The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet (58 page)

We’d moved to another tagged group of downed Mechas three quarters of my PD disabled weapons as I talked to Krom and stayed back from the searchers.

“Until the space god came and saved us from the planet killer we fought viciously never getting above living in caves, our population was small and near extinction. When the space gods came the awakening priests could make my people reach their full potential, creating two main groups, the warriors and creators.” He changed channels quickly before returning to his story.

“The creators spent their lives studying the machines of the space gods; the warriors went out and kept the peace between the major groups by becoming the leaders by majority. Others won over control later as less people were awakened, but those that had their parents awaken still had the majority of their awakened abilities. But without the code that the warriors and creators swore too they were free to do as they wish. We again began to fall into chaos; the creators taken up with their time with the space gods machines died off and weren’t replaced as the priests saw it as a waste of the space god’s gift as they’d shunned the rest of the Avarians.”

“Then the Kareet came, they were a vicious race of creatures that were a match for ten Avarians. Warriors underwent extreme testing before they were awakened. Most pledged at least one child to the awakening when they came of age and accepted the responsibility to keep the sons and daughters from committing the atrocities their predecessors had. The four clans joined and fought the Kareet. And the second re-birth came. Awakening priests were accepted into every clan. Warriors pledged loyalty to their battle master who was also their clan leader as long as it didn’t interfere with the code of Awakening. Creators weren’t awakened as they had lost their chance and that is how we’ve survived until the third death which you saved us from.”

“Why don’t the priests awaken Creators now?”

“There was talk of doing so when we left, to see what they could do to help our people move to the stars. It is something for the awakening priests to decide. With the third death passed and the third re-birth it seemed that they were accepting of the idea there was talk of awakening your creators if they were accepting of the idea.”

“The Kuruvians? There are quite a few of them with modifications already, seeing as most of them working with computer systems nearly all of them wanted improved implants that would allow them to use internal universal ports so they could directly connect to computer systems instead of having to take complex equipment around with them, plus wireless message one another. With every race there’ll always be a few that are willing to try it out.” I surmised.

“Indeed. Let’s move onto the next group Commander.”

“Of course.” I said letting him lead on as I had a lot to think about. The PD put me near the rear as we roof jumped to the next group. This was a large one as the PD spread out a bit more to not cross arcs as one checked the fallen the other covering them. I was on the ground to make me less of a target the team assigned to me watching out as I stood there thinking about the story Krom had told me.

“There, behind you!” I heard as a team of my PD opened fire.

“C’mon.” I said to my team my HUD already showing me where the team under fire were positioned as we ran to them. I was greeted by the sight of Sarenmenti tossing off their fellow dead as they got to their feet firing and screaming wordlessly. A team in the same open area turned and shot them as more got out of other piles of bodies, or hiding places they’d found. Hundreds of rounds hit the other team before they had time to react.

My team and I fired as our HUDS painted them as the enemy. The Sarenmenti shifted their fire onto us as we continued to fire.

“Get back into cover!” I said following my own advice taking a bound that with my Avarian strength put me behind a wall as I turned to provide covering fire.

The first team member made it behind cover as the second team member cried out in pain as they fell catching a round. I checked the vital sounds dropping my rifle and grabbing the first team members pistol as well as my own.

“COVER ME!” I yelled as I ran around the corner. Now in the movies using two pistols is amazing, everyone dies and the main character reloads. When I first got a pistol I tried this out and found out how much Hollywood had lied to me, hitting one target wasn’t all that bad but hitting two that weren’t even moving was damned near impossible the recoil on pistols just threw it everywhere and you couldn’t sight down the weapon.

But add in the additional strength of whatever the Awakening priests had done to me and the linked in weapons which gave me an aiming carat on my HUD, it was like playing duck hunter.

I flung one empty pistol back in the direction I’d come from reloading and hitting the activator as I grabbed the fallen Mecha, who to her credit was firing with her rail gun. I dragged her as I shot. My battle suits enhanced strength and the odd assisting kick from her worked to help me move the near ton of armour and person.

Her team mate covered us, making his rounds last to keep the Sarenmenti back. I felt blazing agony across my forearm as a round grazed it another across my trap as I made it to cover.

“Use hell fire.” I told her, the auto injector had been upgraded so that it didn’t fire unless the user was going to die immediately without the powerful drug or they couldn’t fight without it. It was worse to be in writhing pain over your entire body and unable to fire in a firefight than endure what you had and not be able to fight.

She took her finger off her trigger and fired the hell fire through her system as I reloaded my pistol grabbed my rifle and tapped the other team member still firing.

“Switch out!”

He fell out and back as I took his spot. I could hear him and his wife/team member talking as he reloaded while I lined up my sight picture with the advancing Sarenmenti.

“Can you move?” I asked her as I fired.

“Yes commander.” Anger and resolution in her voice as she picked herself up.

“Good,” I changed channels. “Krom we need support.”

“We’re to your left flank I can’t get people to you; they’re covering the rooftops and a road in between us. I have support moving in from the North. Hold your position we’ll take their fire. Remember we’re you shields.”

