Part 37: Mission 38: Bug Hunt

Soon after we rescued the engineers, our R&D department gave the announcement that preliminary testing on the Archotral cannon prototype had finished, and it was now ready for limited production. The Trantor proved highly destructive, with its shells able to penetrate and destroy targets at extreme range that conventional cannon rounds couldn't damage point-blank. However, the vacuum-chambered shells and mechanisms to handle them proved considerably larger than their conventional counterparts, and as a result some armor would have to be stripped before any tank could mount a Trantor.



We had funds to spare, so as per their request, Habitually Red's platoon was trained and supplied with the new battlesuits.



A few days later, we got an update on the situation from General Malcolm, the Supreme Commander of the Alliance. Some of his intelligence was outdated, but the warning that we would soon be facing elite enemy soldiers was welcome.



Meanwhile, we began research on an Archotral combustion engine to complement the new cannon. Our scout unit leader was quite enthusiastic about the T2001 Kaboom, bellowing its praises to any who would listen.



Despite the massive losses we'd inflicted on them, the Arachnoids still appeared to be increasing in number. Though not especially dangerous, they were apparently fast breeders, and at the rate they were multiplying, they would soon threaten to overwhelm us with sheer numbers. We needed to make a decisive push and drive them back, starting at the rebel headquarters.



We deployed and began a search and destroy mission, but after we took out a few enemy patrol units...



...all was quiet. The terrible swarm of Arachnoids had moved elsewhere, but where?




We sent our scouts to find out, and while they were doing that, continued our research. We managed to produce a workable design for the T2001, which would give our tanks unmatched speed and maneuverability without too much risk of an engine explosion. Next on the list was Andurital armor, which promised to provide more protection than even Tanarit.



After a few days, our scouts had yet to sight any Arachnoids, but they had reported on a possible lead. A valley that had previously been rich with vegetation had been stripped bare. There wasn't an animal in sight, and those plants that remained had been stripped of their leaves. All that was left was a gray, decaying landscape. Whether or not the Arachnoids were responsible, one thing was sure: this couldn't be the work of anything except the Forces of Darkness. The Drunken Slavs were deployed.

Mission 38: Bug Hunt

Attending:
Lazarus (Forlorn Hope, Flamethrowers)
Solrick Skaft (Scion of Emer, Flamethrowers)
T. Hinman (Ethereal Corps, Flamethrowers)
Logan "Hardtack" Smith (War Dogs, Paranormal Infantry)
Joe Moore (War Boys, Paranormal Infantry)
"Doctor" Snark (Mage Killers, Hi-Tech Infantry)
Habitually Red (Sane Max's Own, Hi-Tech Infantry)
Patrick Gallagher (Just In Time, Elmag 1)
Svetlana Aliyev (Rusalka, Elmag 1)
Mael Radec (Radec's Rhinos, M1 Abrams)
Erik Spanner (The Toolbox, M1 Abrams)
James "Griff" Griffin (Party Crashers, M1 Abrams)
Basil (Paladin, M1 Abrams)
Jorji Costava (Cobrastan's Best, M1 Abrams)
Isara Gunther (Edelweiss, M1 Abrams)
Reginald P. Linux (Doom Squad, Leopard 2A5)
Aethereon Darkfyre (The Mary Sues, UDES)
Stephen Smith (The Counts of Monty Python, UDES)
Anil E. Hilated, Esq. (Polite Obliteration, M106)
Grand Inquisitor Solaus (Balkanian Inquisition, AMX-30)
Gregor (The Swell Swords, AMX-30)
Michael de Boulogne (Chivalric Order of Saint George, AMX-30)
Cholmondely Featherstonehaugh-Smythe (Sphinx Battery, Roland)
Billy John (The Truther Squad, Roland)
Sigrún Raske (Skysmasher Brigade, Roland)
Billy Mays (Infomercial Men, Humvees)
Atom ikk Rab (Those From the Depths, Universal 1R)



Hardtack: Stay tight, people. If the Arachnoids are here, they have numbers. You get too far out to cover each other, and they'll chew you to pieces.



"Doctor" Snark: Jesus, there's not a thing left alive here. I'm guessing we found the Arachnoids, judging by the giant webs strung up in the trees.



Basil: Arachnoid sighting confirmed! Take 'em out!




Michael de Boulogne: Bugs down. That was easy.




T. Hinman: We're not done! Remember what Command said about their numbers! Come, fellow humans, so we may secure our plae as this planet's dominant species!



Mael Radec: That does it for that group. Good work on those flamers, boys and girls.



Billy Mays: BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!



Solaus: Then we'll kill those, too!



Jorji Costava: Ha ha, am pest control!



Solrick Skaft: More coming at us from the east!



Stephen Smith: One thing's for sure, they can't stand up to concentrated fire.



Erik Spanner: They trying to run us out of ammo, or what?




Solaus: Just keep knocking 'em down!



Patrick Gallagher: Jeez, Command should've just given us bug bombs.




Griff: We've gotta be seriously hurting 'em, right? They're coming at us over mountains of their own dead bodies.
Joe Moore: Pretty sure that's standard for ants, actually.
Isara Gunther: They seem more like spiders to me.
Joe Moore: At this point, I'm pretty sure they're some hellish hybrid of all the worst aspects of both.



Gregor: One thing Gregor learn: artillery solves everything!



Anil E. Hilated: Damn right it does.



Erik Spanner: That all of 'em?



Stephen Smith: Not quite! There's one left! I can't hit it because it's taking cover behind that hill!



Erik Spanner: You're in a tank. It can flank things. Use that.



Anil E. Hilated: Hey, you guys didn't forget what Gregor said, did you?
Mael Radec: I think we got 'em all. Let's sweep the rest of the area to be safe, though. Mays, Darkfyre, take the north and west.



Aethereon Darkfyre: Very well. I shall survey the landscape, dark and gray as my inner l-



Mael Radec: Darkfyre, what is it?
Aethereon Darkfyre: It... It would appear I've found where the arachnoid young get their first taste of life.
Mael Radec: You mean a nest?
Aethereon Darkfyre: Yes. Cocoons blanket the landscape like a soft blanket.
Mael Radec: We'd better get an engineering crew in, then. We'll need to recover these so we can study them.
Aethereon Darkfyre: I fear that would be impossible. Many of them look ready to spring forth into the world. I can see them beginning to scrape at their cocoons.
Mael Radec: Alright, then. Toss one into the backseat and get out of there. I'll call the artillery up to level the place.



Despite the enemy's numbers, in the end, they were only mindless insects, no match for the discipline and tactics of our hardened soldiers. It was now clear, however, that we would have to seek and destroy these arachnoid nests wherever we found them. This nest was only a small one, and yet hundreds of the creatures had swarmed to defend it, with hundreds more waiting to be birthed into the battlefield.

That wasn't our only finding, nor was it the most disturbing. Dissecting the cocoon led our scientists to a discovery that made it clear that we would need to destroy these things at all costs.