Gabriel and the Myrmidons in his squad were assembled in front of Lieutenant Williams. A few other Myrmidon squads were present, while the rest were tasked with guarding the colony. More than half of the Marines were also part of the defending force, while some groups were kept in reserve in case reinforcements were needed. Losing their colony would be a serious blow to their foothold on Polus and the polium supply.
The soldiers were gathered around a map. There was a layout of the main enemy base, which was high up on a snowy mountain. Beside it was a ravine several kilometers deep, where a river of lava carved its way through the ground. The fortress had several buildings scattered around it, surrounded by a wall of stone, and dotted by multiple turrets.
"We are part of the first group of Myrmidons that will drop in front of the enemy's defenses after we first hit them with artillery and bombing runs," Williams explained. He walked back and forth from one end of the line of soldiers to the other. "This group of Marines and their vehicles will help us punch through this set of defenses. If enemies overwhelm us and push us back, we let them, so that we can wipe them out before continuing our offensive. Once we work our way up, we can hit the other defenders from behind, and the rest of the attackers will be able to follow us. We will be deploying soon, so grab your weapons and go to the hangar.
"Now's the time for us to go on the offensive. We've been working hard to take more territory and destroy enemy camps. We must deal a crippling blow before the enemy can regroup."
Everyone walked out. Within an hour, they were going to launch a massive attack on the Fire Nation's main base on Polus, with the goal of weakening their grip on the moon. Gabriel grabbed his weapons and walked quickly, shoulders held high as he and his squad entered the hangar of their spaceship. He took slow, deep breaths, not feeling cold at all. He had no signs of being nervous. His body was tense, though, as he was standing at attention and wanted to keep his senses sharp.
He and his squad arrived at the hangar. It was silent except for the whirring of air being pumped in and multiple engines humming at the same time. The area was spacious and there were big metal doors that served as the entrances and exits on both sides of the ship.
Pilots were quickly walking to their planes. Beside the fighter jets were the dropships. They were were all more than twice as big as the fighters. Marines already began walking into the aircrafts. Doors began to open as the fighters and bombers launched. Once they were outside the ship, they began to pick up more speed.
Lieutenant Williams had just gathered his platoon. Once he did, they all went into a big dropship, where chairs were organized in rows facing the front. Squads of Marines followed. They weren't going to be skydiving. Instead, the ship was going to land at its assigned area and the soldiers were going to run out.
Once everyone was strapped in, the door closed behind the soldiers. The dropship then slowly hovered before making its way out one of the big doors. Once it was outside, it quickly picked up speed as it moved forward.
Gabriel just sat silently, feeling a bit pumped, trying to think about every lesson he ever learned so that he could do his job effectively. He looked around and saw some people napping, hoping to get every last bit of sleep to keep their senses sharp. All he was going to have with him was his equipment. He was far from the comfort of his barracks, and the enemy would have the advantage as they had more knowledge of the terrain. He was still feeling warm, and his heartbeat was at a calm and moderate pace. He wasn't feeling too stiff, but he wasn't too relaxed as he was anticipating the battle ahead. He could say he was alert and hiding any feelings of nervousness.
All he could hear was the hum of the engine, and he could feel the ship zooming through the air. He sensed the ship descending and reducing its speed, and he heightened his senses, sitting up taller in his chair.
They were approaching the landing zone, which was a few hundred meters away from the first line of defenses. If they had to skydive down, more soldiers would be shot down while they were helpless in the air.
By the time they saw the base, it had been littered with craters left by rockets and bombs. Bunkers and towers were either reduced to rubble or punched with holes. Smoke was still rising, which was a sign that the bombings happened quite recently. A group of bombers and fighter escorts were on their way to do another bombing run, managing to hit targets while fighting off enemy aircraft. The troop transports then landed, taking advantage of the moment while the enemy soldiers were still recovering from the barrages and their planes were still occupied.
