Story - Tempest

Continued from "Under the Trees"

      The 2^nd regiment headed by Captain Griffin had just lost half of their forces, and half of their remaining forces were wounded. Throughout the battlefield, the Listarian forces have taken heavy casualties. Captain Griffin was heading to the 1^st regiment’s position to meet up with Major Ytriub’s forces. They will need to rethink their strategy in order to make up for the losses experienced the day before.

Series Introduction: [ The Corinosian Introduction ]

Star Date: 12.01.05, Location: Pythoria, Listarian Northern Mountain Range

      Captain Griffin and his men were travelling through a valley filled with thick forests. The air was cold, and had that distinct scent of winter. The soldiers expected a harsh journey ahead.

Captain Griffin: “Koller, how do our supplies look?”

1^st Marine Koller: “Sir, it looks like we’re in need of hunting. We didn’t have time to gather enough supplies while we were retreating.”

Captain Griffin: “That’s fine, I’m sure there is something to eat in a forest this thick. Send the word out for the men to get into teams of 5 men each, and search for anything edible.”

1^st Marine Koller: “Yes, sir.”

      The men organized into groups for hunting. Lieutenant David and his squad prepared as well. Captain Griffin and a couple dozen remaining marines set up camp, communications, and makeshift defenses. Griffin looked to the skies, and noticed that dark grey clouds were coming from the west. The wind was picking up, and he felt a drop in the temperature. 

Captain Griffin: “Make sure you have one man designated for communications. If anything happens, let us know, and let us know your location. You have 5 men for a reason, you could run into trouble. It looks like a snow storm is coming in soon, so return quickly. We have 8 groups heading out, and I expect all 8 will return. We are professional soldiers, think with your heads.”

      The soldiers headed out to search for food. Captain Griffin and 1^st Marine Koller waited in the communications tent.

1^st Marine Koller: “Sir, do you think this was a good idea?”

Captain Griffin: “We must eat to keep our strength up, and we can’t hunt in a large group. We have the best chances for finding meat this way, and I trust my men enough to not screw up.”

1^st Marine Koller: “You always seem to know what you’re doing. But we can only hope that they won’t run into trouble.”

Captain Griffin: “I am sure they will run into Imperial patrols or scouts, but I doubt that they will be armed as heavily as the power suits we fought beforehand. So if our men do run into trouble, we can send nearby groups to lend support, and control everything from this tent.”

1^st Marine Koller: “Always thinking.”

      While Griffin and Koller waited, the groups were busy tracking animals to fill their stomachs. Lieutenant David and his squad seemed to be having luck. They had just found some tracks of some large, unknown animal.

Lieutenant David: “Well men, it looks like we’ll be eating great tonight!”

2^nd Marine Halther: “Looks like it. But I’m unfamiliar with these tracks.”

Lieutenant David: “Same, but we have only been stationed here for a few months, and it’s not like we wander through the forests all day long while we’re here.”

2^nd Marine Halther: “True, but most animals on this continent share a lot of traits with where I’m from.”

      Lieutenant David and his squad continued tracking this unknown animal. It began to snow lightly. The temperature dropped again, and the sun was setting quickly. The men knew they had to return to camp quickly. 1^st Marine Koller radioed the squad for an update and to check in.

2^nd Marine Walter: “David, base camp wants an update on our status.”

Lieutenant David: “Thanks, hand me the radio.”

“1^st Marine Koller: “How are things looking where you're at?”

Lieutenant David: “Things are fine, we haven’t run into any trouble, but we are tracking an unknown animal. The tracks are unrecognizable. It’s getting dark, and it seems like the storm is close.”

1^st Marine Koller: “Sounds like the usual report; everyone has the same weather conditions. But more about this animal, what shape are its tracks?”

Lieutenant David: “Well, the main part of the track is just a circle, and it has 3 toes.”

1^st Marine Koller: “Toes? Well, it’s probably not like a deer then. Deer have hoofs.”

Lieutenant David: “I didn't think about that, any idea on what it could be?”

1^st Marine Koller: “Well, you probably have as much knowledge of this region as I do. Stay cautious, and let us know if you run into trouble.”

Lieutenant David: “Naturally.”

