The Aeolian Master Book One Revival

by John Northern

  *

  Sergeant Priskin stepped out from behind a tree, ran over to the edge of the open pit mine, and looked for anyone who might still be alive. That was the last one, Captain." He looked around. "By the Gods of ancient Earth, I can't believe how many men we lost.

  The Captain stepped out from behind a tree deeper in the woods. Alright Sergeant, he yelled, get our wounded and our dead to the pack train and take them down the mountain. The rest of you get to work packing the crystals. He walked to the edge of the pit and took a phasor bolt full in the throat. One of the wounded miners had feigned death and when the time was right he rolled on his side, aimed his phasor and took out the leader. Red phasor bolts from all over the forest riddled the man in an instant.

  The Sergeant looked down at the Captain. By the Zorstras curse, another one down.

  Sergeant Priskin started making his way to the front of the pit as another Sergeant by the name of Basker and the rest of the hooded men and women came out of the woods.

  Basker walked over to the Priskin. "Looks like you’re in charge."

  Priskin looked at him. "Yeah, I guess so." He paused, then said, "Well let's follow the Captain's last command."

  "Right." Basker started barking orders while the Sergeant walked toward the back of the pit looking for crystals. He knew better than to try to smuggle a crystal past Hurd, but it was still fun to hold all that money in one's hands. He saw a spectacular splay of colors toward the back of the diggings. The crystal fractured the sunlight into a myriad of colors throwing a colorful pattern upon the boulders nearby.

  Priskin picked up his pace and made his way toward the crystal. He thought it must be plenty big judging by the color spread.

  Dorce was lying on his side with blood slowly oozing from his abdomen. As Priskin started to step over him, Dorce’s hand shot out and grabbed Priskin by the ankle throwing him off balance. He started to go down, but before he did Dorce jumped up and with his left hand he jerked the hood off Priskin's head and face, and then with both hands as the two of them hit the ground, Dorce started choking the life out of the sergeant. Three phasor bolts hit Dorce in the back puncturing his lungs and burning through bone. Blood splattered all over Priskin's chest and face. He pushed Dorce off of him and jumped up wiping away the blood.

  "Damn! don't these guys ever die?" Priskin started randomly shooting at the bodies around him and then at those further out. He kept shooting until his phasor pack was drained of energy. He pushed a button on the side of his phasor and dropped the energy pack to the ground, then he stooped over, retrieved Dorce's energy pack, and slid it into his own phasor.

  "Hey Priskin," yelled Basker. "If that guy had had a phasor, you'd be another body count by now."

  "That's real smart Basker. Let me say it again 'Basker.' Why don't you just tell anybody out there who might be hiding in the woods what my name is?"

  Just then Sven peeked his head over the edge. "You’re bad men. You’re bad men,” he cried. “You killed my dad!" He took a shot at Priskin but missed—wide right, then he jumped up and ran into the forest.

  "Okay Basker, you're the one who yelled out my name—go get him.

  "What?" Basker looked at him with an amused smile on his face.

  "I said, go get him."

  "What for? He's just a kid.”

  "He knows my name, thanks to you, and he knows what I look like."

  Basker laughed. "So, what. Who's he going to tell . . . Hurd?"

  "Look Basker, you said yourself, I'm in charge, and I'm ordering you to go get that kid."

  I don't care if you are in charge. I've got better things to do, like pack the crystals and get the hell off this mountain. If you want him so bad, you go get him."

  Priskin glared at Basker and walked toward him. Softly he said, "Okay, I will. And when we get back you're going on report."

  "Fine," replied Basker. "Happy hunting, and if you're not back by the time we're ready to go, we're going without you."

  Priskin jumped over a few of the bodies and scrambled up the side of the mountain toward the forest where he had last seen the kid.

  *