“Everyone fell silent, as nobody wanted to get on the bad side of a Cleric, especially one so experienced and revered. Malik took a Z11 Vanquisher pistol from his rack and placed it by his waist. It clamped automatically in place. He was content to go without a rifle in his hands, for this was nothing more than a simple escort mission. Civilians both respected and feared Sanctum Troopers to the extent that even their presence was enough to strike fear into hearts and minds. Being empty-handed was a sign of strength for a Cleric, symbolising their seeming invincibility, an image Malik was keen to encourage and make the most of.
“Move out. We’ve got a job to do,” he ordered.
They each grabbed a rifle, all identical except for the one Zephyr carried. It was twice the length of the others, featuring complex sighting systems and a magazine that was far longer. He was a sharpshooter.
“Think you’ll be needing that?” Andez asked him, thinking it was overkill.
“Where I go, she goes,” he replied as they went on.
“Sure, why don’t you take a brace of grenades while you’re at it?” Wyse asked.
“Tempting,” he replied with a smile as they walked out from their armoury to find Wards rushing through the corridors. They wore simple body armour and helmets. The Troopers now dwarfed them as they stomped through the corridors. They reached the docking bay and formed up beside a Trooper drop ship. A hundred Wards were formed up ready to join them with four other simpler and less well-armoured drop craft.
Vanlith strode onto the deck a moment later. He was still unarmed as he always was. He relied on his faith and his Troopers for defence.
“Attention on deck!” roared the Cleric.
But the Luminary waved them off.
“Let’s get this done, Cleric.”
He walked right past and onto the drop ship, which had a small rectangular fuselage with two huge engines on stubby oscillating wings. Each engine was almost as large as the fuselage itself, and a slab sided and angular cockpit at the front. It was raised higher than the rest of the craft, with a ball turret beneath it with a large calibre cannon and coaxial heavy Subjugator.
Barick looked put out, as if he wanted the pomp and ceremony, and Hyland could see it.
“First time for everything, huh?” she baited him.
Barick growled in response as they climbed aboard, knowing full well he could not ridicule her in the presence of the Luminary.
“Depart when ready,” the Luminary ordered the pilot.
There was a short and steep stairway up to the cockpit where a single crewmember controlled both flight and the ball turret. He was a Sanctum Trooper but wearing a far lighter and less bulky version of their power armour, suited to only light duties.
“Yes, Your Eminence,” he replied as the ramp of the ship closed. The vast engines spooled up, shaking the entire craft as a hangar bay door opened before them, revealing the dark and imposing-looking world of Therus. Daylight shone onto the surface, and yet it almost looked as black as night, the odd flashes of lightning and an electrical storm across the skies lighting up what looked like a dead world.
“Hey, Hyland, did you ask for this posting?” Wyse asked.
She didn’t reply, but the look on her face made it clear she had.
“You got something to prove, Colt?” Barick asked.
“Yes, I have,” she replied sternly.
He smiled. “I’m looking forward to us all seeing what that is,” he replied cynically.
“Anyone with the balls to join the Master Cleric has to have something more than the average Trooper,” replied Andez.
“Or a death wish,” added Zephyr.
They all looked to the Cleric as if expecting him to mediate. He looked to the young rookie.
“Serve with honour and fight to the standards expected of you, or I’ll kill you myself, if the enemy do not get you first,” he said sternly, turning to Barick, “The same goes for you, for all of you.”
Wyse smiled as if he thought the Cleric was merely having fun with them, but the cold look on his face said otherwise.
“What enemy, Sir? Are they not striking miners?” Hyland asked.
“Always assume there is an enemy in front of you at your destination, no matter where it is. Always be ready.”
The Luminary suddenly spoke, and all remained silent.
“The miners are not much of a concern. It is the other inhabitants of this world that you are here for. Wild creatures who attack mining stations regularly. Deaths are common, even massacres.”
“Massacres? Why hasn’t something been done about this?” Andez asked.
The Luminary looked most put out as he took a deep breath before replying.
“Therus is vital to the fuel and maintenance of our fleets in this area. The workers are not.”
“They’re just Provs,” said Barick dismissively.
