Chapter IX: The Blitzkrieg

As he inched closer to the ship, he worried more and more for Maria's safety. The Blitzkrieg was not looking to good either; it looked like a husk or a shell of what it once was. There also seemed to be a dust-like cloud emanating from the massive ship.

But that thought was soon disrupted as the turrets began to fire on him. He dodged laser blasts until they began to close in on him. He began to take hits as he inched closer and closer to the hanger. Just then, a missile turret locked onto him. Sensing the impending danger, he gunned his engines, and crash landed in the hanger bay.

He jumped out of his severely damaged interceptor and looked around. "I didn't think it would be this bad." He said as he began to cough from the dust. He tore of the clasps from his cloak, as well as a big strip. He fastened a veil around his mouth and nose and then to the back of his robes. He hoped that it would give him enough breathing room until he found Maria.

He rummaged around in his interceptor and grabbed the weapons he packed. He holstered two pistols, threw an assault rifle and a shotgun over his shoulder, and then checked his lightsaber and shields. Giving one last glance towards his interceptor, he said, "Maria, I am getting you out of here, even if I die in the process." He walked to the bay door and entered the first of many corridors.

...

General Bledimir was still on the bridge, confident that the situation would soon be resolved; he had ordered his men to converge on the Blitzkrieg. He was going to remove the infestation as well as the leader of the Knights who had just arrived on the ship.

But the constant screams of terror from the various posts around the ship were beginning to swell up an uneasy feeling in him. He had had his bridge fortified and the doors were holding well, despite the sounds of hissing and scratching outside.

Maria continued to struggle to escape, but knew that it would lead to her death by her captor, or by the hands of the infestation. But the words of the tired general had brought her hope; she now knew that the man she thought would just use her was actually risking his life to save her, though the thought of him being on a revenge mission was also very high on her list of theories.

...

Meldor heard sounds coming from the next hallway that he was running through. "My first guests have arrived." He said with a sinister smile creasing his lips.

The first of many zombie-like creatures began to charge at him. He grabbed his shotgun and pushed through the horde. The little infectors would just pop on his shields.

Then, he heard sounds that scared him: Gunfire. He cautiously walked over to the sound of the noise and his worst fears came to light. One of the creatures looked up from the ground and mindlessly began to fire its plasma pistol at him.

He leapt to the side as he truly saw what was occurring. There were renegades fighting against the creatures, which were falling like flies.

He charged through the enemies and gunned down all that he could. When his shotgun ran out of ammunition, he tossed into a corner and continued on his way.

After a while of running and gunning, he reached the bridge and began to think about how to breach it. He ran down the hall a bit further and was happy to find an armory. He grabbed as many explosives as he could carry and planted them on the door. With a rocket launcher, he blasted the door open, much to the horror of the commanders.

He snuck in and took off one of his undamaged shield generators and fastened one of the Jackal shields to himself. He ran in and tossed the shield generator to Maria, who quickly attached it to her waist and activated it.

Meldor activated his lightsaber and slayed all the generals as they tried to shoot Maria, except for Bledimir. He turned to him with a sadistic grin on his face as he raised his fist.

Bledimir felt all the air rush out of his lungs, but the air was not coming back. He struggled to breathe but he couldn't.

Meldor said to him, "This for all the pain you've put me through. For you, this pain will be quick." He pulled the general closer to him.

The last thing the general felt was the unbearably painful stab that punched through his chest and he fell onto the floor with a thud.

Maria had not spoken the entire time, she was in too much shock to say anything, but finally, words came to her. "Why? Why did you save me?" She asked

He turned around and walked over to her and cut her free from the ropes she was bound with. His eyes met hers and he said, "Because I love you. This is a feeling that is new to me, a feeling that I cannot truly express, and a feeling that is changing me."

"So you are not just using me to repopulate the Earth?" she asked taking his hand as tears began to form in his eyes.

"No," he said, "I have never felt loved before, I have never been close to someone who even cared about me, but we can't talk about this now; we have to get the hell out of here." He helped her to her feet and handed her his pistols and drew his assault rifle.

"How are we going to get out of here?" she asked.

"There is a transport in the hanger bay, we are going to take it out and back to the Dyoga, because the Galgaroth was shot down." He said adding the last part in case she had not heard the news.

"There will be opposition." She said, "I heard from Bledimir, they are coming to deal with the infestation."

"Alright." He said as he checked himself for any problems. He found that he had only had one working shield generator and his arm shield left.

They both left the bridge and walked out and the fighting immediately began.

They fought their way past the creatures, as well as renegades. When they reached the hanger bay, the real fighting began. Pushing through the hordes, they reached the transport and he said, "Get on the transport; I'll join you in a second."

She could only gasp as a Jackal shorted out his last shield generator. She fired her last round into it and it fell down dead.

He hurried up to the transport and the second worst thing that could happen occurred. An infector latched itself to his arm. He had to act fast or he would become one of them.

He drew his lightsaber and activated it. "Samuel, you can't be thinking of it!" she pleaded with him.

"I have to." He said as he sliced off his left arm and tears welled up in his eyes as it fell to the ground. He quickly pulled himself into the transport.