Tuesday, April 12, 2011

In Coromaur's Debt - Part 11.

"That little moon will do," Viper selected the nearest option at hand and powered Ghost-Face straight at it. No time for pleasant landings, or procedures really, he shot straight down for a crash landing. Passing through the asteroids had only managed to buy him a few minutes, Viper only had a short lead. Whining Ghost-Face's inertial dampeners fought to compensate for the violent impact forces, but it was a loosing battle that Viper's rear was the casualty.

Red-orange fine dust shot up around the jumper as it formed a fresh crater. "I'm going to have more to fix," Viper groaned as he tried to hurry to clear his craft. Cursing as he went at fresh scratched on his already worn cyberarm. "Just started mending that, too..." Scanning the landscape, Viper selected a nearby rock formation and sprinted to try and hide himself amidst it's cover, hoping it would give him the much needed opportunity to ambush his stalker.

Alert his ears stood straight up, relaying news of an incoming new sound. Directing his gaze upward he gripped his Mark VIII and prepared himself to confront another attacker. But as he watched his stomach lurched with the realization at what he was witnessing. For it was not a ship that was making planet-fall for a landing, but instead he watched in growing surge of fear as something else was rapidly approaching. He could make out four points tucked beneath it that slowly betrayed themselves to be mechanized legs. Shacking his mind reeled as he slammed another shell into his gun, not even aware at what he loaded. Shocked, Viper began to mutter to himself. "A scout unit... They sent down mecha to take out one courier. What is this thing?"

In a near deafening boom, the mecha struck the ground, cushioned by a crackle from it's on-board Reliant system. That single use shield had absorbed the brunt of it's impact, and Viper thanked the tribes for the singular blessing. Now he had to contend with the unit's armor, and not a powerful force shield as well. At least, he hoped it only had the one Reliant.

As it rose to stand it's four spider-like legs dug into the ground, raising it's central chassis between them. Mounted atop it's body a small turret swiveled, tracking for it's prey, while a forward mounted pair of 30mm Vulcan's sat ready to chew up anything caught in it's path. Viper took one look at his Mark VIII and then back at the menacing mecha. "If I make it out of this," he mused. "I need a bigger gun, bigger bullets, and one of those."

Taking aim, he pointed his weapon, closed his eyes, and squeezed the trigger.

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