Every soldier grabbed their gear before running out of the back of the ship, before turning around and running towards the enemy. They found positions to hide in while waiting for their land vehicles to arrive. They were just going to pick off enemies from a distance. The vehicles were going to roll from a nearby camp, where a sizable force of Earth Kingdom troops were already gathered. Once the vehicles arrived, they were going to hit the enemy like a hammer.
The area ahead had hills and areas that were flat enough for vehicles to roll in. A lot of enemy towers were reduced to rubble, while convoys of land vehicles were either destroyed or unable to move quickly. Further up the hill, there were downed Earth Kingdom bombers and fighters. Ahead of the hills, the mountain stood high and mighty behind a metal fence. The mountain was quite steep, much more impressive than Mount Wanri, though there was a path upwards that spiraled to the top, enabling vehicles and people to ascend without using an elevator.
A few seconds after the last transport aircraft left, the first line of Earth Kingdom vehicles began to arrive. The soldiers quickly positioned themselves behind the first few lines of tanks and APCs.
The Earth Kingdom soldiers began to charge their way up the hills. The first line of defense was easily eliminated by soldiers peeking from the sides of the vehicles. Gabriel picked off soldiers that were lying on craters. Siu moved closer and sprayed with her submachine gun.
The next line of defense was reinforced by a fresh supply of soldiers. The areas closer to the center were more fortified and not hit as hard by the bombing. A lot of weapons survived against bombs and missiles. While the ground was flat, the vehicles were able to move quickly.
Multiple Earth Kingdom tanks were hit by artillery shells and rockets. The soldiers scattered so that they wouldn't be hit by any explosions. Gabriel felt the ground shake temporarily, and he was beginning to sweat as the thrill of battle was getting to him, and a lot of things happening at once.
Once the heavy weapons were able to make a dent in the Fire Nation's defense, the Earth Kingdom forces began to move more quickly. Gabriel didn't bother keeping track of the time, though they spent quite a lot of it breaking the second line of defense. Once a path was broken, the Marines and Myrmidons scattered and flanked the defensive line, while the vehicles and other soldiers in the back of the line provided cover as more Fire Nation soldiers came pouring in.
Among the big rocks, multiple Fire Nation soldiers were in their defensive lines and began shooting at Gabriel and his squad. Without hesitation, Gabriel ran in once he found an opening, gunning down enemies without breaking a sweat or slowing down. Gabriel looked up to shoot soldiers on towers that were scattered around the base of the mountain.
Kipmi then called his squad together. "Our next target is those anti-air guns. Those heavy weapons must be eliminated. Let's grab some explosives from the supply vehicles."
While the tanks were occupied, the infantry were left with destroying other pieces of enemy equipment.
Kipmi and his squad had rocket launchers and remote-powered explosives. Ahead of them was a bunker with a big missile launcher on top. It was an anti-aircraft gun. The turret had three rockets sticking out of it, while the bottom had doors and windows, where the crew was armed and ready for enemies to come.
The squad fired their rockets at the bunker, shattering the windows and denting the metal walls. When the dust settled, the soldiers inside walked out to fight only to be quickly gunned down. The weapons had been destroyed, and so were the controls. With the weapon having collapsed, it was no longer effective.
New groups of Marines and vehicles arrived and continued to destroy the enemy's defenses before advancing. They had to do that so the enemies couldn't flan them. The exhausted soldiers who led the attack were placed in the back, where they could move at a more relaxed pace, just guarding the advance in case the Fire Nation had sent reinforcements.
The Myrmidons pressed on with their tasks. In larger numbers, they were able to conduct hit-and-runs against more fortified enemy positions, persisting through multiple hours of attacking. Gabriel felt warm as he sweated a bit, though he didn't feel too tired, and after pausing for a few minutes between each target, he was able to recover his energy quickly.
"Ready to hit the next one?" Kipmi asked. Everyone looked over to a big building with multiple floors and windows.
