CHAPTER 20
1056 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Control room of Fortress Orean on moon of planet Raiek
Zaran paced angrily. It had been nearly an hour since he'd sent Gantu on the mission to kill the Captain and his crew, and so far none of the team had responded. For all they knew, the battle for Orean was over!
Lying neatly in his glass tube, General Standon only twitched when Zaran came over and slammed his claw against the glass. "Comfortable, General?" The General was silent. "Better get used to it, because you're going to be in there for a long time!" The Elite's voice was merely a whisper through the extremely thick glass seperating the two of them.
Turning to one of the only two Hunters in the room, Zaran whispered, "Make sure he doesn't get away. If he escapes, it's you I'm coming for." Although it seemed ludicrous that a creature of the Hunter's size would obey a comparatively puny-looking figure like an Elite, the Hunter nodded obediently, standing near the glass tube holding the General prisoner.
It was then that the only door leading into the room began to clang loudly. Zaran spun to face it, his eyes opening wide with terror. He pointed to an officer. "Seal the doors! Don't let them through, officer!" The officer immediately obeyed. Standon could hear the hiss of more metal doors as obvious reinforced coverings closed behind the already-standing sheet metal door. As the General figured, one couldn't be too careful. Alas, the banging only grew softer.
Seconds turned into minutes, as the clanging and banging grew louder and louder as more time passed.
Suddenly, the door bent inward in the very middle about two inches. A second ring and another part of the metal bent. Within thirty seconds, nearly twenty impressions had been made. The next attack happened, and a grotesque arm slammed through the metal. The Covenant could tell right away it was an arm of an Elite controlled by the Flood, taken over and turned into a combat form.
The Elite removed his arm, and more attacks came on. The door shuddered and fell with a crash. In from the now-open doorway, countless infection form Flood poured into the room, screeching loudly. Zaran raised his arm and gave the order. "Fire!"
Every soldier in the room turned and fired their various plasma weapons. However, it seemed as if the plasma bolts had little effect on the little buggers. They only popped after several shots, and only the weaker ones. Stronger ones shrugged off the damage and kept up a relentless pace. Plasma was almost useless against Flood, as only bullets had much of an effect.
Zaran was beginning to lose hope. The infection was done, and carrier forms came, large, bloated, vile creatures nearly twice the size of any human. As they staggered through the door, a single plasma shot caused them to fall. The resulting explosion released dozens more infection forms into the air, and they screamed and latched onto Elites, Jackals, and Grunts alike. Zaran moved to a glass case and shattered it. He grabbed the human MA5B assault rifle inside it and began to fire at the infection forms.
One of the Hunters roared in fury, squishing an infection form under his tank foot. He raised his arm cannon and was about to fire when an infection form got to his unprotected flesh. It drilled into the orange flesh, injecting it with the Flood poison. The Hunter collapsed as its armor began to rattle furiously.
Standon, protected within his plastic prison, could only watch as countless Covenant warriors fell to the might and relentlessness of the Flood; The attack never seemed to stop. He saw Zaran pull two plasma grenades from the wall and hurl them towards the Elite combat form. It only shuddered slightly, and kept its relentless forthcoming.
One of the combat forms, an Elite, charged forward and slammed its fist against the glass. The covering cracked under the force. With the second blow, it cracked even more heavily. A third blow and it nearly shattered. Just as it was about to strike again, a Covie warrior shot it, killing it instantly.
Zaran looked upward, spotting a vent shaft. He leapt up, ripped off the cover, and crawled through it, replacing the cover. He was cursed if he was going to let any Flood follow him. He crawled as fast as he could through the shafts.
Below, the Flood finished off the last of the Covenant. Infection forms gathered up the bodies, including two Howlers ripe for infesting, aided by combat forms. Within moments they were gone, forgetting all about Standon in his lonesome plasma prison, all alone in the control room.
The loud whine of dropship engines signaled the arrival of three Echo Pelicans coming in-bound on the weary and shaky Marines. Captain Moores stood at the head of their little group. A dropship carrying a Warthog jeep load came first. The cables holding the jeep in place released, and the M12 LRV (light reconnaissance vehicle) crashed to the ground with a thump.
