Thanks to COVID hampering my plans to do this in comic format I decided to reverse engineer the first part of the intro script back into a story and get it out before my Birthday. honestly with the amount of writers block I've been having I'm not happy how this has turned out and only got half of it done in time despite setting aside a month and a half to do this. Project (αναγέννησις) is a reboot of the original fanfic, (edit: N1 archive version here: https://forum.corvusbelli.com/threads/the-forgotten-merc-company-n1-archive.36149/) taking key moments and spinning them (hopefully) into a more interesting narrative while adding new characters and scenarios. if your looking for a soundtrack for the first part of the intro (and could be the theme for remake) is disorder by Kanzaki Elza (start playing after the exposition ) Spoiler: Intro; Part 1/2 Intro “Two minutes till drop off!” the driver’s voice echoed through the APC troop compartment. In response the Fusiliers preformed a final check on their equipment and once again ran through the briefing in their minds. A few hours ago a top secret lab came under attack by an unknown force sporting ash grey and black outfits. Garrison casualties were low however the attackers managed to make off with some classified tech. luckily the device had a tracker installed into its casing for such situations. The tracker stopped moving within an abandoned settlement. Due to the possibility of this being a diversion, High Command had allocated only two full battlegroups of ten Fusiliers (each issued with a single HMG and missile launcher) supported by a squad of Orc troops with the field commander remote piloting a Squalo. To deliver them to the area of operations and ferry the captured tech back the force had been assigned three tracked based Armoured Personnel Carriers; Seabass, Kangaroo Three and Wombat’s Might. “Ten second till drop off!” The moment the APCs slammed to a halt and the ramp swung open the soldiers dismounted with haste into the city of rust, broken glass and steel. Their insertion point placed them on the off ramp of a decrepit highway that linked all the settlement together. The perimeter wall flanked the entrance on both sides. More than Ten meters thick mix of concrete and alloys, it automated turrets rusted in place still stoic in its vigil. Located within the outskirts of the human edge, this dwarf planet long ago was one of the secret failures to attempt to colonize the stars. Initial scans indicated it could sustain humanity and was rich with resources. As expected, the major powers came flooding in, rapidly building cities and mines only to find most of the surveys readings were wrong, no crops could be grown and corrective terraforming was equally unsuccessful. In the end the colonization was aborted and the planet just ceased to exist within records and become a site for Pan Oceania and Yu Jing black projects. As her eyes scanned the wall she noticed something glimmer on top for a fraction of a second in the setting sun. As she re-examined the location with a pair of binoculars the was no sign of the source. “Lieutenant Mora, though I can’t confirm it but we may have been pinged by a FO on the perimeter wall” she advised the Squalo. “Acknowledged” responded the mechanical goliath before it signed the force to advance “we’re on the clock boys and girls. Our opponents have been proven to be creative fighters, watch your sectors and they won’t get the drop on us.” Advancing down the off ramp the taskforce had a single APC (Seabass) at the tip with the Orcs in a V formation behind it. That way any hidden mines would strike armour thick enough to survive it unharmed. A safe distance behind them was the Fusiliers with the other two APCs (Kangaroo Three and Wombat’s Might,) and TAG watching the rear. The Female Fusilier kept a diligent watch, her finger resting against the trigger of her Combi rifle. While they descended to ground level, large Warehouses flanked the road on both sides and dotted the scenery up to half a kilometre down the road. It was a safe conclusion that this was the city’s supply depot. Briefly checking her Comlog, the tracking beacon was transmitting within the plaza at the base of the skyscraper at the heart of the city. From their current position she could see it tower over all other skyscrapers like a lighthouse surrounded by a sea of steel. As Seabass made it halfway down the off ramp the eerie silence was shattered by the heavy chattering of gunfire. The sounds originated from the opposite side of city, too far away to pose a threat. One side had the distinct reports of