Executioners-New World New Life side-story
EXECUTIONERS
"Fire in the hole!"
The soldiers swiftly faced away, arms and weapons raised over their faces as the hastily placed explosive tore open a sizable hole in the Xarian compound's rear wall.
Before the dust even began to settle, the human closest to the hole's left side tossed in a small metal orb. Seconds later a second explosion was heard from inside as the incendiary grenade went off. This was followed by definite cries of pain.
Three Xarian soldiers stumbled through the opened wall, screeching in pain as their bodies were coated from head to toe in scorching flames.
One of the soldiers raised up his rifle to open fire before one of his squad mates placed his hand on the weapon to stop him. "Don't shoot! Let the freaks burn." The soldier's voice dripped with a twisted malice behind the smooth metallic mask of his helmet.
"We're in business men so move your asses! Jonas, Meyers take point!"
The two named soldiers moved in near perfect unison, swiftly stepping through the opened wall, rifles raised up and ready. Close behind them moved in the remaining six.
One of the soldiers near the back held up his right hand, a small holographic map appearing in the palm. Several red dots were moving throughout the layout of the map in the direction of eight blue colored dots. "I think we've gotten their attention, sir!"
"All right gentlemen you know the drill. Make your trigger fingers happy and if it has scales I want it dead! Hassan, which way to the command?"
"East side of the complex, sir. We just gotta follow that hallway to the right and it'll take us right to it."
Further words were stifled as from around the corner of the indicated hallway came running several armed xarian guards. By their sizes they were definitely males of the species.
They never even made it halfway down the hallway.
The human soldiers acted like a finely crafted military machine. Without a word those closet to the hallway crouched down and opened fire, one soldier standing behind them throwing a flash bang grenade down the hallway. In mere seconds the xarian guards were reduced to hole riddled corpses.
Their commanding officer gave a silent nod then and the eight of them began to swiftly make their way down the very hall the guards had come from. Not a single one of them moved without their fire arms raised and ready.
Movement soon became slow moving as they neared the compound's command center. The xarians had finally recovered from the sudden attack and already fortified the path to command against the invading humans.
Within the command center itself the compound's commander, one Captain Laia'Zer continued to clench and unclench her hands in frustration. Her tail lashed back and forth behind her as she looked at her subordinates. "How did they even manage to come within sight of our walls!?"
"It's confirmed it's a small human force, captain. They must have made their way to us on foot while our main forces have been keeping their main offensive at bay."
This was a military nightmare. Less than an hour ago a large human military force had begun an advance on the compound, and now it seems it was all being used so the hairless apes could sneak in some sort of small strike force right into the heart of her command.
"I want them dead now! If we fail the humans gain this world and all it's mineral resources and I will not face General Zorn'Rouws with that!"
"How much farther, Hassan?"
"We're almost their. Looks like they gathered the rest of their security between us and the command center."
The soldiers had come to a stop for now, using the last corner between them and the command center as cover from the assembled xarian guards. Three of the soldiers switched position at the corner's edge back and forth, sending out blasts of blind fire to keep the xarians from getting bold enough to try and make their way closer.
"Well too bad for them I'm impatient. Okay men, fire bang special!"
Those words were followed by a couple energetic laughs. The two soldiers closest to the corner holstered their rifles, the two of them then taking a grenade in both hands. The first one waited for the first opening in enemy fire, kneeling down he swiftly tossed his two grenades around the corner. Almost immediately after the second soldier, still standing tossed his grenades right after the first pair.
The xarian soldiers immediately went into cover as soon as the first grenades came into sight. The two incendiary grenades went off first, creating twin fireballs that spread out in the area around them. While the xarians were not caught in the firey blast, they did not expect the second pair of grenades that came right behind the first two. The flash bangs went off, the guards either knocked back off their or feet or brought to their knees from the momentary dis-orientations.
That moment was all the human soldiers needed. As they heard the flash bangs go off four of the soldiers rounded the corner, letting loose with a heavy rain of rifle fire. The guards were near torn to shreds from the constant heavy fire.
Only when they saw every body was limp and bloody did the four soldiers signal to the others the all clear. Still without a word the eight of them then made their way down the last hallway, some purposely letting their boots fall down hard over a dead xarian's neck, chest or back as they moved along.
They stopped as they stood outside the command center doors. Their commander motioned to one of them, who stepped up quickly and began spraying a gel like substance over the outline of the door, then finishing with a large 'X' pattern down the center. The soldiers closest to the door simply took a step back after wards.
"Captain! Their right outside our doors!"
"You three at the door! As soon as they try to enter open fire!"
This could not be happening to her. Already the larger human force was pushing it's way through the bulk of her forces, and now somehow these eight humans had managed to corner her within her own base.
Well soon they would not be a problem any more. Once the intruders were dead she could concentrate on the larger battle and regain control
A loud bang filled the air as the doors were blown clear off with so much force the three guards that had been ready to face the humans were near crippled from the sudden impact.
Laia'zer stared in horror as the humans rushed into the room. One of them quickly shot through the heads of the three guards upon the floor.
She quickly dived down behind one of the larger consoles, fear coursing through every fiber of her being as she heard the rifle fire and dying yells of her soldiers. In the space of a heartbeat the rifle fire ended. She could feel her heart racing madly within her body.
"You behind the console! Come up slowly and we will not open fire."
Laia'Zer knew there was no other option. Slowly she came up, hands open and raised to face level as she faced her race's hated enemy. Seven of the eight humans had their weapons aimed squarely at her. The lone exception stood at the front of them.
"Good. Now if you'd like to keep breathing your going to open a communications channel to your forces and tell them to stand down and surrender."
Her eyes widened in shock, almost unable to grasp the concept of this demand. "A xarian could never allow themselves to be disgraced so horre-" Her sentence ended with her letting out a yell of pain as the human shot her through the arm.
She glared at the soldier in a mix of fear and hatred.
Still holding the pistol, the human reached up and slid off his helmet. Laia saw the human was somewhat aged, bearing the lines of years of heavy warfare. One dark colored eye met her gaze unblinking, the right eye blocked with what appeared to be a smooth metal eye patch of some kind.
"You should know my men and I enjoy hearing you scaled aliens scream. So unless you like being shot through your limbs repeatedly then I suggest you contact your forces and give the damn order."
He spoke with such calm in his voice, she knew this was no bluff. Wincing from the pain of her injured arm, Laia tapped at a few buttons on the console, opening the communications channel. "Xarians, this is Captain Laia'Zer. Stand down and...surrender. This is a direct order! The planet is lost." Each syllable felt as poison sliding between her teeth.
And the human simply smiled as if upon hearing a joke. "Thank you for your cooperation." And with that smile still present, he raised the pistol and fired. The now lifeless body of Laia'Zer fell in a heap to the floor, a smoking hole now residing where her eye had been.
Major Vasquez holstered his pistol. "Another job well done. You know the drill, boys. Strip every bit of information you can from their systems then blow the place sky high."
The men saluted then began the task. Vasquez stood over the corpse of the dead xarian captain, and he felt that smile of his transform into a mocking smirk. Another xarian dead. Another small step closer to winning this war. It was moments like these that made him love being an Executioner.