Chapter 2: Edmund Ross
TCA Colonel Edmund Ross and his team of marines were emptying their weapons magazines as fast as they could. The roaring of weapons ached their ears, but they continued to hold the trigger down. Riddled with 5.56 mm of depleted uranium bullets, the Skaarj warrior finally collapsed down. He was dead. Edmund surveyed the city square for anymore hostiles, his finger always near the trigger and decided the area was clear. For the moment. But he was not taking any chances. Hound Team of eight special-ops marines were now down to five because he had underestimated the Skaarj. Never again.
Gesturing, Edmund signaled Ryan and Jakob to take point and shout out if they had enemy incoming. Nodding, the two scouts raised their rifles to their eyes and dashed behind what was the remains of the city fountain. Captain Sud with his flame thrower crouched behind the remains of a hover car to provide support to the two scouts. Edmund and his lieutenant, Lee, stationed themselves opposite Sud at the other end of the city square behind a bread truck to create a cross fire. There were four ways to enter the square, of which three the Skaarj could come charging in any time. The fourth led to the monorail station, where panicking civilians were pushing to get out of the city.
Edmund and his marines were trying to buy them time.
Private Ryan yelled out over the general frequency. "Eight Izarians coming down Path A." Izarians were apelike aliens used by the Skaarj as slaves and cannon fodder. The power staves they carried weren't that powerful against marine armor, but in a group, those power bolts could chew through your armor rather quickly.
Edmund signaled for his men to remain still and hide. The Izarians marched in single file. Edmund waited until all of them were in the square. Then he screamed his command. "Fire! Open Fire!"
Ryan and Jakob opened up with their M32 Duster Combat Assault Rifle. The depleted uranium shells tore through the Izarians like cheese. Sud stepped out of his hiding place with Vulcan flame thrower spewing fire. The sustained incendiary flow barbequed more Izarians. Two managed to escape the onslaught, and tried to make a get away. However, they unwittingly put themselves in Edmunds and Lee's line of fire. Edmund's own Duster Combat Assault rifle tore into the side of one while Lee promptly blew off the head of the other.
As the last Izarian fell, Edmund's rifle clicked. With practiced grace, he ejected the spent ammunition magazine and slammed a fresh one home. The green light at the side of the flashed on as the rifle primed itself. Ready.
"More Izarians coming down Path B and C. They don't look too happy."
Edmund immediately issued a new command. "Ryan, Jakob. Create a choke point at Path B. Don't let them through. Sud, I want you to fry anyone trying to get in via Path C. I'll provide support. Lee, watch out at Path A for any unwanted visitors."
The marines got into position quickly, found some ruins as cover, and opened fire. Edmund pointed his rifle at the furthest Izarian he could see. Sud could take care of the nearby ones better. The rifle bucked against him, and Edmund strained against the recoil. He counted the number of Izarians he killed. One, two , three, four...The command frequency beeped.
"Edmund, how are you and your hound team doing?" said the voice of General Thran.
Edmund continued shooting as he answered. "A little busy right now chief."
"Yeah? Well, quickly finish off whatever you're doing and head down to the space port. We're dusting off."
Edmund almost to forgot to keep shooting. "W-What?! But the civilians, they need more time! Another ten minutes at least-"
"The shit's hit the fan son. You don't have ten minutes. The Skaarj are coming for the big push. We've got to get out of this city before we get ourselves trapped within enemy lines! Disengage, colonel."
Edmund gunned down the last Izarian. Listening, he realized that Ryan and Jakob had also dispensed with their guests.
"What news from the Boss?" Sud asked as he stared out at Path C. Edmund struggled with his moral decision. After a pause, he answered his friend. "We need to buy the civilians ten more minutes. Then we're dusting off."
"Right. Ten more minutes. Shouldn't be much of a problem for-"
"Holy mother. I've got two Skaarj warrior charging down Path A. Repeat. Skaarj, not Izarian." Lee's voice sounded frantic. And it should be.
