Chapter 10: Shadows of Valor: Echoes from the Pine Forest

I awoke in my bed, looking at the motel room around me, nearly forgetting where I was for a moment. Then the adrenaline kicked in, reminding me of my past mission. I hold the fourth rank of Chief warrant officer in engineering. I took part in a field test of experimental weapons during what was supposed to be a straightforward infiltration mission. Warrant officers accompanied me from the crimson cadre, a specialized unit in the army I serve in.

Amid a dense pine forest, under the veil of night, a few hours before dawn, stood a standard business building. Its surroundings boasted a cluster of offices, encampments, stores, and a serene park. It was an isolated area a way from nearby cities. This time of year made for chilly nights in the area.

"Status check."

I was deep in the woods on top of the hill of the area of operations.

"This is I.O.D. 1, all systems green."

First, I.O.D. 1, 2, and 3 systems were all good, and then there was Elara Winters. With Elara, she brought the most innovative and experimental equipment. She and I shared the same rank, chief warrant officer 4, but our fields couldn't be more different - she delved into intelligence and espionage, while I focused on weapons engineering. Equipped with the latest technology, she had full status tracking at her fingertips.

"H.U.D. systems are fully functional, weapons status is green, thermal imaging on, ally markers visible, target markers visible, mini map is good. Heart rate nominal, stamina tracker functional, temperature regulated. All systems are good to go."

"Distraction squads are ready, specter is in place… Engage."

Anticipation grew in my heart back then as we approached the culmination of months of hard work. The project we had been tirelessly working on was finally reaching its completion, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and excitement. It was the best that my team had developed, a result of our dedication, collaboration, and unwavering determination.

"Targets are moving successfully. Ally trackers' connection stable. Specter, I'll let you know once again, this is an overhead device. It is not possible to track targets inside the facility, but the system will alert you about any hostiles that have been neutralized or are missing."

"Understood."

Perched on a hill, I kept watch, my equipment synced to Elara's position. The sound of her taking down targets with her sniper, each shot delivered with precision, punctuated the night. The subsonic ammunition allowed her to operate undetected, methodically clearing the area of threats from a distance.

The occasional confirmation of a target neutralized, a ding of acknowledgment of her effectiveness marked her progress. It was a routine part of our operations, each successful hit moving us closer to our objective.

Eventually, Elara's voice came through the comm link, clear and concise. "The watch towers are down, and all visible threats have been eliminated. Now, we are just waiting for the green light."

It was a familiar pause in our operations, a moment before transitioning to the next phase of the mission. This sequence of events, executed with practiced efficiency, was a testament to our training and preparation, a routine yet critical part of achieving our objectives.

"E.M.P. in 3…2…1… power is down. You're good to close in."

Elara made her way to the encampment. The facility's main guise was a technically advanced A.I. for the public, but their need for such advanced armory to protect the facility brought some red flags. Some lousy staff had some weak firewalls, revealing details of the Neo-Axis syndicate. A group of white supremacists.

"We have some E.M.P. resistant equipment coming online. Sending out the drones to handle them. Eta is about 2 minutes."

The drones were bots created to deal with electronic equipment resistant to EMPS, powered by none other than the A.I. Steve. Using standard building protocol in the area, Steve found the backup generators promptly destroying them. The rest of them used the onboard turret system to eliminate the remaining hostiles.

"Backup generators are down, stragglers eliminated. Specter, you are clear for ground entry. Watch for ambushes."

"Thanks Cipher, I'm heading in."

All I could do was watch her secondary weapon lose ammo and replenish. Her stamina was slowly losing its percentage. Then a horrifying sound came up. My tablet was going into code red as reinforcement was suddenly appearing, looking to be an ambush.

"Specter! we have over 120 Hostiles coming in! We're going loud! Engaging the turret redirecting all drones to engage the enemy, moving now."

I threw my tablet into a magnetic lock, latching the tablet on to my backpack, and Sprinting to higher ground. I switched all statuses to my visor, cluttering my view.

"Distraction squad has successfully disengaged, one injured, zero casualties!"

"I am in the server room now!"

"Allocating two drones as a power source! 38 targets down, 98 left. They're heavily armored switch to .338 caliber kits."

It was at this moment, in this dark pine forest, Steve warned me of their equipment.

"Volkner! These troops possess ENVG-B systems."

"I am moving to your location! The Hostiles aren't run of the mill. I am losing too many drones!"

My equipment self-destructs when it takes considerable damage, even though they are armored drones. They shouldn't be this easy to take down. This mission is much more dangerous than what the upper echelon expected. As I approached the scene, I noticed the ruined part of the fence and the remains of a breached door. Without hesitation, I ran through the opening and found myself face to face with Elara Winters.

"Specter! I am closing in! We still have over 60 targets left, but my drones are running thin."

"It's my fault. I broke a false firewall, and it alerted the nearby Basecamp!"

I looked at my visor to check if I had downloaded the data.

"Data looks good, though. These guys have a bigger network than we thought. We need to retreat now!"

"Alright Volkner, I'll take lead, be smart, move fast, be silent!"

As I threw the bag down, it ripped open, revealing the drone I had designed. Inside, it contained biosensing, night vision, and thermal imaging capabilities, while containing a loaded turret that held .338. This drone resulted from a successful group project I led, working alongside a team of skilled engineers. Interestingly, Steve received a combat system from a third-party company, which truly made this drone an impressive feat. With Steve's exceptional intelligence, comparable to that of a human with photographic memory, and integrating a combat A.I., it felt like having another highly trained special forces member by your side.

"Steve! watch our back."

"Understood."

With unwavering determination, we advanced cautiously through the building, the air thick with the presence of hostiles. Elara's swift precision effortlessly dispatched the soldiers before us, their bodies falling as her rifle boomed through the halls. As I kept a vigilant watch on the sides, my pounding heart sent waves of adrenaline coursing through my veins, causing my hands to tremble wildly. Yet, I remained focused and managed to hit my targets with little additional effort, each shot echoing through the tense atmosphere.

That day, we cleared the building and made a hasty escape with minor issues. Steve kept us clear from the surrounding enemy and we escaped unharmed. Just as I was reminiscing to myself, Riya knocked on my door. I could hear her voice through the door.

"Volkner let's go! The king brought a new carriage for us to travel in. We still have 5 more days of travel yet."

I reluctantly rose from my bed and made my way to the carriage, where I would meet her. She kindly returned the key to the front desk on my behalf, and we set off on our journey. Little did I know, I would truly enjoy the delightful kind of boredom that would fill these next few days.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Tsukimori

I revealed more about Volkner's past to add some additional action to the traveling since simply sitting in a carriage for a few days can be boring to read about. But I think some of you can see the foreshowing of this passage.

comment 0 comment

Vote

SEND GIFT

Load failed, please RETRY