~Colony 6~
[1 Year after the Battle of Sword Valley]
Sergeant Illiana Morrison, having just relieved Beta squad of their second shift duty, settled in to watch the golden hues of twilight make way for the eventual curtain of night.
Gamma squad, currently on third shift rotation, took the watch over the front gate to Colony 6 from 20:00 to 04:00, after which Delta would relieve them. Illiana had always preferred this particular shift, as she loved watching the night settle in over the vast expanse of the Bionis' Leg.
"Anything to report?" the sergeant asked one of her spotters, who was concentrating on surveying the landscape.
"All clear, ma'am," was the immediate reply, the scout not taking his eye of his work. "We've seen a few fifty-three's around the past two nights, but they've obviously been just poking and prodding our patrols -- they haven't even bothered to engage us with more than 3 at a time."
"But you haven't seen any tonight?"
The sharpshooter shrugged, although there is no way Illiana could have seen it standing alongside him. "It's early, ma'am. They have the natural advantage at night, so it makes sense for them to--"
The soldier cut off abruptly. Illiana didn't need to see the muscles tense up in the man's shoulders to know something was wrong. After a good, long, thirty seconds, she nudged him. "Something I should know?" she asked as casually as she could, trying to mask the simmering nervousness she hadn't previously been aware of.
"Forest went quiet. Animals and small fry monsters usually provide a blanket of constant white noise. Something's spooked them."
"Mechon?"
"Wouldn't bet against it, ma'am."
Illiana ran to the command post at the front gate and sounded the alarm. She didn't need to do anything else. The front gate, already closed, was reinforced immediately. The men were already at the ready. Delta, Alpha, and those from Beta fit for battle would be reinforcing them momentarily.
She checked in with her forward scout again. "What have you got for me?"
"Contact still negative. I'm not even sure this is--do you hear that?"
Illiana was about to roll her eyes and reply that she hadn't heard anything when her eyes fixed on one of the supply barrels. A glass of water had been placed on top of it, no doubt someone from Beta neglecting to clean up after themselves.
And it was vibrating.
She looked up above her; her gunners were already manning the garrisons. She had a feeling they would be needed.
"Contact!" the scout yelled. "From the south, out of the forest! 7 or 8 of them! They look like giant snakes! I've never seen anything like it!"
Illiana could see it too, now that she knew they were there. A number of flailing snake like figures had cleared the trees and were lumbering toward them, making no attempt to hide their presence. She couldn't tell how quickly they were moving from this distance.
"Wait, no!" The spotter continued. "Not 7 or 8 -- just one! They're all attached to a single body. This thing is huge! Doesn't seem to be terribly mobile though," he candidly added.
The sergeant watched in amazement as the towering mechon lumbered toward them. And although it resembled a spider, it didn't seem to be moving with the agility of the organism it was obviously modeled after.
Her man quickly confirmed this. "Something's off. At least 2 of the legs are non-functional -- it's dragging them behind. It must be damaged -- I'm surprised this thing can move at all right now."
A few more uneasy minutes passed as the mechon dragged itself into the clearing between the forest and the front gate. And then, finally, when it caught a patch of uneven ground that it could not traverse, it fell over in a heap and lay still."
"No other hostiles," the sharpshooter volunteered. "All clear, at least for the moment."
"Hold your fire!" Illiana yelled. She'd need to send out an investigative party, she knew, and she dreaded it. The fact that this could be a trap did not elude her.
But if it wasn't...
This is all wrong,
she thought. Her men didn't fell this creature, and she wasn't aware of any other Homs colonies in the area. What sort of thing could do this to a giant mechon?
And more importantly, would it do the same to them?
