CHAPTER III: DESPERATE ALLIANCE
SECTION 0: NOTES FROM CHC BRIEFING ON VARIOUS ZERG STRAINS
Admiral Sheldon/ Intro: Sit down, everyone. Okay, I'd like to impress upon you how much of a threat these Zerg represent. They seem to come in infinite numbers, and most of 'em are strong, fast, and armoured.
Admiral Sheldon/ Zerglings: Zerglings seem to be their most basic breed. They generally come in swarms of five hundred or more. They're fast, got nasty claws, and have a thick layer of armor. However, they have no long range weapon, and tend to go down in droves under massed-fire tactics. For a long time, we thought they were the only breed of Zerg, because they were the only ones we could capture for the Jacobs Installation. More bad news about the Zergling: They're evolving. Fast. We found a new breed of Zergling on Mar Sara. They had thicker armor, heightened senses, and a pair of scythe blades growing out of its shoulders, and they move faster than ever.
Admiral Sheldon/ Hydralisks: Early on, our main advantage was that we could fight at range, and they could not. However, that advantage has been nullified by the discovery of the Hydralisk. These bastards are tough, and evolving just as fast as the Zerglings. They can hock a cocktail of crystalline spines and acid strong enough to melt through tank armor, at super-sonic speeds, with a range comparable to our C-14's. They also have a pair of bladed scythes, which can tear through armor like butter. The generally come in swarms of around two hundred.
Admiral Sheldon/ Mutalisks: Mutalisks are another, freshly discovered breed. They were dubbed 'Mutalisks' because the pilot who spotted them observed them forming cocoons and morphing into other forms. A swarm of these bastards contains about a hundred Mutalisks. All of the forms of Mutalisk are very dangerous. The first form is very fast and has a ranged attack, much like a deadlier version of the Hydralisk spray. The second form, labeled the 'guardian' is slower and less versatile, but is heavily armored, and powerful enough to take out a company of marines in minutes. The last form does not have a long-range attack, but is incredibly fast and possesses razor-sharp claws, and is large and strong enough to lift an Arclite siege tank. We're calling it the 'mantis screamer', because of its huge claws and the deafening sound it makes.
Admiral Sheldon/ Hypothesised breeds: There are several breeds that have been rumored to exist, but we haven't seen them in action, yet. One is the 'Queen'. This is supposed to be a giant bitch, that watches over the main hive and quite possibly lays the eggs of the Zerg. Next is a weird little animal called the 'scourge', which kamikazes into its target, and explodes like a barrel of quinitricetyline. Then there is a land warrior said to be more powerful and faster than any of the other Zerg breeds. Since it is supposed to be the ultimate warrior breed, we've dubbed it, should it exist, the 'Ultralisk'. The final postulated breed is the 'defiler', which is said to spread a plague more deadly and virulent than even Chau Sarian Hemorrhagic Fever. Although, I guess we don't have to worry about THAT little bug anymore. Anyway, we're hoping this is a fictional strain, made up by some ground-pounder to scare the greens. That's about it. Thank you for your time.
Quinitricetyline was an incredibly explosive substance in Alien3 (a great movie, by the way). As one of the inmates put it: "I saw a barrel of this stuff fall into a beachhead bunker once. The blast put a tug in dry dock for sixteen weeks. Great stuff!" Heh heh heh. C'mon, don't you know the sound of laughter?
SECTION 1: EVAC POINT DELTA / BEFORE THE ASSAULT
Ivan stood in the middle of the street in a Mar Sara town. It was under attack by monsters, terrible creatures with giant, bladed arms and gnashing teeth. He didn't have a rifle or sidearm. He was only able to watch as the monsters ripped apart colonists and his comrades. When the enemy noticed him, he tried to run, but his legs barely worked. A Zergling overtook him, and wrapped its rough tongue around his leg, dragging him back. The tongue felt like it was squeezing his leg muscles to paste, crushing his bones. He heard someone calling.
"Ivan! Wake the hell up!" Koslov barked at him.
Ivan shook awake and muttered curses, sleepily. He rubbed his aching leg. "We there yet?"
