November 1st, 3235, 1321 hours
Jagged Claw Mountains
Sand People Enclave
The chieftain's chambers were very large. It stretched for a few hundred feet into the air. Some of the paneling for the walls seemed to be from derelict starships. The chieftain was in the center of the room. He was easily recognizable because his mask covering his face was much more elaborate than those of the other Sand People. Females crowded around the elite Sand Person. As soon as he saw the guide come in, he barked once and the females skittered away, leaving him to speak with the intruders.
"Warning: Master, watch what you say around the chieftain. The Sand People are known to attack should outsiders ask questions that contradict their beliefs or their likes." The Captain nodded. "OK, we'll be sure to steer clear of any questions like that." The chieftain barked at the group with a howl mixed in. "Translation: The chieftain is asking why such 'unclean, slandering usurpers' is being brought before his 'holy throne'." "Holy Throne?" Sally asked. "Explanation:" 24 said, "It appears that this chieftain is also a holy priest of his culture, born and raised to show the Sand People the way to salvation."
"He sounds a little full of himself if you ask me." Rouge laughed. "Statement: Perhaps. However, it is best not to state that in front of the chieftain." "Why do you keep saying that?" Chris demanded. "Is every other thing we say going to have a negative impact on our survival chances?" "Hesitant Answer: Err…Master do you really want to hear the answer to that?" The Captain sighed. "Forget it. Ask him what he plans to do with us?" the droid spoke to the Sand Person chieftain. "Translation: It appears that he is unhappy that you managed to kill some of his warriors. He plans to make you his prisoners." Sally said, "He doesn't seem ready to kill us on the spot." 24 answered back, "Surprised Answer: Mistress you seem to be correct. Not once did I interpret a threat. I believe that the Sand People are not as barbaric as Czerka makes them out to be!"
"We can worry about that later. Ask him about the map." "Translation: Yes. The chieftain has seen the map, Master. His people have the map in sort of a temple. Is this why you came into the enclave?" "Yes." A short bark came from 24's vocabulator. "Translation: You must perform a task to prove whether you are worthy of entering the temple to retrieve the map. A rite of passage if you will." The princess asked, "What's that?" "Answer: Slay a Great Krayt Dragon with your bare hands."
The chieftain showed them a cave painting of the Great Krayt Dragon. "Translation: (this is his exact words, Master.) The Great Krayt Dragon is a might serpent of the dunes. It stretches a long distance from snout to tail. Ferocious teeth and fangs line its mouth threatening to bite any warrior that gets near to it to bits. Complete this task, and you will gain access to the map." Sally folded her arms and frowned. "I get the feeling that the chieftain just wants to see us get eaten by that monster." "Observation: I was thinking the exact same thing. The prospect is very risky with a high probability of death. This should be fun!" "Fun? FUN? We might die!" Rouge screamed at the robot. Her screech was so loud that several Sand People raised their sticks in anticipation.
"24, ask the chieftain where we can find the beast." After a series of shrieks and growls, HK-24 said, "Translation: He wishes to see your map, Master." Chris grabbed the scroll out of his backpack and handed it to the chieftain. The Sand Person pointed to one spot and the Marine marked it with a pen. "That's our target." The Captain said. Sally picked up the map and scrutinized it. "Chris, that's a bit of a drive." "We'll manage, Princess. We need to get back to Ryan and Avery to tell them they're staying here." Princess Sally sighed sadly. "Ryan's not going to be happy. Avery I'm fine with, he's been in a tin can for a few centuries." Chris flared, "My job is not to make sure Ryan's happy. My job is to make sure we get home safely, Sergeant." Sally huffed. The Mobian hated it when Chris mentioned her rank; it sort of drifted them apart, the separation of ranking structure. "Marines, move out." They all said, "Yes sir!" and turned to follow the human. They saw an ODST helmet on a pike just as they were leaving. "Hey, they liked the helmets so much they decided to hang them up for them to see!" Rouge said. Chris hated to burst her bubble. "Uh Rouge…" The bat gagged and ran out of the chamber.
Chris and the girls exited the cave with their escorts following them. Ryan and Avery had their rifles aimed but the Captain calmed them down. "We're OK, guys. You two need to stay here and guard the Cobra. Me, Sally, Rouge and 24 are going to be taking the Warthog to hunt us a dragon." Ryan threw his gun into the sand. "What is going on here? You're going dragon hunting without me?! The world's not fucking fair anymore!" Avery slapped Ryan on the shoulder. "Chin up, boy! You're a Marine, act like it!" Johnson nodded at the Captain. "I'll keep him safe, sir."
