“For fuck’s sake…” Simone huffs as she backs away from her opponent, having barely been able to not be diced into sizzling mush by the cheater’s four-armed bullshit.
The cold faceless cyborg seems to mock her by lashing the platform floor in jump rope motioning circles as it limps towards her once more.
Thankfully Simone’s impromptu shuttle roof-squish maneuver seems to have greatly evened the odds. Although this person’s strength and speed outmatches hers by a wide margin, his movements are for the most part fairly stiff and predictable. But that only grants the redhead an edge in defending herself, as she can only keep up by the skin of her teeth.
Taking flashing glances around, she hopes to see nearby civilians taking notice and attempting to contact authorities but the only eyes on this situation are distant folks watching from across the core. Surely the crashing and falling shuttle should be enough to gain enough attention to get some sort of support.
Keeping herself in a retreating defense, Simone deflects the barrage of incoming stabs and slashes with her own resilient blade. She was far from a master swordswoman, but she fought with a melee weapon many times in her past to compensate for that fact. She just needs to keep her distance, and hope for an opportunity to present itself.
A searing red crystal blade glances her shoulder, another her thigh. Burning pain erupts from the wounds as micro shards of dissipating crystal grinds like glass before fully evaporating.
There is no way she can maintain this, as the pain alone nearly compromises herself to more direct hits. Knowing she was no master telekinetic space monk, the redhead leaps back towards the ledge and rolls. In a swift motion she pickles up a small remaining chunk of shuttle scrap with her off hand and throws it at the charging cyborg. The scrap strikes the heavily damaged leg, sending the aggressor to tumble forward.
One set of the bladed arms deactivated to swiftly catch the fall with ease, however in an opportunistic gamble Simone dashed forward in a drive-by upward golf-swing. Her emerald green blade cracks and reconstitutes as it carves deeply into the cyborg’s upper torso and neck, nearly shearing his shoulder and connected arms clean off.
Simone narrowly avoids the twisting swings aiming for her ankles as the cyborg fell to the floor, rolled and stood once more with only half of his arms armament to bear.
Using one of the remaining blades he severs the now useless dangling chunk of torso and arms completely free without hesitation before assuming a more ‘fencer’ type stance.
Proud of herself but careful to not get too cocky, Simone assumes her defensive posture once more.
Breathing out she gives her opponent a crack of her neck and smirk.
-
The apartment intruder turns to the dashing Devin as he runs across the central space and away from her.
“I can’t see you with my scanners. Impressive.” the monotone voice compliments as she raises her none bladed hand to take aim with her wrist.
But whatever weapon is about to activate never gets the chance as the whole arm is blasted by a concussive shot, sending the feminine cyborg around in a tight staggering circle.
Despite being told to wait for ‘fireworks’, Chak is satisfied with her protective shot. Though she still hides behind the door as the cyborg looks directly at her location in a not-so-friendly attitude.
“Consider your chance spent.” the intruder said as she recovers. But before she can take a step the marbles scattered around her began to rattle and hop in jitters.
“Hey!” Devin shouts as he chucks a whistling metal pipe in a spinning flash.
Without hesitation the intruder swipes the pipe in twain with her blade sending the two halves clattering behind her. Though proven to indeed be a mere pipe that failed to make contact, it did its job splendedly.
While distracted the cyborg didn’t react to the dozens of marbles zipping right into her as though suddenly magnetized. Then like popcorn from hell itself they all pop their casing and bright yellow foam explodes then expands out in encasing masses.
It appears to start seeping in every nook and cranny of the cyborg’s body in attempts to clog and incapacitate her completely. But catching on to this she used her blade to carve at the masses, successfully removing a fair bit of the most concerning obstructions.
Not standing for this one bit, Chak takes aim and fires again. Hitting center mass, the cyborg reels back silently without so much as a cry of pain.
Taking this opportunity, Devin takes aim with his own handheld weapon and takes a shot. A wire net blankets over the bullied cyborg and instantly constricts into a transparent standing body bag.
The glowing blade manages to cut through the net, but only frees the single limb as the remaining foam in conjunction with the net fully entraps the rest of the intruder.
