Part 12: Mission 12: Cremation

We didn't have time to waste. As soon as we got the funding, our research on the undead was underway, and it quickly bore fruit. We tested a variety of weapons on the specimens we were able to capture. At first, as in the field, direct hits with explosives got the best results. They were the only weapons that could reliably inflict enough damage to make the rest become inanimate.

And that was what made them so difficult to kill: whatever force was making the dead rise didn't release its hold on them until around 70 to 80 percent of their bodies were destroyed. Bullets and shrapnel that would have been crippling or deadly to living infantry only slightly impeded the undead soldiers. They didn't bleed out, fall unconscious or go into shock. They had no muscles or nerves to sever. They didn't even seem to notice when their skulls shattered.

Relying on direct hits with explosives wasn't viable, though. Not with the kinds of numbers they swarmed us with, when each and every one was effectively as durable as a light-armored vehicle. We needed a better weapon against them.

As the report indicates, we did see the occasional undead using a pistol or rifle, but we quickly learned that it wasn't much cause for concern. The undead had very little intelligence, beyond a seemingly instinctive desire to kill humans. They could swing melee weapons well enough to be dangerous, but they didn't really grasp how to use firearms. They'd fire carelessly from the hip, rarely coming anywhere close to hitting their target, and very few of them seemed to know how to reload their weapons. When their guns were empty, they'd usually just charge forward and try to use them as clubs.

More worrying was the psychological effect they had on our soldiers in battle. They had an effect on the human mind, even beyond what one would expect from decaying corpses that attacked the living. Something about them bypassed the rational part of the human brain and instilled fear in an instinctual level, triggering a strong flight response. No amount of training or natural bravery was able to overcome this, and the effect grew stronger when they were closer and more numerous. Fighting the undead carried with it the danger that soldiers would panic and flee blindly, quite possibly toward enemies waiting elsewhere.



I don't know who first thought to try turning a flamethrower to an undead, and I'm not sure how it would've occurred to them - bone doesn't burn easily. Maybe they were just running out of ideas. I couldn't argue with the results, though. For reasons the Alliance still has yet to understand, a short burst of flame was enough to make the skeleton collapse, its body with no damage beyond a few charred bones. After repeating the test on a few more specimens, with different sources of flame, the pattern was established. Whatever force held these shambling piles of bones together, fire dispersed it.

While commissioning more flamethrowers was the obvious answer, there was a better one. Flamethrowers might have more range than a lot of laypeople give them credit for, but even the best ones would require the soldiers to get uncomfortably close to their targets. Instead, our engineers developed a new form of rocket-propelled grenade, capable of delivering high-yield napalm payloads. The result was a weapon that could carpet enemy positions with flame beyond effective rifle range.




Luckily, despite how stubborn they'd been, Command recognized that we wouldn't be going further until we could deal with the undead. We got a shipment of new flame weapons to equip Sane Max's Own, who'd volunteered to be among the first to field test. We were also able to recruit a new infantry company, who would be armed with the new weapons for their first operation. The unit was named Forlorn Hope, but there was a problem with the paperwork, so for now it would just be referred to using the name of its leader, Lazarus.



We were also able to get our hands on another lieutenant, giving us a solid command structure for nearly the entire division. I flipped a coin to decide which Humvee platoon would have to be the odd one out.



Finally, it was time to once again face off with the undead.

Mission 12: Cremation

Attending:
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, Mortar Infantry)
Sersan (Anoa, Rangers)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Flamethrowers)
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Commandos)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Commandos)
Mael Radec (Radec's Rhinos, Piranha)
Skull Face (XOF, Piranha)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Piranha)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Piranha)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, Piranha)
Ash Kleef (Ashsavers, Humvee)
GyverMac (Gyver's Grinders, AMX 13)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, AMX 13)



Ash Kleef: Found 'em! They're right where they were last time!



Anil E. Hilated: Yeah, all of them.



Ash Kleef: Strap in, everyone. The horde's coming.



Habitually Red: Hey, this doesn't look too bad! Let's see what these new flamers can really do.




Habitually Red: Holy shit, that was glorious! That one volley toasted a full third of them!



Habitually Red: Using these things almost feels like cheating! Not that I'm complaining.



Svetlana Aliyev: Excellent! Alright, everyone, concentrate fire on the horde of burning skeletons. Top priority is making sure none of them get too close.



Erik Spanner: Already shaping up much better than last time!



"Doctor" Snark: Second one down. Who's next?




Lazarus: Oh, do I get to pick? Let's finish torching these ones!



Sersan: Got 'em! The rest are getting a bit too close for comfort, though. What do we do?



Habitually Red: I know my vote! God, it's so fucking nice that infantry are relevant again.



Skull Face: This has got me wondering. Do you suppose any of the things we're fighting are, like, edible?
GyverMac: What, you ask that question while we're surrounded by shambling, rotting corpses?
Skull Face: Look. All I'm saying is we've got a weapon that cooks our enemies as it kills them and it'd be a terrible waste not to take advantage of that.



Solrick Skaft: Excellent. Nobody touch that skull over there, it's going above my bunk.



Patrick Gallagher: Okay, good! We got most of 'em!
Skull Face: There's only room for one skull face here, and that's me!




Skull Face: Fuck fuck fuck they're doing that fucking scream I can hear their vocal chords rotting fuck!



Ashsavers: We're fucked! They're right on top of us! Run! Run!
Lazarus: Oh God, I don't wanna die! This is only my first mission!
Cholmondely: Retreating! I'm retreating!



Svetlana Aliyev: You fucking people. Alright, who all ran off?
"Doctor" Snark: Skull Face and Solrick, Chol, Ash...
Erik Spanner: And both our fucking flamers!



