by Jerome Kelly
“I can get a clear shot from here,” Kosare whispered, “let me take it down.”
“No,” James stopped her before she could make a move, “we’ll try and sneak around it, there could be more lurking around the corner.”
James slid along the walls, staying in the shadows as much as he possibly could, Julio and Kosare following closely behind. He edged towards the corner of a side road leading away from the prowling Hunter but as he did, his foot caught on the curb and he stumbled, the Hunter instantly noticing his presence and making a dash towards him. He scrambled for his rifle to try and hit it before it reached him but it was bearing down on him too quickly. At that moment, there was a distant bang and a shot hit the Hunter right in the side of it’s head, sending it toppling to the ground. Kalmar had not let them down, his sniping skills were razor sharp.
“Hell of a shot that guy,” James muttered, “come on, it should just be around this corner.”
The rest of the way was clear. The three of them stayed in the shadows as much as they could but they picked up the pace to a light run, covering the ground a little more quickly. Eventually, they arrived back on the main highway through the city and onto the road leading towards the landing pad.
“Behind us!”
Julio called out and alerted the other two to another Hunter coming up behind them at pace, just a few meters short of the landing complex. Kosare was ready this time though, she spun around and aimed both pistols, firing in a concentrated pattern, hitting the Hunter in it’s legs and slowing it down, forcing it to it’s knees. The crippled creature was unable to avoid her finishing shot, catching it right in the face and killing it instantly.
“You certainly haven’t lost your edge,” James commented as Kosare turned to face him once more, “still just as sharp as you were back in old times.”
“I guess so,” Kosare said stoically, “I hadn’t planned on bringing these talents out ever again though. Between deadly alien races, ancient weapons of mass destruction and Julio’s lack of charm, I guess I just need to blow off a little steam.”
“My lack of charm keeps you coming back for more,” Julio laughed, “you can’t deny that you are a little bit…”
“As amusing as I find this, save it for back on the ship,” James cut across him, “I don’t need you two having one of your little love-ins while we’re stuck in this hell-hole.”
“We are not having a love-in,” Kosare protested, “I’ve already said I’m not…”
“You two are worse then Isha and myself back in the Revolution days,” James interrupted her again, “lets just save it for once we get back to the ship, the others are counting on us to pick them up.”
To James’s relief, both of them stayed quiet for the rest of the walk but he could still feel the tension between them. The two of them were just as he and Isha had been back then, although Kosare was playing a lot harder to get. Arriving back at the Mantis flyer, James quickly opened the doors and powered it up.
“Even if we do pick the others up, take the Shadow Bringer and make it off the surface, we still have to get past the Hunter ship in orbit” Julio pointed out, “how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“The unconventional way,” James replied, “I need a link back to the ship though, this will take careful timing.”
“The Evening Star can’t hold off the Hunter ship,” said Kosare, “it’s nowhere near powerful enough. We’re not going to be able to get to the ship with them blocking our escape either.”
“We aren’t going to the ship, we’re going to bring the ship to us.”
“That’s crazy!” Kosare exclaimed, “it will take far too long to land the ship, the Hunters could overwhelm us in that time.”
“All we need is for the ship to enter the atmosphere above the city,” said James, “as it does, we take the flyer, pick up the others and the Shadow Bringer and quickly fly into the hangar bay and make our escape before the Hunters can surround us.”
“Are you actually mad!?”
“Yeah, absolutely barking,” James retorted, “and I’m saving all of our lives in the process, now open a channel to the ship.”
“I really hope you know what you’re doing here,” Julio sighed, “Karlo always said you had a bit a mad streak in you, I guess I can see what he was talking about now.”
James ignored the protests though, he quickly worked to set up a link to the Evening Star and his crew in orbit around the planet’s moon.
“Helmsman Daniels, you still alive up there?”
“Alive and kicking,” Daniels replied, “are you all still in one piece down there?”
“That remains to be seen,” said James, “I need you to bring the ship down to the city. We’re in a bit of a tight spot and we could really use a lift out of here.”
“I can’t land the ship in the city captain, there isn’t a landing strip big enough. Plus, the moment we move, the Hunters will detect us and they’ll come straight for us.”
“I don’t need you to land, I just need you to bring the ship into the atmosphere above the city and have the hangar doors open for us, we’re gonna need to make a quick escape.”
“Captain, a mid-air pickup with a ship this size has never been attempted before and I’ve certainly never trained for a manoeuvre like this. I don’t know if I can get us into the planet’s atmosphere and out again before that Hunter ship finds us.”
“It’s either that or we sit around and act as prey for the Hunters,” said James, “you’re the best helmsman in the fleet Daniels, if anyone can pull this off, you can.”
“Appreciate the vote of confidence sir,” Daniels said sarcastically, “be sure to have it carved on my grave stone if I mess this up.”
“You wont mess it up, you can do this,” said James, “now lets get to it, we’re on a tight schedule here.”
Getting the Evening Star to the surface was just the first step, they still needed to get the rest of the crew and Shadow Bringer on board. James hoped that they were all still in once piece, he hoped that Isha was not in any danger back down in the city, he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.
