Defense of Outpost Rid

The big convoy reaches a dune, covering the open sight of outpost A. At the opposite side of the dune, the gunfires from the outpost against the Narukh'za can be loudly heard. In the convoy's relief, there are no Ravens present in the field and the Demon Eagles Kirin helped before were sent to secure the skies above the outpost. The convoy remains at the dunes.

A minute later, the Demon Eagle reported the situation over the outpost. The outpost, like Lonara have hinted, is under heavy attack by the Zakana. The numbers are huge and the outpost is holding. Despite this, the Demon Eagles recommended that the Boar Company should go in with the returning convoy and join them at the defense.

The captain of the company agrees and proceeded ahead. As usual, they pushed through the attacking Zakana. Doing the same style of approach, with their guns pointed in all directions, they reached the outpost without any casualties. The entrance of the outpost conveniently faces their direction, giving the convoy less trouble getting in.

At the gates, the commander spoke to Kirin. "Welcome to Outpost Rid! This place is built to secure an area and safe zone for our settling convoys heading south for expansion" He welcomed the Arkula. "What did you call it? Outpost A?" He laughed. "Yeah, we didn't care what you call it. We put a temporary name on each of your outposts around here so we can lay siege on 'em" Kirin replied.

"I can see that with outpost Van" He glared at her for a second. "Oh, I believe that was outpost B" Kirin smirked, wanting to see the commander pissed. "The Lord will make you pay for that someday. For now, as humans, we stand against these alien abominations" He formed a fist between them, showing the clear intention of fighting back against the Zakana.

With that, the convoy moved on. "The Narukh'za as ever, good at showing great spirit in combat" Carlos told her. "I bet you these guys want our heads off. They're just being held down by their lords" Kirin whispered to him and they both chuckled.

The convoy and the company now dispersed under their leader's command and went into many positions around the outpost. The same commander of the convoy guided the company and Kirin's squad to the outpost's defense, scattering the company's squads and armors around the place. Up until the Gallant is the last one on standby. "Kirin Solana, Rid has reported sightings of the Shielder southwest of our position. That was the last position they've seen it, so I want you to command this vehicle directly and drive it into wherever this Shielder pest shows up" He told Kirin.

"Ya got it, pale skin" Kirin nodded. "Rid will hold out until the rest of the Lord's army arrives in the outpost north of us. They will then send out another convoy to gather the rest of us here. Supposedly, we will also need to form another convoy to gather our soldiers at Van but you Arkula have swept clean of the outpost" The commander instructed.

Kirin instructed the Gallant to stay at the center of the outpost. With everyone in position, she decided to go to the northern defensive line. Arriving there a minute later, she saw Niela, Chirlin, and Terra taking cover behind a small wall of sandbags and firing alongside the Narukh'za.

Kirin pushed away a soldier beside the three. "Hey, I'm here" She smiled. "I-It's great to have you here, Miss Kirin" Terra smiled widely. "I'm actually terrified" She shyly scratched her head. "No worries, I will guide you" Kirin's eyes made a beeping noise. The three felt safe and continued to fire ahead.

Kirin scanned the fields ahead of them. She saw numerous Zakana signatures moving below the sands, everywhere, even below them. She focused on what was in front of them. With a sight of where a larger group of Zakana is surfacing, she guides the soldiers to them, prioritizing.

After a few minutes, Kirin faced the soldiers. "Hey, let me remind you that there was a Shielder southwest of this outpost! If you feel like the sands are rumbling than usual, call me out and I will send in the Gallant!" Kirin warned the soldiers about the Shielder. After a while, Lonara called in.

"Kirin, I see that you are doing well with the Boars out there" She said. "Hah, yeah! We're holding just fine!" Kirin laughs. "How about the base?" She asked. "They have stopped. They dealt quite a blow but we can recover" Kirin sighed in relief. "I want to tell you that I'm glad that you didn't go against my words" Lonara showed her appreciation. "Ah, it's no problem" Kirin briefly replied.

"I would be very upset, you know?" Kirin projected Lonara's image in confusion to see her. She wears a tiny smile. "I kind of have felt that, so you know..." Kirin twirled her hair. "Yes, that's great. I handled the whole base during the attack, it was already too much. And if you joined in the trouble by pushing yourself against my words, it will be... quite some mess, right?" Kirin didn't answer on that.