In a seemingly final attempt to attack, the free blade aims itself directly at Devin before firing out like a shaftless arrowhead. Raising his gripped rectangular device in just the nic of time a hardlight riot shield appears, causing the now sourceless crystal to shatter and evaporate upon impact.
Before there was time to celebrate a victory, a fresh blade constitutes itself and starts hacking and slicing away at the yellow cocoon. Then the Terran-shaped form itself begins to release steam as the inhabitant activates a scorching purge usually reserved for decontamination. The burning stench immediately fills the air as the foam starts to resemble blackening melting marshmallows. Sloping in a forward pace the coated stretching ooze flops off and leaks out of every crevice. The dark metallic material of the cyborg starts to show through.
Kicking himself into gear, Devin fires a second and third net to stall for time and dives behind the kitchen island. Quickly he starts to dig through his satchel for one of his backup plans.
Chak peeks out to see that the nets have little effect without the foam’s assistance, as they get sliced apart without too much trouble from the intruder. Thankfully the internals of the cyborg seem to be junked up in some fashion, as her movements are jerky as if fighting significant internal resistance. Not so thankfully, she’s nearing the Terran’s location with a clear murderous intent.
Having no choice the Princess fires a succession of shots, all but one finding their mark.
Nearly being sent to the floor, with her torso being more concave than convex the cyborg’s bladed arm fires a streak of ignited gel from her wrist at the Cali.
Despite taking cover, she isn’t fast enough to be partially impacted. Her upper arm plating catches the flames as does her rifle. In sheer panic Chak dropped her burning weapon and ejected her arm’s armored plating to keep herself free from harm.
She watches as her treasured pulse rifle starts to blacken and deform from the intense raging gel. Then looking up she sees her only exit flicking up in incredible heat as the floor buckle and door frame melts.
Now left alone to his own mental and literal devices, Devin takes hold of what he needs just as the heavy stomp of the cyborg’s feet lands upon the island.
-
Dashing to what is supposedly the Gratt relations building, Meeki and Nodrin scramble in before the door could barely open itself. The couple are immediately hit with the entry hall incredibly comforting despite the pressing situation. Lining the walls are recently displayed artworks of the Gratt people. Few of are any grand worth, but each represents an element of Gratt’s’ cultures, practices and society. There are even vid screens softly playing musical performances and panning vistas of their world. Even the scent in the very air replicates the influence of their world’s flora.
They couldn’t stay to fully appreciate it all, but it all the same reignited their spirits from a bonfire into a star. This is exactly why they are here. The couple left their world to travel the stars, to be a voice in a new expanse of accessible reality. Now they do as Gratt has always done, protect the greater community with everything they can muster.
“Do you believe they arrived before us dearest?” Meeki says as they near the end of the entry hall.
Before her bondmate can even speculate, the sounds of weapons discharging followed by a muffled minor explosion ahead.
Practically running on all fours now, the two Gratt break through the next double door throwing caution to the wind. Crashing in, they find themselves in a waiting lounge of sorts in the midst of Deathworlders in combat.
Brandy is positioned behind a structural pillar to the far right near a floor access hatch. In her hands is a recovered Mikk radioactive slug repeater rifle that she uses to cover Troy. Whom which is fending off three Mikks near the center in more close quarters combat amongst seating and turned over tables. To the right are four more Mikk riflemen guarding a still smoking breached door, deterring the Terrans with peepering shots.
But it’s who lays in front of them that catches the Gratt’s attention. Two deceased Gratt guardsmen, mercilessly riddled with excessive entry wounds.
Under their helmets painted with open sharp teeth maws, the bondmates’ blood starts to boil over. Their armored tails weaved together for only but a moment before they crank their suits to potentially self harmful levels. The Gratt will bring promise to the stars. They will bring voices of peace. Their people will sing to a new era of grace to all to hear. But today… today is the day that the universe tastes the ever rare vengeful wrath of the Gratt people, their sparse declaration of battle.
