CHAPTER NINETEEN
Across the seven mile plains of yellow and brown grass with strips of green, deep slopes and high hills and bare patches of earth, there stood the ghostly remains of what was the old Sugeya Temple of Worship; broken and scattered beliefs of the first queen of Tartian who’s power and tales of greatness were so vast they had extended to even here were she was revered as a deity.
But when the Third Great War sprouted its ugly head, not even hope in Sugeya’s ever present soul could save the people, and they abandoned the massive temple just like any forgotten article in a fire.
The marble and granite pillars, floors and statues of the armored woman and her fellow female knights were strewn all over, the scraps left to be devoured by creeping vines and long grass.
Through the grey clouds that drifted over the lands the sun fought them back with thrusts of light through their vast bodies, lending showers of glittery orange to the lands.
Beneath the battle of the sun and the clouds and the decimation of the stones knights and the plants, seven Skymera’s and five Venliers slowly closed the distances between each other. Their bases opened like giant mouths, and amongst the two groups of ships spewed dozens of dropships, carrying soldiers, vehicles and mechs alike.
On the side of the orderrans Dawhawk hovered over the ground, dropping off troops, Cyries and assault-mechs.
Between the ranks of scores of militants, larger, darker tones Dawhawk flew by with open sides and rear, dropping off the massive Narcoms that landed in the ground with a shuddering thud, stood up from their crouch and unhinged the massive cannons of their backs; chain-fed with explosive rounds.
The common Narcom was a metal monstrosity five meters tall, bulky looking and armored as the Jagger, but with smooth black armor. Their hands and five-toed feet were white, as their large faces with narrow red eyes and their wide mouth set like the interlocking design of a large zipper.
In their chest was a shield-projector, which covered the machine in a pink layer when struck. One shoulder had an EMP discharger in the form of a cylinder with blue rings.
Narcoms, Cyries and assault mechs led the front basically used as cannon fodder—expendable machines to absorb the brunt of the first wave of the assault while diminishing the mechsuits of the enemy.
Right behind them were the soldiers, with their Drochies between, travelling on the wheels on their undersides like jeeps.
Just like the Narcoms, the nycarman military had the mechsuits leading the front for the same purpose. Most of them were Viceken type with one in every five having a Jagger present. Behind them the jeeps and trucks cautiously crept up.
They were only two hundred yards away when the particle beam from the Skymera struck into the ranks of the nycarman militants; a massive blast of fire and debris that eradicated three mechs and seven soldiers instantly.
And the gunfire started.
Mechs and mechsuits rushed forward, exchanging fire that quickly broke down their shields in small explosions that echoed for miles.
The Narcoms crouched, pointed their shoulders at the mechsuits and fired from their EMP cannons. A blast of electricity rippled into ranks of the mechsuits, breaking down shields and leaving them vulnerable to gunfire from the assault mechs and the screaming Cyries.
Vicekens and Jaggers rattled and rocked with each hit of the high powered weapons. The extremely battered ones collapsed in sparks and flame-cloaked debris.
One Jagger so far was destroyed; its shield reduced to nothing and then its body to a smoking heap of metal with explosive and plasma rounds form the Narcoms; but not before slaying a good deal of soldiers and assault-mechs.
With the fall of the mechsuits the nycarman militants flood through the broken flanks, squeezing off short bursts of gunfire at the enemy as they dashed for cover in the bosom of the stone women’s corpses. Not all made it; some got picked off by stray gunfire, snipers and explosions.
The Jaggers and Vicekens used tactics instead of brute force like the mechs. Instead of an equal clash of massive fire power between Narcom and Jagger, the Jaggers focused their fire on the assault-mechs and series, reducing them to scraps while creating an opening in their line of defense for the nycarmans and the remaining Vicekens to squeeze through.
While the foot-soldiers toiled below, the Venliers and Skymeras bombarded each other with ordnance above. The Venliers added the spice plasma-fueled missile charges with their high-powered turrents while the Skymeras preferred to flavor theirs with mightier particle beam cannons.
Even though they had to lower their shields for ten seconds and sustain some damage, the beam compensated with a power that blast through the shields of the Venliers, and even if the damage would be lessened by thirty percent, it was enough to score streaks of carnage on the hides of the Venliers.