The walk back down was relatively safer. Chris climbed into the driver seat of the Warthog and started the engine. Sally got shotgun and planted her bee-arr on the dashboard. Rouge and 24 climbed into the back. "Let's roll." Sally said. The Captain put the pedal to the metal and fishtailed the Warthog away from the mountain.
"So is this place a Krayt Dragon nesting ground?" Sally asked looking at the map. "Negative, Sal. It's a hotspot. Dragons are known to be coming through this place all the time. Based on local news reports, an estimate of 50 –something hunters and prospectors have been killed by this particular Krayt Dragons alone." NICOLE said. "What exactly is our target, NICOLE?" Chris asked the AI. "Hold on to your cap, Captain: This is a big boy. According to survey teams, the only Krayt Dragon in the area so far is about 120 meters long with teeth as long as 'moisture vaporators'. Huh, sounds pretty intense." Rouge leaned over the back of the 'Hog. "Excuse me Captain, but how are we going to kill that thing by ourselves?" Chris stared straight at the road ahead nearly avoiding a creature called a dewback. Chris honked the horn to scare the other creatures away and wiped some sweat from his face. "We'll find a way. Believe me."
Tatoo I and Tatoo II only got higher into the midday sky. NICOLE chimed in. "News for you, Captain." "Hit me." The human said. "I'm detecting a heat signature in the valley up ahead." "How hot is it?" "I think you mean cooler, Chris. Anyway, heat signature's size is confirmed as our Krayt Dragon. I'm also reading smaller signatures but the results are inconclusive. I'll try to keep updating as soon as I can." Chris nodded and jumped over a sand dune. "Thank you, NICOLE." "Oh, I nearly forgot. I've done a scan on the black box from the Pelican. You aren't going to believe this." The pilots' voices came through the Warthog's speakers.
"OK, stabilizing descent, maintaining speed of 500 knots. We're in the pipe, Captain Banks. ETA to surface is nine minutes." Banks said, "Good. Make sure we find a good place to set this bird down. I hate deserts." The radar bleeped and was easily audible through the speakers. "What is THAT?" the copilot asked. "Some kind of Anti-Air emplacements! Hang on, we're going o try and get out of their range!" the pilots cursed and from the sound of things, banked their dropship from side to side. "Port engine is gone! Hull breach!" The Marines could hear the sound of the rushing wind. "This is Omega 321, Mayday! Mayday! We are being engaged by hostile AAA battery! I say again, Mayday! PREPARE FOR FORCED LANDING!" There was rushing air for the next two minutes and a bone-jostling crash. Then, the channel went silent."
Sally leaned toward the radio. "Hang on, they mentioned Triple A batteries. Didn't you say that there were none of these on this planet?" Chris nodded. "Yeah that's what the lady at…Mother FUCK!" The Captain yelled banging the steering wheel. Sally leaned back in her chair too with her hand on her forehead. "Czerka. They lied to us! They said that they had no guns on this planet." "Extrapolation: Perhaps Czerka Corporation didn't want us to find something they were not willing to share." Rouge chimed in, "That's why the guy at the spaceport wanted to know if we were military! Maybe he thought we were part of a…inquiry team or something." "Oh and they played us for idiots!" Chris said tossing his hat into the back.
"I know this may not be the time, but I have just uncovered some interesting information about Czerka's activity throughout the Galaxy." NICOLE said. "It gets worse?" Sally asked. "Apparently. Czerka has dipped into several black market scandals, hundreds of fraud scams, supplying the Mandalorians with weapons against the Republic's orders, the list goes on…" Chris sighed. "So what do we do?" "Answer: We find that dragon, kill it and wring the neck of every corporate employee we find." Sally cocked her battle rifle. "I like that plan: Simple and easy to remember." Suddenly, Chris slammed on the brakes. Sand sprayed into the cabin. "What's up?" Rouge said brushing some sand from her hair. "Got something on Motion sensors: big stuff." "Eager Statement: I really want to see how a Krayt Dragon can stand up against us."
Chris climbed from the seat. "Heh, I really don't know about that, 24." "Puzzled Query: But…but Master, aren't you the famed hero of the Battle of Robotropolis, slaying hundreds of droids and keeping your friends alive?" "Yeah but I-" he said but 24 interrupted "…and what of the Battle of Tallahan V during the Rainforest Wars? You single handedly killed the leader of the insurrection!" "That was a misconception. I and three others had him at gunpoint but we gave him to the UN. They killed him, not me." "And what about the Mobius campaign. You logged more than 1000 robot kills and saved the princess three times in a row!" Chris rolled his head to one side. "I wasn't crazy about her back then." "You're being modest, Chris." Sally said slinging her rifle across her back. "You were one inch away from putting a picture of me next to your bed and-" "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Chris yelled. The noise reverberated off some sand-eroded rocks. "Statement: The point I'm trying to make is that you and your men are some of the most legendary figures in this war. I…I'd hate to be disappointed." Chris sighed wearily and picked up his hat and assault rifle from the back of the jeep. "Come on, let's hunt us a dragon."
