Beyond the Walls
7445717 here. I haven't had a chance to update in nearly a month; what was supposed to be a few days of routine surveillance and intel gathering turned into a massive operation against the insects. My field partner, 7439891, and I were just East of Ridge 88271b when we spotted a small column of the Insectoid Planetary Hive Army. 9891 and I stalked the army for a few days, eventually plotting out a list of possible targets and destinations. It seemed like they were moving towards nothing, into the ash-covered mountains where life can no longer survive. Then it hit me: they were heading to one of their new installations, most likely a research facility or a missle silo. Why the Insects felt it necessary to reinforce their institution so quickly we have yet to discern, but in their haste they did a poor job of warding off any trackers.
9891 attemped to radio back to base, but we were by this point too deep into the mountains to get any sort of signal. Deciding to continue on, we watched them all climb deep into the mountains, until finally they arrived at what seemed like a rock wall. Not surprisingly, the wall was a facade, hiding a massive gate beneath it. As the gate slammed shut, I realised what a foolhardy venture this had been. Though we discovered one of the Insects bases, we were now somewhat lost in the mountains. Though we had been careful to keep a keen eye on where we were, and had with us a map which we marked off our location on, we had very idea of how to safely traverse the deadly spires back to radio contact. To top it all off, we were left with very few provisions.
However, we were hit by a stroke of good luck, which very possibly saved our lives, to say the least. As we attempted to retrace our path, we spotted a group of four Dervishers wearing IPHA marking. Although one Dervisher is usually more than a match for ten men, the treacherous terrain and our new military-issue weaponry meant we stood a chance. Setting up a great trap on an especially dangerous path, we then littered the few alternative routes with various dangerous pitfalls and natural-looking blockades. The Dervishers discovered these pitfalls and blockades and decided our path was the safest, falling right into our trap. Upon springing our trap with some small explosives, three massive boulders tumbled down upon them, crushing two and knocking another to his death off the near-by cliff. The fourth Dervisher immediately went into his combat-ready state, raising his chitonous plates and extending his battle-spikes. With no foe in sight, the Dervisher was obviously having a hard time maintaining his battle-fever. After a few minutes of letting him strain to keep his adrenaline flowing, we opened fire with our subrifles, hoping to hit one of the soft-spots on his back. We missed, however, and he turned and rushed at us, spikes flailing madly with renewed vigour. The great beast swung at 9891, who was only saved by his quick reflexes and even quicker thinking. Driving the butt of his subrifle into the insect's mouth, he was able to momentarily stun it. Pulling out his knife, he drove home in between two plates on the Dervisher's chest. The warrior fell to the ground, attempting to pull the blade from his chest. 9891 and I then opened fire on him at close range, ripping him to shreds.
Killing the last warrior, we stripped him and his group. Although Insect rations are generally not very pleasing to eat, they do provide some sustenance to the human body, enough to get us home. However, our plans changed when we found on one of the crushed Dervishers at least six pounds of Carlunian Brick, a stable, highly explosive rubber-like substance used for demolition. We also found four intact detonators and their remote, as well as two keycards and several localized maps, with very specific markings around the secret compound we had discovered days before. At least two of them appeared to be back-entrances to the compound.
9891 and I decided to launch a raid on the facility, to glean what we were up against. With explosives in tow, we headed back to the mysterious base.
That's all for today, but there is much more to the story. I am being called away for a meeting of some import, so I can't finish it right now.
Until next time, keep strong, keep safe, and keep quiet.
9891 attemped to radio back to base, but we were by this point too deep into the mountains to get any sort of signal. Deciding to continue on, we watched them all climb deep into the mountains, until finally they arrived at what seemed like a rock wall. Not surprisingly, the wall was a facade, hiding a massive gate beneath it. As the gate slammed shut, I realised what a foolhardy venture this had been. Though we discovered one of the Insects bases, we were now somewhat lost in the mountains. Though we had been careful to keep a keen eye on where we were, and had with us a map which we marked off our location on, we had very idea of how to safely traverse the deadly spires back to radio contact. To top it all off, we were left with very few provisions.
However, we were hit by a stroke of good luck, which very possibly saved our lives, to say the least. As we attempted to retrace our path, we spotted a group of four Dervishers wearing IPHA marking. Although one Dervisher is usually more than a match for ten men, the treacherous terrain and our new military-issue weaponry meant we stood a chance. Setting up a great trap on an especially dangerous path, we then littered the few alternative routes with various dangerous pitfalls and natural-looking blockades. The Dervishers discovered these pitfalls and blockades and decided our path was the safest, falling right into our trap. Upon springing our trap with some small explosives, three massive boulders tumbled down upon them, crushing two and knocking another to his death off the near-by cliff. The fourth Dervisher immediately went into his combat-ready state, raising his chitonous plates and extending his battle-spikes. With no foe in sight, the Dervisher was obviously having a hard time maintaining his battle-fever. After a few minutes of letting him strain to keep his adrenaline flowing, we opened fire with our subrifles, hoping to hit one of the soft-spots on his back. We missed, however, and he turned and rushed at us, spikes flailing madly with renewed vigour. The great beast swung at 9891, who was only saved by his quick reflexes and even quicker thinking. Driving the butt of his subrifle into the insect's mouth, he was able to momentarily stun it. Pulling out his knife, he drove home in between two plates on the Dervisher's chest. The warrior fell to the ground, attempting to pull the blade from his chest. 9891 and I then opened fire on him at close range, ripping him to shreds.
Killing the last warrior, we stripped him and his group. Although Insect rations are generally not very pleasing to eat, they do provide some sustenance to the human body, enough to get us home. However, our plans changed when we found on one of the crushed Dervishers at least six pounds of Carlunian Brick, a stable, highly explosive rubber-like substance used for demolition. We also found four intact detonators and their remote, as well as two keycards and several localized maps, with very specific markings around the secret compound we had discovered days before. At least two of them appeared to be back-entrances to the compound.
9891 and I decided to launch a raid on the facility, to glean what we were up against. With explosives in tow, we headed back to the mysterious base.
That's all for today, but there is much more to the story. I am being called away for a meeting of some import, so I can't finish it right now.
Until next time, keep strong, keep safe, and keep quiet.
posted by Andrew Spittal at 10:22 p.m.
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