ansaria allowed herself a tired smile.

They made it.

The barrage from the reinforcements continued for another few minutes. The new arrivals also had rockets in their arsenal, and fired two more of them into the mists. The area was filled with the sound of explosions, laser blasts and cries from the creatures.

Finally, after it seemed like the attackers had been driven off, Ansaria got her first look at her saviors. A half-dozen Imperial soldiers had arrived in a heavily armored hover-jeep that had the rocket launcher attached to it. The troops were all humanoid, and all wore gray armor similar to Ansaria’s squad.

There was a knock on the door, and Ansaria used her telekinesis to move the table out of the way. Without its prop, the heavy, battered door fell over backwards into the room with a metallic thud. In the door way stood an Imperial soldier in full battle gear, a gray helmet with a black visor obscuring the troopers face. The new arrival saw Ansaria and gave a salute.

“Sergeant Ansaria? Private Galla, of His Majesties Imperial Army. Lieutenant Gorman regrets not being able to meet you in person, but he hopes you understand.”

Ansaria laughed at that and returned the salute.

“I think I can forgive the corporal. After all, he sent us this wonderful welcoming committee.”

“If you and your squad would join me, sergeant, we can RTB before the creatures return.”

His comment robbed Ansaria of whatever relief and mirth she had at the rescue.

“Yes, these creatures. I’m hoping you could fill me on just what the hell is going on on this planet?”

The soldier backed away from the doorway and gestured toward the jeep.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but the LT’s really the person to ask about that.”

Ansaria debated pressing the point for a moment, but decided against it. Her troops were tired, low on supplies, and on a deadline. She supposed that an explanation could wait.

For now.

The return trip to the base took longer than the mad scramble the Brakka troops had made. For one, now half the force had to travel on foot, and now that the immediate danger was gone, the native troops were wary of an ambush from the mists on the way back. Ansaria’s squad felt the same way.

The fog continued to shroud the landscape, but as they traveled new features appeared and disappeared back into the thick mists. Many buildings they saw bore signs of damage and more than a few had been completely demolished. Overturned vehicles dotted the rode, some crushed into twisted wrecks, others smoldering husks. Even the street they walked had been ruined; craters pockmarked the surface while whole sections had been gouged and ripped up.

What could have done this, Ansaria wondered. The most likely culprit was Amalgabeasts. They were dangerous and destructive enough to have done all this, but she’d never heard anything about an impenetrable fog that blocked long range communication being part of an infestation. Besides, if these were Amalgabeasts, then there would be no need for Galla’s cryptic silence.

They reached the compound where the planet’s platoon was stationed without incident. The heavy lowering metal shutter gate was flanked by a pair of tri-laser turrets. The gate rumbled down and they proceeded into the main yard. A smattering of soldiers was there, all in ready battle gear, though only a few actually seemed to be doing anything. The hover-jeep pulled into the motor pool and Ansaria’s squad disembarked, while Galla’s troops filed through the door into the base.

There was a single occupant in the motor pool, a cephalopod-like being, dark purple with sixteen long, dexterous tentacles. However, two of the tentacles were missing their tips, and one had been reduced to a stump a couple inches long. He said something in a warbling language to Galla.

“Just a reload, this time, Quaoral. Thankfully.”

“Check it out, Critter: someone to talk shop with.” Said Ansaria.

Critter chattered in reply.

“I’m sure he’s just as good a mechanic as you are.”

Galla led them into the base and down the hall. The base resembled the squad’s, just enlarged. They passed a number of rooms, and a lounge area twice the size theirs had been before arriving at the operations center.

The room inside was lined with terminals and screens, most of them dark and powered down. A central holo-table took up the majority of the floor. There was only one occupant in the room, his armor’s rank insignia identifying him as the mysterious Lieutenant Gorman. Galla and the other’s filed into the room, and stood on the opposite side of the table, all of the soldiers present snapping a salute.

The lieutenant was wearing his combat armor like all the others, though he had removed his helmet. His skin was reddish pink and somewhat spotted, with hairless head and a rather large nose dominating his face. However, the most striking thing about him was the burn. A quarter of his skull, from his upper cheek, to his forehead and stretching over the top of his head. His right eye was milky white, while his right ear had been burned off entirely. The charred flesh was seared black and cracking all over.

Gorman returned the salute.

“At ease. Galla, well done. You and your boys are done for the day. Dismissed.”

“Sir!” Galla saluted, than turned and exited the room, the sliding door sealing behind him.

