Remembering the Past.
It was the twelfth day of June when Skree arrived at the Space Lord's base. His face was a light tanned colour, with deep grey eyes and thick brown hair. He had come along to join up with the first company and help defeat the Crogcrag race. The Crogcrags were a group of wolf like creatures that had developed the power of speech. They were cannibals and some had the power of metamorphosis as well. They had broken through every defence the Space Lords had, until they had reached the planet Macragge. All of the Space Lord's finest soldiers, including the light veterans and the dark veterans, gathered to wipeout the advancing Crogcrag force and push it right back to their home planet, Carosa.
After signing up Skree was taken to the training camp. Him and the ten other men who had signed up for the best training were in for one of the toughest challenges of their lives, because not all of them would make it through the training and some others wouldn't ever leave the camp again. Skree and the others climbed out of the back of the Rhino transporter. The sun dazzled their eyes as they stepped onto the dry and dusty ground. After they had placed their kit and other survival possessions away they were ordered to line up out side the barracks. Sergeant Mace came to inspect them.
"Just so you miserable lot know over the next two months I'm not going to like you and your not going to like me. Is that understood?" He said.
"Yes, sir" they all replied.
"Good, now Major Carnort will be visiting us tomorrow, so you will be given your own uniform and will be looking your best otherwise you will have me to deal with. Now I want you to go and make ready for close quarters combat training, which will start in five minutes at the main hall on the other side of the camp. I don't care how you get there, but any that are not there in five minutes will be dismissed from the first company for good. Fall out."
"I can't believe it" said a man standing next to Skree, "it's just not possible to get over there in five minutes."
"We could try to do it, and if not we can use that vehicle parked over there," replied Skree pointing to it.
The man smiled, "I like how you think, mate. My name's Torosa."
"I'm Skree."
Three years later.
The artillery was smashing the enemy lines into nothing. Predator and Land Raider tanks came out of the gathering dust. All that could be heard was the booming sound of the guns. Plasma cannons on the tanks were making short work of the Crogcrag reinforcements. Inside one of the Land Raiders a group of ten of the finest Space Lord light veterans were waiting to disembark from the vehicle and continue their advance towards Sucama city. Among the ten were Captain Citrus, Major Carnort, Sergeant Mace, Private Torosa and Private Skree. The air was so close and hot it was all most unbearable.
"Men, make ready," said Major Carnort.
They all stood up, placed their helmets on and waited for the door to open. Suddenly it did. The scene that lay before them was pure carnage.
"Charge!" yelled Citrus as they bellowed forth from the machine. A stray bullet struck one of their men and some shrapnel hit another. Neither would move again.
"Don't stop for them now. There's no hope for those poor souls. We can mourn for them later" shouted Mace.
They continued on towards a crater that they could use as cover. From that point they had planed an air strike from some Land Speeders to clear out what the artillery couldn't. Then they would move on again finishing off any that survived.
"Calling land speeder squad alpha 263, requesting air strike north of green smoke!" Major Carnort shouted down his radio link. They signalled behind them to other squads of Space Lords to take cover for when the shells hit. The Crogcrag artillery destroyed three more tanks just as the air strike force arrived.
"Heads down men" yelled Citrus.
The Crogcrag line of defence was being eradicated. If the noise from the shells hitting the enemy artillery wasn't so loud you could probably hear the Crogcrag screams and yelps as they were bombarded.
The air strike ended. Rising up from their cover, Captain Citrus and his squad charged forward to a trench line in front of the now smouldering guns. All was silent.
"Quiet everyone," he said, "We need to enter without any survivors knowing."
"What's the chance any would have survived?" replied one of his men, sarcastically.
"Very large chance. Crogcrags bury themselves into the ground when they are taken by surprise with something like an air strike" said Mace.
"Quick men, into the trench" called Carnort quietly.
They stepped down and began to start searching. Every now and then they heard some scuttling, and even felt the ground tremble a bit from the Crogcrags moving around underground. Suddenly the trench split into three paths.
"One leads to Sucama, as a guess, but the other two I don't know where they go," whispered Mace.
