The first few Swamlings had already broken through the mass of steel wire, spriting out over the last 100 metres of flat ground before they reached the first line of trenches. However before they got far, large explosions tore them apart from below their feet, a minefield the only thing left between them and their prey.
Already a few PDF soldiers on the ground could see something was different. It usually took an average Swarm raid 10 to 20 minutes to break through the lines of razor wire, and yet here it took less than 2.
"Keep firing!" a commander on the ground yelled, "I don't want a single bullet left in my trench before we're done!"
His gun clicked empty, the magazine discarded into a growing heap on the floor. He reached for another but found nothing, so with a click of his tongue he broke off from the firing line and rushed into a tunnel behind him leading to a local ammunition storage.
The storage was fairly sparse, most of its contents already distributed amongst the soldiers. Major Mayne made a rookie mistake not stocking up himself, although he forgave himself due to the pile of other problems he had to deal with before this attack.
"I'm too old for this shit" he cursed, reaching down to grab a crate of ballistic ammunition. However something caused him to pause, out of the corner of his eye he spotted a lone soldier. Fresh recruit it seemed, easy to tell from the lack of grime and dirt covering his freshly pressed uniform. That and the fact that he was curled up in a fetal position trying his best to hide.
"Soldier!" Mayne called out, dropping the crate and marching over. "Soldier, you best have a good explanation for why you're hiding in here like a coward."
The soldier in question didn't respond, Mayne doubted he could even hear him. He was too busy rocking back and forth, stuck in his own head spouting incomprehensible nonsense.
"Soldier!" Mayne yelled out again, grabbing at his shoulder.
"Ahh! S-stay back!" The recruit jumped back, whirling his gun around at Mayne, his teary eyes struck with fear.
Mayne grumbled under his breath, sights like these were becoming alarmingly common these days. The boy looked no older than 16, likely pulled out of his classroom with lies of glory and adventure.
The war had dragged on, and without more offworld reinforcements they were forced to drag up any abled body, no matter how young they may be. It was against the law however, no one below the age of 18 being able to enlist in the PDF or military, however many recruiters often closed their eyes to blatantly fake IDs
"Drop the gun boy." Mayne's voice was somewhat softer, but still carrying his authority as a Major.
The recruit's hand trembled, but he still lowered the gun, despite the tears streaming down his face. "I-I can't do it anymore sir.. I don't want to die, I just want to go home.."
The Major sighed, his frustration melting away. He had two sons back home, no older than the mess of a recruit before him. He had told them very simply to never enlist in the PDF, his mother should hopefully keep them in line but that didn't stop hopeful children like the recruit here signing up.
"I understand son" he took his hand off the boy's shoulder, stepping back to give him some room. "But this is war, did you think it would look any different? I have my orders and you have yours, so get up and carry them out."
The recruit sniffed, wiping away at his face with his sleeve. "I-I understand sir.. But the Swarm.. T-they just keep coming! They're monsters!"
The Major shook his head, this wasn't getting anywhere. A normal day he probably would've spent more time trying to fix these issues with a softer hand, however they were at war, battle raged all around them. It was not the time to coddle baby faced recruits that shouldn't have been let out of the classroom.
"Soldier this is an order!" He pulled out his side arm, pointing it at the recruit, despite how disgusted it made him feel. "Either you get up and fight, or I execute you here and now for cowardice and insubordination!"
The recruit looked panicked, eyes wide as he stared down the barrel pointed at his face. "S-sir I…"
"Get up and fight soldier! Or do you wish for your family to remember you as a coward?"
"I-I.. u-understand sir." The response was shaky and unwilling, but that was enough. He didn't want to shoot his own men, and he probably wouldn't have even if the private refused.
"Good" Mayne holstered his gun. "Grab a crate of ballistic rounds and follow me back to the front."
The recruit stood with shaking legs, the fear of immediate death overwhelming whatever lurked outside. The major no longer paid any attention to him, grabbing the ammunition he had come for and marching back outside. He had wasted enough time already, he had to get back to the front.
The situation topside had deteriorated significantly in the short time he had been in the underground bunker. The Swarmlings were still stuck in the minefield, however by sheer force of numbers they were quickly carving out paths through, almost reaching the trench line itself.
"Commander!" A soldier quickly saluted as Mayne dropped the crate and assessed the situation. "We have 2 minutes tops before the minefield is cleared, shall I call for a general retreat?"
"No" Major Mayne clicked a new magazine into his rifle and began shooting the closest oversized ants. "My orders are quite clear, we are to give no ground. Tell the men to affix bayonets."
The soldier looked shocked. "But sir.. We still have time to-"
"Enough! My orders are clear, I will not repeat myself. Do your duty or I will find someone else who can!"
"U-understood sir."
