OMEGA Destiny

by Stephen Arseneault

  Frig replied, "One moment. And you will want to shield your eyes if you value them. I would suggest moving well away from the doorway."

  I said, "Frig, we're all good here. Whenever the colonel is ready."

  The colonel replied, "Let it loose!"

  Several seconds later a tiny portal opened in the front half of the android army. A brightness that was the intensity of the sun shone into the doorway of the ship we occupied. Our eyes were already covered, and the white light shone through my fingers, illuminating the veins in my eyelids.

  The AIs countered by opening up on the Destiny with their laser cannons. Without defenses, the layers of tantric armor were quickly stripped away and half the decks set ablaze. Frig moved the portal just inside the armored hull of the AI ship. Fifteen million degrees of hot plasma melted five decks and set the others afire within ten seconds. Then the Destiny's generator failed, shutting down the portal and ending our sunshine surprise.

  I led my Gruntas out of the burning ship to the plains below. The AIs were scattered, hundreds in flame.

  Frig came over the comm. "Two of the large androids escaped. Two hundred and twenty of the others have been severely damaged or destroyed. Another fifty have come from the burning ship. Wait, there is another large android with them. There are three large, and six hundred eighty five standard android fighters remaining."

  I said, "Keep working on ways to cull their numbers. We're out in the wide open now."

  The colonel said, "Use your blasters on the ground in front of you. Blast a hole deep enough to crawl into and make your defensive stand from there. If you can move to the area just this side of the tent to do that, we may be able to offer some resistance fire from this side."

  I replied, "Thank you, Colonel."

  Getta yelled, "We're moving out! When I point, start digging your holes. If those AIs are dumb enough to let us get into position, we'll oblige them by starting this fight!"

  Like the wind of a hurricane, I ran with the small Grunta army across the fields in front of us. Unbelievably, the AIs were again forming up.

  Blasters fired into the ground. Dirt flew. Gruntas climbed in. I was situated with Getta. Our children surrounded us. Any rush of androids toward out position would be met with deadly fire.

  When the last Grunta jumped into his newly blasted hole in the ground, Getta gave the order. "Open up on them! And make your shots count, we need kills!"

  The blue flashes of ion bolts filled the air between our position and that of the AIs. Fifty androids fell before the order was given for them to attack. Six hundred thirty-eight mechanized AI stormed our way. Our blue ion bolts were quickly matched with green laser pulses. A scream to my left shocked me into reality as one of my sons was the first to be hit. The laser pulse burned through the body armor of his right shoulder, entering the flesh underneath, turning his entire shoulder into little more than cooked meat.

  As the androids raced toward us, they took severe damage to their numbers. Half had fallen before the first of them reached our ranks. They continued to come like a wave of rabid Contian lions. Grunta casualties quickly rose. The western end of our line rapidly devolved into hand-to-hand combat. Grunta mauls swung violently.

  The androids had broken off their center assault to attack both ends of our lines. It had spared my family in the initial minutes of the fight, but our ranks were beginning to fold. Two of my daughters had taken direct hits and were now out of the fight. At that moment, I took note of the large androids. One had stayed back while the other two ripped through our foxholes with a speed and agility that was not present in the others.

  I yelled over the comm to the colonel as I fired my blaster. "Colonel! The larger androids are not taking significant damage!"

  The colonel replied, "Their battle-suits must have built-in ion drains. We saw that in the War of Wars. We had the BGS, they had hardened battle-suits that made them tough to kill. If you can get close enough, use your maul."

  Getta rose from her foxhole with an order. "Fall back toward the main ship! Colonel, give us cover fire where you can!"

  As if a single unit, the Gruntas rose from the holes and sprinted for the ramp going up to the colonel, firing backwards as they ran. The Talisan fighters streamed out, lying down and forming a firing line to either side of our approaching horde. Again the androids paid a heavy price for their pursuit. With their numbers falling well below half of their original amount, Getta decided to take a stand. We dropped at the base of the ramp and fired repeatedly into their mass. Their numbers rapidly fell.

