BATTLE CLERIC

ETERNAL WAR SERIES PART 2

By Nick S. Thomas

Copyright © 2020 by Nick S. Thomas

Published by Swordworks Books

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Prologue

The year is 3145 in the Quintan Calendar. War spreads throughout the galaxy like a plague, but one power and authority fights to bring order, the Order of Light and Eternal Chamber, known as Sanctum. One loyal follower is Master Cleric Leif Malik, who has been despatched to the mining world of Therus where a Zealot named Cayne has corrupted workers. Therus is vital to the fuelling of the fleets and armouries of the Sanctum in the Elleon Sector. Malik must restore order, but an inhospitable world and a deadly enemy await him and his Troopers.

On arrival at Therus, Malik’s drop ship and Ward supporting forces were re-directed to an alternate landing zone on approach, before being swarmed by an unending mass of bloodthirsty local creatures known by the miners as Snappers. The Wards were quickly overcome and butchered, with only a quarter of their number surviving the deadly experience. Malik and his Sanctum Troopers managed to get the Luminary into the refuge of the fortified mining facility, but not without a fight. The Luminary was wounded in the struggle, and the mining facility security was less than helpful as the Sanctum Troopers fought for their lives.

Even the battle-hardened and power armour-suited Troopers did not get off unscathed from their brutal encounter with the Snappers, as the creatures found weaknesses in their armour. Malik went straight to the Governor of the mining colony and would have killed him for what he had allowed to transpire. But the Luminary sought a diplomatic solution and went to meet with the Governor personally and in private. Yet as he arrived for talks, armed guards under the control of the Governor seized him, and Malik, along with his Troopers and Wards were sealed in a dome-shaped area. Their power armour locked away in a waiting area, the Governor meant to feed them to the wolves, literally.

Chapter One

Hordes of angry and bloodthirsty Snappers were funnelled into the dome, as unarmoured Troopers and the few remaining Wards backed into the middle of the room, preparing to make their stand.

Malik had his Vanquisher blade in his right hand and Executioner pistol in his left. He held them both up and ready to fight, but looked all around for any sign of the horde moving forward, as they hissed and snapped their salivating jaws. They were not a malicious enemy as far as he could tell, just a hungry one. Food had to be scarce on such a volatile world, and there was a lot of meat on the muscle-bound hulking Troopers, yet even the puny Wards would provide a significant meal for the horde. Malik did not hate them for it, for it was their nature, but he looked up to the window where the Governor loomed over them with contempt and disgust. He had a wicked grin on his face as though he had won the war, but for Malik, this was the opening battle, as he pointed his blade towards the colony leader.

“I’m coming for you!”

He knew the man would not hear him, but his thoughts and intentions were quite clear.

“We aren’t going to die here. The Luminary needs us, or would you accept death, knowing you failed to protect the life of a Luminary?” He riled the group up for the vicious onslaught. Malik knew the fight was going to cost them many lives, but he was determined to reach the Governor and tear his head off for the betrayal.

The creatures began to come forward as one, closing on the circle of six Troopers and twenty-two Wards. One creature lurched forward, snapping at Wyse. Malik quickly moved his muzzle over and pulled the trigger, blowing out its brains. Its body collapsed in the clearing between the two forces. The hissing and chomping jaws of the horde grew louder as if incensed by the death of one of their own, and they looked ready to pounce.

“Fire!” Malik yelled.

The dome erupted into a deafening orchestra of fire as the Ward rifles and Trooper Executioners spat fire at the horde trying to close in. They could not encircle the Terrans, for they fought back-to-back and fired in all directions. One creature leapt into the air to try and land in the formation, but two shots from Malik sent it hurtling back down onto its own kind, flattening one of them under the weight of its carcass.

Every one of them was firing as quickly as they could while maintaining as accurate fire under pressure as possible. Even the Wards were doing their part, their small rifles not as powerful as the huge Executioner sidearms of the Troopers. The first two ranks of the Snappers fell to the combined fire, but several more took their cues from the one who had tried to bring death from above. They leapt up high to descend on the desperate survivors. One landed on a Ward and crushed him almost to death before claws and teeth finished the job.

Another flew through the air heading right for the Cleric. He managed to fire one shot, but it was already descending towards him. He turned slightly to avoid the impact, and it brushed down his shoulder. He felt a talon cut into his shoulder and drag down his upper back, but he barely winced, turned, and shot it in the face, finally killing the beast. Several of the Wards were trying to reload, and the pressure against them increased with the reduction in fire. He saw a Snapper bite down onto a Ward, pin its body with its claws, and rip the head clear from the body, before tossing it at him. Malik knocked the flying head aside with his blade, taking aim at the creature and putting it down with two shots.

He heard a cry as another behind him jumped towards his back, and he turned in time to see it shot down, by none other than Sergeant Adler, who came through for them once more. The Cleric looked surprised but went right back to the fight, thrusting his blade into the neck of one and firing at another.

Hyland cried out in pain as a claw was buried into her left arm. It caused her to lose hold of her weapon, but she did not expect help, so grabbed the Snapper’s head in both hands and snapped its neck. She growled as she fought through the pain, picking up her rifle in time to shoot another dead as it ran at her.

Cries rang out as two more Wards were cut to pieces as gunfire continued to ring out, but the creatures were now swarming the survivors, and with every reload they gained ground. Barick smashed one across the face with his rifle, crushing its skull. He shot another in the face, but he felt a claw bite into his leg, before he shot that one dead, too. He turned to face another and pulled the trigger, but his magazine was empty, and the Snapper landed on him. He collapsed to the floor and was pinned as the creature’s razor-sharp claws locked him in place. It snapped for his head. He caught its jaw in both hands, the teeth slicing into his fingers. He was able to hold it at bay, but as the beast’s claws dug into his upper arms, he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out for.