“Provs?”
“Provincials, the workers, Hyland,” replied Andez.
She smiled at the nickname as they made their descent through the atmosphere.
“Your Eminence, I am being told our landing zone is not viable, and am being directed to a secondary LZ,” declared the pilot.
“Useless diggers,” he growled to himself. “Do it!” he ordered the pilot.
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
The drop ship began to shake violently as they passed through a storm. A bolt of lightning flashed out before them and struck the ship. Power fluctuated for a moment, but none of the Troopers looked concerned. It wasn’t long before the landing lights of a dock came into view, and they could see the sharp craggy surface with deep undulations and rock outcrops. It looked like they could support no life at all. The docking bay was made up of two large flat tiers, one fifteen metres above the other, and on the side of a steep rocky hill beside a mining facility several kilometres long. The pilot headed for the upper dock, while the Wards came in to land at the lower one, never being allowed to upstage or be given equal treatment as the Sanctum Troopers.
The engines of the drop ship roared violently as they came in for their landing. Another lightning bolt struck the top of their ship, and they lost altitude violently, but the pilot displayed his skills as he kept them under control and provided a last surge of power to soften their descent and land near perfectly. A further bolt of lightning struck the deck ahead of them, and it was clear to all just how inhospitable Therus was. Yet they didn’t know the half of it yet. The ramp lowered and the lashing winds swept in, but none of the Troopers activated their suit canopies. They didn’t want to appear weak, even if the flesh would be cut away by the ferocity of the sharp sand and debris swirling about them. The Luminary seemed to embrace the pain as he led the way, the Cleric close by his side as they stepped out onto the landing zone. Not a single soul was there to greet them, an insult the Cleric noted and would be quick to punish whoever was responsible for.
There was acidity in the air that burnt at their nostrils. Visibility was little more than fifty metres, as swirling dust and debris lashed everything. It was a world that appeared to not want Terran life there, as if it fought them at every stage.
“This is one hell of a place to live,” whispered Hyland.
“Nobody lives here. They work it,” replied Andez.
“Where is our welcome party?” Barick demanded.
“We were redirected last minute. Perhaps they couldn’t get here in time,” said Wyse.
“That is not acceptable,” replied Malik.
Large blast doors up ahead of them looked like they could withstand anything the hostile world could throw at them. They were also the only entrance into the facility in sight, and they were sealed. But their attention was quickly grasped by a scream from below, followed by gunfire. Initially, it was just two shots, then several more, and seconds later, hundreds echoed out from the landing deck below.
Malik scowled as he turned towards the sound of the fire.
“Wyse, Andez, protect the Luminary. The rest of you on me,” he thundered. He didn�
�t even draw his weapon as he strode confidently towards the edge to look down over the second landing bay, for he feared nothing. He was more angry with the Wards for getting themselves into trouble than any real concerns for the safety of the mission. But as he drew near the edge, the volume of fire increased, and it became quickly apparent that an all-out battle was raging. He got to the ledge to see hordes of creatures climbing up over the edges of the landing bay that was built on what seemed to be an insurmountable canyon edge. It was dark, but the muzzle flashes and occasional surges of lightning lit up the scene intermittently.
The creatures were swarming the Wards who were desperately fighting back. The Cleric’s heads-up display quickly scanned them, identifying them as a native species called Snappers by the miners.
“What the...?” Hyland asked in astonishment.
“You ready to prove yourself worthy of the Sanctum?” Barick asked her with a wicked smile as he primed his rifle ready.
The Snappers were far taller than the Wards. They walked on both two and four legs, and had long lashing tails. Some clung to the ground as they ran. Others were upright like a Terran, their hind legs more like some common creature. Their arms looked almost Terran, but as muscular as a Trooper, and with huge razor-sharp talons. Their skin was scaly and very dark, the same colour as the rocky outcrops all around them. The heads protruded forward with a short snout and gleaming teeth that glistened from the muzzle flashes as if they were made of polished steel.
