Troopers - Book 1

The March

                “What the fuck?” Aasith muttered to herself

                “Report” Came Thorne’s voice over the comm.

                “Apologies Sir, but you should come and look at this.” Aasith said watching the mountain for another interaction. The thud next to her told her that Thorne had arrived. She quickly explained what she’d seen and where, then handing over her rifle she watched as Thorne scanned the area.

                “I can’t see what you’ve described but I think we need to get moving as soon as possible. I think that asteroid is the next one to make a jump. That is something I want to see up close and if possible stop.” He said to her. “How’s the Ape?” he asked over the Comm. while handing back her rifle.

*

                Thoth was hanging upside down by his lizard line working in the small space between the marauder and the canyon wall, he was removing the last of the jammed in rubble to the second intake when he received the question.

                “Will be operational shortly” Thoth replied then something caught his eye moving at the edge of his vision. The last rock came out but instead of dropping it he held on for a moment. “Eastre! Engage the retraction for the marauder, we’ve got mites!”

                Eastre spun on the controls as Medb was slowly coming round, glancing down she tried to remember her basic marauder training. She hit a button and hoped for the best. Thoth swung round to the side of the marauder and smashed the rock into the mandibled face of the cliff mite. The rock shattered and the mite lost grip to the canyon from the shock. The marauder jerk and began rising up the canyon wall, leaving Thoth hanging on his own cable, facing the scrabbling mass of cliff mites coming up the wall. He righted himself while bringing his rifle to bear. He sprayed the area with rounds from his Mortia rifle, dislodging more mites than he killed.

                As the Marauder jerked Eastre began to fall back out of the cockpit, Medb lunged forward to grab her but her harness held her tight, Medb’s armoured hand skimmed by not quite getting a hold. Eastre fell back into the air and the marauders passage made her spin on her lizard line, swinging towards the canyon face, she braced herself for the worst. The impact jarred her body and left her slightly dazed.

                “Medb your jump jets are fixed, get out of here!” Thoth shouted over the comm.

                “Move that Ape trooper we need a clean shot” Came Thorne’s controlling voice.

                Thoth used the rifle’s rate of fire to carve a small gouge our of the rock face, he then jammed a grenade in the hole. Looking up he saw the marauder fall briefly before the jump jets took it up into the air and back over the edge. He saw that Eastre was dangling; moving slowly and that another set of mites were on route. He sprayed more rounds below and armed the grenade. Engaging his own lizard line he began to ascend. Rounds began to pour down from the canyon edge try to hit the incoming mites while missing the two troopers. Eastre was still moving slowly her hand missing the retraction button on the lizard line, Thoth began to swing towards Eastre hoping his trajectory would make connection, the grenade exploded, he began to spin on his line, crashing his shoulder into Eastre he grabbed on and began to lift her up as the lizard line retracted.

                Eastre was brought out of hr daze by the impact and snatched her hand at the retract switch. As he cable began to retract she looked down a saw the cracks appearing, the grenade had removed a large junk of the canyon wall and now it had started another collapse. A slab of rock shifted and began to fall.