Like two bolts of living ballista fire, the Gratt rocket through the air directly at the breached door and those who guard it. Coiling projectiles glance and miss the new arrivals as they seek in. Meeki latches on to the first Mikk, wrapping her arms around their egg-shaped head and violently twists it nearly all the way back around.
Nodrin came to another really low, before striking upward with their power suit claws presented. Their grasper punctures straight through the Mikk’s body cavity, sending a spray of bluish-green fluids into the mercenary behind. Then swinging themself with the collapsing victim, Nodrin yanks the repeater free from the dying grasp and tightly spins in the air. In a gruesome crunch the repeater collides against the already bloodied third Mikk’s head. In a not so clean cleave the cranium splits into two, giving the nearby wall a fresh coat of brained paint.
The fourth and final Mikk aims at Nodrin point blank, but before the firing mechanism can be pulled, the mercenary is tackled to the floor. Without so much as a whole standard second passing Meeki repeatedly stabs fiercely into the Mikk for daring to exist within this place of hope for her people. Brandishing her new crystalline dagger that steams from Mikk blood, her four visored eyes lock with Nodrin before they leave the two Terrans to wrap up the rest and charge into the Ambassador’s office proper.
-
Simone holds her sword ahead of her, deflecting prodding jabs and sidestepping lancing thrusts. The fight is far more evenly matched, however making one mistake still probably resulted in death.
The two duelists rotate in circles, their crystalline blade searing the air with flakes drifting away as they collide over and over.
“You know… I just realized that I don’t really care which one you were.” Simone says to the faceless cyborg, “Assuming you’re one of them at all. I mean if one rose from death, why not more?” She reasons.
She parries an incoming bold thrust and punishes it with a swift counter that drags down her opponent's blade and severs the mechanism creating it. It pops and bursts liquified crystal like a sparkler fountain.
Still emotionally unfazed the cyborg keeps up his final arm, attaching what remained of the other half to reinforce it.
“You all died that night. At least the people I thought you were.” Simone speaks up more, carefully positioning herself into a different pose, “I mourned you for all these years… that pain and guilt I carried… It just about killed me more than once. And it left scars in me, scars that won’t ever heal. Because… you may have all lied to me, but I still see your faces. The betrayal in them all, were genuine. You trusted me, maybe even loved me as much as I loved all of you.” For once in this fight, Simone goes on the offensive.
In a cold calculating demeanor, she presses her attack. The speed of the cyborg still outmatched hers, but the redhead’s blade’s constant breaking and reconstituting at its superior reach kept the predictability hard to track.
“You were all people! With lives, families and aspirations! That is why it still hurts!” Simone declares as her attacks grow more aggressive and wild.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Then without warning, her blade completely dissipates into crystal dust. Finding his golden opening the cyborg lurches forward.
There is no fear in Simone’s eyes as the enemy’s blade draws closer and closer to her defenseless chest. Because just as the cyborg noticed the opportunity, she takes one hand off her sword’s pommel while twisting her torso into a fencer-like pose. With her extending posture she reactivates her blade, causing the blade to explode out and puncture the neck. From his nape the tip of the green blade reconstitutes into a jagged mess akin to a sprouting tree.
Not even an inch from her chest, the red crystal blade shakes as if begging to make it to its mark. But the wielder goes completely limp, denying it the target.
For a moment, Simone considers looking under the faceplate anyway. Her curiosity burns to know if it is someone she had already killed before. But there isn’t time for that, this cyborg has already stolen too much of it.
“I’m leaving you behind.” she says as she deactivates her sword again, allowing the mostly metal corpse to drop like a sack of tin cans, “For good this time.” she promises before turning away to run towards the Gratt embassy.
-
Blocking a powerful downward stomp of a cybernetic leg with his riot shield, Devin rolled away and turned to face her. His shield flickers unstably from the blow, but thankfully corrects itself.
“Still with me Princess!?” he shouts with his back to the burning flames.
“Yes! But I’m unable to assist further!” the Cali replies.
“Got it, hold tight!” the man directs as the cyborg approaches him again.