"Right then, Citrus you will take Skree and Carma and go right. Mace will take Torosa and Brom, taking the centre path, and Droga and I will take the left," ordered Carnort, "Move out."
-X-
The scuttling noise was getting louder. Mace, Torosa and Brom were on their guard; made ready to fire or strike out at any Crogcrags. They moved slowly along the trench. The air was still thick with smoke from the air strike at least twenty minutes ago. Continually the noise grew faster and louder. Suddenly they came to a corner in the trench.
"Brom take a look," whispered Mace.
"Yes, sir" he replied.
Slowly he moved towards the corner, and peeped his head round. There lying on the floor was a dead Crogcrag. Rats were scurrying over to the body and nibbling little bits out of it. As they moved about the scuttling noise was heard again.
"Nothing," he said as he turned back to the others, "just a dead one and some rats". We can go on ahead."
"Wait," said Mace, "get back and give me a grenade."
Torosa handed him one. Mace moved up to the corner where Brom had been, pulled the pin out and moved back as quickly as possible.
"Heads down" he whispered.
The grenade went off. Mace went to the corner again and took another look. Where on both sides of the trench its walls had been just mud there now stood a small door on the left.
"Explosives" said Mace, sharply.
Brom handed him some. Mace moved out round the corner and went over to the door. As quietly as possible he released the lock on the door, pulled it open and placed the explosive just inside. Then he gently closed the door. As he did so he could hear the Crogcrags below; growling, barking. Slowly he moved back to the others and gave a sigh of relief.
-X-
Major Carnort and Private Droga were running. At least five minutes after they had separated from the others something had started following them. It wasn't a Space Lord, and it defiantly wasn't friendly. Suddenly the ground in front of them erupted. A giant Spine Back Scorpion came jumping out. Its six legs carried it along the ground towards them at an amazing speed. Its body was covered in its metallic skin like armour, which clanked together as it moved. With its deep, piercing blood red eyes fixed upon them the scorpion lunged, firing its great tails' spike.
"Move!" Yelled Carnort.
But it was too late. The spike pierced Droga's armour effortlessly. Carnort fired his plasma pistol and hacked away at the creature with his warhammer. The Spine Back Scorpion turned now to the Major, as it finished devouring Droga. Carnort turned and ran back the way he had come. He would not be able to defeat the creature on his own. He had almost entered the trench when his ankle was grabbed by the scorpion's claw. As he was dragged back towards the monster he had little time to scream before his fate would be no different than Droga's.
-X-
Skree was alone. He had been sent into a tunnel that he and his other two comrades had stumbled across. Sent down by himself, he now wished that he had some light. Every now and then he tripped, falling over the tunnels uneven floor. At a guess he believed the tunnel was heading for Sucama. He had been told by Citrus to climb out at the first door he came to. So far he had come across none. The tunnel seemed stretched on for ages. But then, suddenly, he walked into something solid. Had he come to a dead end? Had he reached a door? Raising his hand he knocked on what was in front of him. A metallic clanging sound echoed all around him. Feeling for something to take hold of to open the object, he found a locking system. Releasing the lock he pulled open the door. He was outside. In front of him stood the city. Tall and dark were the ruined buildings of Sucama. Looking around he saw a horrific sight. A Spine Back Scorpion devouring the body of Major Carnort.
-X-
Citrus and Carma were slicing a huge horde of Crogcrags. The creatures ranged from Scouts to Warriors. Although they were slicing heads off and blasting them apart with their weapons Citrus and Carma were becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Suddenly Citrus' radio had a message coming through. Putting his bolt pistol away, he picked up the radio.
"I'm a little busy at the moment!" He shouted.
"Captain, it's Skree" came the voice from the radio, "I'm by the entrance to the city but it's being guarded by a Spine Back Scorpion. What should I do?"
"Stay there we'll try to reach you," Citrus replied, still battling the Crogcrags, "don't do anything."
"Captain, it's devoured them both. It's devoured Droga and Carnort."
"Right. Call for a squad of Dark Veterans, they should be able to deal with the creature."
"Sir!" called Carma, "I need help!"
"Skree, you call them and we should meet you soon, good luck."