“So now what?” Said Julio, “we take the flyer and land it in the middle of a city full of Hunters? Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Well if you have a better one, now would be a good time to speak up,” James continued to dismiss the objections to his plan, “this is the only way to get ourselves out of here safely. We can’t move the Shadow Bringer here so the only way to get it off the surface is to take the flyer there.”
“As soon as we take off, the Hunters will know exactly what we’re doing,” Kosare warned, “once we get there, I would say we will have little more than a minute to load that thing onto the flyer before the Hunters are all over us. We’ll be overrun if we don’t move fast enough.”
“So we improvise…”
James opened up a compartment in the back of the flyer’s main hold and dragged out a large turret gun that he had brought on board as a contingency plan.
“. . . Jaiden, I’ll cover you as you fly us over there. Just keep us steady and I’ll deal with the Hunters.”
“Do you actually plan any of this or do you just make it up as you go along?”
“I’m just going by the lessons of an old Tolian general who I used to know,” said James, “use your instinct and prepare for any potential situation that might arise, that was what she once taught me. I’m sure she would have done the same thing I’m doing right now to save any of her crew.”
Kosare just shook her head but regardless of her opinions, she took up the pilot’s seat and got them off the ground. Taking them out of the shuttle bay, she flew out and into the city, flying close to the ground below the level of the buildings so that Hunters could not look up and see the flyer in the sky.
“Almost halfway,” Kosare informed hi
m, “keep and eye out for… HUNTERS!”
James was quick to react to the tall silver-clad figures on their right and instantly opened fire. His turret was several magnitudes more powerful than his standard rifle and the Hunters’ armour, considerable thought it was, couldn’t stand up to it’s firepower. James gunned the first two down before they could get a shot in. Kosare quickly zipped around a corner to get out of the line of sight of two more that were following but there was another group up ahead.
“Hold on, this might get a little bumpy!”
James was quick to turn his weapon forward and open fire again, spreading his shots across the street to keep the Hunters off balance and under pressure. One took a hit in the head and was instantly killed but the remaining ones were quick to dive out of the way and were dodging his shots. Even if she thought the plan was crazy, Kosare was clearly enjoying the ride, she might not have wanted to admit it though.
Finally, they were in the clear and Kosare made straight for the other half of the group. The Hunters would know what was going on though, they would only have a brief window of opportunity to get the Shadow Bringer aboard and get going. From a distance, James could see the rest of the group and all of them were accounted for. Saavoy was once again covered in blood but from the way he was confidently standing over three dead Hunters, James assumed that it was not his own. All of them looked pretty thankful to see that their ride had arrived.
“Need a lift?” James called to the rest of his crew as Kosare put the flyer down on the ground and dropped the loading ramp. Saavoy quickly carried the injured Morelli onto the flyer, letting her take over James’s position at the turret. Even if she wasn’t any use on her feet she could still keep the covered from the flyer.
James, Kosare and Julio were quick to join Saavoy, Ansare and Kalmar as they made another attempt to heave the device onto the flyer. It was hard going but they only had a short way to move it this time. Using every ounce of strength in them, they heaved it over to the flyer.
“More incoming!” Isha was quick to warn them, both she and Melina taking aim and opening fire on three approaching Hunters. They were still a few hundred meters away but they were closing fast.
“Damn it, we need more time!” James grumbled as he continued to try and heave the device onto the flyer, they still had a few meters to go yet, “Loca, take them out!”
The Hunters had caught on though, they had dodged out of the turret’s radius and Morelli couldn’t fire on them. Isha and Melina both broke cover and made for the flyer as one of the Hunters sprang towards them, it’s blade drawn. James was about to make a move to get in between his wife and the onrushing Hunter but again it was Saavoy who made the move, rushing out into the open, his blade drawn, ready to take on the enemy once more in close combat. The two girls quickly took over the gap he had vacated, lending their strength to the efforts to load the Shadow Bringer but they couldn’t leave Saavoy on his own against the Hunters, they would just keep coming. Saavoy cut off the Hunter’s attack, leading it away from the flyer and into Morelli’s line of sight. He dived behind another vehicle at the side of the road allowing Morelli to fire, taking down that Hunter and forcing the others to slow their attack.
Finally, the Shadow Bringer was loaded into the flyer’s passenger hold. The crew were able to release it and once more pick up their weapons. As soon as Saavoy was on board, they could leave.
“Kasha, get back to the flyer!”
He willingly obliged but as he did, two more Hunters jumped down from a nearby building and landed right between him and his goal, blocking him off from the rest of the crew. Morelli couldn’t fire on them without risking hitting Saavoy. Several more Hunters started to close on the group, seeing that one of the crew had been separated from the rest. One Hunter in particular was making its way to where Saavoy was stood, and it held up an arm to it’s people, stopping them in their tracks. This one had a blue stripe down it’s armour and from the looks of the authority it held over the other Hunters, this must have been their captain. The other Hunters had now formed a circle around where Saavoy and their captain stood… it was a challenge.