With her damaged unbladed arm she backhands his shield with tremendous might, sending him clean off the floor and back sliding. Nearly being bowled into ignited gel Devin grunts holding up his flickering shield again as the intruder leaped down upon it in a hammering strike.
This time the hardlight barrier could only take so much before breaking, only sparing the man from being crushed then and there. Then within a blink a boot came down right over his face.
In his career as a bounty hunter, Devin nearly met his final fate on several notable occasions. Each and every time was a scare to be sure, but he always had a backup plan to save his ass. This time however, his brain processes the speed at which the boot is coming down. It’s faster than it’ll be for his hand to pull out of his satchel to save himself.
He didn’t know that ‘life flashing before your eyes’ is a real thing before now. He experiences the phenomenon to its fullest, his entire life before him like a movie set on fast forward with momentary pauses in special slices of time. He is not without knowing the bitterness of mistakes, but this life he chose is the one he wanted. Not whatever his parents deemed acceptable for his talents.
There is not one regret that surfaces before the end, and in his core he accepts it gladly.
In another blink he expects the final sentence of his story, but instead his eyes open to no longer seeing the impending death above him. Just a ceiling that reflects the flickering light of continual flames.
Confused, he turns his head to the side seeing an armored Cali intercepting his demise by tackling the intruder away. The Princess’s body rolls through the air before smashing into the central ring couch while the much heavier foe stops short.
As the cyborg stands back up, she places all her focus on the recovering Cali. Her back now to the prone man.
Pulling his item fully free he aims the functionally disguised device and squeezes the firing mechanism. From what looks like a sort of flashlight, the end mass launches out with a tether and sticks to the back of the cyborg’s head square on.
She reaches up and turns back to inspect what just occurred. Yet before anything can be done a grinding bloody barbed spike juts out of her face plate. Fine red mist perfumes the air in front of her, before her body falls forward and clatters to the floor motionless.
“Nailed it.” Devin grunts as he drags himself up to go see to the Princess.
-
Rushing in, Meeki and Nodrin immediately spot another larger dark cloaked Terran figure approaching a cluster of defensively defiant yet ultimately outmatched Gratt protecting the ambassador.
Knowing the might of this opponent, Meeki gives a potential farewell to her love by twisting her tail with theirs once more as they run at it. She felt the tender squeeze in return before the tails unravel. The two then collide together against this new unsuspecting cyborg with feral yet focused violence.
Meeki once again goes high with her dagger, jamming it into the opponent's chest while wrenching their head back.
Nodrin strikes and breaks the repeater into the back of one of the threat’s legs, destabilizing their stance before launching themself into the other side to topple it. Unfortunately it catches itself in a twisting backpedal and grabs for the Gratt on its back. Finding purchase, it yanks the attacker free and slams her down onto the ambassador’s novel wooden desk, shattering it in two.
Then focusing on the other, it takes hold of Nodrin’s helmet before squeezing. Nodrin thrashes and kicks with their augmented strength, but despite the visual damage the death dealer is unaffected. Their visor cracks into a web, disrupting the heads up display. Pressure builds at the sides of their head as the helmet’s integrity begins to fail. Again and again they strike this faceless monster of metal, but it was in vain.
Pain finds itself in Nodrin’s head to such a degree that out of sheer desperation they start to claw at the crushing hands and press their legs against the torso to peel themself away. Despite maxing out their own output, it isn’t enough.
Feeling as though their head is on the brink of being crushed, they remember a uniquely obvious feature to their armor. A purple crystal blade strikes up in a swipe, partially cutting into one of the cyborg’s arms.
Seemingly to finally have been given a reason to back off, Nodrin feels a rush of still quite painful relief as they are thrown down the room and into the back wall.
Falling down and severely uncomfortable, Nodrin’s priority is to remove their crushed helmet. Almost unable to pry it off, it cuts deep into the sides of their head, leaving trails of blood to roll down. But once it is off, Nodrin is able to focus once more on the battle at hand.
They did not notice that the whole time their head was being crushed, Meeki had been and still is pinned under a chest compressing leg while her bladed tail is held down by the other.
