That Which One Begins - Chapter Twelve

It started like a summer rain. First one shot tore up dirt, then another, followed by more rounds kicking up rocks and dirt until the Arions were spraying automatic fire all along the ridge. Red energy rounds lanced out everywhere, fired from the Arion Taifun rifles of the advancing troops. William took a blast to the side of his head that flung him back into the trench.

"Sonnovabitch!" he exclaimed. Holding the side of his head with his hand, he sat up. "Damn! Something stung me!"

"I believe you have been shot, sir," informed Phil. "Do you require medical assistance?"

"Yeah," grumbled William, agreeing with Phil's estimate of what happened to him. Checking his hand for any sign of blood, he found none. The thought that he was invulnerable to the Arion weapons did not occur to him. "No, looks okay." William yelled down the trench. "KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN! WE'RE TAKING FIRE HERE!" There was no response as Tetrites huddled down as deeply as they could.

"Phil," called William. "Are there any rifles left?"

"I think quite a few, sir."

"Would you go down the trench and get us a couple? We may have to keep some people away from the gun."

"People?" Phil wasn't sure who that was at first. "Oh! Certainly, sir. I'll check."

As Phil hustled down the trench, William peered over the craggy top. The Arions continued their walk up the slope. Without anyone shooting back, they were taking their time, shooting at the ridge from the hip--just a walk in the park.

"Come on, you bastards," William muttered. "Just a bit more and we'll..." Another thought interrupted when William saw new troopships arrive in the distance. He could still get off a few more shots, maybe bag one or two more before he had to turn his attention to the troops coming up. The Arions were just now passing in front of the left trench. William took a step back to aim the Traynor when someone in the left trench fired at the Arions.

"No," stammered William before he screamed, "NO!"

As if they were one, the Arions wheeled to their right and attacked the new threat. When they did, the entire left trench opened up with every rifle.

"Damn it!" cursed William as he leapt from the gunpit. "Damn!"

With the left trench firing too early, they pulled the full weight of the Arion advance right down on top of them without any support from the main trench. The Tetrites in the main trench continued to wait for the order to fire or perhaps they were stunned by what they were seeing. Whatever the reason, not one shot left the main trench.

"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" William screamed, trying to save what could be saved from a situation going terribly wrong. He could see Tetrites being torn to pieces in the far trench, he could hear each one screech with pain at the moment of their death. The problem was, so could the Tetrites in the trench with him.

"KILL THEM, DAMMIT!" William shouted, pulling a rifle from a shaken Tetrite. Raising it to his shoulder, William fired as rapidly as he could. A few Arions fell, but not enough. Then a shadow fell over the trench and the loudest, deepest voice in the Universe shook the Tetrites from their terror. Large Grey made his presence felt.

"FOR YOUR LEGACY AND THE LIVES OF THOSE WITHIN IT, SHOOT!"

The entire trenchline erupted in rifle fire, devastating the Arion attack. Squads of Arion Beta troops simply disappeared, destroyed by the volume of fire. Hundreds of them were being slaughtered, dying an instant after the surprise of such heavy fire suddenly appearing on their flank.

Still, it was not enough to keep a handful of Arions from reaching the left trench. The Tetrites still alive in the trench fought back, shooting up at the encroaching Arions, but the trench soon became a death pit. The few Arions on the ridge fired down the length of the trench, killing nearly every Tetrite who stayed. A few Tetrites tried to run, but were cut to pieces by the terrible automatic fire.

 

"Tok!"

On command, the six Primes stopped pummeling Lillith. Two of them held her by the arms as they lifted her roughly from the ground. Bruised severely--her left eye was swollen closed--Lillith still glared at the Arion Officer now strutting toward her. It was the ranking officer left among the Primes, Commander Napoleon from the fallen battlecruiser.

"Well, well, well," he sang predictably. "Is this the piece of Velorian dung who destroyed my ship?" He stood before her in a wide stance, his thumbs tucked into his belt, quite pleased that she was caught for his amusement. Napoleon leaned forward to yell in her face. "Well, ARE YOU?"

Lillith's foot flashed up to impact Napoleon's crotch so hard that he was lifted off his feet. The pain instantly doubled him up and he landed hard on his knees. A second kick flashed into his face and he tumbled awkwardly along the ground to settle wheezing in the dust.

"Yep, that was me," Lillith remarked.

