//------------------------------// // Chapter XXXVII // Story: What I Am // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter XXXVII “Barrett! Samuels! Friendlies at five o’clock! Suppressing fire, now!” Sergeant Nakamura shouted as he pointed with quick and concise gestures, “Johnson, Rogers! Give those two covering fire!” Nakaruma’s men rushed to follow his orders, while he himself quickly reloaded his own weapon. Thankfully, his men were good at their jobs, and before he was even finished with the process of reloading, Barrett and Samuels had already set up Barrett’s M240B and had started sending the machine gun’s munitions whizzing down the alien street. The M240B was an angry beast, but Corporal Barrett was a true master of his weapon, and could pick the fly off a horse without touching the animal’s flank, if necessary. Not that there was any need to be that accurate here, but just the knowledge of how good Barrett was with his instrument set Nakamura's mind slightly at ease concerning the civilians dashing up the street. That trust didn’t stop the aforementioned civilians from whinny-screaming in terror as the world ahead of them seemed to come alive with the sounds of the human’s weapons, but through a combination of the encouraging shouts of the horse-soldiers inside the human’s fortifications, and a hefty dose of fear of the bugs behind them, they kept to the path, never wavering as they made a break towards the bastion of humanity. Several bugs tried to pick off some of the stragglers, but before they were able to even take aim, Barrett had already swept his weapon over their position, killing several of the slower ones and forcing everyone else back into cover. In no time at all, the machine gun had overpowered, and replaced, the exotic sounds of alien weapons fire as all enemy fire from the ruined street ceased, allowing the twelve civilians and their three armored escorts to pull into the human’s fortifications without any further casualties. The civilians were out of breath, and quite a few of them sported a number of nasty gashes and burns, but due to a combination of the one unicorn soldier’s protective shield and Barrett’s suppressing fire, no one else had suffered a direct hit from the bugs’ weapons. “Get those people back to the safehouse! We’ll hold the enemy here!” Nakamura shouted to the weird, disguised, bug-horse-shapeshifter that was currently serving as his team’s interpreter. The horse-thing quickly nodded in assent and began barking orders to his fellow equines, while pointing back towards the city hall-like building that the humans had arrived at. Sergeant Nakamura barely paid him any attention, however, because at that exact moment, Private Johnson took a plasma bolt to his chest, vaporizing most of the private and bathing the entire area in an explosion of foul smelling steam. Corporal Rogers, who had been right next to the private, went very still as well. At first, the sergeant thought he was in shock, but as Romano ran up to check on the downed soldier, Nakamura suddenly knew that he hadn’t made it either. Either the steam or the explosion got him… Nakamura thought to himself, before he swore under his breath as the medic confirmed what Nakamura already knew. The alien pegasi were already clearing out the steam, and fortunately for him, the bug who had killed his two boys hadn’t quite moved back into cover yet, allowing the angry sergeant to take aim and remove the bug’s head. Nakamura had been a soldier for a long, long time, but he had never seen a weapon system quite as brutal as the bugs’ plasma rifles. Even a near-miss could inflict horrible wounds as it seared skin and boiled blood, and the power they could bring to bear meant that most forms of cover were significantly less useful than they would have been against more traditional arms. The exceptions to that were the shields that some of the horse people could erect, but also, oddly enough, sandbags. Sand wasn’t a permanent solution, as it still turned to glass and eventually melted away or exploded under sustained fire, but then again, it never really was even against normal weapons. Somewhere deep inside, Nakamura figured it had something to do with heat distribution and the granulated nature of sand, but he didn’t let it occupy his thoughts for long. He was just glad that it worked at all. However, even with the death of the two men, the sergeant couldn’t help but feel hope rise in his chest. The aliens were obviously advanced and terrifyingly brutal, the horse-people’s powers were beyond incomprehensible, and the world was clearly alien, but despite all of this, the humans still, surprisingly, held their own. That was the weird thing about this whole engagement. The aliens clearly held all the cards: They had the ability to call in orbital bombardment to glass the planet at any moment, the light, standard weapons they armed their infantry with easily rivaled the human’s heavier weapons through sheer power alone, they had reflexes far beyond any mere mortal, and if the monster that brought humanity here was to be believed, instant information dissemination. Yet, even with all of these advantages, the humans not only held their ground, but bit by bit, were pushing the bugs back. To Sergeant Nakamura, this was a freaking miracle, but to an impartial observer, this was hardly surprising. Even with their brutality, their might, and their technological superiority, there were a few disadvantages that the krin species had that humanity simply