“As for you sergeant, you, your squad and I are due for a talk.”

“That we are, sir. If I may, sir, I was wondering if you could inform us on just what the hell we walked into, sir.”

Gorman smiled briefly before wincing. He almost brought his hand up to his ruined flesh, but resisted the urge.

“Very well sergeant, since you asked first. Here are the facts: for those of you who don’t know, Brakka is the civilian R&D capital of the Empire. Over a dozen companies employ facilities here, all working on cutting edge technology. Nineteen days ago, at fifteen-hundred standard time, we lost contact with the Toho facility on Tomoyuki Island. Shortly after that, this demandable fog began rolling in from the sea. Once the fog completely covered the city, long range communication capabilities were lost.

A squad was dispatched to investigate the island, while we worked to somehow round up the civilians and get them into the compound. Less than two hours after the fog appeared, the first attacks began. The buildings on the waterfront were hit first, the flying creatures strafing the buildings and attacking people in the streets. Our forces were barely able to fight back; they were being picked off one by one. We had to pull back with what civilians we had or everyone would have died.

People tried to flee in personal shuttles, but the beasts swarmed any ship that was able to lift off. We set up a broadcast telling people to head to the base, but with the communication situation, not many people heard it. With no way off world and communications down, we decided to hunker down here and wait for the next arriving ship to get word back, somehow. We’ve been besieged ever since. Some times we launch scouting or salvaging ops, but other than that….”

As the lieutenant gave his testimony, he seemed to deflate a bit, leaning over the table and gripping the edges hard. It looked like sharing these events was bringing some of Gorman’s own pain to the surface, though he never let it show otherwise.

“So a high tech lab goes dark, some weird techno-fog rolls in, and a bunch of ferocious, laser-breathing monsters suddenly appear. And you have no idea what these things are?”

“None. Of the six types we’ve encountered, not a single one is in the database.”

“Whoa! Back up, LT!” said Slog. “What’s this about ‘six types’?”

“Yes, two aerial types; three land creatures and an aquatic specimen.”

“Show us.” Said Ansaria.

The specimens were laid out on six lab tables. They’d all been kept on ice, and aside from battle damage and autopsy scars appeared intact. The first one was a large, leathery, flying reptile, its flesh a deep red. It had a long, sharp beak, and with its equally long head crest was technically taller than Ansaria.

Next to it was a giant insect, its body as thick around as Slog. Its large, compound eyes were ebony black, while its body was covered in fine gray hairs. Its wings had patterns of black, gray and yellow that looked strangely beautiful on a creature of destruction.

The third creature was fourteen feet long from snout to tail, with heavy limbs, sharp claws, and a back with a massive shell covered in wicked spikes. It had a crown of horns on its head and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The dark brown shell contrasted with the dusty yellow of its skin.

The fourth creature was similar, though smaller, more streamlined. It was a little over ten feet long from end to end with charcoal gray skin. It had shorter limbs and sharp, blunt claws. A large horn dominated its forehead while a much smaller horn grew directly above it.

The fifth creature appeared to be a massive primate. Its limbs were long and muscular, though one of its arms had apparently been blown off. The creatures fur was thick and dark, it’s exposed skin just a few shades lighter.

The last specimen was a mammoth crustacean, with claws as long as Ansaria’s whole arm. Some of its legs were missing and there was a hole from the monsters mouth and out the back of its head. The aquatic beast was blood red.

“The aerial creatures were the first to appear. Three days later, subject types three and four appeared. They’re burrowing creatures, and damn near tough enough to chew through the prefab’s floors. Subject five appeared a few days later, and they are able to scale the walls. That’s why we’ve got troops on interior perimeter duty. The shellfish was encountered by a scouting party on the waterfront.”

Ansaria and her squad stood there, taking all the information in. Obviously, things were even worse then they’d initially thought.

“How do the land specimens get here form the island?” asked Alvara.

“We’ve seen a few making landfall, and apparently they just swim over. We’ve never seen any sign of watercraft or dropships.”

Ansaria turned away from the lab.

“I must be honest with you, lieutenant; I’m not sure what I and my squad can do to help you. We’re damn good in a fight, but I doubt even we could lift a siege single handedly.”

“Well, before we start planning your victory strategy, I believe you have a story of your own to tell me.”

Ansaria composed herself before answering. She was acutely aware that Solemn was with them, so she had to make sure there were no holes in her story.

