CHAPTER 1: TRENCH BY TRENCH
"Push up!" Simmons yelled, his voice rising above the muffled sound of battle inside Evan's helmet. "We have to get that fucking trench cleared!"
The squad rushed up the muddy embankment, weaving between the shattered tree stumps, glowing bolts of plasma punching through the smoke that choked the air. Evan could scarcely see two hundred meters in any direction, having to rely almost entirely on the ad-hoc network to pick out shared targets on his HUD, red outlines and objective markers filling his field of view. He felt like he was playing a goddamned VR game.
"Good fuckin' job they torched the place from orbit before we set down," Hernandez panted, jogging along beside him to his right. "Wouldn't wanna deal with all these bunkers and trenches if the critters still had cover."
"Oh, they still have plenty of cover!" Jade added as he ducked behind a tree stump to Evan's left. She lifted her XMR over the cracked bark, laying down some suppressive fire on the red outlines atop the hill. "These surface defenses are just the tip of the iceberg. How do you think so many of them survived the bombing?"
"Sarge, we ain't getting anywhere near that trench until someone deals with that pillbox!" Foster added as he dove into cover nearby.
At the top of the incline, some fifty meters away, was a dome-shaped mound of dirt that was visible through the felled trees. Like all of the other Bug structures, it was made from packed earth that had been covered over with clear resin to render it as hard as concrete, the insects inside spewing automatic plasma fire through the openings in its walls. It was part of a larger network of trenches and fortifications that created a winding network throughout the blasted forest, slowing the Coalition forces as they made their approach towards the base of the Ant Hill. The Bugs were dug-in, well-prepared, but they clearly hadn't anticipated the fleet's capacity for mass destruction. The battalions had pushed out from the landing zones and were slowly tightening the noose, clearing out the Bug defenses as they went, encircling the Queen's stronghold.
"I've called it in!" Simmons replied, bringing up the rear with the rest of the squad. Everyone was present save for McKay, who had been evacuated to the carrier after being injured. Tatzi had returned with a new pressure suit, and the pair of Borealans were back in action again, the loud cracks of their long rifles echoing across the battlefield. Aster and Cardinal flanked the sergeant, the rest of the Marines moving up behind him.
Evan's HUD alerted him of an approaching vehicle, the giant hull of a Kodiak rolling out of the airborne dust off to their left. The angular tank smashed through a carbonized tree stump, then jerked to a stop, its long cannon turning on the pillbox. The Bugs inside concentrated their fire on it, a brilliant light show forcing Evan's visor to darken, the superheated gas leaving red-hot patches on its ceramic armor where they found their mark. The main gun fired, recoil shaking the vehicle, the barrel sending a sabot screaming up the hill. It punched straight through the dirt and resin, a plasma payload igniting the interior, flames shooting out of the windows as the space was filled with ionized gas.
With the bunker now silenced, the tank turned its many guns on the trench beside the flaming structure, where Drones were popping out of cover to fire their rifles down the incline at the approaching troops. Simmons ordered them to move up as it suppressed the enemy line with mortars and a stream of shells from its cheek-mounted gun pod, the IFV joining in as it trundled along behind them, the thirty-mill on its blister barking.
Evan was at the head of the pack, pausing to fire through the burnt husks of the trees. Few were more than three or four meters tall, cut down like blades of grass by the orbital bombardment. As he darted forward, he felt someone grab his rucksack, jolting him to a stop.
"Wait!" Jade warned, her eyes scanning the hill ahead of them through her visor. "Monofilament wire!"
"Fuck," Evan panted, giving her a grateful pat on the shoulder as she passed him. Now that he was looking for them, he could see the network of shimmering fibers, as thin as hairs. They were strung up between what was left of the trees, only visible when what light that made it through the choking ash clouds caught them at the right angle. A few steps more, and he might have been diced like those poor Marines who had been caught in the Red King's trap.
"Sergeant, there are monofilament wires all over the place," Jade warned as she took a knee beside a stump. Despite the suppressive fire from the tank, the Bugs in the trench were still taking every opportunity to fire back, the whole squad ducking as plasma bolts sizzled over their heads. "I don't see a way around. There are probably more of those mines, too."
"I'm not taking any chances with those things," Simmons growled. "Hang tight - I'm calling in the engineers. We'll put a line charge straight through to the trench."