Edmund cursed. One was hard enough to kill. Maybe if they trained all their fire power on them...
"Shit Cap'n! One more Skaarj and a handful of Izarians coming down Path B!"
Edmund's heart skipped a beat. The general was right. This was their big push. And that meant...
"Sir? I've got two more Skaarj coming down Path C." It was Sud. Edmund cursed some more. Screw, screw, screw! How the hell do you cover all three paths at the same time?
"Follow me!" Edmund yelled. Turning, he ran behind the bread truck he'd use for cover earlier and began to push. "Lee! Help me get this truck to block Path A. Sud, and Ryan, get the hover car and block Path C! Move, move, move!"
"What do I do?" whimpered Jakob.
"Shoot at those bastards at Path B and try to slow them down for god's sake!"
"Sir, the hover car is too small to fully cover the entrance of-"
"Do as I tell you!"
"Oh god. I'm shooting, I'm shooting sir, but they ain't stopping!"
Edmund had just finished getting the truck into position. It'll probably slow down the Skaarj of Path A for a precious half a minute. Like wise, the hover car was also in position, but like Sud had pointed out, it did not cover the entrance of Path C fully. The Skaarj would simply walk around it.
"Hurry, to Path B! We got to finish them quick!" Edmund rushed to Path B with the rest of the team to help out Jakob. "Concentrate fire on the Skaarj! Sud, take care of the Izarians!'
Four M32 Dusters chattered as they delivered depleted uranium shells at the Skaarj. The ferocious combined attack slammed the Skaarj backwards. A lucky burst caught him in the head. Edmund could not help but smile. No doubt all his team mates would try to claim credit for that kill later. If they survived.
Edmund heard an inhuman roar behind him. Quickly, he turned around to see the two Skaarj making their way around the hover car. The Skaarj at Path B were already trying to shift the hover truck. Taking quick aim, Edmund aimed his assault rifle and fire. One of the Skaarj dodged to the left, and the stream of shells missed him by a wide berth. But it struck the intended target.
The hover car exploded in a fiery spectacle. The two Skaarj disappeared with the car. At the same time, his marines had finished dealing with the Izarians. "Hurry, prepare to repel invaders at Path B!"
"Sir, Jakob-"
"What about Ja-"
Edmund paused. Jakob was lying prone, a power staff sticking out of his belly. His blood wet the pavement. He was not moving.
"Leave him, there's nothing we can do for him."
"But sir" It was Sud. "I think he's still alive, if we give him first aid-"
"We've got some Skaarj to kill men! Get in position! Now!"
Suddenly, the truck was lifted off the ground and tossed to the side. A Skaarj Lord had joined the two. Immensely huge even for a Skaarj, he looked down at the humans and sneered. "Filthy vermin."
The two Skaarj charged. Everyone opened fire. Edmund had targeted the Skaarj lord but he evaded by leaping into the air. One of the Skaarj fell dead as Sud fired plasma streams into his face. The other fell upon Ryan, who screamed in terror. Lee aimed but dared not open fire in fear of hitting his comrade. The wrist blades of the Skaarj extended and he buried them in Ryan. Ryan gurgled and collapsed. Edmund whirled end fired on the Skaarj, but the bullets could not penetrate his thick armor. The Skaarj leapt away and Lee also fired, trying to keep the reticule on the target.
The Skaarj lord was tangling with Sud. Sud's heated plasma was doing nothing more than aggravate the Skaarj lord. With a punch to Sud's stomach, he sent Sud flying backwards. Edmund screamed in rage as he aimed at the Skaarj Lord, but a blood curdling scream made him turn around. The Skaarj warrior was on top of Lee, and was stabbing him repeated Lee with his wrist blades. The blades came away bloody.
"Get away from him you bastard!" Edmund yelled and raised his rifle. From behind, the Skaarj Lord struck a crushing blow on Edmund's back. Gasping from pain, Edmund fell to the floor. The M32 Duster flew from his grip. The Skaarj Lord's wrist blade extended. Edmund blacked out.
