Chapter 40. Promises
Tiff and the crew of the Bloodhound were pinned down. The plan was to wait on orbital support. Once the Bloodhound managed to soften the Lacertine base defenses the crew would move in and eliminate the remaining troops. Clearing and disabling this base was important to Tiff, not because of the strategic value the base represented but more importantly it allowed her to gauge the tactics and teamwork of her crew.
Andrew and Kaj had been gone for weeks now; if the crew was going to become a force capable of pushing back the tide of Lacertine troops that were still occupying the planet, then Tiff and the rest of the crew were going to play a major role in those efforts. Matty had proven himself capable of teaching advanced combat tactics, and his time in Earth’s military proved invaluable. Everyone in the crew, aside from CJ, was more than up to the task. Everyone received abilities during the Reaping Trial, and unless other Humans had returned to the planet since then, they were the only people capable of dismantling the enemy force.
CJ didn’t have abilities but had really invested himself in the training. He was determined to prove that he was as valuable a member of the crew as anyone. He had even kept his bickering with Elvis to a minimum, even going so far as to allow Elvis to help teach him combat tactics and train with him on hand to hand combat techniques. CJ was proving his value and this operation was an opportunity to drive that point home.
“Do we have an ETA on that orbital support?” Matty said after sliding to cover near Tiff. The Lacertines were laying heavy defensive plasma fire in defense of the base and serum facilities.
Jax, Loren, and Red had taken up positions near the garden and had managed to drive back the bulk of the Lacertines who were guarding that area, but they had still been unable to gain access to the defended inner area of the base. The barracks and serum facility were located in the center of the small base; that area had been fenced off with ten-foot high electrified chain link and was lined with razor wire to dissuade any humans from trying to gain entry to the Lacertine complex. While the entirety of the base took up several square miles, the majority was abandoned to allow the Lacertines to concentrate defenses on key infrastructure. It was well defended, but Tiff was sure it would fall today.
Suddenly, blue light pulsed from orbit, followed by a singular rail gun dart to the center of the heavily defended base. Screams filled the air as Lacertine troops exploded out from the impact. Bodies flew into the air from the railgun dart impact as the serum facility, a large industrial warehouse the length of two football fields, exploded, leaving little more than some of the outer support walls standing around a large charred crater.
“That is the signal! Elvis…Hulk Smash!” Tiff ordered through the comm.
“Smash incoming!” Elvis replied
“Everyone, you know you role. It’s go time,” Matty said as he turned to see Elvis, covered in flames, screaming like a banshee toward the front of the Lacertine defenses.
“Holy shit,” was all anyone had time to say as Elvis exploded through the layers of Lacertine defensive infrastructure. He crashed through the layers of fence and razor wire like it was paper, metal melting around him as he burned like a comet entering the atmosphere. Elvis roared as the flames surrounding his body shifted from burning orange to bright, concentrated blue. He turned toward the corner sniper tower and, with a smile, headbutted the stone foundation repeatedly until the tower crumpled and fell. Lacertine troops ran in panic from the maniacal bio-droid, unsure what to make of this berzerking beast. That was all part of the plan.
“Matty, Jax, thin them out,” Tiff ordered as the two brothers began firing into the crowd of panicked Lacertines, cutting off escape routes and rerouting the chaotic crowd. Loren and Red had set and armed several remote plasma grenades, and as they saw the crowd of Lacertines making their way down the main street of the base seeking escape, they sprung their trap. Explosions rattled in succession as Loren pulled and activated the trigger mechanism. It was like a scene from a post-apocalyptic horror movie as Lacertine soldiers were mangled and burned. Several Lacertines were covered in burning plasma as they continued to try and escape.
The battle was nearly over. Some 50 Lacertine troops had managed to escape the orbital bombardment, the sniper fire, and the plasma grenades. They ran toward the only remaining vehicles. There weren’t enough, but that didn’t stop them. They ran like scared animals, seeking any means of escape they could find. They had nearly reached the vehicles when CJ stepped out in front of them. The crowd came to a stop as one.
“Sorry guys,” CJ said, waving a hand in the air to get their attention as if the onyx black battle armor he wore and the mini turrets and missile launchers protruding from his back weren’t enough to draw every eye his way.
“Your lease is up,” he shrugged as lasers painted the heads of the Lacertines lining the front of the remaining troops.
“Do you know what you have done, Human!” One Lacertine growled.
CJ turned his head slowly toward the offending voice. “What have I done? You all came here, killed our people, sold our people, tortured our people, and you have the balls to ask if I know what…I… have done? Elvis, let’s give them an example of what happens when they ask stupid questions.”
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Elvis was there in a blink, leaving a black trail of charred asphalt in his wake. He pulled the offending Lacertine away from the crowd, spun him around, and had him face his brethren.
“If the tongue offends…rip it out,” Elvis growled before reaching around and grabbing the lacertines lower jaw. He flexed his fingers as the Lacertine's bones crunched. The Lacertine began to scream; it didn’t matter, he was to be an example—an example of the power of the human race when it had been pushed too far. The example needed to be impactful. Elvis grunted and ripped the jaw completely off; he smiled and moved around to the front of his victim.
