Swarm-Chapter 6-Battle for Shenkuu
The glowing orb called sun set on the horizon though still barely visible through the thick sheets of smoke that drifted through the air. The sky had a reddish tinge to match the reddish tinge on the ground. And all around were the feelings of war. The screams that chilled your spine and the deafening blast of cannons. The sights of valiant warriors torn to shreds in an instant. The feelings of war. Trident Squad was pinned down behind the battlements of the Great Wall of Shenkuu. "H'dans! Pound them with AP Slugs! Trideli! Air support now! Ksayy! Snipe their front lines! Hralek-" but Captain Tigershadow's voice was drowned out by another cannon shell slamming into the wall and another sheet of blood dampened his fur. Tigershadow's B-FSGv9 (Belt-Fed Suppressor Gun version Nine) was running out of ammunition fast. "If we don't get more supplies now then the bugs will have a chance to scale the wall!" Just as he finished his sentence a bug's face popped up. It received a strong bash by the stock of Tigershadow's gun. H'dans looked over the wall to see a dozen more bugs trying to find footholds. "They're climbing the wall!" shouted H'dans and then he launched another AP Slug into the mass of bodies both dead and alive. Tigershadow and Hralek punched holes into the bugs that were climbing the wall in as much time as it took Ksayy to load his SML-RSRv20. (Sakhmet Militia Long-Range Sniper Rifle version Twenty) Tigershadow shouted words of encouragement "Hold your lines! The enemy may be strong but we are stronger! The enemy may be fast but we are faster! The enemy may be smart but we are surely smarter!" as if to exclamate his words a half-dozen bug squads were wiped out by the flagship of the Sakhmet Militia Air Fleet. The S.M.A. Lyric, surrounded by smaller airships. And then, as if to counter, The same amount of neopets were blown away. Tigershadow along with most of the Sakhmet Militia, Qasalan Army, and Altadorian Guard looked up to see a gargantuan bug airship also surrounded by it's fair share of escorts. "Take cover! That airships is targeting the wall!" screamed Tigershadow. He then turned around and shouted, "JUMP!" Trident Squad jumped off the wall along with a number of other soldiers. Though a few were still on the wall when shells and missiles rained down from the bug airship, ripping into the wall and punching out holes and gaps. A few seconds of awkward silence ensued before bugs started pouring through the holes in the wall. "I knew we wouldn't be able to hold them off" said Trideli as he swooped in beside Tigershadow. "We can, just need more explosions, and guns, and swords, and-" H'dans was cut off by Ksayy as the gelert replaced the ammo cartridge on his sniper rifle, "I think you both need to cut the chat and hold off the bugs!" "I agree with Ksayy, grab some cover!" yelled Tigershadow as he sank several bullets into the mass of enemies.
Wajing looked down onto the battlefield of Shenkuu, grasping a hydraulic pipe that lowered the exit ramp of the S.M.A. Freefall as the ship hovered in the air. "We're above the wall, it appears we're losing as well." stated Drihy from the pilots chair of the Freefall. Lrasta was peering over Drihys shoulder, "Sure enough, the bugs just got past the wall." Reyiss and Elpat were in the airships armory zipping up combat vests, checking ammunition, gathering grenades, too immersed in their tasks to listen to anything except Wajing's orders. Lrasta left the control chair and walked over to Wajing who was still standing on the open ramp staring down at the violence below him. "So, can you see Tigershadow down there?" she asked playfully, only something a calm proffesional member of Trident Squad could do in times of battle like this. "No, but I think H'dans is the one surrounded by the explosions" then the explosions stopped, "Nevermind, I think he found a minigun." The two neopets stepped away from the dizzying height and began making their own preparations for the coming violence. Once everyone was ready for a bit of parachuting, Elpat asked "Any orders, sir?" Wajing nodded and said, "Drihy, you are to stay in the Freefall and provide air support as well as occasional reports of what you can see of the battle." Drihy didn't provide any sign of acknowledgement. Then Wajing checked the parachute, and jumped.
