Chapter 40: Surprise Assault

When humanity reached the stars, the creation of the UEC intergalactic Navy became inevitable. The result was the UEC Space Fleet, an armada of over 50 capital starships and thousands upon thousands of starfighters.

Among the 50 capital ships, there were giant Supreme-Class Carriers capable of unleashing fleets of starfighters and storms of Gauss rounds, medium-sized Judicator Class Cruisers designed to provide heavy firepower, and relatively small Victory-Class Destroyers designed to protect the Carriers and Cruisers against enemy fighters and projectiles.

Unfortunately, the UEC Space Fleet didn't save the United Earth Confederation. Not many people knew what really happened, but it was likely a wave of Mutations inside the ship hulls that sent the entire UEC Space Fleet to its destruction.

Most of the starships were completely destroyed when the fleet fell, but one of the Victory-Class Destroyers was a bit more fortunate. The Marines on board the ship handled the Mutants, but the battle damaged the engines beyond repair. The Mutations and the resulting crash killed most of the 10,000 UEC personnel on the ship.

Even then, there were still over a thousand survivors. A number of them left the cruiser to aid the UEC forces on the ground. They never returned.

The rest, roughly 400 of them, stayed by the ship's wreckage under the command of Marine Colonel Hendrick. The ship held enough rations and weapons for them to last a long time, and they were able to produce some basic bunkers to defend any incoming attackers, Mutant or not.

At first, things were going on fine. The UEC Marines even took some survivors into their fold and offered them protection.

But as time passed and the corpse of the UEC grew colder and colder, the effect of lawlessness started to show. Yes. These were UEC soldiers sworn to protect the people, but their nation was gone. Most of their friends and families and the civilization they grew up in were wiped off the surface of the planet. At that point, despair grew, and many decided to just abandon whatever creed they had and live in the moment.

Finally, everything snapped. Colonel Hendrick led many of his fellow Marines on a bloody rampage against the survivors they took in. If they offered the survivors protection, the survivors should give something in return, right? When the survivors resisted, the Marines slaughtered all the men and boys and kept the women and girls captive for their pleasures.

Even the bodies of the dead weren't laid to rest. When the valve to violence was opened, no one could close it. A few Marines, either mad before or driven mad by the collapse of everything, decided that rather than letting the meat go to waste, it was better to feast on it. They weren't satisfied with doing that themselves, but they also took pleasure in watching the girls unsuspectingly devour the meat of their husbands, brothers, and sons.

The entire thing was just a train wreck.

A few Marines stayed true to their cause, but those that spoke up were immediately silenced in the most brutal way possible. With chaos all around, the voices of justice terminated, and despair and temptations encroaching, no one could keep their minds calm and their hands clean.

After a year, there were only 200 or so Marines left. The number of girls quickly reduced to 30 due to all kinds of horrifying and grotesque reasons.

But as the cause of all the atrocities, Colonel Hendrick wasn't punished even one bit. Instead, as an insult to Karma, the man was living more comfortably than anyone that stood up against him ever did. He occupied the nicest, safest room among the wreckages, with all the girls and all the food in the settlement available to him.

For example, right now, there were two girls serving him.

Hendrick ran his hand down the shirt of one of the girls and grinned when he felt the familiar softness. Some said constantly experiencing pleasure would make that pleasure die down. To that, Hendrick snickered. Those that said that must have never experienced the pleasure of utter freedom and complete chaos.

Speaking of girls...he turned around to the door.

"Has Buck returned yet?"

There was a man waiting outside the door. Hendrick didn't enjoy being watched by other men during sex, but he also didn't enjoy having to wait. As a result, his lieutenants had to wait outside. Hearing Hendrick's question, one of them immediately responded.

"No, Colonel."

"Shame." Hendrick complained, not because of the men, but rather because… "I really like the girls, especially the older one. What was her name again? Katy? Katherine? That strong, rebellious look in her eyes, hmmm…"

The Lieutenant was silent. Just because Colonel Hendrick mused on things like this by himself didn't mean others could join the party. Finally, the Colonel snapped back to the mortal realm.

"It is a bit weird, don't you think?" He asked thoughtfully. "Buck is one of the best scouts in the camp. It's not like he got lost or something." Deep in thoughts, he subconsciously squeezed his fingers, and a pained look appeared on the girl in his lap, not that Hendrick cared.

"Double the sentries! In a world like this, you can never be too safe."

With the order given and not even waiting for a response, Colonel Hendrick turned around and leaped onto the girl like he did countless times before.

