Systems In Chaos: Dissention

Chapter 6

“Really, that long?” Sura asked with some yearning in her voice.

“Your first real mission already not what you expected?” Teran chuckled.

“No, it’s not that. I just thought we’d be...” she started, but was cut off by Teran.

“Flying into action and saving the princess like knights on a white horse?” he said with a broad grin across his face.

“Yeah... something like that,” Sura admitted. She smiled, almost laughing, at herself.

Teran lifted the hot cup to his lips and took a long sip. It wasn’t so hot that it could burn his mouth, but it was definitely hot enough to send a warm sensation throughout his entire body. He had his eyes closed and simply listened to the sounds of the forest. Many of the night creatures were settling down to sleep through the day, all the while others were waking up to the dawn light. All of a sudden he heard sound of a combat boot breaking a twig a little ways off into the mist with a loud crack, as well as some quiet chatter, and his eyes snapped back open as he quickly crouched behind the log he was sitting on. Everyone else had heard the same thing, and when they all suddenly ducked behind cover Sura was a little shocked. It took her a few moments to realise what was happening before doing the same; to her the breaking branch sounds were just animals, she couldn’t tell the difference between them. They knew that it was an enemy patrol; there were no other rebel bases in the immediate area, and their camp hadn’t sent out any patrols into this sector.

Teran pulled his two stormswords from his belt and went to move towards the Imperial Hadi patrol, but he was halted by the quiet, harsh, command of Karem.

“Stay still, you fool!” Karem hissed. “Do you want to alert them to our presence?”

“No, I was more or less thinking of killing them instead,” Teran said blankly.

“Kill him, punch him, slap him, do something to shut him up!”

“Let’s kill them, Teran,” Vrik replied as he crept forward, and drawing one his own stormswords before coming to a stop behind his friend.

“If you don’t, I will,” Teran’s eye twitched as he buried the thought to the back of his head. That was odd. Why did I say it like that?

Teran nodded and smiled at Vrik. “I’m coming too,” Sura whispered from behind them.

“No, don’t kill them you idiots. What if they alert the base?” Karem argued. His nose was scrunched up into a snarl.

“Karem is right, the mission comes first. We need to remain hidden; we must keep our element of surprise,” Baron wisely weighed in.

“See, Baron agrees. We should not attack.”

“Bah, they don’t deserve to live,” Vrik said annoyed. “Come on Tec, they are getting away.”

Teran nodded and stepped forward, he only got two steps in before he had a pair of hands pushing him against the log.

“You can’t go!” breathed Karem, his eyes were filled with frustration and concern.

Teran shrugged him off and pushed him away. “Don’t worry, they won’t get away,” and, with that, he ran off through the trees. Vrik and Sura quickly followed.

Baron sighed and shook his head. “Come Karem, let’s go help them.” Karem frowned but nodded. When will Teran learn? Baron thought to himself.

Teran, Vrik and Sura crept through the brush of the forest floor. They were careful not to make too much noise, or make any quick movements that could alert the patrol that they were coming. Teran caught view of the point man. He felt an impending joy fill his body as he savoured the feeling of stalking his next Imperial victim. When the three Guardians were within three metres of the enemy they all charged out of the ferns, ambushing them. Teran extended his two emerald stormblades, Vrik turned on his dual blue blades and Sura flicked on her light purple stormsword. As they closed the distance Teran and Vrik, both, unleashed a bio-push, sending four of the ten men flying backwards. Still with the element of surprise the three Zeuti warriors crashed into the enemy troops. Teran slid by one, ducking while gliding pass him to avoid being hit by the man’s gun hilt which was being used as a club. As he skidded passed Teran used one of his swords to slice open the man’s stomach, spilling his intestines all over the forest floor. The soldier hit the ground with a loud, painful, grunt before dying in a pool of his blood.