"Why do those scumbags have power armor?!"
Five thousand regular PDF troops couldn't even hold out for half a Terran day. It was a joke—it would take several days just to slaughter five thousand Grots.
High Marshal Colton of the PDF roared at Lutheca, his voice cracking with rage. "Are the Enforcers in your Arbites all Ogryns? How did you fail to notice this?!"
"Regrettably, we indeed did not realize these fellows possessed power armor," Lutheca replied calmly, wiping the spittle from his face. "I suggest we find a way to deal with them now, rather than indulging in this impotent fury."
Bang! Colton slammed his fist onto the table. "Activate the auto-turrets! Blast those bugs to hell!"
Atop the high walls, the barrels of the automated turrets swiveled downward, locking onto the kill zone. Once the enemy appeared, a torrent of fire capable of obliterating heavy vehicles would be unleashed.
However, after a long wait, the rebels had yet to launch their assault. The PDF soldiers couldn't fathom what they were waiting for.
In the silent, tense atmosphere, the first rotation of guards began. The soldiers who had been standing nervously on the walls finally had a chance to head to the rear for temporary rest.
A squad walked toward their temporary barracks, one soldier complaining loudly. "Those damn scavengers... they've ruined my leave."
"Exactly. Why can't those Underhive wastes just stay down there and wait to die?"
As they grumbled, the squad leader heard a noise and stopped in his tracks. "Did you hear that?" He raised his autogun, cautiously approaching the shadows of a nearby building.
Roar! A sudden screech erupted. In an instant, countless Zerglings surged from the darkness, pouncing on the squad.
"Dammit! Where did these xenos come from?!"
"Hell! We need support! The rear is being—"
The supposedly safe rear encampment instantly exploded with gunfire as waves of Zerg tore into the unprepared PDF army.
Colton listened in shock to the screams echoing over the comms channel. "How is there an enemy in the rear?!"
His cybernetic eye twitched uncontrollably. He immediately ordered a large number of heavy armored vehicles to provide support.
Tank engines roared to life as they entered the battlefield at the rear. Fierce cannon fire cleared half the battlefield of the swarm in an instant. The remaining Zerglings scattered immediately. Under the command of officers on site, the tanks and remaining PDF split into squads to hunt down the stragglers.
In the shadows, Zagara monitored the battlefield through the psionic network. Everything was going according to plan: the foolish humans were splitting their forces.
And they were about to face an attack capable of destroying everything.
The treads of a Baneblade heavy tank crushed Zerg corpses, causing green ichor to splatter everywhere. It moved with an infantry squad toward the direction where a group of Zerg had retreated.
However, the moment they stepped into the darkness, the attack arrived.
Several calcified bone spikes erupted from the ground. Before they could react, the PDF squad was torn in half. The Baneblade unleashed its fire in fury, but it had no idea where the attack originated.
In the next heartbeat, more attacks burst through the earth. Unlike the spikes meant for light units, these were powerful enough to tear through a tank's chassis. Boom! Following a violent explosion, the Baneblade was reduced to scrap metal amidst thick smoke.
The other pursuit squads met similar fates. Some were skewered by bone spikes from below, while others had their tank armor corroded and pierced by acid-coated spikes launched from the shadows.
The humans poured out their ammunition and shells, but the swarm in the shadows seemed infinite. Their heavy vehicles were being picked off one by one.
"We need support!" "Help! They're everywhere—" "Argh!!!"
Colton gripped his hands tight as he heard the wailing over the radio. He couldn't understand where these xenos had come from, or why the heavy armor he sent failed to stabilize the situation.
As he brooded, an officer burst into the room in a panic. "Sir! The enemy is attacking!"
Colton stood up immediately. "Hit them! Hit them with everything we've got!"
However, the expected roar of the auto-turrets never came. Only the chattering of infantry machine-gun nests could be heard.
"Sir! We've lost control of the auto-turrets!"
"Why are the alloy gates opening?!"
"There's a traitor! Watch out—"
Colton was plunged into shock once again. He remembered that all critical control points were guarded by the Arbites' heavy Enforcers. How could they have fallen?
Suddenly, he realized something. He spun around, only to find himself staring down the black barrel of a gun.
In that moment, he understood why the Arbites hadn't reported the situation in the Underhive, and why the initial riots weren't suppressed. Colton couldn't understand why a loyal Astra Militarum commander, who had fought for the Imperium for decades, would turn traitor.
He gritted his teeth, his voice a low growl. "Lutheca... you traitor. Why have you betrayed us?"
"No, it is you who have betrayed the Imperium," Lutheca said coldly. "The nobles of the Hordem family have betrayed the Emperor's glory; they have fallen into the embrace of heresy."
Colton sneered. How could he believe such nonsense?
"Surrender, Colton," Lutheca urged. "Do not make unnecessary sacrifices. We have a common enemy."
Outside the room, gunfire and screams continued to echo. They were in a watchtower room atop the high wall.
"Your defeat is certain. Join me in purging the traitorous Hordem family," Lutheca urged again. The man before him was an experienced commander; this failure wasn't due to incompetence, but because his opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations.
"Heh, you mean join you alongside those cursed xenos?" Colton replied with a cold laugh.
"Those are the Emperor's tools—tools to eliminate those who betray Him," Lutheca said flatly.
"Stop making excuses! You are the one who betrayed the Imperium!" Colton roared.
Clang! An 8mm spike struck the wall outside the room with a thunderous impact.
As if it were a signal, Colton lunged at the man. Lutheca snorted and tossed aside his firearm. Decades of combat in the Astra Militarum had honed his close-quarters combat skills to perfection. He didn't need a gun to take down this old man.
The two instantly grappled, but the outcome was decided in short order. Colton lay powerless on the ground, gasping for air, while Lutheca stood calmly, flexing his fist.
A rush of footsteps came from outside the room as a squad of heavy Enforcers entered. Before Colton could give an order, the Enforcers gave Lutheca the Aquila salute.
"Watch him. Don't let him move. The war will be over soon," Lutheca commanded.
In his view, these undertrained PDF troops stood no chance against the well-equipped Sons of the Tide gang. He walked out of the room, artillery and bullets whistling past him. He looked up into the darkness.
"Next, it's time for those damn traitors."