"Yeah. Most of us slept through the briefing. We've been assigned to the earthworks to the northeast of the base." Roadkill informed him. "The comsats started working again, and they picked up a huge Zerg force to the northeast. "
"Great." Ivan slowly stood, his joints cracking. He grabbed his gear, and let Roadkill lead him out of the APC. Outside, it was foggy, which struck Ivan as odd. "Hey, Private, why is it foggy out in the desert?"
"We think it's coming from that Zerg crap, the Creep. It's giving off a lot of moisture, even the ground's a little wet. Here's our foxhole." He stopped by a five-foot deep hole in the ground, where Sergei and Scott were already crouched.
"Nice of you to join us, Privates." Sergei said sardonically.
"Sorry, sir. I was having a great dream about Lang's mother." Ivan joked.
"My mother was a saint!" Scott shouted. Roadkill and Ivan jumped into the hole.
"So, Confed High Command has finally decided to get us off this rock?" Ivan started checking his rifle.
"No, CHC ain't doing nothing." Scott said.
"What? What are we doing here, then?"
"Someone else is providing the dropships."
"Yeah? Who?"
"You remember the Sons of Korhal?" Scott asked, grimly.
"Those psychopaths? You've got to be kidding!" Ivan shook his head in disbelief.
"Nope."
"Last time we saw them," Ivan said, "We were exchanging gunfire, on Dylar XIV."
"Yeah. Good times."
Private Colin White yelled "Zerg incoming! Northeast!" from another foxhole.
The fireteam got ready to fend off the attack. At first they saw nothing but fog.
"There they are!" Sergei yelled, and fired a shot.
Ivan looked through his iron sights, waiting for a target to present itself. He started firing as a wall of Zerglings materialised out of the mist. Ivan heard and felt several deep thumping noises.
"Arty strike! Get down!" a soldier shouted. Everyone crouched in the foxhole. Soon, they heard the whistle of mortar rounds dropping, and the ground shook as the rounds exploded. Ivan guessed that a salvo of at least ten rounds had been shot. After the ground stopped shaking, Ivan peered over the foxhole wall.
"Holy crap!" The mortar strike had decimated the enemy swarm. "Ain't nothing left," Scott yelled. Some cheering broke out in nearby trenches.
Colin shouted "Six hours until dropship arrival!"
SECTION 2 – JOURNAL OF IVAN PETROV / WAITING ON THE EDGE OF A STORM
I just saw an artillery strike decimate a Zerg swarm. What a sight! We're positioned in the South side earthworks across the river from the Evac base. About ten meters behind us is the bridge we'll displace across if the enemy comes in force. Across the bridge is the bunkers. Past them is the city wall complex (a huge maze of metal halls and hardpoints), then Mar Sara City itself. I'll write more later.
We have been sitting in this goddamn foxhole for the past five hours. I'M FICKING BORED! There's nothing to do but impress Roadkill with Guild War stories. I think he looks up to me, like a big brother or something. (What a change, out of my eleven siblings, I was the youngest!)
I should be used to this by now, after spending a year at goddamn Desert Outpost 46.
Sure, every once in a while the Zerg strike, but those Arty boys keep blowing 'em all up. I shouldn't be complaining.
Hang on, Sarge is saying something to Gionta.
Apparently, my prayers have been answered. The comsats have spotted around 40 Zergling swarms, fifteen Hydralisk swarms, and ten swarms of those new Mutalisks. This is against twenty infantry companies, four artillery companies, six ranger companies, and four Surface to Air Missile batteries. I think we're in a little over our heads.
We're waiting on the edge of a storm. Roadkill looks like he's gonna hurl. Me, Sergei, and Scott, we've gotten pretty quiet. We're thinking the same thing though: Maybe it's time for us old-timers to be retired, the Confederate way.
The grounds starting to rumble.
I hope I can write in you again, my good journal. If not, thanks for listening to my years of ranting. Peace.
SECTION 3 – HOLDING THE LINE
"Soldiers! Lock and load!" The disembodied voice of Koslov floated into the foxhole. Ivan wiped his sweating hands on his shirt, wiped his eyes with his forearm. The sun had been beating down on them for hours. "When you hear hocking, get your head down, but don't quit firing, for Chrissake."
Ivan heard the noises of fifty rifles cocking. That was all that was left of a company of two hundred.
