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Heavy Price Paid


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#1 Guest_Serena_*

Posted 19 July 2006 - 09:37 PM

Note: This is set for the direct aftermath of Day One:

Heavy Price Paid:

Ki’ae fumbled with the controls of his mecha. The Inquisitor and Ogryn were falling back, but the sounds of combat still raged; the crack of bolter-fire, and the pounding of grenades. “Report!”

“Here, Shas’vre!” Shas’vre Ki’su’s voice rang out clear over the coms. “I’m calling in for a team to cover our retreat.”

“So basically, to cover our asses.” Her Ta’lissera chuckled

Ki’ae slammed his hand into the manual release for the cockpit. The mech was too badly damaged, they would have to destroy it so no Gue’la could get at it. “Report!”

“Shas’ui D’yanoi Le’a here sir. We’re here, and the left flank’s secure.”

“Shas’ui Fri’os Len’ai, confirming that. Unit’s taken pretty heavy losses, though, sir”

“Nai’sha?” He called out over comms. He has seen her trying to battle the Inquisitor. . .

No answer.

“Shas’ui Bork’an Da’ls here,” sang out the voice of the Pathfinder team lead. “And we brought in a Devilfish.” The roar of a burst cannon, and the boom of the rail rifles added to the commotion.

“Rodger that, Shas’ui,” Shas’ui Len’ai said, somehow still sounding flippant over the comlink. “We’ve got them lit up for you.”

Shas’vre Ki’su cheered. Ki’ae didn’t care, tuning out the rest of the reports. Come on, Nai’sha, where are you. There was a small movement beyond where part of the Run’al wall had fallen in, a flash of dark blue armor. “Nai’sha? Shas’el?” He tried to get his legs to work properly, there was something sticky running down the side of his face. Blood. I’ll deal with that in a moment. “Nai’sha?” He tried to pull up her signal on his heads up display, grateful he was in amour despite being in the mecha. That had likely saved his life. Her signal beacon was sporadic, and coming from the corner. He moved aside fallen pieces of concrete until he exposed the back piece of the X-22 mecha. There were blood smears on the concrete. “Nai’sha! Shas’vre Ki’su, get an evac team over here!”

“Sir?”

“Shas’el Nai’sha’s injured.”

“On our way.” Sang out a pilot he didn’t know. He pulled at some of the larger pieces of concrete, wincing at the damage. The lighter mecha meant that she couldn’t wear her battle armor underneath. . . One leg was bent at an odd angle, and there was blood everywhere. The shattered shape of a Kor’vesa lay nearby, scorched and burned, like someone had taken a wielding torch to its hull.

He cleared the debris until he had the mech mostly cleared. He didn’t want to risk moving her, but. . . He carefully undid the helmet clasps and pulled her helmet off. Her blond hair was streaked with blood, the single golden ring in her topknot impossible to pick out. “Ti’she! Where’s that evac!? Nai’sha?”

“Shas’vre Sa’cea Yon’ete here, sir.” The voice was slurred. “My broadside’s down, and I’m reduced to pistol only.”

“Shas’vre Je’aan – I’m pinned. My suit’s heavily damaged, and the cockpit release won’t work.” The other pilot’s voice was rough with pain.

“We don’t have one, sir!” That was Shas’vre Ki’su. “Everything’s tied up – the installation got hit. HQ is sending over a few units, but not much! Oh no you don’t.” He heard the roar of missiles over her comlink.

Ki’ae winced. He didn’t want to move her, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. He heard Shas’vre Yon’ete swearing softly as he tried to cut through the fused and scorched amour of the broadside to free Shas’vre Je’aan.

“Nai’sha?” Ki’ae tried again. At least she’s breathing. . . He pushed the last of the debris off of her. “Nai’sha?” No answer. A unit of Kor’vessa flew overhead.

“K-ki’ae?” The soft call of his name caught his attention.

“Nai’sha!” Her black-gloved hand was moving, she was trying to push herself up.

“Nai’sha, here,” He helped her sit up, leaning against the wall. The entire chest piece was shredded, stained with blood.

“We. . . we don’t have a choice.” Her speech was slow. “We’ve got to get out of here. . .” She was cradling her left arm in her right. “Damn Inquisitor. . . “

“Can you walk?” The echo of the rail rifles pounded in his ears. Come on, where’s that evac?

Nai’sha shook her head slowly. “I hit the wall pretty hard from the impact. I think I broke my leg.” She gave one of her ‘hunting’ smiles, usually reserved for an enemy who’d managed to inflict many casualties onto her units, and typically displayed just before that enemy’s death. “But I can walk if I have to.”

“No, Shas’el, you can’t.” He knew that grin, and that meant she would tap everything she had. . which in this case just might kill her. Ignoring propriety, he started fumbling with the catches on her amour. Whatever had hit her had shattered the chestplate and shoulder guard, and shorted out both the stealth systems and the shield generators. She simply winced as he pulled off the shattered front plating.

“Alright, we’re not getting an evac here. The Charbodis Crest just got hit by a force of Necrons that teleported into their lines, and are getting pounded on.” Shas’vre Ki’su came back on the comms. “Shas’ui Da’ls, get that transport over, we’re picking up the wounded and falling back." Ki’ae fumbled with the other shoulder guard. He had to get the amour off if he wanted to try and staunch the bleeding.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Shas’vre Ki’ae, how’s Shas’el Nai’sha?”

Nai’sha nodded slowly. ”I’m here, Shas’vre. And that will work, call a retreat. .. . all the data was copied and the hard drives wiped, if the Gu’ela want this place, let them have it.”