Moores jumped towards the vehicle, signaling Lieutenant Sellers and Sergeant Lombard to follow. The two of them instantly obeyed, shouldering their assault rifles and sprinting towards the lone vehicle.
Three Echoes touched down, and one of the dropships had a rear door spring open with a hiss. The Marines sighed with relief, welcoming the dropships. They moved quickly on-board and took their seats. Some were forced to stand in the overcrowded transport, but it was all right with them. All they were concerned about was getting off that moon alive. If all went according to plan, none of them would have to return ever again.
It was at that moment that Farr 'Tenglannee came from the bushes. He lumbered towards one of the dropships, which engines shut off. The other two were waiting up in the air, hovering in place. One Marine drew his pistol and fired. Farr's shields took the blast and instantly recharged.
Captain Moores screamed out and jumped in front of Farr. "Don't shoot him! He's a rebel Elite working with the UNSC now! If not for him, the Marines and I of Foehammer would have been killed long ago."
Speaking of Foehammer, the old dropship was being righted with the help of around fifty burly Marines. The team just lifted the entire thing right over. It was an incredible sight that no one would believe unless they saw for themselves.
The challenging Marine growled at Moores, but he offered no comment to a superior officer, since he was only a Colonel. However, another Marine, a Private, completely lost it in front of the imposing Elite warrior. He aimed his weapon and screamed, pulling the trigger. His only words were, "Die, Covenant scum!"
Farr moved like lightning. He grabbed Moores and pushed the man behind his body. His shields took the brunt, and Farr snatched a shotgun from another officer. He leveled it at the Private and fired. The blast knocked off the man's left arm. His weapon clattered to the ground as he screamed in agony. A second blast from Farr caused his head to shatter.
It was then that all chaos broke loose. Two Marines, both of whom friends of the first victim, opened fire. Farr dodged easily and put them both down with two shots. Although Farr knew that these humans were not to be killed, Elites were born and bred killing machines. It was going against his nature to stop attacking anything that moved besides his own forces, but after working with the Covenant for so long, he found it hard to control his rages. And now he was in a full-fledged Elite rage. Nothing and no one could stop him.
"Don't shoot!" the Colonel cried. "You might hit our own!"
A Marine hurled himself at Farr as another came up behind him. The enraged Elite snatched the man out of mid-air and tossed him with a flick of his wrist into another. Three Marines came at him, and Farr shot one in the face, the second in the leg, causing the man to collapse, and the last through the heart.
Another brave Marine leaped onto Farr's back. Farr reached behind him and plucked the man off, tossing him to the ground. He pressed his taloned- claw into the man's face and squashed him with little effort.
Only when a Marine rolled into Farr's legs from behind did they begin to gain the upper-hand. Farr sprawled onto the ground, and another soldier grabbed his right arm. A second took hold of his left. The warrior slashed the man across the face. As Farr tried to move, Captain Moores leaned on the Elite's feet and pressed his gun into the warrior's chest. "Move and you die!"
Farr instantly froze. The anger that once flowed through him, propelling him to kill, was draining away. He was becoming less of a danger as each second passed, and within half a minute, he had completely calmed. The humans agreed to let him up after a minute's time.
"You realize this will completely ruin your image?" Moores asked the Elite in private as they watched the other dropships take off into the air. The only humans left on the ground were Moores, the Lieutenant, and the Sergeant. Farr was the last being left behind. They were alone, each stocked with ammo, and ready to begin their journey to Fortress Orean. "You killed seven Marines and injured three more, Farr. It will be hard to make up for that."
Their plan was to enter the control room, find the panel for the auto- cannons installed throughout the base, and turn them on the Fortress itself. The humans knew of the auto-cannons since the Fortress was human- made.
"I understand this," Farr grunted to the Captain, "but it was like I couldn't stop myself. No matter how much I tried to contain my anger, I couldn't."
"Perhaps you should save that kind of energy for the Covenant and the Flood."
"Agreed, Captain."
In the air, the four dropships took off. Foehammer itself contained seven dead soldiers and three seriously wounded.