"The sun is killing my skin." Rouge complained looking at her skin that was turning red." Sally dug her boot out of the soft sand. "You know for once, I have to agree with you, Rouge. It feels…like a fucking blast furnace in here. I bet I lost five pounds on the car ride here." Chris hooked his Assault rifle over his shoulder and tugged his hat over his eyes. "Shaddup…We're closing in on that dragon now. Don't give away your position and-" The ground rumbled. "Did you feel that?" Sally asked. "Did you hear that?" Rouge asked. "No we don't all have ears the size of frying pans." Sally said sarcastically. Just over the ridge was the valley. In that valley was the largest thing they had ever seen alive.
The Great Krayt Dragon was well over 100 meters long and sand brown. Several scales on its body were missing and four great, twisted horns jutted out of its skull. It seemed to be thundering towards a cave of some sort. "That looks like its home. Sally said pulling binoculars out of her utility belt. "What do you see?" the Captain asked. "It's a big cave; Estimated about 100 meters wide at the biggest point. We're not getting close to that thing in the Hog. Engine will wake this beast up." "Then we walk." Vennettilli said. "Sarcastic Comment: Ah, more walking. Wonderful."
The Marines walked up to the cave as softly as they could. The Krayt Dragon appeared to be sleeping in the cave. "NICOLE, Read that dragon's brainwave patterns." The Marine Captain ordered. "Sleeping like a baby." She happily reported. "OK. Sally, you're on point. HK-24, cover the princess, Rouge with me." Sally nodded and motioned the droid to follow her. "Stay close, Rouge." Chris said raising his weapon and following Sally. The bat raised her assault rifle and stayed close to her human companion. Maybe a little too close for Chris' liking.
"Stone cold." Sally whispered into the COM. "It's not breathing heavily. Must be dreaming." "Good keep it that way until we can find a way to kill it." "Roger that, Captain."
Sally walked around to the snout of the dragon. "Oh, you are beautiful." She said quietly. She could have sworn that she saw some sort of glistening in the throat of the beast. "HK-24, what's that?" Acorn whispered. "Answer: That is the pearl of the Krayt Dragon." Rouge twitched. "Did she say pearl?" "Affirmative. The pearl itself is a tool to help crush food. Over time the pearl becomes hard and rounded. It can easily fetch for hundreds of thousands of Republic Credits."
Rouge was having a miniature seizure. The thief's sense was tingling in the base of her skull. She couldn't control herself. I HAVE TO HAVE THAT PEARL! She said to herself. Before she knew it, Rouge had set off in a run. "Rouge! No!" Chris said. But it was too late: Rouge tripped over a rock and her gun and pack crashed onto the stone floor of the cave. Sally and Chris grimaced as they heard the beast wake up. The dragon roared in annoyance because it had been woken up. It turned its head around and saw the three Marines and one robot. It roared with such defiance that rocks from the ceiling fell down. "Oh shit…" Sally said, her eyes going wide.
"Rouge, Rouge! You OK?" Chris said picking the bat up. She was clutching her leg with white knuckles. "A rock stabbed me, Chris!" She said sniffling a little. The captain rolled up her pant leg to see the extent of the problem. A sharp rock had indeed punctured Rouge's leg and tapped her tibia. Chris swore and retrieved a dressing from his backpack. He cleaned the wound with a swab of Hydrogen peroxide and wrapped a dressing around it. He tapped her leg and said, "Good as new." Gunshots echoed in the cave. Sally had gone full auto with her battle rifle. Bullets peppered the beast with little effect. Some glanced off with whistling ricochets but a couple chipped off some scales.
Chris ejected a round from the chamber of his assault rifle and shot at the dragon. The weapon belched rounds at incredible speeds. The Captain constantly looked at his ammo counter which dwindled down to zero in a mere 20 seconds. The human swapped mags and continued to fight. HK-24 had dual-wielded assault rifles and aimed at the creature's eyes. The droid hammered away, the spent shell casing tinkling on the stone floor. Suddenly, NICOLE said, "Sally! Remember those heat signatures I told you about? They're awake!" "They?" Sally asked, and then hey popped up from the larger dragon.
