NationStates Jolt Archive

Firepower rang from the enemy lines, bursting up in righteous furor as they clamored and pummeled with blossoming infernos upon the snowy landscape. There was no night within this sunny planet covered in frost, but no daylight warmth that existed after a winter blast of snow. So how would this turn out? Flames still lingered, rising up as skeletal beasts, but then died out within a moment's instance, Grhreuu's army emerging from his spine clashing violently against the vicious Redrobes that rushed through the blizzard-dying terrain.

Snipers, equipped with rifles that packed a heavy punch, able to rip though multiple troopers, picked off enemy Redrobes. They hid in snow drifts and cloaked themselves to avoid being targeted by enemy fire. Fighters, LAM, and HAM bombarded the Totalian troops with missiles, railgun bullets, grenades and energy blasts. Force Fields and static defenses protected the Xiscapian camp to a point from shells and other projectile weapons, but enemy fire still came though at points. The scoops were armored and could absorb all but the heaviest bullets, but were weak against energy blasts and a direct hit with a shell or bomb would utterly destroy the shelter. Most of the troops had nothing more to do than huddle down and wait out the assault.

The Alversians, having realised that they were outclassed in the direct combat of this war, chose to stick to their strengths. While light artillery pounded the frontlines, fighter bombers came in low to rake enemy troops and drop heavy shrapnel bombs on their positions.

These men were tenacious. They were fierce, they were rabid, and they rampaged through the once more blizzard-volleyed atmosphere of a battlefield with impunity, their sabers smashing against the snow with the steely metal clang ringing loudly. They rushed through the first wall of defense within their own encampments, outside of the 4 generators that surrounded the base of the research fortress, before soon moving to the edge of the valley before swiftly running their way up the fairly steep slope and towards the enemy.

Artillery took out a few unfortunate ones, but many of them still continued, swift enough to figure out where the heaviest of the bombs were to hit, and where the lightest ones struck, they drove on in spite of injuries. Electricity, in such a dry, wintry weather, danced like demonic fingers back and forth, crackling up a show of cerulean within the silvery landscape. Enemy fire only smashed up a series of icy thorns that provided a natural wall, preventing both sides from effectively breaching and outdoing the other.

Grhreuu was having no fun in attacking the enemy. He was standing alright, but there was no amusement in his eyes, no sense of decency or capability that could satiate his bloodlust. It was all a dream-like feel to him, and he despised the idyllic feeling of such circumstances above all. His skeletal army moving forwards, he stood there, arms crossed in the cold, frowning at the scene. Where was Daira? Where was Psaura? They are taking too long.

Enemy heavy cannons were now roaring out of the station. What research facility is this?

The snipers fell back, having been quick or stealthy enough to avoid being located and killed. LAM and HAM landed among the charging enemy soldiers and began to take them out though direct contact. Huge hands would swiftly picked a Totalian up and rip him apart. LAM used their energy swords to carve though armor. They had little to fear from swords, but the electric energy could destroy their sheilds, if enough of it was concentrated on a single unit. Railguns from the shoulders and knees of the mechs continued to spray bullets at enemy troops as they ran though the howling snow. At the ice thorn defenses troops armed with katanas attacked the Totalians as they breached the wall, swiftly slicing their cortosis-weave blades against Totalian swords and though armor and flesh.

Although they were tenacious, the enemy was far from being advanced enough to challenge the militaristic age old empire that had lasted for so long. Even Grhreuu's own army was having difficulties, for electrical currents cut off entire routes and prevent entire pathways from being usable, the Redrobes smashing violently and clashing swords powerfully against them. It would be a long, long day, and depending on the length of the day, it could go longer. "We need to focus on one point first." Grhreuu strategised.

"I concur" Cavourna said before turning to the Commander of the Artillery, "Focus all Batteries on Sector 4001"

"Sir!" The man saluted and turned to give his orders.

At once, every Alversian battery swung to the left of the line and began to pound it with pinpoint accuracy. They fired a combination of heavy shrapnel and depleted uranium into the Redrobe ranks

Dui stood with them, hearing reports over her ear comm. "Fireteam Zeta reports heavy casualties, falling back." "This is unit 182, shields are failing, artillery fire is falling too close, I'm bugging out." Dui had already given the retreat command, and a last few rear-guard units and teams had stayed behind to cover the rest of the troops backs. There was no point in attacking, pounding uselessly against the enemy, until a successful strategy had been formed. The defensive line, however, stayed strong and firm, repeatedly repelling enemy advances. Dui turned to Grhreuu. "Where are the others? We need support, and we need it now!"