TCA Colonel Edmund Ross and his team of marines were emptying their weapons magazines as fast as they could. The roaring of weapons ached their ears, but they continued to hold the trigger down. Riddled with 5.56 mm of depleted uranium bullets, the Skaarj warrior finally collapsed down. He was dead. Edmund surveyed the city square for anymore hostiles, his finger always near the trigger and decided the area was clear. For the moment. But he was not taking any chances. Hound Team of eight special-ops marines were now down to five because he had underestimated the Skaarj. Never again.
Gesturing, Edmund signaled Ryan and Jakob to take point and shout out if they had enemy incoming. Nodding, the two scouts raised their rifles to their eyes and dashed behind what was the remains of the city fountain. Captain Sud with his flame thrower crouched behind the remains of a hover car to provide support to the two scouts. Edmund and his lieutenant, Lee, stationed themselves opposite Sud at the other end of the city square behind a bread truck to create a cross fire. There were four ways to enter the square, of which three the Skaarj could come charging in any time. The fourth led to the monorail station, where panicking civilians were pushing to get out of the city.
Edmund and his marines were trying to buy them time.
Private Ryan yelled out over the general frequency. "Eight Izarians coming down Path A." Izarians were apelike aliens used by the Skaarj as slaves and cannon fodder. The power staves they carried weren't that powerful against marine armor, but in a group, those power bolts could chew through your armor rather quickly.
Edmund signaled for his men to remain still and hide. The Izarians marched in single file. Edmund waited until all of them were in the square. Then he screamed his command. "Fire! Open Fire!"
Ryan and Jakob opened up with their M32 Duster Combat Assault Rifle. The depleted uranium shells tore through the Izarians like cheese. Sud stepped out of his hiding place with Vulcan flame thrower spewing fire. The sustained incendiary flow barbequed more Izarians. Two managed to escape the onslaught, and tried to make a get away. However, they unwittingly put themselves in Edmunds and Lee's line of fire. Edmund's own Duster Combat Assault rifle tore into the side of one while Lee promptly blew off the head of the other.
As the last Izarian fell, Edmund's rifle clicked. With practiced grace, he ejected the spent ammunition magazine and slammed a fresh one home. The green light at the side of the flashed on as the rifle primed itself. Ready.
"More Izarians coming down Path B and C. They don't look too happy."
Edmund immediately issued a new command. "Ryan, Jakob. Create a choke point at Path B. Don't let them through. Sud, I want you to fry anyone trying to get in via Path C. I'll provide support. Lee, watch out at Path A for any unwanted visitors."
The marines got into position quickly, found some ruins as cover, and opened fire. Edmund pointed his rifle at the furthest Izarian he could see. Sud could take care of the nearby ones better. The rifle bucked against him, and Edmund strained against the recoil. He counted the number of Izarians he killed. One, two , three, four...The command frequency beeped.
"Edmund, how are you and your hound team doing?" said the voice of General Thran.
Edmund continued shooting as he answered. "A little busy right now chief."
"Yeah? Well, quickly finish off whatever you're doing and head down to the space port. We're dusting off."
Edmund almost to forgot to keep shooting. "W-What?! But the civilians, they need more time! Another ten minutes at least-"
"The shit's hit the fan son. You don't have ten minutes. The Skaarj are coming for the big push. We've got to get out of this city before we get ourselves trapped within enemy lines! Disengage, colonel."
Edmund gunned down the last Izarian. Listening, he realized that Ryan and Jakob had also dispensed with their guests.
"What news from the Boss?" Sud asked as he stared out at Path C. Edmund struggled with his moral decision. After a pause, he answered his friend. "We need to buy the civilians ten more minutes. Then we're dusting off."
"Right. Ten more minutes. Shouldn't be much of a problem for-"
"Holy mother. I've got two Skaarj warrior charging down Path A. Repeat. Skaarj, not Izarian." Lee's voice sounded frantic. And it should be.
