Cast (In Order of Appearance):
Rho-1955: An ULH Commandant
Zeta-904578568: An ULH Soldier
Aleksandar: An AoF Corporal
Marcel: An AoF Unit Commander
Adnan: An AoF Transport Driver
Vladislav: An AoF Gunner
Ercole: An AoF Soldier
Vasilios: An AoF Spotter
Gerulf: An AoF Soldier

NARRATOR: I’ve long realized that all of this technological development has hindered us, in this year of 4255, more so than helped us. Certainly, I can hear the silent rumble of the underground military installation’s highly expensive life support system working, and we have all of the necessary requirements for life that we need here, but truly, on the southern hemisphere of the planet Kraton, is this all that humanity has left? We’ve lost the war with the United League of Humanity (ULH) – quite an odd name, given how they are more robot than human, but their superior production has beaten us.


Our scientists tried genetic experiments to make us better, you know. Things like…enhanced cell reproduction and the ability to effectively design your own child all sound nice, right? Well, I don’t know what those crazy scientists did, but we’re being overrun by a new, mutant race. No longer homo sapiens, but something different. They have claws, swords, ranged weapons made of bone. They’re ugly. They come in more shapes and sizes than the average planet’s biosphere’s worth of species.


It’s quite silly that we’ve driven ourselves into this rut. Dwindled to a population of less than 400 million, we would barely be able to consider ourselves an actual country a millennia ago. Now, sitting in my living quarters, all I can do is despair at a voice over the intercom, which only said, “Prepare to evacuate the installation. Mutant assault is already underway – leave anything behind that is not necessary to survival.”

ALEKSANDAR: I suppose that means that I should get a move on.


ZETA-904578568: Commandant, we’ve found an intact recording on one of the bodies!

RHO-1955: Well, we should figure out what is on it. We could possibly derive tactical information from the experiences of this Arms of Freedom (AoF) traitor!

ZETA-904578568: Of course, sir.

The Zeta-904578568 hands over the recording, and the Commandant opens it, starting it.


A.I. Assistant (ULH): BEGIN RECORDING

…

The AoF Corporal leaves the underground installation, exchanging greetings and thoughts of hope with his allies. The scene is combative: soldiers shooting a wide variety of weapons at the ground below from a barricade near-by, while a massive artillery walker positions itself atop a hill far in the back. Below, men in advanced power armor fight desperately for their lives in melee.

ALEKSANDAR: Reporting, commander!

MARCEL: Welcome back to the surface, it’s too bad that we had to meet each other in such dire straits.

ALEKSANDAR: Naturally, sir. Why have the vile creatures chosen to attack today?

MARCEL: We’re uncertain, but most of the forward positions have been overrun. As you can see below us, there’s little left of our Forlorn Hope unit still fighting.

ALEKSANDAR: That’s…disappointing, sir.

MARCEL: That it is. Now, go board one of those heavy transports, we need to evacuate as many men and materials as possible.

The soldier leaves the barricade that the commander was standing at, and quickly gets onto the transport.

ADNAN: Alright, it’s time to leave! We have super-heavy artillery firing upon a massive enemy that is approaching us quickly and we have no time to waste!

VLADISLAV: Yeah, well, the mutants just broke past the barricade, go, go, go!

The transport begins moving, albeit slowly, as a horde of diverse mutated humans charge forward in pursuit of it and the other transports.

ERCOLE: Keep shooting! They won’t stop coming, but we have to slow them down!

VLADISLAV: Yeah, I have that covered pretty well!

The monsters and mutants drop quickly, only to be replaced by more as the chase continues.

After a short time, a much larger mutant begins to charge through the others, knocking many over in its wake.

VASILIOS: Brace yourselves; one of the big ones is coming through!

The creature swings a bone-blade into the side of the vehicle, latching on to the side. The Corporal opens a hatch next to it, and starts to fire plasma bolts and bullets at it.

ALEKSANDAR: Die, you abomination!

MUTANT BRUTE: (Incoherent gibberish, though words of hate and insult can partially be made out.)

The brute swings heavily as it attempts to kill the Corporal in one fell swoop, but the Corporal ducks back through the hatch just in time.

ALEKSANDAR: Okay, beast, we will see how you like having an energized plasma bayonet forced through your skull!

GERULF: You’re crazy, man, that thing will kill you!

ALEKSANDAR: We’ll see.

The Corporal pulls himself back out of the vehicle, and quickly stabs the bayonet through the creature’s head without warning, melting its brain, killing it instantly. He cuts the bone-blade off, and the creature tumbles down onto the ground.

ALEKSANDAR: That’ll show them!

VLADISLAV: Well, I guess. Y’know, they have a lot more of those.

ALEKSANDAR: Yeah, yeah, I know.

VLADISLAV: We’ll be out of this so-

An ear-shattering explosion goes out as everyone is deafened for some time, and some of the mutants are drop dead from the recoil of the artillery piece firing. A wild scream comes from the background as the artillery’s target is hit, though not destroyed.

ADNAN: Okay, we’re almost beyond the artillery piece! After that, we should be golden!

ALEKSANDAR: What of the artillery?

ADNAN: I don’t know, they’ll probably get overrun!

ALEKSANDAR: That sounds like a bad idea to just let our equipment get destroyed by the enemy.

ADNAN: Yeah, but what can you do? We’re the ones losing, not winning.

GERULF: That IS true.

VASILIOS: Oh no! That…thing is still on the move, we have to go faster!

ADNAN: I’m trying, stop complaining! Sometimes I think the tracks of this thing get clogged with dead enemies.

The enormous, disgusting creature comes into view just as the artillery finishes reloading its next shell. It attempts to fire, but shortly afterwards the beast’s powerful “arm” slaps the barrel to the side, knocking the walker over and causing the projectile to fly in the direction of the retreat.

ALEKSANDAR: Get down! Get-

An intensely hot and loud explosion goes off as the shell strikes the ground only a couple hundred meters from the retreating force, the intense force of the blast sending the transport flying to the side as the Corporal as thrown out of the hatch he opened earlier.

Static is all that is heard for a few minutes before the recording comes back on.

ALEKSANDAR: Ah…I c-can’t move.

A.I. Assisant (AoF): VITAL ORGANS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. VISIBILITY LOW. OXYGEN READINGS LOW. ARMOR CIRCUITRY BROKEN.

ALEKSANDAR: How…nice to know…

MUTANT BRUTE #2: (Gibberish, made out as “One is still alive!”)

The brute runs at the Corporal, and swings, as the recording turns to static.

A.I. Assistant (ULH): RECORDING OVER.


RHO-1955: What a disaster. It’s no wonder that we’ve been defeating the traitors for all these years! The true successors of humanity will prevail!

The soldiers under his command roar in triumph after witnessing the total destruction of one of their enemies, at the hands of their own bioweapons, no less.