The red glow of Goya was already receding, announcing the day’s approaching end, when an arrow-shaped ship slowly dived through the clouds high above the treetops. It was a sleek, medium-sized interceptor build in the style of the UAS with the original purpose of hunting down their enemies.
Aboard the ship four figures occupied the cockpit and looked down on the planet below.
“Don’t rush this, we have time!” A tall Ommih ordered, “Last time you nearly blew them up by accident. Don’t fuck this up again.”
Like the others on the ship, he wore a green and blue colored armored suit. On a shelf next to him he had placed his helmet and weapon together with more miscellaneous tools needed for the upcoming mission.
“Yes, Captain.” The little Mohait piloting the ship answered stiffly, clearly not happy to get blamed for the failed assault from before.
“Mason, there should be only one of three possible scenarios awaiting us.” Another Mohait said as he stood next to the captain, “They’ll expect us to come here as soon as the storm subsides. So they will either attack us with everything they have the moment we get within range, they will try to ambush us when we board their ship or they will have fled long ago. Whatever it is, it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“It doesn’t matter. We hold the advantage and I intend to keep it that way.” Mason said, “I won’t allow you to take any risks just because your trigger-finger is itching!”
Ummol, the Mohait next to Mason and his second in command, just grunted in annoyance.
Soon, they had left the last clouds behind and vision was clearing up. Far down below, on the planet’s cursed surface, they saw the endless forest stretching to the horizon in every direction. Directly below them however, was a huge hole in the green blanket of leaves. Three of these enormous trees had actually been toppled over, ripping a tear in the otherwise dense layer of treetops. They spotted the big Hubble resting amidst the trunks easily.
“Stop the ship!” Mason ordered.
“At least they really crashed and hadn’t been able to continue their flight under the cover of the storm.” Ummol muttered.
After they came to a halt, Mason looked at the copilot.
“Gutty, give me a full status report of the Hubble. How is the ship?”
“Uhm, yeah. With all the atmospheric interference, even now that the storm recedes, it’s hard to get anything definitive from down there.” The Mohait who occupied the seat next to Bekker, the pilot, said.
He pressed some buttons on his scanning station and nodded absentminded.
“Power is offline, no major energy source detected. Also, the ship is massively damaged. Of the four thrusters, two are completely missing. No information on vital signatures, though. Maybe I’ll catch something when we’re closer.”
“Seems like your first option is off the table.” Mason laughed and looked at Ummol.
“That’s better. If we had to subdue them with our ship weapons, I’m afraid we would have finished the job by blowing them up.”
“Agreed. Bekker, get us closer and land at least 300 meters away. I don’t wanna be too close in case they decide to self-destruct their ship to take us down with them. Gutty, do another round of scanning as soon as we are close enough.”
Slowly the interceptor flew down to Terulos’ surface and landed between two big trees that were still standing. Gutty quickly initiated another scan and inspected the readings.
“I can confirm that their generator is offline. The Hubble is pretty messed up, but it may not be impossible to attempt a take-off. That depends on the internal status. We would notice the powering up however, giving us more than enough time to react accordingly. Still no feedback on vital signs though, but the hangar door is open and I can’t see their small ship. It may very well be that they have left already.”
“Where would they even go? We are their only chance to get off this planet if they leave the Hubble to us.” Ummol pondered, his face even grimmer than usual for a Mohait.
“Agreed.” Manson said, “I expect some kind of ambush as soon as we are distracted. We have to draw them out first.”
“You are having something in mind already?”
“Yeah, go and fetch Siller for me.”
Ummol gave a quick nod and hurried out of the cockpit.
“Gutty, man the lower turret and have an eye on the Hubble. Bekker will take over the upper turret to watch the surroundings after we have left.”
“We’ve arrived?” Another Ommih asked when he strolled in casually.
“Yes. We’re expecting an ambush and need to lure them out.” Mason said.
“Great, leave that to me!” Siller readily offered, “I still have a bone to pick with those assholes.”
“Don’t let your feelings cloud your mind. Keep calm and you will be able to avenge your fallen brothers.”
“Yeah, don’t let them play you like a bloody amateur again!” Ummol chuckled with a teasing grin.
“Fuck off! Our information on them was lacking. I wasn’t prepared for a fucking invisibility-mutation. When did you ever hear of something like that?” Siller snarled, “This time, let him come - I’m his perfect match!”
“‘Tsk…” Ummol scoffed but kept his mouth shut when Mason shot him a stern glare.
“Come on, let’s group up with Vernes and prepare to head out as well.”
***
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A few minutes later, Siller stood in front of the ship’s exit and waited for it to open. He checked his equipment once more and for the umpteenth time cursed when his gaze fell on the weapon in his hand.
It wasn’t bad, not at all. The sniper had a great range and its energy projectiles had enough power to easily penetrate any kind of body-armor, most personal shields and even some light armored vehicles. Still, it wasn’t his Storm XXC. That weapon was something else altogether; not only did he prefer the ballistic ammunition but it also was the weapon he had used for most of the time in his career.
He got it as a present when he joined the people he now worked for just after graduating from the UAS academy. After all this time he still remembered every kill he scored with it. The others thought he was eager to avenge his teammates - bullshit, he just wanted his weapon back, ripping it out of those fuckers’ dead hands!
Siller concentrated back at the task ahead when the door finally slid up. For a brief moment his eyes glowed red, hidden by his dark visor, as he swept his gaze through the forest outside. Not finding anything amiss, the Ommih jumped out of the ship and quickly headed for the closest tree.
“Damn, those things are huge.” He muttered as he observed his surroundings vigilantly, “One could probably hide whole ships behind these trunks.”