      David’s squad continued moving forward. After a couple hundred more yards, they reached the edge of the valley. The tracks were beginning to get covered up by the snow, so the men started moving quicker. Suddenly they heard some shouting nearby, and took position behind a few bushes and trees. In a clearing nearby they spotted Imperial scouts. They looked confused or disorientated. They were searching for something, but David thought to himself: "It can’t be possible that they spotted us, they would be heading in our direction. What’s going on here?"

2^nd Marine Halther: “What do you think we should do?”

Lieutenant David: “Let’s sit and wait. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

      In the distance they heard a faint growl, and some heavy footsteps. It was coming closer and closer, with increasing speed. Suddenly, a monstrosity charged out of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. David and his men got on the ground, and watched as the Imperial scouts got ripped apart by this beast. David noticed the shape of the tracks… They had been tracking this monster for hours. The storm finally reached them, the snow began to fall heavier, and the wind got even stronger, along with a major drop in temperature. David noticed that his men's lips were turning blue and their hands were shaking from the cold. 

2^nd Marine Halther: “We need to contact Captain Griffin.”

Lieutenant David: “It looks like it smells us. Walter, contact Griffin. The rest of you, let’s hunt!”

      David and his men began firing upon the creature. They had an advantage of surprise; the creature did not expect the sudden aggression. However, the frigid temperature was tampering with their accuracy and their fusion rifles did not seem to penetrate its thick skin. All they could do was keep it suppressed.

Lieutenant David: “We need to get out of here, now!”

2^nd Marine Walker: “Griffin says he is sending a couple nearby groups to join us. We have had some successful hunting, and the rest will rendezvous back at base camp.”

2^nd Marine Halther: “This stun grenade should give us a few extra seconds. I can only hope that this thing is not a fast runner.”

Lieutenant David: “Expect the worse, Walter, set up a trap about 10 yards back. The rest of you, keep firing, give him as much time as possible. When the trap is set, we’ll throw the grenade, and set up a remote detonator near that trap. Even if it breaks free, we should gain valuable time to make a quick escape.”

      The storm was in full force at this time, and with the flurries of snow and blizzard-like ferocity, visibility was minimal. Walter finished setting up the trap, and the grenade was thrown. The creature was stunned, and then confused for a few seconds afterwards. The creature picked up the squad’s scent, and headed to pursue. Just as planned, the creature set off the trap, and was snared by a net. It only took a few seconds for him to claw it open, but once he did, Walter set off the bomb. As that happened, the two groups sent to help found him. David’s men turned around, and all three groups opened fire upon the creature. The creature jumped into the air, and began travelling through the trees.

Lieutenant David: “Great, just great. We can't even see it now. We need to head back to base camp.”

      All of the men began to head to camp, but the creature came down and slaughtered a marine before the rest had a chance to fire back. Immediately, the soldiers quickened their pace. They were sprinting, but couldn't see two feet in front of themselves. The snow was coming down heavily, and it was far too thick to see. All they could hear were the loud growls and snarling of this creature when he killed another. Communications were lost, but they were nearing base camp.

Lieutenant David: “Let’s keep moving! Quickly!”

      This time the creature dropped down on top of David. David fell to the ground and attempted to crawl away, but the creature was too swift for him. He began taking blows to his legs. Then he hurt several loud shots off in the distance, and the creature began to retreat. David realized that backup had come. Shortly afterwards, a medic reached him, and he was carried back to base camp. The marksmen equipped with armor piercing rifles continued suppressing the strange creature.

Captain Griffin: “Welcome back to camp, David!”

Lieutenant David: “Thanks. But it doesn't look like we could find anything worth eating.”

Captain Griffin: “Don’t worry about that. We need to fix you up. I hope you can still walk after what had happened. The other groups found plenty of food for tonight. We’ll have enough to save for tomorrow.”

Lieutenant David: “I think I’ll be fine. It’s just a few scratches and bruises. Thanks for saving us back there; I was beginning to think we weren't going to make it back.”

Captain Griffin: “We spared no expense to bring you and your men back alive.”

      The 2^nd regiment rested for the rest of the night. They knew the journey ahead was going to be a long one. Elsewhere, the 1^st regiment had run into more hostiles. While the 2^nd regiment was hunting for survival, the 1^st regiment was under fire by Imperials. Their position proved effective, and they began defending as if they were under siege. They lost communications with HQ. The 3^rd regiment was moving into a new position to cut off an enemy supply line. 

To be continued...