He knew it must have been Zaya. It was both comforting and worrying to know that the rebel Prince led from the front as he did. Just as before they followed the trail of bodies. Zaya was clearly sweeping through the ship like a hurricane, and there seemed no stopping him. Gunfire rang out at the back of the column, and Taylor turned back to for a view of what was happening, but all he could see were the flash of muzzles lighting up the roof above his Company.
“We can’t stop,” said Taylor.
Jones gritted his teeth, knowing that was true as he relayed orders.
“Fourth Platoon, hold your position and engage the enemy. The Company is moving on.”
They both hated having to split up anymore, but they couldn’t waste any time. Taylor led the way, and he was upping the pace all the time. It felt reckless, but they all knew what was at stake. They soon heard gunfire up ahead and slowed down a little as Taylor cautiously took a bend. As he did, he found himself facing a rear-guard of Zaya’s troops with their distinct white strips. He stepped out onto the open and lowered his weapon, holding up his empty hands.
“What are you doing?” Jones quickly tucked in at the corner with his rifle ready to fire, “They’ll kill you.”
Taylor ignored him as he went forward in plain view without any aggressive body language.
“We aren’t the enemy. We are here to help. We are here to end Bolormaa’s life.”
He could tell they had hesitated for a reason. Any other Morohtan warrior would have pulled the trigger upon seeing him without a moment’s thought.
“We want the same thing. Let us help,” he pleaded.
He could see the flash of gunfire behind them as they fought their way through Bolormaa’s lines. The nearest warrior pointed with his gun for Taylor to go the other way.
“That way,” it said.
Taylor nodded slowly.
“Good luck,” he yelled, as he gestured for his people to come with him.
Jones edged out slowly and cautiously. His rifle was lowered, but his finger remained next to the trigger and ready to deploy as fast as a gunslinger. They backed away as they took the next corridor along. Jones watched them with suspicion up until the last moment that he was finally out of line of sight.
“You see,” said Taylor, “We want the same thing.”
“For now, but how do you know they wouldn’t have just shot you?”
“I didn’t, but if we and Zaya’s people are gonna fight it out now, what hope do we have of beating Bolo?”
“That was your logic?” asked Jones in amazement, “You think these soldiers think that far ahead?”
“They’ve had hundreds of years to harbour this resentment and plan their revenge. I think they have thought much further ahead than any one of us have.”
Jones shrugged. It sounded possible, but Taylor was making big gambles. They carried on, surprised not to hear a single shot exchanged by the two sides as they passed one another. It gave Taylor hope for the future, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a result of their current circumstances.
“Do you even know where you are going?”
Taylor looked back down at his pad.
“Kind of. They are on to something there, and we are skirting around to the far side of the fighting.”
Muzzle flashes lit up the room running parallel with them as they passed each doorway, but they did not stop.
“You know we could be running into the biggest trap, right now?”
“Yep, or our best chance of ending this war in one strike, Jones.”
They turned a bend, stopping in horror and shock as they saw a terrifying clash ahead of them. Far into the distance, two hundred metres ahead down a straight hallway, and into the room ahead, the most epic of duels was taking place. Zaya lashed out with strike after strike at Bolormaa herself.
“Is that her?” Jones asked quietly.
Taylor could barely even find his words.
“Ye…yes, it is.”
Bolormaa was parrying and striking with lightning speed with the staff that she had struck Taylor down with. The attacks came in thick and fast. Zaya’s cuts were being parried off until he struck her with his shield, but she came right back at him. They seemed matched as they laid on attacks with extreme ferocity.
“We can’t take that on,” said Jones.
“Not alone, but with him,” said Taylor, pointing at Zaya, “Look at him. He might even pull this off himself.”
But as Taylor said it, Bolormaa nimbly leapt over one of Zaya’s thrusts and struck him on the top of the head. She kicked him to the torso so that he was launched back and tumbled out of view.
“Shit, no, come on!”