"Psaura is coming, Daira is near. Lady Naira's army will come soon, and Haroi...oh?" He said, looking at the valley, as a group of Redrobes were tussling poorly against a group of malicious, amorphous beings, blood splashing around in thickets as they moved onwards, smashing against them. "It looks like Haroi is already here. Then we just need to wait for Khayla." Grhreuu spoke gently. "Hold the line for a bit. They'll come soon."

The Xiscapians did hold the line. As soon as any Redrobes were spotted whithin half a mile of the icy wall fighters and patrols or mechs were sent to destroy them from above. The enemy seemed to have vanished, diverting it's soldiers somewhere else. In orbit the Admiral cursed, wishing she could simply call down a orbital strike and obliterate the Totalians. However the storms in the area drew a blanket over the area. Coordinates were much harder to define, and even a few yards off-target could cause them to miss entirely...or worse, hit their own forces. So they waited, patiently.

When commanders and historians talk about war, they speak in romanticized tongues. There is no romance in war; all there is amidst the icy skin that laid miles thick were nothing more than freshly carved rivers of blood, splashing disgustingly as it dribbled down long vestiges of the sugary water of life through into the cavernous caves that were now red and drying. Totalians continued to press violently, but it was not long before another swift smash of firepower kept the Redrobes at bay. "It's time to advance." Grhreuu said, his sword drawn out, his eyes looking at the valley below him as the other Saliada prepared for their onslaught.

Lightning danced from spot to spot, and it was a painful experience, but they pushed on, the Redrobes finally giving out as they retreated slightly, their wall of attack still strong.

The Xiscapian forces massed and a thrust inward secured their position on the side of the valley. They proceeded with cation, warily looking for Redrobes or leftover Totalian regulars. The force was small, less than 5,000 troops and several dozen vehicles. Dui spoke to Grhreuu. "Where is that damable Cavourna? We need his troops and weapons if my forces are to get very far without being enclosed and crushed by the enemy." It was difficult to tell where the fighting was going on, due to the snow and the way figures seemed to melt away after appearing. Visibility dropped to a few yards. Enemy soldiers contined to appear as if out of nowhere, and no small amount of Xiscapian soldiers dropped to the snow, dead or too wounded to go forward. Dropships landed to take these on. The situation, as far as the Xiscapians were concearned, was growing more and more desperate. They simply did not have enough troops to continue onward without backup.

There was a high pitched scream as a burning ship buried itself in the snow not too far away from the Xiscapian positions. However, far from being damaged, it seemed in excellent condition. Then, the sides burst open and dozens of Alversian Droptroops armed with a combination of heavy weapons, burst form each one and began to fire into the snow as the newly laid heavy and medium Artillery bagan to pound the areas it knew was clear of allied troops.

"Ah," said Dui in satisfaction, "there he is." The troops pressed onward to link with the Alvo dropship and contact was quickly made. "Where to from here?" shouted Dui over the explosions, screams, and howling wind to Grhreuu. "The stronghold?"

Ships dipped from the silvery, watery clouds into the ground, soldiers marching out as they cockily snickered and fired, many of them untrained and improperly equipped, but nevertheless a welcome sight as the army of rabble pushed against the barbaric Redrobes. For every Redrobe slaughtered, tens would fall on such a militia-like force, and Grhreuu nodded. "Lady Naira has employed a disgustingly unorganized mercenary force to act as a human shield in our wake. They will draw and absorb the firepower while we prepare ourselves to take the stronghold." He explained softly, as his fingers were pointing to the fortress in a distance, his bones ripping from his fingers as he frowned in a distinct coolness.

On the battlefield, Psaura swung his blade down with incredible fury, his sword almost invisible in the swift slashes he constructed, blood spraying everywhere as he twisted in motion. Enemy swordsmen were gaining on him fast, trying to overwhelm him magnificently, and if it were not for Haroi's swift arrival, it would have been a brutally true outcome. Grhreuu nodded. "The center is defended by a shield generator. There is little we can do without harming the equipment inside, so it would be prudent to simply smash it apart." He told them.

"Can you guys bombard the entrance until there is nothing left?"

"Can you guys bombard the entrance until there is nothing left?"

"Not a problem" Cavourna grinned "Howitzers! OPEN FIRE!"

Dozens of big Alversian guns opened up on the fortress gate, each kicking up vast amounts of snow as the gun dug in through her recoil. The echo of the guns could be heard for miles and seemed to deafen even the sound of battle. Each shell threw up even more snow in blinding explosion after explosion.