“My squad and I are on a special mission vital to the Empire. Do to damage sustained in battle; we were forced to make an emergency landing on Myrthal in order to repair our ship. Solemn here is governor of Myrthal and has business here on Brakka. We agreed to aid him, in return for him getting us back on our mission.”

Gorman stroked his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over Ansaria’s words.

“And what brings Governor Solemn to Brakka, exactly?”

“I am on the verge of a breakthrough that could change the very idea of mortality itself. A vital piece of my experiment was developed here and I’ve come to retrieve it.”

“This ‘vital piece’ wouldn’t have been developed by Toho, would it?”

“No, lieutenant, my work has nothing to do with these events. Besides, the technology was developed by the Psionics Corporation.”

This seemed to satisfy the lieutenant was he led them out of the lab and down the hall.

“Psionics is on the north edge of town. We haven’t sent any scouts out that way since the initial evacuation. We know the beasts have been bent on destruction, and have attacked even empty structures. I don’t know for certain if the facility is still there, but it’s a possibility.”

He led the squad into his private office. He sat down in his chair with a sigh and regarded the assembled group before speaking.

“Here’s what I’m thinking: You guys need to get that part from Psionics, but it won’t do you any good if you’re trapped on Brakka, will it?”

“Indeed.” Said Solemn, rather tersely.

“So since the lot of you are stuck here with us, then you’re gonna help us put an end to this nightmare. You get your tech, and everyone gets to escape this nightmare. How does that sound?”

To Ansaria, it sounded like the only sane option. Everything Gorman had said was true, and it seemed unlikely that another rescue party was coming. Ansaria knew she and her squad was up for it, but the x-factor was Solemn. His dedication to completing his experiment was the whole reason they were here. If he rejected the plan…

“Very well, your logic is sound, lieutenant. We shall assist you in ending this predicament, though I doubt I personally will be of much use. However, I’m afraid I must insist that we retrieve my piece first. If something happens, and only I am able to escape, I must have the component to complete my evolution.”

“Agreed. In the meantime, why don’t all of you get some R&R, check out our armory, and then we’ll plan the op?”

Ansaria’s squad saluted.

“Sounds good, sir!”

Ansaria awoke a few hours later, her stomach empty and growling. She exited the room she’d been given and headed for the mess hall.

As with the rest of the base, the mess was identical to the one her squad had dined in, just larger to accommodate more troops. The mess was sparsely occupied, with a handful of soldiers enjoying a meal. Most of them sat either in pairs or with their own squad.

Since Ansaria didn’t recognize anyone, she decided to eat by herself. After getting her food and finding an at of the way, unoccupied table, she sat down and prepared to dig in. She’d just taken her first bite when someone dropped into the seat opposite her.

“So, how are you enjoying Brakka so far?”

She couldn’t place the face because of the helmet he’d been wearing when they met, but she recognized the voice.

“Galla?” she asked.

The soldier opposite her grinned. He was a thin fellow, with sharp cheeks and a jaw. His eyes were both young and old, and his hair was a tall, puffy mass. He looked like he’d barely become an adult, regardless of his species.

“Can’t fool you, can I, Sarge?” he said.

“You don’t make it to squad leader with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears,” said Ansaria.

Galla laughed.

“True enough. I’m sure the LT would agree.”

Ansaria took a couple bites before speaking again.

“Well in answer to your question, I suppose Brakka has been welcoming enough, especially compared to some of the other places we’ve been recently.”

“You should’ve seen it before the monster apocalypse. The whole town is surrounded by green hills, and you can see the ocean sparkling all the way from the base.”

“Sounds like a much better posting then the one I was stuck at. How long have you been in the army?”

“Oh, about twelve days now.”

Ansaria had been in the middle of chewing when she heard Galla’s response. She stopped to look at him before hastily swallowing.

“Care to explain that?”

Galla laughed again.

“My aunt works for Outer Systems Limited. When I finished with school, she got me a job here at her company’s facility as an intern. Nothin’ major; mainly playing fetch and currier. I’d barely settled in when all this started. The initial attack killed a lot of the soldiers stationed here, so the old LT conscripted whatever security services had survived the attack and asked for volunteers. I figured I could either sit in the holding area with the other folks, or I could do something to help. So, I chose the latter, and it seems to have worked out so far.”

Something about his story stuck out to Ansaria, but it took her a moment to figure it out.

“Wait, you said ‘the old LT’. Gorman hasn’t been in charge from the start?”

