‘g’mornin sun… ugh…’ I groan, rolling out… Of bed…
“Oh, right.” Currently sitting upright, in the dark… Of someone’s abandoned forest cabin. Great.
‘Where’s the light switch, again…?’
clack. Dim lightbulbs come on, and I roll over, some things still hurting a bit.
I sigh, and stretch a little. Sleeping in full gear does that to you…
Backpack, rifle, headset, helmet… “C’mon, get in there.”
My ears have always been a little bigger, so they don’t always want to go into the helmet properly. “One of the humans in my training cadre asked if I came from a bobcat once. That was a weird week.”
“…and now I’m talking to myself. That’s a good sign.”
Chinstrap buckled, backpack on, mask too, time to go…
‘Wait. What happened to the IFV, again? Did they throw us back? Am I behind enemy lines right now?!’
Think, Nyloki, think! ‘I didn’t see any other vehicles knocked out. So that has to mean we’re still in this fight. …Did I…?’
“SALKYR!” I grab the nearest object and make to throw it…
‘You circledamned idiot, you… Gah.’
…but… That wouldn’t help much. Better to come up with a plan instead of smashing… What is this?
I hold it up to the light, it’s a non-descript plastic box…?
Crack it open. ‘What do we ha-’
“Oh. Okay. Tir, why’d I have to stumble across one of the fucked up rich people’s houses?” I put the… Toys, box, back on the shelf, and disinfect my hands.
Tend to my own cuts and scrapes while I’m at it, actually. ‘All this angry hot lead and you might die to a papercut. Joy.’
Healing nicely at least. Who knows, might even get a fun scar for parties after this shit.
===
The rest of house has nothing of note. The mantlepiece has been taken, and I have a feeling it might’ve been that looter’s long gun.
‘Meh. I’m not the police, and they probably need it anyways.’
Beyond that, well. The door.
The forest. In daylight, or at least early morning. Alam is at least a thicker forest, but still…
I feel exposed.
“…they who laugh in the first way, I place into your vaults my fate…” I look out the door, waiting for a minute. Nothing.
krummbm… Distant artillery. So someone’s having a fight at least.
Some birds fly into the air, and then I am in the forest, hopefully disappearing into the trees.
‘Commonwealth shells, or Federated?’
Either way, I’m heading northwest, if this compass is telling the truth.
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‘Back into the fire, I guess.’
The rumbling rolls through the forest, some animals scattering with each distant thunder, but less and less each time.
======
“Gunner, traverse right, infantry, HE!” BAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
The autocannon barks in short heavy stacatto, 35mm HE-T rounds throwing up dust. The dark shapes of people twist and turn under it’s impact, even as small arms and heavy machine gun rounds drum on the IFV’s hull.
“Mission zone impact in 30 seconds!” Nolai, the driver, calls up.
Our destination is a nice little earth berm to hulldown behind, drop off infantry. ‘If we get there.’
In the background I can hear Seika 2’s other IFVs making their final warnings too. One or two calls of combat losses, but overall…
‘So far, so good.’
I think fate has it out for me because as soon as I think that, Gunner Anryhi makes my blood run cold. “IDENTIFY, TANK, FRONT 800 METERS! IT’S LOOKING RIGHT AT US!”
“Smoke out! Driver evade!” Thick gray smoke blooms and everything is jostled as Nolai makes a sharp right turn, before-
Thump-BLAM! A tank shell zips right by us and impacts somewhere behind, the smoke roiling under it’s wake.
I quickly pass it along. “Seika 2, this is Seika 2-2. Be advised, tank 800 meters front, in engagement! Over.”
“Seika 2-3 copies all cannot engage at this time-”
“Seika 2-3, this is Seika 2 Actual, respond!”
The turret slews quickly, Anryhi cursing and quickly flicking a pair of switches to expose our missiles. “Switching to ATGM! Where is that bastard?!”
“Can’t tell-” A high explosive shell bursts meters away.
BLAKAM!
The smoke, just for a few moments, clears. It’s right there, a squat battle tank with it’s gun barrel turned slightly away, sitting along the forest treeline.
“GUNNER, TANK, MISSILE!” Even as I say it, he’s already fired.
klunkFWHOOOSH!
The ATGM looks so slow from where we are, a bright spot retreating into the distance… ‘Oh fuck they saw us. Please don’t reload quickly please don’t reload quickly…’
And then very suddenly, a turret flies up from the treeline, into the sky, its hull burning wildly!
“WE GOT EM!” A fist slams the side of the turret, and I know Anryhi’s grinning like an idiot.
“Fuckin aces. Putting for the berm again.” The IFV turns back again, turret turning-
‘Oh fuck that’s an Emayan vic.’ The low slung vehicle sort of peeks out in the forest line.
“Gunner, APC, APDS, traverse left! NOW!” They’re looking right at us, I see the gun belch smoke and flashes of fire-
PANG PONG SPANG! One of the shells hits the turret right below my sight and ricochets away, crazing off into the sky-
“ENGAGING!” Our 35mm barks.
BAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
Shells arc through the air, and hit with little showers of sparks. The Emayan IFV is struck in the turret by a short burst and ceases firing.
BAKBAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
“Just gonna make sure, sir!” He walks his fire up and down a little, putting more rounds in the turret and hull.
Our vehicle stops. “We’re here sir.”
“Alright, cease fire. Gunner, infantry, front, 700 meters, HE. Suppress em, we need to get our infantry out.”
“Got em.” The turret’s drives whine softly.
BAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
I open the intercom and thumb the door switch. “SQUAD, PREPARE TO DISMOUNT!”
wrrr… BAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
“Man, you’d think they’d have more than two vics and a couple squads holdin this area.”
I give Anryhi a glance. “Knock on wood, you bad luck bitch.”
BAKBAKBAKBAKBAK!
“Aye sir.” He taps his crotch.
I just go back to my sights. Tracer fire goes back and forth, as little puffs sprout in the distance.
Then, it’s as if a second sun appears out of the corner of my vision. “Gah! The fuck-”
I jerk back, rubbing my eyes.
“The fuck was that?!”
======
The artillery shells are getting louder. More than that though, I think I saw a pair of Falntyri jets go overhead just now.
‘So we’re still in it! Okay! And-’
There’s a flash, that claws through the trees. Immediately I cover my eyes and drop prone-
KROOOOOM…! It’s like a singular, violent thunderclap. I feel my eardrums pop and the winds pick up for a few seconds, a branch bouncing off my helmet, a rock thumping against my leg-
“FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME!” The wind rips at my pack and clothes, dust clogging my mask filter-
“…?” And then it’s over. The dosimeter ticks a little.
‘I’m… alive? HOLY SHIT!’
I slowly get up, and check it, a few branches and a lot of dust falling off of me.
It’s only a little above background, thankfully. Other than needing another shower, I’m… Fine.
“…I’m going to go to prayer more often now.”
In the distance, smoke begins to rise.
‘Maybe I better keep my head down a little so I don’t get blinded by the next one.’