Renegades (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 3)

Chapter 25

The atmosphere of Hyltia IV had become the setting of what could only be described as a one-sided battle of epic proportions. Two sides of the fight could be clearly established, and one of them was clearly losing. The large, patchworked ship that was known as  the Dreadnought along with it's smaller squadron of Vulcan fighters was pitted against the sleek, technologically advanced Independence Zero along with two other battle carriers, and a large supply of Void-class GDF Interceptors. The Dreadnought had been severely damaged, and was beginning to make a hasty retreat away from the fire of the three ships, but the GDF craft doggedly pursued them, not letting up with their attacks for one minute. The smaller fighters, however, were losing in a much more fantastic fashion. Several of the Vulcan fighters had been hunted down and shot to pieces by the Void fighters, causing several pilots to lose their lives. The fight did not seem to be in the Resistance's favour. Things were worse within the Dreadnought itself, where the GDF boarding party had made it's appearance, and was now making itself known to the crew. Several Elites clad in their black armour rushed through the halls and corridors of the large ship, gunning down any person that stood in their way. The Resistance soldiers that had managed to receive the warning from General Kovak that they had been boarded fought back, turning the hallways, rooms, and storage areas of the Dreadnought into warzones, but soon found themselves overwhelmed by the Elite's superior firepower. Gottlieb had been watching the progress of the strike team for a long time, and was satisfied that the situation was well under control up here. That was when he turned his attention to the forces on the planet itself. He saw that they were closing in on the area that the Renegade had been spotted at. Soon, the Piece and the Slingers would be in his hands.

The Renegade hovered over the small space that Nolun, Elicia, and Dante had disappeared into, and guarded over the area with a stoic silence. Andress, Trace, Bunker, and Koil all sat in the main cabin, waiting for any sign of their reappearance, while Mister Zero sat meditating in the cargo bay. When asked as to what he had exactly been doing, Zero responded:  "It helps me focus." No one else had questioned it, and had gone back to watching for the three of them. Andress stared expectantly out the window, and waited for Nolun's return. She should have gone with them...he needed her as much as she did...she shook her head and cleared her thoughts. Suddenly, something began to beep and flash on Trace's console. Frowning, she moved over to it and looked over it. Then, her eyes widened. "I'm picking up signatures all around the ship." Andress and Koil bolted upright, looking at her. "Are they creatures?" Koil asked. Trace turned around, then shook her head slowly. Andress turned back to the window. They could see the ship from everywhere...it was too exposed...she was realizing this when something hit the side of the Renegade, knocking it to the side, making everyone fall over. The Elites had managed to launch a rocket at the side of the Renegade's hull, but thanks to a lot of rebuilding and reinforcing from the Resistance, they were able to take the hit and keep on flying. The 4 people in the main cabin got back up, then Koil and Andress ran out of the room towards the armoury. "Put up the shields! Fire the main guns at them!" Andress yelled back at Bunker, while she picked up her composite rifle from the wall. Soon, she felt the familiar thudding of the laser cannons on the side of the ship laying down suppressing fire on the hidden enemies. The cargo bay door of the Renegade opened, and Andress and Koil leaned out, scanning the horizon for the Elites. "Come and get me." Andress muttered.

The dark cavern seemed to stretch on forever, and the cube managed to provide the only light as Nolun, Elicia, and Dante all walked down the pathway. Then, the 3 of them heard a muffled boom from above them, making the rock above them shake. They all looked at each other, and decided to keep moving. We need to get this thing quick. Nolun thought to himself, his mind flashing back to Andress. Suddenly, the darkness ahead of them opened wide, the bright light going from illuminating a small, tight corridor to a large space. Then, the beam protruding from the Piece appeared to hit a small golden panel on the wall opposite of them. The entire room became illuminated, as the beam of light appeared to bounce off of several other gold panels, creating a form of natural illumination. Nolun looked around at the new room. There was a dropoff of about 20 feet down to another part of the floor below, and on that part was a small panel, with the symbols of the Markers around it. Nolun smiled to himself. That was where the next Piece would be. In front of him, was a path that was carved horizontal to the wall, and was shaped in a zigzag pattern. "This looks like the way down." Nolun said, and kept the Piece out, the beam now locked on to the panel. The trio began to start on the small path, moving slowly as to not slip off. Then, they heard something coming from behind them in the tunnel. They all backed up against the wall, Nolun drawing his repeater and Elicia unsheathing one of her daggers. As they looked up at the entrance to the room, they saw a black boot stand on the edge of the dropoff. As the rest of the Elite came into view, Nolun cursed silently. How the hell had they managed to find them so fast? As the Elite looked into the room, he reached for the radio in his helmet. Elicia, noticing the call for backup, swiftly threw her dagger upwards, the sharp blade piercing through the hand that held his rifle. The Elite, obviously now distracted, stared down at the three of them on the ledge, and cocked his weapon. Without thinking, Nolun fired his repeater twice, the loud shots echoing throughout the cave. The Elite tumbled off the edge, falling to his death on the ground below. Then, shortly after, the 3 of them heard more footsteps coming forward quickly through the passageway above them. They began to move quicker, hoping they could reach the bottom in time.