After he was sure to be safe, he moved forward and rushed to the next tree that stood about a hundred meters away. He repeated that twice and finally settled next to a 20 meters wide trunk, roughly halfway between both ships, while not in a direct line.
Siller quickly took out some of his tools and put them on the ground behind him. He adjusted the little radar-like devices to cover his back and tested their functionality by throwing a small rock over his shoulders. Instantly a warning flashed in his visor, notifying him about movement in the surveilled area.
“I’m in position. Roughly 150 meters from the Hubble. I’m using a tree as cover to my left and the radar-scanners for my back. I left my right open to give them a vector to approach me.” He reported and lay down on the ground.
With trained ease, Siller readied his weapon and began to sweep the area around the Hubble with a searching gaze through the scope, his eyes flashing red every now and then.
Minutes ticked by and when there was no enemy movement even after half an hour, he opened the comm channel again.
“This isn’t working.” He said, “They aren’t taking the bait and it’s getting darker by the minute. You should head out yourself.”
“Agreed.” Mason said, “It seems like they are waiting for us to enter the Hubble or are hiding inside themselves.”
“I’ll cover your back when you head to the ship. But don’t forget your goggles, if the invisible asshole is inside, I won’t be of much help.” Siller said.
“Acknowledged.”
Just a few moments later, Siller saw Mason and Ummol leave their ship together with Vernes. The three headed through the forest directly for the Hubble and he had to stand up and walk around the trunk to keep an eye on them. A quick glance back to the interceptor confirmed that both turrets were manned and also observed the forest.
Siller stayed focused and kept his mind sharp to not miss any suspicious movement. However, even after the trio had arrived at the Hubble and he was lying in his old place, he couldn’t find so much as a trace of the enemy.
“Nothing.” He said, “Maybe they really have fled already?”
“Or they are inside. Keep your eyes open… and active!” Ummol answered and Siller could hear how irritated the Mohait was.
“You really don’t like it if you have to rely on me to cover your back, don’t ya?” He chuckled.
“How could I?” Ummol snapped, “We all saw how great that went last time!”
“Shut up, both of you!” Mason’s stern voice stopped any further bickering on the comm.
Just as the others climbed through the open hangar of the Hubble, Siller noticed movements in the depth of the forest. On the other side of the clearance, he saw a red glow in the shape of a humanoid figure coming closer.
“There you are, you sneaky bastard!” He muttered and stopped his skill. Siller blinked twice before he looked through the scope again. The figure was gone, the forest as calm and undisturbed as before.
Quickly he tapped into his mutation again and after his eyes flashed once, the red shimmering shape reappeared.
“What a fearsome mutation. I’ve never heard of anything like that before. The UAS will pay handsomely for any information I can collect on his G-Anomaly.”
Stopping his muttering, he opened the comm and notified the others.
“He is on his way. I only spotted the invisible prick yet, no trace of anyone else.”
“Where is he going?” Mason asked.
“Looks like he wants to catch your back after you’ve entered the Hubble.”
“Good!” Mason said, “That means the others are either outside somewhere and can be kept in check by you and the turrets or they are hiding here in the ship. We can handle that.”
“Can you close the hangar?” Siller asked, “If he can’t get in, he should select me as his next target.”
“Roger that. Good hunt.” Mason agreed and moments later the huge hangar door began to close.
Siller concentrated back on the hidden figure and calmly observed as it changed course and headed in his direction.
“You aren’t even trying to approach from the side? Arrogant prick!” He cursed as he continued to watch. The red glow was the heat signature of a humanoid and while the guy could make himself invisible somehow, he obviously couldn’t erase his presence completely. Siller let him come closer and closer as he moved directly towards his position next to the tree.
50 meters left…
The Ommih shifted his sniper from left to right, as if he was still searching for threats to not alert the enemy. At the same time he was looking out for any suspicious movements of the red shape that may indicate drawing a weapon or anything.
25 meters left…
Siller took a deep breath, let go half of it and adjusted his position.
10 meters left…
In one fluid motion, he took aim and pulled the trigger of his gun without hesitation. The weapon flashed with a bright red light and Siller deactivated his mutation. He didn’t need it anymore.
Only a few meters in front of him, a figure in black armor appeared, sinking to its knees with its eyes wide open in shock.
“The price of arrogance.” Siller said and a grin crept on his face when he saw the blood gushing out of the hole in the other man’s chest.
***
“Damn, this sucks…” Happy sighed while drawing spaceships into the dirt with a stick.
“Tell me about it!” Sevastian growled, “I should be out there, supporting them in the fight!”
Happy looked at the man who watched the forest around them. Then she shifted her gaze to Patience who lay on a blanket next to him, still in coma.
“They will manage somehow. I’m sure. You have seen what Ang’Tue alone is capable of…”
A shudder went through Sevastian’s body when he thought back to the fight in the forest. He didn’t remember much, but he could see the baleful black smoke as clearly as if he stood right in front of it.
“Yeah,” he said and shook away the dark memories, “I’m more concerned about Timothy and Landom actually. I really hope they don’t mess it up…”
“I should have brought them there. I’m the pilot, right?”
“Come on, Niu.” Sevastian said, “You know that we can’t risk losing you. If you get the same disease as Patience, we would be fucked. And in the fight at the Hubble, you wouldn’t be of any help. You have done more than enough already. You’ve literally saved our lives more than once. It’s totally fine that you sit this one out.”
Niu gave him a weary grin and motioned at Patience.
“She won’t be happy to have missed this…”
“Oh no, she won’t!” Sevastian agreed.