Warsong (Hunter-Killer #2)

Chapter 09 - Home is in the Head, and the Heart

The humans had brought war back to Ozzmar.

Smoke billowed over the gutted husks of buildings, smearing Rychter's scorched air with darkness. Gunfire echoed through the streets, the deep bass of explosions reverberating across the plains and valleys that surrounded the town. Scraegan war howls climbed high into the smog in a defiant chorus as battle was joined.

And in the gullies to the east HK-Rupture were in the thick of it once more.

Ryke let out a bellow of exertion as he wrenched his warblade hard from its position within the torso of a Scraegan warrior. He twisted the thick slab of metal to one side, opening a deep gouge in the beast's thick hide. Black ichor spattered the armour of his Hunter-Killer as he pivoted back, placing his shield in the path of the massive, blunt-headed axe of his adversary.

Even as it bellowed in pain, spinning its left side back, the Scraegan swung with its right, using the natural weight of its limbs to gather momentum. Ryke had just enough time to set the feet of his mech against the valley floor before the axe-head crashed into his shield plate. His teeth rattled in his skull and his whole body felt as though it had been rung like a bell. The internal systems of the Hunter-Killer blurted a damage warning as the thick shield was dented by the blow, but he was already moving, driving forward and slamming the full weight of his war machine into the reeling monster's chest.

It toppled backwards with a roar of impotent rage, crashing to the shattered valley floor where Thaye stamped down with all fifteen tons of her Hunter-Killer onto the Scraegan's head. Its thick skull withstood the tremendous impact, but the beast was almost knocked unconscious by the blow, flailing weakly on the valley floor.

All around him the members of HK-Rupture were tearing into the second pack of Scraegan defenders trying to keep them from the Ozzmar plant. He saw the rookie pilot Brody discharge the shoulder cannon of his Goliath from barely five meters away, blowing a smoking crater in the gut of an onrushing Scraegan. Behind him, Scantlin grappled with another, hacking at it with his warblade as they blundered around in a drunken dance.

Kim's damaged Raptor mech hobbled awkwardly through the fighting with Preese and Marylee chaperoning her. Out in front the remaining Riot mechs piloted by Koral 'Hatchet' Traeder and Norville 'Sprocket' Bankspur had already broken loose.

They were making good progress, but he knew they needed to extract themselves from this brawl. Brackenshaw's flight were already beyond them, weaving through the mayhem and making a run for the plant before the Scraegans could task any more defenders to the flanking action. Without the Hunter-Killers to back them up they couldn't hold it for long. On Miquelon's front, progress had slowed as their comrades ground their way into the narrow streets.

Ryke loped past the downed Scraegan, the camera feeds from the Hunter-Killer's 'head' locking onto the buildings of Ozzmar that were finally within sight. Reluctantly he wheeled away from their objective, long enough to get a hold of the enemy that still wrestled with Scantlin. He dug the metal fingers of his enormous gauntlet around the lip of the beast's neck plate and heaved with all his might.

The Scraegan let out a coughing bark of surprise at it went tumbling backwards and crashed to the ground, but Ryke didn't wait around to finish it off. Actually killing a Scraegan took a long time, even for the fearsome armaments of the Hunter-Killers. It was time they didn't have.

"HK-Rupture, on my lead!" he roared through the comm, pausing to rattle of a burst of cannon fire at another Scraegan. "Cut yourselves loose. Mallet, Avalanche, Gutz, Hatchet, form up a rearguard action and give me rolling volleys on our six. Everybody else lock on me and burn it for the town. We've got a schedule to keep."