- Excerpt from ‘A closer look at alien Invaders’ Vol One, by Professor Jennifer Finkly, 2057
As always I immediately felt much better the moment the fighting began. Thoughts and worries nagging at me fell into the background, irrelevant for the moment. My steps were deliberate and calm, not wasting any more energy than absolutely necessary.
Antithesis were horde fighters, not tacticians. It made their attacks rather predictable, especially if you only had a few different models to worry about. Of course, I never let myself fall into the mindset that there couldn’t be any more surprises. That could quickly end with my death, but I also couldn’t let fear or terror rule me.
Over the past little while I had learned what to look forward to when fighting model Threes. It wasn’t quite the same as most games had been, with a very limited number of always exactly the same moves, but it wasn’t nearly as complicated as fighting a competent human, once you figured out the little details.
My biggest worry were the model Ones. I could shoot them down, yes, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be a threat. That said, I wasn’t alone. As much as I hated to admit it, but Ida was a damn good shot, and she did a good job of keeping the skies clear. It made my job so much easier. I still didn’t trust her, and I probably never would, but at the very least she did seem to genuinely try and help.
Rushing along the northern side of the open area, and towards the gate, my blade found the throat of yet another model Three that had turned its attention away from the half eaten corpse of some sorry sot to face me. With a precise movement, I sidestepped the awkward lunge, the edge of my dagger cutting open the alien's throat, halfway decapitating it.
At the same time, I levelled my pistol at another model Three. This one had noticed my approach sooner than most, and was already halfway in the process of making it over to me from the shelter entrance. I took care not to hit the shelter door. While it likely was able to hold up against a single bullet, even from a weapon like this, it wasn’t worth risking it.
Luckily for me, the aliens weren’t all too smart, which made it easy to lead it in such a way that I had a free range of fire.
Only seconds after the fight had begun, I arrived at the gate. Blocking this opening off was step one of the plan, and I didn’t even need to say anything, simply motioning at the hole with one hand. Stryx got my meaning, and I ignored the ding of incoming notifications. Absently I noticed that they were more quiet than before, likely to not distract as much. I appreciated the thoughtfulness.
From the corner of my eyes I saw big blocks of concrete appear next to the gate, blocking off both sides within moments. It would make opening the thing a bitch, but that was a worry for later. Right now we had to make sure the aliens wouldn’t be able to overrun us.
A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
“Stryx, can I buy some of Zuri’s pheromones?” The question was nearly lost in the sound of another model Three hitting the ground, my blade slick with whatever equivalent of blood they had.
Yes. Do you have a plan?
I couldn’t quite respond immediately, having to take a step to the side to avoid another Three trying to take a bite out of me. Ignoring it for a moment, I quickly levelled my pistol at yet another alien, this one seemingly trying to sniff out Ida. While I didn’t trust the woman, she was right that I wasn’t about to let her die either.
The bullet hit the walking plant straight in the head, and the familiar green flash followed.
Finally with the time to deal with the one that had tried to make a meal out of me, I quickly stabbed it in its eye, killing it instantly. Another flash, another corpse that was slowly transforming. By this point the first of the dead started to rise again, which allowed me the moment I needed to reply to Stryx.
“I need some way to make a lure, then shoot it far over the gate. We might have blocked it off, and that’s good, but we need to make sure they don’t try to get through or over. Do I have something like that?”
Not specifically, although it would be rather easy to put together a one time use item that can fulfil that specific requirement.
“Wonderful.” My statement was underlined by yet another alien dying at the hand of my dagger. Sadly it would never join my undead horde, as I had to use the corpse as a shield from yet another attack. It likely would’ve been able to be resurrected, but with the now nearly missing front limbs, thanks to its brethren's claws, it really wasn’t worth it.
“The distraction doesn’t need to hold long. Only long enough for me to set up something of a kill box. Afterwards I want to lure them in. If we send them into the city, we might endanger civvies. That’s a no go.”
Noted. I can put something together for that purpose for 17 points. Do you accept that purchase?
“Yes.”
I hadn’t even fully finished the word, then a small contraption appeared next to me. It looked rather strange, not that I had the time to check it over too closely. A low thwump was audible, then something sailed over the gate and into the distance. Dismissing it from my mind, I turned my attention back to the fight.
Despite the rather sizable xeno force, the fighting quickly shifted into our favour. Ida was quick to take down most of the model Ones, only stopping briefly to reload. I was swarmed by model Threes, but thanks to the large open area, and the help of my undead, I still felt relatively safe. Once more of the aliens joined my undead, things became much easier. Many of them were destroyed, yes, but the shift in numbers was already enough to quickly decide the battle.
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Only a couple of minutes after the assault began, the last model Three died, ripped apart by three of my undead. A bit of a waste, maybe, but it wasn’t like I was short on troops. Roughly half of the aliens were still around in the form of undead, although a significant portion of them were crippled in some way. Still sufficient for a proper defence, but we wouldn’t be moving anywhere quickly with them.
With the last enemies dead, I turned towards the shelter door. Up close, I was pretty sure that it would hold. There were some scratches on it, and the paint would definitely need to be touched up, but that was about it. The aliens hadn’t managed to deal any significant damage. Nodding to myself, I turned back to the gate. A couple model Threes had come to investigate during the fight. I had killed them with my pistol, and now I had four undead standing guard on the other side of the barricades.
Holding out my hand for a new mag, a gesture Stryx understood immediately, I quickly reloaded my weapon. My idea was to make a kill box to lure in the aliens from outside the park. But I had to do that without risking the shelter or the people inside. I also had to make sure that I didn’t pull in more than I could handle, in case they’d be able to get into the park. There might still be other civilians running around, after all.
