FROM INSIDE THE LONGHOUSE THE BATTLE COULD ONLY BE HEARD. THAT WAS enough. The villagers looked at the walls, fearing they would fall on their heads, or be blasted through with some Imperium weapon. The children remained close to their parents. Nemesis stood tall and calm with them behind her. She had been waiting to spring into action if the time came. That time had arrived. A booming voice shouted at the other end while banging on the blockaded doors. “This is the Krypteian Guard. We are coming in, whether you like it or not!”
The villagers shuddered with every crack and bang of the wood. Children whimpered. Nemesis stood in a wide stance with both blades poised to slice open the intruders. A guard shouted, “Now!” The front doors ripped open.
Five Krypteia stood before Nemesis. Their faces were devoid of mercy or care and they were armed with weapons the villagers in the longhouse could not compete with. The time for strategy was gone. Nemesis charged towards them with the intention of killing them all. They raised their weapons and began shooting in her direction. She deflected their bullets, her swords tearing through the air. One of the guards took three swipes at her, all three times she caught his blows. Sparks flew as metal hit metal. When the others attempted to bypass her to get to the villagers, she swung her body and swords, creating her own blockade.
A guard attempted to grab her left metal hand. She lifted her arm and thrust her right sword through his heart. Blood spurted across her face when she pulled out her sword. Two others approached her from opposite sides. Nemesis twisted both blades to prevent them from having a clear shot or being able to get close to her. The largest guard moved with the heaviness of an uraki. Not as foolhardy or nervous as the other guard, he held back with another guard, observing the cornered villagers. His eyes landed on Aris and Sam, who protected a few of the children without parents.
The bigger kids held the little ones, who were covering their ears and eyes. The larger guard elbowed the one next to him and cocked his head towards them. Sam stepped forward with her loaded blunderbuss. Looking him in the eye with spite and hatred, Sam aimed and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The guard was thrown back by the bullet that ripped a hole through his chest. Blood oozed from the wound and onto the floor. The large guard gave Sam a menacing glare and rushed towards her. Sam stumbled back to reload her weapon. Her fingers trembled.
Aris turned from the children to see the juggernaut bearing down on Sam. He leapt to intercept the giant then stopped in horror. He recognized that face. The guard standing before him was one of the men who had helped slaughter his family. Aris tightened his grip on the blade in his hand and screamed with fury until the veins on his neck bulged. “You!” he shouted to the guard, who didn’t recognize him. One kill was the same as the other.
He opened his arms to welcome the fight from Aris, who sliced the air with his blade whilst careening towards the guard.
“You’re a feisty kid,” taunted the hulking soldier. He balled a fist and threw a punch at Aris, too slow. Aris ducked and sliced his unarmored thigh. The guard growled and gave Aris an uppercut. Enraged, Aris didn’t back down when he stumbled back or notice the pain, instead regaining his footing and charging forward with his blade overhead in one hand. The guard pulled out his own blade ready to strike Aris. The young man brought the blade down and sliced deep into the inner forearm of the guard. The lumbering oaf screamed out from the pain and his grip loosened.
Aris pushed him to the ground with his entire body weight. The guard dropped his blade but grabbed the sides of Aris’ arms to prevent him from plunging the blade into his neck. Aris tore his arms away from the man’s grasp and punched him in the side of the head. This only enraged the guard, who shook off the blow and headbutted Aris in the mouth and chin. Blood spewed from his split lip.
As the guard scrambled to grab his blade again, Aris drove his farming blade into the center of his palm and then continued to punch him in the side of the head with his other hand whilst screaming. He pulled the blade out of the guard’s hand and stabbed him through the throat. Without mercy or direction, Aris gripped the hilt with both hands and plunged the blade into any exposed flesh on the guard. His body and arms moved in an energetic frenzy despite the guard’s dead and still body.
Blood and chunks of flesh slapped against Aris’ body and face. He couldn’t hear the children crying. Aris’ entire body shook as Sam embraced him. His arms dropped at her touch.
“I’m here!” she said as she tried to comfort him. The blood on his hands and arms smeared across her tunic and sleeves as he clung to her. “I’m here. I’m here.”
“I got him. That bastard… I got him for them… for my father,” said Aris.
“You did. Now it’s time to let go. We aren’t done with this fight.” He looked into her eyes and nodded and rose to his feet. He could hear the fight outside still raging.
