(Sf/Act) Battle on Iris (T)

Okey-dokey. This is the first story I've posted on the net so don't ruin it for me. I'd love to hear constructive criticism just don't flame me, please. I hope you readers enjoy my story!

Battle on Iris

Chapter 1

Besides the sleeping figure in the bed, the living quarters of the ship were dark and empty. Despite the small size of the spaceship, the living quarters were spacious. They had a metallic blue walls, floor, and ceiling. A bed stood in one corner with a red rug in front while other oddities, such as a dresser and bookshelf, took up the other corners. A tall, tropical plant grew in a corner and a small fountain cast wavy glows of purple, green, blue across the darkened ceiling. It was a serene scene when a communication screen came on, brightly illuminating the room. The man on the screen was wearing a bland, grey uniform with army medals decorating the left side. He had finely chiseled features and carefully groomed brown hair. His eyes scanned the room and he frowned when he spotted a lump curled under bed blankets.

“What are you doing still in bed?!” he shouted at the lump. It shifted so that a young woman’s head, no more than 20 years, was poking out from under the covers.

“Jake, do you have any idea what time it is?” she grouched at the general.

“It is 11:13 Republic Standard Time,” came Jake’s official reply.

“Really? It’s that late? Well, okay then,” the woman said as she crawled out from under th blankets and sat at the edge of the bed. “So what do you want?”

“It's important. You may have not heard yet but the Racs have landed and claimed the Iris planet in the Avain system.”

“Racs are always claiming planets. I can’t believe you woke me for this.”

“You always jump to conclusions, Kate. The Racs have fortified a base and are setting up mining equipment. We believe they’ve found something that could make them a greater threat. The Civilized System’s Republic doesn’t have enough free soldiers to make an effective stand so they are calling on any mercenaries they can find.”

“There are two problems with your proposal. First, I’m not a mercenary. Second, I don’t like Republic troops. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed,” Kate said and fell back onto her bed.

“The CSR is willing to pay 10 thousand jupers to anyone who is willing to help,” Jake said in an afterthought tome.

Kate was suddenly sitting upright again. “Ten thousand!” she gasped.

“I know you too well,” he sighed.

“Wait,” Kate’s eyes narrowed at the screen, “What’s the catch?”

“You can’t steal anything.”

“Me! Steal something!” she said in mock offence.

“I know how you like to salvage different items, especially ship components.”

“You don’t have any proof.”

“If I had not grown up with you, you would be in prison right now!”

“Then I consider myself lucky that we did grow up in the same town,” she said as she walked over to the screen. “I really do appreciate the information. See ya,” Kate stated and turned off the communication screen. As she stretched, she thought that this was the lucky break she needed. Not very many people would think of her as a fighter, let alone a salvager. She had a tall and lithe body hidden by the long T-shirt she was wearing as pajamas. She had short and rich auburn hair but her most striking feature was that the irises of her eyes were naturally orange.

“I hope you listened to the whole conversation,” she said out loud though no one was around.

“I’d never miss mission information,” a mechanical female voice said over an intercom. “You know I’m reliable.”

“Some times I wonder about that, Ana,” Kate joked as she walked into a very small kitchen area with white tile and walls. Ana was the A.I. of Kate’s ship. The computer was Kate’s greatest companion and, most of the time, her only companion.

“The Avain system isn’t too far from our location. It should only take us about a week,” Ana calculated.

“Good. I’m sick of drifting around. Haven’t had anything for far too long,” Kate complained. She pulled out a sealed bag from a cupboard and opened it. The smell of Keelar jerky, similar to beef jerky, permeated the air. Then she poured herself a glass of distilled water and proceeded to have breakfast. “Do you thing you could get us there any faster?” she playfully asked Ana.

“Do you really have to ask? I’ll get us there in three days.”

This is great! I haven't seen any grammatical errors. I loved the jokes you put in there. Although, I think I've heard that last line somewhere...