“The previous lieutenant was an older guy; a cyborg. A he was caught in an ambush a couple days after I joined up. Gorman was the most senior surviving officer, along with another one, Kiryu, and he took over. Didn’t seem like he wanted the job, but he’s kept us alive so far.”

“Did your aunt make it out ok?” asked Ansaria.

“Oh yeah, she’s fine. She’s with the other civilians in the refugee area set up out back. It’s not the greatest accommodations, but it’s better than being eaten by one of those monsters.”

Galla, who had been ignoring his food so far, finally began to dig in. After a few rather large bites, he asked his own question.

“So Sarge, what brings you and yours to such a charming local?”

Ansaria toyed with her food before answering.

“We’re on a secret mission for the Empire, and that’s all I can say about that, I’m afraid. As for what we’re doing here specifically, we got….sidetracked into helping a colonial governor with a project of his in exchange for a Z-engine equipped ship.”

“What kind of project?”

Ansaria checked over her shoulder before answering.

“Governor Solemn has discovered a way to ‘push us all into the next of evolution’. He needs a gizmo that was being developed here on Brakka to finish his experiment. Once we find it, we can get the ship we need and be on our way. After we solve this fog problem, of course.”

Ansaria looked down and discovered that she had finished her meal.

“And the first step in that is heading to the armory.”

She stood up with her tray.

“Thanks for chat, Galla. Hope to see you around.”

As Ansaria was walking away, Galla called out:

“Don’t worry, you will. It’s a small base!”

Ansaria arrived at the armory to find her squad all ready there. Alvara was practically drooling over a sniper rifle mounted on the wall while Slog was talking excitedly with the weapons specialist while Critter was on the table between them. Tread was involved in his TIG, scrolling through the armory’s inventory.

The weapons specialist was a large, thick being as tall as Ansaria. His limbs were thick, with his arms reaching all the way to the floor while his legs were short and stubby. His skin was a rich purple and he had two beady eyes above a razor thin mouth on his torso. He caught sight of Ansaria and broke away from his conversation to salute her.

“Welcome to the armory, sergeant. I was just having a conversation with your squad member about his choice of weapons.”

“You mean you were trying to sell me on a poorly designed piece of clom.” Said Slog.

“When you increase firepower like that, there’s gonna be a trade off. The mark four plasma shotgun fires four rounds, it just has to cool sooner.”

Slog patted his own weapon.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll stick with my ‘outdated’ model.”

The weapons specialist rolled his shoulders, his species equivalent of an exasperated shrug.

“Anyway, my name is Corporal Blok. The lieutenant told me to give you and your squad full access to our supplies, so feel free to look around and let me know if anything catches your eye. Private Krunkle here has already refused to upgrade his shotgun, but I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking.”

“Thank you, corporal. I’ll look around, but I’ll probably keep my trusty rifle. Last thing I need in the middle of a mission is to get a new weapon I can’t properly use. I’m in need of some more ammo, though.”

Blok nodded and slowly started gathering ammo for Ansaria’s weapon. As he was working, Ansaria went over to Alvara.

“Admiring the latest model?”

The sniper rifle Alvara was ogling was the same length has her current model, but much bulkier and heavy-looking. While Alvara’s model could fry an enemies eye from the other side of a battlefield, this weapon looked like it could punch through a line of troops in full body armor.

“It’s a true beauty, no doubt about it, but it’s just too heavy. I wouldn’t be able to use it on the run, and running seems to be almost exclusively what we do these days.”

“Oh come on, we’ve done our fair share of flying and stealing on this mission. It’s just interspersed with running.”

Ansaria turned back to Blok and saw that he had piled a stack of cartridges on the table for her. As she went over to load up, Critter spoke up.

“Good thinking, Critter. Corporal, do you have a remote-control bot my mechanic could use for this mission? He’s getting rather tired of riding around in our pockets doing nothing.”

A pained look crossed Blok’s face, but he answered her.

“Yeah…I got just the thing. One sec.”

He turned around and there was the sound of a heavy chest being opened. When he turned back, he was holding a compact bot that he set down on the table with a heavy thud.

“This drone was used by our tech and communications expert. Poor Hedron was helping the civilians when we were attacked, and he was….well, he was the only soldier on base who needed a drone.”

Blok tapped his TIG a couple times.

“There, I just sent you the operating controls. It doesn’t have much in the way of armament, but I’m sure I could rig up a couple things.”

