SIXTEEN
BELIEVE IN WAR
Review Corner
Guest: Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation ~ Richard Bach
The-Colonel-382 (and anybody else who's wondering): The dialogue is bastardized Latin a la Spartacus. If you have watched Spartacus, you'll notice that the dialogue structures are similar to this story. It is hard to follow because the sentence structure of Latin is very different than English. I thought it would be fun to run the dialogue this way.
Northern Mountain,
Central Continent, Planet Zi,
February 22, 2128
For three days the insect zoids provoked skirmishes at the outskirt of Backdraft digging site, but retreated every time Royce and Saskia mounted a counter attack. Saskia started to feel that the Double Sworders and Saicurtis were just opportunists, low-level bandits that attacked the Backdraft team with no particular reason. She had seen the likes of their kind, and the way they organized themselves made her believe that there was nothing special inside the Backdraft digging site.
But when the insect zoids returned in great number, in a tight battle formation as if orchestrated by military personnel, Saskia couldn't overlook the value of Backdraft's artifact anymore. There should be more to it than just 'artifact' as the Backdraft pilot claimed. What kind of artifact? Another zoid-of-mass-destruction like the Death Saurer? Ancient-Zoidian-related material? Or was the Backdraft actually doing something 'naughty'? The more rotten something had become, the more it attracted flies.
"What does head perceive now?" Saskia huffed sarcastically as she lined up her Leostriker with Royce's Command Wolf. "Still yet fight amateur bandits and opportunists?"
"None matters," Royce scoffed. "There is but one outcome: the insects dead, all of them."
"A resolution well desired, but not my concern," Saskia replied as she turned all weapons online. "Army like this is not absent purpose. Backdraft's artifact attracts brigands like shit does cockroaches. Whatever it is they are digging is not of scientific nature."
"Is there any difference?" Royce spat. "We kill insects, and we receive reward. That is all that matters."
"What if Backdraft is unearthing yet another Death Saurer?"
"To what end?" Royce sniggered. "To amuse people? Did ears fall sleep during Backdraft presentation? Entertainment spurs Backdraft's intention, not world domination."
"Yet violence mars Backdraft science project," Saskia said as she pointed at the Double Sworders, massing at the edge mouth of the pass, getting ready to swarm the Backdraft digging site. "It was an unreasonable thing, to raise entertainment with bloodshed."
"Time to reason comes presently. Now it is time to fight," Royce blurted, then turned to the Backdraft's Black Rhimos and Grounchars. "We press advantage at long range. Upon words, lay down suppressing fire and do not stop until I say so. Am I understood?"
"Yes! Understood!" the Backdraft pilots replied.
"Put mortars to use as they come," Royce turned to Saskia. "Then split cheeks and ream asses with sword whoever still stands after onslaught."
"I shall see it done as such," Saskia replied as she rubbed her thumb at the firing button. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she recalled the close encounters with two Double Sworders several days before. But the Leostriker purred eagerly, looking forward to pounce at the insect zoids in a close-quarter melee. Saskia knew the 20-ton lion was at its best at point-blank range. Its Zan Strike sword elevated even before the insect zoids came into the mortrar's range.
"Still fluttering heart," Royce said, as if he could read Saskia's mind. "I would not see you harmed."
The Double Sworders and Saicurtis formed a large crescent formation then charged the digging site. Their medium-sized cannons yapped, creating a web of energy bolts that swiped the Backdraft site like a tornado. The Leostriker roared in defiance as energy bolts stabbed every square inch of its body like thousands of needles. Tiny bits of armor sprayed into a wide area. Saskia's HUD began to blink, signaling the loss of armor at an alarming rate.
"Bring in rain!" Royce screamed over the comlink. Saskia mashed the trigger and half a dozen mortrars leapt from the tubes, charging the incoming Doube Sworders in wide angle. Fire belched from her cannons, spitting light tracers that joined energy lances from the Black Rhimos, Grounchar, and Command Wolf. Saskia's mortars fell right in the center of the Double Sworder's rank, breaching limbs and scimitar-like claws. The beam shots from the Black Rhimos and Grounchar wreaked havoc on the front insect zoids, cutting off legs and claws, but failed to kill any of one of them. Just like Saskia's mortars.
"We have not enough kills in weapons!" one of the Backdraft pilots remarked. "We shall be overwhelmed presently!"
"Keep guns firing!" Royce yelled in response. His twin assault cannons were the only one that was strong enough to destroy an insect zoid in one strike. Beam spears surged form his cannons, gouging the closest Saicurtis on its least protected hull. Fireball expanded from its core, disintegrating the Saicurtis into a mist of burning smelter. Royce picked up another insect and took it down with one shot, just like his prior victim not ten seconds ago. The Command Wolf howled with every explosion as if the fireballs reminded it of a full moon.
