36: Run Through the Jungle
The Calsharan troop transport trundled along at a steady pace, driven somewhat recklessly by Kav'rak, who was seated in the driver's cabin. The others were bundled into the rear, seated on the benches at either wall, trying to keep themselves steady by grasping whatever handholds were nearby as the vehicle raced along uneven terrain upon its large, sturdy wheels.
Aithris was seated nearest to the driver's cabin, one hand around a handhold in the ceiling above him. There was little to be seen from inside, as the few windows here were small and narrow, placed near the ceiling and as such provided little more than light for the inside. The Nomad kept his other hand on his rifle, and he turned to the group seated before him; the two makalvari soldiers who had tagged along, Lieutenant Sha'Pek and Sergeant Hur'Par; there was Natalia, seated just off to his left, with Jonas across from her. John had stayed back to try and draw the enemy away, a plan that Aithris had not entirely approved of. Nonetheless, he knew better than to try and argue that point with him. When John had a plan, he had a plan and there was little anyone could say or do to dissuade him from it. Aithris had thought of staying behind with him, but he felt better being here now, with Natalia and Jonas. He would get them out of here safely, no matter what; as for the makalvari, he was not sure what to make of them. The two soldiers seemed reliable enough, but Captain Kav'rak? He had come here with a vested interest, and Aithris was certain it was the computer crystal he had pulled from the main terminal back in the laboratory.
They were speeding down some forest road now. Gravel crunched under the tires and Kav'rak, manning the wheel, seemed intent on keeping the accelerator pushed down to the floor for as long as he could. It was understandable, as they had a small army out to get them, but it did not make for an enjoyable drive. All the bouncing and lurching around was enough to make one sick, although Aithris had no problems keeping his stomach under control.
"Could he take it easy up there?" Natalia voiced what was on all their minds, and she turned her head towards the driver's cabin. Kav'rak was just visible through the small open hatchway there, his attention fixed entirely upon the road ahead. "He's going to get us all killed driving the way he is."
"I can hear you," Kav'rak called, without looking back. Makalvari hearing was somewhat more sensitive than that of a human. "And until we've put as much space between ourselves and the enemy, slowing down is the last thing I want to do."
Aithris rose from his seat, keeping a hand on the holds in the ceiling as he moved for the hatchway. The canopy offered a wide enough view of the road ahead, flanked as it was by lush forest. The road was bumpy and uneven, barely a 'road' in itself and more of a gravel trail that someone had carved through the forest many years before. The vehicle's windshield was made from a common Calsharan polymer, thick and transparent, capable of taking some direct plasma fire before it gave way.
"Captain, the Sergeant may have a point." Aithris spoke in a level voice, eyes narrowed as he watched the makalvari Captain drive. To Kav'rak's credit, he was working the controls with a finesse that suggested a good deal of practice and plain simple experience. "It's no good killing us all in a crash, which is easily done in this terrain."
"Everyone's a critic, it seems." Kav'rak huffed and shook his head. "If you want to drive, Nomad, then come up here and drive. But in case you had not noticed, we happen to have a sizeable Calsharan force pursuing us. No matter how effective your Colonel was in diverting them, there will still be some of them looking for us. The sooner we clear the region, the better." Something caught his eye on the road then and he swore in his native tongue, loud enough for the others to hear. Aithris gripped the open hatchway hard to keep himself from falling over, but it proved to be a futile effort as the entire vehicle seemed to lift up from its wheels, the front-end going up first. This was followed by a deafening thump that sounded from beneath the vehicle, with part of the floor tearing open before Aithris. Now he did fall over backwards, the entire vehicle rolling onto its side and sending its occupants bouncing about as it moved. Aithris' senses filled with shouts and pain and the sound of tearing metal before consciousness left him, the smell of burning metal filling his nostrils as the blackness encased him.