Pushing themself up in a forward launching crawl, Nodrin charges the monster once more.
“Get off of her!” they chitter in absolute rage as they jump and swing their bladed tail in fury.
The cyborg lifts its arm to block, but with a sneaky redirection the Gratt tail curves and swipes across its faceplate. Stumbling back in its first showing of reflexing pain, Meeki is freed from its crushing influence.
The Gratt ranger doesn’t take a moment to process injury or pain, instead gripping her dagger and rushing alongside her bondmate as they lash out their armored tails again and again.
Until hers is caught just below the blade before and the blade emitter is rendered into a crumpled mess. She is able to pull it away before her tail as a whole can be crumpled, and Nodrin takes note of the risk of being snatched.
“The head, dearest!” Nodrin informs as they circle around the other side to flank.
“Got it, love!” Meeki confirms as she preps to willingly launch herself head on.
Seeming to forgo her life entirely, the female Gratt leaps up right in the face of the powerful enemy. Predictably, a right hook swings right for her side and she takes it. Though she does her best to roll with it as Simone had advised in previous times of play and training. As she does so, from her hand she throws her crystal dagger at her opponent’s head. With a slight shift of the cyborg’s agility it flies clear over. That’s fine, it wasn’t the intended target.
Nodrin -having leaped fraction of a moment later than Meeki in perfect sync with their beloved- rose up in the air behind the menace. Bearing their sharp seething teeth they catch the dagger in a reverse grip and hammer it into the side of the cyborg’s cranium to the very base of the blade.
As Meeki tumbled from her impact, Nodinr rode the heavy mass down to the floor and rolled free from it. The two quickly glance up to one another, and quickly start to crawl through their bodily pain to one another. Just as their hands take hold of each other, a frenzy of their kin rush upon them.
Although there’s a storm of fearful and grateful questions, the two are quickly dragged together back to where the cluster of Gratt once awaited death. As if treated like lifelong family they are tenderly tended to, though the other Gratt are quite ignorant to how to remove the suits of impressive armor to properly check for injuries.
With only one arm, Meeki pulls her helmet free just so she can press and rub her face against her bondmate. Although their head aches terribly, Nodrin cries through the pain wanting to do nothing else either.
“By our ancestors spirits…” Nodrin sobs, “We did it… we did it…”
“We did. Are you terribly hurt, cherished?” Meeki inquires with a wince, both wanting to know and for the others around to be informed.
“All over hurts love, but other than needing to check my skull for fractures I believe I’m fine.” Nodrin whimpers before placing a hand on the side of Meeki’s face, “And you love?”
“I’ll live… but that last blow may have shattered my arm to bits.” she reports with a pained smile.
“Meeki, Nodrin.” An elderly Gratt’s voice speaks up in authority.
The Gratt part ways for the ambassador to properly approach.
Eyeing the individual, the couple see an elder male Gratt both dressed in ceremonial Jarl attire and newly crafted robes from the materials of the stars. His long gray and black head fur is meticulously braided in a complex network of weaves that nearly trail all the way down to the base of his tail.
“Elder Jarl Jeevan.” Nodrin greets, “You recognize us?” they ask in genuine surprise. True they shared correspondence, but this is the first official meeting or seeing each other.
“Of course I do, who else would you be? Meeki the Ranger, accompanied by her sole bondmate Nodrin the Herbalist Shaman. The very first of the Gratt to travel amongst the stars, defenders of not only our world but our people and what we stand for. You are living folktales that the Gratt champion back on Sammander, or are you not aware?” the kindly voiced ambassador says.
“Surely you exaggerate.” Meeki chitters in a disbelieving chuckle.
Jarl Jeevan leans down to place a grasper on the sides of both of the couple’s faces.
“I highly doubt there is not one single Gratt who does not know your names, siblings. If there is, this day will ensure it. As ambassador, I thank you both with all the ancestor’s blessings.” he said genuinely, his voice showing signs of crying.
The couple look at each other unsure of how to feel.
“We only did what’s not only expected, but only natural. To protect our people. We are just glad we were here at all.” Nodrin responds.