“We’d appreciate it, Blok. Tread, how are you doing? Gonna swap out any weapons?”

“No, sergeant. This base did not have any Replanoids stationed here, so I’m afraid I will be unable to modify my arsenal. Thankfully, though, it does have all the ammo I require.”

“Very well. Blok, will you be able to have this bot armed by the time we’re ready to head out?”

“I’ll have it done, Sarge.”

“That’s what I like to hear. All right troops, lets go see the LT and find out just how the hell we’re gonna get off this planet.”

When the squad returned to the command center, Gorman was not alone. A reptilian woman with silvery, metallic scales stood at attention in front of the CO. Her tail twitched and swayed a little as Ansaria and her team arrived. The markings on her armor marked her as a sergeant as well.

“Ansaria, thank you for your prompt arrival. This is Sergeant Kiryu.”

This confirmed Ansaria’s suspicion and she nodded at her equal, who returned a curt nod of her own.

“Sergeant Kiryu and her men will be accompanying you on your mission to Psionics.”

Gorman tapped his TIG and a holomap of the city was projected above the table. He tapped two points which started to glow: the base on the eastern edge of the town and the facility they were headed to on the north edge.

“The quickest path is through the city utilizing this route,” a glowing, zigzag line appeared on the map connecting the two points. “Normally, we’d have you take a more direct route, but there are too many walls and fences along that way.”

He tapped the map again at the Psionics location and it zoomed in.

“According to Governor Solemn, the component he needs was being developed in D Lab.”

Another tap of the map and the lower right corner of the building began to glow.

“The piece you are looking for is a TP-3 Consciousness Expander and Stabilizer circuit. It should be labeled, but if not, you’ll all be provided with an approximate image. You and your teams need to get in, retrieve the piece and return to base. Alive. Once the governor has what he needs, we can figure out a plan for stopping the fog and getting off this planet.”

“Excuse me, sir, but where is the governor?” asked Ansaria.

“Governor Solemn has declined to participate in the mission and has retired to his quarters.”

Ansaria was surprised by that. She’d figured Solemn would want to come along to ensure nothing happened to his precious circuit. She supposed she shouldn’t really have been shocked: after all, Solemn was no soldier.

“If there are no other questions, then gear up and meet by the gate. Dismissed.”

Sergeant Kiryu’s squad was waiting for them by the gate as Ansaria and the others approached. Upon catching sight of their CO, the assembled troops quickly snapped to attention and formed an orderly line as they awaited instructions form their commander. Clearly, Kiryu was someone who ran a tight starship.

Kiryu looked over her troops briefly before addressing them.

“We have been given an important assignment, men,” her voice, while raspy was still somewhat soft, though undoubtedly authoritative. “Our squad is tasked with leading Sergeant Ansaria and her men to the Psionics lab to retrieve a crucial piece of tech. I will not accept anything but your best on this mission, am I clear!?”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!”

“Good, then let’s move out!”

Ansaria turned to her own squad.

“You gonna be good carrying that, Tread?”

Blok had finished arming Critter’s new drone, equipping it with a plasma repeater, back-mounted mortar launcher and a flamethrower. Because of the bulky mech’s limited power, it had been decided to transport it in stand-buy mode. With the quick application of magnetic clamps, Tread was easily outfitted for the task.

“You know, sergeant, I signed up to serve as a member of the Imperial Army, not a pack muloo.”

“Read your contract, Tread. Everyone is a pack muloo in His Majesties service.”

One of Kiryu’s men broke from the group and trotted over to Ansaria.

“Looks like the LT thinks we work well together, eh Sarge?”

“Gorman assigned you to this task, Galla?”

“You know it, guess he wanted to make sure a real soldier had your back again.”

The heavy gate rumbled open and the guard on duty waved them through. As soon as the last of them crossed the threshold, the gate rumbled back up for locking in place. The thick, unbroken fog stretched out before them.

The troops quickly fell into line as they set off down the ruin, fog-filled street. One of Kiryu’s men took point, occasionally checking his TIG’s map for reference points. Another soldier was between the point man and Kiryu, with Galla and another bringing up the rear. Ansaria lead her squad behind Kiryu’s, with Alvara bringing up the rear and Slog and Tread between them.

The world around them was quite except for the sound of their heavy boots, and even that was quickly swallowed up by the fog. Ansaria could feel the tension in the air, and knew a good joke would help ease everyone, but the silent and obscured landscape could hold any number of monsters, so she held her tongue.

