Chapter 26
Air whipped past Narja with incredible speed. His limp body was protected by his armor. With a gasp, he opened his eyes, wondering where he was. Flickers of memories flashed through his mind until he locked onto the fleeting memory of an explosion. Consciousness took hold a moment before Narja slammed into the ocean. Blue water engulfed the armored figure.
The armor's computer automatically ran a system wide diagnostic. Each system was working within specified parameters. Narja activated his thrusters, and rocketed out of the ocean. He raised high above the water, and headed for the city. Smoke rose in the distance, just this side of the horizon. Fish and other aquatic creatures leapt out of the water as Narja flew towards the city.
He accessed a map of Olcai, and designated the right city. The map appeared in front of his eyes in a three dimensional image. Important offices and buildings appeared colored red against the blue background of the rest of the map. A list of the important offices floated above each of the buildings that housed them. Narja found the Bureau of Planetary Defense and vectored in on it.
The city approached quickly. Buildings smoldered from the assault. People ran in terror from place to place without any discernable destination.
"Form a perimeter. Do not fire until I give the command." came over his communication link.
Narja triangulated the com signal. It was coming from courtyard not too far ahead.
The courtyard consisted of a large open space surrounded by tall buildings. Any statues or trees that had once existed had been toppled earlier in the assault. A few low rising walls were scattered almost haphazardly throughout the expanse of the once serene courtyard. In the middle of the opening was a platoon of Marines, surrounded on all sides by several companies of Ta'Reeth.
Major Narja alighted on the roof of one of the taller buildings. The ornate architecture flowed seamlessly from the ground level, to the roof, and into the sky. He scanned the other buildings, checking for Ta'Reeth in elevated positions. A frightened Olcai ran through the thirteenth floor of an adjacent building, and then there was nothing. The other buildings were quiet, still as a tomb.
Narja selected an armor mounted, belt fed, and fully automatic thirty millimeter grenade launcher firing high explosive anti-personnel grenades from his inventory. The weapon came to bear as he input a firing solution into the computer.
"Marines, take cover." Narja ordered his men over the com link then opened fire on the Ta'Reeth. He could barely feel the gentle rocking of his armor as the grenade launcher rained death upon the enemy soldiers below. The thum-thum-thum rhythm of the grenade launcher continued to decimate the Ta'Reeth until less than half of the enemy remained.
The rounds counter quickly scrolled down to zero. Narja slung his weapon, and then picked up some debris to put in his reclamation unit.
'Proximity alert. Proximity alert...' the computer interrupted his thoughts. Narja turned to investigate as a hot ball of plasma ripped through the air where he had just been standing.
Spinning around to face his enemy, Narja grabbed his assault rifle. Plasma superheated the air and roof around him. A shot came close enough to blister the paint on his armor. Narja brought his rifle to bear on the Ta'Reeth, and loosed a three round burst into its chest.
The first round from the railgun cracked the exoskeletal armor. The second broke through into the soft tissue, while the third ripped apart organs and nearly came out the back. Narja walked closer to the wounded alien as it fell to its knees, and then collapsed to the roof. Thick blood pooled around its chest.
Its right hand moved, almost a twitch at first, then a steady, slow motion toward Narja. The hand lifted off the roof, palm facing out, toward the Major. In the center of the palm was a gland, a hole that devoured whatever it touched.
Narja stood, weapon trained on the Ta'Reeth, unable to move. He watched the alien climb to its feet. Its chest, still torn open, heaved under the strain. The creature stood straight. Sinew writhed then took shape inside the open chest cavity. The heart and lungs repaired themselves before the exoskeleton resealed itself, and the healing process was complete.
The Ta'Reeth stood motionless, watching Narja. If the Ta'Reeth had had a mouth, it would have screamed.
It lunged at Narja. Instinctively he squeezed off a three round burst, catching the Ta'Reeth in the head. It died before it hit the roof.
Narja picked up some debris and filled his reclamation unit, ordering it to resupply his grenades. He walked back to the edge of the roof, and looked down at the chaos below. The bodies of Marines and Ta'Reeth alike lay strewn throughout the courtyard. The fighting had degenerated to a primal hand to hand mockery of honor. Training and discipline was nowhere to be found. Anything that could be used as a weapon was being used as a weapon. The perimeter defense was gone. There was no possible way that he could fire any weapon from his position and not risk hitting his own men.
Quietly Narja secured his weapons. He bit back a curse, holding his anger in check. His men, his Marines were getting themselves killed because they had lost their discipline. The discipline that he had worked so hard to instill in them was gone. The mission was not being accomplished, and that was not acceptable.
Narja stepped off the building and ignited his thrusters. The battle had sprawled out with the thick of it right in front of him. Once he touched down, Narja accessed his weapons again. Two heavy pistols appeared, one in each hand. They worked the same as his assault rifle, just a little smaller and better for close quarters.
A hulking Ta'Reeth blocked Narja's path. It turned to bring its plasma cannon to bear, but not before Narja drilled two smoking holes in the back of its head. Narja stepped over the corpse, deeper into the fight. The Ta'Reeth outnumbered the Marines by more than two to one. The Major strode through the battle, killing Ta'Reeth at will.
"Marines, aim for the head. They can regenerate anything else. If you don't hit 'em in the head, all you're going to do is piss 'em off." Narja called over his com link.
"Welcome back Sir." an unidentified Marine replied.
Blood covered his armor. Narja’s pistols kept hammering away at the enemy until there were no more bullets. Ta'Reeth soldiers surrounded him on all sides, cutting off his routes of escape. The circle closed in around him. Narja holstered his pistols, locking them in place.
A grim smile crossed Narja’s cracked lips. He slowly reached into a cargo compartment as the Ta'Reeth drew closer. Their eyes never wavered from their victim.
The enemy was almost within arm’s reach, their plasma cannons held on target, yet oddly silent.
"Go to hell." Narja muttered as he dropped a grenade and activated his thrusters.
"Marines, rendezvous at grid 946273." he called as the grenade exploded, shredding the Ta'Reeth.