by Adam DiSalvo
The screens blinked off and Hardglave grabbed his helmet from the chair behind the desk. His armor’s design was thick and menacing, with small hooks and spikes protruding from every surface. The commander kicked open a crate near the doorframe. From inside he removed two magnetic grounders along with three shockwave devices. He secured the grounders to his back and the explosives to his belt. After standing and checking his gear he kicked the crate lid shut. Lightning ripped through the room and the ceiling above Hardglave peeled back forming a giant hole. The commander gripped his AGR tight and blasted off, dozens of large metal shards following him into the sky. He landed just outside the building next to a large, dark green crate. He approached and lifted the control panel cover as distant gunshots echoed through the stone-dish valley. He keyed in a five digit code and the crate hissed as the locks released. The container unfolded revealing a thick armored, quadrupedal machine bristling with weaponry. The war engine activated, its power supplies whining at their first waking. Hardglave swiped a few commands into the PDC on his wrist and the beast stepped down from the platform. He swiped a few more commands into his PDC and spoke into the mic.
“All teams. These coordinates have been scheduled for orbital cleansing by Lord Sodom of Genethis. The synchronized timer I’ve sent represents time until bombardment. Secure any remaining units and make for orbit immediately. I repeat. These coordinates have been scheduled for orbital cleansing. Make for orbit as soon as cargo is secure.”
Hardglave checked his war machine one more time and rose into air, drawing the machination along with him. The commander bolted off in a flash soaring over the edge of the giant valley sized dish. Smoke rose from the base of the antenna array. Dozens of old construction drones battled Chandra’s avatars near the exit. The surviving thresher units fought to maintain control of the remaining pods. One transport made takeoff and headed for orbit. Six more still lay grounded. Hardglave’s boots hit the ground and the doorway to the antenna array exploded sending drones and threshers alike hurling through the air. Bits of cement and torn metal bounced off Harglave’s magnetic shield shooting off small glints of blue light. The four legged war-bot landed behind him. Through the blanket of smoke, blue AGR rounds came spewing forth from the gaping hole in the antenna array. Chandra’s avatar’s moved in packs, darting through the haze and tearing though the lightly armored threshers one by one. The weapons onboard Hardglave’s beast of war roared to life as it tore off engaging Chandra’s feline fighters. Another spray of AGR rounds forced Hardglave to duck away. He grimaced and catapulted forward, spinning shards of metal from battlefield debris as he flew. Above, Drop 2 decloaked drawing the incoming Imperial air patrols away from the ground fight.
“All units!” Hardglave called over the radio as he sent the shards of plasma streaking through the air in front of him. “The FD87 has been deployed! Converge on the opening!"
Taytha erupted from the smoke as the spikes disintegrated on the surface of her magnetic barrier. The distinct ring of her azukar ushered along her fearless advance. Hardglave reached for a magnetic grounder and brought it to bear, intercepting Taytha’s strike. A fury of slashes followed as Hardglave parried each of Taytha’s incoming blows. He retreated into the sky as a wall of construction drones fell upon the gap in the antenna array. A staggering Lilyth stepped from the darkness inside and the drones snapped back and twisted as electricity arced from her hands into their cores. The nearest bots exploded and crashed into the advancing drones behind them. Lilyth coiled their twisted metal corpses into a wall of jagged spikes.
“Ether contact! Deploy shock weapons!” ordered Hardglave over the radio as Taytha tore after him through the sky.
Marcus bolted around Lilyth and into the forward position as her steel phalanx cut through the advancing waves of construction drones. Levron and Jeshet emerged from behind her with Captain Gestos in their arms. Jaithen followed the group out as Braenna dragged a mangled Brinegore along on Jaithen's six.
“You better not fucking die!” yelled Braenna over the fight as dozens of Chandra’s warriors dashed for the far flank.
Taytha slammed into the ground in front of the group as they fought their way to the nearest transport. She rolled onto her feet and dashed away as a murder of flying metal shards stabbed into the dirt. Hardglave followed, bringing down a viscous strike upon Taytha. Her azukar sang is it rose to meet the hail of attacks brought on by the commander.
“Get down! Get down!” Levron yelled pushing Gestos and Jeshet to the ground.
