Mortok

by C. R Corbin

  "Very well...How long do you think we can hold out?" I asked him and he shivered before staring back at the screen

  "From the looks of it, our forces aren't going to be enough...We will likely need to evacuate you and lady Julie." he stated and I shook my head.

  "I am not leaving my people here to die...We need to come up with a plan to help. What sort of forces are we dealing with?" I asked.

  "No, no you can't put yourself in danger...Please just stay here..." Julie said and I looked at her with those tender eyes before gripping her hand that was resting on my chest.

  "I can't do that. It's one of the reasons you love me so much remember? Don't know when to give up." I said and she sighed before nodding to herself.

  "Yeah.....I guess yeah ...But I don't want to lose you..." she pleaded and I bite my lip.

  "We don't have a choice. I'm sorry that things ended up like this, I didn't want to be spending the last week of our mating period like this but...I have to do this. For my people. For you."

  "Then let me help...Anything..." she stated.

  #

  Mortok

  The battle had been raging on for quite a while and after a bit of reluctance and arguing on my part Julie eventually forced me to accept her aid. There were a couple of conditions, such as one specifying that she stayed out of combat and used a droid instead of charging in.

  The armory wasn't that far from the center of town which was rather fortunate. It was located on the west side where the fighting was actually going surprisingly well for us. Reinforcements had arrived and were warding off the enemies on the outskirts on that end of town at least. On the outskirts of the town were these turrets that were already installed in order to aid in defenses and they had worked religiously to cut down a great deal of the attackers. There were still quite a bit of them, however, and due to the surprise nature of this attack, they had gained the upper hand.

  That was going to change now.

  I was a renowned pilot back during my time as a soldier in the Morelen military. I should note that conflict between Morels was rather uncommon as father would often snuff out anyone that gained more than their fair share of territory, that is, two planets. This was to prevent rebellions against him of course and thus Kerod, even if he succeeded, would likely fall victim to the forces of my father. So why was he doing this? That was a question that I would have to ask him myself.

  I soon received word that he was present, located in the north side of town where his forces had managed to push back my soldiers back a bit. If he was able to break through to gain access to my flanks and attack them then the town itself would be completely overrun.

  We already sent out messages to every corner of the town to evacuate towards the central building where the warding was at its strongest and most citizens did. There were still some stragglers abound and I would have to be careful enough not to strike them while facing down against the rest of Kerod's forces.

  Julie took command of one of the droids located in the armory, there was still a spare that hadn't been taken out to the battlefield due to lacking anyone that was assigned to operate it. She was a novice, but she would have to do since she wanted to volunteer so badly, and to my relief, it seems as if she wasn't having that much trouble with the machine as it took to the skies and floated about. In front of her was a screen that monitored her flight movements and a joystick to help her control the little robot. I, on the other hand, donned armor that I thought I had left behind and leapt into a small ship that was located in the basement of the armory. Our pilots already had their own ships and this craft was supposed to be back up but we needed it now more than ever.

  "Be safe." she said to me and I nodded while caressing her cheek. Her soft brown eyes rest on my golden orbs and I pulled her in for a kiss as I felt her lips meld into mine. Her hands run over the smooth plating of my armor and I nodded before separating from her.

  "Make sure that you're safe. I don't want to come back to find that you've ran off into battle alright?" I asked her and she nodded.

  "I will ...I love you." she said and I winked.

  "Love you too." I muttered before climbing into the ship and sighing before taking the controls.

  Time to prove my worth.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Mortok

  "Come on you bastards! Come on!" I cheered as I raced through the skies, this exhilaration was something that I haven't felt in the longest time and it was completely alien to me in some ways. I had long since been relegated to the role of prince, the role that dwelled in castles and among nobles in court, none of this battle and fighting nonsense that I was wrapped in now.

  But I was fine with it, really I was.

  “Whew!" I roared in my craft as I raced over the south end of town, dropping homing missiles on the troops that were running up behind the front line as reinforcements.

  I look around the skies and see that a ship was flying about, the same one that had dropped the bomb near the center of town. He was my primary target at the moment, then after that, I could fly towards the northern end of town and confront Kerod myself. I don't know what he was thinking by placing himself on this planet and attempting to confront me face to face but it seemed like an incredibly foolish move on his part. I wasn't one to judge though, I was currently sky high and could be blown up at any moment.

  I hear the first bolts of energy dart across the sky and nearly take my wings as I twisted and turned in the air to avoid them. They dash past the hull of my ship and I sighed in relief as I quickly made a sharp turn in an attempt to outmaneuver them. Bolts of plasma and lasers trek their way through the clouds as I flew upwards in an attempt to shake the man off of me.

  My ship was a simple one but it was standard issue for most Morelen military personnel. An ARX, a plane that looked more like a square plate than it did a ship. To the side of it were turrets that could fire out laser bolts, on the bottom were various energy bombs that could be dropped at any time. At various points on the ship were compartments that could lift and fire off missiles.