It was some minutes later Aithris woke up, his head pounding and his backside resting on damp, grassy earth. He was in the open sunlight by the side of the road, branches hanging over him, the vehicle about five metres ahead on lying upon its side. Something had exploded underneath it, and the blackened crater in the road a short distance behind it suggested that they had driven over a mine. The Calsharans at the facility did not often come this way, it seemed, and had apparently mined the road to ensure no one else could.
Natalia was kneeling by him, and she appeared relieved that he was awake and otherwise unharmed. She had a small cut on her cheek, which trickled some minor measure of blood, but she appeared otherwise unscathed.
"You got a bump on the head," she told him. Aithris put a hand to his head, feeling a tender spot a short way above his right eye. A fresh bruise, but thankfully the nanites in his system would help heal it quickly as well as prevent any complications, such as a concussion. He looked about, seeing Jonas squatting nearby. Sha'Pek and Hur'Par were there with him, and Aithris realised quickly that they were gathered around the writhing form of Captain Kav'rak.
Aithris rose to his feet and picked up his dropped rifle, which Natalia had placed by his side. Natalia stood up with him, and she placed one hand to his shoulder in order to help steady him. The world wobbled about him a little, but it was a fleeting sensation and he was able to keep upright without her continued assistance. He went over to where Kav'rak and the others were, noticing with some worry that there was a lot of blood pooling around the Captain's lower half.
Kav'rak's eyes were wide with pain, and he snarled as Jonas attempted to clean some of the dirt from the wounds on his leg. Specifically, the lower half of the makalvari Captain's left leg had been torn up in the explosion and subsequent crash. The trousers leg had been shredded, as had much of the flesh underneath. Blood seeped from multiple lacerations, with a broken bone jutting just slightly from the mess. Aithris had seen his fair share of injuries, although there was nothing quite like seeing a broken bone poking out of someone. They had already propped the leg up slightly, with Hur'Par's bedroll underneath the boot, thereby keeping the wounds clear of the dirt below.
"I'm going to have to set that bone," Jonas said. He sounded regretful, knowing full well the kind of pain it would cause. Aithris knew that Jonas was a scholar of sorts, and with that in mind he had probably perused more than his fair share of medical texts. Of course, they would not help much when it came to makalvari physiology, but it was better than nothing.
Natalia came over then, unslinging her pack. She pulled out a small first aid kit, no doubt searching for something to ease the pain.
"Your human medicines might hurt him," Sha'Pek said, and he had a point. Natalia looked defeated then, having found a small syrette inside the kit that was meant for relieving the worst pain. Jonas appeared reluctant as he pulled a standard-issue combat knife from a sheath at his waist. Aithris, feeling a little exposed out here by the side of the road, looked back down the way they had come. No enemies were in sight, at least for the time being.
"All right, I'll have to cut away the fabric. Lieutenant, you and the Sergeant need to hold him still." Jonas turned to Natalia. "Nat, get something to clean this up and some bandages."
Natalia was already pulling the respective items from the first aid kit. Aithris continued to watch the road, feeling increasingly uncertain with the way they lingered out here. Kav'rak groaned as Jonas went to work with the knife, gently cutting away the shredded trouser leg and some of the wrecked boot. Pieces of the boot's rubber were caught amongst the ragged, bloody flesh. Sergeant Hur'Par put a large hand around the Captain's beak, clamping it shut so that he did not scream out as Jonas began to pick out and flick away the small pieces of debris that had caught in his leg. After about a minute, he appeared satisfied that he had cleaned enough of the wound to help.
Natalia handed him a small bottle of disinfectant. Jonas unscrewed the cap and at the same time, he gave the wide-eyed Captain another pained expression.
"This will hurt, Captain." He sounded genuinely sorry about it, almost as if he was the one about to endure the pain. Hur'Par kept the Captain's mouth closed as Jonas slowly poured the solution upon the shredded flesh. Straight away the Captain thrashed about, with Sha'Pek holding his legs down and Hur'Par keeping his mouth shut. That was just the start of it, as Jonas found himself with the unenviable task of trying to get the Captain's broken leg bone back into its proper place.