Mael Radec: We do this the hard way, then. Don't deviate from the plan. Fire your cannons at whatever's closest.



Sersan: We've got assault rifles. Assault rifles! We shouldn't even be out here, but do you see us losing our cool? No.



Sersan: Oh shit, they're doing it again!



GyverMac: Why am I even here?! There's no harpies!
Mael Radec: ABANDON MISSION, ABANDON MISSION! IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!



Erik Spanner: WORKS FOR ME, I'M TIRED OF ALMOST DYING.



Svetlana Aliyev: God damnit. There go almost all our Piranhas, too.
Anil E. Hilated: You seem to be holding up pretty well, Svet.
Svetlana Aliyev: I don't get scared. I get pissed.
Sersan: Pissed as in drunk, or pissed as in angry?
Svetlana Aliyev: Yes.



"Doctor" Snark: Pretty sure that's against protocol, but you're still here, so maybe it's for the best.
Sersan: So you're saying we should get everyone drunk before we face undead?
Svetlana Aliyev: And in any situation where we might conceivably face undead. You know, just to be safe.



Sersan: Got the last one! We're clear now!



Solrick Skaft: Okay, I... we're okay now. We're... we're gonna head back.
Erik Spanner: So am I, except I have to live with the shame now that I drove away in panic from a bunch of swords and clubs while I was in an armored vehicle.



Skull Face: Um, right. So, uh, let's just get back in formation. And hopefully pretend this never happened?
"Doctor" Snark: AHAHAHAHA you wish.



Ash Kleef: God damnit. Um... while I was passing them, they... they got one of my 'vees. I'm gonna scout around a bit more. Can't rest 'til we're sure we've cleared them all out.
"Doctor" Snark: Sounds good, Ash. Everyone else, back in formation. We need to be able to hit these things with everything we've got.



GyverMac: So, I guess the briefing was right.
Svetlana Aliyev: Whaddya mean?
GyverMac: You know, the part where it said these things can just kind of... I dunno how to describe it. Just sort of inject terror right into your mind? Like, just flood your brain with the chemical that says "RUN, DUMBASS"?
Erik Spanner: Wait, you actually read the briefing?
Lazarus: There was a briefing?
Svetlana Aliyev: Sounds like he's covering his ass to me.
"Doctor" Snark: I dunno. I can believe it, after seeing the harpies. And the long-range anti-tank arrows. And the galley-powered AFVs. And the... this has been a really weird war, hasn't it?




Ash Kleef: Just passed a graveyard, guys. Ten-to-one there's more undead nearby.



Ash Kleef: Yep. Good news, though! This one's a lot smaller than the first wave. I just have to draw them out.
Sersan: Maybe it's just because I've been around long enough to remeber Bill's fate, but I swear everything Ash says sounds like famous last words.
Patrick Gallagher: It's not just you.



Ash Kleef: OKAY IT'S NOT AS SMALL AS I THOUGHT IT WAS. Still not terrible, though. I'll just bring them back to you guys for mincing.



Lazarus: REVENGE! Not so scary now, are you, you fuckers?



Anil E. Hilated: Fuck, it's doing that scream thing again!



Solrick Skaft: COMMANDOS, WE ARE LEAVING!
Svetlana Aliyev: FLOOR IT! FUCKING FLOOR IT!
GyverMac: I fucking knew it! See? Svet ran off too, and she's never been scared of these things!



Anil E. Hilated: Gyver, I'm not saying you're wrong, but can it wait?



Habitually Red: Second wave down!
GyverMac: So now that that's done, we're agreed, right? Anyone can be a victim of skeleton panic?
Sersan: Magical bullshit is truly the great equalizer.



Solrick Skaft: Oh god I thought we were safe in the woods!



Erik Spanner: God damnit! Why do we keep running towards them when we panic? It doesn't even make sense!



Solrick Skaft: Man down, repeat, we've got a man down!



Lazarus: Hang in there, Solrick! We've just about got them all!



Svetlana Aliyev: Finally. If I ever see another undead again, it'll be too soon.



GyverMac: It might be even sooner than you'd like, Svet. I saw something to the north. I don't think we're done here yet.



GyverMac: ...Oh. This doesn't seem too bad! Looks like about half as many as the last wave!



Mael Radec: AGAIN WITH THAT FUCKING SCREAM. They're skeletons, they don't even have lungs! It shouldn't work, even more than it already shouldn't work!



Habitually Red: Well, at least no one panicked this time!



Lazarus: Damn right. We won't be letting them get close enough for that.



Anil E. Hilated: Last one! Who'll take the honors?



Anil E. Hilated: Always more, aren't there? Whatever, I needed a place to aim.



Mael Radec: They certainly have numbers in their favor, but not much else. They're a lot like the trogs in that sense.



Patrick Gallagher: I don't think they've even got numbers in their favor by this point!



Habitually Red: Laz, Sersan, watch out! You've got some behind you!



Erik Spanner: Not anymore, they don't!
Mael Radec: Can you hear it though? The shrieking and wailing of those denied their final rest?
Skull Face: ...No? I don't hear a thing.
Mael Radec: Good. Neither do I. Let's pack it in, boys and girls. We've won.



It was a long time coming, but the mission was an unqualified success. A sweep of the area after the battle revealed that a surprising number of residents survived despite having been trapped for weeks with the roaming undead. Intelligence would be interviewing them in hopes of discovering how they managed to evade the shambling hordes for so long.

In the days that followed, a more intense inspection of the area was carried out by scientists hoping to discover the means by which the dead were animated. The result, after a long investigation, was the successful isolation of an unexpected source of infrared radiation near one of the graveyards from which the dead had risen. It was our hope that, with further examination, we would be able to take our first steps toward understanding magic and weaponizing it for ourselves.