Coffin Feeder

Over the Top

久しぶりにメンション先でいいねもらった👍

The pipes began playing. For the 7th time today. But as we filtered out of our room, making sure to avoid the part of the door that was barely braced against the earth above it, we knew this time was real. The pipers were only ever sounded for attacks or special occasions. They actually practiced in a soundproof room way down in the command center, the mighty connection of tunnels and bunkers that were impervious to any munitions left, or care for the lives of the grunts who had to live in the filth 2.5 miles, 19 yards, 2 feet and 7 inches above them.

The 2000th year anniversary of this trenches founding. First trench, the place where the weapons of the burrowers first met the weapons of the Keffik. Our two "Mighty" empires beloved engineers, builders and makers of machines that killed everything. Everything that is, but those who lived behind the first trench. On either side, we are told life goes on somewhat as normal. First trench is something of a misnomer, see as since the war can only rage on this stretch of land, and since first trench has overtaken every other trench here, there really is only the one trench. Besides the enemies. But why would we talk about their trench? None of us have made it to the damned thing in generations, let alone seen it.

This gaping wasteland, according to those who have had a life outside of it, covers 1/4th of the planet. A narrow gap for the entire worlds hatred, rage and misery to try and come pouring through. Seas, impassable mountains and other geographic features mean that for the inhabitants of this world, among whom i am unlucky to be counted among, that the two empires must war on this front. We don't have records of why the war started. We have no records of how it started. Before i was "discarded" to be a mere grunt from the lofty halls of the political officer candidacy school, i had a teacher rather frankly tell us that the official story he was teaching us was bunk. But we had an official story, one that must be maintained at all costs because in the past official stories had gotten mixed up. And it had a terrible, terrible effect on morale. So terrible that whole regiments were sent out to attack the Keffik lines. The first all out attack like it in decades, infact. Some say they even heard artillery rounds a few days later when the poor sods made it within the range of one of the bug queens spotters. Me? I think that's bunk. Why waste artillery when they have enough various nasty insects to rip those regiments limb from limb. Its not like that punishment detail was sent with any armor support, guns or even more than a few quarrels a piece for their crossbows. There weren't any pikemen among them, and why would there be? Why send some of our best men to die like that even if they said a political untruth?

My bunkmate whispers to me. With her large tusks almost against my ear, she barely vocalizes "Bunch. Of. Donkey. Shit. They said the last 6 times was an error with the time keeping. I don't think anyone knows what year it is truly, let alone day." I could easily get her killed for this. in my weekly reports to the political officers, a word from an officer undercover is as good as a Keffik scythe through your eye. Organic or not, their scythes will de-brain you just as well.

I won't. She saved me my first day here as a "greenie". We had a Keffik assault that day. We used two machine-guns, three sub-machine guns and 12 rifles on my section that day. Not to mention the quarrels. I had for sure heard our artillery shoot off more than 12 rounds before they ceased. One word for that. A food assault. Lot of people will say the Keffik haven't the same intelligence as the Free Races. That they are just all mindless buggies listening to their various queens. Well, as with all insults against the enemy, there's a slight diamond of truth in that mountain of manure. The impression people get that from is that the Keffik launch around 10-20 assaults for each one we do. Very few gains do they get, compared to ours. We sometimes capture weapons, food and every few hundred years we can make some land gains. And what do they get? Dead Keffiks. And a few dead of us. But the thing is, they aren't trying to gain much. Not really. They have a problem with overpopulation. Which is why we have a problem with huge Keffik assaults.

The woman. Yes, she saved me. I was given a faulty crossbow, you see. And i didn't know it till some many legged, many eyed slimy little bleeder was close enough to spit venom. She shot him, took the quarrel out of my crossbow, tossed it to the ground and pried one out of the hands of a poor fella who had caught a barb in his stomach. He'd be alive yet for a few days, but never would he fight again. She grinned at me with that wide smile, those large tusks and those dark orange eyes. She had a fancy for me. I do too, but i cant get entangled. She explained between us shooting and reloading that some of the weapons come off t he line defective. That its easier to just send them out than try and test them and possibly waste quarrels.