The march through the fog took about twenty minutes, with the squads leapfrogging from street to street, constantly straining to see through the fog or keeping an ear out for the beat of wings. When they had nearly reached their destination, Kiryu called for a stop.

“The facility is across the street from here. When we get there, I want Wulf and Kriegmar to guard the front door and keep watch.”

She projected a map from her unit. The map showed the lay out of the building with the four labs labeled A, B, C and D. She pointed at B Lab.

“This lab is adjacent to D Lab where the device is. I, Galla and Tianus will hold position there. Ansaria, that leaves you and your whole squad to search the lab as quickly, and preferably quietly, as you can. Any questions?”

When none came, Kiryu terminated the map.

“Then let’s move.”

They dashed across the street and onto the facility’s grounds. The front walls that lead to the atrium inside had been comprised of metal and glass, but all the panes had been shattered and scattered in every direction. The shards crunched under their boots, and after a momentary realization, Ansaria used her telekinesis to sweep a clear path for them all.

“Good thinking,” Kiryu said to her quietly.

“Thanks, but I just did it for Alvara’s benefit.” Said Ansaria.

Kiryu turned to regard the Alvara has she comfortably slithered through the cleared path. Kiryu looked back at Ansaria, but with the helmet on the Xenlogian sergeant could not read her expression.

When everyone was inside the atrium, Wulf and Kriegmar took up positions behind the reception desk. Above them, ‘Psionics’ was written in three languages that normally would’ve all been lit up, though presently were dark and dim.

The troops headed down a hallway deeper into the building. At the far end of the hall was a heavy set of double doors that read ‘B and D Labs Access’.

B Lab was apparently the design lab, as hardcopies of blue prints and schematics littered the room. A dozen computer consoles were scattered about, all of them cold and silent. A number of screens were mounted on the wall, though like the computers they too were blank.

Kiryu took position in the center of the room. She gestured to both the doors they had just passed through, as well as another door that said ‘A Lab Access’.

“Tianus, cover our escape route. Galla, cover the Lab A door. You lot,” she said, pointing at Ansaria and the others, “Get in there and start looking.”

Ansaria gestured to the others and the squad made their may to the door at the far end of the room that said ‘D Lab Access’. Ansaria pushed the door open…to be greeted by a pile of debris with whips of fog differing in from the hole in the ceiling.

“Problem,” said Ansaria, loud enough for Kiryu to hear.

The other sergeant quickly jogged over to see, but stopped once she caught sight of the problem.

“Ah…” was all she said.

Tread peered at the wreckage.

“Looks like the attack came from above.”

“Great, now what?” said Slog.

Critter suddenly piped up.

Ansaria looked where he indicated. There was a space between what remained of the ceiling and the top of the debris. Not enough of a gap for any of the soldiers to squeeze through, but a bot on the other hand…

Ansaria quickly had Tread unpack Critter’s bot. Using her telekinesis to lift the small machine up the gap, she gently eased it through, the sound of grinding metal setting everyone on edge even further. Ansaria herself felt certain that the noises were being carried throughout the silent landscape, though a more rational part of her knew this was ridiculous.

She lowered the mech until she sensed it was on the ground before giving the go-ahead to Critter. The tiny squad member used his TIG to deploy the bot, and Ansaria and the others gathered around Critter to watch from his screen.

The little bot had six spidery legs that it deployed, along with a pair of thin, almost bony metal claws. Critter had the machine do a quick sweep of the area, and after deciding it was clear, began his exploration. The lab was still mostly intact, though the collapsed roof had scattered debris everywhere. This room was filled with long tables and work benches, with a smattering a screens and consoles through out, with the walls mostly being filled with cabinets and tool space.

The search was slow, as the bot had to extend its legs in order to rise up to be able to see the contents of the table, and then lowered once again in order to walk properly. Finally, after examining a half-dozen work areas…

“That’s it!” said Ansaria, excitedly.

TP-3 Consciousness Expander and Stabilizer circuit was sitting on the corner of a table, with an array of delicate tools filling most of the space. Ansaria and her squad (minus Tread, of course) collectively held their breath as Critter used the thin pincers of the bot to gently pick up the piece before securely storing it in an interior compartment.

“See that, Tread? That bot’s got a storage compartment. What’s your excuse?” said Slog.

“Perhaps it is because that bot is a mindless drone with cargo space to spare, much like you, Slogulus.”