didn’t. The krin were slow, to begin with. Almost ridiculously so, if compared to an average human. Yes, their reflexes were on par with gods, but their foot speed was laughable, and their maneuverability was significantly inferior to that of an average human, much less a squad of highly trained, U.S. Army soldiers. When one added on the fact that they were about twice as bulky as a human, it became abundantly clear why humanity could so easily push back the alien invaders. Of course, the krin weren’t stupid. They obviously knew how to use cover, and its applications were far more effective against the humans’ weapons than the bugs’, but this meant very little in the long run. Their larger frames and somewhat slower speed meant that they couldn’t quite use it as well as a human, nor could they pop into or out of cover as quickly either. On top of that, laying down was a bit of a chore for the krin, and even when they did, they could never get themselves quite low enough to the ground to use a ditch or crater as effectively as a human, either. Essentially, every time they popped even slightly out of cover to fire, like the one down the street was doing right now, someone on the krin’s side inevitably got shot for their troubles. As if to accentuate this fact, Sergeant Nakamura took aim at the bug that was busy trying to chew through one of those shields that some of the unicorns had popped into existence for his boys. The first round was enough to take out the bug’s throat, but Nakamura’s training ensured that the sergeant put at least two rounds into the thing before switching to his next target. That was something else the humans had quickly learned about their enemy. There armor looked impressive, all grey with green highlights, with a sleek design that seemed to scream "impenatrable." In practice, however, it seemed to do jack against good, old-fashioned bullets. He had seen some of his men throw back one of the bugs’ grenades, only for it to do nothing to the entrenched aliens, but “primitive” firearms? He didn’t know much about these things’ biology, but every single hit his boys had made was either lethal or debilitating. In short, the overwhelming power the aliens fielded in their common infantry wasn't nearly as gamebreaking as it should have been. Just because we’re pushing them back doesn’t mean we can be cocky, though… Nakamura thought morosely as he watched one of those flying horses dive-bomb the enemy position with nothing but gumption and a spear. The horse looked like he was charged with lightning, and the sergeant knew that his armor was significantly better than human armor against the bugs, but it still looked like a suicide strike to the sergeant. He had seen quite a few of the horse-people vaporized as whatever magics kept them safe failed, and knew that while the horse might take a few with him, he wasn’t going to last long on his own. That being said, the lightning-charged pony did do one important task: He made a whole squad of those bug things pop up from their hidy-hole as they tried to neutralize the pony with the spear. He had already taken out two with his speed alone, so it wasn’t like they could just ignore the threat he presented. Unfortunately for them, humanity was a species that liked to capitalize on any weakness. “Over there! Give the flyer cover!” Sergeant Nakamura shouted as he set his sights on the now-exposed aliens. However, as the sergeant began to empty his magazine into the loathsome bugs, one of his men swore before he shouted "Grenade!" at the top of his lungs. Instinctively, the sergeant dove for whatever cover he could find, which at the moment was a small outcropping of uprooted pavement. He already knew that it was too late, though, and that neither he, nor any of the men immediately nearby were going to make it. He had seen one of those damn things take out a six story building, which meant that he, his men, and any natives in at least a thirty-foot radius were toast. Diving would do very little, as the tiny thing was quite capable of vaporizing not only him, but the cover he was making for. Despite knowing this, however, the sergeant just couldn’t help himself. His instincts were just too strong to ignore, and before he knew it, he was eating dirt, all the while praying fervently that God would spare him for a few moments longer. As expected, there was an oddly muted ping sound, quickly followed by an explosion that rattled the sergeant’s bones. However, instead of a brief, overwhelming pain, followed by him making his final report to his heavenly commander, he instead felt only a minor tingling in his throat. The sergeant quickly looked up from where he was cowering, relief filling every fiber of his being when he saw a small, dark blue, transparent dome. Inside the dome, the sergeant could see only blackness, though the twisted, tortured nature of this darkness allowed him to guess that it was probably a ton of condensed, super-heated smoke. There was a bright flash of light, and the dome and its smoke disappeared entirely, leaving behind a perfectly round, cherry red divet in the ground. "Are all being right?" a concerned, female voice asked somewhere behind the sergeant. Sergeant Nakamura glanced upwards and behind him, before he quickly got to his feet again. Standing there was, by far, the largest horse alien he had seen since coming to this planet. She had dark blue fur, teal eyes, and was wearing black armor with silver trim. All of this was marred slightly by the grey blood