The Abyss of War, Book One

The beast in the clouds

With a loud roar the command ship dipped out of the cloud cover. Its multiple guns glinting menacingly in the morning light. The force of its repulsor lift systems and its engines shook my body to its core. A transmission was then sent to our squad, from the Marshal Commander. 

"Reinforcements have arrived. Now get down and stay down. I will not be responsible for any unfortunate casualties."

 And with that, the transmission closed. Looking up once again as if to glean some sort of information about what they were doing all I could make out were several guns, large guns, might I add. Being pointed toward the armored convoy who hadn't moved. Of course they didn't move, they had no way of scanning the skies. Their equipment was rudimentary at best, however they did feel the vibration, that I was sure of. 

As I looked up once more, I immediately regretted my decision. George's voice shouted out through our squad comm-link,

 "Get down! They're firing!" 

Although it wasn't fast enough. Over forty  guns fired at the armored convoy, and once the first round hit, the concussive blast sent me flying backward. 

Thankfully, my fall was broken by my armor and the convenient car that I had no doubt totaled as I slammed into it. Groaning as my vision flashed white and black, I became keenly aware of the coppery taste of blood. I couldn't think of much else for several minutes, just an intense pain in my back and side. Gasping as I remembered how to breathe, I slowly picked myself up to see a massive crater where the street, surrounding buildings, and armored convoy used to be.

The command ship continued to hover several hundred feet above our heads, just above the skyscrapers. Several minutes of stunned silence later, we heard the uniform sound of marching boots. Minutes later, the marching had grown even louder, as I strained my eyes to see what was approaching from behind, I was not disappointed. 

Line after line of imperial soldiers, dressed in their field combat gear, a mix of black, dark grey, and incandescent white. The imperial army had arrived, and nothing could stop them.  Not long after, they had reached our position and the 12th engineer corps began to complete and enhance our rudimentary defenses. 

Then, we received a priority transmission. It took up the center area of my HUD. Normally priority transmissions aren't used in war-zones as it obstructs sight. So who ever this is, it must be very important. Finally the transmission stopped blinking and came through. The face of the Supreme Commander filled my HUD.

He then raised his chin a fraction of an inch and spoke. 

"This is Supreme Commander Wulff Speaking across all channels. As you are all aware, the first part of the offensive went well. Even as we speak, our reserves are being committed to the field, it is unlikely that they will retake the outer city. 

The majority of our forces are being moved up to the Mid city ring, as you are all well aware. Once we are well entrenched in the mid and outer city rings, we will regroup our forces and launch a full scale assault on the inner city. We should be able to take Syne by the end of today if all goes to plan. For those of our comrades who have fallen today on the battlefield. May they join with their ancestors in the halls of victory. 

There is no greater honor, than dying for the empire. You are all on watch duty as of now, keep a tight perimeter. Once the reserves are set up and entrenched. We will give the go ahead. Until that point, any offensives on enemy positions are illegal and will be met with execution. Commander Wulff out."

With that, the transmission disappeared and I became painfully aware of my various injuries. Apparently the rest of my squad had suffered as well. George received a broken arm due to the blasts from the command ship. Ingrid was bleeding once again from her leg, and Ryan had a mild concussion. Limping toward the medical tent that had just been set up, I looked up one last time. The command ship had anchored itself to the tops of three neighboring skyscrapers with cables. Sighing, I entered the medical tent and was quickly sat down on a bench. 

Shortly after I was seated a stretcher was pulled by. I couldn't get a good look at who it contained, but the shock of blonde hair made my heart lurch slightly. Not many people in the empire have blonde hair thanks to genetic engineering. Those that are born with blonde or lighter hair colors are seen as oddities. Making me somewhat of a freak. My platinum blonde hair shouldn't even be genetically possible. Yet here I am.

Finally I was dragged into a bloodstained room by a field doctor just as the patient that was currently occupying it was deemed stable enough to be transferred to the recovery tent. I was quickly and roughly looked over. My ribs were prodded which cased a sharp intake of breath on my part. Then my chest was wrapped in bandages. 

Apparently I had nearly broken a few ribs after slamming into the car. Once I was discharged from the field hospital, I found a small hill near the center of the square. Sinking to the ground with a soft sight, I removed my helmet and then pulled off my gloves. Leaning back, I let my hair fall back out of my face as I gazed up at the sky. 

Suddenly, a strange feeling of paranoia came over me. Almost as if I was being watched, however after I opened my eyes and gazed around. All that met me were countless imperial soldiers toiling to set up a good base of operations. Nothing but the sound of raised voices, and the lonely wind drifting through the square. 

Barricades had been set up on the four main streets leading to the square, no doubt the buildings around it had been filled with snipers. Lying back on the ground once again, I attempted to doze off before the next offensive began. Even though I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, all I cared about was if Arthur had made it out alright. Closing my eyes, I let the world drop away and fade to black.

-----------------------------Authors Note-----------------

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*Edited*