Many were shot as they climbed onto the docking bay, falling dead or wounded into the abyss below, but some were still getting through. One reached a Ward and slashed across its body, cut its throat and slicing deeply into its body armour, killing it instantly. Another had an arm ripped off and was thrown over the ledge. It was a bloodthirsty and brutal scene that nobody had anticipated, and yet the Troopers showed no emotion, except Hyland. She was clearly not accustomed to such bloodshed, but the Cleric looked like it was just any other day.
“Wyse, Hyland, protect the Luminary. Zephyr, lay down fire. Troopers, advance!”
He took a few steps and jumped from the edge of the landing deck. The deck below creased under his weight as he dropped several metres onto it. He landed hard, but precisely and with perfect balance, his knees bending slightly to absorb the impact. He activated the lightweight helmet integrated into his armour. It expanded out around his collar and rose up over his head, cladding all but the front of his face, though a small energy shield visor dropped down over his eyes. It didn’t provide the immense protection of the A9 Breacher helmets that they took to war, but it was still a significant boost in protection, with no restriction in dexterity, vision, or airflow. He stomped forward as the other two Troopers landed behind him, and he drew his pistol as he advanced fearlessly.
Chapter Three
The first shot from Zephyr’s sniper rifle rang out and struck one of the Snappers in the head, taking it clean off. Its body tumbled back over the edge it had been climbing over, and fell down into the canyon below. Malik lifted his pistol and took aim at a Snapper as it pounced onto a Ward, and he collapsed onto his back under the weight as the creature lifted its claws to lash down on him. Malik fired, and the heavy calibre shot punched through the creature’s chest, ripping a vicious exit wound in its back. Yet the beast still kept up its attack, and he was forced to fire again, blowing another hole in its torso. It collapsed down over the Ward, pinning him to the deck.
Malik fired two more shots into another before reaching the stricken Ward. He grabbed hold of the enemy body and tossed it out towards the horde as they climbed over the edge of the landing zone. The body struck two of them and hurled them over the edge to their deaths. He looked down at the Ward who was gasping for air from almost being crushed, but he gave no assistance or sympathy.
“Get up, dreg,” he growled, using a common derisory label for his kind.
To the Troopers, the Wards were nothing more than common soldiers, weak and soft in both body and mind compared to the power of the Sanctum Troopers. He recognised this one. It was Sergeant Adler, who looked as terrified of the Trooper as he did the Snappers, and he had every right to be. The memory of the Cleric’s treatment of his fellow Ward was still raw and at the forefront of his thoughts. He did not hate the Cleric for what he did, for the Wards worshipped the Troopers, and especially the Clerics who led them. He was not angry, only fearful of meeting the same fate as Sergeant Voight, if he too disappointed the veteran Cleric. He scrambled to his feet even though he could barely catch a breath. He snatched up his rifle and opened fire, as to not anger or disappoint the Cleric further.
The other two Troopers opened fire with their rifles, with a slow methodical automatic fire. Many of the Snappers were ripped apart by the gunfire, but yet more came.
“We can’t stay here, Cleric!” yelled a Ward officer. Malik had no idea who he was, and he didn’t much care to find out. He turned to the officer angrily.
“Quiet!” He didn’t appreciate a Ward telling him what they should be doing, but before the word finished coming out of his mouth, a Snapper leapt onto the officer. It bit down his neck, almost severing his head. It dangled by a thin strip of flesh as his body collapsed to the deck with blood gushing from the wound. The Cleric took quick aim and blew the brains out of the officer’s killer. Support fire from Adler killed one beside him, and the guns continued to rage as he turned to the nearest Ward drop ship. A Snapper was on the ramp and scurrying up inside. He shot its knee joint out, blowing the lower leg off, finishing it with another shot to the head, but another two followed.
Malik fired in quick succession, killing one, but the other got inside, and two more followed it. Screams rang out from the crew inside, and he looked to another of the craft to see chaotic movement in the cockpit and a spray of blood on the inside. Muzzle flashes lit up the cockpit before it shattered, and a crewmember was thrown through it. He was caught and torn apart by two more Snappers on the deck below. The Wards were bunched together in two lines and desperately fighting back. Some resorted to swinging their rifles as clubs in close combat, while others drew knives as they were pounced on. It was a scene of complete carnage, and the Trooper fire was not enough to stop the swarm. The Wards were completely overrun and about to be wiped out completely. The Cleric had no care for their lives, but he needed them to assist in the operation.