  That's where the commonalities ended.

  I had made a few adjustments to any ship that was under my control. My engineers were some of the best in the known galaxy and as such my ship was enhanced as well as it could be. It was fitted with the latest boosters, the best plating, the best shielding, everything was supreme in quality, especially when compared to other Morelens.

  As such, outmaneuvering this bastard proved to be child's play in the end.

  I make a sharp turn and fly towards the mountains. He follows me but I am able to quickly turn around one of the peaks at a corner that he could not and I soon found myself flying through one of the valleys. I dip and dive over the peaks as he tries to follow me before I fire off some shots at the snow beneath me to create a wave of steam and snow that he couldn't see through. I lost him through the fog and turned sharply right as I am about to strike one of the stone peaks, a stone peak that he hits.

  "Yes!" I cheered as I gazed at the wreckage rolling down the side of the mountain before I made my way back towards the town.

  #

  Julie

  To say that I was lost would be a dramatic understatement.

  This thing's flight controls were utterly incomprehensible, luckily I had Otono alongside me to guide me along. Apparently, he had fought in some battles as well and was experienced in using these machines whereas I was not. He takes control for a bit and shows me the basics before he goes towards his own drone controls.

  "Alright...Looks like the north end could use some help." I said as I directed the drone in that direction. I didn't even have a really good idea of what my machine actually looked like. It could have been a flying saucer, a small helicopter, I don't know but it was apparent that this thing was damn fast.

  There was basically only one weapon on it which was this laser gun that could fire off the bolts of energy almost as fast as it flew. Once I got t
he control of the machine down I was able to turn and aim it with relative ease but it was still a learning process. Apparently, these things weren't nearly as effective in normal battle as a normal soldier was but they were good for keeping the civilians occupied which was why they were relatively easy to learn. Too bad no civilians wanted to come along to help but I suppose it was understandable.

  "Alright!" I cheered as I fired off a shot that catches one of the troops that was hiding behind cover. I float away as the men on the ground began to fire shots at me.

  "You got one Lady Julie?" asked Otono and I can only roll my eyes at his constant formal nature. I nodded and made a noise to affirm his question before I took off again.

  On the ground, I could see waves of troops making their way into the town. They hid behind buildings and most of them carried large blasters however some of them carried melee weapons which I thought was rather strange. The ones that carried melee weapons couldn't be taken down with simple shots from my drone and apparently, Otono had picked up on my frustrations.

  "They can't be hurt. Just focus on what you can do." he said to me and I nodded, biting my lip as I watched those men charge their way deeper into town while clashing with the frontlines. There were men on the floor that were ready to greet them but that didn't make me feel any more easy about the entire thing.

  I flew around and took potshots at the soldiers that I could but eventually, it became clear that I wasn't doing that much damage in comparison to their forces at large. I had to take out a large portion of them and fast otherwise we would be fighting a losing battle against a tide of soldiers that was continuously pressing forward. I found my chance upon spotting a rather large tower that was located on the outskirts of town, it was directly above a large tank that was making its way inside and was along one of the main roads leading into the town itself. I didn't know if it was valuable or not but I had to try, if I blocked that road then it was likely that they would have to go through the more rocky terrain of the mountains off to the side and that would hinder their movement dramatically.

  "Alright...calm myself...Now!" I said and shot off several bolts that struck the tower near its absence. It was made out of stone and was probably 300 feet in height I would have to imagine. The shots that I fired off seemed to chip away at the stone and melt it slightly but it would take much more than that to make a sizeable dent.

  I continued to fly around and fire off various shots at the building until Otono picked up on what I was doing. He was having much more success taking out the soldiers and when he asked me if I wanted him to help I had told him that he should focus on taking out the remainder of the men that were currently in the city.

  I would handle this.

  "Looks like the stone is almost there...Wait what happened? Why can't I fire?" I asked and Otono glanced over at me calmly and explained.

  "It means that you're likely running it of energy. It would be best to retire that one and take command of another one if you can." he said to me and I bite my lip while glancing at the tower, there might not be enough time to activate another one and have it fly to this spot so I had to take a bit of a gamble.

  I flew the drone at the same spot on the building at full power, the stone was thinning and with any luck then this charge would shatter the structure and enable it to collapse onto the street. I boost towards it and strike the stone with a great deal of force as the monitor is filled with images of smoke and fire before shutting down. I am returned to the baseline screen and take control of another drone soon after. I fly back towards the same building and see that I had indeed made it collapse onto the street, there were bodies lying across the asphalt and the tanker had stopped dead in its tracks. The men were frantically moving to clear the rubble and I fired at them as they approached, I missed most of my shots but was able to take quite a few down. At the very least I bought us some time.

  During all of it, I began to feel the dread creep up in my stomach. I was killing men, slaughtering them with such an impersonal disconnect and it was beginning to take its toll. My hands were quivering and I could barely keep my eyes on the screen or fly anymore but I had to focus.

