DISCLAIMERS- I do not own Rifts or any related concept or character (the Coalition States, Naruni Enterprises, Juicers, or any other related comments or ideas). These are the solely the property of Kevin Seimeida and Palladium Books and are used without permission for a bit of writing fun and not for profit. I take it this covers everything and so on with the story.
Orange Juicer Part Two
Pursuit
By Gabriel Bell
"What do you mean there is a problem with the cargo?" Major Alexander said into his radio. He didn't quite understand what Ichiko was saying, due to the static from the surroundings, probably the ley line energy of the area he was in causing interference.
"...cargo wa...alive...ttle with CS troops...chamber opened and..." The rest of what she said was lost in static.
"Come in, over?" He said into his radio. Ichiko spoke again, this time with a little less static, but not much.
"Sorry Si...jeep got fried...on Dexter's field unit..." There was static as she paused. "Anyway, I said...cargo was a living being...cryo-chamber got...a battle with CS troops...it opened and this girl..." The rest was lost in static. He shook his head, thinking that a combination of a short-range transmitter and the ley lines was taking its toll on the signal. He had gotten enough though and thought quickly about a course of action. He then spoke again.
"Alright, proceed to Rilloran and I will hook up with you there." He said. "We have just got a request for a job from there anyway so were are heading there ourselves. How long do you think it will take to get there?"
"Um...According to...bout eight more da...if we hurry..." The static was picking up again as she replied. Alexander ordered the radio operator to boost the receiver and try to clean up the incoming signal. There was little use in the endeavor.
"Eight days?" He commented. "Alright, we'll be there a day or so ahead of you. Link up at Rilloran. Alexander out." He only got static as a reply, then dead air. He shook his head and looked at the operator, who also shook his head.
"What was with the static?" Alexander asked. "I thought you could handle a little ley line interference."
"I can, but this wasn't random interference." The young sergeant replied. "It was coming from the other end and I don't think it was the short range of the sending unit either. It's a clear day and we should have gotten a pretty clear signal. It was almost as if a barrier had been erected in the radio traffic."
"Jamming?" The Major asked. "But who? I have no intelligence of the CS making big operations in that particular area. It is too far north of their front lines."
"It could be the Tolkeenite units sir." The radio operator answered. "Even though magical jamming is not particularly effective at long range, they have been known to use tech jamming and communications fairly extensively."
"That's true, but if that is the case, then they are jamming because they suspect enemy operations in the area." Alexander said.
"True, jamming and communication protocol would suggest that." The radio operator replied. The Major thought for a moment then sat down in his command chair and gave the order to move the mercenary company out and make for Rilloran.
"Sir, we have a transmission from the brig truck." The sergeant said.
"Alright, give it to me..." He answered before speaking into the handset. "Alexander here. What is it?"
"Sir, I have just finished with the prisoners." It was Captain Nakatomi. "They didn't have much, although they did say some interesting things. They were taking supplies to a recon post camp run by a Colonel Shelton Montgomery. Also, it appears the PA pilots were from the base and make recon and patrol runs over the supply routes to the camp. They told me of some interesting rumors."
"Heh, do tell." He told the woman on the other end of the radio.
"Well, it is a well known fact that the Colonel was originally given this command after leading a smaller unit up from Lone Star." She said. "And that platoon was chasing something that possibly escaped or was stolen from there. It was only after he arrived here on the front was he given command of a company of troops and another company of skelebots."
"Interesting. That does clear up some things." Alexander said. "I will talk with you more about it tonight. Give the prisoners a sedative and some light body armor and send them with a recon unit to be dumped in the path of a CS patrol."
"Yes Sir." She said. "Nakatomi out."
"Alexander out." He replied and handed the handset back to the radio operator. He sighed as he sat back, thinking about how whatever Dexter was doing tied in with the CS Colonel. There were some obvious answers, but others were there that would take more clues to figure out.
"Dexter...sit down!" Atticus growled as he watched the juicer pace back and forth. Dexter looked at him and frowned but continued to pace.
Juicers could not sit still for long periods of time unless they used special drugs in their bio-harness to put them into a doped-out state, and Dexter was far from an exception to this rule. He fidgeted and kicked at the ground absently as he strode. Atticus pulled his gaze away from his nervous partner and to Zoe and the girl who had emerged from the cryo-chamber.
The mage was trying to keep the girl calm and explain to her what had happened. The girl in turn was trying to listen while checking her belongings, which seemed fairly simple. As he watched her more closely, something about her eyes seemed to glow blue, almost like the color of ley line energy. He thought that was strange, but in a world where giant robots and dragons mixed frequently, anything considered 'normal' was an oddity. He simply took note of this and turned his attention to Ichiko, who was finishing speaking to the Major. When she was finished, she approached him and Dexter.
"Well, he says go for Rilloran and that he will see us there. Something about a job." She informed them. "And something else...Your radio sucks Dex."
"What? No way!" He had stopped pacing and looked at her, then snatched the small backpack unit from her and looked it over.
"It does. I apparently couldn't get through to the Major real well and had to repeat everything I said." Ichiko told him. "Your radio sucks."
"It's not the radio." Zoe informed them as she walked up to them with the girl beside her. "If there is Coalition troops this far in, then Tolkeen troops are probably jamming communications and using their own means of talking with one another. Means that the CS refuses to use."
"Great, magic..." Atticus grumbled. "And why didn't you tell us you were a mage?"
"Would it have made any difference in your decision to take the job?" Zoe asked him.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have agreed to it." He answered.
"My point exactly." Zoe said, and then turned to the girl, then back to the group. "This was our cargo, Cenes Landford. She is very important to the efforts in Tolkeen to stem the latest CS offensive. Thankfully she is...lucid right now."
"CS offensive, you mean the 'scorched earth' bullshit right?" Dexter asked. "How so?"
"That I don't know, but I do know that the higher-ups, possibly King Creed himself, want to speak with her." Zoe answered before turning to Dominique. "Anyway, these are the people who are escorting us. Dexter, Atticus, and Ichiko." She motioned her hand to each in turn as she said their names. The girl only nodded.
There was a few moments of long silence before Dexter spoke up, pulling clips from a rifle dropped by one of the dead soldiers.
