The Job
The hum and slight shiver pulsed from stock to barrel as the particle rifle discharged its electric blue bolt. The shot burned through the upper torso, melting muscle and bone alike as it dissolved half of the man’s lungs and a quarter of his heart. The soldier died instantly, standing only for a few moments before falling over onto his back. The rest of the soldiers looked on in horror as their comrade laid there in the dirt and ferns. Quickly they dropped to their stomachs, hugging the earth as if a lover in the cold of night. Hoping beyond hope that they were so low, that the sniper had lost sight. Unfortunately for them, she had not, it was hard to hide from a thermal sight that was modified with enhanced topical map data. As she sighted in on the next man’s position, she clicked the small key that would filter out the large fern that blocked him from normal sight. The second blast from the weapon burned through the fern as if it were not even there. Carving half of the man’s face and skull away, like a super-heated scalpel.
This rifle was surgical, designed to be used at over a hundred meters away, and able to bore out the engine block of even the most hardened armored vehicles. The downside was that it used a massive amount of power with each shot. But since she was not fighting an armored vehicle, but was instead, focused on soft fleshy targets with the minimalist amount of body armor. The six additional charge packs she brought with her, would be more than enough. She clicked over to another soldier lying prone, though he was messing with something in his hands. Clicking the tab again, she focused on what it was. It took a moment for the onboard recognition software to make it out. But by then it was too late, the pulsar shot into the air to about ten meters. Then the shock wave of energy washed over the entire area, scrambling her sights, and disrupting the power to the weapon. Everything shut down on her as she cursed silently, her amazing weapon nothing more than a paper weight now.
The woman rolled to her back and just looked up at the tree canopy, if this were Earth, she would have called in fire support. But of course, this was not, it was some small moon that belonged to an outlying mega corp. And she was here illegally, aiding in a hostile takeover of said company’s assets. She was hired on to deal with the perimeter patrols, and she was given some lovely, high-tech tools as well. She was told she could even keep them on completion of the job. Now, with the pulse jammer having detonated, she would have to spend the credits to get the weapon repaired and pulse hardened. Cursing again, she reached over beside her and pulled herself back on her stomach. Under her however, was an old model .50 caliber rifle. Some ancient Earth weapon from back when they ignited powder to discharge a solid slug. It was ancient and considered thuggish, but in a situation like this. The elegance of her particle weapon was useless. Using the old scope on the weapon, she sighted in where the man who detonated the pulsar should have been. She exhaled slowly as the tip of her finger squeezed the trigger mechanism. The bipod mounted weapon cracked like thunder as the barrel discharged the metal slug. There was a large spattering sound, and red mist covered the tree behind where he had been hiding.
The two remaining soldiers looked at each other from their hiding places. The one closest to the shooter, reached down and pulled a small object from his belt. Bringing it up to his chest, he pulled the round pin from the object. Then rolling onto his back, he tossed the device over his head. The grenade landed with a dull thump, just a few feet away from the man who threw it. The end where the pin had been, flared brightly for a moment. Then it died down as smoke began to stream out in a jet, quickly filling the surrounding area with concealing white smoke. The last remaining two soldiers waited for roughly five seconds. Giving the smoke time to fill the area, and hopefully giving them a window of escape. They both knew they stood no chance against a sharpshooter if they could not identify their location.
She watched from the scope mounted on top of the heavy rifle. The smoke had been more than enough to stop her from completing her job. Sighing wearily, she checks the communication device on her belt. She was receiving no signal from the earpiece, so she did a quick once over on the system. And of course, the pulse had totally knocked it out of commission. This is what happens when your kit is designed by the lowest bidder. So, all she could do is sit and wait for the smoke to clear in the distance. There was no way they could have located where she was firing from. And she knew it would be foolish to move from her perch. She did wear the same armor levels that her merc unit was wearing. She wore the lighter variant; it was designed to hide her from thermals and various other forms of detection. At best it would stop some light small arms, but she knew for a fact that those men were carrying rifles able to breach her armor. So, all she could do is wait and watch, she could not even contact her unit to let them know about this slip up.