In essence each time the particle-beam cannons fired it was a sure hit.
Already one Venlier bled smoke like a down-and-out jalopy way past its time.
A jeep holding the members of Joey’s team, along with three others as escort; one with Lezura’s Jagger riding on top of it, holding onto the sides over crouching men, drove a couple yards around the battlefield to flank the orderrans. With a group this size they couldn’t do much, but could get their attention.
They dove down a dirty slope and came up back with a bump. An explosion above them clapped like thunder. Those who could manage looked up and saw one of the Venliers engulfed in flames.
S’us gasped, hefting her dirty rifle. “My goodness…”
Beside her, holding a lancegun, Joey said glumly, “That would be so cool if it weren’t happening to our side…”
Behind them Heliri rode in tow on Redbolt, with Flivi flying in circles overhead, chirping madly and the explosion and falling debris.
“Keep focused,” Tylin said, hefty her heavy-assault lancegun, “we are coming up on the enemy!”
Before them they saw the dazzling scene of flashing gunfire and explosion of earth, fire and electricity.
The co-driver of the lead Jeep with Joey’s group said into radio to the others, “Okay ladies and gentlemen, let us start our first day of school nice and easy!”
The jeeps slowed and swerved to a stop with their sides facing the enemy some fifty yards off. Everyone jumped out with their rifles clutched—well, not everyone.
The Sekku stayed back, along with Heliri and the wyassies.
Leading the charge was the platoon commanders and captains. Behind them were the officers along with Tylin, Podge and Tet, and behind them were Joey Yeltsa, and S’us.
“What? Is it because I’m short?” Joey said.
“No stupid,” Yeltsa said, pacing along beside him, “It’s because out of everyone’s head that might snatch a bullet it in, yours is the most valuable.”
The Jagger charged up to the front through the remains of room and unloaded rounds in a sweeping arc at the enemy that produced more scuttling and diving than death. Lezura kept going forward, pushing the soldiers and Cyries back. She fired a single round from the rocket, scoring two kills and stunning a few others.
Behind her the others spread themselves out along remains of the room, crouching with their backs up against them or going prone.
Within under a second of their arrival they were already receiving heavy gunfire that would have pressed them flat had Lezura and the Jagger hadn’t been there to ease them up.
Even with the internal cooling system in the Jagger Lezura still sweated. Her eyes had to pay attention to all screens with stepping out of the stream of heavy fire and laying down her attack. Luckily her attention span was very fast—
“Blast!” she said, seeing the burst of flame from a missile launcher. “Release the flares!”
The right on the Jagger gashed yellow lights and sparks into the air. The two missiles suddenly switch trajectories and rocketed upward, hitting the flares.
Lezura took aim at the assault mech that had fired the missiles and release a spray of bullets that ripped off the mech’s torso.
An explosion against Lezura’s shield dissipated the last of it in and rocked her back two steps. Now gunfire sparked all over her. She fired a missile, blew apart the ground and sent mangled and torn bodies flying.
Around Lezura the orderrans and Cyries snuck pass her and took shots at the soldiers, deploying shield-projectors as well.
Some Cyries took the approach to charge into the ranks of the soldiers, a tactic that seemed wild but worked to drive the soldiers out of cover.
A Cyries came charging with its gun spraying wildly. It tanked two bursts from S’us Malcer before crashing down in a hail of gunfire from Joey.
They both ducked when another Cyri came running in.
“Are you okay?” Joey asked S’us.
“Keep your eyes around you!” S’us said.
And a gunshot nipping the side of Joey’s neck reinforced S’us’ words. He ducked.
Two Cyries ran upon four soldiers. One was gunned down, but the other managed to throw a bomb in the center of them. One dove away, the others got up and were subsequently gunned down.
The explosion blasted dust over Tet and Podge. They shook it off their faces and proceeded to return fire to three orderrans.
One hid behind a shield-projector, making the other two easier to pick off as Tet and Podge did.
This orderran, however, was too confident in his shield and stayed there, not bothering to run when he saw Yeltsa, armored like a Narcom with her honoi cloak beneath, charging towards him.
Her armor sparked upon receiving a wave of gunfire, but it held. Yeltsa leaped over the shield and dropped on the orderran, caving in his head order her foot.
She spun on the spot and fired thrice from her Sputty, blasting two orderrans but only managing to kill one.
