To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch 71 Into the Frying Pan Pt.IV

One turned a little sideways and suddenly Alwen was remined of an ancient Torweni mural of the wicked 'sea spirits'. It was in a southern temple and was built just after the monstrous sea spirit king Grehur was supposedly killed. Legend said that the holy warriors who had killed the last of the sea spirits constructed a great pyre and burned all of their corpses until nothing remained. These armored aliens bore a remarkable resemblance to the old paintings of sea spirits, before centuries of time had warped their visage into a more Torweni like shape. These invaders were Kruhur, and they were just as intimidating as legend had it.

She gulped down her fear at coming face to face with her peoples ancient enemy and she removed a grenade and tossed it down the corridor. The Kruhur had just begun taking up a position and were unready for the surprise attack, the grenade burst, and Alwen filled the smoking hall with bullets. She fired in short bursts and made sure to duck back behind cover when their own pulse rifles returned fire. The metal wall behind her began to get hot from the concentrated fire and she pulled herself away before it burned her back. She heard the heavy thuds of metal boots fall and she fell back as the Kruhur marines charged forward, she tossed her second grenade before ducking behind a ledge. The grenade went off and she heard the telltale wail of creatures in pain, she pushed her sympathy down as she popped around the edge to once again fill the hall with bullets. She saw that her grenade had dropped four Kruhur, two were very much dead and the other two were groaning in pain and were trying to crawl their way to safety.

For a second Alwen's mind put herself in their place, it made her imagine how scared and terrified she would be in their position. She gritted her teeth and remembered what the Hellworlders had drilled into her head over the course of the last year, 'its either you or them'. She lowered her gun and shot both retreating Kruhur in the back, putting an end to their lives before she lifted her gun back up to deal with the other Kruhur marines that were moving up. She fired to keep them pinned down and prevent them from shooting back.

Somehow through the roar of gunfire and the ringing in her ears she heard something metallic hit the ground, she turned and saw a strange fist sized object bouncing just off to her side. Her legs moved without her even thinking about it and she dove for cover just seconds before the Kruhur grenade went off. She felt a stinging pain and she cried out as shrapnel cut into her leg. She ignored the pain and pushed herself up and brought her gun forward once more, during the brief moment she wasn't pumping bullets in their direction the Kruhur marines had moved up and were nearly on her. She pointed the rifle at the nearest Kruhur and pulled the trigger, she braced herself for recoil that never came as the gun jammed in her hands. She looked down at the weapon in her hands and felt betrayed by it, just as the Kruhur marine arrived in front of her.

~~~*~~~

The ship was sitting dead in the water, hostile forces had boarded his home, and the woman he loved had just ran into the fight headfirst. And Gato couldn't figure out why the hell he couldn't move his legs, couldn't figure out why his body wouldn't spring into action. This was everything he had spent countless hours building himself up for, hours training for this moment. And he was standing there like a coward.

He should have returned to his station the moment the ship entered combat, he should have realized they would be vulnerable once they ejected that reactor, he should have done a thousand other things. Instead he had followed Alwen around like a lost puppy, the moment the ship first shook with enemy fire his mind had been consumed with worry, and that was the last thing he had wanted. He wanted to be the strong lone warrior, like he had been in the pit, he didn't want anyone to hold him back from doing what had to be done when the time came. But ever since that day in Noctis when she had confessed he had been having doubts, and that was the last thing he wanted.