Any attempt to shoot the Hunters risked them hitting Saavoy, the only thing they could do was watch on, all of them with their weapons ready in case anything went wrong. Saavoy readied himself, staring down his enemy as it circled around him. Finally it sprang towards him, its blade drawn as it went. Saavoy blocked the first attack before jumping backwards to avoid the second strike. This Hunter was faster than the others and Saavoy wasn’t able to hit it with a quick counter like he had done before, he was forced to defend for his life.
Parrying another direct blow, Saavoy finally had an opening but the Hunter was too fast again and his strike only grazed it’s chest-plate. Before he know it, the Hunter struck at him again and he wasn’t fast enough in parrying it, the tip of it’s blade struck him across his left shoulder leaving a nasty looking gash. James wanted to jump in and help but there was nothing he could do, with the duel still going on before their eyes. Even though Saavoy was hurt, it didn’t seem to be affecting his focus but he was not moving as fast as he had been before and it looked like it was only a matter of time. Barely a minute in and Saavoy found himself knocked back again and this time the Hunter’s blade caught him across the thigh, leaving another nasty looking gash that finally brought him to his knees. Saavoy let out a deafening roar and swung his blade at the lead Hunter’s sword arm, catching it on the forearm and cutting the blade from it’s armour. The Hunter responded by kicking out at him, sending him sprawling across the ground.
“HELP HIM!” James called to the rest of his crew. At that second, each of them opened fire on the Hunters that had previously been standing watch. Kalmar picked off the closest one with a clean head shot clearing a path to where the Hunter captain had knocked Saavoy to the ground and was moving towards him with the intention of finishing him off. James and Kosare both ran in his direction, dodging several shots that came their way. James ducked out of the way of a nearby Hunter, sliding across the ground and allowing Kosare to deal a killing blow while it was distracted. Just as the the Hunter captain was less than a meter from Saavoy, James opened fire on it from close range, leaving it with no chance to dodge his attack. With his enemy fallen to his knees, James took his own blade from it’s sheath and cut the Hunter captain’s head from it’s body.
With the lead Hunter down, James turned his attention to the downed Saavoy. He was not getting up and he was bleeding badly, he was seriously hurt. Morelli was firing the turret towards the remaining Hunters, keeping them well back from where Saavoy was lain.
“How bad is it?”
“Well I’m not dead,” Saavoy gasped, although he wasn’t far from it, he had wounds on his arm, leg and another one across his chest, not to mention he was dazed from the impact of being struck by the Hunter.
“Come on, we’re getting you out of here.”
James, joined by Ansare and Julio carefully lifted him, being sure not to cause any more damage than had already been done but they needed to hurry as more Hunters were arriving on scene. Kosare quickly drew her pistols again and took aim, hitting the oncoming Hunters with everything she had, once again aiming for their legs to slow them down.
“Come on, we need to get moving!” Isha drew everyone’s attention to what was going on above them, the Evening Star had begun it’s descent towards the city and had now come into view, it was now or never. They quickly put Saavoy down on the floor of the flyer’s hold but Kosare was continuing to fire on the Hunters, bringing two more of them to their knees. James called for her to get on board but she was in her zone, she was felling them as they came. He had to spring from cover, Julio alongside him, and the two of them had to pull her onto the flyer away from the onrushing Hunters.
“We’re all on! Go, go, go!”
Melina took her place in the cockpit and shut the loading ramp the moment they
were all aboard. With all of her years of gala experience, she expertly maneuvered them off the ground and out of the city, making for the Evening Star with all haste. As far as they could tell, the Hunters couldn’t reach them in the air. There was no moment for them to breathe easy though, not with one of the crew in such a bad way.
“We need to stabilise the bleeding!” James said anxiously, Saavoy continuing to lose blood. He was quick to put pressure on the wound on his shoulder, the others helping out and stopping the bleeding on his leg and chest. There was only so much they could do on the flyer though, they needed to get him to the medical bay urgently.
“What are you looking at?” Saavoy groaned, seeing the worried look on Morelli’s face.
“Damn you Kasha!” Morelli snapped, a tear forming in her eye, “I swear if you die on me like this, I’ll kill you.”
“Drama queen,” Saavoy muttered. The colour was starting to drain from his cheeks and he was starting to feel cold. Morelli grabbed his hand, holding it as tightly as she could, seeing her former lover in this state was tearing her apart. James was quick to get on the commlink back to the ship.
“This is captain Tavarez to the Evening Star. We’re right outside, have the doors open for us and have a medical team meet us in the hangar bay, we have a medical emergency down here!”
“Will do captain, I’ll have Markova meet you down there as soon as you arrive.”
The Evening Star was in position at the exact time they had needed it to be. The Shuttle bay door was open for them and Melina took them inside with all possible haste, bringing them to a screeching halt as soon as they touched down, the whole group being briefly thrown off balance. As promised, Markova and her team had arrived on scene and made straight for the flyer, Melina lowering the loading ramp to allow them aboard. They could not have arrived sooner, Saavoy was beginning to lose consciousness and he was feeling cold.
