Chapter XXIII: The Farseer
Bob checked his rifle again, making sure it was ready to go. He'd
heard that the mission orders were about to be given, and he wanted to
be ready to do whatever it was they would be doing. Especially if it
involved killing Eldar.
He looked out the window at the distant battle, and sent out a silent
wish for the soldiers involved to be very successful in their duty.
He turned back to face the rest of the soldiers in the room, and
noticed Bill standing by himself. He shrugged and walked over to talk
to his friend.
When he approached, he noticed his friend had more sweat on his
uniform than should be normal, especially since the air had a slight
chill to it.
“Bill,” he said cheerfully, “how are you doing right now? Holding up,
there?”
Bill half smiled. “Yeah, I suppose I am. You look eager and ready to
kick some Eldar tail.”
“As do you. But it seems you've already gotten yourself a little
action today.”
“What?”
Bob grinned. “Come on, Bill. The sweat, the perk in your step. You're
going to try to sidestep the truth with me, your friend?”
Bill eyed him suspiciously. “What 'truth'?”
Bob put an arm around Bill's shoulders and leaned in close to him. “I
know what you've been doing. I've known ever since the rooftop last
night. Don't play coy with me, I've been around enough people to
recognize the tell tale signs of someone who's just had a wonderful
love making session.”
“What?”
“Do I have to spell it out, Bill? You and Amber, man. I know in your
position I'd do the same thing. I mean, heck, for a Commissar, she's
definitely nice looking and has a great personality. I say go for it,
Bill!”
Bill frowned. “Okay, it's apparent you do know about what's going on
between me and her. Or at least some of it, because it certainly
hasn’t gotten that far yet… and might not. But you hear this, Bob.
Friend or not, if you leak a word of this to anyone, I will hunt you
down and gut you.”
Bob stepped back and looked shocked. “Bill! You think I would tell
someone that my best friend is having a little fun with the luey's
granddaughter? Who'd believe me, anyway?”
Bill grinned. “Well, just so we're on the same level.”
They both heard a loud tap, and looked to see Amber standing in the
center of the room.
“Alright, everyone, listen up!” she shouted. “You all have a special
mission, assigned to you because you're the best and most experienced
unit on this planet.”
Bob snorted. “Most experienced, she says. I wonder if she knows we've
only been in combat for maybe a year?”
“Fifty seven,” Bill corrected.
Bob glared, but kept silent as Amber continued.
“We are going after the Eldar Farseer. The assault on the Eldar army
was a diversion, to draw their troops away from the building in which
the Farseer is currently located. It seems they had some unfinished
business concerning the monolith you hit so many years ago. We're
going to hit him and his small personal force before the Eldar can
react. Without their leader, they'll probably give up and go back to
their craftworld. We'll also have offed an important Eldar, which may
prove to be pivotal at some point in the future.
“You know the building, you know the way, you know the mission. So get
your gear and let's get moving.”
Bob turned to Bill. “Is it just me, or is she just so sexy when she
barks out orders?”
“Shut up, Bob.”
* * *
Becker walked up to Amber and put a hand on her shoulder. “Be careful
out there.”
“I will. Don't worry so much about me.”
“I can't help it. I am your grandfather, after all.”
Amber smiled. “I know.”
“Promise you'll make it through this.”
Amber took Becker's hand and squeezed it in her hands. “I promise,
grandfather. I won't let any Eldar get the best of me.”
“Good.”
Becker smiled, but inwardly he couldn't help but continue to feel a
sense of doubt.
* * *
Bill hefted his pack onto his shoulders, then picked up his sniper
rifle and slid it into its sheath on his back.
After getting all his equipment gathered, he followed the other
members of squad two as they filed out of the building, assembling in
the streets outside to wait for the whole platoon to gather.
Once all of the platoon's soldiers were together in the streets, they
began to march for the location of the Eldar monolith, and the Farseer.
Bill looked around, saw Amber, and was somehow reassured by her
presence.
They were definitely going to show the Eldar who was boss.
* * *
Janet fiddled with rifle, trying to make sure everything was okay with
it.
Paul walked up beside her and chuckled. “Afraid it's not going to work
right?”
Janet tried to smile, but she knew she had to look embarrassed. “Yeah,
something like that.”
“Don't worry. It's one of the sturdiest weapons around.”
“Then why don't Mel and Bill use it?”
Paul shrugged. “They found a personal preference in other weapons. But
Bill does still use his. He doesn't use that sniper rifle most of the
time, regardless of how he might brag that he would.”
“Oh.”