The Lieuteant manned the Light Anti-Aircraft Gun gun in the back. The Sergeant took the wheel, and so Moores rode shotgun. Farr 'Tenglannee took the only place left. He sat in front of Sellers, right in front of the LAAG gun, and grabbed the weapon's bottom. With one press of the pedal, the wheels of the Warthog grabbed the dirt, and the jeep was speeding off through the rough terrain, in the direction of Fortress Orean.
The Warthog rumbled to a stop directly in front of Fortress Orean. Surprisingly enough, the team of four met no resistance. From the surface, it appeared that the entire Fortress had been abandoned. However, all four of them knew that was not to be expected once they got deeper inside.
Captain Moores pointed straight up. "That's the control room to the structure right there." He said, watching as the glass remnants sprinkled lightly to the floor in the aftermath.
Farr walked around the side of the base after hopping from the Warthog and called out to the Captain. "Moores! I think I've found an entrance, sir!" Moores came jogging over with Sellers and Lombard at his heels.
"Great work, Farr!" Moores said and gripped the ladder. "The rest of you come up after me. Wait until I give you the okay sign," he said as he ascended. At the top, he found the sealed door and spun the lock. The door popped open with a tiny hiss and Moores stepped inside.
Amidst the carnage, Captain Hank Moores couldn't find any Covenant bodies. It looked like they had been all taken. Looted perhaps. But as Moores walked, he heard the crash of glass and spun to glass tube on the far wall.
General Standon came feet-first through the glass and landed, covered in shards, on the ground, breathing heavily. He smiled when he saw the Captain and snatched a plasma pistol from the wall. "Nice to see you!" he said and aimed the gun. With one blast, he knocked Moores's shotgun to the ground.
Then, the General reached up and flipped a switch. Moores watched as the broken windows sealed with a thick metal. The door he had come through slammed shut. Outside, Farr cried out and tumbled from the ladder, struck by the closing motion. Finally, the ventilation shaft Zaran had escaped through sealed shut.
"Too bad old Zaran didn't think of this little switch here!" Standon laughed. "Pity for him. He's probably dead by now! And you'll soon join him!" Standon tossed the gun to the ground and hurled himself at the Captain.
"Can't believe you're still alive," the Captain muttered. He moved back, bent his knees into a crouch, and swung his fist in a wide arc. The blow caught Standon on the side of his head, causing the nearly-mad General to sprawl backwards and land hard on the metal floor. "I learned a lot at the Academy," Moores told him matter-of-factly.
Standon stood and wiped his cheek. There was a small cut on it, and blood was just beginning to flow from it. The General now leaped forward and aimed a kick at Moores's head. The Captain ducked underneath as Standon sailed over and landed on the far wall, feet-first. Using all his force, he pushed off again and came flying back at Moores with his arms crossed in front of his mouth. This attack caught the back of Moores's knees, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse. Standon landed in a heap behind him.
In a flash, Moores spun around and delivered a punch to Standon's head. The fierce General ducked, but the blow caught him on his forehead. He gasped out and fell backwards.
"I always was better than you!" Moores said and stood. He picked up the fallen plasma pistol and aimed it at Standon's head. "Surrender, or you die, General," Moores said, leveling the gun.
Standon kicked upwards, knocking the gun into the air. Moores jumped to get it, but the General leaped up and knocked him out of the way. Standon snatched the weapon in mid-air and reversed the positions. Moores tried to sit up, but the wind was knocked out of him. He moaned as he tried to lean on his elbow.
After turning the situation in favor of himself, Standon aimed the weapon at Moores' head, just as the Captain had done to him. "Now, it's you that shall surrender, Captain," he growled between gritted teeth. "It's time I finally defeated you."
Moores's hand slowly inched towards his boot. As he did this, he talked to the General to distract him. "You know I was always better than you at the Academy. You were never able to keep up with me!"
"Liar!" Standon screamed, pressing further onto the trigger, threatening to fire it. "You cheated each time you beat me! Every time we competed you always got your way! You're a spoiled little—"
The tiny pistol went off. Moores had drawn it from its place in his boot. He had fired it quickly, and the bullet lodged itself in Standon's left leg. He screamed in pain, stopping in mid-sentence, and staggered towards the ground. The plasma pistol fell from his hand and clattered to the floor. Moores stood and kicked the weapon away. He leveled the pistol and fired again, this time into the General's right arm. He howled in pain again and fell backwards. His eyes slowly closed.