that covered her, but nothing could have tainted her starfield-like mane and tail that seemed to flutter in some unfelt breeze. Sergeant Nakamura instantly knew that this was someone of some importance, and as much as he would have liked to take a few moments to talk to her, maybe get a picture of that wonderful hair to show to his boy, he knew he was kind of in the middle of a war zone at the moment, and someone down the street still needed his help. “Thanks for the assist,” Nakamura muttered, before he quickly moved back to his cover and glanced down the street towards the enemy entrenchment. They were still there, and sadly, while their grenade hadn’t killed the humans, it had still distracted enough of them to let the bugs finish off the foolhardy pegasus and return to their positions without too many losses. Sergeant Nakamura swore angrily to himself before he started laying down covering fire for his men to get back into position. A quick glance was all he needed to know that his men were already up and back at it, though slightly angrier now, but it was the ponies that gave the sergeant a little pause. The soldiers were still in the fight, throwing up shields, blasting at the enemy, using clouds to fire actual lightning down the street at the offending aliens, or heaving rocks through the air like organic siege weapons, but something about them made him think that something was different. It took him a little while to grasp it, but after one of them shot a hopeful, almost worshipful glances towards the new arrival, it suddenly dawned on him what it was. The horse-people were acting like human soldiers when the cavalry finally arrived. The horse-noble cleared her throat again, her voice magically magnified so that Sergeant Nakamura could hear her even over the din of combat. “Where your leader? Need meet, better work together.” “One second…” Nakamura muttered, before he started gesturing towards his men again. “Barrett! Reposition over here again and turn up the heat! I want you to keep those bug’s heads down! Don’t let them do something like that again!” “Sure thing, boss!” Barrett shouted, before he and his crew began to move again, aided by the rest of the squad’s covering fire. While this was happening, Nakamura briefly glanced back towards the blue horse thing, before he brought his eyes back to the task at hand. “Don’t know the name of the building, but the black horse that brought us said it was some kind of city hall. He’s there, with your commanders.” “Thank you,” the horse noble stated simply. Nakamura heard a flap of her wings, and assumed that she was off to meet with the captain, but that impression was thrown out the window with her next words. “We will clear bugs ahead, so you humans can move forwards, kill more bugs, save more my ponies. Prepare move, get them to hall. Go find, point towards safety, while hunt down them that hurt.” Nakamura turned his head to stop her, but she was already moving. There was a loud shout from her, but whatever she said didn’t seem to translate through whatever spell she was using for communication. Whatever she was doing would have to wait, though, because just as she shouted, a barrage of hot plasma started to pound Nakamura’s position, and he was forced to back off before his cover exploded and killed him in the process. As expected, the place where he was standing detonated, but due to his positioning, all he got was another jarring sensation in his bones. A quick check for shrapnel was enough to know that he was still in the fight, but before the sergeant could move up again, a number of screams started ringing in his ears up ahead, and the fire coming down the street all but ceased. As if just waiting for the signal, every nearby horse-soldier let out an ear-splitting cheer, broke from cover, and charged. Confused at this sudden, seemingly suicidal change in tactics in his allies, the sergeant quickly peeked around the corner, wary of any more of those evil green bolts that might have been aimed his way. He really needn’t have bothered, because at that exact moment, every single bug in the opposing entrenchment had their hands full dealing with the dark noble. She was in their midst, tearing into them with that deadly curved blade of hers, all while various blasts from the enemy passed harmlessly through her. A few got the bright idea to target the weapon itself, but everything they threw at it seemed to be absorbed by the brilliant blue aura that surrounded it. While she was plenty deadly in her own right, it was clear that she was only a distraction. Her true purpose was to allow her army to advance, and advance they did. Unicorns began pelting the enemy position with rays of unknown power, while flyers harassed them from the sky, dive-bombing them with blades and spears, or blasting them with lightning pulled from nearby clouds, tearing at them as they desperately tried to either run, or concentrate their fire on the one leading the horde. However, it was the ones without horn or wing that really surprised the sergeant. He knew they were strong, based on how they threw rocks larger than his head like freaking bullets, but he wasn’t sure just how strong until he saw the ones in the front reach the enemy entrenchment. The second the lead horse reached the enemy barricade of stone and fallen rubble, it seemed to explode inwards as the monstrous brute barreled straight through the wall like some kind of living battering ram, causing rubble to fly everywhere, burying several of the