The head of the beast suddenly exploded, covering him in blood. He shoved the body away as it went limp and looked up to see Andez offering out his hand. He was surprised, but took it and was hauled to his feet. Barick had never given him anything but trouble, and was astonished to find him there. But before he could say a word, the tail of a Snapper pierced Andez through the chest. As it was withdrawn, Andez began to drop to his feet. Barick went to help him but was forced to defend himself as another Snapper rushed at him. He grabbed his rifle and swung it, knocking the creature to the ground and stomped on its head. He saw Andez was back on his feet with a Ward rifle in hand and firing back against the horde, despite the hole in his chest.

Wyse shot the leg out of one Snapper and put another in the back of its head as it landed face first.

“Ammo isn’t going to last long!” he shouted as he smashed his rifle butt into the knee of another, kneeing the wounded creature in the head, and smashing the stock into its face.

Malik brought down his blade onto the forehead of one Snapper and split its head in two, but he could see so many more rushing his way. He lifted his pistol to fire at one of the creatures flying through the air towards him. But the beast’s claw caught his Executioner and sliced his hand. It latched onto the weapon and ripped it from his grasp as it fell dead to the ground. He looked around for signs of his weapon, but among the dead and dying it was nowhere to be seen, and he could hear the chomping teeth of another creature bearing down on him. He turned in time for it to run onto his Vanquisher, but it wasn’t dead and hissed and snapped at his face. He put his bleeding hand on its throat, held its foaming mouth at a distance, and heaved the blade up. It cut a channel up the body until organs began to fall out, and it collapsed down dead. He then found his weapon on the ground.

“We can’t keep this up!” Wyse yelled.

Gunfire still rang out, but less and less now. The enemy dead lay in heaps, but still more came. Malik looked out to the two doors the creatures had come from and could see yet more coming from one, while the other way was now an empty passage.

“Get to that door, now!”

They were all eager to move, knowing staying put would be the end of them all, but Malik could see they were not making quick enough progress. He rushed to the head of the group and leapt out over the Wards, pushing Barick to leap onto one of the Snappers just like they did. He felt a claw slash across his shoulder, but he buried his Executioner into its left eye socket. As the body went down, he took hold of one of its arms, slashed it off at the shoulder, and began to swing it, using the claws as a weapon. He swung the arm like a flail, and the claws descended onto the head of one of the creatures. They were buried into the skull, but he could not retrieve the arm, and went on.

“Come on, push, for the Sanctum, for the Luminary!” he roared with the utmost devotion to his cause.

He slashed the leg out from one, thrusting into the chest of another before decapitating the first. His blood lust was up now. He didn’t hate the primitive creatures, but he was letting his fury at the Governor flow through his body, imagining what he would do when he got his hands on the treacherous traitor.

He smashed into another, held its claws back, and drove it back to clear the way. Hyland and Barick surged up beside him, firing as they came. Shots zipped past the Cleric as Snappers fell around him, and he thrust his blade into one as its claws slid down his arm. It was not enough to do serious damage, but it caused blood to stream down his arm, and that seemed to attract the attention of another even more than before. It lurched towards his arm, snapping its jaws with anticipation. He slashed across with his sword with one brutal horizontal cut that took off one of its claws and lower jaw. Yet as blood poured from its open wounds, it still lashed out at him with all the weapons it had left. The creature’s tail lashed at his face. He positioned his Vanquisher blade in the way in time to take most of the impact, but the barbed tail still lashed around and cut into his shoulder blade. He drove forward and thrust up into the upper jaw and brain of the beast. As it fell, he pulled the tail out from his back, causing blood to spurt out from his wounds.

He looked back around and found they were all making slow progress as a tail slashed off a leg of a Ward, smashing down into his face as he lay on the floor. They were a few metres from the door now.

“Push!” Malik grabbed the nearest Snapper, held it at arm’s length, and used it as a shield. He pushed it back towards the open doorway, driving the others back with it. The survivors pushed on and in their brief surge had got through the opening.

“Get that door down, now!” he barked at Alder as the rest went on fighting.

The Sergeant opened up a control panel as gunfire rang out and others had resorted to clubbing the creatures with their rifles.

“Come on, faster!”

The Sergeant dared not talk back to the Cleric, or any other Sanctum Trooper. He was fiddling with the controls for a few moments when a Snapper leapt through the line. It crashed into Barick, sending him flat on his back. He held the creature back as it tried to bite his face off. Hyland moved to help him, but he yelled out furiously, “Stay on the line!” He put his hands into either side of the creature’s jaws and pulled them apart, ripping the head in two in a brutal display of raw power. Blood poured out over him, and one of the Wards who had been watching looked on in horror, before turning back to the fight. They feared the Troopers as much as the Snappers.

The body of a Snapper flew past the defensive line as Barick hurled his vanquished foe over them. The corpse crashed into three more, knocking them to the ground as Barick came forward with his subjugator in one hand, and the spine of the creature in the other. He wielded it as a flail, lashing it down against the head of one of their attackers and shattering its skull.

“I’ve got it!” Alder shouted enthusiastically.

“Back!” Malik pulled Hyland back as she continued to fire.

The huge steel doors began to close at a steady pace, bottlenecking the Snappers as they were shot down. Just as the doors came to a close, one leapt through, but the doors clamped shut and sheared the body in two. Half of it dropped as a bloody mess at Hyland’s feet, while the other half remained on the far side of the door. The Wards breathed a sigh of relief, but the Troopers showed no distress, despite their bloodied state.

“Make sure that door stays shut,” ordered Malik.

“Yes, Cleric,” replied the Sergeant.