"Natalia, get a tourniquet ready. We're going to need to keep this thing from bending." Jonas glanced to Sha'Pek and gave him a light nod. Kav'rak, whose dark skin had turned a much paler shade, appeared near to passing out. Aithris left the road then, heading into the tree line in order to find some branches suitable to construct a makeshift stretcher. He looked back at the group as Jonas began work on the bone, with Kav'rak trying to thrash about some more before he finally fainted.
They were going to be slowed down now, that was the unfortunate reality of it. They all knew this, though none would say it. Hauling around the injured Captain whilst marching through the forest with the enemy on their tail; it was the very kind of situation they could not afford right now. And yet here they were, and despite their misgivings about Captain Kav'rak, none of them were quite willing to leave him behind. Aithris certainly would not, for he and the rest of SG-1 had come here on a mission to assist the makalvari, regardless of the hidden agenda those birds had in play. Leaving their officer to die out here would hardly endear that ally to the people of Earth, an ally they needed for the real fight that Aithris knew was soon to come. In the grand scheme of things, this business with the Calsharans was simply a sophisticated diversion.
John and Elsie did not stop running, keeping within view of one another as they darted through the forest, shoving aside underbrush and swatting branches from their path. The ground was damp from the recent rains, still muddy in places, with the forest floor covered in a layer of thick undergrowth, moss and fallen, rotting tree branches. John had started them southwards, figuring that if they were to make a rapid escape from this place, they would do so using any vehicles left at the train depot they had arrived at earlier, after stowing away on the train to get out here. Of course, this would also be the place where the most enemies were likely to be coming from, so one might consider that a small 'catch' to John's half-assed plan. Still, there was plenty of forest to get lost within, and the chances of them simply running into an enemy patrol seemed slim.
It was the enemies pursuing them that John was most worried about. His legs and arms were practically screaming at him now, for he was pushing his body well past its comfortable limits. Elsie was several metres ahead of him, barging through the forest with a nimbleness he was almost jealous of. Whereas John bashed his way through the undergrowth, Elsie seemed able to dodge and weave her way through the labyrinth of trees and their extending branches, moving through it all whilst keeping her fast pace going. They were both panting and sweating, the temperate of the day feeling much warmer for the both of them.
Finally, they came upon a rocky outcrop at the side of one uneven, forested hill. From up here they could look out across the hills and forest towards the south. John called for Elsie to stop then, and she did so, slowing down as she crossed the rocks and turned around to face him. John came puffing and panting into her view, face scrunched up into a strained expression.
"Just a minute, Lieutenant," he told her, leaning against a nearby boulder for support. "I need a breather."
"They're not far behind us, sir." Elsie sounded worried, her voice firm but underlaid with a concealed annoyance at the fact that they had stopped. Not an ideal plan, John knew this. Even so, he needed to gather himself, instead of simply charging on through the forest in the hopes of outrunning their enemies. Something told him that outrunning them would not work in the slightest.
"You hear that?" Elsie looked up, turning her gaze towards the forest back the way they had come. John paused, listening through the quiet of the valley and the forest. Neither officer said anything as they listened, with something akin to a dog's barking coming from someplace distant. It was not a rapid bark, more of a steady, occasional call that hinted at a large and powerful animal. So, no ordinary dog. It seemed to be coming closer, and both John and Elsie exchanged worried glances.
"What is it?" He asked her. She seemed to recognize the sound, and her slightly widened eyes went to him.
"I saw a few of them in Blaskane," she explained. "They're like big, ugly hairless dogs. The lizards were using them as trackers and guard dogs."
"So, we're being tracked?"
"I'd bet on it, sir."