invaders in the process. In seconds, the entire entrenchment was torn to shreds, with aliens either dead, or fleeing deeper into the city to escape the wrath of the natives. Sergeant Nakamura gently wiped the sweat from his brow as the strange, blue horse-noble came flying back to his location. “They routed. I go now. You keep move, fight, save. I need meet leader, save world.” “Good grief, lady, why don’t all your people know how to do that?” Nakamura asked, a little taken aback at the savagery on display. “Seems somewhat on the dumb side for only you to be able to make hits pass right through you. I mean, if everyone could do that, you wouldn’t need us!” The horse lady smiled sadly, before shaking her head. “They take too long.” When she saw that this didn’t exactly satisfy the human, she chose to clarify. “Need three hundred years to learn. Unicorns only live for one hundred at best. Still need you, for I not be two places at once, much being all over country. Thank you for help, needed badly, must go to meet your leader. Carry good work, we not forget you humans do us.” Nakamura’s head was suddenly filled with questions for the strange, apparently godlike horse, but before he could organize those into coherent thought, she up and vanished with a flash of blue light, leaving no trace behind that she had even existed in the first place. “Sir? What the hell was that?” Corporal Barrett called out from where he was sitting, drawing several nods and confused stares from the rest of the squad. Unfortunately, the sergeant didn’t have many answers to give his men. Instead, he chose to shake his head, before checking his gun quickly to make sure he didn’t need a reload. “She was on our side, so it’s nothing we’ve got to worry about. For now, we’ve got a few more important matters to attend to, namely getting more civies out, and doing a little pest control. You still with me, men?” There was a rumble of approval from his boys, which puts a smile on the old sergeant’s face. “Well, then let's go get some.” The cheer that followed this felt off without Johnson and Rogers, and Nakamura felt his eyes almost irresistibly drawn towards the bodies of his two lads, causing a lump to briefly form in his throat. He was a soldier, though. Rogers and Johnson weren’t the first he had lost, nor would they be the last. There would be plenty of time to mourn them later; there were lives to save and bugs to squash now, and wasting time crying over the dead would not honor their sacrifice. Pushing down his grief, Sergeant Nakamura waved for his men to follow, a grin on his face that he did not feel. “Move out!” he shouted, before leading his boys deeper into the burning city. * * * The city hall of Manehattan was in shambles. Anything not necessary had been moved or tossed aside, once-important documents littered the floor, and any available space was being used to store spare armaments. Spare spears, swords and bows could be seen in their racks, as well as spare armor and medical supplies, all awaiting the pony soldiers' needs. However, alongside such familiar sights, Princess Luna could see large alien crates, clearly marked in an unreadable, yet still familiar tongue. Human and pony staff alike could be seen running to and fro, shouting to each other as they carried out their separate tasks, able to understand each other only because of the wonders of the translation spell that had been placed on everyone present. Even with magic, there was still quite a bit of confusion and misunderstanding, but that was to be expected. It was just a wonder that they weren’t more disorganized. As busy as they all were, however, most of their activity ceased upon Princess Luna’s arrival. Many of the humans stopped to openly gawk at her, while her own subjects threw up hurried salutes to the princess as she appeared in their midst. One such soldier, a sergeant by his armor, quickly galloped up to the princess, clearly overjoyed to see her. “Princess Luna! It’s incredible! They-” “I am already aware of the humans, sergeant. Please, take me to their leader, and quickly. We have much to discuss,” Princess Luna said as she removed her helmet. “Yes, my princess. Right this way.” The sergeant quickly led the Princess of the Night through the maze of weaponry and soldiers, before he stopped at what had once been the mayor’s meeting hall. The doors were currently open, and inside Princess Luna could see Captain Dark Seeker and his aids, as well as several humans in their strangely beautiful, oddly patterned clothing. They were all poring over a series of maps laid out on the table, arguing with each other over information and possible troop deployments, but all fell silent as the Moon Princess entered the room. “Princess Luna! It is my great honor to introduce Significant Red Berry, commander of the forces currently at our disposal,” Captain Dark Seeker said before falling into a bow. If Princess Luna were being honest, she would have said that most of the humans she had seen looked far too similar to really be able to distinguish them from each other, and this one wasn’t really all that different. This one happened to have red hair, and his nose looked a little on the large side, but otherwise she really couldn’t tell him apart from his fellows. Nevertheless, he could have looked like an unspeakable monster, all tentacles, darkness and fire, and she still probably would have kissed him for the aid he and his people were providing. The human soldier lazily chewed at something in his