"Cover me, I'm gonna grab this minigun." said H'dans as he moved toward a pile of crates and boxes which several rifles and other equipment were propped up against, including an intimidating minigun. Tigershadow crouched and dispatched another barrage of lead towards the bugs. Though they were trying their best, Trident Squad and the line of neopian soldiers were always being pushed back, gradually shuffling towards the base of Mount Shenkuu. The waves of bugs loosened up as another collection of white-hot shells slammed into the ground from the S.M.A. Lyric, sending limbs and bodies flying into the air and a shower of blood and dirt. H'dans had obviously gotten to the minigun as now the bugs were slightly falling back. H'dans moved up beside Trideli and held his ground there. He did notice a lack of action from Trideli and looked to see him staring up at the airbattle, "What's your problem?" said H'dans, still not loosening his squeeze on the trigger. "Well, I can't be sure rom that height but... Isn't that the Freefall?" H'dans looked where Trideli was pointing and, sure enough, a familiar Attack Transport Aircraft was circling the battle taking out several enemy airships and helicopters. "Uhhhhh... I guess?" a moment of awkward silence then H'dans resumed his assault with the minigun. Trideli shrugged and brought the stock of his SSMAR-v21 back into his armpit and went back into battle by H'dans's side. Trident Squad was now able to start pushing the bugs back a bit with help from the minigun but the line of ordinary soldiers weren't having the same level of success. Hralek sent bullets flying into two more bugs with his SSMS-AARv27 (Standard Sakhmet Militia Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle version twenty-seven) Tigershadow's last bullet belt slipped out of his suppressor gun and he had to switch to his secondary weapon, a SSMSMGv18 (Standard Sakhmet Militia SubMachine Gun version eighteen) Fyora forbid he had to fight back the bugs with his pistol, a PCPv19.
The thrill Wajing was experiencing suddenly stopped when he pulled the string on his parachute and came to a halt a bit farther from the battle than they had hoped. Reyiss and Lrasta had landed relatively close to Wajing but Elpaty had actually landed near the battle and Wajing could see him waving from a distance. Lrasta and Reyiss traversed the two dozen meters separating them and they met together. "Check your ammo and weapons" said Wajing as a radio signal came in through his helmet comm *Wajing, you have landed one kilometer from Captain Tigershadow's position, recommend going to the battle while I soften up their air support* came Drihy's altered radio voice. Wajing didn't reply but gestured for Reyiss and Lrasta to follow him until they met up with Elpat. It only took them halfway to the battle as Elpat took to the air and cut half off the time it would've taken him to get to Wajing. "Elpat!" said Reyiss as Elpat swooped down beside him, folding his wings around an SSMSG-v19 (Standard Sakhmet Militia ShotGun version nineteen) After a quick reunion, the group resumed their approach to the fighting. It wasn't long before they encountered bug runners, wounded neopians, and less long before they were in full-blown violence. They had apparently miscalculated and ended up far to the left of Trident Squad. But they couldn't possibly go to them now that they had encountered the bugs. Wajing unstrapped his souvenir from the bug prison, the double-bladed sword he had been given in the arena, for the close quarters combat. The benefits, more combat efficiency on Wajing's part and more severed limbs than guns usually throw on the ground. Wajing sent a bug's hand spinning into the air then swithed targets in the blink of an eye and ran his sword through a bug which came out the other end and just went into another. He withdrew the sword from the falling corpses and went into another flurry of cutting, hacking, stabbing, and slicing.
The bug onslaught strengthened suddenly and forced Trident Squad across the blood-stained ground until the found a pile of sandbags and crates to hold ground behind. "There's too many of them!" screamed Trideli as half a dozen more bugs fell to his rifle. "Don't fall back! If they get any closer than Shenkuu is in range of their artillery!" ordered Tigershadow as he ducked behind a large crate lying on it's side to replace his ammunition cartridge. One advantage that Trident Squad had was the bugs were so thick that you couldn't possibly miss if you fired and H'dans blew huge chunks out of their assault force with his AP Slug launcher and newly-accquired minigun. Bugs fell, neopians fell. Bones were shattered, wounds were repaired. Living things died, living things died. The ground was now so dense with bodies and gore it made one think their was not even ground under them. Trident Squad and the remaining mix of soldiers were the only remaining barrier between the bugs and the destruction of Shenkuu. Tigershadow finished installing another cartridge and lifted the submachine gun over his head to send more bullets flying at the bugs. Inhuman screams echoed across the field as another barrage of shells rained down on the neopian defenders. Why doesn't the Lyric destroy that enemy warship? thought Tigershadow. As if Glimna heard his thoughts, the Lyric began launching missiles at the bug airship and the two ships grappled with eachother, lessening the amount of fire on the neopians but also that of the bugs. Hralek dropped another cartridge then dropped seven more bugs. Ksayy had switched out his weapon for another of the same kind Tigershadow was using due to the circumstances. This had made him much more efficient. A SNOball grenade detonated in the midst of the mass of bugs sending bodies and body parts flying.