"Kirin, this sudden Zakana's appearance really took us by surprise. The comms are twenty-four-seven scanning the sands. There were no single reports about any Zakana" "Something must have changed with them. They may have learned something or evolved somehow to avoid being detected" Lonara said. "That sounds bull, Lonara. No matter their evolution, they will still remain biological. And even the most outdated equipment can detect a Narukh'za" Kirin shook her head.

"Well, something else must have happened. There might be some changes with their methods" "Alright, look. Don't worry about us back here. We can hold another attack, and I'm certain the Narukh'za should be evacuated by that time. You will have plenty of time to come back here and aid us" Lonara didn't wait for her to answer and turned down the call.

Kirin grunted and focused back at battle. The outpost's defense remained strong and so does the Zakana's numbers. The battle is currently even, there was barely any progress. Many Zakana lay dead around the sands of outpost Rid while its total ammunition count decreased dramatically.

A few minutes of shootings later, everyone in the outpost received a call from their suits. A familiar voice came through. "Rid and Arkula, my army will arrive at Kor in half an hour, stay put. Once they arrive, they will make it there" Karuga alerted them. With their lord's words, the convoy commander, who's now in charge of the outpost, spoke through everyone's suit.

"Soldiers of Rid! The Lord has sent her army! Stand fast and destroy these pests before Rid fails to prove her strength to the Lord!" He said to everyone. "Shit, are you kidding me?!" Kirin was furious. "With the Arkula fighting for our cause! We will crush these aliens and give the Lord's army no trouble!" The soldiers shouted in unison with his words. "Hey! WE. ARE. HELPING!" Kirin shouted in irritation.

She turned around and quickly called Lonara. "Are you listening to this, Lonara?! They said Karuga's army is coming! Can you see them?!" With her hurried sentence, Lonara quickly jumped into action. A few seconds later, she spoke. "Y-yes, there is an incredibly large group of Narukh'za far north heading in your direction!" "Scourge, Virka, Devastator, Demon Eagles..." Lonara gasped. "The Great Bastion... Kirin, it's the entire army! The Bastion's identity indicates that it belongs to the second Loyalist" There were traces of fear in her voice.

The Great Bastion or GB for short, is the largest space carrier of the Narukh'za. It is one of the three signature battleships of Kryok. It is the longest amongst the three, built with a length of eight hundred and ninety feet. The side of the hull has big launch pods throughout for its unique spacecraft. The top of the carrier is a flat surface, the flight deck. It is full of parked Demon Eagles. Below the deck is the interior of the ship, it contains countless Demon Eagles and the launch pod spacecraft ready to fill the deck above and the pods on its side. It has more than one hundred and fifty spacecraft onboard.

Unlike the Eternal Justice, whose role is heavy assault, the Bastion fills the role of giving massive air superiority and enormous bombing missions to the battlefield. The Bastion has numerous large rapid-firing laser guns in every pod, two guns in each pod, as its main defense. The carrier can survive for a long period of time with the help of its aircraft if isolated.

"Contact that damned Loyalist! Don't let that carrier proceed any further!" Kirin shouted. "But how-" "Just the damn carrier! I don't care how many tanks they send here, just not that thing!" There was a slight panic in her voice. Not knowing the answer, Lonara fell silent. Before anyone could, Karuga joined in.

"Kirin, I can assure you. My Bastion will only lay waste on the Zakana. We won't touch you and your town you have mentioned" She reassured them. The two couldn't answer. "Just... keep your fucking promises, Loyalist! You know, I should be the one threatening you about marking the Narukh'za as the worst backstabbing piece of-!" "You have my words" Karuga interrupts her. "Like I have told you in Zan, I did not come here fight you" She added. "Zan? Oh, the portal outpost" Kirin shook her head in frustration.

"After we are done here, my army will leave Kryok. We won't see each other in a while" "Why are you leaving?" Karuga gasped as she heard Chirlin's voice. "Because. They promised us. It was the deal. We help them and they leave" Kirin answered her. "B-but, I thought they settled here?! Maybe they can just go somewhere where there are no civilians around?!" Chirlin said. "Yeah, and leave them for the Zakana out there. That's a great idea" "Nooo!!!" Chirlin screamed over Kirin's words and faced away. Kirin fell silent.