mouth, his lips turned up into a smile as he took in the Lunar Princess. “You translate funny. My name not Red Berry, but whatever is being,” he said, before taking a small step forwards. “Our monster saying you need helping? Well…” “Yes, I am most grateful, but I must ask you to redeploy some of your troops.” It was not her intent to sound so curt, but the stress of the battle had worn at her nerves. “Your people’s aid is invaluable, but the bugs are deliberately sending troops here to tie me down. Your talents would better be served elsewhere, where the aliens are busy abducting my people while their attention is on us.” If the human was offended by her blunt statement, he did not show it. Instead, he looked meaningfully at Captain Dark Seeker, before he blew a bubble in whatever he was chewing, revealing it to be something similar to bubblegum. It was even the same color as the stuff, reminding Luna that she really had to find out what Starswirl’s last testament said. It would have to wait, however, as there were far more important tasks at hand, and allies to coordinate with. “Sorry is not understanding, but I no authority to pull away. We stay,” he said, his manner very laid back, despite the urgency of the situation. “Commander, I am not sure you understand the issue here; the city isn’t the real target. It’s just a diversion, and the more men you divert here, the more easily they will be able to abduct my people! If anything, this place is the least important position to reinforce, due to my presence!” This didn’t seem to faze him even slightly, causing Luna to shake her head in anger. “Why in the name of Harmony did Captain Armor send your people here of all places!?” she asked, trying desperately to make the obstinate human see reason. This seemed to have the opposite effect on the man, however. Instead of taking the princess seriously, or even to stop chewing on that damnable piece of gum between his teeth, he and his men started laughing at her. What was worse, was that her own stallions seemed unable to hold in their own mirth at the princess’s words, further adding to Luna’s chagrin. Before she could voice her anger, however, Significant Red Berry held up a single hand, his voice hoarse as he tried to speak. “Lady, wait... you honest think we only bring this?” he said as he made a sweeping gesture towards his staff and the people outside. “We here, because our job here, make site cost to bugs. Others, though, innocent out in villages? They get help, other help. Our job here, their job there, understood?” “You… you mean that…” Luna muttered, not quite grasping at what the human was trying to say. “But… the armed forces you have deployed to this city alone are enormous! Just how many did Alex bring?” “Oh, he very convince,” Significant Red Berry said, before blowing another bubble. “No worry, we here. We lead way. You need no worry about them out village, we send special out there. Bugs not know what hit. After-” He then used a word that did not translate at all into Equestrian, but Luna was familiar enough with the human’s tongue and the workings of the spell to catch the word the human used: Ranger. “-get through, they afraid, run for hills!” he said, letting out a barking laugh. Luna let out a sigh of relief, before gently wiping some of the grime that had built on her forehead. “Thank the heavens… I cannot tell you how much of a blessing this is…” Significant Red Berry shook his head slightly, before gesturing towards the ceiling. “No thank yet, thank after get through alive. Remember, they have sky. If decide not worth, may bomb any time. Just hope they no get bored, when Rangers make them unhappy…” * * * “We need a few more, go check on that side! Corporal Kista saw a few of the smaller ones run that way.” Private Soth gave his superior a half-salute before stalking his way through the primitive town. It was a fairly small one, consisting of about thirty buildings in all, all surrounding a larger structure that appeared to serve as some kind of central meeting hall. Soth’s job had been surprisingly easy: gather up the freaky alien horse monsters and drag them to the ship. He had been warned that these things had the same powers of the Quzin, but despite this potential, the civilian population seemed woefully underprepared for the krin invaders. They barely even put up a fight, and were far too easy to send into a blind panic. Just the act of entering the town had caused them to scramble, and when the horse-things started to freak out, they became unbelievably predictable. Most immediately fled indoors, barricading themselves inside, while a much smaller percentage tried to flee the town entirely. Too bad for them, then, that there was a collection team scattered in the surrounding hillsides, just waiting to catch stragglers. As for Soth and his team, it was almost like he was back home on Karvas, hunting for small, rodent-like Ribbidon in the woods outside his father’s homestead. Soth even got into a rhythm, where he would come to a house, give it a quick scan for anyone that might have been hiding, then toss a flash grenade through a window. The bang was usually enough to scare the inhabitants out of their hidey-holes, after which it was a pretty simple task of picking them off one-by-one as they fled the building. He was actually starting to enjoy himself, despite the tight schedule his superiors had placed upon him. However, as Soth scanned his new target, he immediately knew he wasn’t going to be able to do the same