IPSS
20-03-2009, 13:49
OOC: This is a series of short stories I’m writing to help flesh out past events in my nation. Any comments and criticisms are welcome.
Diryak crawled forward, ignoring the stench of the thousand or so dead bodies that littered the battlefield. Ahead of him, an Assin vehicle lay abandoned; it would at least provide some shelter during the bitterly cold night. Two hours previously they had landed here, on the outskirts of the planet second largest city. Expecting only light resistance, they advanced, only to be engaged by every able bodied man woman and child within the city limits. Air support was non existent; every aerospace fighter was desperately needed to fight for orbital supremacy.
Arriving at the vehicle, he propped himself against it, and, without a shred of guilt, remorse, pity or disgust tore a dead mans uniform off and pulled over himself to serve as a blanket. Then, fitfully, he fell asleep. Around him, the world was dark, only the odd burst of tracer fire from another battle illuminating the sky. This was the planet of the enemy, the home planet of the Holy Assin Empire.
Morning, well, as close to morning as one could get here, especially with the way the weather was after the initial bombardments which had thrown massive clouds of dust into the atmosphere. Diryak stirred, he hadn’t slept well, but at least he had gotten some rest, probably the last he’d have for a long time.
Picking up his rifle, he cautiously stood up; there was a series of cracks, the distinctive sound of an Assin pulse rifle. Instantly he slammed himself into the ground, the impact so great that he actually winded himself. But that didn’t matter, what mattered was where the shots had come from. A second later the question was answered when a second volley was fired. The red flash came from somewhere to his left, probably from the ruined house that he’d observed last night. It was incredible that the enemy was as accurate as he was considering the distance, a good five to six hundred meters by Diryak’s estimates.
There was no option, if he stayed the enemy would eventually zero him in, and if he tried to run he only had one direction to go, and that was not an option he could even contemplate, not after the previous nights carnage. All he could do was kill the enemy.
Rolling himself right, he took cover behind some poor soldiers who had been gunned down whilst trying to help a fallen comrade. Taking stock, he realised that further up there was an old drainage ditch, one that he could use to approach the house under cover. In an instant, he went from being prone, to upright and sprinting full speed towards his only life line, adrenaline pushing his body to the limit. Behind him, enemy fire tore apart the dead bodies that littered the ground, each blast missing, but steadily closing the gap.
It was now a race, a race to see who could survive. Diryak knew that it would be him, after all, he was the sole survivor of Feron Company, he’d survived the worst nightmares a man could ever see, and there was little doubt in his mind that he could survive. That was why he was so shocked when the enemy tore his torso apart. As he fell, he only had one thought his mind; what day was it today?
Nothing moved on the former battlefield, not a soul stirred. The automated turret stood down from combat stations and waited for its next target.
Diryak crawled forward, ignoring the stench of the thousand or so dead bodies that littered the battlefield. Ahead of him, an Assin vehicle lay abandoned; it would at least provide some shelter during the bitterly cold night. Two hours previously they had landed here, on the outskirts of the planet second largest city. Expecting only light resistance, they advanced, only to be engaged by every able bodied man woman and child within the city limits. Air support was non existent; every aerospace fighter was desperately needed to fight for orbital supremacy.
Arriving at the vehicle, he propped himself against it, and, without a shred of guilt, remorse, pity or disgust tore a dead mans uniform off and pulled over himself to serve as a blanket. Then, fitfully, he fell asleep. Around him, the world was dark, only the odd burst of tracer fire from another battle illuminating the sky. This was the planet of the enemy, the home planet of the Holy Assin Empire.
Morning, well, as close to morning as one could get here, especially with the way the weather was after the initial bombardments which had thrown massive clouds of dust into the atmosphere. Diryak stirred, he hadn’t slept well, but at least he had gotten some rest, probably the last he’d have for a long time.
Picking up his rifle, he cautiously stood up; there was a series of cracks, the distinctive sound of an Assin pulse rifle. Instantly he slammed himself into the ground, the impact so great that he actually winded himself. But that didn’t matter, what mattered was where the shots had come from. A second later the question was answered when a second volley was fired. The red flash came from somewhere to his left, probably from the ruined house that he’d observed last night. It was incredible that the enemy was as accurate as he was considering the distance, a good five to six hundred meters by Diryak’s estimates.
There was no option, if he stayed the enemy would eventually zero him in, and if he tried to run he only had one direction to go, and that was not an option he could even contemplate, not after the previous nights carnage. All he could do was kill the enemy.
Rolling himself right, he took cover behind some poor soldiers who had been gunned down whilst trying to help a fallen comrade. Taking stock, he realised that further up there was an old drainage ditch, one that he could use to approach the house under cover. In an instant, he went from being prone, to upright and sprinting full speed towards his only life line, adrenaline pushing his body to the limit. Behind him, enemy fire tore apart the dead bodies that littered the ground, each blast missing, but steadily closing the gap.
It was now a race, a race to see who could survive. Diryak knew that it would be him, after all, he was the sole survivor of Feron Company, he’d survived the worst nightmares a man could ever see, and there was little doubt in his mind that he could survive. That was why he was so shocked when the enemy tore his torso apart. As he fell, he only had one thought his mind; what day was it today?
Nothing moved on the former battlefield, not a soul stirred. The automated turret stood down from combat stations and waited for its next target.