But despite the rain of destruction by the Backdraft team, the Double Sworder and Saicurtis were not daunted. For every insect taken down or mutilated, two came out to take its place. They forced their way toward the Backdraft digging site like mindless drones, pouncing at their death without fear. Some fell short, taken victim by the Backdraft defensive firepower, but they kept coming, and now they were within a few meters away from bringing their murderous claws to bear.
"Saskia! On me!" Royce hollered just as his rocket boosters propelled the 'Wolf forward, attacking the incoming insects from close range. His turret swiveled erratically, evaporating a Double Sworder or Saicurtis every time the cannons blazed in blinding glory. But the 'Wolf was also a very capable slugger in close-quarter melee. Two Double Sworders challenged the 'Wolf superiority at point blank range, and Royce made them pay for their stupidity. The 'Wolf's hardened-alloy teeth sank into the cockpit of a Double Sworder, crushing the cockpit and everything that was enclosed in it. The other one came from the rear but a mighty kick dislocated the Double Sworder's jaw. The 'Wolf turned in a blinding speed and snapped the remaining jaw with its claws.
Saskia reckoned attacking a swarm of insects from point blank range was not a good idea, but she couldn't let Royce fight alone. She blasted her engine, and the Leostriker leapt right into the midst of sword-clacking Double Sworders. The image of getting ripped apart by tick-like insect zoids still gave her a bitter taste at the back of her mind, but Royce had a plan to see them alive, and she was not one to fail him.
A few Double Sworders and Saicurtis quickly ganged up on the Leostriker, peppering the lion with rapid-fire ballistic and beam attack. Saskia yanked her joystick around, making the Leostriker cringed and lurched and pounced erratically, but there were just too many of them to dodge. Armor started peeling off her zoid, and she quickly realized that her evasive maneuvers were simply pointless. The only way out was to carve a hole in their defense, or as Royce eloquently put it: to ream their asses with her sword.
"This better work, Royce," she hissed as she yanked her joystick hard to the left. The Leostriker made a violent left turn and whipped its tail. The tip of the Zan Strike Sword sliced the carapace of a Double Sworder like a hot blade through butter. Spark gushed out like geyser from the Double Sworder's abdomen. The insect zoid staggered, but soon lost power and capsized, lying flat on its back with feet sprawling in the air.
Two Saicurtis sandwiched the Leostriker and blasted their 20-mm cannons while another Double Sworder jumped on the lion, pulling the same tactic as the couple Double Sworders several days ago. Saskia winced, jerking her joystick in every direction to throw the Double Sworder off her back, but the insect latched on the Leostriker's structure and started drilling with its swords. Warning sign blinked furiously and alarm blared, warning her that she had 20 seconds to do something before the Double Sworder reached the main power line of the Leostriker.
Saskia cried out in frustration, but then she recalled a maneuver she pulled off with her Gilvader against a clinging Gojulas Giga 5 years ago. It might be difficult to do since the Leostriker didn't fly, but she didn't have any other choice. She punched her throttle, breaking into a quick sprint, then forced the Leostriker to jump as high as it could. Midair she turned the zoid around and body-slammed the Double Sworder, crushing the cockpit under the Leostriker's body. A sickening screech reverberated as the entire 20-ton weight of the Leostriker mashed the Double Sworder cockpit into metal mush. The insect writhed on the ground, trashing about in its death throes, then lied still.
The Leostriker sprung back to life like a spring, facing the two Saicurtis that had momentarily stopped shooting, lest they shot their own comrade. Without thinking Saskia fired her mortars and cannons at point blank range. Most of her rushed attack sailed above the Saicurtis harmless, but a couple of mortars landed between the Saicurtis, exploding upon impact. Mutilated limbs flew into the air, and the Saicurtis dragged their bodies with the remaining legs. Grinning, Saskia whipped the Zan Strike Sword left and right, carving jagged-edged gashes on the Saicurtis' abdomens. Tongue of fire bled from the gashes, and the Saicurtis hobbled before rolling onto their backs.
More Double Sworders tried to climb onto the Leostriker but Saskia gunned the engine, taking her zoid out of trouble. The Zan Strike Sword whipped left and right while the mortar launchers and beam cannons blazed relentlessly. The forward weapons of the Leostriker didn't have enough punch to kill insect zoids but at least they could rip limbs apart, reducing the effectiveness of the Double Sworders and Saicurtis. The Zan Strike Sword caught and subdued insect zoids every so often but it was more of opportunity kills than calculated attacks.