here. The three heat signatures were all in the basement, and from outside, he really couldn’t see any windows to begin his collection. There was a rather large cellar door on one side, but that seemed to be the only way into the basement. Soth let out an aggravated sigh, before he waved down one of his nearby comrades. “Hey! Calthal! Over here!” The other private looked over, a little confused, before he quickly scuttled to the other private. “Yeah, Soth?” “I’ve got a few signatures in the basement,” Soth said, pointing towards the building in question. “I’m gonna go in and capture them, could you wait out here and zap any that try and make a run for it?” Private Calthal looked at the building, before giving a short shrug. “Sure. Beats sweeping for any we might have missed, anyway.” Soth gave a single nod, before he threw open the cellar door. His enhanced hearing quickly picked up the sound of quiet sobbing, as well as another that squeaked in terror at the sudden noise. He knew just from the pitch that they were more of those smaller equines, which only made his job easier. They young ones were even more skittish than the adults, and far easier to drag back to the ship due to their size and weight. Slowly, Soth stalked through the gloom, his enhanced eyes able to see clearly, even in the low light of the cellar. Suddenly, one of them squealed in fright as it made a break for the open door behind Soth. He could have turned and shot it then and there, but he chose to ignore it to let Calthal have something to do. As expected, he heard a high-pitched whine, then the sound of something collapsing on the ground outside, causing Soth’s antenna to twitch in satisfaction. The two ahead of him seemed to realize just how hopeless their situation was, as their crying only seemed to intensify in volume. It was somewhat disturbing how similar the beast’s cries were to krin larva, but Soth did his best to shove down any misgivings he might have had as he turned the corner and opened fire. The two, small horse-things didn’t even have a chance to scream before the shock of his weapon’s stun setting hit them. Both immediately keeled over, their seemingly-lifeless bodies ragdolling the second the blasts hit. Not wanting to waste any more time, Soth quickly shouldered the weapon, scooped both up into his arms, then turned to leave. However, before he even made it three steps, he suddenly found himself frozen in place as a new set of warnings suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. Fear gripped his heart as he quickly dropped both of his captives, his weapon coming to the ready as he dashed to the cellar door. His relief was almost palpable as he spotted Calthal just outside, his weapon ready and his head on a swivel as he tried desperately to figure out where the attack was going to come from. "You see anything?" Soth asked, his voice surprisingly steady. "No, but keep your guard up…" Calthal muttered back, before he quickly picked up the foal on the ground and threw it over his shoulder. "Just grab what you can and let's get back to the ship. We've overstayed our welcome." "Right..." Soth said, before he ducked back inside to grab the other two. They were both pretty light, so it really wasn't a problem to carry one under each of his lower arms while his upper arms kept his rifle at the ready. In fact, he would have been able to carry three times the load and still fight at full capacity, if it weren’t for the fact that he had disconnected from the network. If the network had mysteriously vanished, he would have chalked it up to the native’s weird powers, and would have expected some sort of counter attack from them, but that wasn’t the case. He knew exactly what was happening, which made the whole thing weirder, as he was fairly certain that the natives didn’t have access to basic radio equipment, much less an electromagnetic pulse generator. He was just glad that the majority of his gear and implants were hardened against such an attack, otherwise he’d be both literally and figuratively blind. As quick as a flash, Soth climbed the stairs out of the cellar and regrouped with Calthal, his nerves shot as he scoured the surrounding area for any signs of hostiles. When he didn't see any, he tapped Calthal once on the shoulder, to let him know he was ready. Calthal nodded once, and as quickly and quietly as they could manage, the two began the journey back to the ship at the center of town. It wasn't that far of a jog, and there were only two buildings stopping them from seeing it anyway, but with the communications blackout and the rapidly approaching night, neither of them really wanted to take any chances. Sergeant Vazah had been the one left behind to mind the ship, and as both privates approached, they could tell by his antenna that he was wound tighter than a spring. That nervousness was immediately replaced with relief the moment he laid eyes on the two returning privates and their cargo. "You boys are a sight for sore eyes. Calthal, give your beast to Soth and stay with me. As for you, secure the beasts inside, and make it quick!” "Yes sir!" Soth said as he quickly shouldered his weapon, took the one that Calthal was carrying, and made his way inside. It wasn't that far into the landing craft to the cargo hold, but finding an available cage large enough was going to take him a few seconds. Private Soth could hear his own heartbeat pound in his ears as he searched, which only seemed to intensify as he finally located what he was