Alien Legion: Arrows of Artemis
By C.S. Hayden
Alien Legion is the trademarked and copyrighted creative property of Carl Potts as published by Epic Comics/Marvel Entertainment 1984-1993. This is a work of fiction loosely based on the characters of Alien Legion and is unauthorized by its creator Carl Potts.
Plot and additional original characters copyrighted 2002 to Christi Smith Hayden
Arrows of Artemis
II. Artemis rising:
"So, major," Jugger said as he relieved himself in a convenient hole in the stone floor, "what's the plan?" He was unconcerned with the presence of the three female members of Artemis squad that had been captured with them. They all were staring pointedly in some other direction away from him.
"I'm thinking," Sarigar replied curtly. "We don't have many options."
"Arrick is bound to have notified the battlecruiser," Torie said in a low voice. "With Zeerod as his gunner, he should have been able to shake the Orries."
"Agreed, but we can't rely on conjecture."
"Captain Jaikira will know something's up when we don't check in on schedule," one of the Artemis team said. "She'll be here."
"You are--?" Sarigar asked.
"Private Kataki, sir." The olive-skinned humanoid held her chin up proudly in spite of the ugly bruise where one of the Harkilons backhanded her during capture.
"Well, Private Kataki, I'm afraid I don't know what to expect from your captain. I prefer to base my strategies on facts, not wild cards."
Kataki snorted and smirked at him. "Sometimes, major, wild cards turn up when you least expect them." The other Artemis legionnaires took similar attitudes.
A pair of Harkilon guards passed the cell, crossing paths as they went in different directions. Jugger watched them through narrowed eyes. "We haven't seen an Orrie since they brought us in," he commented. "Wonder what's up with that?"
"Orestrans are very status oriented," Kataki answered. "They may deal with the Harks but the Orries always make sure that they're on the top of the food chain."
One of the Harkilons overheard her and turned back to the holding cell. "You think you're so tough," it said in guttural tones, "but you Legion scum are just so much meat. Once you see what we have in store for you, you'll wish you died in the swamps with the others."
Behind the Harkilon guard, a round grill in the stone floor lifted up silently and a sinuous dark shape rose from it like a shadow. Pulling a whisper-thin cable from her wristband, Jaikira was barely recognizable as the torch singer from pleasure domes as she pounced on the guard and deftly garroted him. She wrapped her tail around the Harkilon and rolled him away into the far wall as his body twitched in his death throes.
"Behind you!" Torie hissed.
As the other Harkilon charged, Jez Shivblade surged out of the sewer drain and drove both fists into the Harkilon's crotch as it passed. She produced a non-regulation knife with a serrated blade and drove it between his bony chestplates with ruthless efficiency, before bounding off to head off any other opposition. Both females were stripped down to hooded Legion skinsuits, wearing only gauntlets and weapon belts, and streaked with filth from their passage through the bowels of the fortress.
"Captain Jaikira!" Kataki staggered to the front of the cell. "Jez! Thank Ayal!"
"Glad to see you, Kat -- found your swamp bike wrapped around a tree." Jaikira looked past her into the pen. "Sanna, Bezel, get ready to roll. This is going to be fast." The Artemis operatives came to their feet, heavy set Bezel leaning on her teammate.
Rifling through the guard's belongings, Jaikira came up with a pass key and loped across the room to the holding pens. "Hello, heroes," she said tartly. "Are those hel-guns in your pockets or are you just glad to see me?"
"Captain!" Sarigar snapped as the doors went up. "This is not the time for jokes!"
Jaikira slapped a hand on his chestplate, leaving a dirty smear. "Hey! I just kidnapped the trade minister, swam upstream through a sewer, and your pet Thracian pissed on me. My sense of humor is all I've got that's keeping me going." She glared at him. "So lighten up, major!"
"You are going on report," Sarigar ground out.
"Whatever makes you happy." Jaikira proceeded to ignore him as she continued to unlock doors. "Where the hell's the weapons locker?" She flipped open her gauntlet and studied a schematic map on a tiny display screen. "Right, come on, ladies, let's blow this joint." Flipping her tail around, she started down the corridor in a fast, serpentine gait.
"Schematics?" Sarigar was incensed. "You withheld information?"
