The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (73 page)

The comment came from Ellis. Before anyone could react Rabbit joined in.

“Yes but we still have some rebels hiding and fighting in this area, as you can all hear from the occasional shots. My guess is they will think that they were killed by some of those forces.

“By the time they realize otherwise we will be far away and out of here.” Fly finished the discussion.

Kelley thought for a second and then nodded.

“Spread out. We fire on my mark”

He turned to the two snipers.

“One shot one kill. We know where their weak points are.”

“Shouldn’t we leave one alive for information?”

He turned to Dickens.

“It’s too dangerous. And we have little time. Let’s hope that those aliens will know something.”

That ended the discussion. They all spread out closing in on the unsuspecting Dacarians.

Fly and Rabbit took positions in the back and waited for the order to engage.

The Dacarians gathered the prisoners taking the human away from the three aliens. It was obvious that they knew that he would die.

Arnes, Miur and Hars watched as the legionaries dragged Demetrios. His face showed the great pain he felt as they moved him blood spilling from his mouth and from the wound to his abdomen. The wound was cauterized from the heat of the plasma gun but deadly as it caused internal bleeding. Arnes knew what would happen next. The Dacarians were serious even as they poked him he could see that they planned to give him an honorable death. He still admired the way they treated human warriors. Even if they were cruel conquerors they were still an honorable race. At least they showed that honor towards some of their enemies and the humans had a special place among them. He knew of the stories from the few surviving Ksand, the race that rightly called this world home, about the ancient wars thousands of cycles in the past and about the ancestors of the humans, the Alterans. He knew the stories about how they fought with them and in the end lost not because the Dacarians were more powerful but because they were betrayed. This human knew nothing of that past but he knew that somewhere out there among the stars his race still lived free. It was a story known among all slaves spoken often about how their ancestors were bought from their conquerors back in ancient times and brought here by another race. They often called them sky demons but from the few drawings the Illians saw some of the older ones thought that the race was the Zerg another of the enslaved races.

All humans believed that one day their descendants would free them and the funny thing was that together with them many others believed it too. It was a planetary legend one that the fighting Illians supported because it made everyone fight harder. 

One of the legionaries placed Demetrious on his knees and spoke something. Demetrious just spat at him in defiance. Arnes didn’t know what the exchange was about but it didn’t seem to make the Dacarians angry. They just laughed. The one in charge took out his sword and stood behind the human who raised his head and looked at the jungle. His look was dazed and lost but it was a look filled with pride, pride that he would die a free man.

The Dacarian started to strike but he never got the chance.

As Arnes watched the Dacarians prepare to kill the human, Kelley watched as well. Kelley knew the ritual. It was their way of giving a worthy opponent what they considered an honorable death. And it seemed that the human was agreeing to it. It wasn’t strange considering that he was already dying. As he watched his men deploy he knew that he would die but not by their hand.

He looked around and then took aim and gave the signal.

As he whistled the Dacarians raised their heads attracted by the strange sound.

Moments later all eight members of Bravo team fired.

Fly and Rabbit targeted the two dacarians standing over the human. The others took aim at the rest of the legionaries. For a moment the silence was shattered as the suppressed shots from the humans found their mark.

Demetrios looked in amazement as he watched the strangely dressed creatures come out from behind the Dacarians. His sight was cloudy and hazed but he could still smile as the head of the legionary in front of him exploded and a moment later he felt the other behind him, their centurion falling as well also missing a part of his head.

The other seven legionaries had just a moment to realize that they were under attack before half a dozen bullets hit each of them. The armor piercing ammunition had no trouble penetrating their armor. Even the one that humanity used before the invasion could easily break through and since then improvements were made enhancing the speed at which the bullets were fired and increasing the damage they could do.

As the bullets hit them they thrashed around for a second before falling down. The entire action lasted no more than twenty seconds.

Flint and Smith the team’s medic rushed towards the wounded human. The others went to the three confused aliens.

Arnes watched the three humans approaching with startled look. At first he thought that they were members of the rebellion, a small unit that got separated but the uniforms they wore, the camouflage and the way they moved, it all told him something different.

Miur and Hars watched the humans just as he did. Three more humans stood in the distance watching for any danger. They were carrying strange looking weapons and as he watched them he noticed they were projectile weapons. That in itself was a conformation of the thought that slowly formed in his mind.

“Who are you?”

The human looked at him with surprised look obviously not understanding.

It took a moment for Arnes to remember that he spoke in his native Illian language. He stood up and corrected himself.

“Who are you?”

The human looked at him and suddenly his serious face formed a smile.

Ellis turned towards Kelley as the alien spoke still smiling.

“Damn sir it seems that Latin just got accepted as a universal language.”

“It sure does. Make sure they are ok we have to move.”

“Yes sir.”

Kelley turned towards the wounded human watching Smith as he was checking the wound while the human was resting on the ground. He could see the pain on his face. He walked towards him.

Arnes watched the small exchange between the humans not understanding it and when they were done he repeated his question. He knew that he sounded like a robot but he had to know who they were before taking them towards Ksamona.