The FD87 crashed through their cover on collision corse with Taytha.
“Sergeant! It’s coming right for you!” Levron called out.
Taytha spun blocking Hardglave’s swing while delivering an incredible heel kick to the FD87’s head unit. The robotic weapon hit the ground tumbling as Taytha moved her azukar to intercept Hardglave once more. The commander’s mechanical familiar rolled onto its feet tracking Taytha with every weapon it possessed. The machine opened fire on Taytha’s six, it’s rounds shattering against her magnetic shell. Taytha parried one more strike from Hardglave and shot up into the sky.
“Lilyth!” Marcus hailed through the roar of the fight. “We need to get to a transport!”
Lilyth turned and waded with her father into the center of the fight. Bullet flight paths curved and arced around the pair as they cut through middle of the fray. The FD87 switched its attention to Lilyth.
“Get rounds on that thing now!” Gestos screamed.
Levron and Jeshet loosed a barrage of weapon’s fire onto the unsuspecting robot. It turned its caved in head to the incoming fire as Jaithen closed in, sliding under cover and raising to his feet with his weapon focused on the FD87. Jaithen depressed the trigger and a pair of black armored threshers tackled him to the ground, his rounds missing wide. Jaithen scrambled to his feet slipping an incoming fist and delivered a swift kick to the soldier’s groin. As the assailant hunched over Jaithen pulled the man’s sidearm and shot his comrade three times, then turned the weapon on the stunned soldier in front of him.
“We’re at the transport!” Braenna barked into the mic ducking away from thresher fire impacting the edge if the drop door.
She looked down at her captive.
“What the fuck is the code?” Braenna demanded.
“6157!” Brinegore shot back.
Another transport broke for orbit.
“It’s not working!” Braenna shouted.
“6157! 6157!” Brinegore repeated.
The hatch hit the ground.
“We’re in!” Braenna informed the team through the mic. “Get over here!”
The thresher’s war bot charged Levron and Jaithen’s position, its weapon systems chewing into their cover.
“It’s coming straight at us!” Levron yelled.
The beast smashed through barrier protecting the three imperial soldiers, shoving them aside. Sheets of metal rain came flying in from every direction. The rounds spun away in a curling orange wave as Lilyth stepped in between the soldiers and the hailstorm of thresher fire. Jeshet and Levron drove round after round into the hull of the FD87 as they soldiers scrambled away. The beast lunged for them and Taytha came crashing down on top of it. Hardgalve streaked in right behind only to be met with a volley from Marcus’ assault rifle. The commander banked to avoid the incoming fire and landed over Jeshet and Gestos. Hardglave’s magnetic grounder ignited and came down fast. Before the plasma-edged weapon could make contact three of Chandra’s avatars pounced. Hardglave stumbled back struggling to free himself from the melee.
“Go! Go! Go!” Jeshet urged lifting over his cover. “Get the captain to the transport!”
Levron lifted the captain from the ground and carried him over his shoulders towards the drop ramp at the rear of the waiting aircraft. Lilyth paced Levron, forcing away rounds as he scrambled through the battlefield. Marcus continued pressing towards the transport smashing dozens of rounds into an engaged Hardglave. Levron’s boots hit the transport ramp as Hardglave
wrenched one of the metal animals from him and hurled it towards Lilyth, striking her in the back.
“Lilyth!” Marcus cried dashing for his daughter.
Without the aid of Lilyth’s magnetic redirection the incoming thresher rounds hit Levron in the side and arm. He fell to one knee dropping the captain onto the ramp, both falling hard on the cold steel.
“I’m hit!” cried Levron spitting out blood.
Marcus slid in next to his daughter and roled her over. She was still conscious.
“Two down on the ramp!” called Braenna, initializing the engines.
She clambered back over the seats to the open hatch in back. Rounds snapped against the ramp all around the two downed Imperials.
“Shit!” Jeshet exclaimed. “I’m moving in t—.”
A second of Chadnra’s avatars came flying in from Hardglave, crashing into the side of Jeshet.
“One more down!” alerted Braenna, grabbing onto Gestos’ tactical vest.
“I got him!” Jaithen called out sprinting towards a downed Jeshet.