"We should salvage what we can and destroy the rest." He said. "Then we need to move on. This fight caused a lot of noise and who knows who may have been within earshot." Atticus nodded and Ichiko verbalized a brief reply and the three of them set to work salvaging E-clips, grenades and other supplies from the fallen men. They then destroyed weapons and remaining equipment. Ichiko found an entire arm and shoulder of one of the CS armors intact and decided to take it and the matching shoulder off another suit to make into a decorative, if not functional piece of protective gear.
The girl watched them work in silence, still trying to come to grips with being reawakened. How long had it been since she was put into deep freeze? Obviously the duration of one thousand years that she had heard her captors saying had not elapsed, but how much time had gone by? She watched Dexter and Atticus with extreme interest. She had been around since before the cataclysm and had seen juicer super-soldiers in action and knew what they looked like. Dexter's gear was standard for a juicer, although the equipment looked a little more advanced than what she remembered. Then there was Atticus, an orc. She remembered all orcs as cruel, cowardly bullies and not worthy of a single iota of trust, and if they were found among humans, then the humans were the same. But these people did not seem to be criminals, but more like soldiers or mercenaries. She judged mercenaries from what had been said by Zoe and the way they looked, all of their clothing and gear was functional, not uniform. She shook her head again and closed her eyes briefly before turning back to pay attention to what Zoe was saying.
"Anyway, we are going to a town called Rilloran." She said. "From there we will head to a location that I cannot disclose yet. Now that you are awake, I need to ask if you will speak with my commanders about what you know." Cenes simply nodded.
"Alright, that's it...Everyone ready?" Dexter asked. Ichiko finished punching small holes into the shoulders of the armor she had gotten to loop a spare chain she had through them and hang them on her shoulders and slipping her left arm into the arm of the armor. Atticus finished checking the jeep for something that may have survived the explosions and fighting, but there was nothing. Dexter looked a little impatient as he waited for them and when they were ready to set off, looked at Zoe and Cenes and jerked his head to indicate the direction he wished to head.
"You two ready to go?" He asked. Zoe nodded and the girl just stood there. Dexter then looked at Ichiko and Atticus. "What about you two?"
Ichiko shrugged in her newfound armor to test the fit then nodded. Atticus jump out of the ruined jeep and shouldered his rifle before heading off in the direction they had headed before he swerved to avoid the incoming rocket. Dexter motioned for Ichiko to take up behind the orc then looked at Zoe.
"You two go ahead of me. I am taking the back." He said plainly.
"Don't you trust us?" Zoe asked. Dexter shook his head.
"It's not that." He answered. "I just don't trust what else may be out here. I believe you know about juicers, we can avoid just about anything and even see it coming almost before it happens, even from behind."
Zoe looked ready to object, but Cenes simply began walking, quickly catching Ichiko. Zoe sighed and followed. Dexter took one last quick look around before heading after them. He had the feeling that something was watching them and that it was sizing each of them up for a coffin. He trotted to catch up to Zoe and Cenes then slowed, but would keep urging Zoe to walk a little faster.
A few hours later, the Colonel was sitting in his field office, looking over inventory documents of the supply convoy that was ambushed by Ryan's Ryders. He slammed the papers down and swore just as a young leiutenant came into the tent. The young woman saluted and the Colonel returned it just before speaking.
"What is it Mason?" He asked, his tone showing his displeasure at the situation.
"There is a report from the ranger that has been following the cargo." She answered. "He says that there was an ambush set up, but it was botched and Lieutenant Jarred's unit was wiped out."
"Fuck!" The Colonel spat. "How many were escorting?"
"We believe it was the juicer, an orc scout, their contact and another we believe to be from their unit, probably a D-bee." Mason explained. The Colonel shook his head.
"Major Alexander trains his troops too damn well." The elder officer said. "I swear he is more of a military genius than Larsen."
"Sir?" The young woman asked.
"Our supply convoy that was carrying replacement parts for our SAMs and ammunition was taken out." He explained. "There was little left to salvage and battle reports indicate that Major Alexander was not at full strength and still took less than twenty percent losses." He paused then looked at her. "I expect all this to be kept quiet, understand?"
"Yes Sir." Mason said, snapping to attention.
"Anyway, tell our ranger units to tail anything heading north from Domogo Trade Yard." He said. "I think Jarred was taken out by our targets, but you never know about decoys."
"Sir, there was something else in the report." Mason said. "Lieutenant Carson reported that there was a cryo-chamber in the jeep and that it had been opened as well as an additional set of tracks leading away from the site, even though he said they were very hard to see."
"I see...tell him to keep tailing them and tell the nearest heavy unit in the area to move to his direction to cut them off and capture them. I want them all alive. Understood?" He ordered.
"Yes Sir." Mason confirmed.
"Dismissed." The Colonel muttered and returned the salute given him before going back to reading his reports.
Lieutenant James Carson was sitting crouched, peering all around him. His specially painted dead boy armor blended well with his surroundings and with the addition of twigs and branches tucked into a net suit that covered it, the camouflage was nearly seamless. He held his C-12 laser rifle ready to fire at any threat that might rear its ugly head. For the last few months, the forces of the Coalition Army were getting pounded into the ground by the defenders from Tolkeen. Now, the commanders had sent out a wave of rangers and scouts in preparations for a new offensive, one that promised to halt the Tolkeen war machine in its tracks. Still, many thought that the war was a mistake, including Lieutenant Carson. Still, he would carry out his orders because he never knew where his actions may lead to lives being saved.
He sighed as he thought about the beginning of the war. Spirits among the CS troops had been high. They had technology, skelebots, power armor and robots on their side. More than that, they had the moral obligation to destroy the demons and magic-using psychopaths that made up the Kingdom of Tolkeen. The CS High Command had thought that it knew everything there was to know about magic and the capabilities of those who used it. That had proved dead wrong and led to the loss of thousands of young men and women loyal to humanity.