Behind her an orderran broke his cover behind the head of Sugeya, tossed his helmet to the ground and transformed into a lycan.
The hairy beast pounced on Yeltsa so fast that she only had time to lift her hand in defense. The lycan sunk its teeth through her thick flesh.
Yeltsa braced against the lycan and fired her Sputty into its guts. The animal only snarled, sinking claws and teeth into Yeltsa’s flesh deeper.
Yeltsa winced and fired the Sputty in its head, blowing out a chunk and sent the lycan toppling over.
Two more lycans appeared, rushing into the soldiers on all fours.
One swiped the head clean off a soldier’s shoulder, spun and slashed the other one that was emptying rounds into its back across the helmet. Its claws dug deep, exiting with gout of blood.
Two soldiers nearby emptied incendiary rounds from their sidearm into the Lycan, dropping it with smoke and flames from its crispy wounds.
Tylin fired silver rounds into the lycan charging at her. She ducked out of the way and let its limp body slide in the dirt. Smoke steamed from its wounds.
Lezura emptied the last of her rocket into a Narcom, blowing away its shield. She dropped her weapons, ducked and rolled like a crashing truck out of the way of the Narcom’s EMP cannon’s discharge. She came up on one knee with the heavy-machinegun in both hands and opened fire.
The Narcom’s head was shot off, then the rest of its torso.
As the machine collapsed a pinkish-white beam blasted from the smoke near the Jagger’s foot. The blast sent it flipping on its back.
One soldier took note of the blast and trained his eyes to wear it came from. To his horror he saw a Narcom walking grumpily towards them over the remains of its fallen comrades, and in its hands was a miniature version of a particle-beam cannon.
Behind it were three other Narcoms spaced out amongst scores of soldiers and mechs and even a few hoverbikes. All racing towards their direction.
“They are advancing on us!” the Nycarman said over the gunfire.
The commanders saw the horde of red eyes coming.
“Crap!” one said, “We sure got their attention, all right!”
One of their leaders said, “Fall back! Everyone fall back now!”
Jinkai Borros Onn was in the command deck of the center-most Skymera, seated in a bronze and silver construction of a giant beast’s gaping mouth.
Around him his subordinates busied themselves with monitoring the advancement of the enemy, the ship’s weapons and the damage it was sustaining.
Officers relayed orders to and fro with each other and the other Skymeras. In the center of the dark-blue colored command room, adorned with grim and beastly markings like a monster’s liar, was a large table, glowing with a thin layers white light that projected the huge holographic display off all airships; enemy and friendly alike.
Seated next to Onn was his Deskai, Gadsa, a more slender built orderran compared to huge frame of his Jinkai.
On the hologram they saw one of the Venliers slipping out of formation to the nothingness that was the ground below.
A tight smile spread like melted sugar across Gadsa’s lips. “So foolish of them to think they could stand up to us with such limited forces,” he said.
“Foolish or not it this kind of tenacity that hinders our progress,” Onn said. “But then again, it really is foolish. To think they could have simply allowed us to colonize their country, and we could have offered them freedom just as we did the people of Tartian.”
And by freedom, Onn meant living under total Keeltionese domination. Back in Tartian the alien population lived in the slums of the worsts parts of the cities; basically an even worse Underworld than Ugatin had become.
“Normally they wouldn’t have even attempted to oppose us like this; seeing as how they suffered from the harvests,” said Gadsa thoughtfully. “I wonder…?”
“It is because of the presence of the Rakai,” Onn said crisply like he wanted to spit. “That alien has given them false hope. There is no way in hell, heaven or any of the worlds in the galaxy that bunch of powerless people; not to mention a rag-tag group of kids, can overthrow the Prestige Kingdom and its military might—even if they’re not orderran.”
“Yes…” Gadsa said “…but there is something about this whole”—Gadsa gestured with a repeated delicate flick of his hand—“resistance, that irks me.”
Onn’s forehead furrowed. Yes, there is something about this war that’s nagging me. Like a switch flicked on he suddenly figured it out. Ah yes…that little piece of shit Rakai and his Chevalier! Those two have really thrown piss in my face. Defeating my men twice!
Onn’s hands gripped the arms of his chair with a crackling sound.