Wordlessly, everyone pressed forward with their weapons, going through one entrance. They were too quick as the soldiers inside were unable to react, and they dropped dead within seconds. Gabriel then ran up, a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. In the tight space, he looked ahead of him, seeing enemies on both sides. He shot the soldier on the right, while throwing his knife at the enemy on his left. His knife was so fast it became a blur as it shot its way into the soldier's neck. He then pulled out a knife that he wasn't planning to throw.
The group then pushed towards the highest floor, destroying weapons and technology on the way. In the tight space, no one was shooting, instead attacking with knives. Once all the enemies were killed, the squad grabbed some supplies they could use.
They kept moving through bunkers. Groups of soldiers ran ahead to cover more ground so that they could destroy multiple enemy positions at the same time.
After exiting another enemy bunker and killing another group of soldiers, the squad ran into other allies who completed their objectives.
"I just received orders from Lieutenant Williams," said Kipmi. "He's asking us to gather right at the entrance to the rest of the base. We've taken everything out. Now we must move quickly before any possible reinforcements come."
Everyone regrouped as the second line of defense was completely destroyed, with the soldiers having taken out the scattered towers. They were still spread out in case their position was hit by artillery strikes. There was a metal fence with multiple guard towers surrounding an area at the base of the mountain. The path upwards was heavily guarded with artillery pieces and infantry positions.
The group stopped their advance, as every unit received orders from their commanders simultaneously. Soldiers gathered around broken bunkers resting, while some grabbed enemy machine guns for later use.
Gabriel grabbed a drink. He was grateful for the way the oxygen masks were designed. There were holes in the bottom where straws could go through while keeping the wearer safe. It was useful when someone would need to eat or drink on long space missions when they can't take their oxygen masks off. He grabbed a bottle of food that was ground up into a shake.
It wasn't easy to tell the amount of time that had passed, as the sky barely changed. It was only slightly brighter than usual, as their side of the moon was facing the sun. The sun's light was touching the ground and casting some shadows. When Gabriel checked his device, he saw that they have been fighting for six hours straight. He was feeling the need to rest. The Marines had already gone off to take naps while being replaced by fresh units that hadn't seen much action. He was feeling slightly tired, but he was done sweating. The Myrmidons could perform physical feats high above those of Olympic athletes and could do them for long periods of time. That was how they were able to rack up a high kill count and strike their targets before they could react.
Groups of mechs arrived. They were human-shaped robots. There was a glass window for the cockpit. The pilot was moving their body to control the walker. At the end of the right arm, a mechanical hand was holding a machine gun, while the left was holding a rocket launcher. Under each arm was a retractable bayonet. The feet had a good grip, and ammo was stored in the back.
The mechs stopped near the front, where the soldiers were resting. Only about half an hour passed before the assault continued. Gabriel was back up, feeling alert again. His sweat had dried up. After reloading and checking his equipment, he and the squad were ready for more action. Lieutenant Williams had stressed to their group the importance of efficiency and attacking powerfully, but quickly as well. The strike force wasn't well-designed for long engagements. The Earth Kingdom was hoping on a quick victory. Multiple officers had seen a flaw in the plan. Their best hope was to call more reinforcements from Amlin if they were getting hit hard and had to stop the attack.
"If we keep up the good work, we might be able to win the battle faster than command expects," Kipmi said.
"I wouldn't be too optimistic," said Gabriel. "But it seems like the initial assault was quick."
"We have armor backing us up," said Siu. "But I feel like we need to clear a path for them, so there will be a point when the infantry does most of the work."
"What if we're a bit slow?" Choi asked.
"Our goal was to finish the fight quickly, which was why we had to attack with a lot of strength to overwhelm the enemy," Kipmi explained. "We might be able to find a safe place to camp and regroup while reinforcements arrive, but that might let the enemy regroup. If we're attacking quickly, we're not giving them time to rest."
The Myrmidons were back up. Fresh groups of Marines had arrived. They were the wave at the back and they we only tasked with protecting the back during the initial assault, meaning they haven't seen much action.