Taylor leapt forward into a run. The Colonel’s enthusiasm and courage spurred the rest on, and they didn’t hesitate to follow him. They covered the ground quickly, but as they reached the last forty yards, a hail of gunfire rang out at their flank where there was a spur off from the main hallway. One of the shots glanced off Taylor’s helmet. Jones grabbed hold of him and hauled him back into cover.
Two of their own were not so lucky, as they had been racing to catch up with the Colonel and took the full brunt of the salvo. One dropped down dead, and the other landed screaming in pain through multiple wounds. They watched in horror as he was shot another five times on the ground until he was dead.
“Bastards,” said Jones.
He held his muzzle around the corner and fired a burst before ducking back. Taylor was just fixated on Bolormaa, who was now looking right back at him. Zaya rushed back into view and attacked several times when a spear blade sprung out from the tip of Bolormaa’s staff. She ducked under his shield and drove it up into the Prince’s stomach.
With her other hand, she took hold of his sword hand and stopped it dead. Zaya seemed completely locked in her powerful grasp. She turned to look at Taylor as if taunting him.
“No, we can’t let him die,” said Taylor.
Bolormaa nodded at him, and the huge doorway began to descend. It was a vast blast door which they wouldn’t have a hope of breaching.
“Cover me!” Taylor yelled.
“No, Mitch, no!” Jones cried out.
But he didn’t have time to stop him. Jones fired around the corner as Taylor leapt out. As he got moving, he drew out a grenade and armed it, throwing it down the spur as he ran past. Antos and five others charged on after him in support. Three of them were cut down before they could cover the distance. Only Antos and Private Nile made it in support of Taylor as they sprinted towards the door. It was closing at quite a pace, and they had to give it their all to have any chance of making it through. Taylor threw his rifle away and gave it everything he had except the hammer, as did the others.
Jones looked out in horror as they made their final dash. The door was just a metre off the ground when they all went into a dive and rolled through. They tumbled in rather ungracefully as the vast barrier sealed shut behind them.
“Good luck, you crazy son of a bitch!” He then pulled out a grenade and launched it around the corner, firing another burst before the explosion rang out. He looked back to the others who looked a little lost.
“The Colonel is in there fighting for all of us, so let’s not let him down. There has to be another way in. Let’s push on and run over these bastards!”
They were nodding in agreement, despite the fact that they were terrified and uncertain. Jones activated his shield, and the others quickly followed suit.
“Let’s do this!”
* * *
Taylor rolled onto his feet to find he was empty handed. Bilgunn’s hammer had slipped from his grasp as he tumbled in and now lay between the three of them and the two Morohtans. Bolormaa still had Zaya pinned. She ripped the spear from his side and blood spurted out. He lifted his shield arm to protect him, but she thrust her spear into the centre of the boss on his arm, and it powered down instantly.
“You see, Taylor, not even my greatest warrior can defeat me, so what chance
did you ever have?” she asked.
She drove Zaya down into a hunched position as she drew the spear back ready to thrust down into the top of his neck. Taylor didn’t doubt that it would finish him, but he couldn’t reach the hammer in time. Bolormaa wasn’t even looking at the humans now as she focused on her rebel son and prepared to finish him off.
Taylor drew out his Assegai and threw it with all his force. Bolormaa turned at the last moment, but it was too late, the blade caught her cheek and dug deep into her face. It glanced past and embedded in a wall far behind. It caused her to drop Zaya. She recoiled back and stumbled a few paces in shock.
Zaya quickly got back up, picked up his sword, and drew out a smaller dagger with his offhand. The three humans all activated their shields as Taylor picked up the hammer and stood off against Bolormaa.
“Bilgunn, you killed him?” she said bitterly.
“No, I did,” said Zaya.
Bolormaa hissed in disgust. “You betrayed me,” she declared.
“No, I was everything you ever asked me to be. I never refused an order. I only ever did want you wanted. You are the betrayer.”
It was clear she had no interest in his words, and so she turned to Taylor.