"You... heard the Loyalist, Kirin. I will put my trust in her words" Lonara said. Kirin grunted, defeated. "Fine, if Lonara believes you, so will I" "Th-" "-But don't get me wrong" Kirin quickly interrupted Karuga. "I still see you as a threat, and you will not change my opinion about our deal" The two fell silent.

"Alright. If that's how you feel, I won't blame you" Karuga replied before turning down the call. Kirin sighed heavily. "What is this clusterfu-" Before she can finish her words, a machinegunner to their left was shot. "Chirlin! On that machinegun!" Kirin pointed at the mounted Zat-5. "What?! No!" Niela raised her hand to stop her sister.

"She will be fine! I will kill everything that harms her! She only has a Resolver and the other soldiers are carrying rifles!" Kirin said. "I will be fine!" Chirlin joined in. "Chirlin..." Niela looked at her in the eyes. "I... I will be fine..." Chirlin noticed her sister's look and encourages her. "Miss Kirin will help me!" She added.

"Just keep your head down, okay?!" Niela asked and Chirlin nodded with a smile. Niela was a bit relieved but still felt uneasy afterward nonetheless, having to replace the recently shot gunner with her little sister.

On the east where Sterling is positioned. She is commanding the defensive line as a fellow Narukh'za. She barks orders of priority targets accordingly, with rifles to machine guns. While Kirin is busy at the north and the Gallant on standby, the Zakana grew confident on other sides of the outpost.

The ground around the eastern line rumbled, decreasing the accuracy of the soldiers. And with a surprise, the Shielder appeared ahead of them. "Shielder! On the east!" The soldiers in the line including Sterling shouted its name as a warning to the whole outpost.

Sterling remembered the appearance of the Shielder during their departing from Nirinaya, the one who took out their Shuttle. On foot, the Shielder looked even bigger in size. Its big and thick shield and gigantic size shook the bravado of the soldiers.

"Shielder?! Averthos, head east! The Shielder resurfaced!" Kirin quickly warned the Gallant. "Roger that!" Averthos replied and the Gallant started to move towards the eastern line. "Damn it! I will leave you guys for now! Stay put! I will go to Sterling's line!" With that, Kirin left the northern line to visit east.

"Focus fire on that Shielder!" Sterling shouted an order and the soldiers fired at the Shielder. "W-what are they doing?!" She noticed something. As the Shielder tanks the gunfires from the line, the Zakana gathers behind it and the Shielder repeatedly sweeps its front legs, readying for a charge. "No way... Shoot its feet! Try to make it lose balance!" With her order, the soldiers tried shooting its feet, but none of the bullets went through.

"Laser, firing!" One of the soldiers carries a Ravager and prepares it to fire at the Shielder. "The feet, remember!" Sterling reminded the soldier and he nodded. Once the Ravager is fully charged, the soldier fired it directly at the Shielder's frontal left foot. The beam burned through, wounding the Shielder. "It got hit!" Sterling cheered and the soldiers as well.

Wounded by the beam, the Shielder let out a deafening cry and charged ahead. "Oh no... Shoot!" Sterling and the soldiers started firing at the wound of its leg, but it made an effort to lower its shield further to cover its limbs. While it struggles quite a bit, it managed to cover its wounds from the guns of the soldiers.

The Shielder quickly closes their distance to the line. "Fall back, fall back! Form a new line inside!" Sterling shouted an order and they abandoned their position. The Shielder charged through the line of sandbags and spikes and proved no effect against it. The group of Zakana behind the Shielder dispersed ahead, going in all directions in an attempt to overrun the outpost.

"Miss Kirin?! If you're hearing this, the Shielder they mentioned broke through the east! Where's our Gallant?!" Sterling shouted as she helped the soldiers get in position to hold. As she looked around, she saw the Gallant stop behind them, facing the Shielder. "Get down!" She shouted at the soldiers. Just as they threw themselves into the ground, Averthos fired, releasing a powerful blow that shook the soldiers with an ear-splitting bang.