About twenty other Krayt Dragons appeared, no more then ten meters in length. "Oh my God, it's a mother!" Sally screamed shooting at the matriarch. "Kids protecting their mom…" Chris said. "Kill them too!" He ordered. Sally and Rouge actually stopped shooting and looked at the Captain. "Rouge: keep focusing on those dragons. 24 back her up!" Sally barked. She ran up to him. "You're saying that you want to kill the little dragons? They're barely infants! You're not even giving them a chance at life!" Chris stared into the Mobian's eyes. They had done this often but this time, Chris' normally caring eyes had gone cold. What she saw in the darkness there made her shiver. It made her afraid to look at the man she loved.
Orders were orders.
"24, concentrate on the dragons on the right. Rouge, keep on pestering the mother, buy us time!" Sally said. "Captain, what are you going to do?" Chris decided to take the little dragons on the left near the cave entrance. His rifle bucked in his hands as he sent a four round burst at a young Krayt. The bullets impacted dead center on the forehead and shredded its skull. Bits of brain matter and bone sprayed its younger sibling. The tiny Krayt howled in the loss and jumped straight at Chris. The Marine raised his arm to block the beast but it sunk its teeth into his arm. Chris screamed in pain, but he tried to force it away from biting his arm off. Vennettilli grabbed the combat knife in his leg holster and jabbed it through the soft spot under the chin. The blade sprouted through the roof of the skull and the beast screamed in pain. Chris threw it off and gave it one shot to the head to ease its suffering.
Sally was having a tougher time than he was. She regretted each shot she took. I'm sorry! She screamed in her head. Each little creature screeched as the armor piercing bullets pieced their bodies and threw them into arcing patterns in the air. 24 was having fun. It would be cruel to describe what he did to these young dragons.
The mother had had enough. She screamed in anger and tossed Sally into the wall. The princess impacted the cave wall at nearly 20 miles an hour. The T-shirt she was wearing didn't amount to much protection and she audibly heard her spine crack. She fell five feet face first into the ground and was still. "SALLY!" Chris yelled. The princess remained still. Rouge saw her nemesis down and started to lose her morale. Her shots went wide and blasted century-old stalagmites into dust. "FALL BACK!" The Captain ordered picking Sally up in his arms. She was tiny compared to him, even though she was only about a half-head shorter. He stared at her face. A bloody gash had appeared on her forehead and the red fluid dripped down her cheek onto his arm. She was breathing though. Her breaths were short and ragged. Damn, a lung punctured.
Chris ran outside and towards the Warthog. He placed her in the passenger seat. He removed her shirt and examined the skin underneath her fur. Sally's fifth and sixth ribs on both sides had been forced up against her skin creating a sickly lapse on the surface. She would need a day or two in the tanks go get the ribs back in place and a trip to the chiropractor. Regardless, he wrapped about four yards worth of dressing around her upper torso. He left her shirt off though, less heat buildup. Last thing he wanted was for her to have a heat stroke.
Rouge and HK-24 were slowly making a retreat. Rouge had become ruthless, extending her wings to make herself appear bigger. Some of the young dragons backed down while HK-24 blew them away with mechanized cruelty. Chris keyed in his radio. "Ryan, Avery! We need your help ASAP!" "Chris! NO! That's breaking the rules!" NICOLE said. "What the chieftain doesn't know won't hurt him." "Avery, Ryan! Are you there?"
Back at Jagged Claw Mountain, Johnson and Percy were laying on top of the Cobra both smoking cigars. Ryan wasn't much of a smoker but he felt he needed to bond more with Sarge. "What should we do next? See what shapes clouds make?" "Percy, there are no clouds on this rock." "Oh right. How about we talk about what we like?" "Are we on a date you ignorant bastard?" "Soorrry." Ryan said blowing a smoke ring. "These things are pretty good." Ryan said. "Heh, I got hundreds back on the ship. Stocked up before I left." He tapped his temple. "That's the smart thing. Did I ever tell you how I got hooked on these things in the first place?" Ryan sat up. "No." "Well, it was back on a planet called Harvest when I-" "Avery, Ryan! Are you there?" The Sergeant groaned. "Perfect timing, Captain." He answered his COM. "Yeah we're here. What's going on?" "We're outnumbered by a shitload! Get your asses over here now!" "Sir! That's breaking the rules! You need to do this by yourselves!" "Sally's down. Incapacitated but she needs medical attention." Johnson and Ryan stared at each other. Sally was a great friend. She was also like a mother to the guys. Well, an incredibly good-looking mother.
"Let's roll, Sarge. I call driver." Ryan said climbing into the Cobra's driver seat. He activated the engine and felt it rumble around him. Johnson climbed into the passenger/turret seat and ran a check: "Gauss cannons are A-OK. Coils reporting green." He looked at Ryan and smiled. "Let's hunt us a dragon, boy!" He reached into his pocket and placed a music player on the dash and connected it to the speakers. The music began to plat at once. 'Welcome to the Jungle/we got fun n' games/we got everything you want/Honey we know the names!' "Sarge, I fucking love you. Crank that!"
