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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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08.07.904.M38
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POV Dominion Trooper
I looked around and saw nothing but rubble. Massive buildings reduced to ruins, xeno bodies crushed everywhere. The orbital bombardment had completely devastated the area.
"Contacts at three o'clock!" someone shouted over the speakers, and almost at the same time the detonations of grenade launchers began exploding in every direction.
I moved quickly and positioned myself behind them, letting them fire first.
Gunfire and explosions echoed from all sides. More insertion pods slammed into the ground around us, and with each wave the fighting grew more brutal. I watched xenos firing at the Aegis Guard, saw the impacts strike their armor and splash harmlessly against their personal shields. Enemy resistance was fierce.
With my heart pounding in my chest and blood pumping hard, I heard a radio transmission.
"This is cruiser Titan, Pride of Augustograd–class. Descending to low atmosphere to provide combat support."
"A battlecruiser is coming down to support us," I told the others as I took cover behind a crumbling wall of debris.
"Activate the tactical visor," the squad leader shouted. "It'll feed you combat data and enemy movement predictions based on sensor input."
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
A battlecruiser appeared above the city and began bombarding xeno positions without pause.
I raised my hand to my visor and activated the tactical module. A data overlay appeared in my right eye, marking enemy positions in real time.
"Let us know if you see anything," another Aegis shouted while taking cover, waiting for his shields to recharge. "We'll take them out. We can't maintain focus with all that data flow."
"Understood… I see a red circle right where they're firing from," I said, pointing.
Everyone took cover immediately.
"Earthsplitter!" the squad leader yelled.
Moments later, massive explosions began raining down. Dozens of structures already reduced to rubble collapsed completely under the bombardment.
The shelling lasted only a few seconds, leaving behind only the constant chatter of Gauss rifles, the thunder of grenade detonations, and the deep hum of the battlecruiser's laser batteries firing nonstop from low atmosphere.
"Targets in the area have been eliminated," I reported.
"They're dead. Keep moving. We can't stay still. Call out any more bombardments," the leader ordered before sprinting forward at an almost superhuman speed.
I did my best to keep up, but even weighed down with all their gear, they were far faster than I was. The B-2 and the comms pack felt like lead as I struggled not to fall behind. I finally managed to cross what had once been a street and took cover behind a mass of debris.
"Enemies above—by the God-Emperor," I managed to say as a round passed centimeters from tearing my head off.
"Fire!" one of the Aegis shouted.
They returned fire toward the source of the attack, and within seconds the building from which the shots had come collapsed under a barrage of explosions.
"All clear up to the next intersection," I reported.
We advanced to the next street, where we encountered more members of the Royal Guard.
"Be careful. Hostiles in combat suits," warned the pilot of a Bulwark unit advancing toward us, its heavy mechanical legs adjusting with each step.
The top turret rotated one hundred and eighty degrees and launched a missile salvo at something hovering in the air.
"There are also swarms of explosive drones," he continued. "Don't separate from the Fenrir units. Our electronic warfare systems can neutralize them before they become a problem."
Our group quickly joined nearly a hundred members of the Royal Guard preparing for a massive assault aimed at seizing the main intersection leading to the fortress.
"Trooper," said the pilot of a Fenrir unit.
"Yes, sir," I replied, gripping the machine gun.
"Get to high ground and keep us informed on the battlefield."
"Come on," an Aegis shouted, offering his hands for support.
The moment I placed a foot, he hurled me upward with brutal force. I was launched several stories into the air.
"Ugh—" the air rushed out of my lungs as I landed, slamming into the structure three floors above where I'd been. I got up and kept climbing until I reached an elevated position.
When I reached the twelfth floor of the building, I could see the rest of the Royal Guard moving below—coordinated, advancing through the ruins. From there, I focused on observation and reporting, marking enemy positions. The xenos were resisting fiercely.
"Hold your advance. High Command predicts an ambush if you keep pushing. Large xeno forces are massing on the flanks," I warned over the radio.
"Where?" asked whoever had taken command.
"At the intersections. They're hidden in collapsed buildings, waiting for you to pass before attacking," I replied without taking my eyes off the battlefield.
"Understood. We'll split up and take alternate routes," the leader answered.
"Good. I'll reposition to continue support," I said as I secured the radio.
I crossed a half-destroyed skybridge that somehow was still standing. At one point, I had to move along a tension cable that miraculously remained intact, while the battle raged relentlessly around me.
When I reached the other side, I felt a deep vibration through the ground.
I looked up. "Holy Terra…"
A mountain of metal was advancing toward the city, crushing everything in its path.
"From the east… Odin is coming," I reported over the radio.
"The Odin? Looks like they rebuilt it," came the response.
I kept doing my job, staying back, watching as xeno bodies piled up before the combined might of the Royal Guard. Now they were fighting with absolute coordination. Medics advanced behind the line, the Aegis protected the flanks, and the heavy walkers began to carve a path forward, flattening everything.
The only real danger was the Earthsplitters, which continued firing wherever xeno forces gathered in large numbers.
I was starting to descend from the building I was in, as the advance was accelerating, when the tactical visor caught my attention. I stopped dead. I looked through a side window and saw a large number of xenos emerging from the sewers, armed with rifles and accompanied by what looked like swarms of drones.
"From the rear!" I shouted over the radio as I braced the B-2 against a wall to stabilize it.