  I had to focus.

  "Good, good work. That should slow them down soon enough for-" Otono said but I was distracted by the sudden massive plume of smoke that was arising out of the north end.

  #

  Mortok

  I had flown back towards the north end of town and was striking them near the choke point where the building had collapsed. The tanker had no other option but to continue forward, to find another route would be to waste quite a bit of time so I was rather happy that I had a single focal point to the target. The other ships were currently providing air support to the other end of town. I had informed them that they didn't need to worry about the north end and they all moved accordingly.

  After all, this is my fight, and despite my rustiness, I was still one of the best pilots in the sky at the moment. So my men trusted me when I said I was going to take care of it.

  I drop several bombs onto the choke point and take out several of their men before I see several lasers firing at me from the rear. I had been flying around for quite a while, striking and bombing whatever reinforcements that they had sent my way. I was on my way back towards the north end after circling about before I felt something hit my rear.

  It was a shot from one of their anti-aircraft cannons. A bolt of plasma had carved its way directly through my booster and the ship was beginning to descend.

  So what better way to end the fall than to strike the north end?

  I fly towards the bundle of troops in the back and I soon spotted Kerod who was in the midst of a crowd of troops that were marching forward. He was wearing that royal armor of his and holding a rather large saber in his hand. If I was lucky then I might be able to crash into his forces and eject right before I did so.

  I turn my course for him and fly onwards as I feel the heat of their blasters scratch the hull. They had a single anti-aircraft gun that fired several shots at me and crashed against my shields. Unlike the one that took my booster out these shots weren't overcharged so they were only barely able to graze my hull after getting through my shielding. I think they soon realized what I was about to do once I got close enough and they began moving out of the way, the anti-aircraft gun included.

  I fire off as many shots as I can and eliminate a great deal of their forces before ejecting and flying high into the sky. I activate my electrical chute shielding and dive towards one of the buildings on the outskirts of town where their troops were rather far from. I land and dive through the stone and rubble before the shield deactivated and I found myself on the first floor of what was a residential home.

  And judging from the noises that were coming from the outside they were making a mad dash towards where I had landed. Apparently, I wasn't quick enough while falling and they had realized that I was the prince.

  I drew out my mace and hold it to the side before dragging whatever I could find in front of the front door in an attempt to delay their approach. From what I could tell they had some heavy firepower left but that didn't mean anything if I lost them in the city. They would be firing at this building at any moment so I would have to escape quietly while they were still distracted.

  After I barricade the entrances I sneak off of the roof and make my way deeper into town, running through the streets frantically in an attempt to find my men. I encounter some enemies along the way and manage to strike them down with my mace in a matter of seconds. I crushed one man's helmet in one swoop and make my way deeper into town as I tried to run towards the east side.

  However that all ends when a single man leaps from the rooftops and nearly took my head off with his sword.

  "Kerod." I snarled and rolled away from him while hoisting my mace up.

  "I saw your escape. Nice try but you won't be losing me that easily." he said.

  "Where are the rest of yo
ur men?" I asked.

  "Haven't caught up yet and I don't want them to anyways. Sent them to keep the pressure on your forces on the north side so they don't interrupt our little dual..." he snarled and lifted his sword off the ground.

  We were currently in one of the streets, a wide one with various crafts parked off to the side. There was a single rail line that runs through the center that controls the train that runs through the town. I gripped my mace and swing it at him in a wide arc and he ducks before jabbing at my feet with the blade which I dodge. I swing the mace again and strike his sword which nearly flings it out of his grasp before I gave him a kick on the chest for good measure.

  "I don't know what you're after but you're not finding it here. The king will kill you once he finds out about this..." I said and he rolled his eyes.

  "Oh really? Those are all rumors and silly stories told by inexperienced rulers little brother. The king has thousands of planets at his disposal. What makes you think he cares about this one? That I might start a rebellion? Hell he might be impressed that I even succeeded and offer me up a bigger reward." said Kerod, I quickly realized that I was dealing with delusion the moment those words came out of his mouth.

  "Is this out of desperation? Because you couldn't rule your own world you attempt to target mine in an attempt to compensate for your own failures?" I asked and he snarled.

  "You talk too much!" he growled and jabbed me with his sword. I swayed my body to the side to avoid it before I swing my mace upwards and strike his arm. It buckles but it doesn't break and he manages to cut the surface of my armor as I bounce back. I realize that this battle will likely be prolonged, and even though I would probably receive the victory, I could be drawn away from the battlefield long enough to prevent me from helping.

  So I fired up the communicator.

  "Mortok are you okay? Where are you? You're not hurt are you?" Julie's voice called out and I grunted.

  "No, I'm not. Listen, come to my location right now, I'm sending you the directions. There's something I need you to help me out with." I said to her in a hushed voice.