Four Primes immediately began pounding Lillith in retaliation, even as she remained trapped in the powerful grip of the other two Primes. A sharp snap of fingers made them stop. Lillith sagged low, hanging by her arms, but she was still conscious. Her good eye slowly looked up and she stood when she saw who had stopped her latest beating.

A large female Arion Prime officer, a captain, slowly, formally, walked over to the writhing commander. She was massive, muscular, a warrior, dressed for battle in the usual Prime wardrobe of leather and little else. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly, the length of it tucked into her tunic. Her thin lips were in contrast to her almond eyes. Her nose had once been broken, the crook of it midway combined with her deadly stare to give her the look of someone not to be taken lightly.

Looking down with the usual Arion disinterest, she stood for a moment to watch her commander twist in pain before speaking.

"Would the Commander like a few moments to regain his composure?" she offered dryly.

"Ki... Kill it!" he stammered breathlessly, hunched over. He found the strength to point at Lillith before shouting, "KILL IT!"

The captain drew in a long breath as she looked up from the distraught commander, evidently bored with such a simple task. Unbuckling her belt, she also removed the remnants of her torn tunic to reveal her powerful body and the ornate body paint that covered most of it. Intricate designs that spoke of battles and conquests decorated her, the colors as rich and varied as the designs themselves.

Lillith knew. Even though she had only read about them, she knew what those patterns meant. The Arion captain was a Svin'Tse, one of an order of the finest warriors on Aria. The Svin'Tse fought with precision and power, warriors of incredible ability and extreme training. To become Svin'Tse, one had to achieve perfection. Fail to maintain that perfection and one failed to exist--there was no such thing as an ex-Svin'Tse. Theirs was a code that demanded the extreme in all things and that included war. Even by Arion standards, the Svin'Tse were quick, powerful, hard-core killers.

"As you wish, sir."

Turning toward Lillith, the female captain strode leisurely to within a few meters.

"Velorian," she said calmly as she stretched. "I've been ordered to kill you. I've killed many species, but never one of you."

"That's so sad," mocked Lillith through clenched teeth.

"Yes," continued the captain, raising an eyebrow at the thought. "Yes, it is. Today we will change that, you and I."

"I don't think so."

The Captain grinned slightly, her cold face resolute.

"Oh, don't be so immodest, Protector. You are certainly capable of dying by my hand. Oh, I have heard of you Protectors. I have heard all of the childish stories. But, I don't believe you Velorians are such formidable opponents. I don't listen to fairy tales." The captain smiled as she ran her finger down Lillith's cheek. "We will fight, you and I," she said softly to Lillith, "and I will destroy you."

"If I win," Lillith responded, just as quietly, "will you leave this planet?"

The captain's fist smashed Lillith's face to the side so hard that Lillith saw stars.

"No," laughed the captain. "Of course not. They will simply kill you. This is not a game, Velorian."

"No," Lillith agreed sternly as she slowly turned her head back to face the captain. A new lesson had been learned and her eye glared hotly at the Arion. "No, it is not."

The captain took a step back and snapped her fingers again.

"Release her."

Before the two Primes had fully removed their grip from Lillith's arms, the Protector of Tetra experienced the full, devastating force of an attack by a Svin'Tse Master.

 

With tears in his eyes at the sight of such slaughter, William kept firing until his rifle emptied. Phil returned with two more rifles and William began discharging one of those. When he saw a huge Arion jump into the left trench and begin stomping on Tetrites, killing them under his boots, William's rage lost control.

"You bastards!" he cursed, jumping from the trench. Arion fire erupted, kicking up the ground around him as he ran back to the Traynor, but it all passed unnoticed by the incensed Terran. Reaching the huge rail gun, William swung it toward the left trench and fired, not knowing whether there was anything left in the pak or not. Three Arions standing on the left ridge, including the stomper, were vaporized within a huge blue flash of Traynor firepower, the last discharge left in the pak.

Arions have an appetite for revenge that is unrivaled by any other species. When the Arion troops were swept from the left ridge, a Grouper pilot took it upon himself to avenge them. Swinging his empty troopship around, the pilot headed not for the Traynor, but for the left ridge.

William saw a fat ship screaming down through the smoke. Sensing what was happening, he hollered back toward Phil.

"Get me a pak!"

"There are no more left, sir."