Paul smiled and patted her on the back. “It'll be okay. Trust me.”
* * *
Paul shifted his rifle on its sling, and leaned over to ask Bob, “It's
not much farther, is it? I mean, last I remember, it was right around
here somewhere.”
“Yeah,” Bob replied, “just around this bend.”
Paul frowned. “Don't think I'm being a pessimist here, Bob, but
weren't we ambushed the last time we came around this corner?”
Bob's frown was even deeper. “I think you're right.” He turned and
motioned “Possible Ambush” to the rest of the platoon. Becker noticed
and nodded.
Paul slid his rifle off his shoulder and into his hands, ready to
fire. As the platoon rounded the corner, they found their suspicions
confirmed.
A group of Eldar, maybe thirty of them, was waiting for anyone to
emerge from the streets around the building they guarded. As the
platoon soldiers came into view, they began firing.
Shuriken fire whistled all around and the soldiers opened fire, the
chatter of their weapons seeming to drown out the hiss of the
shuriken. Eldar were nailed by precise firing, learned over months of
unending combat. But the shuriken fire was just as deadly and found
its mark.
Some soldiers were just nicked or got a small slice here or there.
Others saw nastier wounds, one losing an arm; Paul couldn't tell who.
Paul saw Derrick go down, a line of shuriken embedded in his chest and
head, and several slices giving testament to the paths of other
shuriken that had passed through his body.
Paul raised his rifle to fire at another Eldar. Before he got a
chance, he felt something like a series of hammer blows to his chest
and stomach. Intense heat was followed by intense cold.
He looked down and saw a dozen wounds where shuriken had passed
through his body.
He thought of Kim, and he couldn't understand why it was that he
seemed to be hearing her calling his name.
Then he fell to the ground, not having time to think about anything
else.
* * *
Bob fired, killing another Eldar, and then two more bursts from other
Guardsmen nailed the remaining pair of Eldar.
He looked around, and noticed Paul lying on the ground. He ran over to
him and knelt down. It was already too late, though. His friend was
gone, killed quickly by the deadly shuriken. The spreading pool of
blood suggested that Paul's arteries had been sliced open by the razor
discs, leaving them to quickly bleed out.
He stood, enraged, and ran to the door of the courtyard building. Once
there, he leaned into the doorway and threw in a pair of frag
grenades. Others followed closely behind, and three of them tossed in
grenades as well.
After the explosions cleared, he ran into the lobby. Inside, for the
most part unharmed by the frag grenades, was a squad of Eldar in dark
green armor. They leapt at the Guardsmen, small lasers darting from
their helmets, their swords buzzing.
Bob dropped his rifle on its sling and drew out his two Talisserra
knives. He swept a blade at one Eldar as he ran past, then swung the
other down in a vicious arc across an Eldar's chest. Another Eldar
brought its blade around toward him. He simply knocked the blade of
one of the fallen Eldar into the new attacker's path.
In the seconds that bought him, he ducked low and swept his blades up
into the Eldar's abdomen. The alien fell, screaming as hot blood
flowed out of its wounds.
Bob turned and tore through another's neck while it was occupied with
another soldier.
Suddenly, it was over. The Eldar lay dead on the floor. With them lay
Walter, Josh, Ron, and David.
Bob cleaned his blades on the fabric of an Eldar's waist sash. He then
knelt and picked up another's sash, as well as one of the aliens'
chainswords and what appeared to be a power sword that had belonged to
one of the warriors he'd killed. He tucked the chainsword into his
pack, then tied a sheath taken from another Eldar to his belt and slid
the power sword into it.
Once finished, he walked over to Amber and gave her a hard stare.
“This mission has already cost us six people. You're sure it's worth
the price?”
She nodded. “I'm sure. It's a chance we must take.”
Bob sighed. “Then let's do what must be done.”
* * *
Becker swept the last room with his rifle. No living Eldar were
inside. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and
looked out the shattered windows and doors to the monolith beyond.
It lay broken where they had left it, and the Farseer looked to be
trying some ritual with it again.
He turned to Amber. “It looks like our prize is here for the taking
indeed.”
“Yes. I suggest we take it, while we still have the chance.”
A shout came from the back of the room. Becker looked back there.
Another small force of Eldar had come into the building, and was now
trying to launch an attack on the platoon.
Becker turned again to Amber. “I think we should go with your
suggestion right now.”
“Agreed,” she shouted, running forward in the direction of the
courtyard door.
Becker ran after her, and in their wake came Bob as well. The three
entered the courtyard together, prepared to face the Farseer and
whatever he might have in store for them. |