Carson remembered one incident that typified the utter lack of knowledge that has led the CS army to the brink of defeat in the Tolkeen War. He was leading a unit of assault troopers, six men in heavy armor and two cyborgs, by the nose through some of the densest territory in Southern Minnesota when they were ambushed by a trio of wilderness scouts that Carson had been aware of and had prepared the rest of the team for. They were easily dealt with, until their back up arrived.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet opened up and swallowed one of the cyborgs and two of the troopers in a deep chasm. Almost simultaneously, a massive, roughly humanoid shaped creature made of solid rock tore into the squad, smashing one trooper under its foot as it picked up the remaining cyborg and dashed him to the ground. Carson had quickly taken cover and from behind his tree that he was hiding behind he saw their assailant, a man wearing brown and green robes and wearing some sort of stone body armor. The Ranger lifted his rifle and took aim at the man's unprotected head and fired.
The earth mage's head exploded into a fine red mist and could no longer direct the rampage of the elemental and the unnatural beast moved on, allowing Carson to call in a squad of SAMAS to deal with it from the air. Even so, he was too late to save the squad. The chasm had closed, killing those inside, and the rest were strewn about the battlefield, more or less in one piece. The whole incident had taken less than a minute to play out, and now eight men were dead.
The incident happened early in the war and was covered up as quietly as possible, although Carson was commended for his attempt to save the squad at what High Command called 'great personal risk'. He scoffed at that. To him his actions were what should have been expected from a soldier. In his mind, he did nothing special, except get his team killed.
He hoped that this incident would not be replayed with the squad he would lead on the trail of the targets he had been tracking since they left the merc town. He recalled their name in his mind, Omega Squad. The best of the best. Their leader was a Captain by the name of Darien Earp. The Special Forces officer led a small squad, two of which were dog-boys. Not much was known about how they operated or what they had done, but there were rumors. The one rumor that he hoped was true was that they knew their way around the wilderness, so he wouldn't have to lead them around by the nose.
His train of thought was broken by a snap of a twig above him. He quickly ducked to the tree that he branches above belonged to and pointed his rifle upwards. There was a guttural chuckle as a figure clad in skeletal armor dropped from the tree. It was dressed in new style Coalition armor with Dog Boy lines to it. On both wrists were a trio of wicked looking vibro blades and on either hip was a new style CS laser pistol, he couldn't tell which version they were, but assumed they were probably the CP-30 pulse pistols.
Another canine figure in dog pack armor emerged from the brush, along with four individuals in CS Special Forces armor. He could faintly see the upside down horseshoe shape that was the insignia of Omega Squad on the shoulders of these troopers. He lowered his rifle and stood strait, having recovered his senses after the fright the dog boy had given him. One of the soldiers stepped forward. The weapon he held was an enormously long black rifle with curved, almost plastic looking lines. From the look of it, Naruni in design, but with modifications that made it look more functional, like shortening the barrel.
"At ease…sorry about Randy, but we had to make sure you were a friend." The SF soldier said. "I take it you're Carson?"
"Yes Sir…I take it you're Earp?" Carson replied.
"That I am." Darien replied. He then looked around before fixing his eyes on the ranger again. "We have orders to link up with you to chase down some mercs. What can you tell us about them?"
"Well, there's four of them. Three humans and a D-Bee with heavy tracks, probably orc. Two of the humans are female and one of the party is a mage and I think one of the humans is a super-strong D-Bee, judging by the condition of the 'borgs at the battle site. Orcs are strong, but not strong enough to tear a 'borg apart." The Lieutenant answered. "I'm not sure…but I think there's a fifth one too. Hard to tell though."
"What do you mean?" Earp asked.
"Well, the cryo chamber they were transporting got opened and even though I saw no other tracks, there was no sign of any of them carrying a load that would equate a body. So I assume whatever it was was levitating or flying or something, but I know it's out." Carson said.
"Then you lied to command." Earp replied. "You said there were faint tracks, but now you are saying there aren't any."
"I was being pressed for a short answer, so I gave them one that was as close to the truth as I could get." The ranger commented.
"I understand that…but how do you know that the chamber wasn't empty in the first place?" The SF officer asked.
"Because I checked." Carson answered. "When I couldn't find any tracks, I went back to check for signs of habitation in the chamber itself. I didn't find much; some indented cushioning at the foot and other such items. But three things I did find, two of which I brought with me…"
He then reached into his hip pack and pulled out a pair of small plastic bags. One was apparently empty and the other held a long strip of synthetic fabric that held a reddish, brown stain on it. He handed both of the to Captain Earp then began explaining.
"I am not sure, but I think that first one is a blood stain from some sort of gash, but it may not be from the current occupant." He said. "The other bag has three hairs in it. Short and apparently black in color. I spotted them easily against the white cushioning."
"But neither of these is conclusive proof. What is the other thing you mentioned?" Earp asked.
"Simple, sweat. I smelled sweat in the chamber, against the cloth." Carson answered.
"I thought cryo chambers were cold. People only sweat when it's hot." One of the other troopers commented.
"True, but if the person was wearing sweaty clothes or was sweaty when they went in, then they will leave that inside when they leave."
"Alright…let's travel under the assumption that there was someone or something in there and that they are up and walking around now." Earp said, now addressing all of the troops. "We should also assume that this…person, and whoever they are traveling with are dangerous. From reports they took out an entire squad. In case of contact, I want a report of the situation before interaction is initiated. If you can't reach me, then fade. We are to use maximum stealth protocols on this mission, plus we have orders to bring them in alive. Is all of this understood?"
A chorus of affirmative responses echoed from the group and from Carson. Earp then gave the order to head out. As they began their trek north, with Carson leading and following the trail of their quarry, the ranger began to think about just how important whatever was in that cryo chamber was. High Command wanted it alive and wanted it badly, or else they would not have sent their best unit to the job. He shook his head and began to concentrate on the task at hand, tracking the one he found easiest to see the trail of, from the looks of it, a woman who knew nothing of how to move in the wilds.
Ichiko was hauled to her feet yet again after stumbling, and this time falling on her face. She may have been coordinated in battle, but when trying to pick her way through woods, she was less than graceful, but not a total klutz. Cenes made sure she was stable on her feet before simply moving on. Ichiko noted that the girl seemed quite strong despite only apparently weighing 40 kilograms. With her recent trip, it left only Zoe who had not helped her up, and Dexter had helped her up twice.
"Thanks…" She grumbled as Cenes moved off without saying a word. As she dusted herself off, she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see Dexter.