  Frig came over the comm. "There are one hundred twenty-nine active androids. Keep doing whatever it is you are doing."

  As the AI fighters reached our line, they were down to their last dozen. Our casualties numbered in the tens, theirs in the hundreds. When the last of the standard androids fell, the two larger ones stopped fighting. Our blasters, a hundred firing at once, did no damage.

  One of the large androids walked casually to the nearest Talisan, firing his laser before tossing it aside. The android then began to grab fighters from the ground, flinging them away. It appeared to be unstoppable.

  Three Gruntas rushed it from behind, denting its body armor with their mauls. The big android whirled, striking the three with its fist, sending them sprawling. None got up. As the two big androids began assailing our Grunta fighters, Getta stood and sprinted toward one that had its back turned.

  I watched in awe as her heavy maul swung with extreme malice, catching the hardened android at the base of its short neck. The android bent over as its head rocked forward, taking three hard blows from the Gruntas it was pursuing. The third strike sent it to the ground, where two other Gruntas joined in the bashing.

  Getta circled back, followed by two of my daughters. Again she approached from behind with her heavy maul in full swing. The android turned, ducking the blow and catching one of my daughters as she swung down on it. The android deflected the maul and countered with a punch that sent a shock down my spine. My second daughter who followed fared worse after a miss, taking a chop to the throat. Getta circled back for another swing, but was caught, lifted high in the air and thrown hard to the ground. She did not get up. I sprinted to her aid, pulling her away.

  The fighting continued for only minutes before the last of the standard androids had fallen to our ion blasters. Forty Talisans and fifty-two of my Gruntas lay on the ground, dead or critically injured. Several dozen of each continued to fight with mild to moderate injuries. One of my daughters had rejoined the fight.

  The large android that had been taken down had been beaten beyond all viability. Circuits lay exposed, and the cell that had provided the torso with power lay smashed and smoldering, external to the android’s body. The other stood in the center of a circle as one Grunta after another attempted a charge that failed. The third large android remained standing out in the field toward the blazing AI battlecruiser, as if waiting for the fighting to come to an end.

  As the android turned to face away from me, I charged in with my maul at full swing. Adeptly, it slipped to the side, striking me in the shoulder with its fist, sending me reeling into the surrounding crowd. One by one, my Gruntas attacked and one by one we were knocked from the fight. I cringed with every deadly blow administered by the large fighting machine. We were outclassed, in both speed and strength.

  The colonel joined the fight with his staff. Three quick blocks, followed by a hard kick in the back, sent the colonel to the sidelines.

  I helped him to his feet. "We need another critical hit. If I could just get it facing away for a split second, I know I could bring it down."

  The colonel arched his back in pain. "Look at the other one over there. Just waiting and watching. If I didn't know better, I'd say we were being tested or toyed with."

  I replied, "That one is distinct from the others. The angles on its body armor are slightly different. The gold stripes on its shoulders look to give it rank."

  The colonel nodded.
"I was tempted to charge it, but thought it would be a suicide run."

  I looked back at the three meter tall android that was besting us. "Maybe we need to work on cutting it down to size."

  I began to twirl my maul as I took an attack stance. "If I can catch one of those knee joints just right, I might be able to snap that leg in half."

  The colonel stepped up. I'll draw it to this side while you slip in from behind."

  The colonel bolted before I could say no. The android threw a hard swing the colonel's way, rebuffing a staff strike and sending the colonel off-balance toward the others—a now thinning crowd.

  I charged in behind, taking a heavy swing and only glancing the back of the android's knee as it stepped forward. I continued on, rolling and coming up on the other side of the circle.

  The colonel again joined me. "That was close. I say we try it again. This time, try to follow me in a split second sooner."

  I replied, "Agreed, this time I'll be ready."