Captain Hank Moores allowed his weapon to fall to the ground and stumbled over to a control panel. He read over the console, searching for the lock-down controls. He then remembered they were on the wall, where Standon had activated them. As he turned to push the lever back up, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked left and saw Standon come flying through the air.
In one swift move, the Captain ducked, and Standon sailed over him, landing hard on the ground past his body. Moores was up again in two seconds and kicked his boot lightly but firmly on the plasma pistol, creating a catapult effect. The weapon bounced right into his hand. He leveled the gun as Standon stood again.
"You lose again, General!"
As Moores tried to fire the gun, Standon jumped under it. He slid across the floor, past the surprised Captain, and came to rest next to Moores's shotgun. The Captain turned around and tried to aim. However, The General was too fast; he raised the weapon and fired it. The bullets flew in every direction. Two of them grazed Moores's left arm. He howled in pain as Standon flung himself headlong at Moores.
Acting quickly, the Captain leaned to the side as Standon went past. Grabbing the General's legs, he twirled around, released, and heard the sickening crunch of bone as Standon's skull came into contact with the steel wall. Bone cracked in half and sliced into Standon's brain. He was dead before he even slid to the ground. Blood leaked from his open wound, flowing freely onto the floor.
Moores grabbed the lever and switched it. As soon as the door was unlocked, Farr 'Tenglannee leaped through, followed by Lieutenant Sellers and Sergeant Lombard. The three of them looked around, saw Moores, saw the General, and relaxed.
"What happened?" Lombard asked.
"The General went insane," Moores said, pointing to the limp carcass. "I killed him, but I don't feel any happier. I just feel sick inside."
"That's to be expected," the Sergeant replied emotionlessly.
"Are we going to turn the auto-cannons on the fortress?" Farr asked, eyeing the control panel. He knew exactly what button to press, and it would give him great pleasure to have the honors.
"No," Moores responded, watching the radar output. "I think the Spartans can handle this one."
1056 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Control room of Fortress Orean on moon of planet Raiek
Zaran paced angrily. It had been nearly an hour since he'd sent Gantu on the mission to kill the Captain and his crew, and so far none of the team had responded. For all they knew, the battle for Orean was over!
Lying neatly in his glass tube, General Standon only twitched when Zaran came over and slammed his claw against the glass. "Comfortable, General?" The General was silent. "Better get used to it, because you're going to be in there for a long time!" The Elite's voice was merely a whisper through the extremely thick glass seperating the two of them.
Turning to one of the only two Hunters in the room, Zaran whispered, "Make sure he doesn't get away. If he escapes, it's you I'm coming for." Although it seemed ludicrous that a creature of the Hunter's size would obey a comparatively puny-looking figure like an Elite, the Hunter nodded obediently, standing near the glass tube holding the General prisoner.
It was then that the only door leading into the room began to clang loudly. Zaran spun to face it, his eyes opening wide with terror. He pointed to an officer. "Seal the doors! Don't let them through, officer!" The officer immediately obeyed. Standon could hear the hiss of more metal doors as obvious reinforced coverings closed behind the already-standing sheet metal door. As the General figured, one couldn't be too careful. Alas, the banging only grew softer.
Seconds turned into minutes, as the clanging and banging grew louder and louder as more time passed.
Suddenly, the door bent inward in the very middle about two inches. A second ring and another part of the metal bent. Within thirty seconds, nearly twenty impressions had been made. The next attack happened, and a grotesque arm slammed through the metal. The Covenant could tell right away it was an arm of an Elite controlled by the Flood, taken over and turned into a combat form.
The Elite removed his arm, and more attacks came on. The door shuddered and fell with a crash. In from the now-open doorway, countless infection form Flood poured into the room, screeching loudly. Zaran raised his arm and gave the order. "Fire!"
Every soldier in the room turned and fired their various plasma weapons. However, it seemed as if the plasma bolts had little effect on the little buggers. They only popped after several shots, and only the weaker ones. Stronger ones shrugged off the damage and kept up a relentless pace. Plasma was almost useless against Flood, as only bullets had much of an effect.
