Sigma/Star

Chapter 44: Grimsley vs. Orellia

Grimsley gripped his controls tightly, his knuckles going white as his barrel lined up to take a shot at the mutant monstrosity known as Major Orellia that was slowly approached the Goliath-killer tank. The pilot's teeth started to chatter as Orellia continued his advance, a smile spreading on the Jahari's face as he drew closer to his prey. Infantry troops had opened fire but the bullets often deflected off the Major's tough, muscular skin and any projectiles that did break through were quickly absorbed and the wound healed. Theo and Carla had joined in as well, manoeuvring their vehicles to stay out of Orellia's reach while maintaining and steady stream of machine gun fire, the ends of their tanks' guns glowing red hot as they spat out their ballistics.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that only something with a significant, heavy impact could make any difference, such as what Grimsley's tank or a Goliath could produce. Grimsley knew this. Theo and Carla and every other soldier knew this. Orellia knew it too. It was an issue.

Orellia's oversized right hand grabbed a car parked on the street and tossed it towards a rather annoying cluster of soldiers that were getting in his way. Most were crushed by the flying vehicle and others were trapped beneath it or sent flying. The Jahari snatched up the next closest soldier he could find and hurled them at the three tanks, trying to disrupt their fire and distract from Grimsley's focus.

Ronald popped up from behind Grimsley to observe the screen and tried to grab the steering away from Grimsley and guide the tank out of the way of the approaching person. The two tussled a moment before Grimsley finally grabbed a wrench on the floor and smacked the old man on the head, knocking him out cold. "Thank god he's finally quiet. Time to be a hero." Grimsley rounded his cannon at Orellia and squeezed the trigger.

And missed.

Orellia was shockingly fast, regardless of his deformities and bizarre size disproportions, and had dodged the bullet in a blur of movement. "Grimsley, you idiot!" Carla shouted over the communication network. "We need to pin him down before you can finish him. Let us set up supporting fire on the flanks before you can take any sort of shot and if you do it might be to knock an object onto this thing, not hit him. It's not always about shooting things in the head you know!"

"Y-yes Carla," he answered. Not shooting? Pinning movements? Being a hero hadn't involved planning and strategy before had it? Grimsley had always imagined you just aimed and took the shot and then you got the medals and the girls. Another tossed soldier flew past Grimsley as Orellia tore into a unit of infantry. Lives were being lost during this delay. Real lives. Grimsley hadn't watched people dying since the transport ship had crashed and it had torn a part of his heart away. Now he was seeing it again and Grimsley's eyes grew dark and clouded, greying over of his soul.

Ronald was holding his head and groggily getting back into his seat behind Grimsley. "Oh boy, you took quite a bit out of me, didn'cha?"

"Not now Ronald, we have a beast to slay." Grimsley's voice had become abnormally serious, commanding the attention of the elder mechanic who immediately sat up straight and began examining the components of the vehicle. "I need you to listen carefully and do something for me please."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now find the engine's fuel injection regulator by opening a panel labelled 'Engine Q' that should be to your left." Grimsley thought of Gretta up in the academy in the stars, of when she had shown him the trick function their father's tank could perform. Setting it into overdrive.

Theo screamed as his tank was overturned by Orellia, who was moving too fast for anyone to keep up with, jumping from one squad to another and then to any vehicles in between, such as Theo's. After a moment of silence on the comm network, of Clara and Grimsley holding their breath and waiting for something, and finally Theo coughed and gave them confirmation that he was fine, just pulling himself out of the wreckage of his machine.