John took a moment to consider their options, of which there were few. If those animals were tracking them, then that meant they had to have a scent or some kind of trail. He had to assume it was the former, with Calsharan soldiers moving with the animals as they honed in on whatever scents the two humans had left behind them. The broken branches and disrupted undergrowth would also enable an experienced tracker to follow them. Not to mention, he had dumped his burning vest in that hangar. Something could have pulled his scent from that, and he had to assume that was where they had found it. Nothing else had been left behind that the enemy might have been able to use.
A plan began to form in his head, another one of his borderline suicidal jaunts that no sane person would probably agree to. It paid to be the commanding officer then, as he could carry it out without needing to concern himself with what others thought.
"Lieutenant, I need you to let them know where we are."
She looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Your rifle. Fire off a shot."
"Is that an order, sir?" She had very obvious doubts about the whole thing. John stood up and narrowed his eyes at the Lieutenant.
"I don't need to make it one, do I?" He asked her.
Elsie got the hint, leveled the Barrett rifle from her hip with the barrel angled upwards and then pulled the trigger. The thunder of the rifle's shot resounded across the valley, stirring up a cluster of alien birds that went fluttering out of a nearby tree in a panic. The crack echoed off into the distance, receding into nothing with each return, but it did not matter. Somewhere behind them, their pursuers stopped in their tracks, the snarling calsagri pulling hard against their leashes from the scent that filled their nostrils. And then, after a moment spent determining from which direction the noise had emanated from, the pursuing soldiers and their animal companions went charging onwards.
"Head west," John told Elsie. "I'll draw them off."
"What, again?" Elsie could hardly believe her ears. John offered her a smile and patted her on the back.
"Don't worry about me, Lieutenant. I've got a plan."
"So does everyone else right before they die, sir." She did not sound like she would go along with it. John frowned, giving her a look he hoped expressed how serious he was about what he had in mind. She did not argue, even if part of the reason she was still a Lieutenant after so many years was because she had a habit of arguing with her superiors. She respected Colonel Sheppard enough to do as he said, even if it sounded crazy. She had heard enough stories about his past exploits to know that sometimes, his crazy plans worked.
"All right, sir." She did not sound pleased, but she had relented. Slinging her rifle back around her shoulder, she went running across the rocks and into the trees ahead, disappearing from view amongst the bushes and brush.
John, now alone, turned around and started to jog back the way he had come. He swung a right, heading downhill along terrain that threatened to send him tumbling. He used tree trunks and branches to catch himself a few times as his booted feet threatened to slip in the mud. Somewhere distant behind him, he could hear the snarling, bellowing beasts crashing through the undergrowth, pulling along their Calsharan handlers. John wondered how many Calsharans were on his tail; a dozen, maybe a little more? It did not matter. He had something in mind that might get them all off his tail, and he had to pause a moment at the crest of the hill to make sure he was going the right way. He recognized the rocky hillside further off to his left, a little lower down the slope from where he stood. Another kilometre past that, he estimated, and he would be at the spot he was searching for.
Major Dravesk ordered his driver to stop the staff car. Both he and the driver were looking about the surrounding forest, as were those in the pair of trucks following behind them. A gunshot had rung out, loud and clear through the entire valley. The source had to be somewhere to the west, although it was hard to pinpoint from the way it bounced off of either side of the forested valley, the sound carrying well across the open air.
Dravesk and his soldiers had already found the wreck of the crawler that the intruders had used to escape the airfield. He had a pair of combat engineers ahead checking the road for further mines, such was the price of keeping this approach secure. The mine-clearing would slow them down somewhat, but if the intruders had got off on this road, then they were on foot and they would not get far.
Dravesk, satisfied that the pursuit had stalled long enough, bellowed at the driver to get moving again. He had some humans to catch.
John found his way to a familiar patch of forest, which was saying something as so much of the forest looked identical. However, here in this section was the partially rusted, yet still visibly gunmetal grey shape of the old makalvari plasma bomb, stuck amongst the equally old tree that had grown around it in an unusual, split-down-the-middle shape. The bomb looked defunct, but the actual device was free of visible damage, covered only in the wear-and-tear expected of something left out in the open for two hundred years or so.