The armor was also present. There were groups of tanks and mechs. Other vehicles were present.
The mountain was hammered by another round of missile strikes, kicking up clouds of dust and making the atmosphere hazy.
Once the attackers moved closer to the next lines of defense, the gunfire from the other side started again. Vehicles and infantry were spread out so that fewer of them would get taken out by a single rocket. Gabriel and his squad hid behind a tank to avoid machine gun fire from the towers.
The tanks and mechs pressed on while firing at the towers. After destroying major enemy positions, they kept moving, punching multiple holes in the enemy's defense at the cost of dozens of tanks and mechs. Their force was spread out a bit. Tens of thousands of Marines were tasked with the attack on the huge base. Instead of concentrating their force on one spot, they were spread out a bit, like they were attacking the enemy with multiple spears at the same time.
The path up the mountain wasn't very steep and wasn't at the edge of a cliff. However, there was a bit of a concern as that area could be used at a chokepoint where the Fire Nation could kill the attackers from multiple sides. The attackers where already hit by artillery multiple times when they moved closer. Gabriel could only imagine the massacre that could happen if the Fire Nation rained down fire in a place where they're concentrated.
The area defending the path up the mountain was walled with a metal wall stronger than the outer fences and lined with multiple towers. The Earth Kingdom forces fired tons of heavy artillery to break the wall down. The soldiers on top of the wall retreated. After breaking the wall, they pressed on. Marines peeked at Fire Nation soldiers to shoot them.
Gabriel shot soldiers that were hiding behind rocks. He was able to move from one target to another quickly. He was also able to kill a soldier in a machine gun nest just by taking a shot quickly. Fire Nation soldiers were lined up on a wall of sandbags. The Earth Kingdom's advance was being slowed by heavy fire from both soldiers and mounted weapons. Artillery guns were taking down tanks and mechs, forcing infantry to move forward and get closer to destroy the big guns. The vehicles pressed on, though more slowly, not needing to stop moving to take a shot.
The squad of Myrmidons stepped onto the sandbags once they quickly gunned down their enemies. There were still hundreds of meters until they can start going up, and many more attackers will fall trying to reach it.
The tank that Gabriel's squad was moving behind was hit by multiple rockets from one of the big towers where a turret stood. Gabriel felt a bit of a shockwave as the rockets struck the tank under its turret and caused an explosion, rendering the tank useless and it slowed to a stop. Some nearby tanks were in worse shape from having been hit in the sides. Tank crews evacuated at the risk of getting shot. Soldiers escorted crew members to be treated.
"We must press on without vehicles to cover us," said Kipmi. "Stay low and move through the craters if necessary. Once we remove the last of the defenses, we will start the climb."
Enemy tanks were part of the last defenses, and they rolled forward. The attacking soldiers looked for cover while destroying enemy towers and bunkers. Others waited for the vehicles to move forward.
"We need more firepower if we're going to destroy the tanks," Gabriel said.
"There are supply vehicles behind the tanks," said Kipmi. "Grab a few rocket launchers."
Gabriel sprinted once he received the order. The rest of his squad covered him. Other soldiers followed suit, resupplying when necessary. Gabriel grabbed as many rocket launchers as he could from the truck before running back to rejoin the fight, distributing the heavy weapons that he picked up.
The enemy tanks were spread out to kill groups of soldiers more efficiently. One tank was after Gabriel's squad, with other Marines backing them up. They were all sheltering in craters. They were being pinned down by heavy machine gun fire. A few Marines threw smoke grenades and moved closer.
"You need to hit it in the side or the back to do more damage," said Kipmi.
They waited a few more minutes, only moving while under the cover of smoke or when the guns stopped firing. Gabriel moved to the tank's left side. There was a machine gun on both sides of the tank's big turret. Gabriel was holding onto a rocket launcher, staying low. The weapon wasn't too heavy as he easily aimed it while the machine gun was firing near him. The rocket blast destroyed the side turret and the rest of his squad moved up. Each of them fired a rocket. The tank had taken four hits, and although it was starting to get dented, it was still functional as it turned its turret, firing at the ground near them.
