Chapter 3: E-Day
0 AE, Emergence Day
Hollows, Underneath the city of Vespyr, a major city in the Pelles Republic
It only took a year of advanced training for Vex to acquire the knowledge required to lead the forces of Drones against the humans. He still wasn't exactly sure what a human was like, but all his life, he had been told horrible stories about them. Apparently, up on the surface, they slaughtered one another for Imulsion, the very thing that caused the Wretches to become Lambent. Why would the humans fight over this poison?
Not only that, but they were destroying the surface of the planet! Vex was one of the few Locust who was trusted by Myrrah to go into the forbidden zones of the Hollow. There, he discovered the dumping grounds of the humans, where they not only mined the hideous Imulsion, but also dumped their chemical weapons and their waste. If it was that bad down in some parts of the Hollows, Vex didn't want to know how bad the surface itself was.
The time had finally come. Emergence Day was going to happen. When the Queen gave the order, Vex, RAAM, and several other generals would unleash their warriors upon the humans. Vex wasn't sure how long the war would last, but as long as they had the element of surprise, he was sure it would be over soon. They would kill all of the pesky humans and take refuge on the surface, it was the only way to escape the Lambent.
RAAM's preferred tactic was to utilize the Seeders to block out the sun, then unleash the Kryll. In trial runs, this seemed to work quite well, but it took far too long, and allowed too many humans to escape before the Kryll could arrive. Vex, however, made use of the tactical advantage they had over the humans. Sure, the humans knew the surface far better than any Locust, but all it could take is an Emergence hole, and the surface would vanish from existence. His idea was to send Corpsers to punch several holes around large structures, which would kill anything in the vicinity. Drones would then be sent in the finish off any survivors. Quick and simple.
Ever since his deformation at the hands of a Lambent Wretch, Vex chose to wear a helmet he had designed himself. It was almost triangular, and since he only had one good eye, the helmet had just one eye hole. This eye piece had complex machinery built into it, which helped him in picking targets, allowed him to use night vision for the darker parts of the Hollow, and allowed him to receive direct orders from Queen Myrrah. He dubbed this helmet the 'Cyclops' helmet, and ever since he started using it in battle against the Lambent, many of his own soldiers began making their own replicas as a sign of respect for their commander. They even kept the same one eye hole design, which was strange, but if it helped them in battle, Vex didn't mind.
Vex himself sat upon his Reaver and watched the progress of his troops. Everyone was getting ready for the big day. Brumaks were being outfitted with extra ammunition, Reavers were on standby for quick air assault and scouting parties, Bloodmounts were kept hungry for when they were to roam the surface, hunting for survivors. A hungry Bloodmount is not a pretty sight, as the humans would soon find out.
"Commander!" a Boomer shouted, "Beasts ready!"
"Good," Vex said, "Get into position, we will begin soon."
The Boomer quickly waddled away to his platoon, and Vex dismounted his Reaver, which hissed in anticipation.
"Theron!" Vex barked to the nearest Theron, who snapped to attention. "You will take charge of this Reaver."
"Thank you..." the Theron said as it climbed up the beast.
Vex had planned on staying on the Reaver, but he knew he wanted to be on the ground to see the combat up close. The Therons were far better at flying the Reavers anyway, he trusted them to provide adequate air support.
It was time to begin Emergence Day. Vex's horde was at the base of a large, towering stone that nearly reached the surface. It was a perfect staging ground for the operation. Everything was in place. Years of planning were about to go into effect. Vex didn't hesitate to give the order to send the Corpsers in place for the Emergence Holes. He looked around at all of his soldiers, the Drones, the Therons, the Boomers, the many Hollow beasts. Everyone was visibly anxious, and those with firearms clutched their weapons close. They were ready.
"Remember, warriors, the Queen is counting on us!" Vex shouted, "Make every shot count!"
A tense silence hung in the air, and Vex looked over at the Corpsers and their trainers, who were at the very front of the horde.
"Go!" Vex shouted to them.
Up ahead, at the top of stone, the Corpsers lurched upwards and smashed through the hard rock above. It only took a few seconds for them to breach the surface, and the area was immediately bathed in sunlight. It was a sight that was alien not just to Vex, but all Locust. But they couldn't afford to focus on the sunlight, they had a mission to complete.
The Corpsers smashed through more of the earth above, creating a bridge the footsoldiers and beasts could cross.
"For the horde!" Vex called out as he charged to the surface.
His soldiers echoed the same chant as they followed close behind. Vex was now just a few meters from the surface, this alien world, the land of his enemies. He wouldn't let his Queen down, not in this desperate hour.
He emerged from the Hollows, and his soldiers pooled out all around him. There were hundreds of humans, all fleeing and screaming madly. Vex had anticipated heavily armed, stubborn soldiers, but there wasn't a single armed human in sight. This was going to be easier than he thought.
Two more Corpsers burst from the Hollow in the distance, right on time. Buildings began to slump over in place, sidewalks twisted and cracked, and people were falling into smaller Emergence holes, caused by a few adolecent Corpsers. Mayhem and death filled the atmosphere, just as Vex had predicted. There was no need to take cover, so he and his soldiers fired madly at the fleeing masses of people.
Vex picked his first human target, a slender human male with a pair of spectacles over his eyes. He was confused, and didn't know which way to run, and as people kept accidentally slamming into him as they fled, it only made the human more disoriented. Vex fired, striking the human in the torso, which dropped him to the ground instantly. Vex waited anxiously for the corpse to explode, but it only sat there and bled. Why had they not exploded like the Lambent? It was a strange feeling, and he didn't like it.
