Crone World - Part 9

Roaring, the Ork Nob started to run towards the vessel, but his mechanical feet had difficulty holding the terrain and he fell flat on his face once more.  A small retort sounded and Mektoez’d felt a hit that rattled his skull ; just like when Durno and he got into it one time.  His vision went in and out of focus.

“Oooh, dat smart’d,” the Nob muttered to himself.

Holm looked over the scene before him.  Two of the Orks were down, but definitely not out.  Reymalden was motionless after taking a hit to the head and the captain hoped to the Emperor that the priest wasn’t going to die.  There was a loud bang, and Tulley’s head jerked backwards; with his body soon following.  A large dent on the corporal’s  helmet showed where the shell bounced off.  The lone standing Ork let loose a war cry and moved in closer to the ship, jinking and weaving as to make itself a more difficult target.  Holm took the erratic movement into account as he steadily aimed at the approaching Ork and fired a single shot.  It hit the Ork in the groin and it howled painfully before it dropped.

“All right, what did I miss?”  a shaky voice said behind Holm.  The captain was relieved that it was Reymalden’s voice.

“Nothing much,” Holm replied as he watched the Ork he shot spring back up and fired at him.  He instinctively leaned forward as the shell whistled wide over his head.  He returned fire but missed completely.  A flicker of movement then caught his eye.

He watched in horror as the Ork leader and his prone subordinate stood up and shook off the effects of their injuries.  His mind raced with probabilities.  He had two injured men.  Their enemies were seemingly resistant to pain and harm.  They were also getting close enough to climb aboard the ship and to engage in hand to hand fighting.  If that occurred, they would most definitely lose.

“FALL BACK!!!” Holm yelled as he turned and ran to the aft of the ship, keeping his head low.  Tulley started out of his dizziness at the command, grabbed his Lasgun, and stood up.  Turning, he saw that Reymalden had not moved.

“GET GOIN’, HOSPITALIER!” Tulley yelled as he ducked reflexively when a shell whined over his head.   The priest did not need to be told twice and joined Holm at the rear of the ship.

A bestial roar behind him caused the corporal to spin back around.  Before him stood the Ork leader, who had quickly scampered to the top of the ship.  It held an oversized pistol and a nasty looking hand weapon over its head and screamed, “WAAAAAAAGH!”

“Oh, shit!” Tulley squeaked as he raised his Lasgun and fired.  The shot winged the monster in its left arm, causing it to drop the hand weapon.  Not wasting another moment, he turned and ran after his teammates.

Holm jumped off the rear of the ship and ran, not waiting for the rest of the group.   After he put some distance behind him, he turned and looked to see where everyone was.  Fear had gripped his heart and his soul.  Self preservation was still yearning for him to run. 

Tulley was crouched behind the ship’s engines for cover, while Reymalden stood to his left. To Holm's left, he saw the Ork furthest from his position raise its weapon and take aim at him. On his right, an Ork sprinted parallel to the ship, intent with cutting off the escape route of the humans that sought refuge behind it. 

However, Tulley had heard the approach of the monster, crept forward and fired at it.  The Ork wailed as the bolt struck it in the stomach and fell into the shifting sands.  It jerked again as another bolt seared its right arm, severely blackening the flesh. 

Suddenly, the hulking form of the Ork leader crested the rear of the ship and fired its weapon at the Tech-Hospitalier, who had enough sense to cover up and duck.  The shell exploded inches behind him.  Reymalden quickly raised his Laspistol and returned fire, but missed due to his poor aim.

Upon seeing all of this, Holm found that just as quickly the fear conquered him, it dissipated just as rapidly to the anger boiling inside his heart.  These alien beasts were not going to kill them without a fight they would long remember.  They had run the first time.

No more.

With a shout that rivaled the alien’s cries, Holm headed back to the ship, gun trained at the Ork leader.  He squeezed the trigger twice and the Ork fell backwards out of sight, blood flowing freely from its right shoulder and head.  Both Tulley and Reymalden paused to glance in his direction.

Drawing his sword with his free hand, he leveled it at the ship and shouted, “FORWARD!”