"Go…go on…time to keep walking…" He said in a voice better reserved for a child and making shooing motions with his hands. Ichiko rolled her eyes, gave him the finger, then turned and kept walking.
"Bite me." She retorted. Dexter just smiled and kept walking.
Zoe was looking quite haggard, not being used to traveling by foot. He huffed and breathed heavily as she made her way through the woods behind Atticus, trying her best to keep up. The orc turned and saw her, then stopped and looked around.
"This is a good place to rest." He said. "Let's stop to eat…"
"Good idea." Dexter said, stopping and taking a look around the small clearing they had found. It had some sections of half rotted logs in it, showing that a tree or two had fallen here some time ago. The roots at the end of a couple of the sections seemed to indicate natural causes. Grass blanketed the area, along with a few flowers. It looked like a very peaceful place.
As the others settled themselves in for a rest, Dexter sat on a log and drank from his canteen. When he pulled the canteen away from his mouth, he saw Cenes doing something he considered unusual. She was kneeling beside a small flower, her back to him. At first it would seem she was looking at the small cluster of petals, but she then slumped over and cried out, her hands going to her head. He was immediately up and at her side, pushing her over to lie on her back and positioning her head so she could breathe easier. He had paramedic training, unusual for a juicer, but it allowed him to immediately begin assessing the situation
"Atticus! Get over here!" He called out. Instantly, Atticus and Zoe were over to them. Dexter pressed his head to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. He heard her quietly gasping for breath and her heart beating irregularly. This was serious. He looked up at Zoe.
"Get some water, now." He said and Zoe headed off. He then turned to Atticus. "Go get the med kit…she needs rhythmopine."
Atticus ran over to Dexter's backpack and pulled out the medical kit and brought it over to him as Dexter breathed into Cenes' mouth. She was losing the ability to breathe on her own as she held her head, her face contorted in either effort or pain. Atticus pulled a long syringe out of the medical pack and rolled up the girl's sleeve. He quickly found a vein and stuck the needle in. As soon as the drug reached the heart and spinal cord, it began doing its job, which was to stabilize the heartbeat of the person it was administered to. Atticus tossed the syringe aside as Dexter pulled another syringe out and administered a shot of sedative to her system and slowly her face and arms relaxed. He then listened at her chest again. Her heart rate was keeping an even rhythm again, but was slowing. He continued to listen, trying to make sure that it did not drop too far, as rhythmopine combined with sedatives had a tendency to do to heartbeats on occasion. It slowed to a pace that would be consistent with sleeping and he pulled up, relaxing.
He reached into the medical pack and pulled out a small device, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and attached a pair of cords to it. The cords had small, flat pads on the other end of them. He placed one on her temple and thenslid the other down the front of her dress to attach it over her heart. He then clipped the bio-monitor onto her belt and turned it on. Atticus then pulled a collapsible stretcher off of his back and unfolded the ultra light metal and cloth carrying cot and laid it out beside her. He and Dexter then gently lifted her and set her down on it. Dexter took his bedroll and placed it under her head while Atticus used a blanket to cover her with.
Ichiko and Zoe made it back, each with full canteens. They looked at her and instantly grew relieved. The fact that they had her covered up and her face was still exposed meant they had managed to save her for now.
"This is going to cause a delay." Atticus commented dryly.
"Don't remind me." Dexter said. "Everything about this is messed up. One of us is going to lose a leg over this job."
"Don't say things like that Dex." Ichiko aid as she knelt beside the resting girl and began to slowly tip water into her mouth. "You never know when it might come true."
"What are you worried about?" Dexter retorted. "You'll just grow it back if you lose one."
"So what are we going to do about her?" Zoe asked, changing the subject.
"Well, I guess we just wait…Ichiko, see if you can raise the Major." Dexter answered. "He'll want to know about this little complication."
"So our spies have reported the whole of Ryan's Ryders moving north to Rilloran…" Colonel Montgomery commented at the latest report. "I wonder why…"
"They are mercenaries Sir." A young officer pointed out. "They may just be going to where there's need of them."
"But wouldn't an outfit like the Ryders be better suited to remain in the south to repel our attacks?" The Colonel replied. "Especially since we have started the scorched earth campaign. They would be wise to keep large, organized forces where they are in better positions to minimize damage. I think that they have been specifically called somewhere. Either to set up a defense around a town or for some other reason…Tell me, what towns are in their path?"
"Let's see…" The officer said, thinking. After a moment, she continued. "There are none…just a couple of empty villages."
"Empty villages?" The Colonel queried.
"Yes sir. Apparently word of our recent push in the east has reached the commoners here in the west of the war zone." The Lieutenant replied. "So many villages have emptied. I thought I gave that report to you myself."
"Yes, yes you did." The Colonel replied, standing. "It had slipped my mind until now. Any idea of where these refugees are heading?"
"Well, from what I hear from the scouts, a general northward direction was indicated…" She started to say something else, but was cut off.
"That's it!" Shelton exclaimed. "The have been hired to guard refugees…Which means that there is some sort of escape convoy planned…Send a communiqué to Central Command. Tell them we have a probable refugee convoy trying to escape the kill zones."
"Yes Sir." The officer replied. "I take it I am to request orders?"
"Yes, now go…we cannot waist time…" The Colonel replied.
They left the tent together, the Colonel giving orders to prepare to move the entire camp and the Lieutenant went off to contact the Central Command camp.
She saw Dexter running toward an explosion-gutted tank, yelling something at her as she threw a bolt of magic through the cockpit of a robot vehicle that she had cut the legs from under. She didn't hear what he said. Four robot vehicles still remained out of the six that were trying to attack the undefended flank of the unarmed convoy. Something in her mind told her that it was refugees, but she couldn't be sure. Her blood was boiling with battle lust as she raised an arm to sear the pilots of the down robot with magically energized plasma. The screams of the dying men inside only fueled her lust more. She leaped up onto the wrecked hulk to try and jump onto the leg of a passing assault mech when she was thrown back by her target mech being rocked by thunderous explosions. She looked up to see the cored robot falling toward her and she scrambled away.