Yu Ming combi, spitfire and multi weaponry. However the retaliatory fire was deep, bassey and sounded much larger than anything an infantryman could wield. “Yu Jing! You think they’re here for the package?” queried another Fusilier lugging a HMG. Overhearing the question, The Orcs troop on the far right of the vanguard tilted its head towards them, its faceplate painted with the iconic skull and the white strip down its torso, denoting their Varuna origin. “I wouldn’t put it past them having a spy, although it’s more plausible that our opponent has been raiding both sides.” “Then I guess it’s fortunate that they too preoccupied to impede us". Suddenly there was the sound loud gong being struck as the APC Seabass lurched backwards violently as a large calibre projectile penetrated the driver’s cabin. Seconds later, as smoke bellowed from the puncture sites, the roaring boom of the weapon finally reached them. Before anyone could overcome the initial shock both ends of the road detonated with enough explosive force to collapse it onto the street below. As they fell the Female Fusilier eyes shot back to the highway. Through the smoke and falling debris she could see the silhouette a humanoid. Though completely transparent, the concrete particles rolling down its form hinted of a sleek agility suit with a compound bow held in its right hand. The collision with the ground knocked every Fusilier prone whilst the TAG and Orc's stability programs kept them upright. Like a shattered porcelain plate the ramp had fractured into multiple pieces providing cover in all directions from ground attacks. Nonetheless, as an Orc vanished in an explosion of concrete, followed by the distinctive boom, they were still exposed to the sniper. Capitalizing on chaos, their opponents materialized within the adjacent alleys and warehouse doorways shortly before opening fire. Clutching her Combi rifle by its upper receiver, the Female Fusilier scurried on all fours to the closest cover. Two Fusiliers, both from her battlegroup, their HMG gunner and another rifleman, had already set up behind it. “So much for being preoccupied” the rifleman remarked towards the HMG. Staying focused in the moment the HMG gunner ignored the riflemen, instead briefly peering around the cover before turning towards them. “Four in alley directly ahead, two in the doorways by our 1 o’clock and 11. Suppression in three…” the gunner announced, his eyes darting her and the rifleman looking for confirmatory nods. “Three!" On cue the gunner sprung into a crouch and levelled the HMG on the alley then squeezed the trigger. Following the gunner’s lead, the two fusiliers directed their fire towards the respective flanks the Female Fusilier was on the 11 o’clock doorway. Clad in ash grey and black darker than the abyss, their enemies equipment were a mix of from all throughout the human sphere, wearing ballistic masks or balaclavas to obscure their identities. Even as her projectiles slammed and ricocheted off steel wall they didn't flinch, when they needed to take a step backwards for cover or to reload it seemed casual. Even when one caught a bullet to the torso their opponent just fell backwards into the structure and vanished from sight. It was as if they were fighting ghosts. With three rounds left in her Combi rifle magazine and the retaliatory fire whizzing past her ears the Female Fusilier dropped back behind the debris. While she rocked a fresh magazine into the rifle the Fusilier once again assessed her surroundings. Though five of her fellow twenty Fusiliers were, crumpled over, non responsive on the pavement, their training combined with the Orcs had ensured they hadn’t lost any ground to their opponents. While they fended off the opposing force their lieutenant piloting the Squalo was excavating the two functional APCs buried and on their sides within the debris. With a thunderous crack the adjacent position further up the line was engulfed in a shower of concrete. When the dust settled another compatriot had vanished from existence, leaving behind fragments of armour, their weapon and two traumatized Fusiliers frozen in place. The Squalo’s head instantaneously snapped towards the tower as it reached for its MULTI HMG with one hand then proceeded to blindly strafe the tower. Responding to the aggression, the sky screeched as the sniper round whizzed back. The Squalo predicted the retaliation and was already shifting its mechanical bulk to the left. Unfortunately the TAG wasn’t fast enough and took the hit in the right shoulder, causing a spectacular fireball as the HMG shoulder stock’s grenade battery