Braenna hurried to drag a hemorrhaging Levron up the ramp into the rear of the transport with the captain crawling behind.
“I got you! I got y—“ Braenna reassured him as rounds raked across the ramp and into the backs of Levron and their captain.
“Fuck!” Braenna screamed letting go of her friend. “Fuck!”
Hardglave slashed the last of Chandra’s avatars attacking him in two with his plasma-bladed ethukar. Just behind him, Taytha tore the head from the FD87 and hit it with overlapping magnetic fields, sending the crippled machine spinning towards Hardglave. With a wave of her hand she spun the dead construct into a bouquet of plasma shards. The commander held out his hand, halting the shards in mid air. With a thrust of his palm he hurled them back towards Taytha forcing her to fall away.
“Can you move?” asked Lilyth’s father as the two hid behind one of the stasis pods.
Lilyth nodded her head.
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Marcus replied, gripping his weapon. “When I say move, we move. Alright?"
He peeked around the edge of the pod.
“Okay it’s not too far.” Marcus reassured his daughter. “Only about thirty yards or so.”
“Engines are hot! Let's fucking go!” cried a debilitated Brinegore from inside the transport.
“We’re not leaving!” barked Braenna, turning a darkening glare to the thresher.
Braenna jumped back, rummaging through her gear in the cockpit and removed two shockwave grenades.
“Fuck this ether piece of shit,” she hissed.
Hardglave dashed after Taytha, pulling fields of metal spikes along with him. Hardglave’s spears splintered against Taytha’s shield as azukar met ethukar. Pink and blue sparks filled the air on contact.
“Now! Go!” exhorted Marcus.
Marcus and Lilyth stepped around the pod concealing them into crisscrossing fields of thresher fire. Lilyth spun the shots into hurricanes of hot metal and lashed the threshers frontlines with return fire.
“What the fuck was that?” Jeshet groaned, rolling onto his back.
“You’re good. You’re good,” Jaithen reassure the specialist.
Chandra’s avatars continued to hold the flank, assaulting each advance on her friends. Her units dashed in every direction firing their onboard weapon’s systems.
“Jeshet!” Taytha screamed over the radio. “Jeshet! Get your ass up!”
Marcus and Lilyth neared the ramp when Hardglave bisected their route after delivering a viscous front kick Taytha’s chest. The commander pulled a second grounder and came across with two ethukars burning bright. With outstretched hands Lilyth halted both weapons mid swing. Hardglave strained against the opposite force, gritting his teeth. With lightning quickness Hardglave released his grip on the ethukars and moved to strike Lilyth with his fist. She thrust her right hand forward sending the commander flying backwards with a forceful push of gravity. Hardgalve landed with force and rolled over onto his hands and knees.
“Teg syren,” he growled.
Lilyth raised her hands redirecting the threshers’s incoming fire once more.
“Your weaving of magnetism and gravity won’t save you little teg!” Hardglave mocked. “Do you even know what you are?”
Jeshet stumbled to his feet and took his rifle from Jaithen.
“Time to go! Let’s move!” Jaithen barked pushing Jeshet along. “Move! Move! Go!”
Braenna crawled from the rear hatch holding her rifle. She helped Marcus into the ship and stepped around to lay cover fire for Jaithen and Jeshet.
“Get the fuck in here!” Braenna howled.
Briegore rushed the rear of the ship spinning clouds of plasma from the wreckage strewn about the war zone. The glowing bolts fizzled out as Taytha tackled him from behind. Jaithen and Jeshet reached the ramp and climbed in.
“Just go!” Taytha yelled wrestling Hardglave for dominance. “Get in the air! Go!”
Hardglave reached out and wove together twisting magnetic fields, disarming Braenna and striking her with her own weapon. She grabbed her face, dropping one of the shock grenades. Still pinned down by Taytha, with a flick of his wrist, Hardglave pulled the pin on the fallen explosive. Jaithen eyes went wide as he grabbed Lilyth and leapt from the cargo hold. The weapon detonated, filling the ship with thermite shrapnel and bolts of electricity. Lilyth let out a blood curdling scream. Black smoke billowed out the back of the transport. Taytha’s strength waned from the shock and Hardglave made his move. He unleashed a wave of powerful magnetic forces sending Taytha soaring through the air.