"Don't get your tail in a twist," Jaikira snapped back. "Devra had all the information that you needed but you let her be killed, now didn't you? I didn't come in here for you, pal -- I came after MY people!" Her facial markings glowed in the dim light. "I'll be damned if I lose anyone else, and if that just happens to include overbearing, pretentious hardasses like you -- so be it!"
The two Jentekians stood there for a few seconds, glaring at each other and snapping their tails. Ever the diplomat, Torie bravely intervened and attempted to defuse the situation. "You got here fast," he said tactfully. "How'd you know?"
Jaikira glanced at him and assumed her fast pace down the hall. "We knew something was wrong when Tumauk showed up with four shape-shifting Harks instead of his regular crew. I had no choice but to break cover. Two cycles of a perfect intelligence operation shot all to hell, thanks to you guys." She sighed bitterly. "Once we got out here, we came across your shuttle. Your Lt. Arrick said they'd got into a scrap with an Orrie gunship but they managed to come out on top."
"Damage report?" Sarigar snapped.
"Gunship managed to get some hits on the port engine and their comunit got fried. I left a couple of my techies to help with repairs and Arrick sent some of your guys to back us up. We came across Yosh and the rest of Devra's section. They filled us in about the trouble you had with the Harks."
They caught up with Jez who was trying to re-wire a door lock. She glanced up sharply.
"Weapons locker?" Jaikira asked. When Jez nodded, she passed over the key. "Open 'er up."
The door slid open and Jez immediately pulled out several bins containing an assortment of confiscated Legion weapons. Torie took charge of distributing them. Jez reemerged with a plasma rifle, a bandolier of throwing knives, and a machete. She beckoned to Jaikira, who went over to peer through the door.
"Oooh... just the thing," Jaikira commented. She disappeared into the weapons locker for a few minutes only to emerge with the strap of a vulcan cannon slung across her shoulders and a belt full of ammo clips. "Right, let's blow this place."
"Just a minute--" Sarigar started to say but she slid by him, following Jez down the corridor as she switched on her com unit.
"Artemis one to Artemis base, arrows are loaded, copy?"
Her com unit crackled back, "We read, Artemis one. Pulling the bow on your mark, over!"
"Captain Jaikira!" Sarigar was getting seriously irritated at being ignored.
"Just a minute, major," Jaikira said tersely as she took a monocle visor out of a belt pouch and hooked it over her right ear beneath the skinsuit hood. A few adjustments to her gauntlet and the visor suddenly glowed with a heads up display. "My demolition people mined the pylons on the river side of the compound as a contingency plan months ago. We're going to blow them and use the confusion for us to escape and F'marrl's group to launch an offensive. We'll need a three-on-three attack formation. Ready?" She heaved the cannon up and cocked it.
Sarigar comprehended her plan at once. "Everyone, hug the wall!"
"Artemis one to Artemis base, in three-two-one-MARK!"
The building rocked with a tremendous series of explosions even before Sarigar finished speaking. The plascrete floor became riddled with cracks and large clunks of the wall and ceiling fell around them. Jaikira whipped away from the wall and fired down the corridor as swarms of Harkilons bolted from various doorways, the recoil from the Vulcan cannon throwing her back on her coils.
"Jez!! Take point!!"
The short Thracian woman bared her teeth in a silent war cry and barreled down the corridor, vaulting over dead bodies as the others followed in her wake. Jaikira consulted her HUD display and pointed.
"This corridor, take the right passage!" she yelled at Sarigar. "Jez knows the way!"
"What of you?"
Jaikira grinned through the grime on her face and re-set the cannon. "Just venting a little anger, major. I'll be along shortly." Sparks flew as she mowed down the oncoming wave of Harkilons.
"Belay that," Sarigar said. He grabbed the back of her ammo belt and pulled her into the corridor with him. "You want to guard the rear, fine, but no grandstanding. I won't have it."
"Hey! You just really like getting me in a bitchy mood, don't you?"
"That hardly seems difficult, captain." he shot back. "Now follow orders!"
Jaikira snapped out an inarticulate phrase in vulgar Jentekian that thankfully did not go through the translator and continued to fire bursts of coverfire. She did, however, allow Sarigar to steer her by the back of her belt.
"Artemis base to Artemis one! Come in, over!"
