Operation: Phoenix, Battle for the TRES HQ, Part 11 by CyberPyro (cybrpyro@iac.net) [YOU FOOL!!!] hissed F'qq'tt. [YOUR PETTY INSISTENCE ON 'HONOR' HAS COST US 40% OF OUR ATTACK FORCE!!!] [Silence, T'qaal'xqa] snarled X'huurrj'qx. [The human destroyed herself to save her fellows. It was an honorable action and our forces' deaths are honorable as well.] [However, our position is now uncertain] thought H'uu'ilz, trying to bring moderation to the discussion. [More than uncertain] chided F'qq'tt. [We'd be lucky to breach their gates with our forces now.] [Perhaps your Clan is so pitiful and weak as to be unable to remove control of a stone lair from primitive savages] snapped X'huurrj'qx, [but the X'hirq'a'al do not cower in their self-made graves for fear of their enemies' ability.] The assembled X'hirjq recoiled, X'huurrj'qx's harsh words stinging their sensibilities. F'qq'tt turned a dark black, indicating rage, as she faced the immortal X'hirq'a'al who lead this operation. [So be it. If your 'honor' costs us this offensive, it will be you would answers to the Empress for failure.] thought F'qq'tt, her thoughts colder than the arctic air outside. ... "Sir!" yelled Ensign Walters, his radar station bleeping hysterically. "Bombers, fighters, and carriers coming in fast!" "Raise the shields," order Mysterium. Deep in the complex below the HQ, the warm fusion reactors flared to life, pumping phenomenal amounts of power into the scalar shielding of the base. "Ion cannon on-line," chimed Lt JG Holmes. The air around the HQ shimmered as the shields intensified, charging for the attack closing in at near mach speed. "PolyPhasic Plasma Cannons report ready," announced Lt Schildt. "Rail Cannons and E.L.B.O.W.s at full power," stated Lt. Headington. "Fire at will," responded Mysterium. ... High above the TRES HQ, in the frigid night sky, row upon row of X'hirjq bombers flew in ominous formation. With startling precision, each bomber released its entire cargo of bombs. Looking down, a pilot had trouble seeing the target area, multitudes of bombs obscuring the view. ... A deafening whistle drown out the idle conversation of TRES and DE forces waiting for the enemy to show up. Several people looked up and were instantly blinded. Hundreds of bombs slammed into the shielding arched over the HQ, exploding is an amazing cascade of destructive force. Purified magnesium bombs burned brighter than the noon day sun, ruining the optical nerves in dozens of Jihaddi. The shield wavered, the tide of bombs still coming, and started to give way, reserved energy drained completely dry. A serene landscape of marble benches, shaded groves, and reflecting pools shattered as a handful of bombs landed inside of the TRES compound. A rather largish bomb landed near the main outer defensive wall, tossing troops through the air and weakening it powerful structure. "Dammit, Lieutenant," growled Admiral Piper, "return fire!" "Sir, they're.." started the Lt. before the Admiral roughly shoved himself in front of the control panel and pounded on the 'FIRE' buttons. The anti-aircraft batteries screamed, rockets and lasers streaking skywards. In the night sky, twin laser crossed a X'hirjq bomber's shield, tearing them down. A cluster of rockets punched through its armor, exploding the craft as its fellows peeled away. Fourteen more craft fell from the sky before they were out of range. ... Klaxons throughout the TRES HQ flashed red, screaming into the corridors and control rooms. It was an intruder alert. "Where?" demanded CP over the comm. "Sir, from the other side of the mountain. The X'hirjq are blasting their way through the defenses around the hangar and launch paths." "Wonderful, we have very few people in that area," growled CP. "Get as many people down there as you can, I'll send some of my people down there ASAP." ... X'hirjq fighters shrieked across the TRES compound, flying low at high velocity, and fired all their guns. Compress plasma bolts, lasers, rockets, and auto-cannon fire ripped across armored troops killing as many as it wounded. The E.L.B.O.W. Cannons roared, blasting several fighters into splinters or destabilized their flight enough so they crashed into the mountain side. The top half of the southwestern guard tower disappeared in blaze of shattered marble, two fighter destroying it with the plasma cannons. As the Jihaddi blasted fighters from the sky and recharged their shields, large troop carriers landed out of weapons range, disgorging hundreds of troops. The BattleArmored X'hirjq rumbled up the slopes, virtually unchallenged. ... The battle ground on, the Jihaddi very slowly giving ground to the X'hirjq. The gate wall fell into X'hirjq claws, simply because their reinforcements were the first to arrive at a scene of mutual annihilation. In the court yard, combatants on both side ran out of ammo, tossed their usless guns aside, and went for sword to sword combat. The northwestern guard tower ruptured down its length, charges laid by victorious aliens completely decimating the structure. Rows of