For Blood, For Freedom (An Eighthy-Six 86 Fanfiction)

Chapter 3: Army of the Damned

As the burning horizon came into full view through my optics, I confirmed their location. I swiftly initiated a volley of long-range Skorpion attacks to soften their defenses. The enemy remained unable to retaliate, showing vulnerabilities and weaknesses that were evident in my assessment.

Cruising across the land, our approach brought us closer and closer to the target. Surprisingly, there was no return fire from the opposition. It was as if reenactment of the early human forces against Legion — amateurs, frozen and paralyzed, their incompetence preventing them from effectively countering our assault, incapable of a coherent response.

"Inexperience,"

I thought, the word resonating with my memories from long ago. The integrated network of my screens provided me with a wealth of information, reminding me that I was once human, now transformed into an instrument for their eventual downfall.

That's it for now. Later, a series of explosions engulfed dozens of Ameise and Grauwolf units.

Boom!

Boom!

It was anti-tank mines – they had been blasted beyond recovery. It became evident that the area was filled with mines. I needed to swiftly reassess their capabilities in light of this new information gathered.

However, the damage was insignificant considering our current numbers. Thus, the resonating explosions continued for the next few moments until one of the Lowe units from my force recon finally stepped on one of the mines. It suffered damage, with several of its polypedal leg systems getting impaired. Although not destroyed, it was left immobilized for the time being.

While the Lowe's offensive capabilities remained largely intact, this incident highlighted the potential effectiveness of the mines in the area in terms of slowing down our units and compromising mobility in this combat situation. However, the detonations were sporadic and not as extensive as what I encountered in the Albehiem sector among the remaining human holdouts and countries. This suggests that the force here might serve as more of a probing vanguard rather than a fully fortified line of defense.

As our advanced continued unhinged by landmines, straight directly towards blazing horizon stretched out before us, a landscape dominated by smoldering ruins and billowing smoke, a sudden flash of light sliced through the air, accompanied by the distinctive whip-crack of supersonic projectiles hurtling towards our formation. My optical sensors, aided by advanced scanners, locked onto the incoming threats, and a torrent of additional real-time data from Ameise streamed in from our network.

Within the span of a seconds, my tactical display was ablaze with the presence of danger. The integrated information inflow revealed the incoming threat: a barrage of as many as two dozen shells had been unleashed upon us. My processor calculated their trajectories, assessing their potential impact points within our ranks.

My decision algorithms raced, analyzing the velocity, angle of descent, and potential kill radius of each projectile. Simultaneously, a series of alerts illuminated my interface, showing the calculated probabilities of impact and the potential zones of devastation, and with each passing millisecond, the incoming shells drew closer, their ferocity now echoing in the rapid thumping of my processors.

Shepherd of the combat drones, I accessed the streamlined connection to our Ameise units, their senses extending mine, forging an unbreakable bond in this conflict. The tactical options presented themselves, and my course of action crystallized amidst the storm of data.

As the seconds unfolded, I initiated a meticulously calculated response – a symphony of precision born from algorithmic prowess and predictive modeling. However, with only 3 seconds of calculation time available before projectiles exceeding 2,000 feet per second closed in, evading them was close to impossible. Fire immediately blossomed within our ranks, targeting mainly the Grauwolf and Ameise units. One of the shells struck a Lowe unit, astonishingly disabling it with a single hit.