“Why would you want to die beside that? This is not your fight. Leave us.”
Taylor laughed, and that only angered her further.
“You made it my fight when you turned up causing all kinds of trouble. I was happily asleep on ice before then. No, you made this my fight. You brought this upon yourself, and you will pay the price for it.”
She shook her head.
“You think you can win here? You will die with this traitor, and for what?”
“You never would tell me, would you? You know we have been trying to figure it out all this time. Why it is you came back? What it is you want? I think I finally figured it out.”
She stood silently as she awaited his response.
“You’re just a sick, sadistic bitch who gets off on the pain and suffering of others. You’re the same as every other despotic king and queen that has tried to lord it over her people and others. Well, you know what, Bolo? That happened to my ancestors that founded my country, and guess what happened? They won.”
“Weak and pathetic Earthling, you know nothing,” she replied.
Taylor smiled as he could see he had riled her up.
“No, you know nothing. You know nothing of the strength of my people. We have overcome everything that was ever thrown at us, and you will be no different. For all your intelligence and strength, you are dumb and weak. You don’t have the support of your people. You have failed in life and will be remembered as the despicable creature you are.”
She let out an angry cry and rushed towards Taylor. He swung the hammer at her, but she nimbly cast it aside with the back of her spear, swinging the shaft over and smashing it down on his head. The speed and power knocked him down onto one knee, and she drew back the spear to thrust it into his face. But as she did, Zaya’s sword flashed in front of Taylor’s eyes and knocked it aside. He cut back at her. She parried that, too, and tried to strike back. Taylor swung his hammer around and smashed it into her back with all his power.
Flashes and sparks lit up on impact. She was thrown two metres and into a tumble. She then crashed into a solid counter and came to a standstill. For all her speed and power, their numbers was overwhelming her.
“What’s the matter? Not quite the god you tell everyone you are?” Taylor asked.
She got back up and looked disgusted by his words.
“No, I have seen your sort before. I thought you were something different, something special. But you are the same as the rest, and you will die and be buried in our history the same as them. Names long forgotten.”
She came forward once again and swung a strike at Zaya to force him back. She then kicked Taylor in the chest and swung the spear around with precision. The blade cut deep into Nile’s throat and opened it up. He gasped for air and tried to hold the wound, but he dropped down dead. Bolormaa turned to the others as though they should be impressed or intimidated.
Taylor wasn’t as confident as he made out, but he would do everything possible to not let her see that.
“You have all come here to die,” she stated.
“It’s just you and us now,” said Zaya.
She began to laugh. “A fleet of twenty ships are already on their way. None of you will make it out from here alive.”
“Wrong, they have already been diverted. No one is coming,” Zaya said.
That brought a smile to Taylor’s face, and he could tell Zaya had been planning this for a long time.
“No matter, not one of you can kill me.”
“But this can.”
Zaya dropped his dagger and drew out the spear. Bolormaa’s eyes were fixated on it, and it confirmed that she was every bit as terrified of it as Irala had told them.
“The one weapon in the galaxy that can kill you, and you’re too proud to destroy it. Hubris will be the end of you, just as it has been for so many before you,” said Taylor.
“You will not kill me. You will never be rid of me. I will make sure you suffer a slow and agonising death. It is only a pity that your pathetic kind live but a small amount of time,” she said before turning to Zaya. “But your suffering will not end until the end of time.”
She lashed forward towards Zaya. He only narrowly managed to parry off the lightning fast attack before the spear pivoted around and struck the side of his head. It knocked him aside. Taylor came forward with another strike, but Bolormaa had anticipated it and smashed the butt of the spear into his chest. It felt like a freight train hitting him as he was launched backwards. But in the chaos, Antos had got in close and drove his Assegai into the back of Bolormaa’s elbow joint. The blade managed to pierce far enough in the weak joint area that she let out a cry of pain. She lashed out and struck him with the back of her hand. It snapped his head so hard it almost broke his neck.