BattleArmored X'hirjq exploded in illuminary clouds, a torrent of fire from the southeastern E.L.B.O.W. Cannon decimating their ranks. The main ion cannon roared from its place high above the Ellipsoid. The blast struck an incoming X'hirjq troop carrier, collapsed its shields, and ripped through its keel. Suddenly, the E.L.B.O.W. Cannons and every other defensive mechanism stopped firing. Lighting died throughout the base, emergency lighting flickering on and off is random places. "What's going on?!?" demanded CP, as burning debris from the late troop carrier rained down on the HQ. "Power generators are off-line," said Piper, "The X'hirjq have control of the power plants; they're *BBBBBZZZZZTTTTTTT*" The comm cut out to the noise of weapons fire. From the courtyard one could see the Ellipsoid illuminated by flashes of plasma and ion rifles. The flashing reached a climax, the inside brightly lit, and then went completely dark. Further attempts to raise the comm center produced only static. "Tau Squad," yelled CP, "follow me. We have to check out the control room." The Marines broke into a run, making the most direct path to the entrance possible. The Ellipsoid shuddered, bulged out in places, and then ruptured. The entire wall of windows, spanning the great circle, sprayed outwards. Shock waves rolled across the courtyard, knocking humans and X'hirjq alike unconscious as it carried a deadly cargo of shrapnel. ... "Commodore!" yelled Trooper Dionysus, shaking the unconscious cyborg. "Oh, no ... don't tell me...." "Tell you what?" asked CP, "that today just sucks?" "No," smiled the Trooper, amused despite the circumstances, "'twas worried you might be dead." ... The combat continued, each side with only a handful of their former forces. The X'hirjq refused to surrender or turn back, clawing, biting, blasting, and chopping into the human resistance. The Jihaddi fought on, using their swords or ammo-less rifles as clubs when a blade wasn't available. ... CyberPyro slid into the blasted command pyramid, his crippled Wrath of Arioch BattleArmor left behind to smolder in the courtyard. He drew each of his short swords and gingerly picked his way through the rubble. A utility shaft was around here somewhere, and he needed to get to the generators. ... Outside, X'hirjq claws clutched at victory, the human's defenses inoperable now that their power source had been removed. The Jihaddi, forced to fight in near darkest, found themselves at a serious disadvantage against the nocturnal aliens. ... CP dropped from the ceiling above, landing silently on the polished metal floor. The generators were intact and running. Their couplings had simply been severed from the power distribution network. "Well, it should just be a simple matter of reconnecting them then," whispered CP as he tossed a wrench into a wide open area. Compressed plasma rounds slammed into the floor, melting the wrench and boiling away floor tiles. [I shall add your skull to my bone-trophy pit] thought a X'hirjq warrior. "Just as I thought," muttered CP as he slipped under a console table. ... "Admiral," grimly said Warrior Ashur Galand, "we're losing this battle." "They'll take this HQ over my dead, rotting body," snarled J-Rock as he opened a X'hirjq's flank with da Holy Sawblade. ... The X'hirjq hissed, swinging its serrated sword in a wide arc towards the human. Its enemy ducked, slashing with both of his blades, the alien's weapon cutting a cluster of pipettes in half. Sparks and cooling fluid showered over the alien as she bellowed in pain. Two fresh wounds oozed blood down her legs as the human attacked again. The back of her left claw slapped against her forearm, held in place by only a strip of sinew and muscle. The human cried out in pain, her tail smashing into his back and sending him rolling across the generator room's floor. [I WILL TEAR YOUR HEART OUT] howled the X'hirjq is pain as she tore off the remnants of her ruined claw and threw it aside. She charged forwards, teeth and claws bared. The human moved, trying to side step her, but only partially succeeded. The X'hirjq's shoulder slammed into him, knocking his body across the room where he rolled to a stop. The alien let out a odd burbling noise, a dagger thrust to the hilt in its bleeding stump, and fell backwards. ... Lieutenant Swartz jumped, the panels on her E.L.B.O.W. Cannon flaring to life again. Across the base, lighting blinked back on allowing her to draw a bead on the remaining X'hirjq. ... Across the battlefield in their command bunker, somber X'hirjq watched the last of their forces die at the hands of the humans. They had nothing left to fight with; a couple of heavily damaged bombers and wounded kin unable to pilot a suit of armor. [They have won] decided X'huurrj'qx. [Though we have nothing left on this planet's surface to fight with, the main fleet has yet to arrive. Their remnant forces will be unable to stop the main army.] [The war shall continue another day.] The End, Battle for the TRES HQ CP Copyright, Pyrokinetic Productions, Inc. (1996)