There was now three left. She looked up at a bird-legged robot, like the first one she had downed, and saw down the barrels of its guns, which were pointed at her. She jumped as it fired and raised her hands. She felt her body burning as her magic took hold and made her form white-hot and she drove right through the armored body of the robot vehicle. She landed and rolled and looked around. Somehow all six robots were on the ground even though she had only downed two and Dexter one. She felt a slash being cut deep across her back and turned to see a skeletbot slashing at her again with its vibro blades. She cut off its head with a magically energized hand. Her mind was racing now. Everything was either a target or something to be left alone. If it moved, it was a target, if not, it was left alone. She then continued to search for more targets and as she searched, a trio of lasers cut the ground around her feet, missing the CS trooper they were aiming for by inches. She turned to the source and saw a lone gunner on one of the convoy vehicles firing on the soldier.
Then something in her mind snapped. She felt herself recessing into the back of her consciousness as the other took hold. Her mind and soul cried out to stop, but she knew this other wouldn't. It had slaughtered men women and children without remorse or afterthought, and it had let her watch all of it. She ran past the soldier, cutting him down as she focused on her target, the gunner.
The gunner continued firing, seeing her as a threat. Somehow all his shots missed. She heard someone screaming at her frantically over her headset. It sounded vaguely like Dexter, but she didn't couldn't be sure. All that mattered was this new target. She was halfway there when she saw a red light fill her vision before everything went dark.
Cenes sat bolt upright on her cot, sweating profusely. Even as she tried to recall the nightmare, it faded from her mind. She felt a hand on her right shoulder and lashed out her arm to strike it, still in a battle mindset. She then turned to see Dexter rubbing his armor where she had hit him. She then looked down as he got up and went over to her.
"Hey, sorry…You looked like you were having a nightmare." He said. "You really should rest, ok?"
Cenes looked at him and blinked, then nodded and laid down tiredly. Her heart trouble and the nightmare had taken its toll and she needed to rest, but not sleep. She had slept very little since the last time she saw her husband. She sighed and looked at Dexter as he smiled and patted her shoulder lightly and stood up to go talk to Zoe. She didn't hear the conversation, but kept focusing on Dexter. Just looking at him brought back many memories of Marcus. They looked so much alike, the same height and build, although Dexter had more muscles from his augmentation. They also almost had the same face, although Marcus' was a little narrower than Dexter's and his nose was a little smaller. They had the same shine in their eyes and when Cenes remembered that Dexter was a juicer, doomed to die from the chemicals that gave him his inhuman strength and speed. She couldn't stand to see those eyes that were so full of life fading and burning out as those drugs took their deadly toll on his body.
For some reason she felt like she could trust him. She didn't like him, the man was an ass, but she could trust him. Again much like her husband. She almost hated Marcus when they first met, but she soon found herself trusting and eventually marrying him and having two children with him. She remembered those happy times her family spent together and closed her eyes. She covered her face with her sleeve as a tear ran silently down the side of her face, especially when she remembered how he died, his blood on her hands...
Carson was stooped down next to the bank of a wide, shallow creek with Ralph, who had his canine nose pressed to the ground and sniffing. Ralph's brother, Randy, was on the other side of the creek trying to sniff a trail, but was currently coming up empty. Earp walked up to Carson and the ranger stood to face his superior.
"Sir, the did stop here and milled around for a short time. Probably to rest." He said. "I am also sure they entered the creek. There are slip marks on the stones from heavy boots." The Special Forces officer nodded and looked across the creek at the dog boy there, who had now stood up and was scratching his head.
"Randy, find anything?" He asked over the proximity channel of the radio. Randy looked over at him and shook his head in reply.
"Sir, they probably walked along the stream one way or the other to try and throw off tracking." Carson commented. "Probably downstream, less effort to move against the water and it will create less of a disturbance on the stones in the bed."
"I was thinking the same thing…" Earp said. "Ralph, go across the river and go right, sniff out the trail that way. Randy, go left. Carson, I want you to try and see if you can find tracks that go downstream. Everyone else keep an eye out for trouble…and take this opportunity to fill your canteens."
Carson walked to the center of the creek and began to peer into the water. It moved swiftly and swirled about his ankles, making the foot deep water a little more difficult to peer through. He slung his rifle and got down on his hands and knees and stuck his faceplate into the water to get a clearer view of the creek bed. The environmental seals of his armor immediately kicked in to keep the water out and he looked around and began to slowly crawl on his hands and knees, searching for signs of passage.
"Carson, you think this is the group from Domogo?" Earp asked absently.
"Probably sir…the more I track them, the more I am convinced of that." The Lieutenant answered as he searched. "From reports, a juicer, orc, mage, and some sort of crazy girl that wears no armor and carries a big hammer. Probably the one that tore apart those 'borgs. Tough opponents, think we can handle them?"
"We can, and we will. We just need to find them." Earp replied before changing the subject. "Carson, what do you think of D-Bees, magic and all that?"
"Sir?" Carson queried.
"What do you think of them?" Earp asked again. "You don't have to answer. I just want to know what you think of them."
"Well…that's hard to say." The ranger answered as he sat up in the water. "I don't think mages are inherently evil, but misguided and shouldn't be doing what they are doing. There are evil ones of course, but not all of them. As for D-Bees…they too are not inherently evil. Still, Earth is for humans and they do not belong here. As for all those supernatural creatures, dragons and such…they do need to be exterminated."
"What would your solution be for D-Bees and mages?" The SF leader asked.
"Well…driving D-Bees and their supporters from Earth would suffice." Carson answered. "I don't think killing them all is necessary. As for mages, that's a little more difficult, but I would say let them find a world of their own. I heard an interesting story from an old D-Bee who said that there was an entire galactic cluster filled with all sorts of creatures and humanoids and interstellar governments. One of the governments was a magic one…let the mages go there."
Earp took in his subordinate's answer carefully and considered it. He then stood up from filling his two canteens and looked around. Everyone was resting, but still alert. He looked back at Carson, who had resumed his search.
"What has formed these opinions in you?" He asked. "You know I could have you hauled back to re-education for your views." Before Carson could answer, Randy reported a find.
"Sir, got some potent supernatural here…" He said. "Fifty meters downstream from your position. It's definitely them."