Zaran was beginning to lose hope. The infection was done, and carrier forms came, large, bloated, vile creatures nearly twice the size of any human. As they staggered through the door, a single plasma shot caused them to fall. The resulting explosion released dozens more infection forms into the air, and they screamed and latched onto Elites, Jackals, and Grunts alike. Zaran moved to a glass case and shattered it. He grabbed the human MA5B assault rifle inside it and began to fire at the infection forms.
One of the Hunters roared in fury, squishing an infection form under his tank foot. He raised his arm cannon and was about to fire when an infection form got to his unprotected flesh. It drilled into the orange flesh, injecting it with the Flood poison. The Hunter collapsed as its armor began to rattle furiously.
Standon, protected within his plastic prison, could only watch as countless Covenant warriors fell to the might and relentlessness of the Flood; The attack never seemed to stop. He saw Zaran pull two plasma grenades from the wall and hurl them towards the Elite combat form. It only shuddered slightly, and kept its relentless forthcoming.
One of the combat forms, an Elite, charged forward and slammed its fist against the glass. The covering cracked under the force. With the second blow, it cracked even more heavily. A third blow and it nearly shattered. Just as it was about to strike again, a Covie warrior shot it, killing it instantly.
Zaran looked upward, spotting a vent shaft. He leapt up, ripped off the cover, and crawled through it, replacing the cover. He was cursed if he was going to let any Flood follow him. He crawled as fast as he could through the shafts.
Below, the Flood finished off the last of the Covenant. Infection forms gathered up the bodies, including two Howlers ripe for infesting, aided by combat forms. Within moments they were gone, forgetting all about Standon in his lonesome plasma prison, all alone in the control room.
The loud whine of dropship engines signaled the arrival of three Echo Pelicans coming in-bound on the weary and shaky Marines. Captain Moores stood at the head of their little group. A dropship carrying a Warthog jeep load came first. The cables holding the jeep in place released, and the M12 LRV (light reconnaissance vehicle) crashed to the ground with a thump.
Moores jumped towards the vehicle, signaling Lieutenant Sellers and Sergeant Lombard to follow. The two of them instantly obeyed, shouldering their assault rifles and sprinting towards the lone vehicle.
Three Echoes touched down, and one of the dropships had a rear door spring open with a hiss. The Marines sighed with relief, welcoming the dropships. They moved quickly on-board and took their seats. Some were forced to stand in the overcrowded transport, but it was all right with them. All they were concerned about was getting off that moon alive. If all went according to plan, none of them would have to return ever again.
It was at that moment that Farr 'Tenglannee came from the bushes. He lumbered towards one of the dropships, which engines shut off. The other two were waiting up in the air, hovering in place. One Marine drew his pistol and fired. Farr's shields took the blast and instantly recharged.
Captain Moores screamed out and jumped in front of Farr. "Don't shoot him! He's a rebel Elite working with the UNSC now! If not for him, the Marines and I of Foehammer would have been killed long ago."
Speaking of Foehammer, the old dropship was being righted with the help of around fifty burly Marines. The team just lifted the entire thing right over. It was an incredible sight that no one would believe unless they saw for themselves.
The challenging Marine growled at Moores, but he offered no comment to a superior officer, since he was only a Colonel. However, another Marine, a Private, completely lost it in front of the imposing Elite warrior. He aimed his weapon and screamed, pulling the trigger. His only words were, "Die, Covenant scum!"
Farr moved like lightning. He grabbed Moores and pushed the man behind his body. His shields took the brunt, and Farr snatched a shotgun from another officer. He leveled it at the Private and fired. The blast knocked off the man's left arm. His weapon clattered to the ground as he screamed in agony. A second blast from Farr caused his head to shatter.
It was then that all chaos broke loose. Two Marines, both of whom friends of the first victim, opened fire. Farr dodged easily and put them both down with two shots. Although Farr knew that these humans were not to be killed, Elites were born and bred killing machines. It was going against his nature to stop attacking anything that moved besides his own forces, but after working with the Covenant for so long, he found it hard to control his rages. And now he was in a full-fledged Elite rage. Nothing and no one could stop him.
