Loyalties

Chapter 4: Adrian

That's Alex Daemon! I think in excitement as I see the Grand Duke look at Alex.

"Hello, father," Alex says, a blank stare comes across his face, his voice mixed with hate and pride.

"Hello, son," Drake says, and regret fills his face. "I never thought I'd see you again. I only wanted 20 days, not 5 years."

"Well, look where I am. I'm captain of my own squad, and I'm earning medals quicker than anyone else."

So I was right! Alex is the son of the Grand Duke! But it wasn't Alex who signed, but his father. But why? Why would a father want to sign their son up for a job where they possibly won't see them ever again? I don't want to question. All I know is that my best friend is safe and alive.

Alex walks over to me, and looks at me seriously. I look at him, wondering what's going on, then, I can't help but laugh. As if our minds are somehow connected, Alex laughs as well, and although it's the two of us, we make the room full of laughter and joy, as if Jade didn't knock me out and people came and died.

"It's good to see you again, buddy," Alex says as he holds out his hand.

"Yeah, it is," I say, grasping his hand as we pull each other in and slap each other's backs. "So, how's the service?"

"We do need a good marksman," Alex says, "and there isn't a single person in the Space Rangers that can make a simple pistol a deadly weapon when the target is 40 meters away."

"Well, I have been practicing," I meant it as a joke, but it didn't come out like one. Alex smiles, and claps me on the back.

"Glad you have," he says as he puts his helmet back on. Then, a Space Ranger runs up to Alex.

"Sir!" he says."We have a second wave incoming, twelve o'clock. Set up defensive formation?"
Alex looks at his father, then looks at me, and looks back at his soldier. "To your stations," my best friend says. Just as the man was about to leave, Alex says, "Also, get him a rail sniper." Alex points to me, and the man nods.

Everywhere, Space Rangers take their positions. Some take up posts outside along with some Palace Guards. The ruined front wall acts as a window for the rest who have taken shelter inside. Almost all of them have pushed up to make a barricade of men and rifles. On the two walkways, two soldiers take post, with longer range rifles, similar to the one I use at home for target practice.

The soldier who spoke to Alex runs to me, holding a sniper. "Here you are, sir," he says as he extends it out.
"What model?" I ask. It looks really bland. No damage or range modifiers, but, there is a nice looking scope.
"TRX-45B. Scope is x10 zoom, .799 rail caliber," he says as he quickly runs to his post. I feel the weight of the sniper. It's a fairly good weight, and it's semi-auto, not bolt action.

Splitting across the horizon, five VTOL warships speed towards the palace. They're around 1000 yards away, and the sniper could shoot only half that distance. However, that's too close.

"Which one do you want me to hit?" I ask my friend. Alex looks at me with shock.

"You can't hit anything from here with that! You're crazy," he proclaims. I smirk.
"The middle one? Perfect," I say as I press the rifle to my shoulder. Through the scope, I can see the pilots clearly. Except something wasn't right. I look at the rifle, and the bolt wasn't set right. It was set to 503 yrd ratio. I quickly set it to 825.97 yrd ratio, and aimed down the scope again. I aim at the pilot, and pull the trigger.

The thunder of the hammer rings my ears as the shot travels down, the barrel recoiling. I lower the sniper. Alex and the Grand Duke stare at the middle VTOL. Suddenly, the ship goes berserk, spiraling out of control into another ship, and both crash, exploding on contact with the ground. I raise the sniper again, and take aim at another ship. Again, I hit my mark.

"How the hell are you doing that?" Alex asks. I just shrug my shoulders, and get ready for another shot. Just as I'm about to pull the trigger a third time, the VTOL moves away. I lower the rifle, and try to find the other. They're both gone.

"Where the hell did they go?" Drake asks, furious. Then, the sound of engines answers his question. No more than 200 yards away, the VTOLs appear, guns blazing. They tear up the concrete drive, and what remains of the front wall. The Space Rangers start firing back, although their bullets don't seem to impact the warships.

They accelerate their speed, and close in faster. Once they are 100 yards away, they turn their sides to the incoming fire, and gunners start tearing up everything and anything around us. I dash for the nearest wall, and watch as the ground where I stood gets eaten up by rails.

Still holding my sniper, I peak the corner and take aim at the gunship opposite to my location. The gunner happily fires the gun, and he hits a Ranger. He continues to barrage us until the sound of a fighter breaking out of a jump makes him stop. Just as I look up, missiles zero in on the VTOLs, and in an explosion of wrath, all that's left are small bits and pieces.

The fighters fly overhead, making everyone cheer. But I don't. I stare at the two fighters in the distance. They're from the King, no doubt, but all I can think is, Where do my loyalties lie? With Jade? Or with the King?