  The colonel raced in. I followed. Again, his staff attack was thwarted, but my timing was better. My glancing blow caused at least moderate damage, slowing the android's ability to turn on that leg. After rolling to a stop, I stood and again joined the colonel. We watched and waited for our opportunity.

  The colonel said, "Go for the back leg this time. If you can manage an equal hit, I think we'll be on our way to a win."

  Two Gruntas lunged forward with their mauls twirling behind their backs. As they brought the heavy hammers above their heads, the android revealed a new move. It leaped, and kicking out both its legs, struck the mauls while in their full swing. Both were directed back into their holders, both striking center chest. Our Grunta fighters had been reduced to eighteen.

  The colonel jumped into the fray. I quickly followed. The colonel's staff struck the android in the face, distracting its attention as I dove and spun on the ground, striking our nemesis square in the back of the knee joint. For a moment it lost balance. Turning then, it stomped hard, breaking one of the three bones in my forearm. I rolled sharply left, barely escaping a second stomp. The colonel pulled me to the side.

  Tom Harper said, "How bad you hurt?"

  "Arm is broken. I swing with the right, so it shouldn't slow me down."

  The colonel pointed at Getta. "She's still sitting on the ground. Take a break, go see to her."

  I shook my head. "Not while others continue to be in danger. If I can catch that knee again, I'm certain it will fail."

  The colonel took a deep breath. "Let's get back to it then. I think I can catch it in the face same as last time. Someone got in a blow, and the metal just beside its left eye has to be blocking a portion of its peripheral vision."

  The colonel began to shake his head. "I gotta wonder why you would design a fighting android that didn't have 360 degree peripheral. Big vulnerability. One that we ourselves can't avoid."

  The colonel readied himself as I winced in pain. My left forearm was beginning to swell. The colonel glanced back at me one more time before bursting into the circle. As he had predicted, the AI could not see his swing coming, again striking it in the face with his staff.

  My dive, and the swing that followed, were perfectly timed and perfectly placed. I caught the android flat-footed. The knee joint buckled, sending the mechanical beast to the left as I continued rolling to the right. Two Gruntas, including another of my daughters, charged forward, delivering heavy hits to the back of the android's right shoulder. Three Gruntas followed, but their efforts were met with a fierce counter by the droid, ending two of their lives and crippling the third. Our numbers dropped to fifteen.

  The colonel gestured. "You think you can take out that right leg?"

  I nodded. "Give me the same opportunity and I will make do."

  The colonel grinned as he lunged toward the defending android. His staff found its mark on the side of the android's skull. My maul found its mark on the right knee joint, precisely where it was needed. The android's right leg separated, dropping it down onto another stump.

  I rolled safely to the side of the circle, where the colonel pulled me to my feet. To our dismay, the android had regained its mobility, albeit with much shorter legs. Its balance was equal to what it had originally brought to the fight. The colonel stood shaking his head.

  I said, "It still has a blind spot, Colonel. Give me a shot and I can work on its arms."

  The colonel nodded. "Follow my lead."

  The colonel rushed the AI with his staff at the ready. A hard thrust found its mark on the side of the android's skull, this time flicking away the very piece of metal that had given us our advantage. My blow caught the menace squarely in the upper arm. A deep dent was left visible, with damage resulting in a slowed response from the left appendage.

  The colonel followed a Grunta into the mix. I followed after. The colonel's spin and thrust of his staff was captured by the slowed arm of the android. The staff was pulled from his hands and he was caught with a glancing blow before he could fully escape. A gash appeared on the back of the colonel's neck and blood poured out. A Talisan trained as a medic jumped to his aid. My blow again caught the heavily dented arm square, pinning it hard against the android's body.

  The Grunta who followed came in with a clean strike to the head. The off-balance machine righted itself, surprising the two following Grunta fighters with a staff to their throats. The three Gruntas who followed were equally as unlucky. A fourth came in with a side swing, catching the android in the lower jaw and spinning its head to the side, where it locked in place.