"Don't shoot!" the Colonel cried. "You might hit our own!"
A Marine hurled himself at Farr as another came up behind him. The enraged Elite snatched the man out of mid-air and tossed him with a flick of his wrist into another. Three Marines came at him, and Farr shot one in the face, the second in the leg, causing the man to collapse, and the last through the heart.
Another brave Marine leaped onto Farr's back. Farr reached behind him and plucked the man off, tossing him to the ground. He pressed his taloned- claw into the man's face and squashed him with little effort.
Only when a Marine rolled into Farr's legs from behind did they begin to gain the upper-hand. Farr sprawled onto the ground, and another soldier grabbed his right arm. A second took hold of his left. The warrior slashed the man across the face. As Farr tried to move, Captain Moores leaned on the Elite's feet and pressed his gun into the warrior's chest. "Move and you die!"
Farr instantly froze. The anger that once flowed through him, propelling him to kill, was draining away. He was becoming less of a danger as each second passed, and within half a minute, he had completely calmed. The humans agreed to let him up after a minute's time.
"You realize this will completely ruin your image?" Moores asked the Elite in private as they watched the other dropships take off into the air. The only humans left on the ground were Moores, the Lieutenant, and the Sergeant. Farr was the last being left behind. They were alone, each stocked with ammo, and ready to begin their journey to Fortress Orean. "You killed seven Marines and injured three more, Farr. It will be hard to make up for that."
Their plan was to enter the control room, find the panel for the auto- cannons installed throughout the base, and turn them on the Fortress itself. The humans knew of the auto-cannons since the Fortress was human- made.
"I understand this," Farr grunted to the Captain, "but it was like I couldn't stop myself. No matter how much I tried to contain my anger, I couldn't."
"Perhaps you should save that kind of energy for the Covenant and the Flood."
"Agreed, Captain."
In the air, the four dropships took off. Foehammer itself contained seven dead soldiers and three seriously wounded.
The Lieuteant manned the Light Anti-Aircraft Gun gun in the back. The Sergeant took the wheel, and so Moores rode shotgun. Farr 'Tenglannee took the only place left. He sat in front of Sellers, right in front of the LAAG gun, and grabbed the weapon's bottom. With one press of the pedal, the wheels of the Warthog grabbed the dirt, and the jeep was speeding off through the rough terrain, in the direction of Fortress Orean.
The Warthog rumbled to a stop directly in front of Fortress Orean. Surprisingly enough, the team of four met no resistance. From the surface, it appeared that the entire Fortress had been abandoned. However, all four of them knew that was not to be expected once they got deeper inside.
Captain Moores pointed straight up. "That's the control room to the structure right there." He said, watching as the glass remnants sprinkled lightly to the floor in the aftermath.
Farr walked around the side of the base after hopping from the Warthog and called out to the Captain. "Moores! I think I've found an entrance, sir!" Moores came jogging over with Sellers and Lombard at his heels.
"Great work, Farr!" Moores said and gripped the ladder. "The rest of you come up after me. Wait until I give you the okay sign," he said as he ascended. At the top, he found the sealed door and spun the lock. The door popped open with a tiny hiss and Moores stepped inside.
Amidst the carnage, Captain Hank Moores couldn't find any Covenant bodies. It looked like they had been all taken. Looted perhaps. But as Moores walked, he heard the crash of glass and spun to glass tube on the far wall.
General Standon came feet-first through the glass and landed, covered in shards, on the ground, breathing heavily. He smiled when he saw the Captain and snatched a plasma pistol from the wall. "Nice to see you!" he said and aimed the gun. With one blast, he knocked Moores's shotgun to the ground.
Then, the General reached up and flipped a switch. Moores watched as the broken windows sealed with a thick metal. The door he had come through slammed shut. Outside, Farr cried out and tumbled from the ladder, struck by the closing motion. Finally, the ventilation shaft Zaran had escaped through sealed shut.
"Too bad old Zaran didn't think of this little switch here!" Standon laughed. "Pity for him. He's probably dead by now! And you'll soon join him!" Standon tossed the gun to the ground and hurled himself at the Captain.