“I don’t think I’ll have much choice in the matter if I get in this fight or not.” I cut the channel talking on the local channel.

“What are your names?” I asked the two with me.

“Dave.”

“Janice.”

“Alright well get those swords ready we have ten advancing Sarenmenti.”

“Yes sir!” They said Janice moved her leg finding decreased mobility but her Mecha’s exoskeleton was damaged. They positioned themselves to jump around the corner between me and the advancing Sarenmenti.

I pulled back slinging my rail gun and pulling my plasmid sword mentally counting in my head.

“Go!”

Dave and Janice ran out with wordless cries as they clashed with the Sarenmenti so close that the leading shooters couldn’t bring their weapons to bear. I jumped up the wall grabbing with a hand before I threw myself into the fray coming alongside Janice, making a half moon with Dave hugging the wall as Sarenmenti finally got their swords free.

I cut down two before a Sarenmenti had a blade free. I parried it, turning my opponents sword outwards, slashing inwards I brought my blade across their chest as they stumbled, dying. One to my right barrelled into me grabbing me and taking me to the ground as another came at my head with their plasmid sword.

My longer blade saved my life as my attacker’s blade glanced off of the tip, burying itself in the ground inches away from my face—close enough to hear the humming of the retaining electrostatic field. I flicked my wrist bringing my sword back and across my attacker’s chest leaving a rivet in their armour from the plasma in my blade. Janice finished them off with a backwards blow across their neck dropping them backwards as the Mecha holding me tightened its grip.

“Mother fucker!” I yelled as they continued to tighten their hold, making my world go darker as I found it harder to breathe.

I drove the hilt of my sword into the back of his helmet with vicious jerky blows, blunted by his grip on my upper arms. I was having hard time breathing as I finally heard the armour of his helmet crack. Two more hits and my world was going dark and pain swelled from my chest as a pop sounded.

Pain brought me out of the darkness as new found rage and adrenaline flooded my system. I put my last ounce of power into opening his arms. With monstrous effort I was able to gather a breath and I turned my sword, bringing the blade instead of my hilt across the back of his helmet.

I didn’t cut through his helmet but the ferocity of the blow made plasma spurt from the interacted electro-static field. He thrashed as plasma burnt through his neck. He clawed at his neck as I got out of under him. I ended his suffering with a blow across the visor as I turned to Janice and Dave.

I’d been forgotten as I faced the backs of the remaining Sarenmenti attackers. I jumped in again raking one across the back and then opening their neck burying my blade into another’s side with the same blow. Before they could turn I pulled my pistol from its holster and placed it against the seam of their helmet and collar and pulled the trigger. They dropped like dead weight as I pulled my blade free.

One turned to face me, but was met by my pistol in their visor. I swung under the next’s attack, my plasmid blade and my enhanced strength cutting through their leg. I put a round through their shoulder and into their central mass. I turned to face the attackers between me and my protection detail.

Dave had lost his sword but his hand to hand was putting him in good stead his moves familiar to those I’d seen what felt like ages ago when I’d been researching Yasu’s fighting styles for our upcoming tournament.

“Reinforcements coming in!”

“About damn time.” I muttered to myself, changing to the close-area general channel. “Need maybe three fire teams here to assist. The rest check on Krom.” I said as my newest attacker’s sword went to his side as he dove in front of me his sword flicking out as if to disembowel me. I jumped away as he flicked his wrist making it go low and down instead of higher and across my now out of reach stomach. I stabbed at his falling form as his sword found its mark, coming across my left leg.

“SOUNVA BITCH!” I said as auto tourniquets went off in my leg signalling it was gone, also the fact I was now falling with my now dead enemy. I grabbed my pistol my HUD linking with it as I drew it snapping off two shots hitting two follow up attackers in the visor killing them. I hit the ground using my upper body’s weight to jerk myself into a position so I could see those attacking Janice and Dave.

“The Commander’s down!” I heard as I lined up my next target putting two shots into their knee dropping them as Janice took of their head.

“Goddamn fucking, piece of shit bastard, spawn, shitting saint’s on a stick!” I yelled at the pain as if I could swear it away.

I kept firing on their remaining attackers weakening them to take them down as I heard a roar and then the sound of a crew serviced rail gun firing nearby the sound approaching and then stopping as I found I had no more targets in front of me or on the HUD anymore as I heard more people approaching.

Someone was fussing over me looking into my eyes as I tried to comm. them to not, finding out I’d destroyed the built in communicator of the battle suit. I hit the manual release of the hood.

“Will you please get off of me?” I growled as someone else picked up my leg.

”Gimme that.” They quickly obeyed.

“Thank you.” I aligned it using my battle suits lines thinking it looked good I pressed the stumps of my leg and thigh together which was not the most pleasant feeling in the world.

“Hold it.” I said as someone did so as I grabbed a hell fire needle from their shoulder kit. With a breath I stabbed it and inch above the leg and pressed the depressing tab on my suit. The hell fire lanced through my thigh and thankfully into my leg as the commando held my leg together the muscles contracted as they connected. Which was more odd than painful, and it was very painful.