Page 48 of Uncovered By the Alien Commander

Through gritted fangs, I regain a steady aim, not giving an inch, my life inconsequential, my fear nonexistent. The Rush melts such trivial concerns, leaving behind only a murderous fury that can never be satiated.

Accurate graviton rifle orbs shatter my cover, their immense gravitational force rendering it useless against their onslaught. With lightning reflexes, I leap while firing, seeking refuge behind the flimsy sanctuary of the bed, the only barrier between me and certain death.

Bullets jolt and spark upon my armor as I retaliate with searing azure blasts, as the graviton orbs crash into my previous location warping and twisting the very walls, rending huge meshed cracks that expose the room to the outside. My new cover is already a torn and shredded heap as soft materials and dust fill the air as bullets and energy weapons snap and whizz overhead.

I switch my arc blaster to arc claws, intending to make a last charge, to die with honor, my head held high. With a bellowing roar, I launch from my destroyed refuge, noticing blue arc bolts whizzing down the corridor towards my Gorglaxian attackers.Noroth and Logarn attack from the other flank!Like a blessingfrom the Gods, the Gorglaxians appear confused, hesitating for a split fraction, but a fraction is all I need to craft their demise.

Still, some Gorglaxians remain focused on me, their projectiles tracing my twisting, darting, murderous charge. Shots ping and bounce from my arcweave armor as I shield my face with my plasma claws, my golden gaze piercing through the gaps. My closet prey recoils, his tentacles fluttering in panic as I drive my claws straight through his chest, his lifeless body thuds to the ground in an instant.

Their greed to murder me has forced them to bunch up at the doorway, but their greed brings them only death. Seizing the opportunity, I pivot among them, swiping lightning-fast slashes, tearing through flesh and bone amongst the tight-knitted group. The Rush blazes within, as my terror-stricken prey attempts to retreat or level their weapons at me, but they are too slow, too used to fighting at a distance.

I rend death in a whirlwind of precise strikes and slashes, each delivered with murderous intent honed from centuries of training and warfare. They fall before my might and skill; each kill a testament to my power. Soon all that remains is the stunned Triandale and Felacia, with a menacing warhead poised between them, and further behind are Noroth and Logarn shooting behind their shields, attempting to break through.

Felacia reaches for a device clutched in Triandale thick skinned hands. “Give it to me, if you lack the courage!” she screams, her voice dripping with contempt, prompting Triandale to raise the device high above their heads.

I aim my arc blaster at Triandale as I creep closer through the mangled corpses of my prey. But I dare not fire in fear he might detonate the massive explosive. “You can die with honor, not as a murderer!” I shout, my gaze locked onto the lanky Gorglaxian.

“No...” Triandale voice wavers, shaking his drooping face, his hands trembling, his runny eyes wide in shock or panic. “Not likethis. This is not what we agreed!” he protests, looping his neck, peering down at Felacia.

A wave of relief washes over me at his words, but it’s short-lived. Felacia sneers, her rage belied by her tiny statue. “Coward!” she spits, firing her laser pistol with brutal efficiency up through Triandale’s skull. In an instant, his eyes roll back as he collapses to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

I don’t have time for shock as Felacia scrambles for the trigger, forcing me to unleash a torrent of blue energy from my arc blaster at the female Nebian. The deadly haze envelopes her before she can react. There’s no time for screams as she dissolves into a molten pool of gory azure glop, the air sizzling with the heat of her demise.

Without hesitation, I activate my arc claws charging towards the backs of the Gorglaxians, who stand against Noroth and Logarn, feeling nothing but the need to aid my war brothers and to kill my enemies. As I bear down on them, my fangs bared in anticipation of the slaughter to come.

I witness Logarn breaking formation, his natural claws extended, disregarding his arc shield in favor of a wild, primal charge. “I’ll bath in your blood!” The youth declares his manic tone a clear sign he has succumbed to his treacherous madness. Noroth shouts after him, but amidst the chaos, his words elude me. Logarn’s armor and warvisor are pelted with bullets, causing them to ricochet and spark, until a graviton orb crashes into his midriff.

Logarn’s armor twists and warps, forcing the youth to the ground, where he writhes in agony. I can only imagine the damage his flesh is sustaining beneath the incredible gravitational forces. The terrible scene hastens my charge as I deliver a leaping wide slash along the backs of the Gorglaxians. They don’t even have time to scream as their bodies are shredded to bloody pieces.

“Honor to Xandor!” Noroth roars over his shield, absorbing the Gorglaxians barrage. The remaining few Gorglaxians pivot in what appears like slow motion, their tentacles fluttering in panic as I take advantage of their shock. Dashing forward, sweeping my blazing murderous azure claw through their helpless forms, delivering murderous revenge with lethal accuracy.

The cacophony of battle fades into a heavy silence, broken only by my labored breaths and the hum and sizzle of our weapons. Scanning the scene of brutal, bloody carnage, the corridor is littered with bodies and gore, painting an exquisite picture of horror. Noroth claps me round the back as we both stand over Logarn, who lies unconscious but still breathing, despite his mangled armor.

“You fought as fiercely as a brutonous, Xandor!” Noroth declares, with a board smile, creasing his blood-speckled face. “Good food, good females, good battle—what a glorious day!” he finishes with a laugh.

I might agree if not for my missing warvisor and my Tyrxie-induced impotence.

Chapter 20

Tyrxie

Leap of Faith

My heart pounds inmy chest as the ground rushes to meet me. The filthy white stone streets are hard and unyielding, promising my imminent demise. Suddenly a flagpole extending from the wall, fluttering with the emblem of the Suns of Omega upon it, grabs my attention.

With desperation and gritted teeth, I attempt to seize the pole as I hurtle past it. The jarring force of the fall wrenches it from my feeble grip, tearing through my arms and shoulders with a brutal intensity. Yet it disrupts the horrifying momentum somewhat.

I try to brace myself for the brutal impact as I land in a heaped pile of rubbish, still with an incredible force knocking the wind from my lungs as my head whips forward and back, causing anexplosion of stars to swim in my vision and bone deep agony lancing through me. The only sound is my rasping breaths and my sight darkens further as I lie embedded, hidden amongst, foul smelling refuse... but I’m alive.

Is this where I belong?

With a sudden jolt, I rise on shaky legs, uncertain if I lost consciousness for a moment as my mind swims with a disorienting blur, making it difficult to assess my situation. My hands tremble as I examine my battered body, identifying numerous cuts and scrapes littered over my extremities, but nothing appears broken. A miracle perhaps brought about by my satchel loaded with clothes and the... warvisor.

Realization pierces through the fog of my mind like a bolt of lightning, igniting a frantic panic, but I resist the urge to check the mask is still intact. Scanning the dirty street, seeing it empty of beings, yet with so many windows, privacy is far from guaranteed. I need to get away from here as the Suns of Omega may seek revenge on me, and Triandale instructed me to seek his old friend Katarian, a member of the Gorgons Wrath gang.

Can he be trusted? No one can. But what choice do I have?

It’s like Triandale said, change requires courage, and now I’m on the verge of getting what I always wanted.This is what I wanted, right?Yet the nauseous sensation in my stomach and the intense isolation tug at the back of my mind, causing my mouth to dry. The troubling thought compels me forward on unsteady legs, as my muscles ache and throb in protest with every step.