***Some Bad Language is included. Be warned.
Plasma bolts shot into the sky like bolts of lightning. It was all I could do not to scream out as they impacted Five’s shuttle destroying it utterly.
The falling fusion reactor went up in a secondary explosion before it hit the ground.
“What the fuck was that? I thought the Turds said the natives were primitives?” I shouted into my open mic. The ship we’d come in on only had two shuttles.
“They said a lot of things Casey. It seems the Polywogs are the survivors from this ship crash. Us digging here is the whole reason they’re attacking,” Three explained. “Typical science division crap.”
“Figures. What level of tech, do you know?” I asked him. Three’s real name was Shade. No last name to speak of, it wasn’t in his file. Unlike most of us in special forces, Shade had come to us from Naval Intelligence. I suspected he’d been part of their infiltration corp but he’d never said. Not that I asked! That sort of info was blacker than black. Just the fact that I knew about it could land me in the brig.
“Advanced. Above out level is what I can say. The Turds are very excited, they mentioned us trying to acquire one of the guns if possible,” Three stated. “Casey, I don’t think I get away from the Turds. What they’ve found is too important.”
“Ignore them Shade, grab your guns and bug out. We’re just the escort they can’t give us orders that will stick. You know it and I know it. Overwhelming force isn’t something we deal with. If we can stay ahead of them the shuttle will come for us. Count on it,” I yelled at him. My team was down by two already. Losing Shade wouldn’t be good.
“No can do boss lady. My other bosses won’t agree and you know it. Anything that can take down a shuttle with one shot is worth getting, regardless of the cost,” Shade replied. I could hear the stress in his voice.
“Goddammit no! Shade we can come back. We’ll let the navy glass the planet first though. That shit is underground, it’ll survive. Nothing is worth all our lives,” I yelled ignoring opsec and other rules.
“I beg to differ. Hold on a moment Casey…” I could hear Shade breathing but everything else was drowned out by the Pollywogs.
“Shade, what’s happening over there,” I yelled at him. There were background noises I didn’t understand.
“Pollywogs. Assessments were wrong Casey, they aren’t primitives… when you see them, tell them they were wrong,” Shade replied. He was always, even in battle, calm, cool, and collected as a rule. This time I could hear the panic in his voice and it scared me. “Make they pay Casey, make them pay.”
“Bail out Shade,” I muttered but I knew it was too late. Along with the noise I took for the natives was the distinctive sounds of battle. Confed battle rifles have a very recognizable whine when they are firing non stop. Even knowing he was beyond hearing me I sent him a DMC message. “I promise.”
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