Saskia fired her mortars up to the last shells then jettisoned her launchers to shed some weight. Half a dozen Double Sworders zeroed in on her position and jumped on her, but she rerouted all generator output to the drive train and leapt away. The Zan Strike Sword shifted right and stabbed a Double Sworder clean on the chest. The Double Sworder shrieked before exploding; the fireball swelled from the damaged core and tore the zoid apart from the inside. Another Double Sworder caught up with the Leostriker and made an attempt to clip its leg but the Leostriker kicked it right in the midsection. The metal stag beetle flew a dozen meters behind before crashing, breaching half of its legs.
Surviving and killing almost a dozen Double Sworder and Saicurtis gave Saskia a boost in morale, but she knew the fight was far from over. Despite the fact that most insect zoids were ganging up on her and Royce, few slipped past her attention and attacked the Backdraft's Black Rhimos and Grounchars. The Black Rhimos could handle the pressure, but the Grounchars had been virtually wiped out. One was left a charred hulk, the other wobbled on fire, probably wouldn't return back to form again.
"Royce…" Saskia called for help.
"I know," Royce replied calmly, "yet we can do nothing. Continue thoughts toward fighting and see yourself unharmed!"
"If you wish," Saskia turned her zoid around, facing half a dozen Saicurtis with guns aimed at her forehead. The Saicurtis wasted no time; traces of beam lances rained down on her. The 20-mm beam guns didn't do a lot of damage but the prolongued exposure to such weak armament started taking its toll on the Leostriker. Its armor platings were almost stripped clean, and steam hissed from joints and hydraulic lines. The acrid smell from the burning lubricants permeated into the cockpit, turning Saskia's stomach upside down.
But despite the damages, the Leostriker shot its battlecry, trumpeting its readiness to continue.
Saskia slammed her foot on the pedal, bringing the Leostriker into a zigzagging bullet. The Saicurtis trained all weapons at her, but the little lion was faster than all the Saicurtis could keep track. It leapt over the closest Saicurtis and buried its Zan Strike Sword into the insect's cockpit. The Leostriker withdrew its blood-stained sword and flipped it sideways, catching another Saicurtis on the left. The tip of the sword cut two legs clean before lodging into the abdomen. The pilot realized there was no hope for the Saicurtis, so he jumped off and abandoned his zoid, seconds before the Leostriker yanked its tail sword, tearing a deep gash on the Saicurtis' abdomen. The insect writhed erratically before the breached power lines threw sparks to the punctured coolant container, setting the zoid on fire.
The remaining Saicurtis regrouped and trapped the Leostriker in a crossfire, but the Command Wolf came to the rescue and destroyed two Saicurtis in quick succession. The Leostriker turned to the other two and fired its forward cannons. The Saicurtis turned around, but the Leostriker jumped on one and mauled its abdomen. The Saicurtis emitted a mortal squeak as the lion tore its abdomen apart. The pilot decided to stay, an act of loyalty to his zoid that he eventually paid with his life when the Leostriker clawed the cockpit to bits. The last Saicurtis decided to run for its life.
Getting a little break, Saskia leaned on her chair, drenched in sweat as she watched Royce's Command Wolf cleaning up the remaining Double Sworders and Saicurtis. Most of the insect zoids had been incapacitated or severely mutilated. One of the Backdraft's Black Rhimos had been destroyed, leaving only one of the original Backdraft zoids still standing. But the pressure had been lifted, and with Royce pillaging their rear guards, the insect zoids soon found themselves scattering and running away from Backdraft dig site.
"Gratitude," Saskia hailed Royce as she wiped the beads of sweat from her face.
"For what?" Royce replied hastily.
"For believing," she smiled pleasingly. "For not having doubt. I would have fallen absent your backing."
"You bore your own teeth. I merely point proper direction."
It was hard for Saskia to gauge Royce's personality. On the ground, he was this pompous, narcissist egomaniac who would see herself far above everybody else. He regarded his mission as the divine words of the Bible upon which everybody just had to relent and give support. But here, on the battlefield, he was a true leader that kept everybody safe, and guided her to be her better self. This seemingly duality of Royce appended to Saskia's already confusing fascination – or more precisely 'infatuation' – of him.
"The Backdraft seized enemy pilots," Royce stated. "Let's see them talk about their intentions."
Saskia put the Leostriker in idle then exited her zoid. Backdraft ground crews had captured about 30 pilots from mutilated zoids and had them sit in the field outside the digging site with hands tied behind their backs. The remaining Black Rhimos huffed and puffed impatiently, inching toward trampling the pilots with extreme prejudice, but kept itself in control at the urging of Royce. Saskia could see the steel in his eyes, and she knew he wanted blood. Somehow she had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
"Who are you?" Royce asked with no particular direction.