Outside, the lieutenant frowned before passing down the orders.

---

The settlement was established around a part of the Destroyer's wreckage. Most of the Marines took shelter inside the remains of the starship, but they also had a staging ground in the open at the entrance of the wreckage. This was the only way they could get in or out of their shelter. This position was fortified by sandbags and gun turrets, and for the right reason. If someone managed to seal off this position with firepower, they could keep the Marine trapped in for as long as they wished.

The Marines were rotated for the position of sentries. Normally, there were only a dozen of them. Thanks to Hendrick's hunch, that number was doubled, and god were the sentries unhappy about it!

"I should be on my bed right now jerking off! Instead, I'm standing here in the middle of the night like a fool!" One of the Marines complained. His Defender-I Gauss Rifle casually laying on a sandbag beside his leg. "Why the fuck are we even here? Who's gonna attack us?"

"Mutated Animals?"

"Shut your face!" The Marine snapped. "How many times have we been attacked by Mutated Animals? Huh? How many times were those attacks during the night? We have hunted down every Mutant in the proximity that might be a threat! This is just plain stupid! If there are Mutants approaching we will hear them from a mile away!"

"If you have such strong feelings, you should bring it up to the Colonel." Another Marine commented.

That was more than enough to shut down the voices of dissent.

In an age where order collapsed, the command structure was dead in the water as well. No one would follow the orders of someone just because of their ranks. Colonel Hendrick didn't control the Marines because he was a Colonel. No. He did so because he was the meanest guy in town. The way he handled the dissenters made even the most ruthless Marine sick.

Only cruelty could rule cruelty.

Nonetheless, the first Marine was quite a talkative fellow. Within a few minutes of silence, he raised his voice again.

"I mean...we have, what? Four sentries in the woods? If something does go wrong, they'll be the first to sound the alarm. So what's keeping us from, you know, taking a quick nap or something?"

The other Marines ignored his words.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Charlotte pulled her blood-stained Army Knife out of the neck of one of the said Marine sentries.

You know...the tactical knowledge of these Marines was impeccable. There were dozens of sentries out in the open with shiny flashlights and big guns, but any respectable attacker could take them by surprise. What really put in the weight were the sentries in the shadows. These scouts were designed to hide in holes or behind trees or bushes. When unsuspecting attackers were focused on hiding from the sentries in the open, the hidden sentries would unleash their firepower, slowing down the aggression and notifying the settlement of the attack.

Good plan. Terrible execution. All of that was nullified when the hidden sentries literally fell asleep in their posts. Yep. All four of them.

It wasn't their fault! They have been out here for a year and no one has really threatened the camp during the night! No human faction would attack them, and no Mutated Animal could really take them by surprise. To these hidden sentries, their observer spots were just another place for them to take a nap.

The Phasewalkers didn't realize their presence either, at first. That was until one of the Security Troopers accidentally fell into a spotting hole. Seeing the asleep sentry, the Security Trooper acted before thinking and slit the man's throat. After that, it was just a matter of turning on heat vision goggles and carefully scanning the surroundings.

Soon, all four sentries were silenced by the kill team headed by Charlotte.

Caity quietly knelt down behind a tree a short distance away from the brief fortifications. There were 50 units on her side. Five Security Troopers and five York Troopers were left securing the convoy, but that still left over 45 Security Troopers and 10 York Troopers. They were at a disadvantage compared to the 200 former UEC Marines. Thankfully, Caity had the help of the big gun.

She turned and nodded at Aryan.

Aryan slowly took a step forward before closing his eyes.

At the fortifications, the chatty Marine suddenly wrapped his arms around his body. "Anyone else feeling a bit chilly?"

"You're a grown man, for god's sake! Are you really complaining about the cold?" Another Marine snickered.

"Well, not really…" The first Marine held his ground. "but you have to admit, it's oddly cold out here." Still complaining, he looked around. Nothing. But the feeling that something was terribly wrong still lingered in his heart.

Suddenly, a sound covered the field. It was the sound of something piercing the wind.

Beside him, the other Marine that was bickering with him was on the ground already. A white ice spike was half-buried into the man's black helmet and subsequently, his brain.

Across the field, dozens of bodies hit the ground at once. All of them with a similar cause of death.

"What…" The first Marine had no idea what in the world just happened. All he knew was he needed to run. Now. At once. Move your legs and get back into the wreckages where there were hundreds of comrades! But no matter how hard he tried, his legs refused to move. In fact, none of his body moved. The only thing he could feel was white frost extending itself across his body. Starting with his head.