John raced for the base of the old bomb. There, he tore off a strip of his shirt, which in itself was already filthy and torn in places. He bundled it amongst the leaf litter at the base of the bomb, and with it he placed Natalia's claymore. The device was helpfully labelled with 'FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY', and it was the lethal side that John left facing up. He armed the device, tied up its wire amongst the torn strip of his shirt and then quickly scrabbled some of the leaf litter over it to cover it up. With this done, he turned and started to run again, racing down the forested slope, the bellows and hollers of the Calsharan tracking beasts audible through the forest from some distance behind. He did not have much time; he could only hope that his pursuers stopped to inspect the little 'gift' he had left them.
Whilst John belted through the forest, the trio of calsagri being held on sturdy leads came racing up to the base of the bomb, sniffing about the leaf litter. The Calsharan soldiers with them paused, looking about the ominous, gunmetal-grey object, something that none of them had actually seen before. Confusion reigned amongst the group as the officer in charge knelt by the base of the old bomb, well aware that the device had explosive potential, yet content that it was so old it was probably long past being functional (or had never been to begin with, hence why it had been left out here, leftover from some long-ago war).
The calsagri barked, and one of them seemed to catch on to the scent again. Nonetheless, the officer poked around the base of the old bomb, finding a strip of black fabric that appeared to have been taken from someone's clothing. And with it, a small rectangular object with a set of alien writing on it that the officer did not recognize. Before he could pick it up, he heard a faint click as its wire was pulled just that little bit beyond the detonation point. A second later, the claymore detonated, throwing up a spout of dirt and smoke that tore the officer to shreds and sent the calsagri beasts near him flying. In turn, the volatile materials contained within the old makalvari bomb ignited, long-dormant plasma energy searing into life. The centuries-old mechanism worked as if it was fresh off of the assembly line, one chamber of volatile energy igniting the next and then the next. In the space of a couple of seconds, the bomb exploded, and the entire hillside became enveloped in a staggering plume of blue-white flame that erupted above the landscape in a towering column.
The concussive shockwave hit John first. He was a good distance away, yet it did not seem to be enough, for he felt the shockwave hit him in the back with the force of what felt like a speeding truck. He was sent tumbling, falling over the edge of a ditch before he began to roll down the slope. A wave of blue flame had erupted behind him, casting the forest under its blistering glow. Trees were reduced to charred, oversized matchsticks. John tried to regain his footing but he kept on sliding down the hill, branches cutting at his forearms and face, smoke falling over him. There was a roaring in his ears, pain at his back and then suddenly, tumbling over the edge of another ditch, he hit his head on something hard and blacked out.
"You don't understand!" Kav'rak was practically screaming the words as Sha'Pek and Hur'Par hauled him along on the makeshift stretcher. Aithris lead the group, with Natalia close behind and Jonas keeping up with the Captain's writhing form upon the stretcher. Kav'rak's leg was bandaged up, yet the lack of painkillers had seen him move in and out of consciousness over and over again. He had, from all appearances, lost his senses.
"We're agile creatures." One arm shot out and grabbed Jonas' forearm, hard. Jonas frowned, startled by the sudden powerful grip and distinctly unnerved by the blazing yellow eyes that looked into his own. "We are nothing without our skills. I need to keep this leg…" Kav'rak's tone was pleading. Moving through the forest, having to carry the Captain on a stretcher, made for tough going. Both Sha'Pek and Hur'Par did not look pleased by the arrangement, but they nonetheless pressed on despite their discomfort.
"You'll be fine, Captain." Jonas wished he could actually be truthful here, but one look at Kav'rak's leg told him that without proper attention, he would probably lose it. He had no idea how advanced makalvari medicine was, so perhaps they had a means to save the leg. However, they needed to get off of this planet first.