* * *
Titus held the bridge with Tarak as best he could. Blood and dirt caked his body as he tossed a dead Imperium soldier over the bridge. Tarak pounded one foot into the skull of another. He held an axe in one hand and a hammer in the other. The two men exchanged glances as the bridge was clear for a moment. But beyond the village and in the fields, more soldiers were advancing.
“There!” shouted Tarak, his body tense again. He pointed towards Milius: they couldn’t run towards the village due to a constant storm of bullets flying over their heads and hitting the ground where they had taken cover. Tarak was on the verge of running to help their fellow warrior.
Titus gave him a wary look. “No…” Tarak shot him a look of defiance. “I’m going.”
“You can’t help them!” Titus shouted back.
Tarak looked back at a crouching Milius. “From here I can’t.” Titus grabbed his forearm. “The enemy wants to draw us out. We must fall back and regroup.”
Tarak pointed to Titus’ weapon. “You can cover me with this or cover me with dirt. The choice is yours, General.”
Titus took the weapon with reluctance. “When this is all over…”
Tarak nodded and gave him a half smile. “You can teach me that song you were singing the other night.”
Tarak turned to run towards the fields and Milius when a boom and crack in the sky made them both duck. A small stone building exploded nearby, sending sharp shards of rock shooting through the air. Titus whipped his head towards Tarak. “Go! Hurry!” He aimed his weapon and began to shoot a clear way for Tarak to head into the fields. Soldiers began to make their way onto the bridge. Titus met the small band head on.
He aimed at the leader of the soldiers charging the bridge and hit him in the chest and neck. The soldier fell backwards, knocking into another close behind. The soldier stumbled but managed to hit Titus across the face with his rifle. Blood flew from his mouth, further enraging him. He matched the soldier’s blow with a back hand across his face, then ripped the rifle from his hand. He buried the gun in the soldier’s belly. The soldier fell dead.
Two soldiers attempted to surround him and grapple him to the ground. One of them aimed a gun towards his head. Titus ducked and the bullet lodged into the chest of the Imperium soldier behind him. He used the opportunity to pull the soldier closer to him by his armor. With both hands he gripped the man’s helmeted head and twisted his neck. The soldier fell like a tree branch struck by lightning. Titus stood over his dead opponents with a sad mania in his eye. This was war.
He looked up to see a soldier stomping towards Milius, who reloaded their weapon. The soldier raised his arm but didn’t get the opportunity to make the kill. Tarak grabbed a blade from his waist and slashed the soldier’s neck. Blood ran down his chest and formed a pool in front of a wild-eyed Milius. Tarak extended his hand. “Let’s go! We need to regroup!” Milius took his hand. They both sprinted towards the bridge and Titus.
“Incoming!” shouted Titus with his finger pointed behind them. A mech launched a missile in their direction. The blast threw them off their feet. Before it could find them again, they scrambled towards one of the trenches that had been heavily bombarded. Milius looked towards Tarak. “I would have done the same for you.”
Tarak nodded. “I know. Now let’s get out of here alive.”
They moved to the edge and peered over. Another mech was on the move and headed in their direction. From the opposite side of the bridge they heard a shout. “Look!”
They followed the direction of the shouting and looked towards the sky. The King’s Gaze hovered overhead with its cannons moving into position. That position was straight at them. “They are targeting the village!” shouted Titus.
“Fuck me…” Milius looked on in terror as the cannons aimed at them. “This couldn’t all be for nothing.”
“It’s not over. Look.”
The mech approaching them kicked up dirt and dust. They squinted and shielded their faces but could still see the twenty Imperium soldiers trailing behind it. In the distance, more dropships whizzed through the air and landed at the far end of the fields with more soldiers marching out in ant trails. There were more than they could handle. Tarak spotted a weapon and ammunition on the ground and picked it up.
Milius slumped into the trench with their head hanging. “This can’t be it. Not again. How will they ever be stopped?”
“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to think about it!” A mech fired straight at them, blasting a hole next to the trench. The crater left them exposed and full of mud as they were tossed against the wall. With plumes of dust giving them some cover, they clawed out of the trench and ran towards a fallen mech. Bullets pierced the air next to them. Once behind the mech there was no other place to run that didn’t put them in the line of fire. Both Tarak and Milius reloaded their weapons. Tarak looked up to the sky. “I thought to die in battle was all I wanted. Fighting for something.”