Chapter Two

The corridor was dim with a low-level strip light running the length of the ceiling. Everyone was breathing heavily, even the Troopers, but Malik looked up as he heard a noise. The whole group looked with dread and soon realised it was the clamour of Snappers. Malik looked around to see there was a small door on either side of the corridor.

“Where do these go?”

Adler hurried to check the map on his datapad.

“That one is a store room,” he said, pointing to the one on the far side, before falling silent. They all waited to hear news on the other, knowing it was their only hope of survival, as the sound of a horde drawing nearer became louder. They could hear the hissing snaps of the fearsome creatures.

“Faster,” growled the Cleric.

“It’s some kind of access. I don’t know.”

“Will it take us into the rest of the facility or not?”

“I believe so, yes, Cleric.”

“Do it, now!”

The Troopers formed up ready to fight this next wave. The first of the Snappers rushed into view up ahead, and Zephyr knocked its head off with a single shot. Yet three more turned the bend and ran over its body as they closed in relentlessly. Zephyr fired again as the others joined in. The surviving Wards were kneeling in front of the mighty Sanctum Troopers.

“Open that door now, or we all die!” Malik roared to the Sergeant who was furiously pushing buttons in an attempt to open the door when suddenly it released and slid open.

“Everyone inside, now!” Malik ordered.

The Wards were the first to rush through, and he didn’t mind, for they would only get in the way of sealing the door shut that would save the lives of his Troopers. Gunfire continued to ring out as the Troopers confidently stayed put as the Wards ran for their lives, though once again Sergeant Alder had stayed with the Cleric and was firing on the enemy.

“Troopers inside, now!”

One by one they passed through until it was just Alder, Zephyr, and the Cleric. They took their last shots before the Cleric shoved Adler through the door and jumped through. As the door began to close, one of the creatures jumped through and stopped it from closing, though it could not get its body through the opening as it snapped at Malik. He held his pistol to its head and pulled the trigger. The body slumped in the doorway, but the Cleric put his boot in and kicked it through the doorway. They could just see the snapping jaws of many more as the door finally sealed. Adler was already at the controls making sure it never opened again, before finally he slumped down with a sigh in relief. The Wards were overwhelmed and exhausted, and even the Troopers looked bedraggled. Not one among them wasn’t cut and bleeding, though everyone who had made it was still on their own two feet, as there was no hope of saving the seriously wounded. There were just thirteen Wards remaining.

“Andez,” said Hyland in horror as she was finally able to reflect on the loss of one of their own. He had been kind to her, and she was not about to forget that.

“He served the Sanctum well. His name shall be remembered,” declared Malik.

Barick looked furious.

“One of ours is dead because of that Governor. He must pay for his treachery!”

He looked down to Hyland and could see the sadness in her face. He was reminded of the attempts he had made to bully the young Colt, and yet he offered out his hand now.

“Will you fight in his memory?”

She took his hand and was hauled to her feet. He placed one hand on her shoulder and nodded in approval as he accepted her as one of them. The Cleric pushed through to see where they were. It looked like a maintenance corridor of some sort.

“Is that door going to hold?”

“Yes, Cleric,” Adler replied confidently as he continued to patch his own wounds.

They finally all had a few moments to catch a breath and compose themselves. The Wards look distraught, whereas the Troopers simply looked angry.

“What is going on here?” Barick asked.

“A Governor taking a Luminary prisoner, and trying to have Sanctum Troopers killed? This is unheard of,” replied Wyse.

“There is a lot more going on here than we knew,” replied Malik as he tried to piece it all together.

“Why would they even try this? They must surely know the full weight of the Sanctum would come down on their heads,” Wyse asked.

“Unless they think they have the strength to hold back that tide?” Hyland asked.

“But how could they? These are not fighters. They are common Provincials.”

“The Governor must have fallen to anarchy and be in league with Cayne. That is the only way he would feel powerful enough to risk this,” replied Malik.

“Who is this Cayne?” Barick asked.

“We don’t know, but he’s been causing all kinds of trouble. He’s turned the workers here against us, and he must have a lot of power and resources if he thinks he can get away with it.”

“We should call in assistance,” replied Wyse.

Malik didn’t like to think they needed help and could not achieve success by themselves, but he knew their situation was grave.

He pressed a few keys on their communicator to call the pilot of their drop ship.

“This is Malik, what is your status?”

“Sir, I have put down at Docking Bay 33A as requested.”

“Are you safe?”

“The hangar doors are closing now,” he replied as he shut down the craft’s systems and headed out, pressing the door release. The ramp began to lower.

“Do not leave the drop ship. I repeat, do not leave that drop ship,” ordered Malik.

But the signal was poor and it crackled, the pilot only hearing half of his words. Finally, it came through clearly on the third attempt.

“Do not leave the drop ship!” Too late, the ramp had hit the hangar bay floor.

The pilot reached for a pistol, realising the peril he was in, but found himself facing six armed men. His hand reached for the button to close the ramp once more.

“Don’t do it. We’ll put you down right here!” yelled one of the men.

“What is going on up there?” Malik demanded over the comms.

“Lay down your weapons and come with us,” the man ordered.

“Sir, I am being told to surrender.”

“Seal that door and stay put!”

The pilot pressed the ramp door and snatched his pistol to defend himself, but two shots struck his chest, and one of his attackers leapt through the ramp before it could close. Malik heard two more shots ring out before all went quiet. He didn’t look disappointed, only angry.

“That’s our wings gone,” said Barick.

“What now?” Wyse asked.

“The only way is forward. We’ll work our way through this facility and kill any who get in our way until we find the Luminary.”

“What about our power armour?” Hyland asked.

“Right now we’ll have to manage without. A Trooper doesn’t need armour to fight.” He held up his sword, “I am going to find that traitorous Governor and the scum they call Cayne, and I’ll end them personally,” he declared with absolute certainty.

“Ammunition isn’t going to last long,” said Barick.

