Don't Give Up - A Sci-Fi Short

Target, Extraterrestrial.

Rick had been asleep for about forty minutes when he woke up to a distant sound. It was the sound of engines… not quite the engines he recognized however. And also, not definitely man-made ones. Then he heard Karel dashing into the cave, then sliding next to him. Rick, still weary after the short nap, was a bit numb to the situation. “They’re here, man.” Said Karel, shoving the M2 Assault Rifle into Rick’s arms.

“Dominion troops?” asked Rick.

“A little more than that. They brought a patrol vehicle with them. A floater.”

Rick quickly went to his senses and went on his feet. He checked his rifle, and seeing that he still had a full forty-round magazine through the bullet counter on the rifle, he pulled the bolt and took off the safety. It was then when heard the floater’s absurd engine sounds going right above them. From the tunnel’s entrance, they could see the flames going out of the vehicle’s flanks, used namely to make the floater ‘float’ over the ground. The floater had small wings, and its shape was more like a baloonless airship than a modern aircraft. Its hull, however, was made out of metal, with a similarly metal deck that housed a couple of plasma repeater emplacements. The floater passed over the cave, but it halted just four hundred meters in front of the cave. The floater lowered slightly, and a door in its hull opened, revealing its contents. About twelve Dominion lower-caste soldiers – composed of the reptilian Kad’al – jumped out of the craft, carrying Plasma Carbines. The green color of the weapons reflected that of the Kad’al’s original skin color, but due to the snow and also the fact that they were cold-blooded beings, the Kad’al’s skin turned into a mix of white and blue. They were not the only ones within the floater however, as two Orcish officers promptly jumped off after them, their blue sabers throwing away their position but also served as a beacon of fear for the airborne troopers. The night had triggered a mediocre snow storm that rendered the two sides invisible to each other; but thanks to the helm-integrated HUD, the two airborne troopers could identify their targets clearly and easily.

There were fourteen of them. Twelve Kad’als and two Orcs. The Kad’als were roughly human-sized, and the Orcs stood about seven feet tall, wearing tri-horned helmets on their heads. They showed up with a red line outlining their silhouettes in Rick and Karel’s HUD. “I should’ve brought a DMR.” Said Rick.

“Do you think they’ve spotted us?” asked Karel. The two lay at the mouth of the cave, invisible through both their camouflage and the snowstorm.

“Negative. But they’ve spotted our beacons.”

“So we turn them off?”

“If we turn it off, they’d still be looking for us. Besides we don’t know what technology this group possesses… I’d prefer to kill them quick and easy. Airborne Rangers don’t defend, we attack. Isn’t that right?”

Karel smiled under his helmet, and with a desperate spirit, he said, “Hu-ah.”

“Turn your motion trackers on. Move slowly. I flank right, you flank left. Okay…” Rick said. He took a rather deep breath. His heart was beating, but he was somewhat optimistic on the plan. “Let’s go.” He said, and Rick went out of the cave’s mouth, feet first. Before he made it out, however, Karel grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t die, man.”

Rick only nodded, and went dashing to the far right flank, his equipment and armor jingling with every step he took.

Crash. Breathe. Crash. Breathe. Crash. Breathe. Crash. Breathe.

The diatonous sounds kept repeating around Rick, as his footsteps and breathing were accompanied by the sounds of jingling equipment. Thick wind felt like slamming the sides of his armor along with the snow bits it brought, and he feared that his weapon might be filled with the snow before he could even fire it. As he put his run to a steady, careful walk, he put his weapon under his mantle.