Mantrin Imperial Guard - Pilot Episode - 001 Darkening Sky

Chapter 11: Battle of Solbrecht

"What's with these shields and hulls?" Thylun exclaimed, after unleashing a barrage of continuous fire from his gun that lasted for several ticks. The Fauldran cruiser's upgraded shields did buckle under the attack and the bolts did hammer the hull underneath but he expected more. "They're fresh out of fighters too. I got to twenty-two kills, including the last battle."

"Still ahead one," Weyan quipped, his voice a little strained as he unleashed a long series of shots himself.

"No way!"

Weyan laughed. They now met with the difficulty of attacking larger ships which were strengthened up by the forces of the Nether. And they were not acting like sitting ducks. The ship trembled under a series of combined impacts, each one louder and more violent than the previous as three enemy vessels targeted the Myr'loa at the same time. Sparks showered down from the ceiling with the effect of fireworks. Lights and consoles flickered during a temporary loss of power. Thylun coughed as a thin layer of smoke filled the corridor, bringing the stench of burned circuitry with it.

"Combined attack! Focus on one target at a time!" Azdar yelled.

"My controls feel sluggish!" Masai growled. "Sticks are not responding."

"Looks like that thing's firing again!"

It was as if time itself slowed down after Weyan's yell to bring it to their attention. Thylun had his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him, refocusing the gun's targeting system on the object in question. The release of energy initiated with a powerful flash as the weapon discharged. The camera angle betrayed that the weapon was directed at something close to their position.

The ship vibrated as the blast of energy streaked past their hull at a distance too close for comfort. What followed was a deafening bang, the screeching of metal, a powerful and sudden rush of air tugging at his body in the direction of the mess hall, past the closed doors of crew quarters. The shout, a cry for help that was even audible against the noise of escaping atmosphere, was what seemed to light a fire under his seat.

A tick later he was on his clawed feet and running in the direction the air escaped to. With nothing else on his mind than helping the owner of the voice, he dashed toward the mess hall. There was no way for him to expect or brace against the second jolt that followed. The sudden movement when a blast of weapons fire impacted the starboard hull smacked him against the bulkhead, leg first, shoulder second, and finally his head.

Confused by the throbbing pain, Thylun didn't know if he blacked out or if the lights failed completely but it could've been a combination of the two. Even his bionic eye failed to register input, the connection to his brain disrupted by what he assumed was a mild concussion. Slumped against the bulkhead, he used it as guidance to push himself back up. Unable to see anything, except for the twinkles dancing in what should have been his field of vision, he groaned.

He was left with a deaf feeling in his sensitive ears when the noise of escaping air stopped with the slam of a bulkhead door. He heard the dull sound of thundering footsteps coming from the direction he was heading to. There was a short frightened cry when another body tumbled into him, knocking him backwards and causing him to lose his balance.

He hit the deck back first and could not prevent his head from receiving another blow as it hit the hard metal surface. Still unable to see much of anything, he heard the agonizing roar out of his own mouth as he laid motionless on the cold floor. Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought against the dizziness. He laid like that for a couple of ticks, biting against the pain, a feeling of heaviness pushing back against his chest as he replaced the air in his lungs.

The object on top of him was another head judging by the sound of exerted breathing nearby. When the lights came back on someone pushed him- or herself up, the weight of the person's head removing itself from his chest. When he opened his eyes, the object hovering above him was blurry. Blinking in an attempt to regain focus and reset his bionic eye, he realized he was looking into the eyes of Nami. The Fjetanha girl stared back at him, the tip of her beak only a hand width away from his, her breath blowing into his face. A hint of shock disturbed her fine facial features.