"Can't believe you're still alive," the Captain muttered. He moved back, bent his knees into a crouch, and swung his fist in a wide arc. The blow caught Standon on the side of his head, causing the nearly-mad General to sprawl backwards and land hard on the metal floor. "I learned a lot at the Academy," Moores told him matter-of-factly.
Standon stood and wiped his cheek. There was a small cut on it, and blood was just beginning to flow from it. The General now leaped forward and aimed a kick at Moores's head. The Captain ducked underneath as Standon sailed over and landed on the far wall, feet-first. Using all his force, he pushed off again and came flying back at Moores with his arms crossed in front of his mouth. This attack caught the back of Moores's knees, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse. Standon landed in a heap behind him.
In a flash, Moores spun around and delivered a punch to Standon's head. The fierce General ducked, but the blow caught him on his forehead. He gasped out and fell backwards.
"I always was better than you!" Moores said and stood. He picked up the fallen plasma pistol and aimed it at Standon's head. "Surrender, or you die, General," Moores said, leveling the gun.
Standon kicked upwards, knocking the gun into the air. Moores jumped to get it, but the General leaped up and knocked him out of the way. Standon snatched the weapon in mid-air and reversed the positions. Moores tried to sit up, but the wind was knocked out of him. He moaned as he tried to lean on his elbow.
After turning the situation in favor of himself, Standon aimed the weapon at Moores' head, just as the Captain had done to him. "Now, it's you that shall surrender, Captain," he growled between gritted teeth. "It's time I finally defeated you."
Moores's hand slowly inched towards his boot. As he did this, he talked to the General to distract him. "You know I was always better than you at the Academy. You were never able to keep up with me!"
"Liar!" Standon screamed, pressing further onto the trigger, threatening to fire it. "You cheated each time you beat me! Every time we competed you always got your way! You're a spoiled little—"
The tiny pistol went off. Moores had drawn it from its place in his boot. He had fired it quickly, and the bullet lodged itself in Standon's left leg. He screamed in pain, stopping in mid-sentence, and staggered towards the ground. The plasma pistol fell from his hand and clattered to the floor. Moores stood and kicked the weapon away. He leveled the pistol and fired again, this time into the General's right arm. He howled in pain again and fell backwards. His eyes slowly closed.
Captain Hank Moores allowed his weapon to fall to the ground and stumbled over to a control panel. He read over the console, searching for the lock-down controls. He then remembered they were on the wall, where Standon had activated them. As he turned to push the lever back up, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked left and saw Standon come flying through the air.
In one swift move, the Captain ducked, and Standon sailed over him, landing hard on the ground past his body. Moores was up again in two seconds and kicked his boot lightly but firmly on the plasma pistol, creating a catapult effect. The weapon bounced right into his hand. He leveled the gun as Standon stood again.
"You lose again, General!"
As Moores tried to fire the gun, Standon jumped under it. He slid across the floor, past the surprised Captain, and came to rest next to Moores's shotgun. The Captain turned around and tried to aim. However, The General was too fast; he raised the weapon and fired it. The bullets flew in every direction. Two of them grazed Moores's left arm. He howled in pain as Standon flung himself headlong at Moores.
Acting quickly, the Captain leaned to the side as Standon went past. Grabbing the General's legs, he twirled around, released, and heard the sickening crunch of bone as Standon's skull came into contact with the steel wall. Bone cracked in half and sliced into Standon's brain. He was dead before he even slid to the ground. Blood leaked from his open wound, flowing freely onto the floor.
Moores grabbed the lever and switched it. As soon as the door was unlocked, Farr 'Tenglannee leaped through, followed by Lieutenant Sellers and Sergeant Lombard. The three of them looked around, saw Moores, saw the General, and relaxed.
"What happened?" Lombard asked.
"The General went insane," Moores said, pointing to the limp carcass. "I killed him, but I don't feel any happier. I just feel sick inside."
"That's to be expected," the Sergeant replied emotionlessly.
"Are we going to turn the auto-cannons on the fortress?" Farr asked, eyeing the control panel. He knew exactly what button to press, and it would give him great pleasure to have the honors.
"No," Moores responded, watching the radar output. "I think the Spartans can handle this one."