Really? Maybe I've heard it somewhere too which is why I put it in. Oh well. Thanks for the comments. By the way, you seem to post on a lot of stories...

Chapter 2

The planet Iris was a wonderful change of view from the stark darkness of space. The poles were covered in tropical rainforests but towards the equator the land was a desolate desert. Iris was the closest planet to the Avian system’s twin suns, Amon and Ra. The planet usually only had three satellites orbiting her but they were accompanied by several ships set in an orbiting course around it. It seemed many people had answered the call of the CSR.

Onboard her ship, Kate was getting ready to be sent down to Iris. Her clothing now consisted of a skin-tight black outfit that covered every part of her body except her head. Even her hands, feet, and neck were fully covered. Kate gave a frustrated sigh, “I’ll never get use to this protective suit.”

“Remember what happened last time you put your armorsuit on without that?” Ana warned. The salvager, sick of the protective suit, had put on her armorsuit, or armored spacesuit, with little more than a bra and underwear. The result of the armorsuit rubbing against her skin had left it red and raw for a week and a half.

“Yeah. Either my butt is chafed or has a wedgie up it,” Kate sarcastically muttered. She grabbed a small, turquoise, oval-shaped object, a datalic pocket, and punched in a code on its numerical pad. Datalic pockets convert the chemical make-up of inorganic objects into computer codes which are then stored in the pocket’s microchip. The object is then released when a code is put into the pocket. As for Kate, her datalic pocket contained her armorsuit. When she entered the code, the armorsuit instantly materialized on her.

Kate’s armorsuit was the same turquoise color as her datalic pocket. Armorsuits enhanced the physical attributes of whoever, or whatever, wears them. They also have technical abilities that differ for each suit. Kate’s armorsuit had different vision capabilities and the pistol it was equipped with could discharge electrical shots. Her armorsuit looked like most others except that the helmet’s visor as long, very narrow, and green. Some people would complain about being claustrophobic in an armorsuit but she felt much better with it on than off.

Kate tested the flexibility of her armorsuit, “Now this is why I’m a salvager.”

“You definitely look ready for battle,” Ana commented.

“Did you already put the coordinates into the launch pod’s computer?”

“I’m actually efficient at computations, unlike humans,” the A.I. declared in a superior voice.

Kate climbed into the launch pod, “You may be better at math but I’ve got a hell of a better figure,” and closed the door. It was circular in shape and only had room for one person. A computer took up the front of the pod while the traveler’s seat took up the rest of the room.

Ana’s voice came through the pod’s intercom, “I ought to send you straight into the Rac’s compound.”

“You know I”m kidding. Besides, you wouldn’t really want anything bad to happen to me, right?”

A sigh escaped from the computer, “Of course not. Just be sure to come back.”

“Absolutely!” was the reply. Then the pod was launched and it streaked towards Iris.

Chapter 3

Kate’s launch pod landed in one of the few clearings that patched Iris’ northern tropical forest, sinking slightly in some mud. Several other pods dotted the clearing along with a few spaceships. She landed during one of the infrequent periods of sunshine and the beautiful rainbow Iris was named for was clearly visible. Kate loved settings such as this and wanted to take a breath of sweet, tropical air. Instead, she settled for a breath of recycled air that her armorsuit produced. She then looked around at the other mercenaries who were working around the landing site, many who didn’t even give her a glance.

Most mercenaries where also wearing armorsuits but two were piloting Gauntlets. Gauntlets were humanoid mechs used more in war than by mercenaries. While some Gauntlets were modified, these two had the basic structure: a spherical body that housed the cockpit, an upper pair of arms that used weapons, a lower pair of arms that were for more delicate uses, a pair of legs that had an inverted knee joint, and a rounded head that contained a full array of sensors. Kate was surprised to see a pair because, even though they were highly useful, they were highly expensive. They also appeared to be part of the same unit because they were colored the same hunter green.