Unsurprisingly, Ida was occupied by running over to the shelter, and knocking repeatedly. A rather unnecessary action, as there was a camera that was keeping an eye on the door. Likely the people inside had seen exactly what had gone down.
Should I send the people inside a message to convince them it is safe? From the conversation I am able to overhear, they do appear to be rather skeptical, thanks to your undead minions.
“Yeah, go for it.”
Their hesitation didn’t surprise me. Anyone with half a functioning brain would keep a shelter closed, even if two folk were with the horde of living dead. Actually, especially then. Zombie worms were a thing, and this likely looked like those to them.
Pushing the entire thing to the side, I focused back on my plan. The concrete blocks that were serving as barricades were large and simple. No decorations, no fancy shapes, just big blocks of rock and stone to keep the xenos out. I very likely could use them to build a sort of funnel for the aliens to run into. The main issue was how to kill them reliably, without them being able to get past the defences, and without spending an exorbitant amount of points in the process.
The main issue was that I really wasn’t specialised for that kind of thing. The main way I dealt with hordes were my undead, and those wouldn’t be of any help with this. I also didn’t have access to other large scale weapons, not that I wanted them in the first place. But I would need something to deal with situations like this in the future, so I had to think carefully about what I could do.
“Stryx, how many points do I have?”
As of this moment, you have 827 points. Considering the price efficient nature of your specific set of catalogues, that is rather a lot.
I nodded absently, trying to think of something. I didn’t want a permanent installation, but it also couldn’t be temporary enough for the aliens to break through. Turrets and the like were probably my best bet. Load them up with Necromancy rounds, maybe a few of Zuri’s pheromones for good measure, and a big funnel made from concrete blocks.
My musings were interrupted by the sound of the shelter door hissing, then slowly opening. I turned, watching the massive thing moving, revealing four figures. Three were soldiers, that much was clear. One man and two women, if I saw it correctly. The last was a civilian.
I didn’t need any help figuring out who he was, since Ida bodily threw herself at the middle aged man, more or less tackling him to the ground. That must be Herold.
“Ma’am!” The soldiers took a few steps closer to me, before giving me a sharp salute. “We are immensely grateful for your help dealing with those xenos. After they surprised us, we were almost sure we’d all die.”
The man was the one to speak, and he sounded relieved. I just waved it away, not caring much for any of this. “Whatever. Is the shelter still intact?”
“Yes, ma’am. Luckily they didn’t have any of the wallbreacher models. But there is something you should probably know about.” His tone made it clear that it was important. I perked up, despite myself.
“And that is?”
“It might be best for you to see yourself, ma’am. If you’d allow me?” He motioned to his head in the universal signal for augs. Likely he wanted to send me a file.
“Stryx, check it. Otherwise, let it through.” I kept my voice low, but not low enough for them to not overhear.
The man seemed to get my meaning, and a moment later I got a video file. Giving it a quick check over, a habit I seemingly couldn’t shake, I found nothing wrong with it. Not that I expected anything, since Stryx also checked it over. Never could be too careful, though.
Anyway, it was safe and it wasn’t all that long. I had my HUD set to keep any pop ups transparent enough to still see through, although for this one I had to change that setting for a moment, since it was rather hard to see.
The video was a rather pixelated recording of a security camera. Considering the quality, it was likely highly zoomed in. At first, I couldn’t make out what exactly it was focused on. But after rewatching it two more times, I finally figured out what I was seeing. A rather strange alien that didn’t seem to fit any description I’ve ever heard about.
“What is that?” I muttered, not quite sure what to make of it.
“We aren’t quite sure, ma’am. It appears to be a new model. Our guess is that it’s similar to the model Six, as we have noticed it coordinating the horde around it. But it is also different. Sometimes Threes around it get all weird, rushing you down faster than before. It’s almost as if they’re enraged, if that’s even possible. Whatever it is, it was the reason for the sudden surprise attack on the shelter.”
I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows. Before I could reply, though, Stryx spoke up.
It is likely a new variant of the model Six. Your sister is currently fighting off exactly such a model at the other shelter. Before you start worrying, she has events well in hand.
Those news nearly had me turn and rush off, but I stopped myself. Zuri was a Samurai now. She could use my catalogues, and get stuff for herself. I had to trust in her, and keep a level head.
“Alright. What is that model exactly?”
I am not quite certain. It is unlike any variant the protectors have seen before. What I can tell you is that it can somehow override the pheromones that your sister uses. Affected antithesis seem to become frenzied in some way, blindly rushing down any threat. They seem to become even more mindless during that process, so it is not without drawbacks. The more agile build of this variant also suggests either higher agility, or perhaps even increased intelligence. Until more information can be collected, it is for the best to treat this new variant as a significant threat.
I nodded. That was always a good plan.
“Ma’am, if I may?” The soldier continued, and I waved him to keep talking. “Communications have been rather spotty, but the evacuation convoy has reported running into this new model as well. While they were able to fend it off, it is a rather drastic force multiplier.”
That made me growl. The soldier at the other shelter had mentioned the convoy. We were meant to go check it out, before Ida came along to ask for help finding her husband. Now I was even further away, and Zuri was also bound up in events. Who knew how long they could keep it up?
But I also couldn’t just leave. This shelter was still in danger, and until I could sort that out, leaving them alone was tantamount to killing them all.
“Alright. Stryx, change of plans. I need to secure this shelter and somehow help the convoy. I have ideas for either one or the other, but not both. Do you have anything that could help?”
Of course. Perhaps it is time to upgrade your undead a bit, to allow for more autonomous action.
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