Sunday, October 24, 2004

   Here's the last part of Shadow Spear.
“Wake and shake it. We’re ready to move.” Delano opened his eyes. First he could only see splotches of color, but like a puzzle, it slowly became clear. He painfully arose from the ground with Michael’s help. Base had already been set up, turrets and all.
“How long have I been out?”
“Approximately, 10 minutes.” Sure enough, the mission clock on his visors screen said +10min.
“Okay, since you all set up without me, I guess we’re ready to go. Anybody been on recon?” Sarah saluted him.
“Go ahead, and one more thing, don’t go all G.I. here. We’re nowhere near any other military personnel.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry. First off, I found the complex. It’s in the center of the city. I figured out a route for us to take, whenever your ready.” Delano looked at Michael and Sam.
“Blast anything that comes close and make sure, if that happens, the gun has a silencer. Do not, open fire with the turrets unless your cover is blown.”
“I got it, but be careful on the way out, I got anti-personnel all around here. Just in case one of them tries to flank us.” Michael told him with a self-satisfied look on his face.
“I’ll cover you with the sniper rifle, if your spotted and they try to ambush you. I’ll radio in.” Sam told him.
“All right, let’s get this done. Sarah take point.” She nodded. A moment later she became a blur and Delano had to engage his thermograph just to see her. Delano booted up his cloaking shield and followed her heat signature. She led him down a hill and to a wall which separated them from the city. He gave her a boost over the wall and she helped him up when she was on top.
T’Lan were sparse, not many guards or any on patrol. A ventilation shaft was exposed on the side of the building. Only one T’Lan warrior was on guard by it. Should be easy. They quickly made their way across to the shaft. When they reached the shaft the guard was still there. Delano picked up a rock and tossed it down a nearby alley. The T’Lan snapped to attention and darted off. A few other T’Lan followed.
“Nice, tear it off we don’t have much time.” Sarah complied and ripped the vent cover off and they crawled inside.
J’San, walked back to his post. Something was different though. The nearly nine feet tall warrior bent down and looked at the ground. Nothing. He looked at the vent cover and in several spots it was loose, he pulled a bit on it and it fell, there were intruders.
At the end of the shaft there was a smaller vent cover. No more need for the cloaks now. Shooting was now cleared. Delano took an optical probe from one of his supply pouches and pushed it through the grating. Clear of soldiers but there was a flashing. He moved the probes camera down. A mine lay there, they must’ve been spotted. He turned toward Sarah.
“Okay I’ll take a grenade and toss it down the hall, when it goes off there’s bound to be T’Lan waiting for us. I’ll drop the pin on the mine which will set that off. Then, I’ll give you covering fire as you run into the throne room and capture the Prophet, got it?” She nodded. “Well, here we go.” He pulled out the grating and set it aside. He then tossed the grenade down the hall and there was an uproar of surprised T’Lan, followed by an explosion, flying bodies, and yet another explosion.
“Move it,” they hopped out of the shaft and Sarah took off behind him. It was quiet now.
“Michael, Sam, you hear me?” He said into his radio.
“I hear you, Michael here. What’s up?”
“Prepare extraction, we’re coming out soon and it’s going to be hot. Tell Sam he’s cleared to snipe.”
“Roger that.” Delano switched off his radio and leveled his assault rifle. As slowly as he could he walked down the hall. A scorch mark from the grenade was at the end of the hall with all of the bodies. The next turn about a dozen T’Lan were waiting for him. Delano sidestepped behind the wall as they opened fire at him.
“Sarah hurry up!” He yelled to her down the hall. Footsteps indicated that the T’Lan were advancing on him. He turned off the safety to his weapon and opened fire on the T’Lan. A few stray plasma shots skimmed his shields but they were to surprised to take a true aim. Delano didn’t bother to aim either, he emptied the full seventy-five round clip in the small hall. A few T’Lan were still alive. He dropped his assault rifle and pulled out his sidearm. He shot twice at the closest T’Lan which was advancing on him.
The second T’Lan took up a flanking position and barreled him over as soon as the other warrior fell. It reached it’s hand around his neck and squeezed the air from him. From the corner of Delano’s eye he could see Sarah already on the way. He punched the warrior and he hit the wall but sprang back at him. As quickly as he could he got up and thrust his head into the warriors stomach. It fell to the ground and Delano picked up his pistol and shot him.
“You okay, Delano?”
“I’m fine, that him?” He looked at the alien hanging from her shoulders, it was unconscious.
“Yeah, lets get back to the Griffin.” He nodded and stayed a few paces ahead of her. No more T’Lan inside this level of the building. The glass doors at the end of the hall were unlocked. He opened them and walked out. As soon as he took his first step out his radio buzzed. He began to reach for his radio when a T’Lan warrior fell from a window at the second level of the building and wrestled him to the ground.
Delano was startled and motionless for a minute. He balled his fists but the warrior punched him first. The visor shattered from the punch the alien threw. Shards of glass scraped Delano’s face and he felt the warmth of his blood on his face. The next thing he heard was a loud, roar from the T’Lan as it fell to his side. A black blood covered the T’Lan from a knife. It had to be Michael. Sure enough, he was holding out his hand.
“Thanks for the help.” Delano took his hand and he helped him up. The Prey landed a few yards from them and Sam helped Sarah take the Prophet inside of the ship. Michael and Delano got on last.
“We’ll get you checked at the infirmary when we get back to the ship.” Sam told him.
“Thanks, Sam. I’m going to sleep, wake me up when we get back.” Delano pulled off his helmet and laid it down in the seat beside him and fell asleep.
A few days later, in the infirmary, Delano got a call. He tapped a button and saw Sam’s solemn face on the view screen.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve just got this footage from Captain Foley, take a look.” The picture changed to show the Prophet and several Marines, including Captain Foley were interrogating the Prophet.
“Can we compromise any sort of peace between us?”
“No, my people believe that you’re the only species that has the power to combat us. So when the Prophet’s decided not to go to war but begin negotiations. The military wouldn’t stand for it. They began mutiny and launched a preemptive strike on your people. I can’t do anything to change their minds. The only way you’ll ever get rid of them is if you kill them, each and every one of them.” Foley sighed.
“And this is the truth?”
“Yes, what I say is true.” The video was cut off and he saw Sam again.
“I can’t believe it. All we did was capture a politician with no power over his people. What a way to go.”
“Sorry Delano. At least we tried.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna knock out. Talk to you later.” The video and audio feed ended and he laid back down on the bed.
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