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It was a war. Explosive shells ravaged the land outside the dilapidated and rapidly crumbling bunker, their echoes roaring through the walls and deafening the ill-supplied beings inside. Smoke, dark and unnatural leaked through the cracks in the old stone, dimming all light into a perpetual nighttime. The acrid smell mingled with the metallic stench of those wounded and bleeding. And there were many. Loss of life was high among the diminishing band of freedom fighters, loss of limb higher. The weapons were also gradually quitting, and there wasn't much of a chance of receiving backup. Not through the line the enemy had set.
The rag-tag soldiers sat back to back, what weapons they had standing ready. Often, that was no more than a dirk, and in a few instances, merely claws. It would have been unwise to lean against a wall; a well-placed bullet or canister of gas would make quick work of any that did so.
A tall, gray skinned alien with red hair and a scar below his left eye called down his ranks, squinting through the smoke. He was no older then the rest of them, though the responsibility of fighting a war had caused him to age prematurely. His eyes were dark, deep yellow, and nearly gold. His home was on a world of many deserts and predators, a beautiful land known for tall mesas and red sands. Civilized in their calm, satisfied way, his species was far from warlike. Still, they fought injustice when they saw it, and the war was very unjust. "Karin!" growled his deep-throated voice, losing itself in the smoke.
"Karin was shot, Sir." Came a voice from the other end of the dark bunker. The alien knew the voice, and also knew that the sentient it belonged to was wounded in the shoulder. From the lack of medical supplies and the squalor around them, the gray alien guessed he would not be long for the Universe. "He chanced a shot through a window."
"Huh," grunted the alien, and Andoian. Wiping smoke from his bloodshot eyes with a stained gray sleeve he reflected. He needed a pilot…and a smart one too. His uniform, like many of the soldiers', was a mismatched congregation of long-finished war clothing. The necessity for camouflage and the tough fiber cloth demanded they wear them, spotted with bullet holes and blood smears as they were. Tightening his grip on his rifle, the Andoian shouted again into the darkness. "Who we got then?"
"Lypha, Sir," the voice returned shortly.
"A Hellcat?" the species was not very reputable, coming from a world with no honor, law or clear thought. A Hellcat pilot? Unlikely!
"Not like others, Sir." The voice defended the Hellcat, "Lypha left Hellden while she was still young, and she still doesn't readily admit to being from there."
"An outcast who alienated herself, yeah yeah yeah." The alien ruminated before shouting back into the smoke shrouded room. Lypha had proven herself a few times over in battle, and then some. If Karin was dead, there was no better option. "Well, get her up here!"
"Yes, Sir, right away Sir!" There was a slight scuffling and groaning as the wounded soldier dragged himself into the darkness, calling Lypha's name.
A moment later, Lypha seated herself next to the Andoian with a tired salute. The Cat's tall ears were flattened back, making her much less a target. Her normally golden yellow fur was a dull blonde with dirt and blood, blood not her own. The felinoid was clothed as the rest of them, but instead of rifle she held a strange bladed weapon which she wielded with such accuracy it was rumored she could deflect bullets with it. The cat's long brown hair was matted and dirty, tied back loosely with a black strip of cloth. From the furious way the Cat brushed at her fur, the Andoian guessed she would have given her tail for a bath. Panting, the feline dragged her long, spade-tipped tail across her lap and reported. "Pilot Hellcat Soshika Lypha reporting, Sir."
"At ease, Lypha." The feline didn't seem to be all that enthusiastic to begin with, best not drain her.
The Cat sighed and wiped her brow with the back of a clawed paw, twitching her tail at the same time. "Thank you, Sir."
"We need a distraction to get out of here, Lypha." There was no sense beating the subject dead, and there was little time. The Andoian cut straight to the point. "This battle's lost unless we break that line and make a dash for our fighters. You're one of the few left who might be able to blast enough of a hole in that line to get the rest of us to the ships."
Soshika looked into the darkness, her superb night vision allowing her to see the grim faces of about twenty three different alien soldiers and two humans, one of them not even a full blooded human at that. Twenty-five beings, some seriously wounded, all of which were going to have their fates rest on her decisions. She looked back at the Andoian and shook her head. "Sir, there's no way a few sentients can get through that defense. They've got mounted repeater guns every hundred-foot mark, not to mention a grenade supply to rivel that of the entire Pagan army. Probably tanks and an infantry full of those genetic mutants that feel no emotion and can't desert. Even if I was in a full armor suit, I'd be a walking bullet museum before I even got to-"
"You're not going alone, Lypha," The Andoian yelled over his shoulder into the smoke. "Shilor!"
"Yes Sir!" the eager young Human leapt to his feet in a sharp salute, only to let out a small grunt and slump to the ground dead. Another sniper had hit his target.
"Good Goddess," the alien growled, "Someone get Bok and Miron over here, without making yourself a sniper target in the process!"
"Right away, Sir." A small repteliod hissed and slithered into the darkness, her shimmering green scales dimmed by the smoke. A half-second later, she returned a Lupine and the half-human crawling behind her. Everyone kept low to the ground now; knowing snipers had been called into play. The Lupine growled and saluted with his rifle, the half-human doing likewise.
"Rakwulf Rkshnor Bok and Halfblood Aarok Miron reporting, Sir."
"At ease, soldiers." The alien returned their salutes. "I'm sending you as cover for Lypha. You are to see that she makes it safely through the Rulerist lines, get her to the fighters on the other side and get one, if not two of those fighters into the air. Once Lypha's in her fighter, she's on her own. Get to yours if you can, I hate to sacrifice two good snipers."
"Sniper pilot," corrected Miron with a grin.
The Andoian ignored it. "Try not to get killed."
The half-human, dwarfed by the Lupine's size, chuckled. "Is that an order or a request, Sir?"
"Sir," Bok couldn't help but growl as he spoke, his throat was ill suited for the Universal tongue. "The chances that Aarok and I should both survive are slim at best, but you have the honor of myself and my ancestors that Lypha will reach her fighter alive." The Wulf drew a claw across his broad chest in a gesture of promise.
The Andoian nodded curtly. "I am glad I have your assurance, Bok. Dismissed."
The snipers began crawling towards the small tunnel that led to the back of the bunker, motioning for Soshika to follow them. The Cat ignored the request and continued to argue with the company leader. "Sir, you can't send Miron and Bok out with me, you're sending them to die! They're our two best snipers-"
"And you're our best pilot, as well as the best at thinking on her feet. Only a feline could make it, and you are more feline then any others. We need this done, we lose everything if that line isn't broken. That includes our lives, Lypha." The Andoian lay a wiry hand on the Cat's shoulder and gripped it tightly. A faint growl sounded from the feline. She might have been Sentient, but she was still more cat then not. "You have to break that line. For everyone."
The Cat shook her head franticly. "No, Sir. You know my record; I'm a philosopher, not a real fighter! It's only been luck I've lived thus far, I'll be dead before I've taken three paces and so will you!"
The alien waved his hand and looked away. "It's been at least two months since you've joined my company. You can fight just as well as any of us, possibly better. I know you can do this, Lypha. I know you. That's my job."
"But can't you get Karin? He's twice the fighter-"
"He wasn't nearly as good a pilot as you are, and he's dead now anyway. Lypha, you're the only one who can open the door now."
The Cat reared back, her gaze falling slightly cold. "Yes, Sir."
The Andoian noticed as the feline crawled away that her clawed feet remained uncovered. When, he wondered, will that girl get enough sense inside her head to get some shoes? No matter, her chance for survival is slim. I only hope Miron will make it…he should be able to, Human looking as he is…