"For the God-Emperor!" I managed to yell as I pulled the trigger.
I had to fight the weapon's unexpected recoil. It was nothing like a ferromag. Still, I managed to keep it relatively steady and guide the burst carefully. The needles tore through the xenos as they emerged from the sewer, dropping them almost instantly. Several explosions marked the moment the drones were hit.
I didn't stop firing until the weapon gave the dry click of an empty feed.
"We're on our way. Where are you?" someone asked over the radio.
"At the previous intersection. A group of xenos came out of the sewers. They're dead," I replied, breathing hard.
"I'll notify the rest of command," came the response.
There was a brief silence.
"Wait… dead? The corpse killed xenos?" someone said over the channel.
"Wasn't there a two-thousand-five-hundred credit bet that he wouldn't last five minutes?" another voice asked, barely holding back laughter.
"No one took the bet, so don't come collecting now," someone snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Clear the channel. We're in a combat zone," an authoritative voice ordered. "Trooper, make sure no more hostiles emerge from the rear until we notify the cruiser Titan. We're likely to see more incidents like this until the sensors are recalibrated."
"Yes, sir…" I replied, hesitating for a second. "Uh… there's just one problem. I don't know how to reload the weapon."
The channel exploded with laughter. "What do you mean he doesn't know?" "Ha, ha, ha…"
"I was never trained on this weapon. They just handed it to me," I said nervously, looking down at the B-2.
"Remove the ammo box, open the chamber, feed in the needle belt, close it, and rack it. That should do it," someone answered with a tired sigh.
I pulled the ammo box free and did exactly what they told me. In a few seconds, the B-2 was operational again.
"Ready, sir. Rear covered," I reported as I kept watch on the sewer exits where more xenos might emerge.
I stayed alert, watching for any movement, until another transmission came in from the cruiser Titan.
"Sensors recalibrated. Multiple contacts detected in the sewer systems," they reported from orbit.
Markers began appearing on my visor. I could see exactly where the xenos were hiding. Apparently, other groups were also in position, waiting for them to surface. They didn't take long to pull back once they realized the element of surprise was gone. The sensors tracked them constantly.
I finally descended from my elevated position and rejoined the main force, which was still advancing and had begun breaching the doors protecting the fortress. A massive contingent of the Royal Guard had gathered at the entrance, waiting for additional reinforcements before pushing inside.
The Royal Guard dropped several transport crates and began resupplying—grenades, ammunition, fresh magazines. Medics checked vital signs at breakneck speed before the final assault.
When the explosive charges were set, the door gave way in a thunderous blast. Bullets, grenades, and explosives flew in both directions. I stayed covered within the mass of the Royal Guard, focusing solely on providing suppressive fire. The B-2 proved devastating against the xenos.
It didn't take long to break their defensive line. The Aegis Guard charged forward and crushed the improvised barricades the xenos had thrown together.
We advanced through piles of bodies, staying close behind a Fenrir unit that constantly halted to disable automated defenses. In some sectors they neutralized them; in others, we heard xenos screaming as their own weapons turned against them.
Resistance weakened with every meter gained.
We were about to enter an area where a large concentration of xenos had gathered. We split up quickly, sealing off all known exits. I was assigned to guard one of the doors alongside a group of Royal Guards while we waited for the vanguard to initiate the assault.
We heard explosions and bursts of gunfire. Shortly after, the order to advance came through. A marine stepped forward, placed explosive charges on the door, and we all backed away a few steps. The detonation shook the structure, and we surged inside.
The planet's command center had become a battlefield. Without hesitation, I brought the B-2 to bear, focusing fire on the densest clusters of xenos. In the chaos, an enemy shot slammed into my shoulder. I hit the ground, feeling like it had almost been torn off. Blood started pouring out immediately.
One of the marines grabbed me by my uninjured arm and hurled me behind cover. I landed on my side, putting weight on the wounded shoulder, just as one of the medics ran up.
In seconds, she stopped the bleeding and injected something with a syringe. The pain vanished instantly.
"What the hell…?" I muttered as I moved my hand.
"Move. Grab your weapon and get back in the fight," the medic said without even looking at me.
I did exactly that.
I picked the B-2 up off the floor and kept firing until resistance collapsed completely. Within minutes, there was no one left capable of fighting back.
As we pushed deeper into the fortress, we found those who had been hiding. A group of xenos was huddled and trembling inside a fortified room.
"These things really are ugly…" a marine commented as he looked at them.
It was the first time I'd seen them without armor. And he was right. They were hideous.
I sensed a presence beside me and raised my weapon on reflex, only to have it knocked down sharply.
"Watch where you point that, trooper. But good reflexes," the figure said. "Those three right there are the ones we're after."
The Royal Guard dragged them out by force.
As we searched the remaining prisoners, one of the xenos dropped to his knees in front of a marine and began speaking desperately. No one understood a word. A sudden movement—reaching for something inside his clothing—sealed his fate. A shot to the head, and he dropped dead.
"Don't worry about these filthy xenos, trooper. You'll learn they'd do the same to us if they had the chance. That's how xenos are… treacherous fucking animals. Protoss, zerg, doesn't matter. All the same," the marine said, kicking the body.
After that, we secured the remaining xenos and returned to the ship. Our job was done, and apparently new orders were already waiting.
It seemed I'd done well.
Because they invited me to go grab some cold drinks after the battle.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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