"Alright…on our way. Everyone form up. Head fifty downstream and cross." He said. As everyone moved to travel to the indicated place, he looked at Carson, who was standing up. "Looks like you were right."
"I hope so…Whatever these Tolkeenites want with this cargo, it would prove detrimental to our efforts." He answered as he began walking. "Oh, and Sir…I'll tell you later…probably when we camp."
"Right…at camp." Earp said as he began walking.
Dexter had talked things over with Zoe, Ichiko and Atticus and they had decided to make camp. Cenes did not have an objection to this, still feeling a little winded from her ordeal earlier that day. The girl's magic hadn't quite gotten back up to full strength yet. Atticus was currently setting up a fire while Ichiko and Zoe were setting up the small pup tents. It was threatening to rain that night and everyone wanted to stay dry. Cenes shuddered at the thought of the rain. There were some bad memories of it, especially the night of the ritual with Marcus. She never liked it and probably never would. She hesitated to even eat or drink. Her magic took care of her body's needs, so she didn't really need food, water, sleep or even air, although occasionally she took doses of food, drink and sleep and breathed out of habit.
As she watched from her place away from the camp, she saw the camp come up and the sky grow dark, spawning stars little groups at a time before the clouds seemed to swallow them up. Those clouds were coming fast. It was definately going to rain. She simply decided to look up at the stars and watch them. She sighed as she glanced back at camp, noting that they were eating and talking, then looked up at the stars again.
At the campsite, Dexter was chewing a thick piece of jerky and trying to recount an incident between him, Atticus, and a pair of large men who seemed to think they were the best at everything in the town he and the orc were visiting.
"…So after the third time of beating Bruce at arm-wrestling, Atticus simply stood up and patted him on the shoulder and said 'go work out some more'." He said chuckling. "The look on his face was classic. Then when his buddy, Al, challenged me to a match, I said no. When he asked why, I said I didn't want to break his arm. He then tried punching me…" He laughed a little before continuing. "…Man…normally those muscle bound oafs would move in slow motion to me on a good day…but when they're drunk? Oh man…I really did feel sorry for how pathetic he looked. I decided to take it easy on him and just let him fall over so many times that he finally didn't bother to get up. Atticus on the other hand had to break Bruce's nose and jaw before that ass gave up." He began chuckling again.
"Didn't I hear something about jail time for that too?" Ichiko commented.
"Yeah…that dumb-ass law man thought we were drunk too and had us sleep it off…" Dexter replied a little more soberly. "He also saw fit to charge us a couple thou for the repairs to Bruce's face…I guess he didn't much like orcs or juicers."
"No…he probably just didn't like you." Ichiko said with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, so you're saying I got Atticus into trouble?" Dexter asked.
"Yup…because you do." The orc answered. "Why do you think I stay away from towns? You can't get into trouble with no one around…"
"Thanks…thanks a lot…" Dexter grumbled.
"This is amusing and all, but it is getting late." Zoe replied, standing up. "So who was first watch?"
"That would be me…" Ichiko said in a resigned tone as she stood up. "I expect to be relieved on time Dexter."
"Right…right…" the juicer said as he stood and stretched. "Well, I am going to go zone out for a while. Goodnight everyone."
Everyone said their goodnights and headed for either their tents or where they chose to spend the night, which for Dexter, was up in a tree where he could safely have his drug harness pump sedatives into him so his body could rest. He made regular use of these drugs. He had heard somewhere that regular use of these drugs helped a juicer live a little longer than those that rarely used them. Ichiko stood at the small fire and sighed as she paced around it, then felt a drop on her skin. More drops followed and she looked up at the sky, which was now half covered in the storm clouds that had been moving in from the north.
"Fucking great…" She growled under her breath as the sky opened up on her.
"Alright Carson, your watch is over." Earp said as he walked over to the cloaked soldier sitting under a tree to be sheltered from the rain. "On one condition, that you tell me why you don't think everything non-earthly should be exterminated."
"Right…I did promise that, didn't I?" the ranger answered. "Well, cop a squat and I will tell you…"
Earp nodded and sat against the tree with the Lieutenant and waited for him to begin, tucking his rifle under his camouflage poncho to keep it from getting wet. Even though most energy weapons, especially the Naruni weapon he carried, were supposed to be water proof, he had a bad experience with a rifle that had bad seals. He waited for Carson to begin.
"Well…I used to be real hard on D-Bees and stuff before the war and a little after it started too." He began. "About a month after the start of the war, I was running scout for a commando group and got separated. I heard distress calls on my radio and I rushed back to see what was going on. What I saw there…God…There was twelve men and women in the commando group, but only four were alive…and one of them was going to die soon. They were all torn apart…by some demonic thing that was tearing open a suit of enhanced armor like a soda can. I could hear the woman inside screaming in pain and fear. After it had driven its sword like claws through her back, it looked around. This thing looked at another trooper, who was trying to crawl away, missing a leg. It pounced on him and began tossing him around like a cat with a mouse.
"I had frozen in fear and when I came to my senses, I saw the monster ripping an arm off the man, who was still screaming. I dropped to a knee and aimed my rifle at his head to save him being ripped apart and eaten alive. That was when I noticed movement to my left and when I looked, I saw a human in red and black robes riding another of these creatures. Before I could react, it leaped on me and was tearing my armor apart with its teeth. I remembered thinking the last thing I would see was its saber teeth closing around my helmet.
"I then heard the sounds of combat and the hellish scream of one of the creatures dying. The one on me leaped off and I could hear more fighting. I didn't know how long it lasted, but the next thing I was aware of was two big, black eyes looking into my faceplate, then over my armor, trying to see if I was alive. While it was checking me out, I saw another D-Bee, a dwarf, holding a pair of psi-axes. Only one thing I know can produce two psi-weapons, and that's a Cyber-Knight. I had been saved by Cyber-Knights.
"I blacked out and when I came to, I saw the dwarf's red-bearded face looking into my own. I had the sensation of floating, but I was probably being carried. I became vaguely aware of being taken into some sort of shanty house or hut, where an old orc woman wearing all kinds of charms and fetishes began treating my wounds. She healed me with magic. I don't know if you've ever been healed with magic before, but it is different than psychic healing. You feel your flesh closing and knitting and al sorts of weird stuff when a psychic heals you, but the only thing you feel with magic is the pain just goes away and you feel whole again. Anyway, she insisted that I rest, despite repeated efforts to try and find out how many others had survived.
