Nala Prime and the Great Bug War-13

Furthest back, near the gateway, Nala Prime and Section 1 mounted up on their bikes and—in stealth mode—made their way through the ruins.

“Red Prime’s section carves a path through the ruins.” Nala Prime said, “We’re going to follow some distance behind them while Yellow Prime leads his section against the Fliers and ties them up.”

“Understood.” Section 1 said, and the five of them kept quiet as the other sections moved around them.

Nala Prime kept track of the other sections not visible to him through an overlayed user interface. By way of this monitor protocol, he tracked the deresolution of Yellow 3 as well as the death of Green Prime. He, along with the rest of Section 1, witnessed the impressive aerial displays as well as the ground combat. He saw Blue Prime’s section swiftly move after Yellow Prime’s section breeched the Hive, riding their bikes right up the pillar of the Hive. Then he saw Green Prime’s fall and demise when he smashed into the Hive from above.

“My counterparts are acting as I expected.” Nala Prime thought, “Are the other Greens also compromised?”

Then Green 1 spoke up. “These Bugs, aside from any possible ambushes, aren’t able to fight us effectively. This can’t go on.”

Nala Prime already suspected it, but Yellow got there first: “Don’t jinx it.”

“No, Green 1 is correct.” Blue 1 said, “I fully expect the circumstances to shift into the Bugs’ favor once we’re inside. Having made this much of a commotion, there is no way that we won’t meet stiff resistance once the battlefield shifts to their advantage.”

Red 1 nodded, concurring.

The group passed by the sight of Yellow 3’s deresolution, now another place piled up with Bug corpses and blasted environs. Ahead they saw Red Prime’s section grouped up similar to themselves, riding on bikes, now that Blue Prime’s section had achieved the breech. As they saw Yellow Prime’s section mop up the Fliers, both they and Red Prime accelerated and followed Blue Prime’s lead in riding their bikes straight up the side and gain the breech themselves.

Within, as Blue 1 predicted, the Bugs regrouped and counterattacked. Red Prime’s section immediately dismounted and opened fire with their blaster rifles. Nala Prime signaled to his section to follow, and they too dismounted; rifles resolved into their waiting arms, they added their firepower to the others and slowly drove the Bugs back. With Yellow Prime’s section landing behind them and joining the fight, Nala Prime felt that the next phase had arrived.

“All sections, status!”

“Section 5, down two: Lost Green and Yellow.”

“Section 4, down one: Lost Green.”

“Section 3, down one: Lost Green.”

“Section 2, all present.”

“Section 1, all present.”

Greens 1 and 2 could not help but feel put upon at that moment, but neither them knew about Section 4’s mutiny against Green Prime or how Section 3 deliberately sacrificed Green 3 to ensure that the mission’s next phase would go ahead by slapping some bombs on him and kicking him at a hulking warrior Bug form blocking their way to a vital access shaft. However, they couldn’t avoid feeling that they—more than anyone else—were utterly expendable.