“Where are your words, Lizard? SPEAK, SPEAK, SPEAK!” Elvis chanted as he mocked the dying Lacertine. He held up the jaw in front of the Lacertines face, tongue hanging limply from the bloody body part, “Please finish me, big pretty man, please,” Elvis said with a mocking tone. The lacertine fell to his knees, eyes glazing as he started to pass out from blood loss.
Tiff knew the example needed to be set. She knew it needed to be brutal, but she had seen enough. It was time to finish this; there was no reason to be cruel. The Lacertines were cruel, but that would not be the way humanity would take back their world. Tiff stepped forward, intending to stop Elvis, but Matty put a hand out to stop her.
“They need this, XO. We can’t operate like this long term, but they need this right now.”
“We are not animals, Matty. What are we proving if we can't be better than what we are fighting against?” Tiff looked around to see her crew walking toward CJ. She could see the rage in their eyes, the desire for revenge. These people had lost everything and felt they were due this tiny bit of recompense. Tiff sighed and stepped back; she knew that stepping in now would only cause the crew to resent her. This was war, the first real blow humanity could land. The Lacertines deserved what they were getting, but still, something in Tiff knew wasn’t the way.
Elvis, CJ, and the rest of the crew looked to her as the remaining Lacertine troops remained grouped together. Their faces told a story. They knew this would be their last day. They knew they would never see their homeworld again, hug their family members, or enjoy a meal with those closest to them. The weight of their sins weighed heavy on them now as the realization began to sink in.
“We surrender!” a gravelly lacertine voice shouted from the crowd.
“Yes, we lay down our arms, have mercy,” another voice echoed.
One Lacertine pushed his way forward through the crowd. He wore the uniform of a senior officer, buttons shining, boots polished. “We will not surrender to a group of lowly, dirty Humans. Do what you must, animal! We will not snivel and cry like the women out of fear. We are Lacertine, we are proud, and we are superior to your species in every way. This day will be avenged, So finish it.”
Tiff nodded her head and turned away. She knew what had to happen but she wouldn’t watch. There was no joy in brutality.
Elvis smiled and turned to CJ, who activated every weapon at his disposal. Shoulder plasma guns, laser-guided missile launchers, rage, and anger took kinetic form through his battle armor. Elvis became a god of flame and heat, hefting his battle axe and bellowing a battle cry as he leaped into the mass of Lacertines. The Lacertine troops tried to scatter in fear as they panicked, but it was all in vain. Bullets zipped into the mass, and Matty and Jax picked off anybody who ran for it. Red drove the rover up to the crowd as Loren manned the turret, spraying thousands of rounds into the crowd. And CJ stood, a beacon of strength and resolve as ordinance fired in rapid succession from his battle armor.
It took less than a minute. Less than a minute to end the lives of every remaining Lacertine from the base. Tiff sighed as she heard the cries of victory from her crew. She wished she could have enjoyed this win with them, but all she felt was regret about the way it ended. She knew if the positions were switched, the Lacertines would not have hesitated to wipe them out, but it wasn’t. Her people took victory today, and they proved themselves no better than the animals that enslaved this entire planet. This could not happen again; it would not happen again, Tiff promised herself as she slowly walked back toward the Pup.
A few minutes later, Matty joined her in the cockpit of the Pup. He could see the weariness in her eyes, the regret in the lines of her face. He knew that she didn’t agree with the way things went, but he also knew war. Matty had been on the losing side of battles, just like everyone else out there. He knew that the crew needed to feel powerful; they needed more than a win… they needed revenge.
Tiff sighed heavily as Matty sat down, “It can’t be like this…We can’t be like this. I won’t be a part of savagery.”
“I understand how you feel, XO. We needed a win today, though. The crew needed to find themselves out there. Isn't that the whole reason for this op?”
“A win? Do you call that a win?” Tiff stood up to face Matty. Yes, we took the serum facility off-line and put a dent in local food production, but at what cost, Matty? What is the point of saving the human race if they lose their humanity along the way? When the Lacertines are gone from this planet humanity will need allies. The eyes of the universe are going to be watching what happens on this little planet. They will be gauging the value of humanity. No species will align itself with savages, none. This cannot be the way we win.”
“We win however we must, XO. People are going to die, Lacertine and Human alike. There are no rules in war.” Matty replied.
“Killing in battle is one thing, Matty. Murdering out of some warped idea of revenge is another. We are better than that; we must show the universe that we are better.”
Matty stood up and put a hand on Tiff’s shoulder. “If we must be better, then show us how. Captain Andrew is gone, Kaj is gone, and we need you to lead us. I will follow, my brother will follow, and the rest of the crew will follow. Today is done; right or wrong, it’s done. We will be better in the future; we will earn the faith that you have put in us.”
Matty turned to walk back out of the Pup. The crew were all making their way back to the Evac point. Elvis clapped CJ on the shoulder and shared a laugh about something. Jax walked with Loren and Red, waving toward Matty as he walked down the ramp. The crew was united, and there was no bickering or arguing amongst them. They were a team. Tiff sighed one more time at the realization that Matty was right. They did need this; they needed to feel powerful and united but she promised herself that it wouldn’t happen this way again and she planned to keep that promise.