Categories > Original > Fantasy > Tradewinds 12 - "Keep One Eye Open"
IX
Shades simply drifted for a moment as his craft’s engine sputtered out.
In the midst of this near-deafening silence after all the noise of motors and energy blasts, the strangeness of this whole scenario began to sink into him. Now that the initial shock of the attack had faded, he was left feeling somewhat awkward, just thinking about how peaceful things were a mere five or ten minutes ago. In the last few weeks, he had come to find himself in a world where people fought with sci-fi weapons, ships roamed endless seas, and his grade-point average was now the least of his concerns…
Then he snapped out of it, alarmed at how he could have spaced out, lapsing into such dangerous lines of thought while surrounded by deadly enemies.
“THIS IS THE KONA ISLAND PATROL!” a voice blared from the distance. Fast approaching the battle were Sentry I and Sentry II, as Chief Toma resumed on the megaphone while they reached the edge of the battle: “SURRENDER AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED! ANY RESISTANCE WILL BE MET WITH DEADLY FORCE!”
At last, Justin got his miracle.
“Hell yeah!” Shades crowed, more than grateful for the reinforcements, even though it now brought to mind the question of exactly where they had been all this time.
“About fuckin’ time!” Justin never imagined he would actually be pleased to see a security force.
As Shades tried to figure out how to signal the Island Patrol ships for help without drawing enemy fire, he happened to catch a glimpse of what was happening aboard the Seeker, and his relief evaporated. Even as Chief Toma’s men fired at the raiders, he believed he now had a cause for that mysterious explosion. Not to mention cause to believe the situation was about to get worse before it would have any chance of getting better.
A dark-clad figure chinned up onto the deck of the Seeker, dry in spite of his apparent mode of entry. Though a similar color scheme to theirs, his garb was of a totally different design than that of the hijackers, putting him in mind of paramilitary gear from his own world, especially the helmet. Particularly what appeared to be some kind of breath screen covering the lower half of the face.
Well suited to this newcomer’s tactics, though, as he lobbed several grenades across the deck. The hijackers, preoccupied with the arrival of the Island Patrol, only belatedly noticed this unwelcome guest as the grenades went off. In seconds, most of the deck was swimming in smokescreen.
Although the smoke-bombs finally alerted the hijackers to his presence, it still worked to this intruder’s advantage, allowing him to take down his first few adversaries one at a time. Justin’s EMP wave reduced those onboard to hand-to-hand combat, which this fellow clearly excelled at, beating down each attacker in rapid succession. When the smoke began to clear, and several of them ganged up on him, he more than evened up the odds, firing up what appeared to be a pair of violet laser claws.
With a start, Shades remembered that pulse weapons, like laser blades, were typically unaffected by EMP, and given how proficient this new combatant appeared to be, was already worried that someone that organized might also have some kind of contingency up his sleeve for dealing with the Island Patrol. Already quite certain this one was no ally. As he watched, with speed and ruthless efficiency, this stranger continued to blaze a bloody trail through nearly a dozen hijackers, apparently making his way toward the helm, Shades wondered if there was anyone left to stop him.
“This won’t be a fight… It’s gonna be a slaughter.”
Shades simply drifted for a moment as his craft’s engine sputtered out.
In the midst of this near-deafening silence after all the noise of motors and energy blasts, the strangeness of this whole scenario began to sink into him. Now that the initial shock of the attack had faded, he was left feeling somewhat awkward, just thinking about how peaceful things were a mere five or ten minutes ago. In the last few weeks, he had come to find himself in a world where people fought with sci-fi weapons, ships roamed endless seas, and his grade-point average was now the least of his concerns…
Then he snapped out of it, alarmed at how he could have spaced out, lapsing into such dangerous lines of thought while surrounded by deadly enemies.
“THIS IS THE KONA ISLAND PATROL!” a voice blared from the distance. Fast approaching the battle were Sentry I and Sentry II, as Chief Toma resumed on the megaphone while they reached the edge of the battle: “SURRENDER AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED! ANY RESISTANCE WILL BE MET WITH DEADLY FORCE!”
At last, Justin got his miracle.
“Hell yeah!” Shades crowed, more than grateful for the reinforcements, even though it now brought to mind the question of exactly where they had been all this time.
“About fuckin’ time!” Justin never imagined he would actually be pleased to see a security force.
As Shades tried to figure out how to signal the Island Patrol ships for help without drawing enemy fire, he happened to catch a glimpse of what was happening aboard the Seeker, and his relief evaporated. Even as Chief Toma’s men fired at the raiders, he believed he now had a cause for that mysterious explosion. Not to mention cause to believe the situation was about to get worse before it would have any chance of getting better.
A dark-clad figure chinned up onto the deck of the Seeker, dry in spite of his apparent mode of entry. Though a similar color scheme to theirs, his garb was of a totally different design than that of the hijackers, putting him in mind of paramilitary gear from his own world, especially the helmet. Particularly what appeared to be some kind of breath screen covering the lower half of the face.
Well suited to this newcomer’s tactics, though, as he lobbed several grenades across the deck. The hijackers, preoccupied with the arrival of the Island Patrol, only belatedly noticed this unwelcome guest as the grenades went off. In seconds, most of the deck was swimming in smokescreen.
Although the smoke-bombs finally alerted the hijackers to his presence, it still worked to this intruder’s advantage, allowing him to take down his first few adversaries one at a time. Justin’s EMP wave reduced those onboard to hand-to-hand combat, which this fellow clearly excelled at, beating down each attacker in rapid succession. When the smoke began to clear, and several of them ganged up on him, he more than evened up the odds, firing up what appeared to be a pair of violet laser claws.
With a start, Shades remembered that pulse weapons, like laser blades, were typically unaffected by EMP, and given how proficient this new combatant appeared to be, was already worried that someone that organized might also have some kind of contingency up his sleeve for dealing with the Island Patrol. Already quite certain this one was no ally. As he watched, with speed and ruthless efficiency, this stranger continued to blaze a bloody trail through nearly a dozen hijackers, apparently making his way toward the helm, Shades wondered if there was anyone left to stop him.
“This won’t be a fight… It’s gonna be a slaughter.”
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