"Artemis one, copy. Status?" Like they rehearsed it, Jaikira and Sarigar whipped their tails around the corner and leaned back to make up speed in long, loping strides.
"F'marrl reporting. Legion shuttles arriving, ETA imminent. Your status?"
"Exit stage right," Jaikira replied in what Sarigar assumed was code. "Jez is en route - visual?" She turned and fired a burst behind them.
"Checking."
"Major!" Torie had stopped at the next intersection to wait for them. "This way!"
A whizzing noise caused Sarigar to throw both him and Jaikira to the floor, bellowing a warning. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!" Dust and smoke obscured the hallway, blocking their way.
"Montroc!!" Sarigar yelled into his com unit. "Report!"
"We're all right, Major, but the wall collapsed! How are we going to get you out?"
Jaikira was frantically flipping through maps on her HUD display. She blinked, stopped and backed up. "That's it," she said, breathing heavily. She glanced at Sarigar. "Can you swim?"
"Yes, but--"
"Then hang on!" Jaikira pulled a pair of grenades out of her ammo belt and tossed them down the hall to the collapsed section of the wall. She rose up and fired the last few rounds of the vulcan cannon at the floor in front of the dust-covered Harkilons coming out of the gloom. The grenades went off --- and the floor dropped out beneath them.
Sarigar managed to pivot and hit the water cleanly. Jaikira was not so lucky; she was unable to get free of the vulcan cannon in time and she sank farther into the murky silt. It was only by luck that the bubbles of her passing were close enough for Sarigar to notice in the murky water. He swam down and cut away the strap while large chunks of building fell all around them. Jaikira pointed towards open water and he agreed, following her to the surface in a fast, tail-whipping stroke.
They both gasped for air as they rose to the top. The swamp base was in ruins - two sides of it were nothing but great gaping holes billowing smoke and ashes. Jaikira had pulled herself up on a floating log and was coughing hard.
Sarigar swam over and joined her. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, still coughing. "Just waterlogged. Thanks for the assist." She pushed the hood of her skinsuit back and ran her hands over her thick braided hair. A snorting noise made her look up and frown. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." Sarigar tried to stifle it but failed. There was a rim of bright blue all around the edges of her face, which gave her the air of a dirty clown. "It's just that I would have never imagined Naja the singer with such a filthy face."
"Wiseass." She reached over and delicately pulled a slimy piece of vegetation off of his shoulder. "You're one to talk. You're covered in swamp weed."
"Artemis Base to Artemis One!" F'marrl's voice squawked over Jaikira's com unit. "Where are you? Respond!"
"Artemis One to Artemis Base," Jaikira answered. "The major and I are in the drink but we're okay, over."
"Captain! Thank Ayal!" There was a clamor of voices in the background. "Jez led the others out just when we lost contact with you."
"Mission status?"
"Proceeding as planned. Nomad's taken prisoners on the northwest side of the building. Lt. Arrick got his shuttle airborne and is providing air cover. We're picking up the stragglers on this end. The battlecruiser reported a successful mission and they're sending reinforcements."
"Great job, F'marrl - tell everyone I'm proud of them." Jaikira looked around. "Send Jez with a swamp skimmer downriver for pickup, will you? The major and I are missing all the action."
"Will do!"
Jaikira pushed herself up on top of the log, using her tail to balance like a catamaran while she sat up straight. "Well, Major," she said as she covered her eyes against the bright morning light filtering through the trees, "what do you think of Artemis now?" The ruined fortress stood in stark relief now and as they watched, a pair of Legion shuttles zoomed in from above while another shuttle circled low on patrol.
"Not bad," Sarigar admitted, "for a bunch of intelligence operatives, captain." They both spotted the skimmer coming towards them and Sarigar pushed the log out into the channel with powerful strokes of his tail.
"Well, between the two squads, we managed to shut this thing down solid." Coyly, she looked back over her shoulder at him. "So, am I still going on report?"
"Yes." Sarigar met her direct gaze. "But I believe I may be revising parts of it."
"Not too much, I hope." Jaikira smirked. "My superiors already know that I'm no angel." She stretched out an arm and waved the skimmer over. "It's just not me."
"Now that, captain," Sarigar mused, "I can believe."
To be continued in "Part III: Downtime on Greelbase"
