310 Far Future Ch. 20 – The Sentence is Carried (1/2)
The main fighting was a lot closer now, and this definitely wasn't the only place with wall to wall fire. Ah, there we go, strobing laser fire was starting to reach here, harmless at this distance, but still visible and... there we go, it was coming from both directions. They were going to have to be careful they didn't shoot one another, and as my tac-feed went out and was relayed, I noted that the range of the shots out there quickly shortened.
The spideroids were being pushed back. Some seemed to be trying to exit through tunnels here or there, and I could only hope that those places had been sealed off by sufficient forces, as I didn't have enough of an overarching map of the area to really attempt any guides... but if the spotters getting the feeds did, they better cross-reference and relay some orders.
But no, the spideroids didn't keep coming into the burning, stinking mess of their kind and Great Gramma, so I just hung there, recycling my oxygen supply, ignoring the thousand-degree temperature, and just watched as the ends of the fighting happened, and my extended hair was worming through the mess and getting all the nexals I could feel.
Then the spideroids started to scuttle away... I watched them receding as Chalice silently fed me the information in her Banescan, and knew it was time.
”I can bring you down six at a time, if three of you can hold onto the Disk while three are atop it.” They were watching the feed with me, so they could see it as plainly as I what was going on. I scampered up the side of the shaft, my Disk came out, and three of them boarded it immediately, lifted it up, three more grabbed it with power gauntlets locking in place, and without acknowledging the weight, the Disk lowered itself smoothly down into the mass of spideroids burning down, which compressed under the weight of the power armor. The Juris waded through without any problems.
Now the shields finally came out, just in case, and they started popping off fleeing spideroids from a distance. I went back up to get the rest of the squad, who joined in the sniping fun a minute later, sticking close to the liftshaft, but no longer feeling threatened as the spideroids seemed keen on avoiding them instead of swarming them... and they'd have no problems retreating into the burning shaft behind.
I was practicing my marksmanship too, going out further than them to get more angles, skating across the ground, and finally getting a good look down in the other direction. While I was skating across the ground I was collecting nexals from the ones burned down by vivus, and plucking them out of the carcasses of others. The place was carpeted in white fires eroding the spiders, and the Gloam was partially lifted, although the webs which really reinforced it were still in place. They'd have to be flamed down to be removed...
The squads coming in on carriers and foot, the former so they could spray down those on the ceilings and walls better, rolled in about five minutes later, volleys of fire leaving nothing alive behind them.
At my quiet urging, we'd hauled the queen's curled-up but still massive carcass out of the shaft, power armor muscle being good for something, and it was sitting off to the side for everyone to admire as the boys made a show of securing the loading dock and waiting for everyone's arrival.
That carcass was probably going to be auctioned off for a lot of money. I made a small frown, thought about all the nexals whose owners I hadn't actually shot, and all the bounty money I was going to pick up, and the hazard pay, and the hourly rate, and I didn't feel so bad.
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”Hey, boys.” I waved them all in. ”Recorders off.” I waited a second as they discretely muted such things. ”You boys got a favorite place to drink?” I asked carefully.
”The Hammer,” Sergeant Charlz replied instantly, not giving the others time to say anything.
”I had a good payday here. If you want to give me your private sigs, I'll set you up a tab at the Hammer by way of payback.”
There were some murmurs around, and then a lot of contact cards hit my Band. ”Got it. You boys probably don't need me around stealing your credit now, do you?” I winked at them, and they kind of laughed softly despite themselves. All that mattered was that I was with the squad, my name would be conveniently dropped from any accolades getting handed out for popping the Queen... which was fine. Only those that should know, knew.
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”Agent Rantha, we are definitely going to call you up the next time we need to clear out a bug nest,” Sergeant Charlz said in something resembling warm tones.
”You say the sweetest things to girls, Sergeant,” I winked at him, and headed for the shaft. ”I'll make my own way out, kiss a few girls for me!” I gave them some hipswing as I headed into the liftshaft, and bounced my way back up there.
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”What the fuck kind of high-end psion was that, working as a Termite?” swore Geffkli, the gyro gunner. ”Guys... she pulled a Five Sun Shot off with me!”
”Five Suns?” The Juris Tactical squadmates looked at one another. That was a hideously dangerous level of skill right there...
”I want whatever gun she's using,” the mini-las bearer noted. ”She was popping spiders almost as easily as me!”
”I want to be able to walk into an inferno and run up and down walls like they are level ground,” grunted Sergeant Charlz. ”But you all got her card, so if there's a problem... well, we now know a really ass-kicking psion that can be called in to handle it, right?” They all nodded. Power armor was good and all, but some things just required having an edge.
Sergeant Charlz definitely put her on his list of people to Follow...
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The Hammer was a Juris bar in Upspire, near the precinct the Tactical Squad worked out of. True to fashion, there was one fairly near every Spire Precinct House, and they catered to the Enforcement side of the government.
Good enough.