Authors: Ronan Frost
In a shower of sparks the sword connected with the
trooper's helmet mounted camera, dislocating and ripping out wires.
The Sunlord staggered with the unexpected blow from an unexpected
quarter.
Nobilor swung again, his cries those of hatred, fury
and fear. This time the blow merely glanced off the armour leaving
nothing more than a scratch.
The Sunlord swirled to face the native, taking a
moment to recover as his electronic vision faltered. Although the
troop could see through his face plate, the heads-up display was a
mess of static and snow. The computer lost its vision, leaving the
trooper almost paralysed. Nobilor struck for the third time,
knowing that he did not have much time. This time his blow was
wide, a result of adrenalin weakened arms and extreme shock. He
brought the sword up sharply, catching the Sunlord across the face
plate. It did not smash, but it made a solid crunch!
Heartened by his success, Nobilor threw all of his
might at the face plate again, a hairline crack appearing on its
surface. The Sunlord brought up an armoured forearm to shield of
the blows from the native that had suddenly become a serious
threat, the machine gun in the other hand rattling off round after
round, tearing up the forest in random swaths.
Nobilor struck again, his breath ragged in his throat
and his feet unsteady. The broadsword beat upon the trooper as
Nobilor sought to weaken the glass. The gun in the Sunlord's hand
lost relevance for him - to his fury enraged mind it was far away.
He was not concerned that fire licked his boots and the leaves at
his feet leapt into the air with the rain of bullets; Nobilor was
totally centred on beating the living substance out of the
Sunlord.
The glass could hold out no longer. It was
strengthened and reinforced but numerous hits from the edge of the
steel sword had chipped at its mountings. A thrust from Nobilor
shattered it clean from the Sunlord's suit, pushing him over
backwards with the gun now shooting the tree tops. Nobilor took
less than a second to leap over its body and plunge his sword
directly into the Sunlord's exposed face. Blood flew and bone
crunched. Nobilor relished the sounds, reward for his labours.
Nobilor heaved in a breath as the Sunlord jerked at his feet in his
death throes.
Nobilor looked up to notice that the tank had driven
over the remaining huts, leaving them broken and splintered, the
bodies of his fellows sprawled in the about clearing. Nobilor
cursed under his breath as his legs weakened beneath him. He gagged
and almost vomited as a terrible stench hit him and the shock drove
home. Mopping his wrinkled brow with the back of his hand he tried
to regain his footing.
Crimson coated the surroundings like a cast blanket
as blood sprayed from Nobilor's chest like a brief explosion. His
eyes wide with shock and terror Nobilor's mind reeled, his hand
clenching spasmodically. The long curved broadsword in his right
hand fell limply to the mossy ground and dug itself point down into
the damp earth.
His eyes slowly but inevitably traced their way down
his chest. His body was coated with blood, his lungs blown apart
and a long streamer of intestines hanging from the gaping wound.
Rib bones were forced outwards, jutted out of flesh like broken
matchsticks. This split-second seemed to last eternity for Nobilor,
his eyes taking in everything in that moment he looked down. Then
he felt his legs give way beneath him like numb stilts and he fell
like a broken string puppet. The last thing Nobilor saw was the
forest he so much loved reaching up to engulf him.
The Sunlord lowered his rifle as he advanced. The
native was obviously dead - its weak body stood no chance against
the laser blast. The helmet mounted camera on the Sunlord recorded
all that had happened and had kept the computer in the tank
informed, its scanners made sure the native was terminated although
it seemed obvious that the native couldn't be anything but. Even
so, the computer made sure. After all, Avatar had underestimated
the inhabitants of the planet L/CN-41a from the start, and they
weren't about to make another mistake.
The A-squad trooper's upper lip curled back
sadistically as he raised his rifle and shot a second time into the
corpse of Nobilor. The invisible line of laser cut through the air
and reared yellow flame for an instant as it ignited Nobilor's
body.
On the other side of the clearing the android 87-DE
scanned the debris of what remained of the village, looking for any
signs of movement. As it scouted through the undergrowth it trained
its stout machine gun methodically over the terrain, a minicomputer
linked to the targeting system determining if the object was a
potential hazard.
