Chương 12: The hunt (reversed)
Kiel had seen him, and for a moment, she almost thought she had imagined it. After the first strike, every living thing had looked to the source of the arrow. It was there that she saw her mate.
A troubled silence followed the departure of the machinery. Many of the Mayi that had ventured out in the fight were either critically injured or dead. It was clear that the fight was all but done. There were the invaders, and those doing everything they can to hold out as much as possible.
Yet in a single instance, all of that had changed. The flying arrows had been a majestic sight, but not as majestic as the smoke coming off the hovercraft's engine.
However, as though it was a sequel in their miserable lives, they had seen their heroes being chased by a force they couldn't even hope to compete with. It was a lost cause, and there was no reason to believe otherwise.
Maybe she was reaching, but Kiel didn't want to believe that that was the end of her Kassam. If anyone could survive this, it had to be him. Looking around and seeing the dead bodies of the enemy, it told her that his companion must be as formidable as well.
Before these thoughts were complete, she was already on her feet. Whatever injuries she had sustained notwithstanding, she started running towards the direction the hovercrafts had flown off too, hoping to catch up.
***
Watching the hovercraft explode and subsequently fall, Kassam had a look of reverence at the direction Chege had run off to. Saying that what had been achieved in front of his eyes was impossible would be a massive understatement. He still hadn't managed to wrap his mind around all that had happened.
What he didn't know was that several miles behind, many of his kin who were following had also seen the explosion. The previously hesitant army started splinting in the explosion's direction, wanting to confirm with their eyes that this had happened.
When the last hovercraft flew in and started shelling the cave's entrance, Kassam hadn't even been moved. All he saw was a bunch of fools playing at a master's hand. He waited to see what gruesome deaths awaited the little monsters, by all the spirits, they deserved what they had coming.
Of course, Chege knew the cave, he had taken shelter in it in his flight earlier. Curious as to where it would lead, he had followed the tunnel leading from the cave and much to his delight, it came out about 500 meters east of the other cave.
From where he came out from, he had a perfect defilade against the soldiers, lady luck was smiling on him. He saw the humans emerge from the hovercraft that landed. They were all in their armor, and they formed 2 teams. The smaller team, comprising of 5 soldiers, walked towards the hovercraft, the larger group, made of 15 soldiers made for the sealed cave.
Kassam had never seen the little monsters move this way. Where previously they walked with the confidence of their infallibility, they were now extremely cautious, keeping an eye out for any sort of trouble. Seeing them move like this was more than fulfilling, it was the sign of victory.
The hovercraft had landed 15 meters away from its fallen comrade. This was more than 300 meters away from the sealed cave. The mech suits weren't built for stealth, and the sound of the machines carried across the entire canyon. It didn't take long before they reached the target. Given how smooth things seemed to be going, maybe they had somehow managed to put them down. Despite these thoughts, none loosen their guards.
Seeing the hovercraft on the ground, Chege couldn't contain his joy. Lady luck seemed to have a crush on him, to gift him such a golden opportunity. Not taking advantage would be a waste.
Stealthily, Chege made his approach. He was a bonafide hunter, remaining unseen was his trade. Taking care to ensure that he was windward and out of eyesight, his hunting skills would impress his old master. However, none of his training could be of any help
Loud alarms started blaring the moment Chege got within 2 meters of the hovercraft's entrance. Not waiting any longer, Chege dashed in the craft, but he had drawn attention to himself.
3 soldiers had been standing by the hangar door. Not everyone came out of the hovercraft. The sound of the alarms had stunned them, but they hadn't known where it was coming from. By this time, it had yet to occur to the humans that the creature they were hunting would make his way towards the hovercraft.
They never knew where he came from. His movements were like a fiend, swift and precise. Before even knowing what attacked them, they were on the ground. Chege was using one arrow as a dagger.
"What's going on, what's happening, why are the alarms blaring?"
Major Kenji was more than 300 meters away from the hovercraft when the alarms blared. He hadn't seen Chege's approach.
"Bogey inhouse Sir!"
"All units fall back, watch out for any attacks. Hummingbird, Sitrep, ASAP!" Barking orders as he organized his men to fall back, he was now more than tensed. He was responsible for all the people in the hovercrafts. For soldiers, they knew death was part of the job, but for the civilians that had been picked to join in the raid, this was not what they signed up to.
After every raid in a nest, there were civilians ferried in to collect samples, analyze data and learn whatever they can about the creatures. This was standard procedure, soldiers go in first, then civilians. However, to save on time, it was decided that some civilians would accompany the soldiers, not do any fighting, but as soon as the battle was done, they'd get right to work.