The gate was stern and stubborn, adamant as its turrets still lumbered menacingly with wanton carnage. Unaffected, the steely gates were unharmed, but the crackling of electricity began to electrocute all life near it, the shields wobbling and the light bending disruptively. It gave off a giant roaring scream, and belted out a horrendous roar before splashes of magnetic power scattered throughout the valley. It was a dense, but powerful, gargantuan electromagnetic explosion, ripping up the snow around it as ice floats clashed up into crystallized castles, holes miles deep into a cavernous inky blackness. Grhreuu stood there, looking with his eyes gently shifting from left to right, north to south, his fingers tapping softly on his robes with his stare unwavering. "It looks like the shield has finally gone down." He mumbled disconcertingly, as a final black capsule danced down from the sky, a finger of fire following its wake.

"It's time to take what is truly ours. Iero has come." He spoke.

Dui raised her sword. "Troops! Remember!," they roared with her "For the People! For the Emperor! And for Xiscapia!" Rallyed and massed, the troops raised their rifles, katanas, combat knives, pistols, or whatever they happened to be holding at the time into the air, screaming with bloodlust. Dui shot a look at Grhreuu. "It is time." she agreed, and turned to Cavourna. "Are your troops ready for the advance?"

Dui raised her sword. "Troops! Remember!," they roared with her "For the People! For the Emperor! And for Xiscapia!" Rallyed and massed, the troops raised their rifles, katanas, combat knives, pistols, or whatever they happened to be holding at the time into the air, screaming with bloodlust. Dui shot a look at Grhreuu. "It is time." she agreed, and turned to Cavourna. "Are your troops ready for the advance?"

"Ready when you are" Cavourna shouted "Troops! Fix...bayonets!"

Every Alversian attached the bayonets to their rifles and roared in one voice
"For honour! For glory! For freedom!"

What little forces were left tried to give their all, but only the Redrobes were remaining as they held their inevitable stand. Their swords flailing amidst enemy fire, they fiercely and bravely tried to keep themselves on the line with the overwhelming power pushing against them. Grhreuu pushed his army forwards, the skeletal beasts smashing up into the blizzard as the sheets of snow still developed and enveloped the entire area. It was a hard place to continue with, but the Saliada persisted. Khayla at the forefront, the masses of blackness forging their own army, as the gates were within sight.

As Grhreuu and Iero entered through, the visage of the hallway a stark and brilliant one, where the sable light danced merrily throughout the long, cavernous tunnel. It was a snaking labyrinth of stone, marble and steel, almost like some fantastic twisting library of exuberance. It was empty - a void, bleak, item devoid space, nothing inside but a series of twisting ways. "Where is the treasure?" Iero asked, looking around. "We need a map."

It was not long before another blast of enemy fire revealed auto-turrets upon the ceilings and doors, the corners lighting up to flaming barrels as they took cover.

Having advanced upon the fortress with minimal losses, Dui's small army made it to the enterence. However, only she and a crack team of Shadow Ops flown down from orbit went inside. No sense in taking the whole army inside. Several troopers were hit by the autoturret fire and had to be dragged away. Their survivng comrades fired EMP blasts and shot explosives at the turrets, dodging and weaving to make it harder for the turrets to target them.

It was quiet - horrifically quiet. It was a dense, thick, noise devoid hallway that they were walking through, and their footsteps only made soft patters on the marble floor. They were still trudging through, feet clattering and their uniforms noisily shuffling, and for the few minutes where there were no enemies, sound was magnified a thousand fold, where even a pin drop would be a banshee's shriek. Grhreuu was unnerved, and Iero followed suit. "It's best to continue, but this labyrinth isn't a good place to be. If we stay in one spot too long, we'll give our position away, but this layout isn't how we were told it was." Grhreuu frowned. "Iero, what's the meaning of this?" He asked.

Iero closed his eyes, his fingers tapping. "I would say that their walls shift command to direct us to where they want us to go. We can't rely on static images to lead us, so it would be best to bring surveyors wherever we go." He turned to the Kitsune and the Alversians. "Do you have surveyors?"

Cavourna shook his head,
"In all honesty no, We didn't forsee this problem and so we haven't really planned for it. But some of our soldiers could improvise if needed"

Dui shook her head as well. "Like the Alversians, we did not anticipate this being a problem, and thus we are not perpared for it." It was her and thirteen troopers. They kept in a box/ring formation around Dui, like an escort. Sometimes they would fan out if they sensed trouble, but mostly they kept in the same formation.