Gadsa noticed his Jinkai’s displeasure. “My Lord…?”
“My Lord,” said the communications officer from their left, “We are getting reports that the Rakai has been sighted near the west side of our ranks by Companies Six and Seven.
Onn’s body tensed, he sat forward with lightning speed and said, “Are you certain of this?”
“Yes, my Lord,” the officer said, “he has been seen amongst other non-nycarmans—wait—” the officer pressed the headphone against his ears and listened keenly. After nearly twenty seconds that seemed like an eternity of torture for a growling Onn, the officer said, “He is making a retreat—to the northwest. A squad of hoverbikes is in pursuit of them!”
Onn rose out of his seat, yanking his cape by the side. Gadsa rose as well.
Onn said, “Maintain communication with those bikes.”He turned to the internal communications officer to his right, “You, upload satellite imagery of all roads leading from here to the northwest to every Dawhawk remaining on this ship. And tell Alpha Pack to get down there on the triple!”
“Yes, my Lord,” said the officer.
Onn projected his voice to the pilots, “And you three,” the three men turned to their Jinkai, “turn this thing and follow the Rakai’s group.”
Onn left with Gadsa tailing behind him.
“My Lord,” said Gadsa, “what are you planning?”
Onn stopped, jerking Gadsa into a halt. Onn spun and said, “I am going to personally make sure that the Rakai doesn’t make a fool out of us a third time. In the meanwhile you stay here and have the Skymera tail us in case they are leading us into an ambush.”
Gadsa wasn’t too sure about the Lord’s plan, but knew better than to question him. He nodded, “Yes, my Lord.”
Onn nodded. “Good.”
He turned and left through the doors.
They retreated for the jeeps as quickly as the commander gave the orders. Yeltsa, clutching her arm against her chest, already reached with the long strides of her legs, with Joey and S’us right behind her.
The rest filled up the jeeps while Lezura kept up with the rear, stopping to give cover with spasmodic burst of gunfire.
Her Jagger bled sparks from the shoulders, the side of the cockpit and the right thigh, but by the saving grace of some unseen force it still held together.
But she didn’t plan to stick around to see how much longer it could.
As the jeeps drove off she ran towards one, stepped onto the sides and held over the heads of Joey and the others.
Heliri kicked Redbolt into action and rode alongside them.
A Droch and three hoverbikes strode from the orderrans after them over the plains.
“Where are we going?” the driver said.
“We are going on the Hollow Highway,” the Sekku said, then pointed her gun out the jeep to fire at their pursuers. “We can take it up to the old shipping Port in Noss City!”
The driver felt something crawl up his spine with icepicks. “There?” he said.
“Just do it!” the lieutenant beside him said.
Not far off the plains were a thin patch of woods with arrow and poppi trees. The jeeps navigated their way through them with wild twists and turns that made anyone of them seem ready to career over at any time; especially the one with the Jagger.
The Droch switched from its wheels to its legs, and took off into the trees, stretching and grasping at the tree limbs with phenomenal speed to match the vehicles below.
Two of the bikes opened fire at the Jagger, riddling its back with bullets. Part of it blew apart, and the warning alert inside beeped hellishly in Lezura’s ears.
Lezura pointed the gun behind her and fired blind shots. The riders lowered their head as bullets zipped around them.
Tet squeezed his torso out and aimed at one of the bikes. The rider saw him, broke away from the others around a tree and sped towards Tet. Tet put his faith in his regenerative abilities and risked a shot while he aimed up the rider.
Both of them fired; a well-placed shot hit the soldier in the red eye of his helmet, snapping his head back. Shots rippled across Tet’s body. The bike swerved out of control and crashed into a tree.
“Tet,” Tylin said, pulling the lazhinian inside the vehicles over the wyassies.
Telkit cradled the slim lazhinian and checked him. There were two huge holes in his forehead.
Telkit looked up and saw the face grim look on the faces of the others.
Podge bashed a fist in the side of the jeep. “Dammit!” he said.
Telkit lowered Tet’s body in the jeep and held on tightly to Murbella as the jeep made a turn.
It swerved around another tree and sent everyone in the jeep lurching back and forth.
“I think I’m goanna be sick!” S’us said, holding her stomach.