Milius placed their hand on his shoulder. “Beside good men.”
Tarak scanned the field filled with bodies and smoke. A shadow covered his face. “I think I was wrong. I don’t want to die at all. But if I must…” Tarak extended his hand to Milius.
Milius took Tarak’s hand with a smile. “Together.”
* * *
Part of The King’s Gaze’s lethal magnificence was its main weapon—the Sword of the King. The inside of the gun turret was small. The gunnery crew worked to carry out their new orders. A window with the width of ten feet and height of two feet at the front gave them a view of their target. The soldier in charge of loading the guns called out to the one who controlled them, “The gun is charged and ready to fire!”
The shooter nodded and turned to the control. He took them in hand and pushed them forward with the same emotions as a robot. The guns lowered into position. He glanced at the screen showing a holographic image of the village, the target. Heat signatures guided the shooter towards the clusters of people. The gunnery commander, just as stern as the crew, looked over the shooter’s shoulder. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“Target acquired.”
“Fire at will.”
Shooting and shouts just beyond the door made them both turn. The door swung open with Kora’s boot still in the air from kicking it open. Behind her a trail of bodies lay on the ground. The shooter’s eyes widened with surprise.
“Do it!” screamed the commander.
Just as the gunnery crew member was about to pull the trigger, Kora unloaded her weapon into his head. His body slumped into his chair and his head thudded onto the controls. The commander glared at Kora as she reached for her weapon. With perfect aim she shot the commander three times in the chest and killed the rest of the crew. She tossed the corpse of the shooter out of the chair and took the controls. Her target was clear—the conning tower. The tower had to be destroyed to truly obliterate The King’s Gaze. She would turn their own hateful stare back onto them.
Noble and Cassius stood inside the conning tower, waiting to see the destruction of Veldt. “What is the meaning of this?”
Cassius followed Noble’s gaze. The turrets had swiveled towards them, making the conning tower the target. Cassius rushed towards the communications officer. “What the hell is he doing? Find out what the hell is going on.”
“Yes, sir.” The officer flipped on his comms. “Sword of the King. What is your current status?”
There was no response. Noble stared at the turrets, knowing exactly what was happening and who was responsible. He had to act fast. “Don’t bother…” he said under his breath before turning to sprint towards the elevator. Without any word of warning he shoved past Cassius, who watched the man he had served with unwavering loyalty abandon him like an off-world commoner, then looked back at the turrets that did not stop moving in their direction. Cassius turned to run towards the elevators. The rest of the crew stood to watch the turrets and the running Noble. Raised voices were followed by a stampede for the elevators. Noble stood in the center when Cassius reached the doors. His eyes were glassy with fear and desperation. He tried to pry them open with his hands. “Sir…” Noble took out his gun and shot Cassius in the face. He fell and the doors slammed closed.
* * *
Kora watched the entire tower explode in a fountain of fire and smoke. She watched the debris fall with a strange numbness. She prayed it was enough and that Noble was part of the shattered pieces in freefall. However, relief would only come when she knew for sure Noble had been vanquished for good.
The expectation of doom filled the entire village with dread. It was the end of all things when the turrets reared their guns. The blasts pumped straight for the village, but instead of the center, they hit the wave of Imperium soldiers at the edge of the field. The impact rippled against the soil like a drop of rain in a pond. Imperium soldiers and dropships were destroyed within moments. Clouds of dust filled the air and covered everything. In the thick of the smoke and dirt, everything seemed to stand still. Milius and Tarak coughed and rubbed their eyes. “I don’t know what the hell just happened… you think they are all wiped out?”
Tarak squinted then his face dropped. “No… fucking unbelievable.”
As the destruction settled, the faint outline of one mech still standing could be seen. There were also at least a dozen Imperium soldiers recovering from the blast. Tarak grabbed Milius’ arm. “We better run. Looks like it sees us.” The mech aimed its cannons towards the two.