The two remaining soldiers were already on their feet and sprinting through the various plants, and trees. They were in full retreat, rifles held with the barrel facing down as they sprinted for the outpost. They knew the terrain; they had the advantage here. They needed only to get to the transmitter and call the base for reinforcements. The pulse was a fantastic bit of tech. The only downside is it ruined their own tech as well, but this why they used older slug throwers. The rifles they carried had no tech in them whatsoever, and it allowed them to be more functional in situations requiring the pulse. But against a sniper, they stood no chance, and they knew it. The weight of their own gear had started to weigh heavily on them. They slowed their sprint to a jog, maintaining a better, more controlled pace. This would allow them to fight should the need arrive, between here and the outpost. It took them the better part of fifteen minutes to complete the run. But they had made it with no interference and breathed a sigh of relief as the outpost came into sight. They both laughed, feeling a bit giddy at just barely escaping death. The outpost consisted of one medium sized building; half submerged in the ground. On the roof stood a single antennae array, designed for communication use. The tip of the tower barely cleared the tree canopy, the natural camouflage making it harder to see from the air.
As the two men opened the door and entered the structure, they noticed the lights were off in the entry area. They both thought it was odd, the pulse should not have hit this far off. They did not get to consider the why of it for long, however. As red streaks of light burned multiple holes in them and the wall behind them. The last sounds they heard, was the loud whirring of a gatling laser winding down, as their smoking bodies hit the floor. From out of the darkness, stepped an individual covered head to toe in full plate environmental armor. Walking over, he ran a quick bio scan of the two bodies. Making sure they were dead, he had a job to do, but he would not allow them to suffer. If they were dying slowly, he would end it quick for them. Scans revealed no heartbeat, so, stepping over their bodies. He exited the building and looked about, running a quick motion scan on the HUD.
Scan showed the area clear of movement, so he stood and waited. He did not have to wait long. The cursing of a woman ticked off came loud and clear. As she came into sight, he smiled from beneath the faceplate. She looked at him and growled at the armored statue. She didn’t say a word to the man as she walked over and sat down on a rock beside him. The heavy rifle she carried rest on her legs, the now dead particle weapon attached to her backpack unit. He looked over and down to his left at where she sat. “Pulse jammer?” He asked, the external speaker not hiding the smile on his face. She did not even look up at him as she replied. “Shove it Davis, just because you have hardened systems.” She exhaled annoyed at herself and the man beside her. He chuckled through the external speaker. “I’m radioing for the dropship for extraction, our part is done. The rest of the unit is assaulting the main complex, I’ve taken out the early warning systems here.”
The drop ship came screaming in at high speed. The high-pitched whine of the breaking thrusters tortured the unprotected or unmodified ears of people. It was designed that way, to increase the safety of the team being dropped planet side. The inspiration came from the Stuka of World War II. As the dropship landed, it burned away the vegetation underneath it. The large loading ramp dropping heavily onto the ground. The two mercs lightly trotted and climbed up the ramp. As they boarded and the ramp raised and sealed with an audible hiss. They were greeted by their field tech Simon, he was a small man, needle like nose, a balding head, and piercing blue eyes. He wore a mechanics jump suit, and a light exoskeletal harness. The tool belt around his waist carried every piece of tech needed for field repairs. He frowned as he saw the two of them board. “I can’t fix her gear here; it will require my shop on the ship. Pilot says we are heading into orbit. So, strap in, because apparently a heavy cruiser is on hard burn for our position.” His voice dripped with annoyance and disdain. The dropship lifted off the ground fast. Pushing all three of them into their seats hard. Davis just laughed as he enjoyed the rush. Simon just kept staring at the sniper’s new paper weight and useless tech. She looked up at him and in a bit of an embarrassed voice asked him. “Can you fix my new baby?” Simon just smiled slightly and nodded; he knew it would be no issue. His desire to tease her rose up but was kept in check with the knowledge that she could break his arm without hesitation.