“Then we find what we can. The Snappers might be formidable, but miners are just miners.”

“You want us to kill Provincials, Sir?” Hyland asked.

“If they have turned against a Luminary, yes. You will not hesitate to strike down anyone who shows a shred of insubordination. It will not be tolerated, do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir.”

The Cleric was looking around for anything that might be useful, but it was nothing but boxes of electrical equipment.

“Sir, what do you need?” Wyse asked.

“It’s more what you need, weapons. Like you said, ammunition will not last long if we cannot get back to our gear.”

“What weapons will be around a place like this?”

“I don’t know, but keep your eyes open, we need anything that can help us.”

“We need our armour,” growled Barick.

“And we will get it, but first we have to fight our way out.”

“We can’t go back out there?” asked Wyse.

“Not where we came from. We need control over the doors so that we can clear a path back to our gear.”

“What makes you think it is still there, and that the Governor hasn’t taken it for himself?”

“Sir, the wounded we left there, they will fight to the death to protect your equipment,” insisted Sergeant Alder.

“They better,” snapped Barick.

“Come on, we need to move before they figure out where we are,” insisted the Cleric.

“You think the Governor knows we survived?” asked Wyse.

“I would not presume to know what he knows. Stay vigilant, and be ready for anything,” he replied as Alder got back to his feet and put his med kit away. For a Ward, the Sergeant impressed Malik. He’d not seen one be so resilient and determined in a long time, but he would not inflate his sense of worth by telling him. A Ward’s determination was demanded of them, not something to be rewarded.

“Let’s move.”

Malik led the way forward confidently. He knew they were up against it, but a Trooper never showed fear, and a Cleric never doubted their ability to succeed. That is the way they were trained.

They worked their way through several maintenance tunnels until he found a ladder up to the next level. It was the best hope they had of getting out of the way of the Snappers.

“The Governor must surely think us dead?” Hyland asked Wyse.

“Likely, until he goes looking and finds no sign of us behind that doorway.”

“Assuming he can even get down there anytime soon. You saw those Snappers, they’re wild animals. Sure you can open a few doors and funnel them about like a herd, but they won’t work on command, and they’ve got a whole food source back in those rooms.”

“You think they want to feed on us?” she asked in surprise.

“Beasts like that only want food or to defend their territory. Did that look like defence of a territory to you?”

She shook her head. It was a daunting prospect to know your opponent was to eat you, and one she had never considered before. It was unsettling, but she dazed out for a moment, and Wyse smacked her on the side of her head. She instantly snapped out of her dazed state.

“Focus, we need everyone on top form. We’re going to get through this.”

Chapter Three

He gestured for Hyland to go up the ladder. The Troopers led the way. They considered the Wards to be little more than cannon fodder, but they were still compelled to lead from the front, as was their warrior caste way. Malik finally reached a large, old steel door with a locking wheel and a small porthole. He peered out through it but was unable to get a good enough angle to see what was in the room ahead. He nodded for them to be ready before turning the wheel, heaving the heavy door open, and stepping through.

He soon came to a stop as he found miners sitting about in what was clearly a rec room. There had to be thirty or more of them, and they all fell silent as they caught sight of the Master Cleric. They looked at him with disgust, as though he was a stranger and not welcome there, or worse, an enemy. The rest of the Troopers stopped behind Malik, studying the faces of the filthy miners around them. They were large set men, each and every one of them. The result of years of hard labour, combined with muscle recovery aids to allow longer work hours without rest. The result was the workers almost matched the Troopers in width, having become so strong.

Several of them got up. They looked angry and picked up various heavy tools that would make strong bludgeoning weapons, but none had firearms.

“By order of the Sanctum, you are ordered to stand down and let us pass,” Malik stated.

There was no response, and others got up to block their path. They looked ready for a fight.

“There will be no mercy for traitors,” growled Malik.

Hyland wasn’t sure if that was meant as a threat to make them stand down or a statement of intent. She could see the Wards were as scared as when fighting the Snappers, for the workers were not so different to them, and the prospect of killing their own was repulsive. One of the hulking miners stepped up defiantly before Malik, and everyone braced for what they knew what was coming next. The miner stopped within arm’s reach of Malik in an attempt to intimidate him. He wore thick quilted clothing, but it was still clear the man was a good size match to the imposing Malik.

“You are not welcome here,” he growled.

Malik didn’t even reply as he reached into the man’s mouth, gripped his jaw, and wrenched him down to the floor. He hit headfirst, and Malik stamped on his head before he could recover. His skull split and blood spewed out. Even Barick was surprised by the brutal display, but Malik was not in the mood to be trifled with. Yet the bloody demise of their colleague did nothing to deter the miners who came forward slowly, but angrily. They intended to fight it out. That much was clear.

“Save your ammunition,” Malik said.

Nobody was under any illusions as to why. The Cleric would have had no problem gunning down everyone in the room if it were not for the need of holding onto their ammunition should they have to face the gnarly Snappers once more. Compared to those slavering beasts, the burly miners seemed like no threat at all, despite the fact they carried heavy tooling that would crack a skull open with ease.

The first of them went straight for Malik, wanting to avenge his friend, and clearly having learnt nothing from his demise. He swung a huge wrench at him. It was clumsy but heavy. Malik caught it, assuming his powerful frame could handle anything a Terran could throw at him, but the heavy tool was swung in two arms with such force the wielder seemed to want to smash him through the floor. His grip held firm, but one leg buckled slightly as the Cleric dropped to one knee, resisting the immense force with nothing but his bare hands. The rest of the miners came forward. Hyland went to help the Cleric, but he yelled at her, “I’m fine, move on!”