“Throw up in Lezura’s face when she comes near you again,” said I’us
Redbolt galloped just behind a hoverbike carving up the Jagger. Lezura turned around to fine again, but she saw Heliri behind the bike and stopped.
The bike unleashed another burst of gunfire that ripped out a chunk of the mech. Sparks and smoke spewed from the wound.
“WARNING: THE MECHANICAL SUIT’S CORE STRUCTURE HAS BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED. PLEASE EJECT NOW BEFORE THE SUIT’S SYSTEMS COLLAPSE,” said the computer.
“Blast!” Lezura said. She blew on the screen for the mech’s operation system. Once it was up she said, “Disengage the mechsuit’s manual control systems.”
“UNDERSTOOD; ALL MANULA CONTROL NOW DISENGAGED.”
As Lezura unstrapped herself form the mech. Heliri snuck up behind the hoverbike still trailing behind them. She pointed the bulb-end of her Sugarstick at the soldier and fired a fireball into his back.
The blast missed narrowly but scorched a burning patch on the orderran.
Frightened the soldier turned around and spotted Redbolt. Heliri saw him reaching for something off his waist. She yelped and steered Redbolt between two trees and around one just as the soldier opened fire.
The Jagger’s chest flew open and Lezura rolled out into the jeep, clutching her back in one hand and a Rapturan rifle in the other.
“Now S’us, now!” said I’us.
S’us swallowed and shuddered. “Shut up, I’us…” she said.
“Push it!” Murbella said, springing to her feet.
The soldier behind them glanced in front of him, steered from a tree and kept realigned with the jeep. Another fireball passed his head and he turned again to Heliri.
He fired shots into Redbolt’s shoulder but the animal’s thick hide stopped the rounds that were already dulled by its armor.
Heliri was going to shoot again, but saw what was happening up ahead and said, “Yikes!” and got out of the way.
The soldier looked in front of him just in time to see Murbella, Podge and the Sekku push the Jagger off the jeep. The mechsuit landed in the bike and crushed it. They both rolled in a tangled heap of shredding parts before stopping a few yards in.
The Droch strode over one of the jeeps. The men inside opened such a storm of gunfire that within seconds the machine was already smoking and sparking.
But just as it was about to fall, it jumped off two trees, set into a glide in the air that struck awe and fear in the puny hearts of the aliens below.
The Droch spun itself on its back, disposing of the orderrans into the back of the jeep. The jeep suddenly became part of screams and gunfire while lights blazing nonstop.
They landed in and around the jeep. One missed his mark and landed in a rolling heap at the side. Another landed on the hood, snatched the pistol of his waist and fired inside at the driver.
Shots snapped his head back. The soldier riding shotgun lifted a Sputty and blasted the windshield; glass shards and bullets slapped the orderran off the hood. He was run over before he even hit the ground.
The sudden bump and a swerve sent the jeep careening onto its side, sliding with waves of dirt and leaves riding at the sides in a small wave. The dead, dying and still fighting on the back were thrown out.
Yeltsa winced at the sight of the crash. “Damn!” she said.
The commander in their jeep saw the carnage off to his left, grimaced and said, “Dammit!”
As the two remaining jeeps sped on they could still hear the small bursts of gunfire behind them.
The occupants in both jeeps opened fire at the two remaining hoverbikes, driving them off their tail.
“Would you people wait?” Heliri said. “Not all of us are in a crappy old vehicle!”
Redbolt foamed at the sides of his mouths, and his breath came in deep rasps.
The other jeep slowed down so Heliri could trail behind it. Lezura and the rest of Heliri’s comrades in the other provided cover fire against the bikes. Soon they were out of sight.
Twenty minutes later, they were all out of the woods and on the Hollow Highway; a ridiculously bumpy road with few blades of grass jutting out. Any metallic remnant of the street had been completely swallowed up by the tan colored ground. Around them curious sinni, gopto, lucaysha and a few young ville trees hung over their heads with a watchful air as the two tiny jeeps cautiously moved beneath.
Their growth was thick and wild that a few roots ran across the street, and the dying sunlight could barely penetrate the dark. Thankfully there wasn’t some eerie, ghostly mist around them, but they still had to use the headlights of the jeeps to navigate their way.
The wyassies were all silently resting. Not sleeping, but merely closed their eyes while their ears were on alert. Beside them the Sekku steeple her fingers in her lap and observed around her.
