Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Nebula ❯ ch 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Kindreil strolled into a bar. She slumped down against the padded floating chair where she usually sat. Griz, the bartender plonked down a glass of Frith juice, an orange, spherical fruit from the planet Keplon, in front of her. With her eyes closed, she picked it up and took a sip. Once again, she had been killed by the leader of the enemies she had fought in the combat room. He had never been killed. Yes, he had been defeated but he had always escaped before the enemies found him too. Admittedly he had been fighting in the intermediate combat rooms but he didn't feel like a regular soldier. He wasn't merely better than average. He was good, but no one had ever fought him long enough to see how good he actually was. She had been killed this time by an ambush as she had tried to get a sighting on him. An ambush that couldn't have been organised by anyone except for him. He was the only one who could possibly have seen her. That showed he had intelligence sure enough and from the time before she had determined how accurate he could be, but could he dodge attacks? Was he any good at sneaking? Was he fast? No one who had come close to him lived long enough to tell. And what really annoyed her was that he himself rarely killed anyone. It was always a team effort. She was sure that the time he got her with the sniper rifle then he had been informed that she was there by a spy. He had this knack for not seeming very impressive but still being lethal. Not a single person knew how dangerous he actually was. One thing was for certain though, he was clever. She'd only seen him from behind and Kindreil wondered what he looked like. She sat upright as a siren sounded. She grabbed the com-link from her belt and flipped off the unnecessarily loud wailing.
"Go ahead." she said into it.
"Crackle.... GET DOWN HERE NO.. crackle..... ALL UNITS COMMANDEER ANY AVAILABLE TRANSPORT AND..... crackle.... SIX FIGURE PLOT 125-427.. crackle...."
And it fell silent. Kindreil leaped a table and bolted out of the door to the spaceport where Go'mek's ship was housed.
"Go'mek, get the ship prepped, I've got an urgent problem and need transport."
"Yes, I know, I hacked the transmission. I've rounded up Thardan and Prill aswell."
"Why have you got them to help?"
"Do you know where six figure plot 125-427 is?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's the nearest Deathside gate!"
No. It couldn't be. There was no way a Black Hole could have escaped, there was just no way.
"Go'mek what sort of firepower would you need to break through an Els'keth fence?"
"It would require a blast from, at the least, a heavy weapons turret and that would only cause minimal fracture lines."
"Thanks."
Kindreil reached the space port entrance and skidded through the door. She dashed to where Go'mek was waiting at the bottom of his ships entry ramp and she leaped up and into the cockpit. As the ship took off, Kindreil began loading her shock rifle with the special 'venom' shells. Normal shock rifle shells fire a jet of superheated plasma. Venom shells cause anything struck by them to explode with droplets of the green matter still attached. Go'mek was trying to dodge buildings as he flew through the streets at full speed. Thardan was sitting quietly in a corner with a grim look on his face. Prill had a huge double ion gun in her hands and a slight smile teasing across her face. The Chamael finished loading her gun and snatched up her com-link
"Requesting further information with regards to the situation. Over."
"Crackle.... ass 12 two man Fighter ship crashed... crackle.... Els'keth everywhere..... crackle.... temporary fence around the site...... crackle..... most Els'keth trapped. We have reinforcements and are mopping up the escapees but we sti..... crackle.... ome one send a shock squad."
They glanced at each other nervously, that is except for Prill, who was still smiling faintly.
"So what now?" Go'mek said quietly.
"We find the commander I suppose." answered Kindreil, solemnly.
They sat in silence until Go'mek began to bring the ship down. As Go'mek started to land, the ramp folded down and the others hopped onto the ground.
"Fan out. Use high intensity lights." Kindreil told the Terrans.
"You're not a commander yet, Chamael." snapped Prill. But nevertheless, she switched on her high intensity lights and moved away from the craft as it thudded to the floor. Go'mek dashed up out of the darkness wearing a pair of infra-red goggles. Kindreil pulled a strip of fabric from her belt and tied it around her eyes. Go'mek nudged her gently.
"What are you doing." he whispered urgently.
