The frontline of Vetra-9 had become a cauldron of chaos once again. Hivebug swarms poured from burrows like rivers of chitin and mandibles, their shrieks echoing across the scarred plains. For thirty years, humanity had endured this nightmare, but today something new would be tested against the tide.
For the first time, entire squads had been armed with Sirius Blake's latest invention—the Micro Mag with Auto-Eject system, integrated into retrofitted rifles and carbines. Soldiers gripped their weapons nervously, unaware that this test would decide whether Sirius' creation was humanity's next great weapon—or another failed experiment to be buried with the dead.
---
Lieutenant Carver's squad hunkered down behind a jagged ridge of scorched stone, weapons trained on the hive cluster a hundred meters ahead. Dust and smoke curled in the morning wind, carrying the faint stench of burned resin from the Hivebugs' tunnels.
"Eyes up," Carver barked. "We push forward in thirty. Watch your ammo—these bugs don't break easy."
The squad tensed. In previous battles, reloads had been their greatest weakness. Fumbling with clips in the middle of a charge had cost lives too many times to count. Today, though, their rifles felt different—lighter, sleeker. The magazines snapped into place with a soft click, almost too easy.
Private Moreno's palms were slick with sweat. He had only two combat drops under his belt. He muttered under his breath, "Just don't jam… just don't jam."
The ground trembled. Hivebugs burst from the earth, armored carapaces gleaming in the pale light. The swarm surged forward with terrifying speed.
"Open fire!" Carver shouted.
The air filled with thunder. Rifles barked in unison, streams of slugs tearing into the swarm. Hivebugs shrieked as their front line shattered, bodies tumbling in heaps. For a moment, the squad felt unstoppable.
Then—click.
Moreno's rifle snapped empty. He panicked, fumbling for a fresh magazine—only to hear a sharp metallic clatter as the empty Micro Mag spat itself from the chamber automatically, hitting the ground. His eyes widened.
"What the—"
"Reload, rookie!" Carver barked. "That's how it's supposed to work!"
Moreno slammed a fresh Micro Mag into place. The rifle cycled instantly. He squeezed the trigger and fired again, the stream of bullets unbroken. His fear melted into awe.
"…holy shit," he muttered.
Around him, the squad fought with a rhythm none of them had known before. No more fumbling, no wasted seconds. Empty mags spat out onto the dirt, replaced with fresh ones in smooth, practiced motions. The fire never stopped.
---
Far from the chaos of the battlefield, Sirius Blake sat in the FAWS command room, hunched over his console. Monitors surrounded him, each one linked to live feeds from frontline squads. His eyes flicked between them, ARI's holographic interface overlaying the numbers directly into his vision.
"Reload speed improvement: thirty-seven percent compared to baseline," ARI reported in her calm, crystalline voice. "Continuous fire sustainability increased. Casualty probability decreased by forty-two percent."
Sirius grinned faintly. "Not bad for a day's tinkering, huh?"
He leaned closer, watching one squad pinned in a canyon. Their rifles clicked empty almost in unison, but every mag popped out instantly. Soldiers slammed in fresh Micro Mags without hesitation. The line of fire never faltered. Hivebugs that would normally have broken through were cut down in seconds.
Sirius tapped his console, making micro-calibrations. "Shift Carver's squad reload timing by point-two seconds. Keep their rhythm staggered—no gaps in fire."
"Adjustment complete," ARI replied.
On the feed, the squad's firing lines shifted seamlessly, alternating reloads so at least half the rifles always spat fire. The Hivebugs never found a gap to push through.
---
Meanwhile, the medbay overflowed with casualties from other sectors—places still fighting with unmodified weapons. Whisper Kade, sleeves rolled up and gloves soaked with blood, moved from cot to cot. Her eyes were heavy with fatigue, hands trembling as she pressed gauze into a soldier's torn side.
"Stay with me," she whispered fiercely.
Around her, medics muttered grimly about the rising tide of wounded. But between cries of pain, she overheard something new. Soldiers on stretchers whispered in disbelief.
"Those squads with the new rifles—they didn't lose anyone."
"Auto-spit mags. Just kept firing… like the guns had a mind of their own."
Whisper froze for a moment, recognition flickering in her tired eyes. "…Sirius," she murmured under her breath.
She forced herself back to work, but her heart was steadier. If Sirius' inventions were saving lives, maybe the medbay wouldn't always be this full.
---
In the upper levels of HQ, Colonel Maren stood with other officers, reviewing the battle reports. Holographic displays showed casualty rates dropping wherever the retrofitted rifles had been deployed.
"Impressive," Maren admitted, arms crossed. "Squads are surviving engagements that should have wiped them out."
"Impressive, yes," said a logistics officer, frowning, "but costly. Ammo consumption has nearly doubled. Soldiers are firing more because they can. Resupply will strain our lines."
Another officer shook his head. "Strained supply is better than empty graves."
The room murmured in agreement. Still, the logistics officer's words lingered. Sirius' invention solved one problem but created another—an unavoidable truth in war.
---
On the monitors, Hivebugs shifted tactics. Instead of rushing blindly, they began attacking in layered waves. The first swarm soaked up fire, forcing soldiers to burn through mags. The second wave struck immediately after, exploiting the moment soldiers reached for fresh mags.
For a terrifying second, Carver's squad faltered.
Sirius' hands flew over the console. "ARI, predict burrow exits. Sync reload cycles across squads. No two soldiers reload at the same time."
"Confirmed," ARI replied.
The adjustments rippled across the system. Squads fell into a new rhythm, reloads staggered like clockwork. The Hivebugs slammed into walls of uninterrupted gunfire. Their second wave collapsed before it reached human lines.
Sirius exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not today."
---
On the ridge, Carver barked orders over the roar of battle.
"Keep firing! These bastards don't get through!"
Moreno reloaded again, his hands moving faster with each cycle. He laughed breathlessly, adrenaline pumping.
"This is insane! I've never—never fired like this before!"
A veteran next to him grinned grimly. "Finally, someone gave us a weapon worth a damn. Whoever built this—tell him he saved our asses."
They fired until the Hivebugs broke and scattered, leaving the ground littered with chitin and ichor.
---
Back in the command room, Colonel Maren watched the feeds with sharp eyes. "Blake," she said finally, her voice quieter than usual, "whatever your team did to those rifles, it's working beyond expectations. When higher command finds out, recognition will come."
Sirius shrugged, hiding his grin. "I just optimize what I can. The soldiers did the rest."
But inside, he felt a spark of pride. They survived because of this. Because of me.
ARI's voice chimed softly. "Mission data logged. Auto-Eject Micro Mag stress test: success. Recommended improvements: supply efficiency and staggered reload logistics."
Sirius leaned back in his chair, eyes still on the monitors. Soldiers laughed, clapped each other's shoulders, and lived to fight another day.