Yeltsa saw three Oikumies drift over her and got the shivers. She hugged herself, while beside her Joey rested across S’us’ and Lezura’s lap. He like, Dunit, snored like they were two male gersheeps threatening each other.
Tylin and Podge were silent as the covered body of Tet lay before their feet.
Apart from the croaks, squeaks and caws of critters around them, it was only Heliri whose demeanor seemed way out of place.
She sung a lively tune while feeding Redbolt leaves. She had ordered Flivi to stay on her shoulder with his light, mindful of the things that lurked.
Yet her throat was still strong and lively;
Drifting on the water, floating on the leaves,
Down in the mud we walk, buried up to our knees.
Bird’s crapping on our shoulders, skins festering with bugs,
This—is the nature of our planet we love!
Dirt beneath my fingernails, gunk between my toes,
Just the stuff I need to make my little bones grow
I wash my hands with urine, use gufder’s tongue as a pad,
If you don’t like my style go shove it up your—
“Would you shut it?” Yeltsa said, starling everyone.
Joey got up and rolled out of the women’s laps. Dunit slurped down his spit and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.
“What is the matter with you?” Podge said.
“Yeah?” Heliri said. She waved her staff at Yeltsa and said, “If you don’t like my song, shove it up your butt. If it’s not big enough borrow Lezura’s!”
There were chuckles amongst the two jeeps; except for Lezura who was scowling.
Joey sat in the seat beside Yeltsa and looked at her. He was surprised by his findings; she seemed a little nervous, completely out of character for a woman who was usually so cool.
“You okay, Yeltsa?” Joey said.
Yeltsa scowled at him out of pure anger, another thing unusual. “Of course I am!” she said. “Do I look like a wimp to you?”
“Maybe it’s that time of the month,” Heliri said. “If you want I could lend you my pad—oh, wait—I forgot I’m not wearing any…”
“Heliri!” Murbella said.
“What?” Heliri said, waving her Sugarstick in distain, “You make it sound as if I’m naughty or something.” She pointed to Yeltsa, “She’s the one acting all freaked out.”
And it suddenly hit Lezura. She turned to Yeltsa and said, “Yeltsa, are you afraid of dark places?”
“No,” Yeltsa said.
“I understand if you are,” said Dunit, “this place is dark, cold, creepy, and mysterious and has things lurking around you.”
Suddenly everyone looked around them, and saw bright eyes of various sizes in the darkness.
Yeltsa shuddered visibly. Joey saw her and said tauntingly, “You really are afraid of the dark, aren’t you?”
“Would you shut up,” Yeltsa said.
Joey grinned and wiggled his fingers beneath his chin.
“Leave her alone, Joey,” S’us said, slowly sliding her tongue behind Yeltsa.
S’us wiggled the tip of her tongue in the back of Yeltsa’s neck, and the yautgan woman responded with a holler and flew out of her seat. She stomped the floor and scratched all over body.
Right then and there all the unnerving feeling surrounding them was washed away by a wave of laughter from everyone.
But even that didn’t last long.
The driver of the other jeep of only militants yelled to them, “We are here!”
Everyone looked ahead of the jeep. A great darkness approached them with a wide gape to swallow them all. That was the initial assumption at first, but they quickly realized that they were entering the famous Hollow Highway.
Nearly nine stories high and three hundred meters wide, the edge of the near circular tunnel had massive, dried up roots, twisting violently outwards. Amongst them were smaller trees and norinori vines along the edge, dangling at the mouth of the tunnel.
Several more vines inside twinkled with light like distant stars.
There was a sign along the left of the entrance, but the words had eroded away and left only confusing letters and symbols. The rusted remains of an old truck were faintly visible inside, getting clearer as the light of the jeeps crept over its corpse.
Yeltsa lowered her head as the jeep went inside. She shook her head and whispered, “This place has a terrible vibe…”
“But you had your trucks parked in a cave,” Joey said.
“Yeah; that was small enough so sunlight could fill it up, not to mention we did regular checks to make sure anything weird didn’t sleep in their amongst our equipment. I don’t know what’s living inside here.”
“How did this place come about anyway?” Podge said, looking up at the glowing fruits in the distant ceiling. But they only offered enough illumination for the top, the rest of the place had to rely o