"I can barely see anything as it is and Els'keth absorb all visible light anyway. At least this way I can use my ears and nose more effectively."
Suddenly, she heard something moving. It was trying to get behind them and was inching closer and closer to Go'mek. She could just make out the sounds of it scraping its claws gently through the dirt. She swiveled gently around trying to pinpoint the sounds. Left slightly, no, too far, a little to the right. Fire. The boom of her shock rifle mingled with the screech of a creature being instantly vaporised. She heard Go'mek let his breath out. Then she could see light through her blindfold and whipped it off. The gatelights she saw had come on. And some people were standing infront of her.
"Greetings. Come with us to get orders from the captain." the lead Terran said.
"State your name and rank." Kindreil ordered.
"Sergeant Rothkard, soldier. Now state yours."
"Corporal Kindreil."
"Right then. Now that thats sorted we'll just..... watch out!!!"
Kindreil dived to one side as the squad ahead of her open fired. She was splattered with something not so much black as colourless. A shadow leaped over her and ran screeching at a retreating Go'mek before being incinerated by the Chamael's shock rifle. Thardan was launching off grenades like crazy, if a group of them turned up close together it would soon find itself smeared across the floor. But most impressive of all was Prill. She was laughing and screaming as she electrocuted more and more Black Holes that mistook her for an easy target. She chuckled to herself as she ran so much electricity through an enemy that it exploded into grilled meat chunks. Go'mek had sealed off the ships entry way and was using the twin linked shock cannons to churn away at huge groups of Els'keth. Kindreil was on her feet again and firing shots into the dark areas outside the lights. A creature sailed towards her through the air until it got its arm incinerated and fell to the floor struggling in a screaming heap of light absorbing blood. Prill had used up all her ammo but that didn't stop her clubbing them to death. She hit one so hard its head turned one hundred and eighty degrees and it fell to the floor. She kicked one in the face and it scuttled off trailing blood after it and clutching at its ruined face. It almost escaped but was concussed by a badly aimed grenade and subsequently blasted to bits. She may be doing well but the pressure was beginning to show as Prill tried to hold off more and more of the monstrosities that were crawling from the night. Kindreil fought her way to Prill through the rattles of rifles and the explosions from Thardan's grenade launcher and of course through the incessant wailing of the nightmarish creatures pouring from all around them. Prill was backing towards the shadows and Kindreil could hear them waiting for her to leave the light and tear her apart. She fired past the Terran and by absolute dumb luck vaporised the head of the lead alien. The venom shells plasma splashed off its melted skull and onto the creatures around it causing them to flee the battle, clawing at their horrible burns. Prill could barely be seen under the alien blood that caked her body, mingled slightly with a red tint in several places. She had holstered her gun and was no longer laughing. She was a dirty fighter, clawing at eyes and biting anything that came near. She bit deep into an Els'keth's arm which ran off howling in pain. Another reared up and she spat the blood in its eyes before knocking it unconscious and turning to run into the darkness. Kindreil shot a jet of plasma through a nearby Black Hole before dashing off after her.