Drihy weaved his way through the intense anti-aircraft turret fire coming from the bug airship. Before long, he had taken refuge close to the underbelly of the warship. He could see plenty of turrets which couldn't see him and sent missiles at them, knocking out three quarters of the cannons oppressing the neopians on the ground until he was out of missiles avalable for fire at the moment. Just then, a large missile from the Lyric missed the Freefall by meters and blew a hole in the underbelly of the airship large enough for the Freefall to fit in. Unsuspecting engineer bugs toppled out of the hole the Lyric's missile had created. Just big enough for me to fit through. Thought Drihy as he hovered under the ship. A flashing light indicated another set of missiles were armed for launch and Drihy smiled. Moving to a position just under the hole, Drihy set a course for each of his missiles to take, each one travelled to a different part of the airship. This strike would surely destroy the ship but also possibly catch the Freefall in it's explosion radius. It was a risky move. Crossing talons on one hand, Drihy used the other to repeatedly press the missile launch button. Each missile that was armed simultaneously fired and began snaking it's way through the bowels of the bug warship. Wasting no time, Drihy turned and began descending as fast as he could. Ten seconds until the missiles would hit their targeted spots. One second, he was still in the blast radius. Two seconds, he was still in the blast radius. Three seconds, he was still in the blast radius. Four seconds, he was a quarter of the way out of the blast radius. Five seconds, he was a quarter of the way out of the blast radius. Six seconds, he was a quarter of the way out of the blast radius. Seven seconds, he was halfway out of the blast radius. Drihy calculated that the Freefall would not make it at his current speed. There were few possibilities of escaping. As they taught in the Sakhmet Militia IO Academy, he chose the least impossible possibility. Drihy shut down the engines. The Freefall was freefalling towards the ground. Nine seconds, out of the blast radius. Ten seconds, destruction of enemy warship imminent. Suddenly, the entire bottom half of the bug airship fell off, hurtling towards ground just like the Freefall was now. This was when Drihy flipped the engine switches back on, and hovered only meters from the ground. Drihy sat back in the pilot's seat, releasing a breath he had held ever since the missiles were launched. He would never do something like that again of his own will.
A blinding flash took the eyes of every one on the ground for five whole seconds until it released them enough so that some may see what had caused the flash. The entire bottom half was hurtling towards ground followed by the top half. Each and every neopet of all of the countries of the Southern Altadorian Mountains cheered. Cheered for lost loved ones and for the victory that was surely waiting for the forces of neopia. Flaming debris crashed into the bug ranks as well as cannon shells from the Lyric until nothing of the assault force in front of them remained except a handful of wounded bugs. Neopian soldiers charged towards the Great Wall of Shenkuu which they could now retake and win the battle. H'dans and Trideli stood side by side, both grinning at the annihilation of the bug forces. "That was pretty impressive, huh?" said H'dans, gazing at the lovely fireworks. "Yes, Neopia has won this day for sure." said Trideli. Then they both heard the hiss of a bullet going through flesh, a limp body dropping to the ground, and Hralek scream "TIGERSHADOW!" the voice of a kyrii broke the silence shouting, "They have a sniper on the wall!" before the kyrii had finished his sentence, Ksayy fired at the sniper, taking it out before it could kill anyone else. But the damage had been dealt. Trideli, H'dans, Hralek, and Ksayy rushed to kneel by Tigershadow. He lay on the ground, gasping for life. The bullet had pierced his left lung and sent a shard of rib bone hurtling through his flesh to puncture the other. Hralek, being the most experienced with medical procedures, began trying to repair Tigershadow's wound. With his last few breaths, Tigershadow gasped, "Wajing... is the... the new leader... of Trident Squad" this caused a spark of confusion in Trideli because, as second highest rank, he should have become leader of the squad on the occasion of Tigershadow's death. But the spark died out with Tigershadow as his feline kougra eyes lost a light that had been there every second he had lived.