“What we do is just as much for the Gratt, as it is for ourselves.” Meeji adds with a nod, admittedly leaving out the ‘rest of the galaxy’ part.
“Precisely. You’ve done our people proud.” Jarl Jeevan agrees as he presses his forehead briefly against the others in humble gratitude.
It is then Brandy and Troy run in, weapons at the ready. But upon seeing the Gratt panic and the cyborg’s unmoving corpse on the ground they quickly lower their arms.
“It’s all clear, I’m going to do everything I can to get some medical response here.” Brandy informs with an apologetic raise of her hand.
Troy casually walks up to the dead pile of metal and lightly kicks it with this boot. Eyeing the resting Gratt couple he gives them a wink.
“Too bad I missed this epic touchdown.” he says before kneeling down and deactivating the still searing crystal dagger before handing it to its rightful owner.
“Much thanks…” Meeki replies, “But Nodrin did the down touch, I will practice!” she giggles.
“Did good. Proudly you.” the usually aloof Terran replies in very broken but understandable Gratt without the need for a translator.
Finding themselves appreciating this unexpected and unprompted reveal more than they would have suspected, the Gratt couple’s eight eyes opened wide.
“You learn Gratt!?” Meeki asked in surprise.
“Trying to, at a little. Brandy’s idea to be honest, ‘thinks I need something to do on my down time for the noggin. Sound good?” Troy replies bashfully as he rubs the back of his head.
“Need work…” Nodrin admits, “But understood! Maybe we help?”
“Hm, sounds great!” Troy gave an enthused thumbs up before sitting himself down on the floor nearby, resting his own bruises.
As Brandy awaited for a direct response from anyone, she watched Troy do what he did best. No matter how much of a grizzly event or difficult mission, he would always pull out a way to be a calming presence. Despite being an aggravating one in most other circumstances… Yet Brandy earnestly appreciates that about him. The crew gives him a lot of shit for not thinking things through, and for being an immature man-child sometimes. But the man’s loyalty and intentions have never been in question.
Thorn once told her that he saw a lot of himself in Troy. She didn’t quite believe it at first, but after remembering where Troy came from… and yet somehow kept his big dumb heart intact… she realized the truth to it. Thorn and Troy both learned the same lesson from their lives, and came to the same conclusions. She doesn’t know the lesson exactly, but she’s glad that she found among men who were strong enough to be kind in the face of hardship.
Her small smile and soft stare directed at Troy dissipates to sternness as she is finally able to patch into a nearby medical facility.
-
“Alright… it looks like the authorities are course correcting and our comm lines are secure again. We’re in the clear for now.” Devin updates the Princess as they sit together in the apartment’s office room.
“So I can contact Simone?” Chak asks for clarification.
“Yes, but keep info brief. Just in case.” Devin nods.
Activating her Lens Chak opens a line to her fiance, who answers immediately.
“Chak, everything okay!?” Simone asked breathlessly.
“It’s so good to hear you, love. We were attacked by someone like Sam. But Devin and I handled her and we are fortunately unharmed. Can’t say the same for the apartment however… it will be necessary to relocate. Once I have the address we can all meet there. Is everyone else alright?” Chak asks.
“That’s my girl!” Simone says in great relief and pride, “I’m cut up a bit and… may have completely totaled the shuttle. Brandy and Troy are good, but the Gratt lovebirds need to be taken to a hospital. They’ll live, but are pretty roughed up. Any word on Thorn?”
Chak turns to Devin.
“Has Thorn updated his situation?” she inquires.
Devin lightly licks his upper lip in thought and grimaces.
“The old man has gone dark. Which means he’s either dead, or he’s working on something only he can accomplish. I wager the latter. It’s a normal thing for him, so we’re gonna have to trust that he’ll get it done and reconnect with us.” Devin informs.
Chak nods and relays that to her Terran.
“Hate it when he does this… but got it. I’ll send you the address of the hospital we’re relocating to. And if you get a new apartment soon I’ll see that everyone gets there.” Simone responds.
“Understood. See you soon my love!” the princess farewells.
“You bet, warrior princess.”