--Archaeus-- To the Ground Below [i]Chapter 6 -[/i] Assault (Part I) \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ "Sir, the VIL Nex war machine is inbound. Approximately eight minutes until arrival," shouted a fellow soldier to General Mavis. After some talking, the Alphas have suggested that it is in our best interest to help steal a Destroyer ship and use it to gain access to the Beta mothership that is orbiting the planet. The Betas would see an Alpha ship coming from miles away, and we don't have advanced enough technology to stealthy make it aboard the mothership. If we can smuggle some nuclear explosives onto that mothership, we've been told there is an engine core towards the center that we can destroy, ending that ship in the process. I guess the best place to steal a Destroyer was from the a Betas' planetary offensive unit deployment sector, all the way over in Europe. Now, I wasn't much for flying alien aircraft, but the leader of this small faction of Alphas, who's asked us to call him Ceteris, claims he knows their systems well. And, well, what other choice do we have? Nukes won't work. They have a large defense grid circling that mothership. Nothing gets passed it without clearance. This was our one shot to help end this war. I aimed to take it. The Alphas offered to give us a lift to Europe in their war machine, VIL Nex. We planned on taking two battalions of troops to Europe to help with retrieving this ship. I can't imagine we'd need any more, with the hundreds of Alphas that will be with us, as well as the VIL Nex and the fighter ships it can produce. All around the airfield, humans and Alpha alike were readying to invade the Betas base, waiting patiently for the war machine to arrive. I took to talking with Ceteris and General Mavis before we departed. "How are those nukes lookin', Sergeant?" "They're prepped and ready to be loaded onto the Destroyer, sir. Just waiting for VIL Nex." "We all are, sonny. I couldn't tell you how many people of the 1st through the 7th Shock Troopers Platoons were practically puking in pure anxiety from this. This will be a rough few days for all of us." Ceteris walks onto the balcony of a hanger that oversees the airstrips, and then soldiers preparing below, joining myself and Mavis. He pulls up his speaking device with his left hand. "Humans, my ship is but two minutes of your Earthly time away from arriving. General, is your men ready for departure?" "They're as ready as they'll ever be, that's for sure." "That is good. Sergeant, I have been notified by your General that you will be taking the 1st Hard Drop to the landing zone, accompanied by my Zealots and your men." Ceteris holds up an odd rectangular and very thin object, which then projects a 3D moveable image of the whole area of the Betas base. A red dot then appears about fifty yards north of the base. "This is where you will be landing. Platoons 2 through 7 will drop in next, diagonally from you advancing towards the base. Echo Company will land in right behind you once you have advanced, and begun your assault on the base." The red dot disappears and another one is shown. This time, it is about fifty yards south of the base. "Charlie and Delta Companies will begin their assault after the bulk of the base forces have shifted north. They are the insertion team. I will be in Charlie Company, along with my own soldiers, who will proceed towards their hanger bay once the permitter is secure on our sides. We will be invading their stockade of armaments, so prepare of an orbital assault of any kind. They're as reckless and careless as they are relentless, and will even destroy their own ships if it means we cannot use them. Be prepared for anything. We will be having air support from your aircraft, as well as my own, so you need not worry much about an aerial raid. But the Betas have been known to drop heavily armored troops into battle from orbit, which is what you should be primarily concerned with. Your job is to keep the brutes busy while we steal the vessel. It will be challenging, but it must be done." Just after myself and the General were briefed on the entire plan, the giant, arachnid-looking war machine slowly descended to the ground outside of the base, and the troops began to move out towards it. Ceteris jumped off of the balcony to join his soldiers, while I traversed the stair case until reaching the bottom. Jackson and Aiden were already waiting for me, along with two more fresh recruits, Jameson and Dixy. "So, what's the word, sir? Are we good to go," asked Jackson. "Yup. Let's get this show on the road, fellas." We began walking with the rest of the troops to the war machine. When we reached it, there was a gravity beam projecting from the machine onto the surface. This is how we get inside of this beast! I was so excited to ride it up to the belly of the Nex. I've only witness this being used in movies before, but to actually experience it for myself. For a moment, while being lifted to the Nex, I actually felt a moment of bliss. Like I was floating through the sky on a day before this entire war started. Before the aliens arrived. But that bliss shortly ended when I was finally brought into the ship, where I immediately saw many troops of both species gathering into their squads. My squad and I headed for the first drop pod once we regrouped. A few more squads arrived a bit later. It looked like these things could hold maybe twenty five people. Soon after, the last of the troops entered the Nex and we were off to Europe. As we sat in the drop pod seats, unbuckled, we could feel the force of the thrusters pushing this giant machine forward as we all leaned back as a result. We all waited in silence for the alarm to go off, signaling us to buckle up and get ready to drop. From what I've been told, this base is located somewhere near Berlin, Germany. We weren't exactly sure though. It seemed like ages waiting for us to get there, when only about a half an hour had actually passed. We were close though. We already reached Europe. It was just a matter of time. Soon enough, that proved to be true. An alarm reined throughout the machine, and we all got weaponized. I put on my helmet and checked my weapons. Everything was in check. I sat back in the very odd alien seat, and buckled myself in. Once everybody buckled in, the clear blast doors shut to close us in, and our pod was picked up by a device that lowered us down to a hole in the war machine, ready to be launch us. We sat there for a few moments as the other pods got into position. It was so quiet within the pod. I was so nervous and filled with anxiety, that I almost blacked out. Everything, though loud and chaotic to almost everyone else, was silent to me. I could only hear the sound of my watch ticking. The individual beats of my heart. It was finally time...We could feel the hook release its grip on our pod, causing it to enter free fall. All we could do is hope... Hope is all we've got...