The tank trundled over the debris of the dead
village. The destruction had been swift, lasting but a minute, but
it was total. Large clouds of billowing smoke rose silently into
the air as fires smouldered.
Gurhuin's eyes narrowed behind the shaded face plate
as he spied Jhakl's prone form, green genetically engineered blood
caking over his armour. Gurhuin assisted the med-bot and together
they lifted Jhakl into the hovering stretcher that had appeared
from an opening on the tank, and carried the dead A-squad warrior
into the awaiting cavity. Jhakl would be taken back to the Urisa
were all useful electronic equipment would be cannibalised. The
various computer aids and his brain implant would be removed,
sterilised, and re-used. All his undamaged organic vital organs
such as the heart, lungs and even the brain would be kept alive in
a bank, for in a war these organs are valuable to an injured
trooper. Even though the trooper named Jhakl was dead many parts of
him would regenerate to see another day.
The door to the cavity in the tank hummed closed as
it accepted Jhakl's body into the array of life sustaining
equipment. Gurhuin tapped the tank's hull lightly and muttered
beneath his breath;
"I'll get them for you. I'll get the thorts so bad
they won't know what's hit them."
The tank's voice came over his headphones.
"Bravo two and three, remain planetside for
reconnaissance. Android 87-DE has the co-ordinates you are to
proceed along, rendezvous as preprogrammed."
Gurhuin stiffened with military discipline.
"Acknowledged. Bravo two out."
A second A-squad warrior barked a response into his
microphone.
"Bravo three, out!"
The remaining troopers slung their rifles into the
slot on their backs and took up formation. Seconds later they
disappeared into the trees as they made for the shuttle landing
strip five kilometres away.
The android 87-DE approached the two remaining
troopers.
"We make for that range to the east, and camp at 2200
hours. We are to investigate the camp of a survey team. Relay
signals to 23 UF."
Both troopers saluted briefly and turned to go about
their duty, unaware they were being watched...
Capac ducked down behind the cover of a broad leaved
plant, submerged up the neck in the cool water of the bathing
stream. Huso swam up beside him, keeping his body under the water
and his movements restricted. He floated past shattered ceramic
jars, woven mats and the blood of tribesmen that merged with the
water.
Ashian had suggested they travel along the stream
bed, for he figured that the water would cloak their bodies from
the Sunlord's. Ashian didn't know how right he was - the heat
detectors on the Sunlord tank complete skimmed over their presence.
As they advanced Capac felt a grudging respect for the Currach,
thanks to his logic they had avoided the Sunlord's feared all
seeing eye.
They had swum for more than twenty metres to reach
the village, spurned on by the sound of rifle fire and screaming.
Capac raced over the terrain as fast as he was able, but deep in
the back of his mind he knew that his efforts were futile. The
Sunlords had started shooting and nothing on the planet could stop
them. The only thing that stopped Capac from leaping out of the
water and charging to his death was the chilling silence that had
descended like a blanket. Although his mind was a turmoil of fear
the instincts of a hunter remained; he must stay hidden until his
prey showed a weakness. Until such time the element of surprise
must be kept in his favour.
"See anything?" whispered Huso.
"No. Keep your head down, I'm going to have a
look."
Capac drew in a breath and rose slowly out of the
mud. He clambered over the bank and peered forward between the
reeds, the long barrelled rifle cocked and ready at his side. He
caught glimpses of dark figures moving beyond the fringe of trees
near the burning village, moving like ghosts through the smoke.
They were towering shadows, more than twice the height of any
Eloprin - unmistakably Sunlord forms.
Which meant they were too late.
Capac sank back into the stream as the rumbling of
the tank broke the silence. It crashed through the jungle and the
sound slowly died away.
Myshia had swum up behind Capac and had taken up a
position on the river bank. "There are three of them left," she
reported.
All eyes turned to Ashian as he cried: "There's
someone over here."
Capac scrambled to the Currach's side and helped to
free a form pinned down by debris. Ashian cradled the head of an
Eloprin form splashed with mud and dirt where he had fallen into
the pool. Capac gasped as he realised it was the Elder.