When his question didn't get an answer, he picked a pilot at random from the group, forced him to kneel in front of him, then unseathed his blade and slit the pilot's throat. The pilot gurgled as blood gushed from his mouth. He crashed to the ground and writhed, groaning in his death throes, then lied motionless in a pool of his own blood.
"Oh My God!" Saskia turned her head away, appalled by the gruesome imagery less than 5 feet away .
"I seek to raise cooperation, but you produce cock and piss on my good will!" Royce thundered, waving the bloodied blade in front of the captured pilots. "Reconsider your position, or fall where you sit! One more time: who are you?"
Like the first time, nobody answered. Royce grabbed another pilot and buried the blade on his midsection.
"Royce! Stop it!" Saskia couldn't stand another atrocity. "You can't do this!"
"I would see my questions answered!" Royce shot a nasty glare at Saskia.
"To what cost? Death of all?" Saskia couldn't believe she had to defend enemy pilots that had tried to kill her not 30 minutes prior – from her partner, of all people. "You think violence will spur their intent?"
"There's but one way to find out," Royce grabbed yet another pilot, barely in his twenties, and aimed his blade at the young pilot's face. "Let truth spill from mouth, or find blade in its place!"
"We are Randis Brotherhood," the young pilot spoke up, obviously intimidated by the unprecedented death of his two comrades. "You stand in our sacred ground."
"What sacred ground?" Royce muttered. He turned to Saskia, "What do you know about Randis Brotherhood?"
"Nothing," Saskia winced and shook her head. "What do you make of this place?"
"We are the guardian of the sacred Hu Man'p-Hima'ni, an Ancient Zoidian relic of great power and wisdom."
"A mere local folklore, worthy but of bedtime stories," a Backdraft personnel scoffed.
"You confess of plundering their sacred ground?" Saskia shot bile at the Backdraft man. "No wonder the Backdraft had problems with local thugs! These Brotherhood are defending their turf! I told you, Royce, there is more to this job than just amateur bandits and opportunists!"
"It is but inflated tale to keep marauders off site!" the Backdraft man retorted. "We are excavating artifacts of scientific nature!"
"Still tongue!" Royce interjected, completely ignoring the dispute between Saskia and the Backdraft man. "This Ancient Zoidian relic… is it a zoid?"
"Of great power and wisdom," the young pilot repeated his statement.
"Is it the Ultimate Zoid?" Royce asked again. "Choose words wisely, or see them as your last."
"What?" the young pilot cringed. "What is Ultimate Zoid?"
"Royce?" Saskia squinted. "What are you doing?"
"Where is the Ultimate Zoid?" Royce said as if Saskia's words didn't mean anything.
"The Backdraft is pillaging its sacred resting place," the pilot spat. "May Backdraft burn in hell!"
"Let own eyes lay upon it!" Royce threw the pilot down to the ground and rushed toward a cave, allegedly the Backdraft's digging site.
"Hey! Keep hands off site!" a few Backdraft personnel halted Royce. "Your job does not include wandering into the site…"
But before the Backdraft men could halt Royce, the Command Wolf stepped in, growling menacingly. Its gleaming set of teeth forced the Backdraft crew to step back, giving Royce an unadulterated access to the digging site.
"Royce, have respect for these local people!" Saskia reminded him as they went into the cave. "This is their sacred ground!"
"Encapsulating Ultimate Zoid for years!" Royce replied without taking a break.
"What is Ultimate Zoid?" Saskia grabbed Royce's hand. "Eyes have not laid upon such travesties!"
"Travesties?" Royce suddenly turned around. "It is no such thing! Ultimate Zoid, a zoid of great power, worthy of a small army, vested by the Ancient Zoidian as the bringer of peace! Put head to work and imagine what we can do with such zoid!"
"The only zoid worthy of an army is Death Saurer, and it was the bringer of destruction!" Saskia bemoaned. She had never seen this side of Royce before. He was of many things; superstitious was not one of them. There were legends and myths circulating in Zi, but Saskia had yet to find one that was real. "Please, Royce, leave this alone."
"You're this close to the Ultimate Zoid and you wish to leave it alone?" Royce huffed and went deeper inside. He arrived at the deepest end of the cave, and a pile of boulders greeted him. It was clearly a remains of a zoid of some sort, who turned into stone when it died. But judging by the size of it, the zoid wasn't that much bigger than Saskia's Leostriker.
That made Saskia puffed a breath of relieve. At least this 'Ultimate Zoid' was not a Death Saurer. "Oh, Royce, you're but a fool. Your 'Ultimate Zoid' is a dead zoid. You shed blood for a pile of stone."
Royce's face turned red from shame and anger. "I will see them pay for this travesties!" he hissed, then stormed out of the cave, making Saskia wonder what other monsters lurked underneath Royce's handsome exterior.