Maynes whirled his gun towards a Swarmling metres from his face, it had been far enough out for him not to worry about it moments before, however somehow it had found a patch of ground completely devoid of mines. Its exoskeleton tanked 5 shots before he finally broke through to its soft flesh underneath, causing it to crumple to the ground. However before he could relax from the close call, 3 more Swarmlings crawled over the now dead corpse and lunged forward at him.
"Fuck!" Mayne managed to fill one more with bullet holes, its lifeless body falling limp, but before he could reload to shoot another they had reached the trench. A soldier to his left cried out in pain, the giant ant pinning him to the ground before its gaping maw ripped his head clean off.
"Raghh!" Mayne jumped from his firing step and charged forward, the tip of his rifle adorned by a long sharp blade. However as he struck out at the large bug, only a loud 'ting' was heard, like metal scraping against metal his bayonet was deflected down the ants side, leaving only a shallow cut against its shell.
"Skreeee!" The monster screeched in response, its head whipping around and eyes locking onto Mayne. It shifted forward, raising one of its front legs, bringing it speeding back down. Mayne leaped to the side, crashing against the earthen walls of the narrow trench and collapsing to the floor.
"Skreee!" The monster was aggravated that its prey escaped its grasp, whirling around it lunged forward at the major, its mouth open wide. Mayne brought his rifle in front, holding it out as the ant pressed against him, its weight almost causing his arms to buckle under the strain.
"Ahhh!" Thick wads of saliva poured down his arms from its open mouth, the corrosive liquid sizzling away at his uniform, and the skin underneath. His gun wedged its jaw open, preventing a certain death the moment it slammed shut. "Fuck off you overgrown insect!"
His gun started to crack, the weight behind the Swarm ant being too much for it to bear. Mayne slowly relented to his fate, his arms were giving out, no longer able to hold back his foe. The ant's eyes shimmered with glee, its prey's resistance no longer strong enough to hold it back, and raced forward to finish it off.
Bang! An explosive round slammed into the side of the ant, pushing him ever so slightly off course causing it to impact the earth to the side of Mayne. Bang! Bang! Bang! More shots rang out before it could get up again, its squirming body quickly going limp.
Mayne was shocked, a moment ago he was completely resigned to his death, and yet now he was still alive. Looking to where the bullets came from he almost laughed, only stopped by the lack of air in his exhausted lungs.
"Soldier, am I ever glad to see you!" Mayne stubbled to his feet, taking in the view of the cowardly private holding the smoking gun that saved his life. "Boy am I ever glad I didn't shoot you."
The private forced through a shaky smile onto his terror filled face, trying his best to be brave despite himself.
Mayne looked down his line, the last ant that had broken through was finally put down, a group of 4 soldiers spraying its body with bullets. Only 3 had broken through but the damage was eminence, he could see at least 10 to 20 bodies lying dead.
"Are we going to retreat sir?" The private choked out, voice still shaky. "They've almost completely broken through the minefield."
"No can do private." He raised his gun, locking in a fresh set of rounds. "You don't know this, but some military officials showed up a day or two ago. They took over command and posted soldiers in all the communication trenches leading back, they have orders to shoot to kill anyone that retreats."
The private's face went pale. "But sir! We're the PDF not the military! Why should we listen to them?"
The major cursed, the damage to his gun not letting him set the bolt into position. He tossed it aside, picking up a less powerful standard issue rifle from a fallen soldier at his side . "That's just the way the world works private. Even after my 20 years of service climbing to my rank, I'm still as disposable as the day I joined."
This time his gun clicked into place without issue, and Mayne locked his eyes onto the shaking private. "You saved my life, so let me teach you something I've learned over my years in this place. The only way for you to live, to not have your life thrown away is to reach the top, to fight and claw your way up to a rank high enough that they can't simply dispose of you."
"I thought I was already there. But I guess not." He shook his head, voice filled with grief. He reached down into his breast pocket and pulled out a handwritten letter, alongside his major rank badge. "I have one more job for you private, take this and get out of here."
"But won't I be shot for deserting?"
"I'm not sure," the major guessed. "But that's what my badge is for, tell them you're delivering important information, hopefully they let you through."
The private took the letter and badge with shaking hands. "W-what's in the letter sir?" "It's for my family back home, make sure they get it, would you?" The major smiled, placing his hand on the private's shoulder. The sounds of battle were quickly getting closer, even if he wanted to, soon they'd run out of time to retreat. "This is my last order private."
The private nodded, clutching the letter tight against his chest and raising his hand up in a salute. He turned and ran, far faster than he would've liked, even if he wanted to be a soldier and join in the fight, his legs betrayed his heart. He was still terrified of the war going on around him, he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.
"Private!" The major called out before he rounded a corner and dropped out of view. "I never did catch your name."
The private smiled, this time less forced.
"Private Hower sir. Issac Hower."