The human turned and looked straight at him. When he spoke he spoke in the common language that all humans seemed to use on this world but his accent was strange. He sounded like someone who wasn’t used to speaking the language often.

“Are…you ok? Can you walk?”

Arnes looked at Miur and Hars and then himself. They were bloody had bruises and cuts he had a nasty headache from the hit on his head but they were ok and could move. None of the injuries were dangerous enough to be hindering. They would slow them down but not by much.

“We can move human.”

“Good. Follow them we will come once we finish with your friend.”

Arnes nodded and he directed Miur and Hars towards the waiting humans.

The human was already turning but when he noticed Arnes standing he stopped.

“Yes?”

“What is your name and who are you?”

The human seemed to take a moment to think and then answered him and offered his hand.

“Ellis. My name is Ellis for the rest we will talk later when we have more time.”

Arnes knew that that was the end of the conversation.

“I’m Arnes.”

The human nodded and pointed him towards the group that was already moving.

He nodded back and moved slowly checking the muscles for any damage. He felt a little dizziness but he shook his head and then ignored the pain. There would be time later.

Ellis watched the strange alien walking away for a moment and then joined the small group gathered around the human.

“Any chance we can save him?”

Smith continued cleaning the wound but his look spoke everything.

“If we had a proper hospital and the proper tools then yes but here and now I doubt it. The wound is cauterized but he has internal bleeding, I doubt that he could survive for more than an hour maybe two. And they will be painful.”

“Shit.” The comment came from Flint.

“Give him painkillers at least it will give him peace.”

Demetrios watched the strangely dressed humans. At first he thought he was dreaming but as he watched them and as his sight cleared he could see that they were real. Four of them were standing close to him, one checking him. From the way he probed the wound he had to be a healer. They were speaking but he couldn’t understand them.

He watched as one of them took out an object filled with liquid and a needle. He shook it twice and then he injected him with it. He felt a small pain as the needle pierced his skin and it injected the liquid in to his blood stream. But he felt better almost instantly the pain subsiding.

“What is your name?”

Demetrious watched the one who asked him.

“I’m…my name is Demetrios.”

Kelley smiled as the human asked for their names.

“Nice to meet you Demetrios I’m Lieutenant Kelley and these are Smith, Flint and Ellis.”

He pointed to the other humans.

They all nodded and smiled.

“Who…are you? You…need to go. Other…units will come.”

Demetrios coughed expelling blood. Smith raised him and sat him next to a tree for support.

“He doesn’t have much time sir, and we can’t carry him.”

Kelley watched them and nodded.

He turned towards Ellis.

“You three go. I will reach you.”

They could have objected but they all knew him long enough to know that it would be for nothing.

“Yes sir.”

As they stood up Smith gave him morphine.

“It will take the pain away and let him die in peace.”

After this he turned and walked away.

Kelley gave him a shot of morphine and he could see the pain subsiding away on his face.

“You …should go as well.”

Kelley smiled.

“I will soon.”

Demetrios nodded and smiled as well. He knew he was dying and he was grateful that he wouldn’t be alone.

“Thank you for this.”

As their eye met Kelley knew what Demetrios was saying.

“Kelley, that is a strange name, I’ve never heard it before.”

Kelley smiled.

“I know. That is my last name. My full name is James Kelley.”

Demetrios smiled.

“James, it is still strange name.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better where I come from Demetrios would be strange too.”

They shared a smile but Demetrios face turned serious and his eyes wandered around looking hazy. It was because of the morphine but also because he was growing weaker with every second.

He took shallow breaths and he felt that slowly he was losing his strength.

“It is good…to die free.”

As he said that he managed to raise his hand and pull a medallion and a coin from the pocket of his torn shirt. It was a strange looking coin.

He handed it to Kelly.

Kelley watched him already knowing what he was asking him to do.

“I have… a son Alexander. Give that to him.” He pointed to the coin.

“Pay for my journey.”

Kelley smiled remembering the ancient belief in the afterlife.

As Demetrios started drifting away he looked at the medallion.

It was made of gold and it was or used to be a coin. It had a face he couldn’t recognize but the letters were Macedon. 

He was a descendant of the nation that once conquered the whole known world, and a fellow human being.

He looked at him. It was obvious he was almost out of strength.

“I will and I will give your son the message. I will tell him his father died a noble death fighting the enemy. And I promise you this Demetrios a day will come when Alexander will see his home, when he will see Earth.”

As he said the ancient name of Earth, as the word Terra came out of his lips Demetrios looked at him. His look was clouded but the ancient home was a dream that each human had.

“Terra…”

“Yes Demetrios, home has finally come for you. Soon your son and all his sons will be free. Every human and slave on this world will see and feel the wrath of your descendants.”

Demetrios looked at him gathering his last strength. He looked at his strange uniform, at his weapons. He looked in to his eyes.

“Who…are you?”

Kelley gathered his breath.

“I’m Lieutenant James Kelley Special Forces of the Terran Federation. And it is an honor to know you Demetrios.”

A smile appeared on the face of Demetrios.