“Speak for yourself, pack muloo.”

Ansaria allowed the chatter as Critter brought his bot back to the gap. In truth, Ansaria herself was distracted by her own excited thoughts. After all the detours and near misses, they were finally close to getting back to their actual mission. The fact that they also had to find someway off this monster infested rock only briefly fazed her.

With the bot securely reattached to Tread, and the circuit safely in her belt pouch, Ansaria ordered the others to move out.

“Come on, troops, we’ve got an Empire to save.”

“And a planet to free,” said Galla.

They troops rendezvoused in the lobby without incident and made their way outside through Ansaria’s path. However, before they could leave the facility’s grounds, Wulf came to a sudden stop.

“What’s the matter, Wulf?” asked Kiryu.

Wulf pulled off his helmet, revealing a canine visage with patches of fur singed off and a pair of thin scars going across his left temple. His ears twitched and he sniffed at the air.

“Flyers incoming, a lot.”

He sniffed again.

“Others, too. Don’t recognize some of the smells.”

Ansaria could feel the tension in the air. Her own troops looked apprehensive at another battle with the fog monsters, and the postures of Kiryu’s squad members indicated they were just as anxious if not more so.

“How far are they, Wulf?” asked Kiryu.

“At the shore. The flyers will be here first.”

“Hold up, how do we know they are headed for us?” asked Galla.

Everyone present briefly exchanged glances. They were all thinking the same thing: the base.

“Let’s move it people, double time!” said Kiryu.

Wulf jammed his helmet back on the troops broke into a run back to the base. The quite, fog-covered landscape echoed with their running footsteps. Kreigmar was trying desperately to get through to the base, his deep voice almost unheard over their footfalls.

Ansaria was desperately straining her senses, trying to hear the swoop of wings or the sharp sounds of energy blasts. It was hard enough to find the attackers when everything was quite and still; doing it on the run made the tension she felt almost unbearable.

When they finally did hear something, it was not what they were expecting. The air became filled with a low droning and a multitude of fast moving, dark images appeared in the sky through the fog. The troops opened fire, the air filling with countless thin plasma beams and punctuated with heavier ammunition. The air lit up with the some of the unknown monsters bursting into flames, while others were ripped to pieces by the plasma beams. They kept running, trying to get back to the base as fast as they could, when their attackers came into view and started diving toward them.

These monsters resembled giant insects, with a massive pair of serrated blades for arms. Their carapace was a rich brown and they had huge, orange multifaceted eyes. Short antennae waved about on their foreheads while their mouth pincers clicked and hissed. Fast moving wings mounted on their thorax propelled them through the air.

The troops pulled up short and unloaded another volley. Countless attackers fell from the sky, though a few evaded the barrage and raced towards them. Slog, Tread and Kreigmar turned they attention to stopping the ones that got close. One wounded insect dragged itself towards the soldiers, one of its blades raised high to slash at them, but it was swiftly put down by a head shot from Kiryu.

The sound of explosions suddenly filled the air, and from the given direction, they all knew what it meant: the monsters had reached the base. They set out again, with those in the rear firing off a few rounds into the swarm nipping at their heels while the rest kept their eyes peeled from groundside attacks. All their comms. were filled with staticy chatter as the base was besieged, no one able to make out anything meaningful.

The group was forced to stop once more as they became surrounded by a swarm of the insects and everyone was forced to open fire. Countless bugs fell to the ground in pieces while others were smeared across the area by heavier weapons. After the wave had subsided, they resumed running as fast as they could, the base drawing closer and closer.

As they finally came within sight of the base, they discovered the full extent of the attack. The tri-laser turrets were firing full out, rapidly switching between aerial and ground targets. The ground was littered with the smoldering corpses of monsters. A pile of burrowers and primate attackers filled the gaping hole where the gate had once stood.

Despite the carnage, the attack was still coming. The ground churned with spiky back and horned head burrows who emerged from the dirt snarling and roaring. Flyers rained down energy blasts at the turrets, which were protected by an energy shield. Insect corpses rained from the sky, the fragile speedsters being shredded by the weapon fire. A mass of monstrosities stood between the squads and the base.

Ansaria and Kiryu took the lead, racing at full speed for the slaughterhouse that had become 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!” yelled Kiryu.

Kriegmar ignored her and kept running. Before he could reach her, the ground opened up beneath him and a spiky burrower emerged. It dug its claws into Kriegmar’s arm to hold him in place at 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, unloaded a barrage on the creature, quickly killing it.

