---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You seeing this command?" Salmar asked, beginning an in-depth scan of the Briolb battlefield. "I see it. It was definitely an ugly one." Steven replied, from his ops station, filing the incoming data away into a safe databank. "Lots of shitty lasers out there... Anyone can kinda pickem up too." "Yup, their 'tanks' make me angry as well. Just a giant laser on wheels. No support tech or weapons, not even a coax. It makes me almost feel bad for the thing." Salmar replied, ignoring the annoyed look from Deianiary. "The issue I see is that they thought of the idea in the first place. They're not supposed to be too smart, right?" Steven replied, frowning at the wiring of the tank as the scans came in. "This thing is well put together if you ignore the out of date design." Salmar stroked his chin in thought as he studied the poor tank and decided that Steven, unfortunately, had a point. "I suppose... Moving onto the next target." "You worry about the wrong things, Salmar. It is worrisome they knew to land some in the first place." Deianiary stated as she drove the tank to the treeline. "New location reached." Watching as his scanning range was slowly reduced to just under half its capacity, Salmar frowned, shifting to multiple different spectrums in frustration. "You getting anything from inside this death zone, Stevi?" "Nothing. Only what you're seeing." Steven replied, smiling due to the new nickname. "Alrighty then... Take us in." Salmar ordered, carefully sweeping the area for activity as the tank entered the forest. Deianiary did as she was ordered, driving the tank slowly into the forest and keeping an eye on her surroundings, though dark, the night sky seemed to cast a strange yet eerie light onto the area. "Deianiary, bring us in two kilometres, full stop." Salmar continued, looking at the incoming data. "Command. Do you see this?" "Lots of empty tunnels between the trees. They're big ones too" Steven replied, keeping his eyes on the data. "Nothing in them, though." "Location reached." Deianiary stated as she stopped the tank once again at its designated nav location. Salmar looked at his surroundings with a slight annoyance, finding nothing but empty tunnels and trees. "Yup... No bugs yet, though we haven't deployed the ground pounder either. What do you think makes these things?" "Probably some space mole. Though I would bet on the bugs since we haven't found anything else but birds in this place." Steven replied. Finding that the current area was safe, Salmar grinned, deciding to push a bit farther in before deploying. "Deianiary... take us thirty kilometres in. Let's see if we can get some good readings." As she drove the tank deeper into the forest, Deianiary sighed, unsettled by the empty surroundings. "Nothing. There are no animals in this forest." "Tanks probably spooking them. It is pretty loud, after all." Salmar replied, looking deeper into the forest. "Though it is strange, I'm only detecting birds still." After a long and quiet drive, something Deianiary was thankful for since Salmar could be quite the chatterbox, she finally arrived at the new nav point, slowing to a halt and taking her hands off the controls as she rolled to a stop. "Location reached." "Alright, Let's deploy this scanner then, shall we?" Salmar stated, hitting a few switches and grinning as the tank began its important work. "Let's see now, pulse away... Oh, hello, buggy. Wow... You're a nasty fellow. You seeing this, Stevi?" "Two pincered limbs, two scything limbs, four legs, square head elongated body. This thing is made for killing..... It's thorax? Is covered with the metal, so are its pincers and scything limbs. This thing is dangerous... Like super dangerous." Steven replied, watching as a new stream of data flooded his systems. "Hit the local area with another pulse." "Done." Salmar replied, paying close attention to the new data. " Wow... You were right; they're tunnelers... And that one is dragging some... I think those are Briolb somewhere." Steven pumped his fist in success, enjoying the feeling of being right once again. "Yup, It's dragging them pretty deep too. Send a pulse the way that one is going, will ya?" "Pulse away.............. That's... That's a lot of them... You don't think they're fucking killer mega ants do you?" Salmar asked nervously, not liking what he was seeing at all. "I Uhh. I don't think so." Steven stumbled, watching the short clip of the large community. "They're big enough not to want to be in large communities, I think, maybe? I mean, they're about the size of a large man.. Right? Send another pulse. One towards the gathering. I wanna see what happens when that one bringing the Briolb arrives." Salmar nodded to steven, though knowing the ops officer wouldn't be able to see. "Pulse away." "Hmm, they look nervous at its approach. Maybe they are unsure if it's food?" Steven replied, watching as a large group formed up and began looking around their small room as if sensing an intruder. "Commander." Deianiary declared, turning to look back at her busy leader. "There's one in front of us. It just popped out of the ground." "Ohh, interesting.. Let's see what it does." Salmar replied, swapping all his scans towards the creature. The crew began to watch with rapt interest as the creature walked up to the tank, its pincers held close to its body while it's scything talons were held off to its sides, seemingly in an attempt to intimidate the tank. "Hey.. It's kinda cute when it's trying to be threatening." Salmar laughed out, watching as the Stydun reached the tank and began sweeping its antenna over it. "Looks like it's trying to figure out if you're food." Steven returned. "Send a pulse out towards the local area and see how it reacts." "Pulse away!" Salmar declared once again, watching as the bug leap back a good distance. "HA! We spooked it." Not having to wait long after it jump, Deianiary watched as the being fidgeted with its talons for a moment before eyeing the tank. "Sir! it's going to charge us!." Salmar strapped into his harness and grabbed a nearby bar in excitement. "Brace! Let's see what this killing machine can do." Letting out a primal screech, the Stydun charged the tank. Its scything talons held high in anticipation as it crashed into the beast, violently bringing down its talons and successfully sinking them halfway into its prey's body. "Wow! That... That's fucking dangerous." Salmar stated in awe, watching as the bug fought to remove its talons from the tank's armour. "That... That nearly went right through.." "Salmar. Pulse now!" Steven