Sergei peered through his scope and muttered "Enemy."
Ivan looked through his binoculars, and his mouth went dry. Zerg as fire as he could see, a massive wave, heading straight for him. Ivan was suddenly covered in shade. He looked skyward and was stunned. There were enough Zerg fliers to blot out the sun, and then some.
Ivan shook his head, resigned. He steadied his rifle on the lip of the foxhole, and looked down the sight. "So, out of curiosity, are we covered by Anti-Air weapons at all?"
"Doubtful. There's four SAM batteries back at base, but I doubt they cover us."
"Typical. Roadkill, lock and load!"
"Yes, sir!" Roadkill worked the bolt on his rifle, and propped it on the lip of the foxhole.
"You ready, boys and girls?" Sergei asked.
"Yes, sir!" the fireteam responded.
"There they are!" Scott shouted, and opened fire. The rest of the company followed suit.
The Zerg fell in droves, creating a river of alien blood, and a field of carcasses, but, there were always more.
And they kept advancing.
"Oh, hell, here come the Hydralisks!"
Ivan gritted his teeth and pressed his body into the dirt wall of the foxhole, trying to stay as hidden as possible. Acid splashed everywhere, and he heard the screams of his comrades. He peeked over the foxhole wall, and lined up his rifle with the head of a Hydralisk. It noticed him just as he pulled the trigger, and sent a tracer through its gaping mouth.
"Colin, where the hell is our artillery?" he shouted.
"Hang on!" There was a pause, and Ivan fired a few bursts into the Zerg ranks.
"Colin!"
"Firing now!"
Ivan heard the thumping and yelled "Incoming!" He huddled in the foxhole with the rest of his fireteam. After the ground stopped shaking, he looked over the foxhole. There wasn't a Zerg in sight.
"The hell? Did we win?" Roadkill asked.
"How should I know?" The back of his neck prickled. Something felt wrong.
SECTION 4 – OVERRUN
"Incoming!" someone shouted, five minutes later.
Ivan looked skyward. "Those Mutalisks are back! Strafing run!"
Everyone got down and prayed. The lead Mutalisk hissed and launched a projectile. Ivan watched it hurtle to the ground, and strike an APC. The APC exploded. A soldier staggered out of the wreckage, but he was covered in acid. Flesh sluiced from his bone. Roadkill's jaw dropped, and he could only stand and watch until Scott and Sergei pulled him down.
"What are you doing, idiot?"
Ivan heard hissing noises and explosions all around him. He prayed his foxhole wouldn't be hit. He heard screaming, coming from all across the defensive line. A Mutalisk strafed nearby. Ivan lined up a shot and fired. It shuddered, blood spurting from the wound, and fell to the earth. Other soldiers started following his example.
"Return fire, soldiers! Take those bastards down!"
Ivan was lining up another shot, when something jumped into the foxhole behind him. Ivan swung around, ready to fire, when he realised it was the Sergeant and Malakhov.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ivan shouted. He turned back to the enemy.
"Our hole got hit!" Koslov shouted, as he opened fire. "Mikhail and Jet bought it!"
"Goddamn it!" shouted Sergei, as he expertly brought down a Mutalisk. Everyone flinched as an APC near them exploded. "Shit, that was our APC! Todd was still in there!"
The Mutalisks flew past the defensive line, towards the base. The squad stood, relieved to be alive.
"I hope those SAM sites can take out the Mutalisks," commented Scott.
"Yeah…" Ivan said.
"I can't believe one arty strike took out all those Zerg." Roadkill said.
"I don't believe. I'm sure that…" Ivan broke off. "Sergei, scope that hill."
Sergei looked through his scope. "Nothing. Wait… Shit, Zerg, coming in fast!"
Someone screamed "They're everywhere!"
Colin shouted from the neighboring foxhole: "Sarge, we have orders to cover the company's retreat!"
"Alright. Squad, give 'em hell!"
Zerglings and Hydralisks poured out of holes in the ground, having burrowed them minutes before. Ivan stared at the ravenous horde. He sprayed rounds at them, not bothering to aim. After all, what was the point of aiming when you couldn't possibly miss? He went through five clips this way, bring down countless Zerglings. However, they still kept coming, and he was running out of ammo. When the front lines of the Zerg were fifty meters away, Ivan started to get nervous. "Hasn't the goddamn company retreated yet!"