GET ME A FRIGGIN' PAK!"

"There are none, sir."

Without the Traynor, the only weapon left for William was his rifle. As the Grouper swept by in front of them on a collision course with the left trench, every Tetrite fired at it, riddling the obese suicide craft. A few rounds even pierced the cockpit, killing the pilot, but the ship continued on to explode directly into the left ridge. The detonation obliterated everything and everyone on the ridge. Arion or Tetrite, they all died together to restore Arion pride in the eyes of one transport pilot.

William and the Tetrites in the main trench looked wide-eyed at the carnage. Many openly wept, while others turned away. William fought to control his emotions, pushing them down to be dealt with later. There was no time for them now. There was just no time.

"This is... Insanity," muttered Phil, staring at the coiling wall of black smoke rising from the far ridge.

"Yeah," agreed William tersely. "And we're next."

Rising to his feet, William checked the power status of his Taifun rifle--there were a few rounds left.

"Come on, buddy," he urged with a sigh, "let's get back..."

A shot hit William in the head followed by three more impacting his chest, knocking him to the ground. Phil jumped to his side.

"Sir!" shouted the frantic Tetrite.

"I'm okay; I'm alright." William waved Phil away. "Damn, those things sting."

"You are most fortunate for that, sir."

"Yeah." William leaned toward Phil. "Listen, buddy, head back to the Sabre and see if there's any paks we might have overlooked. Okay? Anything at all, get it back here. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"I will see to it, sir."

"Thanks, Phil." William gently slapped Phil on his back just before Phil clambered out of the trench. "And, Phil!" William called out. "You might want to hurry."

"Indeed, sir!" Phil called back as he scampered away.

William collected another Taifun rifle, checked its charge, and leaned the weapon against the front wall of the trench. The Arions were sniping at the trench, but hadn't regrouped to assault yet. William peered down at them, kept his head down, and waited.

A wall of hundreds of Arion soldiers rose up on the right to rush at the trench. Their rifles flashed steadily, pouring a barrage of fire over the trenchline. The Tetrites and William fought back, shooting as quickly and as accurately as they could. Arions died, falling on the run, but the others kept coming.

The screech of dying Tetrites was heard again and again. The sound wouldn't stop. The Tetrite on William's left exploded when a direct blast from an Arion rifle hit him in the face. More died further down the trench and William heard each one scream in agony. He emptied rifle after rifle, tears streaming down his cheeks, cursing the Arions at the top of his lungs as adrenaline flooded through him.

They couldn't stop them; the bastards kept coming. A handful of Arions reached the far right of the trenchline, killing every Tetrite still alive there before jumping into the trench.

"SIR! SIR!"

The voice of Phil spun William around to see the excited Tetrite dragging a pak for the Traynor.

"COME ON, PHIL!" William screamed out, his voice cracking. "COME ON, BUDDIE! THAT'S THE STYLE!"

With the Traynor, William could eliminate the Arions on the right and clear the field. He might even tear up a few more shuttles. William stretched out his hand over the back of the trench and smiled, his white teeth flashing through his dirty face. Phil scampered wildly toward him, hauling the heavy deliverance from defeat.

It all happened so slowly, as if in a Hollywood slow-motion scene. William will always remember the sight of something overhead and how, when he glanced up, the cold horror of seeing a dozen Arion grenades spinning in the air, falling over them.

"Oh, dear God, no."

The detonations were nearly simultaneous, some on the ground and some from grenades still in the air. Massive explosions seemed to come from everywhere as William was knocked around by the concussions and nearly blinded by the brilliant fireballs. He found himself on the bottom of the Traynor gunpit, his torn shirt now shredded from shrapnel and his ears ringing.

With a shake of his head, William jumped to his feet and lunged for the rear of the trench, back to where he had last seen Phil. There, not a meter away, was the pak for the Traynor, torn open and left useless by the grenades. A severed Tetrite leg, still holding on to the pak, twitched slightly and smoldered at the jagged end where it once been attached to William's friend. Phil was gone.

William stared at the leg as it slowly curled to the ground, any life once in it fading away. The screams of the Tetrites swirled in his mind as the realization of Phil's death crystallized in his conscious thoughts. They're killing them all, he thought. They're murdering them all and it's got to stop. William could hear the pounding boots approaching behind him. He could hear the shouts of the Arions and the discharges of their rifles. It grew louder, everything grew louder, and, within the shaking Terran, a madness grew with the sounds until the sharp sting of a shot to his back unleashed the insanity.