looking for and began fumbling with the lock one-handed. At long last, he finally managed to open it, and without wasting any more time, threw the three inside and slammed it shut, only pausing long enough to pull his gun back out before turning to leave. However, as he was making his way through the rows of stuffed cages, a new sound started to intrude upon the private’s moment of quiet. It was an unsettling, rhythmic collection of pops and cracks, punctured by what sounded like unholy thunder echoing throughout the entire valley. Private Soth practically sprinted from the cargo hold of the ship, his weapon at the ready as he ran to reinforce his comrades. However, right as he opened the door leading out of the hold and into the rest of the ship, there was a loud, thunderous bang from somewhere to his right, causing his implants to light up as they tried to compensate for the sensory overload. However, that was the least of his worries, because at the same time the thunderous bang went off, his weapon was also ripped from his hands by some unknown force, while at the same time pain started to light up his upper right arm and one of his legs. Time seemed to slow down as he automatically activated his implant’s hyper-acceleration feature, his mind furiously spinning as he tried to make sense of the world around him. The armor and chitin of his right arm were cracked open, and grey blood was already seeping out, confirming the damage that his implants and nervous system had already reported to him. The air felt like a thick, viscous liquid as he simultaneously reached for his plasma pistol and moved his eyes to find the threat. It was dangerous for him to push his implants this hard, as he was still running the outdated model, but he had no other choice. He had to know his enemy’s location before he let time reassert itself, or he was most certainly a dead man. As quick as he was, and as impressive as his combat augments were, they couldn’t compare to the speed of the supersonic pellets that were already being fired at him. All he saw was a flash of light, and a strange, bipedal silhouette standing at the ship’s open airlock before they hit him. Pain wracked his frame, and instantly Soth’s implants lit up, telling him that several of his internal organs had been obliterated in an instant. It was so intense, especially with the slowed nature of time, that even his pain inhibitors couldn’t keep up. It became so great, in fact, that he tried to let time reassert itself, in an effort to just let his suffering end. However, he had pushed his implants far too hard, and instead of doing as he ordered, his vision lit up with error messages as his wetware went into a catastrophic meltdown. He could feel his mind melt as the implants cooked the soft tissue around them, yet time did not return to normal. Eternity passed, then another, until finally Soth hit the ground, his spinal ridge having shattered so many eons ago. After such a long time spent in this living hell, one would think that he would be relieved to see the face of the one who had killed him, but he was not. All his shattered psyche felt as he watched the biped slowly point his weapon in his direction was a faint impatience, and a wish that the alien monster would just get it over with. He complied with Soth’s silent wishes, though it took nearly another eternity for death’s sweet embrace to finally claim him. * * * “Captain Izahlak to the bridge, Captain Izahlak to the bridge.” Captain Izahlak looked up from his desk where he had been filling out paperwork, before gently pressing the button for the intercom system. “Report, Lieutenant.” “We’ll be exiting hyperspace in less than thirty minutes, sir,” the lieutenant replied dutifully. “Very good. I’m a little busy at the moment, so inform me the moment we’re able to communicate with the rest of the fleet. I want to know why it is so important that the Hiarch have us convene in this specific part of Quzin steward space,” Captain Izahlak said, his irritation clearly showing through. “Yes sir,” Lieutenant Vistof replied. Captain Izahlak continued to work at his desk, his fingers quickly dancing over the keyboard as he wrote and filed his reports. It would have been quicker had he undergone certain surgeries, but like most of the higher ranked officers that had ignored the emperor’s orders to flee into deep space, he had refused to undergo such a dangerous procedure. He had the peace of mind that nothing could be shoved into his head without his say-so, but this came at the cost of making reports by hand. All in all, it was a pretty fair trade off, if he were being honest. As he was working, the lights in his cabin suddenly dimmed, and a red siren suddenly blared twice, before falling silent, jolting the captain from his work. “Lieutenant Vistof, report!” Captain Izahlak asked as he pressed the intercom button. However, the only response the captain received was a slight rumble from the deck plates, letting the captain know that his ship had taken a hit. As quick as a flash, the captain sprinted over to his cabin door before he hammered at the console next to it, but to no avail. He seemed to be locked inside, and as screams started to sound out from the hallways just outside his room, he knew that something had gone very, very wrong with his ship. Not wasting any time, the captain quickly yanked off the cover of the door panel and exposed the door’s inner workings. Not every door on the Ransom of Kings had manual overrides, but the one inside