"Sarge, we need to fall back!" Sergei shouted.
"Right. Squad, follow me!" Koslov pushed himself out of the hole, and everyone followed him. Ivan had to drag Roadkill out. "Across the bridge! Move it!" Ivan followed his voice.
Corporal Tanner peered out of his foxhole at them. "What the hell is going on!"
"We're getting the hell out of here!" Koslov shouted back. Tanner and his fireteam scrabbled out of the hole. Ivan paused to help Lena out. As he did so, he took a glance back, and was sorry he did so.
The Zerglings had reached their front lines. Many soldiers had already fallen back, but some had stayed to cover their comrades retreat. Zerglings dove into trenches, and ripped apart the soldiers in a flurry of fangs and claws. Zerglings fought each other over who would eat the remains, and a feeding frenzy began. Ivan turned away and started running. His squadmates were fifty meters across the bridge, and he and Lena hadn't even reached it yet.
"Go, go, go!" Ivan shouted. He grabbed Lena shoulder, and she ran with him. They sprinted, jumping over fallen comrades and rubble, almost feeling the blades of the Zerglings, and the spines of the Hydralisks. They sprinted so long that their legs and breath felt like they were on fire. Almost halfway across the bridge, Ivan felt his knee buckle, and he fell.
"Come on, Ivan, they're coming!" Lena shouted as she picked him up. He glanced back and saw that the Zerglings had reached the bridge. And they were so much faster. Ivan staggered away, as best he could. Lena dragged him along. Ivan pointed his rifle back and started firing. He grinned when he heard alien screams. "We're almost there, Ivan! Look!"
Fifty meters… Cold sweat rolled Ivan's back.
Forty meters… His legs felt like they were going to give up the ghost.
Thirty meters… He was panting, struggling to not just stop and let the Zerglings have him.
Twenty meters… He could feel the breath of the Zerglings on his back.
Ten meters… Is something clawing my leg!
Safety.
Lena and Ivan dove over the sandbag barrier and out of the sights of his comrades. They opened fire, massacring Zerglings from the safety of the bunkers. Ivan laughed in relief, watching the deaths of the Zerglings. Then, the Mutalisks came, and dive-bombed it. The metal shell of the bunker cracked, and acid seeped into the gunnery wells. Ivan heard screaming. He caught sight of his fireteam, and got their attention.
"Ivan, where were you!" Sergei yelled.
Ivan ignored the question. "We have to help those guys out!"
He ran to the bunker, and stepped into one of the gunnery wells. It took him a second to adjust to the darkness. He felt around, and found a corpse. "Damn it." He snatched the body's dog-tag, and moved on.
"What is it, Petrov?" The fireteam had caught up by then. "Did you find anyone?"
"Not yet, comrade." He heard a cough and went deeper into the bunker. He quickly found its source. "I've got a live one!" He picked up the man, and pulled him out of the bunker. "Here!" He handed the man to his squadmates, and climbed out. Sergei carried the fallen soldier on his back. "I think everyone else is dead." Ivan said, disheartened by the meaningless deaths of his fellow soldiers.
"Damn it."
Nearby, someone yelled "Zerglings!"
Ivan looked to the bridge, and saw that Zerglings had nearly crossed its expanse.
Koslov and the rest of the squad rejoined them. "Move, we have to fall back!" Koslov pushed them towards the city walls, and they started running. Ivan was already sore from the 200 meter sprint across the bridge. He hoped he could make the four hundred meters to the city walls. "If we make it to the walls, we will survive! Go, go, go!" Koslov encouraged them. He pushed Ivan forward, and Ivan held onto Lena's arm, helping her as she ran, dragging her when she fell. They ran across four hundred yards of broken landscape, jumping or vaulting over piles of rubble, scrabbling through blast craters, and ducking as mortar shells exploded nearby them.