"I think it was about a week later, when I started to become fully coherent, that one of my rescuers, the dwarf, came in to see me. He sat down and told me his name, which was Fafnir, and asked mine. I asked if I was a prisoner and he took it as if he expected the question and shook his head. I told him my name and he nodded. He was friendly, and considerate, always asking if I was hungry or thirsty and all that. Anyway, I asked him why he had rescued me. He said that it was his duty, and the duty of all good creatures to either prevent or avenge a slaughter. Apparently from what he said, had that commando group been a group of 'borgs, it would have made no difference against those creatures. I also learned from him that two others had survived the attack, but died from injuries. They had also arranged for the bodies to find their way back into CS hands so that their families could bury them.
"Fafnir showed me around the small village he and his companions protected. He gave me a line that those people, both human and D-Bee, were just trying to survive and didn't want any part of the war. I looked around for the additional week I was there to both rest and so they could procure a suit of armor for me so I wouldn't be slaughtered by the first thing I came across. What I saw was no different than anywhere in Chi-town, families and individuals interacting with each other, being social, telling jokes and doing everything humans do. The dwarf never told anyone I was a CS trooper. He said that these people had a fear of soldiers of all kinds, both Tolkeen and CS and probably would have driven me out of town. I kept to myself, and talking with Fafnir, but I still saw all those D-Bees acting very human…and it was natural…not a show.
"Anyway, I was let go, with all of my equipment and a suit of Urban Warrior armor for defense. Fafnir himself escorted me to a CS patrol lane. We talked some more, asked about each other's families and that's when he dropped two bombshells on me. The first was he said his family was killed by CS troopers in a raid on the village he was living as a child. To hear him tell it, his house was cut apart by a careless laser blast. He wasn't sure how he survived or who fired the shot, but that shot was a result of the raid, so he gave the logic that the CS was in a way responsible, but he held no hatred towards the soldiers. I guess other than a couple of stray shots; he had heard that the soldiers had kept to firing on their targets, which was a group of armed bandits.
"The second bombshell was a shocker, even more than the first. He said that the reason he and his companions were in the area on the day of the attack was that he had heard that a CS squad was coming to destroy the town. He also said that he was certain the CS soldiers were coming for him and his Cyber-Knight comrades, so sought to protect the town by having the battle away from town.
"When he left, it hit me. The soldiers I was leading was going to kill women and children. It was sickening. I wanted to puke. Then the other realization hit me…even though we were coming to kill them, and dozens of non-combatants, they chose to try and save two others and me rather than let us be killed by monsters.
"You see…even though a lot of D-Bees and mages may be evil or misguided…there are those who are noble. If you want to send me back to re-education for thinking that, then go ahead. I know in my heart that there are good and bad aliens out there, just like there are good and bad humans."
Earp listened intently, taking in Carson's story with interest. He wondered how this young lieutenant had slipped through re-education in the first place, but let it go. The Coalition had so many casualties in those first months of the war that a simple case of a soldier going missing and then returning would have gotten that soldier shipped back to the front lines. He then patted Carson on the shoulder and spoke.
"Do you know how many laws you are breaking just from telling me that?" He asked. Carson nodded. "Well, don't worry, I am not going to re-educate you. I have seen enough of your performance to know that you will stick with the side of humanity in a pinch. Besides, certain…sympathies help a ranger do his job better, right?"
"Yeah, I guess…" the ranger conceded. "I am just real tired all of a sudden. I get that way when I think about that."
"Go get some sleep then…and wake up Danforth. It's his turn for watch too." Earp said.
"Yes Sir…" Carson said as he stood and stretched. "Good night sir."
"Good night."
The powerful laser blast knocked the last SAMAS out of the air and the remnants tumbled to the ground in front of the convoy of mercenaries. The turret that fired the blast scanned for more targets as the convoy began to move again. From the command truck, Major Alexander watched the brief battle with a CS patrol, thinking about how they had come.
"Sir, are you alright?" Captain Nakatomi asked, sounding a little worried.
"Something bothers me about those Sams…" He answered. "They came on us a little too directly to be a standard patrol, but a little too low for a recon run and too high for attack. What were they doing?"
"I don't know sir, but we shouldn't bother with them anymore." Naomi said, leaning over the back of the Major's chair and pressing the side of her head against his. "They are dead and we are moving again. Although it is curious…"
"Curious hell…It could be part of some set of orders or something…" Ryan said. "I'll worry about it more when we see more of the same."
"You seem so certain Ryan-chan…" She said softly as her hands went to his shoulders. Their relationship was well known throughout the company, but they still took care in letting their subordinates see it. Naomi felt it was time to cut loose just a little. Her lover seemed so tense and worried.
"I don't know…I just have a bad feeling about this job in Rilloran…that's all." He said quietly so the radio operators wouldn't hear him.
"I keep telling you that you have a gift…" She answered into his ear. He sat up and turned to look at her.
"I am not psychic…" He said curtly.
"Is it your prejudices saying that or the 'experts' in the Imperium?" Nakatomi asked.
"Never mind…I don't want to have this conversation now." He said. "It's best left for private." He then sat back and changed the subject, calling to one of the radio operators.
"Corporal, have you cleaned up that transmission any?" He asked.
"Um, I would like to clean it up more, but I think it is understandable now." The young man replied.
"Let's hear it."
"Yes Sir."
They waited for a few moments before the room was filled with the sound of static, deafeningly loud static, everyone winced as the Corporal blurted an apology and turned the volume down. Now the sound was at a more manageable level for everyone's ears. Soon a voice came over the speakers.
"I don't know if you can receive this but…ill transmitting…ley line activity around…Anyway, we have a small prob…cargo has heart trouble…will delay our…at Rilloran…Harou out…"
"Is that the best you can do?" The Major asked.
"No sir…like I said, I would like to clean it up more." The communications officer said.
"Alright, please try." Alexander replied then turned to Naomi. "Let's go back to our cabin and discuss strategy some more. I would like to know your thoughts on this." Nakatomi nodded and they both left for the rear of the command vehicle, which was their personal quarters while in the field.