Carefully, Jonas pulled Kav'rak's clawed fingers off of his forearm. They were going downhill now, towards a river if the maps Jonas had memorised were accurate. He looked to the others, seeing how everyone was so focused on what lay ahead. And then, as if someone had flicked a switch, that focus was broken by the loud roar that erupted from somewhere off to the west. A rumble sounded out and the group halted, the ground underfoot shaking, tree branches swaying around them as an unnatural gust of wind suddenly buffeted the valley floor. They could not see the source of the explosion from where they were, but it was apparent to them all that something had indeed gone up in spectacular fashion. Whatever it was, it was something they would have to wonder over later.
"Keep going," Aithris ordered, and the group once more fell into step behind him. He had memorised the same maps Jonas had, taking them in the general direction of the train depot. It was their only way out, and even then it was a stretch at best. Kav'rak might have had an actual exfiltration plan in place, but he was in no state to talk about it. He was on his stretcher, writhing about in a mix of pain and confusion. The bandages around his leg were being soaked through with blood. They would need to be replaced soon enough, and Aithris doubted that they had many left to spare.
Natalia was a few paces behind him. They trudged, even slipped, down a gentle, muddy slope. Hur'Par and Sha'Pek, carrying the stretcher, had to take greater care here. Jonas assisted them in hoisting it down without anyone falling over and sending Kav'rak with it. They exchanged glances, knowing full well what the other was thinking in this case: they were being slowed down. Kav'rak had become a liability, and no one here would really miss him if they left him behind. However, no one said as much out loud, no one was willing to be the first to even suggest such a callous action. Certainly not Jonas, and certainly not Aithris who had decided that no one, no matter their character, would get left behind. They would push on, and they did not have too far to go if Aithris' memory served him correctly.
Were they being pursued? Aithris could not hear anything that suggested the enemy was near, but that did not mean they were not there. Again, their pace was too slow, and any enemy with access to vehicles would easily catch up to them. He turned to Natalia, seeing the grave expression she wore, and he felt much the same. He kept his face neutral, betraying no significant emotion, keeping on a stern demeanour for the benefit of those he led. With the Colonel elsewhere, Aithris had more or less fallen into command, even if Natalia was technically supposed to take charge of SG-1 with the Colonel gone. Even so, she had gladly set aside some of the leadership duties to the experienced warrior, something she had done more than once in the past since the two of them had joined the team.
There was a stream somewhat further ahead, at the bottom of the valley. It was more of a 'stream', as it was only a few metres wide, with the water reaching up to one's knees at its deepest points. Calling it a 'river' would have implied it was something much greater. Nonetheless, the freshwater stream would at least provide the water they all needed, and the thought of it lying ahead helped to drive the team on further. The dense forest around them petered out somewhat as they neared the waterway, giving way to thick grassland. Aithris halted the team several metres before the glorified stream, the water crystal clear, running over rocks that had been smoothed by many years of erosion. There was a slope at the other side, comprised mostly of a grassy clearing before the trees started to encroach upon one another again.
Here, Aithris looked about carefully, his violet-hued eyes surveying their surroundings with a scrutinising gaze that took in each and every detail: the undergrowth at the other side, rustling lightly in the gentle breeze that wafted on through the valley; the trickling, running water that ran between silted, fine gravel banks; the buzzing insects that seemed to infest the grass and undergrowth around them, chirruping and buzzing, latching onto their clothes but otherwise too small to bite their skin; even the puffy white clouds above, floating slowly along on the gentle winds, the sun blazing down to mark an unusually warm day in the middle of the winter months, at least for this part of Dalabrai.
And yet, through it all, Aithris sensed something amiss. He sniffed the air, his narrow nostrils flaring. Natalia paused alongside him, turning her head to meet his gaze.
"What is it?" She asked him. Aithris set his eyes on her own, his face serious.
"There is something wrong here," he stated. "I cannot entirely determine what, but I can feel it. A 'hunch', you might say."