The Cobra leapt off the cliff and bounced on the sand. Ryan shifted gears with tune to the ancient music. He pushed 200 and sped into the desert. Welcome to the jungle/watch it bring you to your shun n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n knees!
"Do you think they got the message?" Rouge asked reloading and tossing the empty clip aside. HK-24 climbed into the M41 turret and sprayed the Krayt with rounds. They did slightly better chipping away at the scales but it wasn't enough. The ammo belt ran out. "Exclamation: Master I'm out of ammunition!" The mother charged at them with alarming speed. Chris scooped Sally out of the seat and ran away. The dragon swiped and sent the Warthog spinning in the air and it exploded about a hundred feet away. HK-24 had gotten out by this time. "Back to the cave!" Chris said. The squad ran back, but the dragon was nipping at their heels. Chris nearly tripped over his feet but looking at Sally's sleeping face kept him upright. Rouge cocked an ear. "Do you hear music?" Chris stopped and listened. "No." "I do. Guns and Roses, 1987." "Good ear." Chris said jokingly. "I don't think Guns and Roses can save us now though." He said looking behind him. The dragon was now fifteen feet distant. This was it. Death by ingestion.
Suddenly he heard it too. It was a fading music but coming close: You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby! You're gonna die! At that exact lyric, a Cobra fighting vehicle leapt over them and landed to their right. It was piloted by none other than Ryan and Johnson. Johnson activated the gauss cannons. They pulsed blue with energy. Johnson sent three supersonic rounds into the remaining young Krayts. The rounds completely obliterated the dragons and left bloody patches. Sarge laughed maniacally while clamping his cigar in his perfect white teeth.
The mother dragon turned to confront the new threat. Sarge's expression of maniac glee down casted to a frown. "Percy! This thing is fucking huge! Commence metamorphosis!" "Activating, sir!" Ryan said.
Four large weights were deployed behind the tires to keep the vehicle in place. The two cannons combined to form a 105mm cannon for power attacks. "Come on, come on, come on!" Johnson chanted urging the guns to be ready. When the reticule turned blue, he thumbed the firing studs and sent a 105mm round into the open mouth of the Krayt dragon.
The beast's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone. Johnson closed the hatch on the turret to save himself from the gore splash. The Marines cheered and ran towards the Cobra. Johnson and Ryan exited the vehicle and stared at Sally. "Is she going to be OK?" Ryan asked seriously. "Yeah. I'll keep an eye on her. We need to get back to the enclave and give the chieftain something that would prove we killed this thing." Rouge popped up behind Chris. "How about this?" She said holding the pearl in front of the Captain. Chris smiled. "You didn't keep it." He smiled. "Yeah, I think I'll wait till we get home before I do any more jewel heists." Chris smiled and actually placed an arm around her shoulder. "Thanks for that. I'll overlook the whole tripping on a rock and giving us away thing." Rouge giggled. "Thanks, hon." She said and pecked the Captain on the cheek. Chris smiled but shook it off though. "Come on. Let's head back to the enclave. Relax. The chieftain isn't going to know anything."
Ryan once again piloted the Cobra back. The others sat on the front of the vehicle. Chris was on top of the turret holding Sally in his arms staring at the suns as they began to set. Chris stroked her hair and rocked her back and forth as if he would a child. She still hadn't woken up and the Captain was worried if she was comatose. He hoped not. He suppressed a sniffle and placed his forehead to hers. "Please wake up." He begged. "Please."
He was disappointed.
The Cobra arrived back at the exact same place where they had left. The entrance was guarded by two Sand People. They held their sticks tightly in their hands and beckoned towards the cave. It was a familiar journey that took them towards the chieftain's chambers again. This time though, the Sand People chieftain had his arms crossed and seemed angry through his mask. That wasn't saying much since almost everyone in this damn enclave looked angry. "You don't think he knows, do you?" Rouge whispered into the Captain's ear. "He can't. Whatever happened was mile away from here." The Sand People chieftain roared loudly causing several Sand People minors to raise their guns and sticks. "Translation: The Sand People chieftain is not pleased, Captain." HK-24 said gravely. Chris was scared to ask. "Why?" "Apparently, several scouts reported seeing your vehicle leave the enclave and return with blood on its hood. The same exact color of the Krayt Dragon's blood." "Game over." Chris said through clenched teeth and wide eyes. A few minors waked up to them and shoved their sticks at them.