Gabriel was slightly staggered while Kipmi had managed to dive to the side, avoiding the blast. Choi was thrown backward while Siu had been shaken by the vibration.
With the next rocket in the chamber, the squad took another shot. Gabriel missed his when the tank had moved out just in time, but Kipmi and Siu shot their rockets and the tank stopped moving.
The crew was quickly killed once they escaped, not managing to hit any of the Marines or Myrmidons that were fighting the tank.
The attacking force was getting closer to beginning the climb, as more vehicles pushed past rows of destroyed vehicles. They managed to take out all the big defenses.
The attackers reorganized and allowed the tanks and APCs to move forward, mowing down enemy soldiers as they engaged with the tanks and the last few turrets. They were getting closer to breaking the last line of defense.
Multiple armored cars were taken out by the tanks, as more showed up from behind the enemy's buildings. The Myrmidons were tasked with taking them out while the tanks drew their fire. Some tanks turned their turrets and managed to destroy their enemies by hitting the side, just near the very front.
Two tanks were closing in on Gabriel's squad, having split up from the main group to move more forward. The Marines behind them scattered as the tank began firing its main turret, kicking up dust in the ground. Behind the tanks were rows of enemy soldiers which the Myrmidons made quick work of. The Marines began firing rockets and grenades at the tanks to keep them occupied.
The two tanks split their attention. One was being attacked from the front and side by the group of more than twenty Marines, while the other was being attacked by Gabriel's squad.
Siu had been forced to take cover as she was in front of the tank. She was curled up behind a pile of rubble, tightly holding her rocket launcher.
Choi was running up, hitting the tank on its right side. While that was happening, Kipmi was running to the back to score a hit before retreating, keeping himself safe from other tanks that decided to target him. Gabriel peeked and took a shot before hiding again. The tank's turret was swinging to the right, giving Siu the opportunity to shoot the front machine gun near the bottom of the tank. The tank stopped moving its tracks and Siu guessed that she injured the driver. Choi took another shot at the tank, and less than a second later, its turret turned and shot at her. The others nearby were too preoccupied by other enemies that had reached their position, and Choi was helpless, as she was thrown back by a tank shell before her body was riddled with bullets before she could get back up.
The rest of the squad fired two more rockets. Gabriel had seen Choi get hit by the bullets, and opened his mouth, as if to scream inaudibly. Now wasn't the time to pause, though. They had just destroyed a tank, but the last few lines of bunkers and tanks were still there, and the squad now had more enemies to deal with.
Gabriel pressed on, shooting enemy soldiers along the way. He was close to the mountain where the path began to go up. There were big guard towers in front of it, though, and the biggest weapons were right in front of it.
New lines of friendly vehicles moved past the wreckage. There wasn't a time to pause, even though just over an entire rotation had passed. Marines were busy clearing enemy bunkers. The Earth Kingdom was very determined to take the base quickly, not thinking much about the stamina of their force. They were more prepared for a quick strike rather than a long battle where they had to defend their position.
It took a long time, but eventually, the Earth Kingdom forces pressed forward. The tanks took fewer casualties and made quick work of the remaining anti-air and artillery guns. As the Fire Nation soldiers came to face them, they were quickly mowed down by the Earth Kingdom. There were fewer Fire Nation vehicles. After the guard towers were hit by tank shells, the infantry rushed in and made quick work of the last set of guards, before planting explosives and blowing the gates open.
With the base of the mountain having been destroyed, the area was secured for more Earth Kingdom troops to come in. The exhausted soldiers went to sleep. Even the Myrmidons were starting to feel the fatigue, as they went through fast-paced action for over 24 hours. The attacking force had stopped, while newly rested soldiers took their place and watched over the ones who were sleeping.