Just fifty meters away from the city walls, one shell detonated too close. Roadkill screamed and fell. Ivan let go of Lena and grabbed Roadkill. Ivan quickly hefted the younger man's weight, and slung him over his shoulders. "Let's go, comrades!" The quickly traversed the remaining distance. Once they reached the looming, steel city walls, they realised that the hatchway that would allow them to enter was closed. The entire squad started hammering on it, yelling expletives and demands for the enormous vault-style door to open.
Ivan looked back. "Uh, guys?"
"What the hell is it, Petrov?" Corporal Taylor yelled at him.
Ivan merely pointed. There was a pack of around thirty Zerglings, looking at them. They slowly advanced, then stopped ten paces from them. The squad quickly wheeled around, and trained their weapons on them. A long silence fell between the two sides. The squad knew that the Zerglings would overtake them before they could all be put down. And the Zerglings knew that the humans could kill many of them before they could hurt the Terrans.
The Zerglings, however, didn't care. The lead Zergling barked, and Sergei decapitated it. The Zerglings rushed, and the Terrans opened fire. Ivan screamed, in rage and fear. One Zergling jumped, and landed directly in front of him. It pulled its claw back, and got ready to strike, but Ivan shoved the muzzle of his rifle into the Zergling's mouth, and held the trigger down.
The skirmish was over, but they all heard the sounds of more of the aliens coming.
Koslov caught sight of a private on top of the wall and got his attention. "Private, I am a Sergeant of the Colonial Infantry. I order you to open this door, immediately!"
Upon hearing the word 'sergeant', the private snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!" The private jumped down a roof access hatch, and was unseen for a few seconds. Then, the door slowly ground open. The squad stepped inside the city wall and moved to close it again.
Gionta looked through the hatch and yelled, "Hurry it up!" The squad pushed at the heavy door. "C'mon, c'mon!" Just as the pushed it into place, there was a huge impact, and the door jerked back. Ivan's muscles strained as he pushed. Eventually, they got it flush with the hatchway, and spun the lock shut. Everyone did the exact same thing at once: They spun around, leaned against the hatchway, slid down, and breathed a sigh of relief. They all laughed a little.
Another private poked his head out of the roof access hatch. "Rob, you need to see this." The private who opened the door got up with a groan and clambered up the ladder. There was a few moments of silence. Ivan took the time to check on Roadkill. Koslov asked was wrong with him.
"A shell landed near him. He isn't hurt bad, though. Some strafing on his back and stomach, but there was only light penetration in his arm and leg. Didn't even tear off muscle, break bone, or hit any arteries. You hear that, Roadie? You're gonna be fine."
Roadkill nodded and slowly straightened up. "Where's my rifle?"
Scott pointed at the door. "Out there. You want to go get it?"
"After you!"
They heard screams coming from the rooftop, and the two privates fell through the hatchway. The nameless private was minus an arm.
"Rob, what the hell is going on?" Koslov shouted.
"Hydralisks are melting through the goddamn door. They're gonna be through in a minute." He ran to a nearby barracks. "Hey, guys, get ready, we're gonna be crawling with Zerg in a minute!" Ten soldiers ran out of the barracks. Both squads took cover behind a makeshift barrier, made of supply crates and barbed wire.
"They're almost through…"
Ivan aimed at the door through his iron sights, and waited. Finally, a Hydralisk spine penetrated what was left of the door, and Zerglings crashed through, three wide. The soldiers opened fire, and mowed down Zerglings. The Hydralisks fired back, and five soldiers were either dismembered or decapitated.
"Goddamn it, they're gonna break through!" Ivan's rifle clicked empty. As he was slapping in a fresh clip, a Zergling leapt over the barricade, and crashed into Ivan. Survival instincts kicked in, and he grabbed both of the Zergling's claws. They were razor sharp, and tore up his hands. Ivan snarled, and struggled with the thing for a few seconds. He was able to pin down one of its claws with his leg, and used his boot to force the monster's head down. It swiped with its other arm, and slashed his pectoral muscle. Gasping with pain, he took hold of the free claw with his left hand, and pulled his sidearm out with his right. He put the barrel against the thing's head, and fired until the magazine was empty.
Sergei picked him up, and gave him his rifle. "Let's go, Petrov, we're leaving!" He shouted over the screams, both human and alien, and the gunfire. "Fall back! Fall back!"
