Welcome to Chapter five of The Never Ending War. Sorry for the delay explanation at the bottom.
Most importantly enjoy the story, if you have any comments or questions go ahead and write them.
"Headmistress," Hayley salutes with vigor while the other two squadron leads stand beside her, "The first years are holding out in the outpost. If we rearm Able, Bravo and Delta we can escort a rescue squadron and pull them out."
"That will not be necessary, please have your squadrons stand down and return to reserve."
"Ma'am those First years are not going to be able to hold the night. Without resupply or evacuation." Hayley replies her hand dropping.
"They will hold until the morning Cadet then we will send our rescue forces." The headmistress looks at them, "You are dismissed."
The three Cadet flight leaders walk out Hayley sneering, "Are you all with me?"
"Yeah," Both of the other flight leaders reply, "What is your plan, Hayley?"
"Karl have Able squadron get rescue bullheads and prepare to launch. Jet get Bravo loading out to ground pound, full gunship load out. I will have Delta load out for a multipurpose battle setup."
"Could a Frigate help. A young man steps forward in a dark grey navy cadet uniform."
"Maximillian what are you talking about?" Hayley asks with her hand reaching for her pistol.
"The Beacon is Ready to launch and provide fire support for your little mission." He smiles darkly, "I am sorry you are afraid of me, please understand I am sorry for the misunderstanding. The Beacon stands with you." He reaches out his gloved hand, "those first years out there are in trouble, and I am not leaving them there." He looks into Hayley's eyes as she takes his hand to shake. "When do we launch?"
"An hour we push the engines to max and run for the outpost." Hayley says with a nod.
"Or you could not discuss your plans for mutiny in the hallway." The Assistant Headmaster says walking up to the group. "I do recommend that you move your conversations somewhere more private." He lazily walks into the middle of four. "Now you will need an operation name and of course an order set. Your operation name is Prometheus and your orders are right here." He hands the four papers. Off you go."
Outside the outpost the fire starts to burn down. Alec sighs, "Alright people the fuel is burning out. Get to positions. I want controlled fire when this starts let's get to the trenches." Surrounding the outpost is entrenchments that the have been made in the hours and a half the fighter squadrons. As Alec stands looking over the quickly built ramparts he sighs. "Here are the simple facts. We are farther away from Beacon than when we dropped probably a twenty-minute flight under perfect conditions it will take another twenty to reload those fighters and forty to get a flight plan made. In reality we shouldn't expect help for longer, those pilots were exhausted."
He looks behind him towards the tallest tower on the outpost with the cannon on top of it. "I want you to look to your right then to your left, this single outpost is held by some two hundred huntsmen, and behind us is Vale. The very civilization you have sworn to shield. We will hold and destroy the enemy, or we will die." He slaps the rifles charging handle, "But our enemies love fear and darkness, so ladies and gentlemen think about rainbows and unicorns."
"Fire dying on the north side. We have a horde coming through." A voice calls out calmly, a single shot cuts through the air as the old eighty-eight fires. The single shot tears apart the Grimm as they try to break through. "Nice shot."
"East side is dying down, shit there is a Goliath." The radio crackles, "we need fire."
"On it bringing the gun around," Tina calls out, "Shit that is a big one."
The canon fires ripping through the young Goliath, it turns to a smoking and disintegrating hulk. The other Grimm around the outpost pull back with the fall of one of the beasts. The group of huntsmen stare down the sights of their weapons and watch the fires around them, the only defense that they have burn away.
"Here they come," Alec calls out with an abnormal calm, "Hold your fire," The groups of Grimm charge, the rumbling and stomping of the black mass. Not a single shot is fired as the two hundred plus huntsmen hold their fire their rifles waiting. The creatures reach a point their face masks reflecting light. "Pick your targets." Alec points his rifle forward, the creatures slobbering jowls dripping, "Put them down."
A rippling wave of sound rips through the Grimm. The fire power tears back the black horde, a black wave that breaks upon the rocks that are the huntsmen and their weapons. The Grimm are pushed back their bodies stacking up and forming a wall of disintegrating black mass.
"Reload everyone." Alec sighs, "Keep an eye out."
Hayley slips a new pistol into her holster, "alright," her pilots and copilots form around her, "we are going to launch and then move quickly escorting The Beacon and Able Squadron. Bravo will be set up to ground pound. We are technically not going to be going against orders from the Headmistress, but we have operational approval." She pulls her hair back into a high bun.
"Alright." Kat replies tightening her holster.
Karl pulls on his flight helmet, "Able is ready to go to war."
"So is Bravo," Jet mentions stepping forward.
"The Beacon is armed and ready my crew is prepared." Maximillian adds as he steps out of the shadows that always seems to be ready for him.
The sound of loud clanking draws everyone's attention. "Hello, my fellow reserve units," The man in a large exo-suit says with a smirk. "Where are you planning on going?"
"There are two hundred first year huntsmen stuck in the outpost and the headmistress is not going to let us get them. So, we are going anyway." Hayley says puffing out her chest.
"Well damn, I never thought that pilots would have the balls for that. Consider Mechanized Unit one at your service When do we launch?"