He fell down stunned, but as she tried to finish him off with her staff, Zaya once against intervened with a cut to her right arm. The blade sliced into her armour and again she cried in pain but pivoted around, thrusting her spear into Zaya’s lead arm. The sword fell from his grasp, but he quickly retaliated with a thrust from the Tamir. It was fitted on a short staff, and he used it more like Taylor used his Assegai. The tip was heading right for Bolormaa’s ribs when she reached out and grabbed him at the wrist. It stopped him dead in his tracks.
Taylor could see how grave the situation was. As he stood up, he could feel the compression on his chest armour. The impact had caused it to buckle inwards. He reached for the hammer, and with two hands launched it at Bolormaa, as he had thrown his Assegai before. She was too focused on the Tamir to see it coming, and the hammer struck her in the head. Lightning like flashes erupted from the weapon, and she was catapulted away from it and thrown against the far wall.
Bolormaa slumped to the ground as though the wind had been taken out of her. Taylor went forward and helped Zaya to his feet before handing him his blade. Antos was back on his feet as well now, but they were all tired and hurt. They were slowing down, but so was the Queen.
“Any decent person would offer you terms right about now, but we cannot let you live. There is no living in peace with a monster like you,” said Taylor.
She got back up defiantly. She was slower on her legs now from the wound, but far less fatigued than they were. Taylor looked over to Zaya. He was weakening quickly now with the blood loss and injuries.
We have to end this quickly.
“Let’s do this,” said Taylor.
He ran in first with his hammer. He knew it was unwieldy, and he was getting sick of how quickly she was able to pass off his attacks, so this time he advanced with a broad grip and the hammerhead drawn back. She thrust towards him, and he ducked under, pushing the blade off with the haft of the hammer. She tried to recover the blade, but Zaya pulled it away with his sword
, and Antos jumped in with his Assegai once more.
She struck Antos with her elbow and drove him back, thrusting her spear in Zaya’s chest. But as the point landed, Taylor’s hammer came down with a crushing two-handed blow on her head. It stunned her slightly, but Zaya was dropping to his knees. He was now very weak. Taylor reached out as he dropped the Tamir and caught it. He turned back to thrust it into her, but was met by her foot booting him in the chest. He was launched onto his back and slid across the floor, but held onto the weapon for his dear life.
He looked up just in time to see her grab Antos’ helmet and snap his neck. He crumpled down dead to the ground, and Zaya slumped down in a pool of blood, too. Taylor hopes were fading fast, and he knew it.
“There will be no glorious victory for you here today, Colonel. You could have just stayed away and died a hero, but now no one will ever know your fate. You will fade into obscurity as I take my revenge on your world.”
Taylor struggled back to his feet as she strode towards him with murderous intent. All he had left was the small spear, and he now stood alone. She had left her spear embedded in her son and came forward empty-handed, as though she wanted to finish this with her bare hands. But she was noticeably slower than before, and Taylor had more motivation than ever.
She charged at him, and he sidestepped, ducking under and slashing to her upper leg with the edge of the spear. It went through her armour as though it was nothing, and she let out a cry of pain as she went passed. She turned to look at him in disgust. Taylor was smiling at her dismay.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? Good. I like it.”
She came at him again. He thrust forward, but her one hand locked onto his wrist, and the other grabbed hold of his throat. He was powerless to act as she lifted him up off his feet, as though he weighed nothing at all. He gasped for air. She was choking him slowly. It was clear she could break his neck with just a little more pressure, but she wanted him to suffer.
Taylor was fading fast now when he noticed a glimmer out of the corner of his eye, and Zaya’s blade descended onto the arm that held his throat. The almighty blow from Zaya cleaved through Bolormaa’s arm at the elbow. Taylor dropped to the floor and quickly took in two breaths of air before running toward Bolormaa. He thrust the spear forward, but she held out her other hand to stop it. The blade pierced her hand and drove it against her chest, penetrating her body.
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 80