He growled as he pushed the wrench up and held it in mid-air with one hand, delivering a swift punch to the groin of his attacker. He instantly lost his grip, and Malik ripped the wrench from his hands. He dropped to his knees in agony, for he had hit with all his force. Malik swung the wrench mercilessly at the man’s head. He lifted a hand to stop it, but the wrench broke his arm and caused it to drop. The Cleric swung another thunderous blow against his attacker, striking his face. Several teeth were thrown across the room, and his neck snapped from the weight of the blow. Malik appeared pleased with his work. He looked around to see the entire room had erupted into chaos as a mass brawl ensued.

Barick took a strike across the face from a steel rod that snapped his head back, but he roared angrily as he picked up his attacker and threw him, snapping his spine as it struck a support beam. He looked happy with himself as he looked for another victim. Hyland ducked under the heavy handed punch of a miner and delivered a precise uppercut to his sternum and another to the face. It sent him tumbling back, but he came right back at her as if her strikes had done nothing but move him back. She looked around for something to do more damage and spotted a long driver. She snapped it up as the man came at her. She jabbed at his face, but he kept coming forward and reached for her throat. She lifted the driver, thrust it into his eye socket, and drove it home. He dropped instantly. She was a little stunned from what she had been capable of, but Barick was smiling back at her, impressed with her work.

“That is how you get it done,” he said, taking a blow to the face once more in his distracted state.

A miner reached Adler who used his rifle as a club, but his blow was weak compared to what a Trooper could do. The miner took the blow on his collar and shrugged it off, picked up the Sergeant, and tossed him across the room. He landed on a countertop, slid across, and dropped down the other side in a heap. He sighed in frustration but also pain. He didn’t much appreciate being thrown around like a rag doll. He pulled himself back up to see his attacker was picking up the rifle he had dropped. He looked around for anything he could use to defend himself when he spotted a pneumatic nail gun. It was a large industrial grade piece of equipment. He snatched it up in two hands and took aim as the miner lifted the muzzle of his own rifle to shoot him.

Adler squeezed the trigger, and the first bolt loosed off. It clipped the man’s cheek and opened a cut, but struck the wall behind him. There were no sights on the gun, for that wasn’t what it was intended for, but his first shot had told him all he needed to know. He lowered the tool a little and fired three shots in a row. The huge 30cm long nails burst through the miner’s clothing doing horrific damage. The third shot went straight to his heart, and he was killed instantly. Adler looked down at the nail gun but felt someone grab his shoulder and wrench him around. He found himself facing the torso of one of the huge miners. He was towering over him, saving the moment before destroying him. But two more shots rang out from the nail gun as he fired point-blank into his body.

The Sergeant smiled for having overcome his newest attacker, but it was premature. The miner seemed to ignore it entirely and smashed his forehead into his nose. He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off his feet, strangling him in the process. He lifted the nail gun and fired a nail into the miner’s arm. He winced in pain but proceeded to choke him more violently, instantly cutting off his windpipe. He was about to pass out when he lifted the nail gun to his head and fired a nail straight through his skull, causing him to collapse. The Sergeant crumpled to the floor, his legs having no strength in them. He gasped for air and grabbed hold of the counter top, hauling himself up to lean on it.

It was chaos everywhere as punches and kicks were thrown, and limbs broken. The miners were no match for the formidable Troopers. Though they had developed comparable strength, they had none of the training and fighting knowhow of the supremely capable Sanctum Troopers. A Ward was launched through the air and crashed into a wall, falling unconscious.

The Cleric had seen enough, as it was all taking too long. He drew his Vanquisher and surged forward to where a miner was holding a Ward at arm’s length while battering him with his other fist. Malik brought down the blade on the big man’s arm and severed it at the elbow, splitting his skull with another blow, but he wasn’t done there. He stormed on to the next one and slashed off one of his legs at the knee before slashing across the back of the head as he fell.

The vicious display soon caught the attention of the rest of the miners. One turned and fled, and the rest quickly followed. Malik was standing triumphantly in a pool of blood. He didn’t feel for the miners, and yet he could see the Wards looked distressed and disgusted by the brutality against their own people.

“Don’t feel sympathy for them. When you turn your back on the Sanctum, you are no better than those Snappers. Worse even, because they weren’t driven by a primal motive, they chose that course of action. There will be no mercy for traitors.”

He then noticed a wounded miner trying to get back to his feet. The Cleric stepped up to the man, who froze.

“You chose the wrong side, may you burn for all eternity,” he declared before plunging his blade into his skull. As he pulled it out, he spotted a rack of equipment on the far side of the room.

“What is that?”

“Shock rods,” replied Adler.

The Cleric looked surprised that a Ward had any clue about the equipment.

“Sir, my brother worked in a place just like this,” he added to explain, as Malik strode over to grab one of them. It was two metres long and felt sturdy. It had a steel spear type head on it. It looked more like a weapon than a tool.

“What is it for?”

“Controlling wild animals and herds. The blade will do physical damage, but any contact with the tip will send massive electric voltage through a target.”

“Killing them?”

“That would depend on the size of the target, Sir. It would likely be fatal to a Terran.”

“And those?” He looked to what appeared to be door-sized shields with strapping to allow them to be carried as such.

“Blasting shields. The miners use them as protection from explosive usage and cave-ins.”

Malik tossed the rod to Barick who looked less than impressed to be handling a common agricultural tool, and handed it off as he took up a simple hammer.

“What do we need this for?”

“Ammunition isn’t going to last long, and when it runs out, we need to be ready. Everybody is to conserve ammunition wherever possible.” He gestured for the others to gather the rest of their new weapons. One Ward tried to pick up a shield and could barely manage it, laying it back down.

“Just take a rod,” the Cleric said in a disappointed tone as Wyse leaned in close to speak more privately.

“Cleric, if things have gotten to this point, I have to wonder if we should be considering an evac and aerial bombardment.”