As Ansaria made it over the wall of corpses, she saw the full extent of the attack. Bodies were strewn about the courtyard, most monsters, but far too many in Imperial armor. Two vehicles were flaming wrecks, while the remaining jeep kept up a constant barrage on the aerial attackers that came within range. The bases soldiers seemed to be held 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 soldier’s location. Ansaria raced toward the others; on the way, she telekinetically shoved an arachnid into a primate, tangling the two up and leaving them easy pray 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 no where!” it was Gorman. “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. This lead to a new ferocity in the defenders attacks, and it seemed that they were able to briefly abate the attackers. Even the gate guns went silent.

The rest of the troops made their way toward their location and Gorman continued to inform them of the situation.

“I diverted the bases shield to cover the civilian area. It’s holding up, but it’s left us at a disadvantage. We’ve taken massive casualties, and all the rest 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.”

“I have your damn piece, Solemn, 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 quickly precipitated the tri-lasers opening fire again. Apes catapulted over the walls while spiders swarmed over them in droves. Burrowers were beginning to claw their way of the walls while drones dive-bombed from the air.

The Imperial soldiers 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 raining 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 at least two at a time.

The jeep continued to provide aerial cover as it kept the more dangerous flyers at bay. Still, energy blasts pelted the structure and more than one trooper at taken a glancing blow. Gorman 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, killing countless creatures. 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.

Reno stood in the middle of the carnage, energy blasts flying through the air around it, monsters dying everywhere; dropping from the sky in smoldering and dismembered. It looked no different than the last time she had seen it, the black thermal plates apparently having served it well in their last confrontation, and the tumble into the canyon had seemingly left it no worse for wear. It took a moment before any of the other combatants took notice of the menacing killbot on the battlefield.

“Reinforcements!” cried Gorman.

“NOOOO!” Screamed Ansaria before anyone could grab on to this perverse and rather cruel ray of hope. “KILL IT!”

She immediately opened fire on Reno, her squad retargeting 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. Indeed, it was able to raise its finger and prepare to kill its primary target when the barrage from the rest of the troop s 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, Gorman’s Lancer did. Two gaping holes were blown on the machines right side; one in the shoulder, one in the side. If it was possible for a machine to make a face of surprise, Reno did so. It reached down to feel the extent of the wound, and its hand became coated in melted metal. Gorman opened up again and again, striking the machine in the chest and torso.

After taking catastrophic damage that even the nanomachines were having difficulty repairing, Reno was forced to withdraw. It turned and quickly began running towards the ruined gate.With the monsters still coming, the troops were forced to abandon their attack on the machine. Everyone, except Alvara. Taking aim at one of the retreating bot’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, but was still able to keep running, knocking monsters aside left and right.

“Done!” said Solemn. He came racing up from the back of the garage with Tread.

“Then do something!” said Ansaria.

Solemn began to glow with the same blue light that suffused his lab on Myrthal and that crisscrossed parts of his robotic body. Solemn rose up into the air until he was above Ansaria’s head and floated out of the garage into 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 Solomon’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, even the corpses of the dead beasts being lifted. The air teemed with the swirling maelstrom of 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 stunned at the display to say anything. It wasn’t until Solemn stumbled as he walked back toward them that Ansaria was snapped from her revere and ran out towards him. She grabbed him by the shoulder’s to steady him.

“Tell me, sergeant,” said Solemn, a little weakly, but still pleased. “How did I do?”

“Well…that was certainly ‘something’.”

“I suppose you could say that.”

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?”

“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. If I’m not careful, this part of me 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, just diminished.”

“And you have no idea how much you can safety use this thing?”

“I believe I could use it to operate at a telekinetic level equal to you. I could push it beyond that it 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 Gorman. He had remained at the front of the garage while the rest had gone to asses 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, she’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.

“It would seem so, sir,” said Ansaria.

Kiryu tapped Gorman on the shoulder.

“Sir, status report.”

“Go ahead, Kiryu.”

“Three casualties here, sir. The force field held up over the civilians, no loses there.”

“Total loses?”

“Seventy-five percent, sir.”

The pronouncement hit those in ear shot hard.

“That leaves us with just a couple squad’s worth of soldiers and some security bots to launch an attack on an island lab teeming with who-knows-what kinds of monsters, and find out just where they came from and how to stop them.”

Gorman sat 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, than meet me by the gate. We’re taking back our planet."