“No!” Lilyth screamed “No! Dad! This can’t be happening!”
Thresher fire came in from everywhere. Chandra’s avatar’s disengaged their targets an fell back towards Jaithen and Lilyth.
“We have to get the fuck outta here!” Jaithen screamed pulling Lilyth along. “We have to get to another transport!”
Taytha hit the ground hard dispatching threshers as she rolled into their forward fighters. The center line collapsed around her drawing their fire. Lilyth shoved Jaithen off and stormed the thresher front.
“Lilyth what are you doing?” Jaithen pleaded. “We need to go!”
Two of Chandra’s avatar’s jumped Hardglave from his flank. They fired their rear protruding weapons into him at pointblank range. Each round was warped away by oscillating magnetic fields. The rest of Chandra’s group flew by tracking towards Jaithen.
“Captain!” called Chandra’s closest fighter. “To the next transport!”
Jaithen watched another transport take to the sky as he tore after Chandra’s escorting pride.
“There’s only two left!” Jaithen warned.
Taytha’s shield held as an incoming barrage of three hundred and sixty degree fire pummeled the magnetic barrier. Into each hand she recalled her weapons and dragged the closest ring of threshers into her reach. She slashed in a circular arc carving in half the wheel of soldiers flying towards her. Still spinning she unleash a wave of AGR rounds, cutting into the next row of thresher fighters.
“Stop the fucking pilot!” Jaithen called to one of Chandra’s cats.
A feline extension of Chandra's consciousness bolted forward and into the rear of the ship. Violent screams erupted from the cockpit as a second of Chandra’s long-tailed selves leapt inside. The two machines reappeared dragging out a bloody corpse.
“Engines are primed for ignition Captain,” notified Chandra’s bots, as Jaithen clamored past them into the cockpit.
“Take his transponder and check his PDC for clearance codes,” ordered Jaithen prepping the ship for launch.
“He has the codes, Captain,” Chandra informed him.
Lilyth pressed forward as thresher fire crashed against her.
“Firing up the engines!” Jaithen declared turning around.
His two escorts, scratched their way up the rear ramp.
“Lilyth and the one they call Tayt
ha are still in the fight Captain.”
“We’re taking off anyway,” Jaithen replied.
“Captain!” objected Chandra as the ship lifted into the air.
Hardglave wrestled a hand free and pulled his grounders to him. The commander ignited one weapon and slashed his attackers to pieces then tore after Taytha.
“Imperial!” Lilyth called out. “Behind you!”
Taytha turned to meet Hardglave’s terrible onslaught of strikes.
“Now you die!” bellowed Hardglave as he twisted every piece of battlefield debris into jagged bolts of plasma.
The area around them bloomed into a bright constellation of colors.
“At the hands of a pure ether born!” sneered the commander.
The thresher soldiers disengaged, fleeing before the imminent destruction.
“Computer reroute all power to counter incoming magnetic fields.” Taytha ordered.
“Negative Sergeant. Insufficient power,” the computer responded. “Danger of system overload.”
“Just do it!” Taytha screamed.
The garden of plasma lifted from the ground and streaked towards Taytha.
“This is the end!” Hardglave mocked as the blinding flock of glowing bolts halted in mid air. “What?”
Hardglave turned to see Lilyth standing before him with her outstretched hand.
“With me Imperial!” she roared
“Computer direct all magnetic fields at primary target!” Taytha directed
Lilyth’s eyes burned bright blue as she let out a vengeful scream. The shards of plasma circled up into the sky and a tempest of plasma descended upon Hardglave. The blinding hot metal tore into his helmet and armor. With one final shriek the commander was consumed by liquid fire. Gun fire interrupted the fleeting victory as it streaked in again. Taytha about faced drawing down her AGR.
“Till the end!” bellowed Taytha as Lilyth warped away the incoming fire.
Lilyth steeled herself, raking down another line of enemy threshers. The pair stepped forward together as Jaithen dropped a commandeered transport in between the two women and the thresher line.
“Get the fuck in!" Jaithen screamed from the cock pit.