Lieutenant Elsie Rhodes could hardly believe how her day had gone, nor could she entirely believe what had driven Colonel Sheppard to not once, but twice offer to stay behind to draw away the enemy. The man must have had a death wish, and indeed she had figured as much from what she had heard about him prior to ending up in his company, here on Dalabrai. He had carried out more than one suicidal plan during his time as part of the Atlantis expedition, and it seemed that trend had carried well into the present period. There was no denying the success of some of his past escapades, but Elsie would have been the first to point out that eventually, one's luck would run out. And so, with some reluctance she had left the Colonel alone to his latest scheme, turning and running through the forest in a mostly directionless fashion. Head south, or so she had thought she would, for that was where the depot had been. That was where they would find the means to get back to the town and to the stargate. And yet, all the forest around her did was serve to turn her around and leave her feeling very lost very quickly.
She stopped when she heard the explosion. The ground shook under her feet and she steadied herself with one hand against the nearest tree trunk. She turned around, sighting a brilliant blue plume of flame erupting over the forest some distance away, but it was hard to determine just where that was exactly amongst all the greenery. Colonel Sheppard had done something all right, she had no doubt that the explosion was his doing. There was also the good chance that the Colonel had been vaporised in that very explosion, a thought that only spurred Elsie on to resume her running. At least now she knew to head away from the explosion, a plan made all the more favourable when the concussive shockwave ripped through the air behind her and knocked her over, sending the Lieutenant stumbling into a muddy ditch.
She landed face first in the mud, immediately becoming smothered in the grey-black sludge. She pulled her face out of it, coughing and sputtering in an effort to get out the mud that had ended up in her mouth. Her uniform, already dirty and torn, was now drenched. She went to wipe some of it from her face, but that hardly helped as her hands were covered in it anyway. All she did was smear it. She swore loudly, clambering out of the muddy pit and slipping a few times whilst doing so. Even her rifle, that pride and joy of hers that had proved its usefulness against the body armour worn by Calsharan infantry, was caked with mud.
Upon reaching the lip of the ditch, she knelt down and unslung her rifle. Using a rag from one pocket, she wiped off most of the mud, conflicted as to whether she should do a quick field strip and clean to make sure nothing serious had found its way into the mechanism. Instead, with the awareness that the enemy was likely not far away, she pulled out the magazine of the Barrett M82A1 and ejected the round in the chamber. With the weapon empty, she raised it to her shoulder and dry-fired it a few times, although without the force of the bullet to cycle the next round, she had to manually cock it before each trigger pull. The action worked, so she was content enough to reload the weapon and sling it back around her shoulder.
Now, all she had to do was find her way through this rainforest. She was alone, just as she had been in the town after her team had been wiped out. Somehow, through what she could only assume was a cruel joke played upon her by the powers-that-be, she had survived. She had survived, and for it she felt like a coward, unable to shake the feeling that somehow she had failed her team. From then on, she had been pursued through that town, Blaskane, for what had felt like days, whilst in reality it had only been a few hours. Just as she had heard earlier, she had heard the bellows and snarls of the Calsharan 'dogs' in the town sniffing her out and closing in on her. And when they had got her, she had done what she could to put on a brave face while the Calsharans beat the tar out of her. She owed Sheppard and his team her life, yet now it seemed she was back to how things had been before: alone in an alien environment and pursued by the enemy. Her luck had never been particularly good, but this was getting ridiculous. How much misfortune could be heaped upon someone in the space of a couple of days, really?
She swore again. It was something she did a lot of, more so now that the universe seemed to have turned against her. Checking the small compass that was tucked in her mud-covered vest, she noted which way 'south' lay and started in that direction. If she ever made it out of here, the first thing she would do was take a bath.
She almost slipped and fell again, only to catch herself on an overhanging branch. It had been hours since it had rained, yet everything was so damn wet. She already hated this place, and now it seemed that she would have even more reason to hate it, something she had not thought possible. She would have wondered aloud if things could get any worse, but she did not wish to tempt fate.