William spun around to jam his rifle, barrel first, into the Arion soldier trying to jump into the trench. Without hesitating to see the impaled Arion die, William leapt from the trench, cursing wildly at the top of his lungs. He ripped another rifle from the grip of a stunned Arion who was nearly decapitated when William slashed the butt of the rifle across the soldier's face. Emptying the rifle at the charging troops, William ignored what shots found him from the Arions he killed so savagely. When that rifle was shot out, William threw rocks, not noticing the incredible force he threw them with. Like crude cannonballs, they killed and maimed dozens of the Arion Betas.

A long burst into William's chest from a closing Arion threw the crazed Terran back into the Traynor gunpit. Spitting his curses out louder than ever, William leapt at the Traynor and sheared the mount pin away. The long rail gun tumbled into his grip and he held it overhead by the rail like a baseball bat. Three Arions died immediately under the huge club. More followed when William jumped from the pit and attacked.

Shots from the right impacted William, increasing his rage. Gripping the bloody gun over his head he charged through their hailstorm of fire, screaming for vengeance.

 

They were laughing. The Arions joked and laughed as Lillith crawled slowly in the dust. The Arion captain had beaten the tired Velorian mercilessly with a display of Arion martial artistry and power few could duplicate. The self-confident female strutted behind Lillith, flexing her arms for the admiring males and making the usual Velorian jokes. She was about to kill a Protector and the status that would give her among her people filled her with great satisfaction. Rather than finish Lillith off quickly, however, she chose to enjoy the moment.

For Lillith, there was only shame. Unable to effectively fight back against such a relentless and skilled fighter, she now could only crawl. She felt defeated, alone, and ashamed.

She finally could move no more, in spite of their kicks, shouts, and occasional shots from their pistols. She was spent and she knew it would soon be over for her.

Raising her bruised head slightly, Lillith could see something half buried in the dirt ahead. She squinted a bit to focus, but it was difficult with only one eye open. She strained to raise her head higher to see. The dim light from the fires finally gave up enough light and Lillith could only stare.

A dead Tetrite, tilted slightly to the right, rested in the dirt. Although long dead, its eyes remained open. Eyes that now looked at Lillith.

She couldn't look away. Those eyes, the eyes of those she swore her life to protect, all of them were looking at her now through those eyes. She could feel that look in her soul. It reached down inside her and found more of her than even she knew existed, much more. Those eyes kindled a spark within her that soon flamed and grew, grew until she shook from it. She was their Protector and who would protect if she died? It was only her, only Lillith. She was to protect them. She was to protect. Protect. Protect! PROTECT!

With a shout of rage, Lillith's leg shot back into the belly of the Captain, knocking the surprised Arion back. As stunned as the Arion was, she was fast enough to grab the leg, but it did her no good. Lillith levitated to pivot on the captured foot, smashing her other foot across the Arion's face so hard that it drove the Captain to the ground.

Lillith was on her, attacking with a savage determination that shocked the Arions. Pounding, beating her, blocking counterblows and pushing them away as if they were mere nuisances. The Protector moved so quickly that there was no way to follow. Her combat was fluid, one assault flowing into another, never giving way, never allowing her opponent a chance, never letting up. The Arion had said that this was no game and the young blonde girl now understood that all too well. This was no game and, to protect her planet and her species, Lillith was going to kill her.

Any male that stepped forward to interfere was lifted from his feet by a flurry of rapid punches to his face and they quickly left the battle to the females: Arion Svin'Tse versus Velorian Protector.

The once proud Arion captain, driven back from Lillith by a series of immense punches, now staggered on her feet, barely conscious, barely alive, and completely unsettled by the berserk fury of the young Velorian. Lillith walked slowly, dangerously, toward her, speaking with a sharp menace through gritting teeth.

"I am Lillith'a Velor. And this... Is... A... Protected... PLANET!"

On the last, shouted word, Lillith's massive punch impacted the Arion's face so hard that she was launched from her feet, rocketing as a blur into the smoke-filled sky toward the Faldref. The proud Svin'Tse was eliminated.

