Operation: Pacifica, Inland Bound
by Fleet Commander Samhain, Doberman Empire


 "Chosen of Khorne, tenth company!" bellowed Samhain at his troops.
  "Our other gear is aboard the hovercraft.  We have less than 5 minutes
  before we move out.  Get a move on!"


 Almost before he could finish his orders, the 10th company of the
  Chosen were barreling aboard the hovercraft, where they dropped most of
  their gear specialized for the water and gathered their respective weapons
  and supply packs.  They quickly slung their armored packs over their
  shoulders, wrapped ammo belts around them or hung them at their side, and
  stomped back off the hovercraft.



...




 Samhain wandered into the hold and pried the lid off a crate marked
  "CAUTION: STUPIDITY INSIDE!" and started pulling packing material out of the
  crate.  After pullling a great pile of the material from the crate, he
  hefted a huge, gatling-gun style weapon from the crate and slung its strap
  over his shoulder, hanging large packs onto his ammo belt.


 Just then, a Trooper peered over Samhain's shoulder into the crate.
  "Anything else useful in there?" he asked.  "Oooo!  There is!" he exclaimed
  greedily, digging into the packing material with such haste that he nearly
  fell into the crate himself.  He set out wooden planks with rows of short
  tubes on them.  Each tube was narrow at the bottom, then halfway up widened
  into a bigger tube at the top.  "What in the...?" wondered the Trooper
  aloud, staring in shock at what he'd found.


        One of the Chosen finished early and sautered over to where
  Samhain and the Trooper were standing.  Noting the label on the lid propped
  against the inside of the hold, she couldn't help but ask aboutit.
  "Stupidity, Samhain?"


        Samhain laughed and pointed at the purple and green tubes
  the Trooper had pulled out of the crate.


        "Umm, I'm afraid to ask, but what are those?" questioned the
  warrior, who Samhain now recognized as Jaynie.


        "Back in World War II the germans had a weapon referred to
  as 'buzz bombs' for the sound they made as they flew overhead.  The brits
  also referred to them as 'doodlebugs' 'cause of how they just kind of
  doodled along.  They're slow, awkward devices, but when it comes to
  battlefield morale, they were worse than the V-2 rockets ever were.  When
  one of those would fly over the lines, everyone would just stop and freeze--
  watching the thing go "put-put-put-put" across the sky then suddenly stop
  and drop.  V-2s  had more bang, but never scared people because they
  couldn't see or hear them coming.  But those... well, they were scary as
  hell 'till the RAF figured how to shoot them down.  That and the fact that
  they were never reliable or very accurate.  We've miniaturized them and
  improved their explosive package for this.  Spongin?  they'll never get it!
  They'll just scare 'em to death!"


 "Like the Dilbert strip says," he continued,  "'Stupidity is like
  nuclear power--it can be used for good or evil... and you don't want to get
  any on you!'"



...




 Less than two minutes later, the 10th Company had re-assembled on
  shore.  "Nice job with the 2 minute drill, people," encouraged Samhain.  As
  you know, we're traveling as quickly as possible.  Those of us with heavy
  weapons will cover the flanks as the others push ahead quickly and quietly.
  If there's any sign of major resistance, we'll go around.  We can't afford
  to spend all our ammo before reaching our goal, and we don't want to attract
  any undue attention to ourselves.  As such, we're going that way..." he
  instructed, pointing towards the closest section of jungle.  "This city's
  just a deathtrap.  We'll be far better off in the jungle.  Now, move out!"
  he barked.


 As Sheridan and CyberPyro led their units out, heading straight for
  the tower in the distance, the 10th Company made for a nearby section of
  jungle.


...




 Jaynie had the point.  They had made it into the jungle easily
  enough, but that was part of what had her so concerned.  Suddenly, she
  caught a brief glimpse of something moving through the underbrush to her
  right and immediately threw her fist up in the air.



...




 Samhain saw Jaynie raise her fist and the company froze in place.
  There was no sound--not even that of safeties clicking off--they were
  already prepared for that.  He cautiously, quietly, made his way forward
  towards her to find out what was going on.  In the blink of an eye, a
  tremendous purple creature zoomed from the scrub to the side of Jaynie and
  sliced deeply into her armor with a huge blade.  It reared back it's massive
  head, bellowed in a tone that sent shivers down the spines of all present,
  and scooped her up in a tentacle-like arm before stuffing her headfirst into
  the gaping maw that was the front of its head.  Rows upon rows of razor
  sharp teeth ripped into the lightweight armor she was wearing.


 "Great Grimace!" Swore one of the Chosen near Samhain, then raised
  his APATHY and fired a round dead center into the round, snakelike body,
  smashing through the exoskeleton and exploding roughly where the tentacles
  met its body tube.  Nagenta blood, guts, and organs sprayed everywhere as
  the APATHY shell unleashed its fiery wrath and the beast fell, split in two.
  The sections of body wriggled and writhed briefly, then lay still.


 "What the hell is that thing?" asked one.


 "Dunno, but I hope it isn't like a nightcrawler and doesn't grow
  back when you cut it in half," said another.


 Samhain knelt down next to his fallen warrior... what was left of
  her after the beast had gnawed on her, anyway.  He shook his head sadly, and
  turned his head to look at the fallen creature.  "According to J, the
  spongin said something about 'Saethariens' being here.  I think we just
  learned what he meant."


 "Sehr Gut, Mein Herr!" cackled a voice from a tree branch nearby.
  There was a rattling of metal and guns as they all swung on the being
  sitting in the tree.  His indigo robes flowed easily around him, a
  translucent nagenta shield forming in front of him.  "Oh, I wouldn't bother
  with the weapons, Tovarishi, I'll be gone before you can get rid of the
  shield.  But..." he paused, looking at Samhain and grinning broadly before
  continuing.  "But... I suggest you talk to your mighty leader over there.
  He might have some idea how we found you!"


 Samhain flexed his fingers tightly around the grips of his gun,
  doing his very best to control his temper lest this Lyran get the best of
  him and of his company as well.


 "Nothing to say for yourself, mein Herr?  Such an incredible pity.
  Well, we'll meet again.  Perhaps you'll have more to say for yourself then.
  For now, though, as the English would say... ta ta!"  The Lyran vanished
  into thin air, the teleportation spell taking effect and whisking him away
  before the nagenta shield began to flicker and fade from in front of him.


 "What did he mean, 'ask our leader,' Samhain?" questioned Jake, who
  was closest to him.


 "He meant that they can sense me wherever I go, because of
  those..." Samhain nodded at the Big-Ass Claws[tm] slung in a pouch at his
  left hip.  "I'll have to split away from you, I'm afraid.  I make you all
  stick out like a spongie with a brain, if you believe they exist."


 There was a solemn silence while his words sunk in.  The quiet was
  disrupted suddenly by a loud crashing sound from all around them.  They
  looked up, and in all directions saw minions of the Plush Wyrm...
  Saetharians, hovering on their giant wings, Bots stomping down trees in
  their paths, and spongin and smudges emerging from the trees...

TBC!


"Inland Bound"
Copyright 1996
David R. Hibbs