Free Star Force: Headstrong (SF72) by Aer-ki Jyr Page A

been.

 
 
    7

 
 
    July 5, 2888
    Ventrol System
(lizard territory)
    Treymit

 
    Nephit took cover behind a boulder, tucking his
appendages in behind as much of it as he could as his fellow Bsidd did likewise
in four other spots. The lizards they were facing were being more stubborn than
normal and weren’t walking out to their deaths like normal. They had numbers on
the Star Force troops but not enough to really press the issue. Instead the
lizards were operating in hit teams that were carrying one of their newest
toys…a rocket launcher that did more concussive damage than shrapnel. Even a
direct hit wouldn’t take down Nephit or his fellow Betas if their shields and
armor were full, but that’s not what the lizards were going for.
    The stupid explosives would physically move the Bsidd
they hit, knocking them over or even flinging them through the air when the
lizards shot at their feet. If they got a good bounce the lizards would rush
them when they were out of position, and the little bastards were getting good
with combos, making it necessary for the Bsidd to not group up too much and
keep to cover whenever possible. His team had two snipers in the back that were
working through the enemy ranks, so right now they just needed to buy time.
    They had two Archons with their unit of some 500
Bsidd, and they’d ordered them into a defensive position, telling them to
turtle up and hold ground. Ahead of them was a lizard stronghold they were
trying to knock out, one that still had anti-air cover to keep the aerial
division back, so they were going to take it down the hard way. It hadn’t
occurred to Nephit unit a few minutes ago that the lizards had flanked them
with reinforcements and now surrounded them on all sides…hence the turtle
maneuver.
    He’d fought in a few of these situations before,
knowing they were dangerous if they screwed up, but more often than not the
lizards would overcommit and turn their advantage into defeat. That wasn’t
happening here, for the little green vermin were fighting smart and chucking
rockets into them whenever they could. His armor had taken a gash on two of his
appendages, but his shields had reformed over it before it could get worse.
Others had also taken some armor damage, but everyone was still combat capable
so he wasn’t worried too much. If they were in trouble the Archons would tell
them what to do, and right now they were just holding ground as they’d done so
many times in the past.
    A phaser shot skipped across the boulder’s surface,
blowing up a spray of molten dust as it passed and partially hit him in the
helmet. His shield caught it but he ducked down a bit further, having thought
he was too low to be shot already. He got a ‘hand’ signal from another Bsidd
across a gap and hiding behind a dead tree on the otherwise rocky terrain,
prompting him to curl up his appendages and roll like a ball out into the open.
When he took fire, as expected, he just kept rolling like a tumbleweed as four
others stepped out and returned fire. He didn’t see how many of the lizards
were hit, but when he got to the other side and took cover behind a rock near
the tree those there gave him a nod of respect, meaning that the maneuver had
been worth it.
    Nephit checked his shield gage, noting it had dropped
under 25%. He needed to stay down and recharge, but the lizards weren’t going
to cooperate. A rocket zipped by his head and hit a boulder behind him,
blasting it apart and turning the pieces into light shrapnel that bounced off
the twenty some Bsidd in the area. Those that were now denied cover ran
multiple ways as two more rocket shots came in and physically moved three of
them out of position with hits to the ground nearby.
    Nephit got slammed up against his cover rock by the
concussion wave, then a sea of green rushed into view to his right as the
lizards came forward and tried to take advantage of the situation, firing
dozens of phaser shots into the downed and