Prill ran off into the night, she spun around and ran backwards frantically, turned around again. All she could hear was the thumping of her heart in her ears, she couldn't see anything but blackness. All she could feel was the blood on her body and seeping through her wounds. As she turned again her head went light and she fell backwards onto the ground. She lay there, panting and heaving, feeling her blood drain away from her body and out through her torn clothes. After lying on the ground for a few minutes she could hear the screams and bangs in the distance. And something else. Something was grunting and sniffing, inching closer and closer. She felt a weight on her chest. It peered down at her, realised what it had found and opened its mouth to show glittering teeth. Ironic, she thought, the only part of its body that reflected light. She would have tensed herself but lacked the strength to do so. This was the end then was it. Well she had put up a good fight, but after she ran out of ammo she could only hold on so long. In the end she was outnumbered and out equipped, they had claws and teeth that she didn't no matter what Thardan said about her fingernails. Well, she had killed a significant amount before dying, anyway. But the end didn't come. There was a nearby boom and the creatures skull shattered. It slowly slumped forward onto her, blood gushing from its neck. A face came into her vision but she couldn't make out any of the features. It removed a cape from around it's neck which it tore into strips and wrapped around her wounds. It then knelt down next to her and tore off her tattered shirt, placing its hands on the bare flesh of her chest. For a long moment nothing happened. But then she could see light under his hands, just a small glimmer. Then she suddenly felt her pain draining away, disappearing. She lay there and was very slowly healed. It removed its hands and propped her up against a tree. The stranger had produced a water flask from somewhere and began to wash the blood from her body. As it cleaned her wounds she could see that they were no longer wounds, they were barely visible scars of battle. Once it had finished, it removed the combat armour it was wearing over a cotton shirt, and put it on her. By now she was sure it was a man, but who. She also noticed that the reason she couldn't see his face is because he was wearing a metal mask. He snatched up a gun of unknown make and crouched low scanning the nearby area for movement. He went to stand up and as he rose he jumped sideways and was barely missed by an Els'keth that had been waiting for him. As it dropped to the ground he blew open its chest with a burst of rapid energy bolts. It fell to the floor, sizzling. He reached into his pocket and scattered a handful of small red beads on to the floor around her. And ran off into the night.
Prill may have been healed but she still lacked the strength to do much. She picked up a pebble and dropped it onto one of the red beads. A small light shot up in the air. The pebble and the bead began to vibrate and then they both melted. The light cut off and all that remained was a pair of smoking puddles. Then she heard more footsteps coming closer and fast. Someone called her name. Then she heard a snarling and a shot was fired. Black blood splattered on the floor a few feet away. The shouting started again but this time heading away.
"Help..." Prill croaked.
"Prill?" came the voice.
"Over here. Over here."
A blood covered shape emerged from the shadows and ran over to her.
"What happened?" yelled Kindreil.
"STOP!!!!" ordered Prill. "Don't come any closer!"
Kindreil leaped backwards. A small red glow appeared near her and she dashed madly in the opposite direction. The red bead disintegrated with a small bang and a smoking puddle. Kindreil poked her head out from behind a nearby boulder.
"What are those things?" she called.
"I don't know. Someone found me and saved me from an Els'keth. They have magic and used it to heal me. He scattered these beads around me. I think they're a bomb of some sort."
"I worked that out. It burnt me quite badly. They don't look very nasty but even from cover they seem to have cooked my tail and leg."
"Really? They don't seem very impressive but they are still lethal."
Kindreil's eyes widened. The words sparked memories. Recent memories. And then she knew who it was. It was right there in her mind.
"Prill, I know who it is. It's the leader of your team."
"Team?"
"In the combat room. It's your team leader."
"Lithen, here?"
"So that's his name. Of course. Why not? We need every soldier we can get. Pretty much the entire military forces in the city are here. Makes sense that he should be here somewhere."
"I suppose."
"But that means if these mines are of his design then there is only one way to get around them and only he will know what it is."
"Yes, that is true. I do know how to get around them."
Kindreil jumped out of her skin at the voice behind her. She spun around and grabbed for her shock rifle. And stopped as she realised that the man behind her was pointing it at her head.
"Very good. You can sneak." she told the metallic face that was confronting her.
He spun the weapon around and extended the butt of the gun towards her. She took it and checked it over to make sure it was exactly as she had left it. It was. He strolled past her and towards the dark shape of Prill. He pulled out a torch which, still off, he pointed towards Prill. And strolled through the red beads, unaffected. He bent down and collected them. When he was done he put them back in his pouch and turned on the torch. It had multiple facings, illuminating a large area around him.
"How..."
"Help me move Prill please." he asked Kindreil.
She strolled over to Prill and lifted her onto an anti-grav stretcher that Lithen had placed next to her. Then small machine lifted her into the air at about waist height.
"Can you defend us as we travel?" he questioned.
"Of course."
They ran swiftly through the darkness to a military hover car, placed Prill in the medical cabin and seated themselves in the driver and gunner seats. Kindreil chuckled to herself as she got a feel of the double miniguns mounted on the vehicle. Lithen threw the hover car into top gear and shot off towards the distant battles.