“Fall back, fall back!”
Many of them fled the moment he said it. They were terrified, and they had every right to be. But the Cleric stood his ground, and actually went forward to the centre of the breach of the Ward lines where several were wounded and desperately trying to hold off the Snappers, unable to turn and run for fear of being run down. The Cleric stormed forward with a confident pace as he shot one after another of the creatures. Yet for everyone he killed, another soon climbed over onto the dock as if there was no end to their numbers.
He shot one in the face, another in the chest, the legs out from one, and blew the arm off of another that was latched onto one of the Wards. The Ward fell back with the clawed forearm still embedded in his shoulder. Then he saw the menacing look of the Cleric, clearly fearing him more than the bloodthirsty creatures swarming around them. He picked up his rifle and held it as best he could with his wounds.
“Move! Withdraw!” Malik roared.
The line of Wards collapsed as many ran, some cut apart as they tried to follow their comrades. Malik still went forward and shot another in the head before one leapt at him. He caught it by the throat, its legs dangling in mid-air. He put his pistol to its temple and blew its brains out. Another two creatures rushed towards him, saliva dripping from their gaping mouths and razor-sharp teeth as they eagerly approached their prey. But the Cleric was prey to no living being and a hunter of all. He swung the dead body of the one he held by the throat and smashed it into his two attackers, knocking them both to the ground. He swung the body and smashed it down with all his force against the head of one on the ground. Its head exploded fro
m the weight of the impact. The other was on its feet in no time and leapt onto him.
Malik staggered a few paces back as the creature snapped and clawed at him. It was heavy, but not enough to knock him off his feet. He lifted his pistol to shoot at it, but with one hard strike it knocked it from his grasp. That made him angry, and he grabbed hold of its arms and lifted it away, smashed it down onto the ground, and stamped on its head. His heavy armoured foot flattened the creature’s skull as blood sprayed out over his suit. He looked at the gore with disgust, for he considered his power armour to be sacred. The next Snapper rushed towards him. He ignored its attack entirely and punched it in the face. The weight of the blow collapsed its skull, stopping its head in mid-air as the body flew past the Cleric.
His blood lust was sated, and he was standing triumphant over so many dead, yet dozens of the creatures were amassing at the edge of the dock. They were encircling him like a hunting pack moving on their prey. He drew his Vanquisher blade, and it glowed brightly, extending into a broad bladed sword. This wasn’t the first infestation or horde he’d had to fight. He relished the opportunity to use his blade in anger and smiled as they closed against him.
“Cleric!” a voice cried out.
He looked up to the ledge of the upper dock. Wyse was fighting off several creatures swarming the Luminary’s position, as they climbed the near vertical supports of the dock. His smile quickly vanished, as nothing was more important than the safety of the Luminary.
“Withdraw! Get to the facility!”
He began to back away. A Snapper lurched towards him, but a shot from Zephyr put it down. Malik spotted his pistol and reached down for it, but a Snapper struck it with its tail, and it flew across the deck, vanishing off into the canyon. The Cleric was not deterred. The pistol was just a tool he thought as he repeated a line in his head.
You are the weapon. You are the weapon.
A Snapper leapt towards him, but he slashed across it, severing one limb and cutting into its collar. The blade cut halfway into the body with ease, splitting it open. The rest of the pack of rabid creatures howled with a shriek, but the Cleric did not wait for their attack. He drew out a grenade and primed it, rolling it along the ground so that it stopped in the middle of them. He took several paces back as they leapt towards him, but the grenade ignited in blinding light and blew apart ten of them, wounded several others, and caused many to fall or be thrown. It was his opportunity to move as Barick and Andez poured fire into them. He withdrew calmly as the others fired, moving back with him. They soon reached a steel stairway leading up to the upper deck. A Snapper climbed onto the rails beside him as he went up, but he thrust the blade into its mouth, running it up to the hilt and killing it instantly. He retracted his blade, and it collapsed like a rag doll as it fell away.
Battle Cleric 1 Page 2