the captain’s personal cabin certainly did. A few turns of the wheel were all it took to slide the door open, but he was smart enough to know not to open it fully. If something was trying to take over the ship, the last thing he wanted was to allow his enemies perfect access to his personal quarters. Carefully, as to not attract any unwanted attention, the captain peeked through the now open door. The automated turret was currently active just outside his room, but this did not make him feel safer. Instead, it filled him with a nameless dread as it instantly swiveled to target the now exposed krin, before opening fire. Fear was a good thing, however. It allowed for faster reaction times as adrenalin and various other compounds rushed to the brain, triggering the krin’s fight or flight response. As quick as he could, Captain Izahlak pulled back from the open door, just in time to see a number of plasma bolts strike the slightly open door, causing a tiny part of the steel to glow a dark, cherry red. Some of them even made it inside, causing the captain’s extremely expensive tharva wood desk to explode into a million fragments. Without missing a beat, Izahlak ran to his cabinet, yanked it open, and immediately pulled out his plasma rifle. It had been a little while since he had used this specific gun, but he had always made it a point to visit the ship’s target range at least once a week, and he was fairly confident about his ability. As he began loading the weapon, a voice he didn’t recognize suddenly came on over the intercom. It was female, and actually sounded somewhat attractive, but this only seemed to add to the menacing nature of her message. “Attention, traitors, do not resist. Instead, rejoice, for your ship has been reclaimed for the glory of the Krin Empire. Though you have not been faithful to the emperor, know that your sacrifice is all for the glory of the Voice of Heaven. You are all traitors to the last, but you will still be of some small use to your emperor. Your sacrifice will allow all of you to regain your honor, and earn you each a seat at the Battlewatcher’s table. If any of you have a shred of honor left to you, you will put down your weapons, and wait peacefully for the end to come. Anyone found in the corridors will be shot. Anyone attempting to regain control of any vital systems will be shot. Your lives will not last much longer, so I recommend you each spend the time to make peace with the gods and with yourselves.” The intercom then screeched loudly before falling silent, but Izahlak did not pause for even a moment. The only thing the intercom had done was give the captain a face to direct his rage towards, and as he finished readying his weapon, a cold fury had settled in the captain’s chest. “His ‘highness’ can have my ship over my cold, lifeless body…” Izahlak muttered, before he placed a receiver onto his head. It wasn’t as effective as a cerebral implant, but it still allowed him to talk to any of his men that might still be alive and in range. “Testing… testing… This is Captain Izahlak, is there anyone else out there?” There was a long pause, during which Izahlak briefly thought he might be the only one left. His fear was proved false, however, and he let out an audible sigh of relief when his headset suddenly came to life in his earhole. “Corporal Galath, reading you loud and clear, captain.” Captain Izahlak quickly moved towards his cabin door before responding. A quick glance was all he needed to confirm that the turret hadn’t depleted its ammunition during his short stint to his gun locker, and that he was still going to have to fight his way out of his own room. “Good to hear from you, Corporal. You’re going to have to act as a relay for me, so quickly link me up so I can talk to the rest of the ship, since I’m just working with an outdated receiver here.” There was another slight pause, but Captain Izahlak had plenty to occupy himself as he waited. A few more turns of the wheel was all it took to open his door wide enough to fire back at the blasted sentry gun. He then reached down and picked up a book that was lying on a nearby table right as Corporal Galath’s voice suddenly came back onto the line. “You’re live, sir.” “Okay, crew. We’re in a bit of a sticky situation right now. Our ‘emperor’ has taken over the ship, and we seem to be headed for some sort of suicide mission. Our objective is simple: Get to either the computer room, or the main engine room, and shut the whole thing down. Gather whatever supplies you need, I don’t care what it takes, just get this bird back under our control. Understood?” There was a deafening cry as his crew shouted back their support of their captain, but Izahlak barely registered it. He was too busy psyching himself up for what was about to happen. “Well then, boys, get out there and make a name for yourselves…” he said, right before he tossed out the book he had grabbed into the hallway. As expected, the automated turret immediately locked onto the book’s movement, causing it to explode in less than a second in a flash of green fire and smoke. Fortunately for Izahlak, that was all the time he needed to turn, fix his sights on that blasted turret, and empty enough plasma into the thing to overheat and melt its circuitry. The gun itself only became a bright cherry red, but as smoke started billowing out from around the gun’s port, the Captain knew he had done his job right. “Now, to take back my ship…” he muttered to himself as he carefully left his cabin behind.