exploded. Charred black on the right side of its face, primary arm blown clear of its frame and seeping liquid armour gel from its joint, the Squalo remained defiantly upright and functional against the critical damage inflicted upon it. Picking up its HMG the machine issued fourth a directive; “threat is on top floor, second window on the left, use the launcher!” “On it!” confirmed the Fusilier specialist with missile launcher strapped to her back. Keeping low to the ground scurried to the rear of the formation, where no human would be caught in the backblast. Slugging the launcher on her shoulder with purpose the specialist quickly took aim and fired. The missile raced towards the sky with a trail of smoke following in its wake, its LAI making sharp corrections to prevent interception. In mere seconds it had covered two thirds of the distance to its target. Suddenly the Female Fusilier’s heart skipped a beat as she witnessed an impossible feat; with a single bullet the sniper shot the missile out of the air. The missile flight trajectory was generated at random, and yet its instantaneous detonation meant it wasn’t some lucky strike on the motor. They anticipated its path and hit it dead on the nosecone, driving the anti material round straight through its core! Without warning the specialist Fusilier a pained howl that ended with a sickening gurgle. Both the Female Fusilier and the Squalo shifted their vision towards the specialist. On her knees and slumped forward, an arrow buried deep in the gap between her left shoulder and neck her back. Weakly the specialist eyes and head began to rotate upwards and behind as her primary hand drew her pistol. However before she could be brought to bear on her assailant the Fusilier instantaneously vanished in a shower of concrete and a thunderous boom as sniper took her out. In unison the Squalo and Female Fusilier weapons snapped towards the unbroken section of the highway offramp. Unlike the T.A.G. she had had a clear view of the cloaked individual standing half a meter back from the lip, the light being distorted around its body. Both she and the machine instantaneously squeezed the trigger with no intention of letting go before they down the target or run dry on ammunition. With explosive HMG rounds shattering the road below it and Combi rifle ceaseless projectiles whizzing around it, the blur contorted and weaved around the onslaught. By sheer luck one bullet managed to graze its left shoulder which caused it’s TO camouflage to short out. Just like its colleges its core colours were blacks and greys. Her initial assessment of its equipment was accurate; it wore a mobility suit that was sleek, betraying its feminine physique, with a full head helmet with three eyes. Covering the lower half was the same style of garb seen within the Japanese settlements and katana fixed to its back. If ninjas existed within the sphere, that would be an apt description. Though her camouflage disabled the kunoichi proved to be a difficult target to hit as it continued to back flip and twirl around the bullets and explosive fragments. Even with the off ramp reduced by an additional five meters, opening up a better line of fire for the Female Fusilier the kunoichi managed to disengage from the fight. Seconds later she saw a flickering object fall from the furthest side of the highway, landed on top of warehouse then vanished completely into enemy lines. “To hell with this bullshit!” the T.A.G. swore in frustration after two consecutive sniper bullets whizzed past its mechanical head. Dropping its weapon it forcefully shoved the Kangaroo Three and Wombat’s Might out of the debris and upright. Now free the vehicle’s crew could finally disembark if they wished, instead the engines roared back to life and their unmanned turrets snapped towards the closest threats and opened fire. With the APCs operable the balance shifted sharply in Pan Oceania’s favour. Their heavy autocannons tore through the steel structures with ease which caused the left flank of the enemy line to retreat. The most peculiar thing was the sniper was silent; the Female Fusilier considered it was possibly reloading. “There’s our window boys and girls” the Squalo proclaimed, picking up its Multi HMG and pointed towards a warehouse on the left flank that had its main entrance door open wide enough to fit vehicles through. “Kangaroo Three, take the lead and follow the wave points I sent to your HUD. Wombat's might, you’re got rear guard” Part 2 will introduce the Foxtrots, Elixi and Null Sum what do you think? if you read and enjoyed the original how does this compare?