The soldiers that could get away, did. Those that didn't hear the order, or were fighting Zerglings hand-to-hand, fought until they died. Of the nineteen soldiers who defended the barricade, ten made it out. The pounded down a metal corridor, their hammering footsteps punctuated by gunfire and alien hisses. All around them, Terran soldiers were falling back, chased by Zerglings. They stumbled into a hardpoint and saw a familiar face.
"Holy crap, that's Captain Akita!"
They joined what was left of the company. Fourty soldiers, not even a platoon, waited in the hardpoint.
Koslov shouted over the din, "Sir, what are we waiting for!"
"We're waiting for the 39th and 50th Companies, and then we're gonna make a break for the landing fields!"
"What's the ETA of the dropships!"
"Ten minutes! It would be a five minute walk to the field, but the Zerg are encircling this hardpoint!"
"Enemy attack!"
Zerglings poured out of three of the hardpoint doors. The soldiers opened fire, and soon all that was left were new piles of Zergling carcasses. Ivan looked down and saw that they were literally ankle-deep in blood. Out of the same door Ivan came through, two platoons of soldiers came in. They were all that was left of the 39th and 50th.
"Alright, soldiers, move it, move it, move it!" Akita bellowed, and the soldiers raced past.
Ivan and the squad joined the rush, somewhere near the back of the three companies. Twelve minutes of running through hot, bloody corridors later, Ivan saw the sun again. The metal floor turned to blacktop, but it was no kinder on his throbbing shins. He peered over the rest of the soldiers, and saw one of the dropships. It was huge, and painted in the customary black, with blood-red stripes. Soldiers were already piling into it, but by the time he was close, the giant ramp started to close. The soldiers that made it saluted the soldiers who didn't.
About twenty soldiers were left behind. They sat or crouched, looking around. The city had been devastated, almost no building was left standing. The Zerg were advancing through it, killing as they went. Most of the colonists had made it out, and now only a few Colonials were still in the city, fighting because they could do nothing else. Captain Akita had chosen to stay behind. He hand commanded the soldiers to construct barricades. He would have had them dig trenches, but they had nothing that could dig through the meter-thick runway blacktop. After the barricades had been completed, the soldiers waited to make their stand. Ivan cleaned and bandaged his hands. No one was talking. They were all dead anyway, so what is there to talk about?
"Incoming!" The soldiers all grabbed their weapons, and steadied them on the barricades. No one was bothering to conserve their ammo, so they opened fire as soon as the enemy came into view. They mowed down a swarm of Zerglings, and the first wave was over.
"That was just a recon unit, the real attack is still coming!" Akita shouted.
"Sir, I'm getting something on the radio!" Colin shouted.
"What is it?"
"Sounds like… a dropship pilot! He says he has plenty of extra room and is coming in, ETA two minutes!"
"You hear that, soldiers! Hold this field for two minutes, and we can all go home!" Koslov shouted, and the soldiers cheered.
Zerglings burst out of the ground all around them. It was an intense fight, but the Colonials beat them back with only two losses.
A soldier shouted, "Take that you cocksucking bugs!" just before his head exploded.
"Scheisse!" Koslov shouted. "Hydralisks!" The soldiers crouched and returned fire.
"C'mon, take them out!" Akita yelled, firing round after round.
A number of soldiers shouted that they were out of ammo, then everything was drowned out by the intense scream of the engines of a hovering dropship. The dropship in question had a custom weapons system, which it was using against the attacking Hydralisks, with devastating effectiveness. Koslov had to bellow at the top of his lungs "Break cover and get in the dropship!" The dropship's ramp was open and hovering just a few feet above the ground. He ran with the rest of the soldiers, and got inside the metal womb of the dropship. One of the crewmembers hammered on a button, and the ramp closed.
Ivan dropped his rifle and collapsed on the floor. He was asleep in less than a minute.
Sorry it took so freaking long to update. For the first week, I was just being lazy. For the next two weeks, I was SICK as hell. After that, it just took a long time to hammer out a chapter that didn't suck. I hope you enjoyed the fruits of my labor. Please, tell me if you did or didn't, in the form of a review. Thank you for the many kind reviews (You know who you are, even if I don't).
Alright, till next time, space cowboy,
Peace!