"He says that you have betrayed the honor and trust of the tribe, breaking your promise like that. He promises that you shall die in great pain today." That was it. "24, give him our response to that." "Eager Statement: Yes Master. Weapons at the ready!" 24 shot the chieftain several times with the dual assault rifles. The Sand Person seemed to fly apart under the barrage of bullets. Minors charged in to kill the Marines. Rouge swiped a knife at the closest one to her. Blood flowed out of the wound and sprayed all over her. "Oh gross!" She yelled. "Not the time!" Chris yelled. He held Sally in one arm while the other dug into his holster and he retrieved his pistol. The weapon belched a .50 caliber round at the approaching Sand People Warrior. His head snapped back as the round caught it dead center in the forehead. There were several close calls. Ryan grabbed a flaming piece of wood and lit a Sand Person on fire. It howled in pain and anger as it tried to take his assailant down. He failed of course and Ryan blew it away with his shotgun. Ryan laughed as he pumped a new shell into the chamber. In three more minutes, the entire chieftain chamber was deathly silent. Sand People male and female alike were lying on the floor spilling blood.
"I can't believe we just did that." Rouge said lowering her assault rifle. "Cut the sympathy. Them or us, Marine!" the Captain barked. "Where's this temple, NICOLE?" "Wait one. Analyzing photograph taken from the Phoenix at 1121 hours. Got it. I see a large cavern on the summit of the mountain, hardly a holy temple. I wonder what's inside?" "We're going to find out. Can you find the quickest way to get to the top?" "I think so. Put me in holographic mode. I'll see what I can tell from scanning." When the Captain was taking NICOLE from his unconscious friend's leg, she said, "How's my girl?" Chris looked at Sally. She didn't budge, "Napping; Possible concussion and/or trauma from a toss against a stone wall. Where were you?""Sometimes I just space out. You know, take in my surroundings." "Oh, you literally space out." "That's about the size of it."
He flipped NICOLE's lid open with his thumb and activated the holographic interface. NICOLE audibly gasped when she saw her owner's condition. "Oh no!" She said. From the look in the Captain's eyes though, she knew that Sally would be OK. "OK, hang on. I'm detecting an upward sloping passage located twenty five meters to your right."
"Wait! Where are Banks and his team?" Rouge asked. "Oh, my apologies. Turn left at the next intersection." NICOLE said. They followed her directions and there was a prison room. Johnson cranked open the door and all the ODSTs stood. "C…Chris?!" Banks said surprised. "'Sup Tyrell?" the Captain said. Captain Banks stared at the Captain dead in the eye. "You got a lot of balls to pull what you just did." He then patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, bro. How's your girl?" "Hurt badly. We need to get her aboard the ship." He addressed all of the ODSTs. "All of you follow me! Grab whatever weapons you can and don't hold back!" Tyrell braked, "You heard the Captain, you lazy-ass bitches! MOVE!"
The standing soldiers ran down the hall to where the AI instructed them. There was the passageway exactly as they were promised. "OK, head up this walkway until you get to the top." "That's it." Rouge asked. "That's it." She laughed. "Expecting something more elaborate?" "No, something more difficult."
The passageway opened to the sky. Several Sand People were waiting for them with guns raised. Each projectile weapon barked and sent bullets chasing after the Marines. "Percy! Grenades up!" Ryan saluted and selected a fragmentation grenade from his pack. He pulled the pin out with this finger and tossed it towards the Sand People. There was a bang and the warriors vanished from view. When the clouds of dust cleared, all there was left of them were bloody robes and dusty body parts. "Move up! The temple is straight ahead!" The way seemed clear but more and more Sand People kept jumping out from hiding places. "Damn! Where do they keep coming from?" Johnson asked. The Marines and ODSTs fired their weapons and killed the warriors. Some jumped from behind rock formations and got into close combat. The Captain fended one off with his knife. The combined weight of one incapacitated anthro and his armor was almost too tough for him to bear. He won the fight though by stabbing the warrior through the skull and knocking his body off a ledge.
The cave entrance was so close now. The Marines dashed inside and Ryan placed cylinders on the ground. "What are those?" "M-3218 Close-Quarter Automated turrets." Ryan said reading the label on the activation device. "Sounds deadly." He thumbed the device and the cylinders unfolded to reveal quite large cannons. They fired in three-round bursts at the approaching warriors. Spent shells spat out of the turrets and arced in the air, briefly flashing in the setting suns. "That oughta buy us some time." The corporal said. "Query: And how long is that, Corporal?" Ryan winced. "Three minutes, give or take depending on how many rounds came with the turret." The Marines looked at each other and ran deeper into the cave. The turrets shot each approaching Sand Person s they got close.