“Negative, we must protect the Luminary and bring this facility back into operation.”

“But how? The miners want us dead.”

“Only because those leading them have told them to. We will recover the Luminary, deal with the Governor, and end the influence of that traitor they call Cayne.”

“But if we headed for our drop ship, we could still get out of here and call for assistance.”

Wyse didn’t sound scared or desperate, only calculating, but the Cleric was having none of it.

“This is our charge and our duty. We will bring order to this colony whether the Provincials like it or not,” he replied with absolute conviction. He then addressed them all.

“It is unlikely we will face firearms in much of what happens next, though the Governor’s protection detail is certainly armed. Nobody fires unless fired upon, or if to hold off what would be detrimental to the operation, is that clear?”

“Yes, Cleric,” the response quickly came.

“Our primary mission now is to recover the Luminary. Finding the Governor and our re-acquiring our equipment will be achieved as and when possible. Follow me, and don’t hesitate to do what needs to be done.”

He moved off in the direction of the miners who had fled in terror from them. They soon reached an open doorway that led to a main access corridor, much like those that had been opened up to allow the Snappers at them. The miners had made no attempt to shut them in, knowing there would be no containment.

“I guess they just kept on running?” Wyse asked.

“Wouldn’t you?”

He could see Hyland wasn’t entirely happy with the way the situation was handled.

“Don’t ever question a Cleric.”

“I did not.”

“No, but you implied it. Do not ever get on the wrong side of a Cleric, especially this one. You have no idea what you’re dealing with. He’s been through things you can never imagine, and achieved victory in the most unlikely of scenarios.”

“He is a legend, I know.”

“Yes, and that reputation is well earned.”

“You saw him do these things?”

Wyse looked surprised that she even had to ask, but it was clear she had become disillusioned since the death of Andez and the brutal handling of the miners.

“What is it? What is bothering you so much?”

“We were supposed to be unstoppable, invincible.”

Wyse finally got it. She had believed every word of their training and taken it as truth. It made him smile.

“You know that stuff they teach you, it is for a good purpose, but it isn’t all true, you know that?”

She looked stunned, as if her world had been shattered.

“We are invulnerable, and yet we have a wall of martyrs and a chamber of heroes?”

She was starting to make the connection, but that was putting doubt in her mind, and he knew how dangerous that could be. He smacked her on the back of the head to get her to snap out of it. It wasn’t the gentlest of methods, but that was not the Sanctum way.

“We’re still the best fighters in the galaxy, you know that, right? A squad of fully equipped Sanctum Troopers can take on an army. That is our power.”

The Cleric moved back beside them as he had clearly heard, and Wyse looked a little foolish.

“Don’t fear death. There is no point wasting time in that, for it will find us all in time.”

“Yes, Cleric,” replied Hyland.

“But not too soon. You’ll see many more battles before your time to ascend to the Azure.”

The Cleric clearly feared nothing, and it sounded as though he might even welcome death.

“You look forward to it, Sir?”

“Of course, it is a great honour to ascend, so long as you have earned your place among the Sanctum’s finest.”

“Did Andez?”

She was thinking back to the friend she had so briefly made before he was snatched away from them. Death was clearly nothing new to the Cleric as he took it in his stride as if it were any other day.

“Andez’s record and actions I saw with my own eyes have more than earned him a place in the Azure. He will already be dining with the great heroes of old. Our forefathers.”

She took some relief in it, though it still came as a shock. Malik moved to the front again as they came to a fork. He stopped to check the map on his datapad and looked puzzled.

“What is it, Sir?”

“This should not be here.” He was flicking through the map.

“They’ve sent us false data,” said Zephyr.

“How could they do that?” Wyse asked.

“These facilities are changing all the time, and the latest blueprints are sent to all Sanctum vessels upon arrival.”

“They planned this before we even arrived,” said the Cleric.

“Yes, Sir, this was not a spur of the moment decision,” replied Zephyr.

“That would be outright rebellion,” said Barick.

“Yes, we have to get to the Governor and resolve this before it goes too far.”

“Has it not already, Sir?” Barick asked.

“The loss of a Sanctum Trooper and the imprisonment of a Luminary are crimes which must be paid for, but we have to return order. This world is vital to Sanctum operations throughout the system. We don’t need these Provincials to like us. We just need them to get back to work.”

“We would let this treachery stand?” Barick asked angrily.

“Never, all responsible will pay for it with their lives, but most people do as they are told, which is why we must reach the Governor and put an end to this. Sergeant Adler?”

But as he looked for him, he could see he was already tapping into a nearby console.

“I am on it, Sir,” he replied, having pre-empted the Cleric’s request, “Sir, I will need authorisation to breach system security.”

“You can take whatever you want, full access.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“What would possess the Governor to turn against a Luminary?” Wyse asked as they waited on the Sergeant.

“I don’t know, but I am going to find out, and I’m going to purge it from this world!”

“I’ve got it, Sir. I am updating all datapads now.”

A light flashed on Malik’s pad, and he looked at the map. It transitioned and finally showed what they were seeing with their own eyes.

“Got you. This way!”

Chapter Four

Malik stormed on towards the Governor’s office. They passed through a large empty chamber and a long corridor with no signs of life. Finally, it opened up once more for them to discover a gang of miners assembled. They had armed themselves with improvised weapons and were clearly spoiling for a fight. At the far side of them was a stairway that led up to the floor with the Governor’s office. Malik stopped as he weighed up their options. He’d gladly kill every one of them if he had to, but he was conscious that time was getting on, and he had no idea if the Luminary had remained in the place in the time they had been fighting their way through the complex.

“Our fight is not with you, but you won’t like what comes next if you stand against us. You are servants of the Sanctum. You will serve or die, what will it be?”