Edmund cursed. One was hard enough to kill. Maybe if they trained all their fire power on them...
"Shit Cap'n! One more Skaarj and a handful of Izarians coming down Path B!"
Edmund's heart skipped a beat. The general was right. This was their big push. And that meant...
"Sir? I've got two more Skaarj coming down Path C." It was Sud. Edmund cursed some more. Screw, screw, screw! How the hell do you cover all three paths at the same time?
"Follow me!" Edmund yelled. Turning, he ran behind the bread truck he'd use for cover earlier and began to push. "Lee! Help me get this truck to block Path A. Sud, and Ryan, get the hover car and block Path C! Move, move, move!"
"What do I do?" whimpered Jakob.
"Shoot at those bastards at Path B and try to slow them down for god's sake!"
"Sir, the hover car is too small to fully cover the entrance of-"
"Do as I tell you!"
"Oh god. I'm shooting, I'm shooting sir, but they ain't stopping!"
Edmund had just finished getting the truck into position. It'll probably slow down the Skaarj of Path A for a precious half a minute. Like wise, the hover car was also in position, but like Sud had pointed out, it did not cover the entrance of Path C fully. The Skaarj would simply walk around it.
"Hurry, to Path B! We got to finish them quick!" Edmund rushed to Path B with the rest of the team to help out Jakob. "Concentrate fire on the Skaarj! Sud, take care of the Izarians!'
Four M32 Dusters chattered as they delivered depleted uranium shells at the Skaarj. The ferocious combined attack slammed the Skaarj backwards. A lucky burst caught him in the head. Edmund could not help but smile. No doubt all his team mates would try to claim credit for that kill later. If they survived.
Edmund heard an inhuman roar behind him. Quickly, he turned around to see the two Skaarj making their way around the hover car. The Skaarj at Path B were already trying to shift the hover truck. Taking quick aim, Edmund aimed his assault rifle and fire. One of the Skaarj dodged to the left, and the stream of shells missed him by a wide berth. But it struck the intended target.
The hover car exploded in a fiery spectacle. The two Skaarj disappeared with the car. At the same time, his marines had finished dealing with the Izarians. "Hurry, prepare to repel invaders at Path B!"
"Sir, Jakob-"
"What about Ja-"
Edmund paused. Jakob was lying prone, a power staff sticking out of his belly. His blood wet the pavement. He was not moving.
"Leave him, there's nothing we can do for him."
"But sir" It was Sud. "I think he's still alive, if we give him first aid-"
"We've got some Skaarj to kill men! Get in position! Now!"
Suddenly, the truck was lifted off the ground and tossed to the side. A Skaarj Lord had joined the two. Immensely huge even for a Skaarj, he looked down at the humans and sneered. "Filthy vermin."
The two Skaarj charged. Everyone opened fire. Edmund had targeted the Skaarj lord but he evaded by leaping into the air. One of the Skaarj fell dead as Sud fired plasma streams into his face. The other fell upon Ryan, who screamed in terror. Lee aimed but dared not open fire in fear of hitting his comrade. The wrist blades of the Skaarj extended and he buried them in Ryan. Ryan gurgled and collapsed. Edmund whirled end fired on the Skaarj, but the bullets could not penetrate his thick armor. The Skaarj leapt away and Lee also fired, trying to keep the reticule on the target.
The Skaarj lord was tangling with Sud. Sud's heated plasma was doing nothing more than aggravate the Skaarj lord. With a punch to Sud's stomach, he sent Sud flying backwards. Edmund screamed in rage as he aimed at the Skaarj Lord, but a blood curdling scream made him turn around. The Skaarj warrior was on top of Lee, and was stabbing him repeated Lee with his wrist blades. The blades came away bloody.
"Get away from him you bastard!" Edmund yelled and raised his rifle. From behind, the Skaarj Lord struck a crushing blow on Edmund's back. Gasping from pain, Edmund fell to the floor. The M32 Duster flew from his grip. The Skaarj Lord's wrist blade extended. Edmund blacked out.