Inside the cave, there was a stone altar at the far end. On that altar, there was a small cube. "Jackpot." Chris said smiling. He walked up to it but noticed that he was still carrying Sally. "Ryan, open it. Take NICOLE with you." Corporal Percy nodded and took NICOLE from Chris' clenched hand. "What do I do?" Ryan asked. "Just tap the button." NICOLE said. "Which button?" "It's the only button on there." The AI sighed. "Humans. Jesus…" Ryan tapped the button and the cube unfolded to show a holographic representation of the galaxy. "Okay, that's it. Hold on a minute while I record this." The turrets started to beep. "What does that mean?" Rouge said bracing for his answer. Ryan swallowed. "It means that the turrets ran out of power." "Expletive: Oh shit." The cylinders folded in on themselves and became inert. The Sand People screamed a battle cry and charged forward with their sticks raised. Every able Marine fired at the approaching horde. Many fell under the impact of the human weaponry. Soon, the entire cave stank of blood and gunpowder. "OK, I've got it! The map is secured!" "Observation: It does not appear that we have a way off this planet yet." "I hate it when he's right." NICOLE said in an annoyed voice. Suddenly, jets filled the air and the Sand People stopped charging. They turned around and saw what was making the commotion. It was Albatross 15.
"Get aboard, guys!" The pilot said through the intercom. The bay doors opened for them. The copilot fired a stationary machine gun at the Sand People who seemed too stunned to do anything else. The Marines ran towards the dropship and climbed aboard. The hulk of Omega 321 was attached to a magnet grappler underneath the craft. "No Cobra?" Chris said. "Nah! We're leaving it!" The copilot said. "We're in deep shit already. Czerka didn't like us taking off without permission but we needed to. They're right behind us." "OK. Take us out of here." The Captain ordered. "Going up!" The pilot said as he sealed the bay doors. The jets kicked in and the Albatross flung into the high reaches of the atmosphere. "Radar is clear, we lost them." The pilot said with some self-satisfaction. "So, how did you guys find us?" Johnson asked the pilots. The copilot leaned on the machine gun and took his helmet off. He smiled and wiped his sweaty forehead. "Bianca was keeping tabs on you guys. Couldn't get through to you though, some sort of interference in the ionosphere." "So she went to you guys instead." Rouge noted. "Yeah. You were in bad shape up there. Is she alright?" The copilot said pointing at Sally. The blood had coagulated in her gash but the ribs seemed to still be in bad shape. Either by Chris' own fault or by accident, a small red stain formed on the bandages. "She'll be fine. What's our ETA on the Phoenix?" "Two minutes, Captain. Recommend you sit back, relax and let us 'rocket-scientists' fly." Chris smiled at the joke but his face turned sour when he looked at Sally's puncture wound.
The Albatross landed inside the bay with the aid of a marshal. A few forklifts took what was left of Omega 321 to the repair bay to see if she could be repaired or repurposed. Before the bay doors even came down completely, the Captain was running towards the elevator. He was so determined to save one of his men that he blew past Miles. The fox was shocked to see Sally hurt like that and chased after the Captain. "Chris! What happened to Sally?" "She'll be OK, Tails. We just had a little problem on the surface." Chris said in between breaths. He was not in the mood for smalltalk. The Captain was in the elevator in the blink of an eye and punched in Deck 4: Medical.
Sally's condition had gotten worse. The wound had been exposed and needed to get treated ASAP or else she could get an infection. The door pinged open and Chris ran down the hall nudging aside any Navy personnel that didn't get out of his way. The doors to the Medical wing slid apart and the Captain shouted, "Doctor! I need some help here!" The Lieutenant Commander looked over at him. "Right, Captain. Lay her on the table." "Yes, sir." Chris said shakily. "Sir, she got a nasty smack on the head and her ribs have punctured her lungs and poked through her skin." The LC ran a scanner over her body. "Yeah we have a case here." He turned to a nurse. "Get me some morphine and some equipment; I want to get that rib back in place. She also does have some trauma in the back of her head. Nothing we can't fix though. We'll put her through the kolto tank."
"Is that safe?" "Well, if it was any result with the kolto we used before in sparse amounts, a short dunk should make her feel better than ever." He peeled away the bandage and looked at her skin. "Not pretty." The white bone from her rib went through easily. If she was conscious, she would have passed out from the pain. "What can you do about the trauma?" "She'll be OK. You have to be debriefed now, correct Captain?" "Yes sir." "Well get a move on! You're contaminating my sterile environment. Go on, get!" "Yes sir, I'm gone sir."