None of them would move, and two kept slapping their wrenches into their left hands as an attempt to intimidate the Troopers.

“Clear the way!”

Malik ran forward at the nearest miner. The rush had surprised them, and he struggled to lift the heavy wrench to get a swing in, but he was too late, and Malik slashed his right arm off. The wrench collapsed onto his head, causing him to crumple to the floor. He kicked him over as he held his bleeding limb. A roar echoed out as Barick stormed past him, eager to get into the fight. He had a miner’s hammer in hand and wielded it with the speed and skill that would be expected of a Sanctum Trooper. He slammed the hammer into one of his opponent’s mouth, smashing his teeth out, and knocking him unconscious. Before he’d even touched the floor, he was onto his next victim.

The Troopers slammed into the miners with no care or regard. To them, a traitor was no better than the Snappers they had fought. The Wards could barely believe what they were seeing as they advanced but were unable to reach a target even if they wanted to. The six Troopers went forward as a wall, obliterating all before them. It was a powerful display. The Wards had seen the immense power and capability of a Trooper in their power armour, but not having to use their own bodies; particularly against the hulking miners that made any regular Provincial look like a child for their sheer height and muscle mass.

Hyland was getting into it now as well. She’d been concerned about fighting miners right up until the point they had tried to kill her. She smashed one in the face with her blast shield, thrusting the shock rod into his body. The tip pierced him deeply and inflicted a deadly wound, but sparks still flew, electrifying him and dropping him to the floor. Steam poured from their lifeless body. The rods were clearly intended for much heavier creatures. She could smell burnt flesh but didn’t let it bother her as she went on. Three miners rushed at Malik. He ran one through, but the other two blasted through him, collapsing to the ground with him under their immense weight, and he lost the grip of his Vanquisher. Both miners’ weight was on top of him, and one smashed down his fists towards his head. He managed to tilt his head enough to avoid the blow and grabbed the man’s head, smashing it down onto the floor beside him.

He was out cold, but the other one was still holding him down, and came down at him with shorter blows that he could not evade. The fist smashed into his face and hit like a freight train. His head bounced off the steel floor below, but just as soon as he recovered his wits, another hefty blow was thundering towards his face. He lifted both hands and parried the blow, locking the arm and snapping it violently. The man cried out in pain, but it was not enough the break the joint. Malik used the leverage to drive an elbow into his face before releasing the hold to allow him to lean back from the impact. He struck his filthy face again with a punch, and that gave him enough space to tuck his legs up and kick the man away. He was thrown back and crashed into another of them. The Cleric was back on his feet before he could recover and looked for his blade. He was hungry for blood now, as he always got when facing anyone who would dare harm a Sanctum Trooper, let alone a Luminary. He looked for his blade but could see no signs of it.

“Cleric!”

Barick’s hammer flew across the room. He caught it and smiled as he looked at his two opponents rushing back towards him. He was going to enjoy this. One was empty-handed while the other had a large pneumatic drill held over his head to crush him with. He leapt out to the side of the latter and slashed at his kneecap, causing him to stumble past and onto Hyland’s rod. The other swung for Malik and caught him with a brutal punch on the chin. His head snapped back, but he turned to his opponent with a furious expression about him. The man drew back for another wild swing, but Malik rushed forward, grabbed his throat, and forced him down over a desk. He smashed his head with the hammer, letting his dead body slip off and crash to the steel floor.

There were two of the miners still standing, and they were not coming forward anymore. They looked ready to run.

“Leave with your lives,” Malik snarled at them.

They threw down their weapons and quickly fled. But Malik’s blood was still boiling. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands on the Governor’s throat.

“Let’s move!”

He threw the hammer back to Barick, kicked over a body to find his Vanquisher, and drew it from the corpse. He led the way forward, climbing the flight of steps that would lead to the Governor’s office. As he reached them, the doors slid open, detecting his presence. It surprised him. He’d expected some security or lock down, and that made him suspicious. He stepped into the room to find it was empty. He could see a line of windows and rushed to them to find it was indeed the one where he had last seen the Luminary. He was looking down at a group of Snappers who were still feeding on the bodies of the Wards they had left behind. That made him angrier. Not that he cared for the Wards, but that they were assets under his command.

There was another door on the far side of the room, and he led the way through it. He followed a corridor for a while until it came out at a storage area stacked with crates. On a gantry above them was the Governor looking down on them, seemingly with no fear at all.

“This is over. Return the Luminary to us and give yourself up!” Malik yelled.

There was no reply.

“Give yourself up, and tell me where the traitor Cayne can be found!”

The Governor smiled back with a wicked grin.

“I don’t get it, what does he think he has over us?” Hyland said to Wyse. She couldn’t understand how anyone could stand up to Sanctum Troopers.

Four doors opened either side of them, and twelve Snappers stepped in to surround them. They all lifted their weapons to fire, but soon realised these were different to what they had faced before. They looked the same, but they acted very differently. They stopped as if waiting for a command.

“What the hell are they doing?” Wyse asked.

Malik looked as confused as the rest of them.

“Look,” said Zephyr as he spotted a small box attached at the side of one of their necks, and soon realised they all had them.

“What is that, a control harness?” asked Wyse.

“He’s got these beasts under his control,” spat Malik furiously, looking back to the Governor for answers. It was clear he was about to get them as the Governor went on.

“Too long has the Sanctum ruled over us with an iron fist. The workers here toil at the mines for what? Scraps!” he said furiously.

“There won’t be a second warning. Stand down and put this madness to an end!”

“Madness? The madness is your order and the self-appointed madmen who run it!”

Barick bared his teeth angrily; ready to rip the Governor apart for his blaspheming.

“He’s got these things under his control?” Hyland asked in disbelief. Yet it was the only thing that made sense.

“You don’t get it, do you, Cleric?”