Maximillian smiles, "damn by the time we launch we will have an armored division going in to save those first years." He slips a pistol into the holster on his left side, "we launch immediately, we are armed and ready. Your unit has its own transports, correct?"
"We have three armed and specialized bullheads with support weapons. We will form up with you on launch." The exo-suited man salutes.
"Alright, get to your fighters, we launch asap." Hayley ends the meeting sternly, "let's go to war."
Alec looks towards the forest, "Looks like they are going to come at us."
"I can confirm that," Another voice replies over the radio, "They are going to push hard and fast. Where is our back up?"
"They will be here; we need to fall back to the main lines the moment the Grimm reach the twenty-meter point. Shield teams you are in charge of covering the retreat. Long range team members you are going to head back now." Alec looks down his rifle, "We hold until reinforcement."
"We hold," A unison of voices ring out over the outpost as snipers and marksmen move into the buildings of the outpost.
The darkness around the outpost stares at the outpost, the red eyes of Grimm darkness dig through the fortification. They will destroy those who stand before them it is all they know today. With a roar they charge the first in their wave torn down by organized fire and the single heavy gun of the outpost. The horde pushes back against the withering fire and the bullets. It takes minutes for the first-year huntsmen to be forced into the building, the three shield teams holding back the bloody horde as their fellow first year huntsmen. The doors shut as the last young adult pull into the outpost.
Defenses are manned as the old cannon on the top of the outpost begins a steady beat the orchestra of war picks up again. The horde outside over runs the small dugouts of the first line of defense the small trenches becoming filled with evaporating Grimm. The creatures of darkness can't be pushed back they are hungry for the negativity in the first years.
"Alight," Alec says over the radio securing the main door with a bar and a dozen crates. "I need a number estimate and an ammunition count."
Tina calls over the radio, "About seven thousand Grimm running low on ammunition for the gun up here."
"We have enough ammunition for the Battle Rifle's we are doing alright on personal ammunition."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we are down to three aura enhancers and four bandages and I have drained most on my aura trying to heal people up. That is it, the rest of the medics are on the line," Paul says over the radio.
The radio is filled with messages, worry and fear spread worse than before.
"Look," Rita Interjects, "we are in the shit now, our best hope is that those pilots get back with our evac. So, if you have a better plan, or a bunker or an escape route go ahead and share, otherwise pick up a rifle get in position and fight."
"What about a breakout?"
"Into what seven thousand Grimm, at least here we have a defensive position."
"All of you stop arguing," Alec raises his rifle and fires at the Grimm outside, "Think about this, we are surrounded by several thousand Grimm and Beacon has sent no help. That means that there is something bigger than several thousand organized Grimm drawing their attention. We are at this point hold off a percentage of Grimm that could be attacking Vale." He fires a few more times, "I can't tell you what is attacking Vale, but we are distracting part of it. Think about what will happen if these Grimm attack somewhere on the defensive line now."
The Grimm outside push finding themselves unable to break the doors or cut through the wall yet. The Larger Goliaths Begin to for a group preparing to crash though the walls and doors waiting for something they stay hidden held back and preparing. Walls will not stop them. Guns and Cannons will not stop them. The little mortals' glimmers of light cannot stop them.
"So, what is going to happen?" The Headmistress asks as her laid back counterpart as he walks behind her.
"They should be launching any minute now. They got Maximillian to mobilize The Beacon and The Mechanized team is preparing their Bullheads. That gives them three squadrons one with evacuation shuttle and all associated weaponry, one with ground support weapons and one with a general armament, one frigate The Beacon is a bit old but still has more than enough firepower and of course three bullheads of the Mechanized team and of course sixteen Mechanized Cadets. That should be enough to evacuate everyone and burn quite a few Grimm." The Assistant Headmaster says without his usual laid-back nature. "They are good kids, have good heads on their shoulders can think for themselves. And are loyal to each other."
"Have two huntsman teams prepared and call up the army, have one battleship prepared to support the cadets. We will only send them in if need be."
"Yes, ma'am." An officer says.
Another turn worriedly, "Ma'am a large number of units are leaving the reserve area."
"Let them go." The head Mistress says calmly. "The main Grimm attack has been beaten anyway. Report on that by the way."
"Ma'am with the deployment of our forces we destroyed seventy percent of the Grimm horde with artillery and air power the rest were destroyed by huntsmen and military units, the first armored brigade took heavy losses from a flanking attack and had to be pulled out but that was the only major losses. We are still looking for the Jammer Grimm, as such long-range radio communication is still difficult."
"Thank you, continue operations. What was the Grimm count?"
"About twenty thousand."
"Good Job."
"Thank you ma'am."
Far away a dark shadow giggles with eerie calm as it move pieces on black and crimson chess board, "there will be no victory in strength." Hordes wait for their orders in a kind of hibernation, waiting as if remnants from a forgotten war waiting to be awakened.
So authors note:
Sorry for the delay but I lost my job and had to start a new one and have had some other personal stuff come up.
I Will try to release the new one in a bit.
Tell me if you have any comments or ideas.
I have been thinking of making more of an explanation to some things here I know some parts of my story raise a few questions like the more militarized side of things.