The minute he walked out of the medlab the rest of the Marines were crowded around the door. Chris gasped loudly and nearly pulled out his gun. "I'm sorry, were we not welcome?" Johnson asked. Bunnie ran up to the human and grabbed his shoulders. "Where is she? Where's my Sally-girl?" Chris could feel the cold grasp of her metallic hand on his shoulder. "She's going to be OK. She smacked her head and punctured a lung but she'll be fine." "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears. "Bunnie, I'm sure." The Captain said. The Mobian rabbit cried a little into his shirt. "Oh my stars. Oh my stars." She kept saying over and over. Chris hugged her slightly. He couldn't deny that she was sympathetic towards Bunnie. Sally was her oldest friend. But why were all these athros attracted to him? He didn't mind the attention but what happened to human girls?
Chris rubbed his shirt. "OK, now that we're all done, we are to report for debriefing. Everyone follow me to the briefing room."
Captain Perry sat in the one chair closest to the window. "I don't know how you keep doing it, Captain Vennettilli, but you do it. I have to say I am damned impressed. The 182nd has sired another great legend." Chris stood solemnly. "Sir, I was just trying to get that map and get off that place." "Understandable Captain but what I saw down there was unbelievable. You coordinated with your team and took out a creature that was 100 times your size! You saved an entire company of men and got them out of there with no casualties! Amazing."
"Sir, there was one." "Ah yes. Sergeant Acorn will be back on her feet in no time believe me. You certainly are attached to her aren't you?" "I made her a promise, sir." "And what was that promise, Captain?" "I said to her myself that I would never give up on any of my men including her. I said that I would use every ounce of my strength to protect her." "Well, you certainly did that." Perry said taking a sip of strong coffee. "Bianca, what's the status on that map?" Bianca popped up on the briefing room projector. "Still incomplete, Captain. According to the fragmented data, there are still two more interfaces we need to find." "Can you find out where those are?" "Negative, at least for the moment. I'm still working on translating some of these ancient Sith messages and finding a literal meaning for them. It's not easy work you know." She disappeared at that." "Well, until we know where we're going, this ship is going to be in orbit around one of these moons here, somewhere where Czerka won't check. You did good Captain." He turned to Banks. "Tyrell, I'm sorry for your loss." "Sir, I lost good men that day. They were doing their duty and were trying to aid this crew in their journey back home. They didn't need to die like that." Chris nodded. It was clear that Tyrell Banks cared for his men as much as he did. "I hope you can set your mind at ease, Banks." Perry said laying a hand on his shoulder. "Dismissed, both of you. Get some rest."
Outside the briefing room, Chris and Tyrell shook hands. They had created a bond on that planet. "I owe you, man. I can't thank you." "Get me a beer and we'll call it even." The two men laughed as they walked away.
Later that night, Chris entered the medlab. The Lieutenant Commander was sitting behind a desk signing some papers. He noticed the Captain and smiled. "Back again, huh? She's doing fine before you ask. She's regained consciousness and her ribs and skin are fully healed. She's in tube 3 in the next room." "Thank you sir." "Don't mention it, kid."
Chris entered the room. There were dozens of kolto tanks lining the walls. Some were occupied. Sally's was on the wall opposite to him. Her slender body floated buoyant in the liquid and a breath mask was over her mouth and nose. She immediately noticed him and knocked on the tank. The Captain smiled widely and went up to see her. "Hey! How are you feeling?" "Better! This stuff works wonders! I feel so good! Some of my other scratches were healed too." She kicked her legs to make her point clear. "Some of the guys were in here earlier. Did you really carry me all the way back?" Chris nodded. "Yeah I did." Sally's pupils dilated at this. She placed her hand on the tank's interior wall. Chris placed his hand against the wall close to hers. "Thank you." She said softly. "We screwed up, Sally. You didn't need to get hurt like that." "Quit beating yourself up. You were a gentleman enough to rescue little old me and that's all that matters." Chris smiled. She forgave him for a mistake that wasn't even his fault. He didn't know how good he had it. "Captain, visiting hours are over," A female fox orderly said. "You can come back and see her in the morning."
Chris said, "Alright, I'll be out of here." He turned back to the princess. "I guess I'll see you in the morning then." "Yeah. Thank you." "Sleep tight, Sally." Sally shed a tear, but Chris couldn't see it. "You too Chris. Sleep tight." He turned to leave. Sleep tight my hero.
As soon as the Captain walked through the doorway, Sally let her body go limp and let the kolto hold her. She didn't mind the fact that she didn't wear any clothing in here. She enjoyed the freedom and the cool feel of the healing agent against her body. The orderly closed the shutters on the windows and slowly Sally drifted to sleep.