  I lunged from behind, driving my maul deep into the shoulder of the crippled AI. A slaughter of the large android ensued, all Gruntas remaining taking full swings. A final blow crushed down on an eye socket as the android's one good arm flailed at its attackers. A free strike to its chest sent smoke from its power cell, ending the fight.

  Two of the Gruntas turned to walk toward the remaining powerful android fighter.

  I yelled with a heavy breath: "Wait! Let it come to us!"

  As the other nine remaining Gruntas gathered by my side, the Talisans assisted with the injured. I looked around to see four of my daughters and one of my sons standing with me. Four others were injured. The rest had passed with honor while in battle.

  My eldest daughter placed her hand on my shoulder. "Mom's up."

  I turned and walked to her. "What's your injury?"

  Getta replied, "I took a hard strike to the head. Am just able to stand."

  I said, "If you aren't stable, don't fight. Those androids are too fast for us even when we are at our best."

  Frig came over the comm. "There is an active med bay on this ship. Have the Talisans bring in those who are most in need."

  Getta shook her head. "No. Send in those who can be made to fight. We need every able body we have."

  I nodded. "She's right. We lost forty against that last one. Something tells me this one will be worse."

  A steady stream of Gruntas were helped up the ramp-way into the ship. I followed, getting assistance for my forearm. The remaining android stood in its same position, watching our every move from across the field. An eerie grin showed on its face.

  Chapter 20

  * * *

  As my arm was being repaired, Quan said, "Mr. Beutcher, the last android is unlike the others. I am unable to scan into its comm system. It appears to be blocking my attempts, just as I am blocking its attempts to scan mine."

  The colonel said, "We need a way to take it down to one leg or one arm. If we can do that, we can finish it off."

  I replied, "The thing that concerns me most is that we are starting to see these new, bigger, faster, stronger androids. The bots were an easy kill. And the AIs easier once they were located. The standard androids were harder. For these new androids, we need new weapons."

  The colonel huffed. "We had those weapons with our BGS suits. I could take out one of those big boys with a single tungsten round. In fact, there wouldn't be much left o
f it afterwards."

  Joni said, "It's been killing me to have to just sit up here and watch."

  The colonel replied, "You don't have the armor or the strength to go up against one of those titans. Heck, those things were throwing Gruntas around like they were Magonias at a borak riding festival. And they are fast. There's no hesitation like we get from those others."

  After the med lab fixed us up, we returned to the field in front of the ramp-way. Of the ninety-five Gruntas who had come through the portal, only twenty-three remained in moderate to good fighting condition. Nine were members of my family.

  I looked around at the green grassy plains of Megiddo, wondering how such a peaceful place had drawn such violence. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, had died on and around this planet during the War of Wars. We were in the process of experiencing our own apocalyptic fight. Who would win? I wasn't confident it would be us.

  I turned back to see three burning, smoldering, or crashed warships. Once mighty and traveling in the heavens, they were each now items of ruin, nothing more than salvage waiting to be scrapped and sold, casualties of our fight.

  My gaze returned to the final AI. The silver and gold android stood with its big hands on its hips, an unnerving expression on its face, as if it was eager to get started with the fight, but satisfied with watching us scramble to pull ourselves together.

  Word came from Frig. "The last of those we could patch up should be coming down the ramp-way. Quan and I will continue our efforts to find a solution to this problem. Good luck."

  The colonel cut into the conversation: "We don't need luck, we need determination. We're gonna have to win this thing through sheer willpower. That mechanical marvel out there will see exactly what fighting Humans and Gruntas is all about. We were the best of the best two thousand years ago, and we still are."

  Joni, Garrett, Jack, Go, and Diane walked down the ramp.

  The colonel shook his head. "You'd be better off back up there."

  Garrett replied, "Our place is down here. Even if we are only getting slapped around, if we can offer a distraction for a clean maul strike, it's worth our lives. Besides, we're tired of missing out on all the fun."