The hunter's heart sunk when he saw the Elder's face.
His left cheek oozed blood and a deep cut raked his forehead. His
eyes fluttered beneath heavy lids, his breathing harsh and
desperate.
"Elder, it is Capac."
Recognition did not show on the Elder's face. He
seemed to be lost in his own world of pain and hurt.
Then Myshia was by his side, speaking soft words in
the old man's ear. The comfort and assurance were obviously heard
as the Elder immediately stirred.
"They're here," he muttered in delirium. "They
come...Tell Capac the creatures come..."
His words did in his throat, the final effort seeming
to drain his last reserves. He coughed weakly before his eyes
glazed over and was still.
Capac's brows furrowed as he gripped the rifle tight.
"I'm going in," he growled, standing.
"No, don't," started Myshia. "We don't know how well
armed they are."
"I don't care." Capac's eyes gleamed with fury, his
usual caution replaced by rashness. "It's gone too far!" He leapt
from the stream brandishing the rifle like a club. Huso leapt after
him in unswerving devotion with axe high above his head.
Ashian had witnessed the display. "Capac,
careful!"
But Capac did not heed the call. He steamed through
the jungle at full pelt, leaves and vines whipping his face and
hands as he passed. Suddenly he burst into the clearing, smoke
enveloping his form. Three towering shadows of the Sunlord's loomed
before him.
The rifle blazed in Capac's hands as it caught a
Sunlord midriff and sent him sprawling. A wild war cry erupted from
his throat as he lay waste to the invaders.
Myshia immediately put an arrow in the string of her
bow and drew it back. The arrow flew through the air with a high
pitched whine. 87-DE's computer equipment reacted faster than the
eye could see. In milli-seconds it had whipped in a ninety degree
turn and fired its wrist mounted gun. Three bullets intercepted the
arrow in mid air and shattered it, showering the surrounds in
splinters.
Meanwhile Capac had a burly Sunlord head lined up in
his sights and his finger cemented itself to the trigger. The
Sunlord between the crosshairs of the sight fell backwards, sparks
flying as bullets ricocheted from armour. Still Capac held the
trigger down, fighting to keep control of the bucking weapon. He
lowered it slightly to keep the downed form in his sights.
The armour took many bullets, driving the trooper
through the sand like a plough. A scowl lit Capac's face with
single minded determination. Huso saw the android as soon as he
burst into the clearing after Capac. His heart froze in his chest
as he realised it was about to strike Capac.
Huso shook the shackles of fear that held his heart
and charged the android. He was almost within range when 87-DE
turned, and instead of facing its back Huso found himself face to
face with the silver Sunlord. Huso's war cry sounded as he plunged
his axe in a downward sweep.
The android reacted faster. Its hand whipped up and a
short burst of fire licked from the muzzle of its stubby machine
gun, taking Huso's head clean off his shoulders. Huso's form was
flung backwards and crashed inert in the smoking remains of a
hut.
Capac's eyes widened with shock. He summed up the
android's figure in one glance.
"You scroch!" he bawled. He swung the rifle around,
the trigger still held down and spitting out yellow fire.
87-DE moved like lightning to deflect the blow. Capac
was no match to its mechanical strength as the great machine
wrenched the rifle free of the small hunter's grasp and cast it
away.
Capac did not pause to think. He simply grabbed
whatever came to hand. It was a length of wood, once a roof support
but now one end was alight with fire. Capac rammed his burning club
towards the android - with a shower of exploding sparks and embers
the fire-eaten wood collapsed, saving Capac from certain death. The
dancing sparks of wood hanging in the air threw 87-DE's targeting
system off, the heat sensor thrown in to disarray as it was
confronted with pinpoint sources of heat in all directions. The
android switched to infra-red but by then it was too late. Capac
rammed his knife into its neck, severing several wires. The wires
were non-essential but the resulting confusion gave Capac the few
seconds he needed. He wrenched the gun from the android's hand,
tearing at its steel grasp with a frenzy driven on with the sight
of seeing Huso's headless body.