Lillith turned toward the gaping Arions slowly, her muscles still showing her power as she raised her fists into a combat stance. She glared at the seven remaining Arion males with one blue eye, the other, now healing, was covered with her long hair. Her eye scanned across their faces, sensing their thoughts at what they had just witnessed.

"Make a decision," she snarled.

They hesitated, then charged at her, screaming their cries for her bloody death.

 

The arms of the Arion Beta quivered before he died. Under the breech of the Traynor, the body of the Arion had been shattered with one blow. The sight of it was more than enough for the rest of the Arions in the trench. They not only threw down their weapons, but they were actually cowering, pleading with William not to harm them.

William remained in a daze, holding onto the rail of the Traynor. He finally blinked, his eyes unsure where to look. It wasn't until he noticed them kneeling and pleading that he began to return to reality. He stood back, blinked again, not understanding what he was seeing.

They appeared to be afraid of him, many of them holding their arms out as if he was some sort of terrible monster that could be placated with begging.

William stepped toward one of the Arion Betas and the Arion bowed to the ground, his arms crossed over his chest in the Supremis sign of submission. When William stepped too close, the Arion became unglued, flailing his hands behind his bowed head as he jabbered on and on. The Arion, it was plain, was begging for his life.

"They believe you to be an Arion Prime turned against them," boomed a familiar voice. "It is the nightmare of all Betas."

"Grey!" called out a tired and confused William. "You're alive! You made it."

"Indeed, I am here, but somewhat worse for the experience." A number of smaller Tetrites tended to various wounds all over Large Grey.

"Are you okay?"

"I will continue to survive," confirmed Large Grey. "It would appear that the fighting is over."

Looking out over the valley, William saw few Arions who weren't dead or dying. Those who survived moved slowly up the ridge toward the collection of Arion prisoners gathered before William. He took a deep breath before he began collecting Arion rifles. Some of them even helped in an effort to placate the dangerous "Prime". It was, indeed, over.

As the last of the rifles clattered to the ground, William stopped, lost in thoughts that would not let him continue.

"Phil didn't make it," he finally forced out. His emotions were trying to take over.

"That is most unwelcome information," said Large Grey sadly.

"Yeah," William muttered, his mouth drawn tightly. He wiped his face with his hand before sighing loudly. There was much to do.

"Get over here, you stupid bastards!" he called out with a quick wave to a straggling group of Arion soldiers still trying to surrender. They were the last of the troops alive on the ridge and hurried up the slope to kneel with the others. William pointed a rifle in their direction.

"Grey," William called out over his shoulder, "let's get the guys out of the trench to cover these folks, okay?"

"They are already here," came the solemn reply from the giant.

William turned to see twelve dirty, tired Tetrites emerge from the smoke. They gathered wearily next to Large Grey. Some slumped to the ground to sleep, while the others merely stared off in arbitrary directions.

"Where are the others?" William asked, his voice as fatigued as the Tetrites he was looking at. Large Grey glanced back toward the trench before shaking his head slowly.

"There are no others."

The emotions that William had held in check for so long now finally had their way. His face twisted with grief and the tears came. He tried to force it all back down, he tried, but this was more than he could stop. So many dead. So many. The trial of the day tore at him relentlessly until, finally, he had no choice but to let it come.

He looked back at the trench as smoke drifted gently over it. It was quiet now, so quiet, the remains of so many still within. Enveloped in the quiet, they wept for the dead.

After a few moments, William looked toward the sky.

"Where is she, Grey?" he muttered, the dirt on his face streaked below his eyes. "She should be here."

"The Mistress has not been seen for hours," sighed Large Grey, now looking up as well.

A few Tetrites arrived, volunteers too late for the battle, but able to handle the prisoners. William handed his rifle to one before stepping close to Large Grey.

"She out there," he said firmly, pointing back toward the valley. "If she's not here and not up there, then she's out there somewhere and I'm gonna find her."

Without waiting for a reply, William began marching down the slope toward the burning hulks of the Arion ships. Large Grey followed only as far as the ridgeline before calling out to him.

"And if the Mistress has succumbed to the Arion..."

"Then I'll bring back what's left!" William shouted, stopping long enough to soothe his temper before turning to speak more calmly to his large friend. "I won't leave her out there, Grey. She belongs up here with us."

"Indeed," agreed Large Grey as he watched William continue on his trek into the valley.


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That Which One Begins, Copyright © 2001 by S.T.MAC