“Get what?”

“You keep asking me to give up Cayne?”

“Yes.”

“I am Cayne!”

Malik’s face turned to stone as he realised what that meant.

“You have been behind all of this from the very beginning?”

“Yes.”

“Then why send out distress calls and news?”

“Because a Luminary is just what we need to show to the universe what we are, and you delivered one to us. I thank you for that. The Sanctum is at least consistent.”

Several armed guards took up position beside him.

“Whatever you think is going to happen here, you won’t get it. You can’t stand against the Sanctum. You have no right to do so, and any attempt would be foolhardy. It will cost you all your lives!” Malik roared, appealing to the guards beside Cayne. Yet they were having none of it, “Where is the Luminary?”

“Quite safe, for now. Tell me, why do any of you continue to follow this ancient cult? You could be free, all of you. Who among you would join me and fight against the tyranny of the Sanctum?” Cayne asked.

Malik looked back to see not one among them would even consider it. The Troopers were fiercely loyal, and the Wards were too terrified of him to ever give it a moment’s thought. He looked proud of his people as he turned back to Cayne.

“We cannot be bought. We stand for something; you stand for nothing!”

“Then you are fools, and you will die for nothing.”

Cayne then walked away.

“Cayne, this isn’t over!” Malik shouted after him. But the door shut behind him and his guards, and the Snappers began to close in on them.

“Fire at will!” Malik ordered.

He was eager to not lose any time and let the Governor get away. Rifles spat out fire, but more of the Snappers poured through the doors. Malik drew his pistol as he looked back to the door the Governor had left through.

“Keep moving!”

They kept up the fire, and he surged forward, shooting one of the Snappers in the head to clear the way. Another jumped in his path but was shot through the eye by Zephyr. He ran on, trusting in his team to keep up the fight, for he was set on one thing only. He rushed up a set of steps to reach the door and placed his hand before the security scanner. It would not open, even though he should have been able to override it.

He heard a hissing sound and turned abruptly to see a Snapper at his back. Blood shot out over his face as the back of its head was blown out. The corpse rolled down the steps to where Sergeant Adler was standing, his muzzle smoking having shot the creature. The Cleric was once again surprised by the tenacity of the humble Ward.

“Get up here!”

Adler stormed up the steps and went straight for the control box. He knew precisely what the Cleric wanted. Malik appreciated that fact, having people who knew what he wanted and when.

“You are a credit to the Sanctum.”

Adler was stunned and stopped his work for a moment. It was the highest praise he’d ever heard from a Trooper, let alone a Cleric. He was mesmerised by it, as though he’d just won a great prize.

“Get on with it,” snapped Malik.

He quickly got back to work, yet with a beaming smile on his face.

Malik looked back to the fight. One of the Wards was cut almost in half, but the bodies of the Snappers were scattered all over. Another reached the bottom of the steps and began to climb, but Malik fired a single shot through its brain. The rest of the team were pushing on to reach them but making slow progress as the creatures swarmed them. The door finally slid open, and Malik looked back to his team for just a second before realising he had to go on.

“On me,” he said to Adler.

The Sergeant looked terrified but complied without hesitation, as the two of them ran on after Cayne and his followers. They came out onto a subway station and could see a car pulling up to the group. Malik fired and killed one of the armed guards, but the others returned fire. Neither he nor the Sergeant had the blast shields several of his Troopers were carrying and were forced to duck into an archway for cover as they returned fire. Cayne leapt through the door onto the car.

“They’re going to get away. We can’t let that happen!” Malik shouted.

He rushed out from cover with no care for his own life at all and went forward fearlessly, firing as he went. He shot another guard dead, but the door sealed shut. He sped up, firing at the rear window of the car as it began to move. The glass was blown out, but a shot came back at him and struck his shoulder. He grimaced in pain as his pistol flew from his hands, but he would not be deterred and ran on, jumping for the car as it began to move. He landed on the rear and held onto the window frame. Glass penetrated his hands, and blood flowed down his arms. The car began to accelerate.

He began to pull himself up but found he was looking down the barrel of a rifle. He shifted his weight, and the shot missed him, but the rifle stock of one of the guards smashed into his fingers, causing him to lose his grip. He fell down and smashed into the tracks as the car accelerated away. He got back to his feet and looked at the face of Cayne as he soared away.

There was utter contempt on the Cleric’s face, and a murderous gaze in his eyes. Finally, as the car vanished into the distance, he turned back and climbed up onto the platform where the rest of the Troopers were catching up. Several had cuts on their arms and faces, but all were intact. A few more of the Wards were missing, but that was of little concern to him.

“What are your orders, Cleric?” Wyse asked.

Malik look back down the subway tracks in the way Cayne had gone.

“If we are going to keep up this fight, we need our gear, but I will not let Cayne get away when he is this close. I am going after him. Barick, you’re in charge. Get to our power armour and then come after me.”

“Yes, Cleric.”

“What about you, Sir?” Hyland asked.

“I am going after that traitor. I must try and stop him before he can rally the entire colony to his cause.”

“Alone?” Wyse asked.

“No,” he replied as he looked to Sergeant Adler.

“Get us a car,” he said.

Adler knew what he was being asked to do. It was terrifying, but also a great honour, as he knew how valuable he was to the Cleric, and that was the greatest recognition of a Ward’s work that any could ever hope for. He went to a nearby console, and within seconds another car had pulled up.

“Get moving. Get to the armour. If I cannot stop Cayne, we have a battle coming like nothing we have seen here yet.”

“On me!” Barick ordered.

None of them looked happy about it, but they complied as Malik and Adler stepped aboard the car. The door shut behind them, and Adler took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“Let’s get this this renegade scum,” declared Malik.

“Yes, Cleric,” replied Adler with a smile.

TO BE CONTINUED