“What is…” Milius pointed to another shadow emerging from the dust. It sounded like another machine coming to life with the whirring of gears and clicks. It was Jimmy. But not as he was when he took his first step on Veldt. His cape blew behind him. His faceplate had smears of war paint. In his hand he held a sharpened elk antler. He ran straight into the midst of the remaining Imperium soldiers. They fired their weapons towards him but his metal exterior withstood their bullets. He raised his weapon made of antler and cut them down one by one, with the ferocity of a wild beast of the forest but the precision of a machine. Jimmy had awakened and transformed into something completely new. Limbs, intestines, blood and chunks of flesh littered the ground and fell in his wake. Cries from the wounded echoed in the dusty air.
Milius and Tarak smiled as they watched on with disbelief. Tarak nudged Milius. “We should join in the fun.”
Milius smirked and raised their weapon. Both fighters began to snipe the soldiers from the dead mech they hid behind. The Imperium soldiers looked in all directions, not knowing where the attack would come from. In no time at all, they were all dead from a bullet or the tip of a sharp antler. The only thing left standing was the mech. It turned to Jimmy, ready to fire. He leapt towards the cannons and aimed them towards the ground. The impact put a crater into the dirt but ripped one of his arms off in the process. It flew across the field. Jimmy continued to climb onto the mech. At the top, he ripped open the sealed metal manhole with the ease of breaking a man’s neck. Jimmy disappeared inside.
The two soldiers manning the mech turned in surprise to see a faceless machine with glowing eyes staring them down. Jimmy thrust the antler up through the bottom of the face and mouth of the soldier at the controls. His eyes rolled back to only white as blood poured from the wounds. The second soldier fumbled with her weapon and attempted to aim it at Jimmy. She wasn’t quick enough.
Jimmy pulled the pin from a grenade attached to the soldier’s chest. “No! No! No!” she screamed as she tried to pull the grenade vest off. Jimmy leaped out of the mech and back onto the ground. Within seconds the metal war machine burst into flames, sending hot debris across the field. Jimmy stood tall and watched the destruction. Tarak hollered in joy at this sight and slapped Milius across the back. “Maybe there is hope for us yet.”
* * *
Like everyone, Nemesis could feel the fighting outside as the bombardment shook the ground beneath her feet. Two Krypteia charged towards her with blades out. She caught one with her sword then screamed out in pain. The other sliced his blade across her back. As her torso arched, the guard in front of her brought down his blade and severed her hand. Her eyes burned with fury at this assault.
She ignored her wound and thrust her remaining sword into his belly. She pulled it out with enough time to swing around and catch the other guard across the chest. As she moved to strike again, the guard spun away then drove his blade straight into her chest.
Her mouth opened as her breath caught in her throat. Little Eljun screamed at seeing his hero cut down. He broke away from the other children with his own blade in hand. As fast as his young legs could move, he ran across the longhouse. He stabbed the guard in his side just below the ribs. The guard looked to Eljun, perturbed and without mercy. The little boy matched his scowl and twisted the blade, causing the guard to cry out. Eljun pulled out his weapon. Blood shot out of the wound, spraying his face. He raised his blade again and stabbed the guard. Nemesis could only watch as blood poured from her mouth. The guard grabbed Eljun by the throat and lifted him off the ground. His small feet kicked as he gasped for air like a little fish tossed out of water. His face began to turn blue.
“You little shit. I’ll kill you too!” groaned the guard.
Nemesis kept her eyes on Eljun, his body beginning to slow as the guard tightened his grip on the boy’s neck. Nemesis allowed the guard’s blade to sink deeper into her body to get closer to Eljun. With the last of her strength she pulled the blade from the guard’s side and slit his throat. A sheet of blood poured from his neck and he dropped Eljun. He fell to the ground in a coughing fit, regaining his breath. With the last guard now dead, the villagers in the longhouse rushed to the aid of Nemesis and Eljun.
The crying little boy crawled towards Nemesis. Her eyes were weary slits as she clung to the last minutes of life. “Be still my child, you fought with honor.” She reached behind her neck with her one hand, unclasped the necklace that once belonged to her daughter, and pressed it into his bloody hand. “This is yours now. Always fight with honor.” He nodded as she gazed into his eyes until her life ended with a final act of love and comfort.
In the distance, in the fields, a cloud of dust filled the air. A moment later the sky rumbled. Through the clouds. large pieces of metal, pieces of the Dreadnought’s conning tower, began to fall to the ground. The village erupted in cheers.
Not far away, Titus shouted, “That’s Kora!” It was the first display that gave him hope for a victory. “May you kill them all and make it back,” he said to himself as he watched the sky.