Joshua Cray

It’s been about a week since I was deployed to the USS Roosevelt, stationed just off the coast of the Alaskan shore. I didn’t want to be a part of this strike; to make things worse, everyone was stiff and short with me. Understandably, Jäger had already tried to wipe the remaining insects off the earth. Still, the first strike left no survivors and was the first large-scale failure for Jäger. The second strike was slightly better, with four out of twenty squads returning home. However, we still failed to exterminate the insects, so everyone here thinks, “Am I going to make it back home?” 

Honestly, the only thing keeping me calm is my late fiance's necklace. I wrapped it around my hands; this wasn’t for the world or myself, but to hopefully avenge her. I was lost in my mind as the smell of the ocean kept me connected to the world, but a soft, feminine voice knocked me out of my daydreaming state. Turning to my right, I saw Colonel Vulpine's orange, white hair flowing into the wind. She stood no taller than five feet and five inches. And her brown eyes carried a sense of superiority with them. 

“Hello Joshua, glad you could join us on this strike,” She welcomed, her voice barely heard over the roaring wind on the deck. 

“Not by choice,” I responded curtly. 

“Don’t be like that, But I came to tell you we will commence our strike in fifteen minutes,” she told me before walking towards the bridge. 

After she left, I closed my eyes again and let the memories of my late fiancé wash over me. The most prominent memory was us right before she left for the strike. She wore her Xcom suit with her brown hair tied back, and her Carmel eyes stared at me. She said, “Better get ready for when I come back.” 

I could feel salt streaks flow down my cheek as I thought what a liar she was that day. The fifteen minutes sluggishly ended, and the strike teams filled landing crafts with many unfortunate souls who would probably never see their families again. As I stepped into my assigned landing craft, I tried suppressing my pessimistic emotions. Colonel Vulpine sat close to the landing ramp. Her legs cross, and her hands lightly sit on her knees. Three other captains in our squad just stayed quiet, not introducing themselves. The landing craft set into the water, and we headed to our possible deaths. No one said a word to each other besides Colonel Vulpine, who hummed a tune to herself. It took us roughly five minutes to reach the Alaskan shore. As the ramp lowered, I prepared for a possible insect to fly in and attack us, but it was just a dense forest. Colonel Vulpine was the first to move; she jumped off the landing craft with a small burst of mana from her suit. I looked at the other captains, who were shocked by her speed, but I didn’t want to get left behind, so I followed after with nearly all my strength.

The trees blurred past my vision as I tunneled in on the colonel, who, at this point, found herself staring down a house-size beetle. The colonel didn’t flinch or move as the beetle looked down at her, its mandibles chewing on a giant spruce tree; Colonel Vulpine slowly lifted her weapons case and unlocked it with hissing and steam coming from the locking mechanism. From the case was a six-foot brownish orange spear with a blade facing forward surrounded by two more blades pointing outwards. The other three members caught up with their standard-issue rifles. Still, they stopped as the colonel released about seventy percent of her suit. The spear lit up with an orange aura that now encompassed the colonel’s body. I wanted to help her but knew that interfering with this fight would be terrible. Colonel Vulpine jumped the slightest movement from the beetle as it charged at her. She dodged the beetle’s mandibles that tried to cut her from the waist. 

She landed on its back with a huge smile plastered on her face as she prepared her spear, with multiple quick strikes that only left orange streaks of light from the mana. She filled the beetle in a mess of dark green blood that spilled from the beast as its body fell limp, and the colonel stood on top of it. Colonel Vulpine effortlessly removed The beast's core from its body and stuck it to the tip of her spear like a prize she had won. I knew she was powerful, especially the first day I met her; the council sent me on a mission to hunt and exterminate a Jaguar in the rainforest, but before I could set foot on the field, the colonel had already brought its core to the field base. Snapping me out of my thoughts, she looked down at all four of us.

“Well, let’s start hunting,” she announced, smashing the core with her foot.

Joro POV:

The cave was quiet, which was a nice change of pace from the constant rotation of the remaining hive members. Still, the humans finally launched their attack as the mana signature of the foot soldiers I originally sent out disappeared alarmingly. There must be a strong human on the field this time, and I thought to myself while clicking my mandibles. 

“Sir, we are losing our troops faster this time,” one of my subordinates told me as they ran into my “throne” room made from bones of humans and animals. 

“Yes, I know I’m thinking right now,” I responded, moving to a small hut made of my webs. 

“We should send the royal guard,” the subordinates suggested

“NO, absolutely not!” I snapped, landing from my hut and cracking the cave floor before them, “they are not to leave this cave no matter what, you understand?” 

After that, I heard noises and rustling from the top layer of the nest; looking up, multiple sets of eyes looked down at me, each hungry for blood. One set of eyes dropped to reveal one of my royal guards. 

“Let us have some fun, boss,” Tible said as his black and blue exoskeleton scraped and rubbed against his flesh. 

“But I need you guys just in case we lose troops,” I responded, my tone getting softer as the pressure of the decision started to sink in.

“Why sacrifice more siblings? When we can crush the humans and break their morale,” Tible retorted, returning to the top of the nest.

“Fine…go out, but if any of you die, I will destroy your corpse,” I relented 

“Will do, sir,” he said while bowing before disappearing with the other set of eyes.