Renegades (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 3)

Chapter 35

The desert seemed to encompass the planet, stretching on for miles and miles, acting like the dry, lifeless skin for the moon below. But, as Nolun drove the runner over the the several different rock formations, he didn't think that desert was the right word for it. It was more like a wasteland. Like everything here had been deserted and left to disintegrate in the winds and become nothing more than sand and dust. Whatever it was, it unsettled Nolun to no end. Then, they passed out of the mountain range and into a large stretch of flat land, with the large sun beating down on them through the clouds, the storm still raging overhead. Just like the storm had come out of nowhere, it's intensity and power seemed to rise from seemingly unknown places as well. The clouds had now turned a deathly dark shade of purple, and the flashes of energy now seemed to be striking the ground in some areas, leaving scorched craters of debris and a smell of ozone. It's like the whole planet's trying to kill us...Nolun thought to himself, and concentrated on the dig site that wasn't too far away now. As he kept driving, he noticed something on his short-range scanners, as did Dante. A large swarm of signatures was gathering on their left and right flank. Dante pulled out the viewfinders he had gotten from the Renegade and looked out into the dust. He could see approaching from the right were the bulky, uncoordinated Resistance vehicles, with a large combat truck leading up the middle. To the left was the silver hover vehicles of the GDF, moving in an arrow-like formation. A sleek, multi-wheeled armoured vehicle was leading the pack, and each convoy was closing in on the two vehicles that held the crew fast. Dante looked back at Nolun, and Nolun could read in his face what he had seen. He nodded, and Dante yelled over at Bunker in the other hover carrier. "Both of them are heading our way!" Elicia cocked her shotgun and looked behind them. "Here we go, guys."

The three forces that were after the greatest treasure in the universe collided on that desert flat in a spectacular fashion, as the three different convoys managed to figure out that the others were there quite quickly, and managed to retaliate in a similarly rapid fashion. The GDF armoured vehicle immediately activated a missile turret which moved up from the top, and targeted a Resistance troop transport. The rocket fired, and scored a direct hit on the carrier, knocking it on it's side and spinning it into the air, simultaneously crushing a runner that had the misfortune of being right next to it. Meanwhile, the Resistance battle vehicles, which were slightly more armoured runners, responded with the troops driving and riding in them firing back at the GDF convoy with their rifles and occasional anti-vehicle launchers. GDF soldiers retaliated, and the two speeding convoys became the bookends to a massive firefight, with casualties on both sides. As for the crew of the Renegade, they were just ahead of the pandemonium that was happening on their rear, but they couldn't outrun it for long. One of the Resistance runners managed to move ahead of the pack, and launched a line with a grappling hook attached to the end from a turret on the back, which locked into the back of the carrier that Bunker was driving. Then, the line began to grow taut as the runner reeled in the titanium laced cable. Bunker noticed that the carrier was beginning to move slower, and then heard Trace call out from the back. "We've got company!" As Nolun and Dante looked from their runner, the could see other lines being hooked onto the carrier. Dante shouted over to Bunker and the rest of the crew. "I'll cut them off! You give me cover!" Andress nodded, and she took up postion with her sniper rifle, while Koil and Elicia did the same. "Get me close!" Dante said to Nolun, and Nolun slowly began to edge the runner close to the back of the carrier. Then, he began to be showered with bullets.

"NOLUN!" Andress yelled as she watched the runner that Nolun was driving being attacked by several GDF soldiers on ATVs that were shooting at the two of them. They must have flanked us from the main group. Andress thought wildly, then aimed her rifle at the group of them. It was difficult to take out a moving target, but not impossible. She focused on the one that was currently aiming at Nolun, and shot out one of his front tires. The ATV suddenly did a massive frontflip as it's traction suddenly ceased, and flung the driver into a pile of rocks that was ahead of them. Nolun looked up and nodded at Andress, signalling that he was alright, and pulled out his repeater to keep back the other two ATVs. With that, Andress could focus on keeping Dante safe. She could see the runners that were pulling the carrier back firing at them, and Koil keeping them back with his assault rifle, and Elicia managing to use her shotgun so they wouldn't get too close. Dante was balancing on the back of the runner that Nolun was driving, and drew one of his swords. He swung down twice, and cut two of the lines that were connecting the runners to the carrier. "Nice work! Keep it up!" Bunker shouted. Dante lined up his sword for another swing, when Trace called out. "Watch it!" Dante looked to see a GDF armoured runner speeding towards the carrier, and was flung off of Nolun's runner when it rammed into the back of the large truck. He landed on the front of the silver and chrome vehicle, and raised his sword, waiting for trouble to emerge. It did, in the form of two Elites climbing out of the gun turret hole on the roof. Dante drew his other sword and narrowed his eyes at the two figures in black armour. "Alright then, let's dance." He muttered, and swung forwards, and the two Elites dodged his weapons, flipping and ducking on the roof of the speeding vehicle. But, when Dante stabbed forwards with his sword, he found that the blade stopped unexpectedly, and saw that the material that the Elites armour was made out of seemingly couldn't be cut by his blade. The Elite he had attempted to kill grabbed the sword, and delivered a hard right hook to Dante's face, making him stagger, while the other Elite kicked him in the chest, sending Dante off the side of the roof. All that Dante could remember was the ground rearing up near his face.