Because the humans weren't wearing any armor, they died after just one shot from a Hammerburst. Behind him, two Brumaks emerged from the Hollows, guns blazing. Their missiles decimated buildings and crowds of people alike, leaving behind untold amounts of bodies and debris in their wake.
"Don't let them escape!" Vex shouted.
Reavers began to speed out of the Hollows, chasing after fleeing humans. Everything was going according to plan.
Then, a very loud, piercing sound emerged from one of the human machines, about fifty meters ahead. It had four wheels and a strange shell. Vex didn't know what to think of it. Was it an alien? Was it working with the humans?
The machine sped towards Vex and his men furiously, and he quickly concluded this thing was an enemy, and was looking to kill. A Boomer and two other Drones backed up their commander and fired at the thing as it sped towards them with increasing speed. They began to realize this thing wasn't slowing down, so they ducked out of its path, though one of the Drones was too slow. The machine plowed right through the Drone, and dragged him underneath its massive wheels.
The machine skidded to a halt after a few meters of dragging the massive Drone carcass, which had painted the front of the machine in dark red gore.
"Help me take it down!" Vex shouted as he and his men rushed towards it.
Together, Vex, another Drone, and a Boomer slammed into the side of this machine, and they pushed with all their might. The force of their bodies put a massive dent in the side of the metallic shell, and after a few moments of pushing, the machine toppled over onto its side.
One of the side doors popped open, and a human emerged! He was big, almost as tall as a Drone, and he had a very thick beard on his face. Drones never had facial hair, so it was an intriguing sight. The human climbed to the top of this machine and had a terrified look on his face as he looked at Vex.
"No, please!" he shouted desperately as he put his hand out to protect himself.
This human couldn't really expect mercy after he and his machine slayed a Drone, could he? Vex raised his Hammerburst and fired a single shot into the human's forehead. His dropped over the back side of the vehicle, and hit the ground with a loud thud. Vex would not tolerate the death of one of his troops.
Most of the humans in this part of the city were either dead or injured, so Vex walked through the street as a nearby Brumak used its immense strength to smash a large building. Hundreds of bricks and pieces of rubble came crashing to the ground, and the sound was deafening.
By now, the Locust had probably formed a strong perimeter around the city, ensuring nothing escaped alive. But then something caught Vex's attention, something in the distance. They flew through the air like Reavers, but they were metallic, like the machine he had toppled only moments ago. It had spinning wings on the top of its body, and they sped towards the city.
Vex didn't even need to give the order. The Reavers who were on standby lunged into the air and headed towards the humans' flying machines. Vex knew the Reavers would have little trouble in battling their enemies, so he continued his stroll through the remains of the city.
It hadn't even been a full ten minutes, and the city of Vespyr was in ruins. Vex wasn't exactly great with numbers, but he assumed the death toll for the humans had to be in the thousands at this point. Everything was working out.
"Commander." a Drone said as he approached Vex.
"You have something to report?" Vex asked.
"Bloodmounts ready. Send them?" the Drone asked.
"Yes, now is the time."
The Drone scurried off towards the entrance to the Hollows, but was unable to complete his task, as a sudden hail of bullets shredded him into oblivion. Vex immediately ducked behind a destroyed car and tried to determine the source of the fire. It was then that he began to hear the deafening sound of the humans' metal birds approaching. The Reavers had failed to stop them, and now it was up to Vex and the footsoldiers to put a stop to them.
The flying vehicles came to a halt midair, and their sides swung open. Several heavily armored humans slid down ropes that were strung on the sides, and as soon as they reached the ground, they started picking targets. They had fully automatic rifles, much like the Locust, except these rifles were far larger, and they sported very sharp bayonets right under the barrels. Vex had to keep the humans from getting too close.
"Keep your distance!" Vex shouted to his soldiers, who were also in cover.
As the last human soldiers reached ground level, their flying machines began firing on the Locust reinforcements. Their missiles decimated several squads of Drones, and it seemed sending in the Bloodmounts would do nothing to alleviate this issue.
"Boomers!" Vex barked, "Take down those metal birds!"
As intellectually inept as Boomers were, they always understood a seek-and-destroy order. They did not hesitate to concentrate their fire on the propellars, which was all it took to send the vehicles to the ground in a heap.
"Keep at it!" Vex said enthusiastically.
One of the humans was a bit braver than the rest, and he charged towards Vex, bayonet ready. Could Vex truly match this human's strength and endurance? Only one way to find out. Vex was going to make an example of this human, and prove his leadership skills to his fellow Drones. The human was closing in, and Vex tossed away his Hammerburst and leaped over cover. This caught the human off guard, and he momentarily hesitated in his charge. It was all Vex needed.
The Locust commander grabbed the soldier's bayonetted rifle and snatched it from its owner. He lifted the rifle in the air, then brought it down hard against the human's head, so hard that it crushed the butt of the weapon and instantly killed the human. With the weapon now useless, Vex smashed it against the ground, then dove back into cover before his enemies could take revenge.
It didn't take long for the Drones, who had a newfound burst of enthusiasm, to slaughter the remaining human soldiers, and completely decimate the city. After only an hour or so after the invasion, the city of Vespyr was totally controlled by the Locust. Vex walked through the empty, rubble ridden streets, which were littered with the corpses of dozens of humans, who were foolish enough to think they could escape their inevitable demise. Even though Vex was proud to lead his forces, he still had to get used to it all. These were living, thinking creatures he was fighting now.