“Yes Shas’el.” Shas’vre Ki’su snapped out a few more orders.

Pass . . . pass me a datapad?” Nai’sha’s voice was soft.

Ki’ae nodded, tossing her one from his belt pouch. She imputed a few quick commands, and then slumped back against the wall, the datapad clattering to the floor amidst the debris. “Let them have this place. They . . .They won’t want to be around when the traps go off. They’re keyed to. . . non-Tau life signs.” He scrambled back to his mecha and grabbed the med-kit. The whine of an antigrav unit was clear over the sounds of the fighting. Just hang on, Nai’sha.

The landing ramp started descending before the transport had even landed. Just hang on. . .

#2 Guest_Serena_*

Posted 20 July 2006 - 03:05 PM

Ki’ae jerked his head up. How long? – I must have fallen asleep. . . Beside him, Nai’sha lay still on the bed, dark eyes closed, her topknot unbound of the golden ringlets that traditionally showed ranking. The three fingers of her good hand were still entwined in his. The medics say she’ll be alright. . . but. . . He gave a low chuckle. I suppose I am being overprotective, but I am her Ta’lissera, and she is reckless . . . and probably will be unwilling to stay in medical. Another soft chuckle. No, there is no ‘probably’. She will –definitely—be unwilling to stay in medical. Considering the restrictions the medics will put on her until she is healed, she will definitely not want to stay. I don’t believe she should be up, though. . .I know how long it took to even get her conscious again.

“What’s so funny?” The voice was soft. Her eyes were still closed, but there was a slight quirk at the corners of her mouth.

“I was thinking.”

“Oh?” Her eyes opened. “About what?” She sighed and shifted to a sitting position, wincing and pulling her hand free of his. “Don’t tell me you were –still—worrying about me . . . I’ll be alright, I feel relatively fine.”

“Despite the fact that you winced when you sat up?” Now it was his turn to smile slightly. She would claim anything in order to be out of medical.

“Uhm. . .” She blinked and looked down, her good hand toying with the edge of the blanket.

“Thought so.”

“You’ve been talking to the medics again, haven’t you?” She reached one-handed across the bed for a datapad, even injured, she had work to do, though Shas’vre Ki’su had taken almost all the administrative duties – even more so then she normally did. Though reading the Shas’vre’s reports is sometimes highly amusing. “And you’re grinning again.” Nai’sha didn’t even look up from the datapad.

“I’m wondering if that’s another one of Shas’vre Ki’su’s reports.” He chuckled and plucked the datapad from her hand.

“Hey! And no, it’s not.” She tried to reach for it, but he put it back beside the bed.

“You should be resting.”

“You did talk to the medics again.” She sighed. “Ti’she, Ki’ae, I’m no good here. And considering the situation, we need everyone we have, functional or not! If the Gue’la clue into what we’re truly doing here, we’ll be facing open war, not only here on planet, but they’ll attack our very Empire! They won’t dare let us get our hands on Warp Technology, you know that. Add to that Nasdreg’s scavenging parties ripping apart whatever they can get their hands on, and the Necron attack on the Charbodis Crest installation, and we’re not exactly in the best position right now. Our main outpost in this area under heavy attack, and our supply lines being raided and cut off? I can’t afford to be out of commission.”

He nodded. This was frustrating for the young Shas’el, someone who’d come relatively recently into the rank, and was being placed in a position she hadn’t ever expected. With an army of relatively new recruits, she was being asked to be a mobile distraction, performing hit-and-run attacks against anyone who would threaten the research installation. It wasn’t easy, that was sure.

This was the perfect opportunity to remedy their lack of knowledge about Warp Space. . . with the warp-storm approaching, the scanners scattered all across the face of the planet were gathering invaluable data. But those scanners had to be defended, and that had proven a very hard task, here near one of the Eastern Gue’la cities. No scouts could be allowed back to report what they had found. . and this tested the warriors to their limits. And it wasn’t just Gue’la. Necrons had teleported into their lines and taken out a number of units, and an Ork flying machine – it was too polite to call it a glider, or anything of the sort – had crashed near the Charbodis crest sensors. The Orks seemed to be alerted to their presence, and had begun ripping apart any outpost and camps they encountered in a search for supplies and parts.

He sighed. And while he did understand her desire – she would not think it appropriate for others to risk their lives in battle when she did not -- . . “Shas’el, I don’t think you get a choice. You aren’t fit for battle, you can barely stand. If we hadn’t gotten you here when we did, you could have died.” And she’s not the only one. The Gue’la decimated our Cadre. I don’t think we have that many who are truly fit for battle.

“But. . .” Nai’sha shook her head. “Ki’ae. . . I can’t just sit here, you know that.”

“I don’t believe you get a choice, Nai’sha. You –can’t—go anywhere, you’ve had this conversation with how many medics now?”

Sigh. “All of them, I believe.”

“You see?” He pulled the blanket up around her a little better, cautious of her splinted arm.

She favored him with a resigned look. “Ki’ae, I get enough of this childish treatment from the medics, I don’t need it from you.”

“Then rest. You’ll be out sooner.”

Another sigh was his only answer, as she picked back up the datapad. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Do you want an honest answer, Shas’el?”

“No.” She laughed, and he chuckled. “I’ll at least finish some of these reports.”

It was the least he had expected. He only hoped his point had been made. Nai’sha was reckless, and might overestimate herself if she felt the task was pivotal.

“Very well. But please, remember to actually rest. Paperwork doesn’t count,” he added with a teasing grin, as he bowed and headed for the door.

A chuckle was his only answer.




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