Asteroid Blues

Commander Kadijha shouldered her rifle and peered around the corner.

“I don’t like the looks of this at all,” she said, not seeing anything through the scope of her rifle.

“Maybe the reports are wrong?” said Adara, the burly female machine gunner.

“No, the reports are correct. The traitor is here. We will kill him and collect our reward. Those Haq bastards are here somewhere. Ibrahim! Get up on that tower and get an eye on the terrain. You are in tactical command,” Kadijha said over their comms channel.

The Brawler just nodded and started to climb the tower.

Kadijha checked her HUD and saw that her retinue of remotes and her big gun, the Anaconda were in place. The Bounty Hunters arrived and took position on each flank and lastly, the war correspondent that the CFO insisted tag along took cover on top of a building.

“Ok, let’s do this. Roll out!” Kadijha yelled.

As soon as she gave the order, a loud ‘BRRRTT’ sound ripped in the distance. A Fugazi off to her right exploded in a shower of sparks.

“Contact front! Haq TAG! Twelve o’clock! Moving to our three o’clock!” Ibrahim yelled!
Incoming rounds screeched overhead as another Fugazi exploded.

“Goddamit! Anaconda! Enemy TAG heading your way! Engage!” she managed to say as the Maghariba Guard peaked around a far building and fired a short burst, destroying the Clipper bot next to her. The explosion knocked her back, but she kept on her feet.

“Annisa! Get that fucker now!”

“Acknowledged,” the pilot said calmly.

Annisa willed her TAG forward and hefted her weapon up just as she spotted the enemy Maghariba Guard taking aim at the Commander Kadijha. There was no hesitation and she let loose with a long burst from her 9.75mm heavy machine gun.

The enemy pilot swung the machine gun impossibly fast and fired a burst at her. A round struck her chest plate, causing several red warning lights to start screaming at her. Annisa, with an imperceptible movement of her eyes, canceled the warning lights and fired back again. This time her rounds struck true, causing a bright flash at the base of the enemy machine’s tail. The enemy TAG tried to retreat, but Annisa kept her finger depressed on the trigger and poured more rounds into the Maghariba. Her time at the range paid off as another long burst struck the pilot’s compartment and the enemy TAG fell to the ground, unmoving.

Before she could celebrate, Ibrahim came over the comms.

“Anaconda! Unknown enemy on your three!”

She rotated to her right as a hulking man, wielding a spitfire like a pistol rounded the corner and took aim at her.

Annisa, toggled the panzerfaust, but the surprise and panic threw off her aim and the panzerfaust flew harmlessly over the enemy’s head.

Her HUD ID’d the enemy as Tarik as he let loose with a long burst. The spitfire rounds tore into her Anaconda, piercing its armor, shredding it too pieces. The escape system activated just as a round from the spitfire found its way through the armor of the TAG and struck her in her side. She lost consciousness as her TAG ejected her to safety.

Kadijha saw the Anaconda’s symbol on her HUD wink out and disappear.

“Fuck me. Bounty Hunters. Do you have eyes on whoever took out the Anaconda?” Kadijha asked.

“Yes. Bake is down, I’m in pursuit!” Said Shake, one of the twin sister bounty hunters.

The bounty hunter bounded forward and was almost in range of Tarik when she called over the radio.

“Oh shit! Enemy reaction bot! Oh shi….”

Kadijha saw the bounty hunter’s symbol disappear from her HUD. One by one her force disintegrated around her.

“All units fall back! I say again, fall back!”

An enemy appeared out of nowhere as she was retreating. She let her rifle fall on its grav-sling and pulled her viral pistol. Using both hands, she punched out, straightening her elbows. She didn’t have time to aim, and jerked the trigger as fast as she could.

The Haq hacker looked surprised as the viral rounds punched into him and she watched him disintegrate.

“You see that?” she turned to say to Saudha, the killer hacker. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Saudha laying on the ground, alive but the HUD showing no brain function.

“This day just couldn’t get worse,” Kadijha said as they retreated as fast as she could.
She checked her HUD one last time and noticed that the journalist the CFO told her to bring was KIA.

“At least the stupid WarCor died…”