Dexter looked around at everyone as camp was disassembled and nodded. He did not appear to be needed. Zoe and Ichiko were taking down the tents and Atticus was cleaning up traces of their presence there, covering the fire and putting it out, as well as clearing the ground of refuse that any of them might have left. Dexter knew he and Atticus didn't leave anything, and something struck him that Cenes wouldn't leave anything, but he knew Ichiko did tend to be careless at times and he didn't know about Zoe.
He looked around to see if he could spot Cenes. He noticed her leaning against a tree, holding her forhead a bit. He walked over to her, smiling slightly, just enough to try and help cheer her up. When he got to her, he put a hand gently on her shoulder and patted softly. When she looked up at him, he looked into her eyes.
"Hey, you ok?" He asked. The girl looked up at him and nodded, rubbing her temples and standing. Dexter patted her on the back and nodded his head toward the others.
"Come on…Let's get going." He said as he began walking. Dominique nodded and followed.
Before long they had all packed up and cleaned the camp. Atticus was taking point to watch for signs of possible danger from the front and Ichiko was right behind him. Zoe took the middle of the line with Cenes walking either beside or behind her. Dexter brought up the rear as they headed out.
As they left, they began to hear shouting and a roar behind them. A stray laser blast tore through a series of trees over their heads, a stray shot. All of them ducked as a fifty-foot length of tree cashed down among them, separating Dexter and Cenes from the rest. The girl crawled quickly under the branch toward the others. Dexter was turned around with rifle ready to see if they were being attacked. The sounds of combat were distant, maybe 100 meters away, much too far for them to be the targets. He turned back to the group and shouted.
"Ichiko, come with me." He ordered. "Atti, take Zoe and Cenes away from here. They need to get to Rilloran. I want to check out what's going on there and maybe try and take it out if we can, just in case it decides to track on us. Besides, it may be a CS patrol after us that encountered something nasty. Either way, they will be on our trail if we don't do something about it."
Everyone nodded and Ichiko used her hammer to pole-vault over the fallen pine and next to the juicer. Atticus led the others off into the woods. Dexter then began moving towards the battle, with Ichiko in tow. He kept low to the ground, crouch-running the entire way. They moved slower when they started seeing stray laser and plasma fire coming their way. From the sound of it, there was a vicious battle going on.
Dexter gave a sign for Ichiko to hold position and then brought up the scope of his rifle to have a look at the battle in progress while Ichiko kept her head up to watch for anything that may try to attack them.
Carson barely ducked as the limp form of one of the troopers he had been traveling with flew over him and hit the tree behind him. He brought up his laser rifle and fired a trio of shots into the vaguely humanoid creature that had swatted the trooper, hitting it in the chest. The thing was big, with a demonic head that sported a pair of vaguely deer-like antlers and a pair of mouthed tentacles from the side of its head. The ends of its arms ended in clawed hands that raked another soldier before she could raise her rifle to fire.
Earp had ordered an early departure that morning and they set out before sunrise to continue tracking. Signs were easy to see through the dense foliage of the forest floor. They made quick progress and Carson made the estimation that they were almost right on top of them. That is when the creatures hit.
There were three of them, four meters tall and slashing with claws and horns. Two troopers were taken completely by surprise and gutted in the first seconds. The two dog boys were next to respond, both by pouncing on one and slashing with vibro blades and firing with pulse pistols. Earp then ordered concentrated fire on another, which left the third to take out two more troops before its buddy was downed. The dog boys finished theirs off quickly and moved to the one that was not being fired on so it too would be occupied. They were tossed aside and Carson fired shot after shot into its chest as it approached. He was dimly aware of two more coming from the woods.
The one he was firing on was hurt, one of its arms dangling useless at its side, but the other one reached for his head. Just as those clawed fingers wrapped around his helmet, he felt them loosen and saw the monster stagger back. He saw a flash of red light coming from the woods behind him and strike the creature in the back of the head. He took the opportunity to find another position to fire from as he saw a woman wielding a large hammer plow the head of her weapon into the chest of one of the new creatures. It tumbled backwards onto its haunches and she performed a golf-style swing at its head, which connected with its lower jaw. He heard the snap of massive vertebrae cracking as the creature fell limp. Earp ordered the remaining troops to fire on the remaining creature and it was soon down.
As everyone moved to gather the casualties to see who was wounded and who had died, Carson stood and saw a man with a large, orange Mohawk and the blonde haired woman retreat from view through the bushes. He shook his head and turned to see one of the dog boys lying limply, the bio monitor sending a signal to the readout in Carson's helmet that the mutant was still alive, but unconscious.
"Sir…I think two of the targets just helped us out…" He said.
"I know…but we have wounded." Earp answered. "We won't be able to peruse them. We'll take care of our people and try to take them at Rilloran."
"Yes Sir…" He said before turning his gaze back to the dog boy soldier. "This one's alive…how's everyone else?"
"Omega, sound off…" Earp ordered. Two did not report. One was Ralph, the unconscious dog boy and the other was Sergeant Allenby, she was torn apart by one of the creatures. The remaining soldiers of Omega Force gathered its wounded and began to treat them as best they could. Luckily, there were only broken bones and minor cuts to worry about.
Carson sat down on a rock and sighed heavily, shaking his head. He had led a force under his charge into another trap. This was the third time. At least they weren't wiped out by what had ambushed them. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through the dark green tassel on his helmet that marked him as a ranger. He asked himself why hadn't they pulled him off escort duty yet and hoped that they would after this. He was slowly becoming convinced that he was inept as a Coalition Ranger.
Meanwhile, They were left treating their wounded while their target was getting away. He felt he had failed his mission. They might still get the targets, but it would be because of Earp, not him. He shook his head and sighed again, tugging a bit on the tassel. He then stood and walked over to Earp, his inner soldier telling him to not become despondent and to concentrate on the job at hand.
"Sir, request permission to track the targets independently." He asked. "I may be able to keep up and can give obvious signs for you to follow."
"Good idea. Permission granted." Earp replied. "Be careful, alright?"
Carson nodded and headed off to track Dexter and the rest of the party, hoping like hell he didn't screw it up this time.
To be continued…