shouted, worried about he insect's screech. Salmar shrugged and released another pulse. "Pulse away." Salmar replied, watching as the bugs seemed to look directly in the tank's direction and taking a moment to themselves to rub antenna before charging off down a tunnel. "Driver! Bring us to heading zero six zero zero, three-quarters speed. Specialist, bring up rail cannons and blast that fucker off my hull. Activate shields full power. Gunner, prepare for battle." Salmar ordered, retracting the seismic scanner as the tank sped towards freedom. "Sa.l..r. In..an.." Salmar grit his teeth and cut the com to the ship, watching in horror as the ground around him began to burst forth with hundreds of Stydun. "We're on our own. Driver heading zero five three zero. Gunner plas round, one one zero zero on my mark.... Mark.." Deianiary drove the tank as ordered, crashing through a large group of enemies as the gunner fired an explosive plasma round into a group just entering the battle, slaying them before they had a chance to exit their hole or even see the tank. "Sir, we ne-" "Quiet!..." Salmar shouted, looking at his ops panel with a focus Deianiary had never seen from him. "Specialist, auto rail, withering fire zero one three zero. Gunner, High yield lance zero nine zero zero... Driver hard turn zero seven one zero, on my mark... Mark!" Doing as she was told, crashing through a tree and plowing through a small river, Deianiary grit her teeth, watching as the Stydun quickly closed the distance on her tank. "Thermal smoke!" Salmar shouted as the water splashed around his tank. "Gunner explosive shot one two zero zero right under that rock. Mark!" He called, watching as the shot destroyed the large boulder, sending stone and shrapnel throughout the surrounding area, killing and maiming a large mob of the groups pursuers. Though, as the tank sped towards it's home, The Stydun still closed in on the tank. Clawing with their scything talons and grabbing with their pincers, shearing metal fragments off the tank as it sped through the trees. "Specialist. Plas airburst, I want you to drop it right on top of us on my mark..... Mark!" Deianiary continued on her course, holding tightly onto her control wheel as plasma rained on top and around her tank, killing all the Stydun that had caught up, some having left the scything talons behind as a reminder. Salmar, however, was sweating bullets. His enemy was an unknown. They ran as fast as his tank and had talons that could sink into its armour. They also didn't seem to care about his shields, which made them nothing but a power drain. "Driver, full speed zero six zero zero. Specialist drop mines, Gunner high yield burst lance, one two zero zero. Mark." Deianiary fought to control the tank. Having it drop mines and fire what amounted to an antimatter explosion right in front of her made it rather difficult to keep in the straight line she was ordered to. However, she was able to complete her task, bursting forth from the forest and onto flat land. "Command, Requesting Air support Over." Salmar shouted, hoping to get a message through. "Ai... w.. r." "Shit... Driver bring us around, heading zero eight zero zero. Specialist set rail cannons to target closest enemies and prep high yield mortar. Gunner concentrated lance fire zero eight zero zero, three shots. Mark!" Salmar ordered, prepping a drone for launch. "Sir, If we go ba-" "QUIET!" Salmar shouted, interrupting Deianiary as he launched a drone towards the ship. "Driver, enter the path the lance fire cleared. Gunner three more shots, same direction on my mark. Deianiary grit her teeth and stilled her hood as she drove through the narrow path the gunner had created for her, crashing through and over Stydun as another three blasts rang out, creating even a longer path for her to follow. "Driver! Full reverse, back the way we came. Gunner. Begin wide burst lance fire, one shot per second, fire along the path. I don't care if you damage the cannon. Specialist, mortar fire zero two zero zero, On my mark." Swapping her monitor to the rear camera and reversing her controls, Deianiary watched in awe as the gunner cleared the route she was driving, his antimatter crashing through the Stydun now skittering in front of her as she once again burst forth from the forest. With possibly hundreds of enemies still chasing her, Deianiary waited for her orders, only to continue on her path while Salmar smiled in victory. "Orders?" She demanded, driving in a straight line towards the city. "Keep on this path, driver." Salmar returned, his face smashed into his ops panel. Just as she was about to protest, the forest exploded in blue flames. For kilometres, all she saw was a cleansing fire. Only the few Stydun who were lucky enough to exit the forest remained, only to be gunned down by rail fire. "Alrighty then. Deianiary, take us home." Salmar said, leaning back into his chair. Deianiary looked at the male in shock, her tail twitching and her hood vibrating in excitement. Setting the autopilot, she unlatched herself and crawled towards Salmar. "Hey, lady. Eyes forward." Salmar returned with a laugh, already having noticed the autopilot. Reaching her prey, Deianiary extended her fangs and bit deep into Salmar's neck, placing a hand on his shoulder while he sat comfortably in his chair. "Well, ya know, I was kinda hoping you would come around, but I guess all I gotta do is to tell you to shut up a few times." Salmar laughed out, ignoring the whoops of his two longtime teammates. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steven leaned back into his chair, sucking in a deep breath as he looked over to the frantic Jack. "What the hell was jamming our coms?" "Unknown. The forest, as it is, already hampers communications. So perhaps being in close proximity to that many Stydun causes an interference? It could be why we never detected the large tunnel network or colony." Jack replied, quickly sending a message to Michael, informing him of the situation. "Pilot is on his return flight. If the Briolb are paying any attention to this area of the world... They're going to know we're here." Steven stated "Unless they have been defeated in other parts of this planet. They will already suspect something is amiss.... Possibly. I do not fully understand them yet." Jack replied. "The tank has entered the city." "Guess we have to wait for the captain to finish up his goodbye meal then." Steven replied, turning back to his console to speak with the returning pilot. "Wonder what High life Voktlix food is like." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------