Penchant eyed movement from his right as well, meaning that they were now completely encircled. To his left, the Lithid noted the narrow clearance between the belly of the Cair Ilmun and the ground. Though the space would be an incredibly tight fit for the other races, Penchant’s malleability would enable him to slide easily under the ship. McLaughlin, however, would never be so lucky.
“Anything I can help you with?” McLaughlin asked generally to the crowd as the pair searched for an escape route. “You all don’t seem very talkative. What’s wrong? Seque got your tongue?” The Pilgrim’s voice took on a nervous tone as he continued to speak rapidly. “Whatever your problem, I’m sure we can come to an arrangement, but only if we’re able to talk about it.”
“I’ll talk,” a gruff Terran said as he stepped forward and reached to the pouches clipped to his belt. From within one of the pouches, he pulled a small blue orb. “The Empire sends you a gift!”
As the Terran pulled back his arm to throw, McLaughlin drew his pistols blindingly fast. His first round caught the Terran in the wrist, blasting through both the bones and completely severing the hand. The severed extremity, along with the sphere still clutched in its grasp, disappeared into the darkness as it was flung away from the Terran. Firing his second pistol, the Terran was struck in the chest. The bullet shattered ribs, sending both metal and bone fragments into the soft tissue of the Terran’s heart and lungs. Wordlessly, the would-be assassin clutched at his chest before falling to the ground.
McLaughlin began firing wildly into the crowd, all the while laughing excitedly as he pulled the triggers on his pistols. Penchant, falling into place at his back, drew his own rarely-used pistol and began firing as well, trying to keep McLaughlin from being flanked. Caught entirely by surprise by the ferocity of McLaughlin’s attacks, the crowd began to fall back, scrambling to find cover as round after round cut through their ranks. Soon, however, the mob mentality reasserted itself and they surged forward toward the gunmen.
McLaughlin fell back toward the safety of the Cair Ilmun, as he alternated firing into the advancing crowd and reloading his weapons. Blinded as he was with keeping his enemies at bay, he never noticed the second blue orb rolling across the dirt toward his feet. Penchant, noticing the grenade, yelled a warning before diving under the ship. His Uligart facade melted away as his body elongated and thinned enough that he could fit into the cramped crawl space. McLaughlin, entirely focused on keeping the approaching crewmen at bay, never heard the warning from Penchant and only looked down as a loud pulse of noise that preceded the explosion caught his attention.
As the shockwave lifted him from the ground, the shell of the explosive broke apart and filled the air with deadly metal projectiles. McLaughlin’s head snapped backward from the blast as metal fragments bit into his exposed flesh. Smaller fragments cut into his legs and set his pants and shirt ablaze. His body hair burned away and filled the air around him with an acrid smell. As his body was flung wide, larger fragments of the grenade tore into his right arm. Cutting through the muscle and sinews, the jagged shrapnel ripped free fragments of flesh and bone as it passed through his muscular arm. The bone shattered under the assault as all but a small strip of flesh was obliterated in the blast.
McLaughlin fell to the ground nearly ten feet away from where he had been standing before the explosion. To the amazement of all who were nearby, he let out a scream of pain as his ruined arm landed beneath the weight of his body, the limb held on by little more than strips of worn and burned flesh. Blood gushed from his numerous wounds, soaking immediately into the dry and thirsty ground.
The crewmen close to the incapacitated Pilgrim raised their weapons and stepped toward McLaughlin, ready to end his pain.
On the far side of the Cair Ilmun, unnoticed by the enemies that had surrounded them on the other of the ship, Penchant slid from underneath its belly and growled in anger.
Keryn turned with a start at the loud explosion and jets of flame that lit up the sky from the direction of the flattened landing zone. Turning back furiously toward Cardax, Keryn pulled back the hammer on her pistol as tears stung her eyes. Though she already knew the answer, she asked the question anyway.
“What was that? What have you done?”
“That,” Cardax growled sinisterly, “was the beginning of the end for you and your team, little whore. Say goodbye to me now, because mine is the last face you’re ever going to see in this universe.”
“Ambush!” Cerise yelled over the radio as the town seemed to explode to life.
All around Keryn and Adam, doorways opened and shuttered windows flew out wide as armed townsfolk stepped out into the near darkness, their weapons trained on the team members and a murderous look in their eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Iana turned sharply aside as another rocket went streaking past her right wing. The Terran fighters had been chasing her for the better part of half an hour and Iana had not, as of yet, found a way to lose them. She felt the sweat beading on her brow and soaking through her fine, blonde hair. Angrily, she wiped the sweat away and focused on the radar once again. Behind her, ever present, were the three fighters pursuing her in a lazy orbit over the northern continent.
Somewhere far below her battle, Yen and the Cair Thewlis were heading directly for the Terran capital. The plan had been for Iana and her three fighters in Alpha team to provide direct air cover for his ship. Upon arrival, however, even Iana had been surprised by the scope of the Terran space defenses. Improvised Terran warships offered little more than a dangerous distraction while the true Terran fighters provided the deadly firepower about which Iana was worried. Destroying the fighters before they had a chance to engage the Cair transports became her overarching concern, meaning that Yen was now flying solo as he skimmed the ocean’s surface.
Warning sirens roared through the confines of the cockpit as the Terran fighters launched another salvo of plasma rockets. Tilting to the right, Iana dropped her ship into a roll and sighed in relief as she watched the smoky trails of the missiles pass dangerously close. Her relaxation, however, was short lived as her radio began to chime.
Reaching forward, she answered the radio just in time to hear Yen’s angry voice. “Alpha Leader, this is Commander Xiao. If you’re not too busy up there, we could really use some of that air superiority we’ve heard so much about!”
Iana sighed in frustration. “This is Alpha Leader. No, sir, of course we have nothing important going on up here. Just relaxing and having the time of our lives. Hell, when you boys get done down there, feel free to come join us. We’re getting ready to fire up the blender to make some cocktails.”
“Can the chatter, Alpha Leader, and get me some air support!”
Knowing Yen couldn’t see her, she still shook her head in irritation. Though her mission priority was still to protect the Cair Thewlis, she hardly had the resources to defend against the pressing Terran assault, much less split her assets to assist Yen. In the end, however she knew that only one priority truly mattered.
“Roger, sir,” Iana called back. “I’m breaking away two Duun fighters to your position now.”
Switching channels, she called out to her other pilots. “Alpha Three and Alpha Four. Break formation and provide cover fire for the Cair force. Once you’ve done sufficient damage on the surface, get back up here and give us a hand.”
“Roger that, ma’am,” Alpha Three replied.