"Oh…"

The Marine whispered before finally collapsing.

A similar ice dagger was in his brain.

He was dead already. He just didn't know it.

"That's impressive." Caity commented quietly. The Camp York Mutant literally created a field of ice spikes above the Marines and sent them flying down with all the might gravity had to offer. Didn't look so dangerous, but judging by how they pierced the black helmets like they were paper, Caity suspected the spikes held even more punch than her Defender-C Gauss handgun.

As she spoke, the Security Troopers behind her quickly proceeded according to the plan. They dashed out from behind their covers and got to where the sandbags were. Commissar Charlotte glanced at one of the dead Marines on the ground. His body was already covered with frost. The woman grinned before setting her Defender-C on a sandbag and raising her Deflector Shield to cover her upper body, leaving a small gap for her handgun.

Across the field, the Security Troopers did a similar thing. Shields up. Guns out.

As of the moment, no one was in sight, but that would change very soon. Four Phasewalkers moved to set up two mortars. Within just moments, two projectiles flew out of the mortars and flew straight into the wreckages.

That part of the wreckage was instantly covered in a dense cloud. Tear gas rounds. Projectiles capable of causing significant irritation to the eyes, designed for crowd control.

The Destroyer was big, but the part that was salvageable was a tiny portion, especially when talking about fitting two hundred or so people. While Colonel Hendrick was luxurious enough to occupy a giant room all for himself, most of the Marines had to settle with tightly crowded rooms closer to the entrance. When the tear gas crept in, no matter what they were doing, the Marines went straight out the door, gasping for clean air.

They were pushed right into the firing lines of the Security Troopers.

"Open fire! Leave no survivors!"

Charlotte ordered. Immediately, all the troops, Security Troopers and York Troopers alike, started shooting. Defender-I. Defender-II. Defender-III. Even Defender-C. The clicking gunshots of the Gauss Rifles were followed by agonizing screams from the Marines and then by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

The Phasewalkers acted without hesitation. Throughout their time here, they have learned one thing. Hesitate on the battlefield, and you or your brothers and sisters in the arm would pay the price. Mercy to your enemies was cruelty to your friends.

If the Phasewalkers wasted some time taking down the sentries in front and these Marines got to reinforce the defensive position, then the Phasewalkers would be in deep trouble. But now, Aryan slaughtered all the sentries in moments, and the Phasewalkers were the ones taking advantage of the sandbags and defensive position.

Which meant this was no longer a battle. This was a massacre.

Dozens of brutally graphic deaths later, some of the Marines managed to suppress their urges to escape, but those behind them didn't. Those behind the Marines accidentally shoved the Marines in front out into the open, where they were then gunned down one by one.

By the time the Marines stopped moving, over 50 Marines laid dead in the field. Blood and gore covered the entrance.

Overall, over one-fourth of these former Marines were slaughtered in these brief minutes. Caity didn't lose a single man.

"Masks on! Move!" Charlotte waved her hand. Behind her, the Security Troopers reached into their side and pulled out gas masks. They raised the black face shields to put on the masks. The Phasewalkers were the ones that used the tear gas. It would be foolish of them to not prepare for it.

When that was done, the Security Troopers jumped out of their cover and moved toward the breach. Two Marines, sensing the movement, tried to resist. But before they, with their reddened eyes, could even see the Security Troopers, several Gauss bullets found a new home in their chest.

Two Security Troopers reached into their tactical belts and pulled out two shrapnel grenades. Pull the pin. Throw. Bang! Bang! Before the explosions even settled, the Security Troopers were already charging into the breach with their Defender rifles blasting.

The Marines who were forced to the opening by the tear gas immediately found themselves screwed. Those who survived the grenades didn't survive the rifles of the Phasewalkers. Completely caught by surprise and having lost the upper hand already, dozens more Marines fell without any real resistance.

As Charlotte went in, one of the Security Troopers walked up to her.

"Sir, these walls seem to be obstructing our thermal vision goggles."

"Shame." Charlotte was a bit disappointed. Thermal vision goggles were a deadly tool in close-quarter combat. It allowed the Phasewalkers to see the Marines much earlier than vice versa. Nonetheless, that wasn't a reason to falter. "Follow the plan. Advance in squads and clear out the rooms."

"Yes sir!"

All 45 Security Troopers quickly entered the starship's wreckage. Caity quickly followed them. Aryan, however, stayed behind at the gate with his York Troopers.

Colonel Hendrick's time was up.