There were supposed to be 2 per hovercraft, one from the Mining Department, the other from the Research team. Already, they had lost 2 in the fallen hovercraft, was he going to be responsible for 2 more civilians falling?
As his mind raced, so did the rest of him, and his team. They couldn't let their enemy wreak havoc behind enemy lines. In an instance, they were stacked up by the entrance, not abandoning their formations in the heat of battle.
"Alpha and Bravo team, secure cockpit. Charlie and Delta, on me, we secure the civilians. Move!"
The major's order seemed to jolt the team back to life. Metal suits banged loudly against the hovercraft's metal floor, only to be met by the sight of 3 of their dead comrades by the hangar doors.
As ominous as that was, the professional soldiers were not fazed at all. Splitting into 2 groups, they each went to their assigned sections.
There were all kinds of mech suits that had been designed since the first one took flight. Some were used for work purposes such as the mining series, while others were used for recreational purposes such as the exploratory series. Each had its specifications.
The Warframe series, much like any military technology, was not built for comfort. The standard-issue armor was hot and bulky. It was meant to be used by someone with excellent fitness. This was not because of technological inability but psychological.
Due to advancements in technology, the most developed mechs had the downside of giving the users out of body experience. Due to their knack of enabling users to do more than they were capable of, this usually resulted in a mismatch in one's abilities. By making the armor harder to engage, one would strain their body and thus develop that keen instinct needed on a battlefield.
Now, those restrictions were not helping at all. The heavy machinery clobbered their way down the hall, each heading in a different direction. 2 more soldiers were found dead along the hallway leading to the cockpit.
The alpha team lead was a careful man. An experienced soldier himself, he was keen on hunting his prey, but wouldn't rush into it. He could feel a pair of eyes watching him. His equipment was active, and his sensors were set to maximum.
Tang!
A sound from the cockpit's direction. The soldiers didn't bulge, maintaining formation, much to Chege's chagrin. Well, not everything would go his way, and in his eyes, these soldiers were already dead.
There were exactly 3 corners Chege had made before he got to the stairs. In the third corner, he left a dead body. When the group reached the body, they stopped to examine it. There was one lookout appointed to watch the corners, but he was the one that fell first, followed by 2 others.
Countless shots were fired, but the golden barrier was up. Before they could react, another one was down. It started as a tactical retreat, but by the time they were reaching the first turn they had left, only 2 were standing, no, fleeing with horror-stricken expressions on their faces. Not wanting to remain in that death-trap any longer, they made for the main entrance.
The major's team had already come back, 2 civilians with them. In a compressed state, most mechs looked like a briefcase, those that had the Compression feature for portability. The civilians didn't have time to put on their suits before they were yanked out of their bunks.
The 2 didn't make it till the hangar doors were open, as Chege sort to finish what he had started. Seeing the 2 of them fall, the major could feel a sense of helplessness welding inside him. Up till now, no one had come up with a way to deal with the enemy. Now that he was within kissing distance, there was nothing he or his soldiers could do but to keep firing, though it had proven ineffective.
"RUN!!!!" Major Kenji shouted as he led his people through the doors, doing his best to get as far as he could from his attackers. By now, he had already given up on fighting, and no one wanted to die for no reason.
Critical seconds elapsed as the men and machines stormed out of the hovercraft, afraid out of their minds. They could feel death's emissary coming for them. Karma was paying them back in full for all the horrors caused to the Mayi people, but this was just the beginning.
Once out, the major didn't even look to his charge. In his mind, there was only one thing, escape with his life. He powered up his mech suit's flight pack, but it usually took a few seconds to fully charge. Moreover, for them to be powered up correctly, the user had to be standing still. In a base surrounded by friendlies, this time was negligible. Even in a normal battlefield where soldiers were evenly matched, one could buy some seconds by firing at the enemy, but now ...
The flight status indicator turned green, the major didn't have time to react. It was too little too late. Before he could punch the take-off button, there was an arrow stuck through his eye.
Kassam almost squealed as Kiel touched him lightly. The events of the day had made him quite jumpy. He joined his kin as they made their way to the hovercrafts. They seemed unsure, afraid even. Despite watching him take out enemy after enemy, they still couldn't help but shudder at someone who possessed such might.
As they came to the entrance of the downed hovercraft, they saw 3 little monsters. One was not so little, and the other 2 seated and one was standing. The one standing was slightly different from the others, but many recognized him as their savior.
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