"Remember, the fuckers hide those mines on the trees," Foster added.
"Yeah, well that isn't gonna be an issue if there are no trees," Simmons replied.
A few minutes later, the ground began to shake, another Kodiak variant with a stubby turret and a massive prow bulldozing its way out of the dust clouds to their rear. It fought its way up the hill towards them, uprooting stumps like they were no more than weeds, shrugging off the plasma fire that came its way.
It fired a rocket from a launcher that was mounted on the side of its turret, a long spool of what looked like rope uncoiling with a puff of smoke, draping itself over the landscape. After a brief delay, it detonated, an explosion ripping along its length. It was powerful enough to topple the weakened trees, throwing up a torrent of dirt. Jade's suspicions were confirmed as Evan noticed shimmering fibers descending from the sky, likely from detonated mines.
"Push through and clear us a path!" Simmons said, speaking to the tank's commander. "I'll let fifteen and sixteen know that we have a way through. Move up behind the Crocodile, people!"
They formed a column behind the vehicle as it struggled its way up the incline, the serrated teeth on its prow churning up the loose soil, creating a safe route for the infantry. The nearby Kodiak shadowed it, its engine roaring, Evan and his squad following behind. Their IFV brought up the rear, its blister still firing, its eight wheels spinning in the ash-caked earth.
The Crocodile punched a hole in the enemy defenses, crashing through the trench to the left of the burning bunker, caving some of it in. The hardy vehicle didn't falter, continuing on, its blister depressing as far as it could to fire down over the side of the turret.
Evan took point, sliding down into the partially collapsed trench as the Kodiak rolled over it, his boots skidding in the dirt. The Drones were only around five feet tall, so the trench was a little more shallow than one might expect, but it still rose above Evan's head. The walls were made of packed dirt that had been covered over with a layer of hard, transparent resin, which was apparently strong enough that the structure didn't require any supports. Facing out towards the advancing Coalition troops were little letterbox-like slots that had been cut into the wall, allowing the Drones to fire from relative safety, and there was a subtly raised lip where they would have stood to reach. The whole trench was built in an organic, twisting pattern, probably designed to diminish the effects of any explosives that landed inside. Behind him, the trench terminated at the bunker, the glow of flames still visible through the primitive doorway. There was a dead Drone lying halfway out of the building, its carapace charred black, wisps of smoke rising from the breaks in its joints.
The rest of the squad piled inside after him, the two Borealans having to duck to avoid exposing their heads. Evan aimed his rifle down the trench, seeing a couple more dead Drones lying inside it, the nearest corner blocking his view of what might be beyond.
"Tatzi, Borzka," Simmons began as he gestured down the trench. "You have point."
The two aliens exchanged a glance, then leveled their bayonets, moving to the front of the group. Evan had no idea what the Bugs might have in store for them, but anyone who found themselves on the wrong side of a Borealan bayonet charge was going to have a bad day.
"Watch for more mines," Aster warned as she moved up behind them, her antennae waving in the air. "They may be chemically triggered."
The squad moved down the trench, the Borealans leaning around the nearest bend before advancing. Evan heard the crack of XMR fire, turning the same corner to see that a pair of freshly-killed Drones had joined their dead comrades that were lying in the dirt.
"Looks like the vehicles got most of 'em," Hernandez muttered, giving a nearby body a swift kick. It had been perforated with shrapnel, probably from the MGL fire that the IFV had poured into the area.
"Fleetcom wants us collapsing any tunnels we find," Simmons ordered as he waded through the dead Bugs. "If you see a hole, drop a 'nade down there. There's probably a whole network of passages under our feet, but we don't have the resources to clear them all one by one. All we need to do is make sure the critters can't come up behind us."
"Just like killin' gophers back on the family farm," Hernandez chuckled.
"I don't want to know why your family has access to grenades," Evan grumbled as he pushed a listless Drone aside with his boot. Most of its head was gone - probably a victim of the thirty-mill.
"They're both varmints, ain't they?" Hernandez replied.
There was a flurry of movement ahead, a Drone coming charging around the next corner, a pair of long blades clutched in its upper hands. It scrabbled low to the ground, avoiding a shot from Tatzi's rifle, the slug shattering the resin directly behind it like glass.