A quick survey of the group told Kate that the attack on the Rac compound would be disorganized, if not a complete disaster. She wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up shooting each other.

“It’s not like you to be caught off guard,” a man’s voice said behind Kate. She whirled around to see a very familiar black armorsuit. The sight of this bounty hunter immediately ticked Kate off.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

“Now, that’s no way to treat an old friend.”

“Friend?! Friends don’t stab each other in the back, Leon.”

Leon merely chuckled, “Now, if you’re talking about the incident on that ship, I was just protecting my investment.”

“Protecting your...?” she stuck her face in Leon’s, “First, you take the best parts of that ship. Then you alert the Goryans onboard of my presence. Not only that but...” her ranting was interrupted by rainfall starting, “But you alerted the Republic of my salvaging! You nearly got my ass arrested!”

“The key word is ‘nearly.’”

“You’re an egotistical idiot, you know that!”

Leon simply smiled at her, “Kate, if I had any doubt that you wouldn’t be arrested, I wouldn’t have alerted anybody. You’re the best.” He then walked off.

Kate was still fuming, though not as badly as earlier, when a call came for all mercenaries to gather. They congregated around the small group of Republic troops they were suppose to help. Kate never liked Republic soldiers. They always seemed to act as if they were superior to others. And now she was going to follow the orders of nine troopers. They stood in a little circle in their red armorsuits, with the Republic emblem of a comet shooting through a galaxy, debating among themselves.

Finally, one of the troopers turned to the mercenaries and addressed them, “I see quite a few of you came to...‘help’ our cause.” He scrutinized every one of the mercenaries. When his narrow eyes landed on Kate, shivers crawled down her spine. Whoever he was, he gave Kate the creeps.

“I am General Gramers. I am the Commanding Officer of this mission. You will take your orders from me,” he stated in a voice that was cold and calculated.

“Just because you’re a general doesn’t mean we have to follow your orders, you Republic dog!” a mercenary shouted at Gramers and was succeeded by murmurs of agreement.

“Those who will not follow my orders can leave now. Those who endanger by men will be shot. And those who complete this mission will be payed. Any questions?” was his reply. Well, that’s one way to shut them up, Kate thought. She scanned the group to see if anyone would leave but they all stayed. The thousand jupers was enough to make anybody tolerable, even a cold-hearted bastard like Gramers. “The Rac base is lightly guarded and armed. A single charge should be sufficient to wipe them out. You will begin the attack when I order it. Now let’s move!”

Chapter 4

“This situation stinks to high heaven,” Kate said as she analyzed the Rac base. It was a two-story, rectangular structure. The second level was only half as big as the first, probably because that’s where the operation computers were. On the roof of the first level was about three laser cannon turrets, thankfully all unmanned. Earthmovers and drills sat lazily around the compound, confirming the fact about the Racs mining something. Only two Racs guarded the east entrance and they were lightly armed, even by Rac standards. The two aliens appeared bright red and orange through her thermal visor. “This rain isn’t helping, either,” she complained. Iris’ heavy rainfall obstructed her view with globs of blue and purple.

“Come on, Kate. Can’t you accept that one mission could be easy,” Leon asked next to Kate, his back resting lazily against a tree trunk.

“Leon, have you ever heard of a Rac base that was this defenseless?” she turned to regard him but stopped because of the bright whiteness of his heat signature.

“No,” he admitted.

“Exactly. I say it’s a trap.”

“And I say you’re being paranoid.”

Kate returned her visor to normal vison and scowled at Leon, “It would kill you to be careful, wouldn’t it?”

“Yup,” he said with a broad smile. The female sighed and looked up into the trees. They had bright green leaves with different fruits baring on them. One in particular, a rounded fruit with yellow and blue skin, caught her attention. It might be interesting to taste it, once she found out if it was poisonous or not. This is a beautiful world to visit. Now, if only I wasn’t going into battle, she thought calmly. Suddenly, a yell was heard and the mercenaries poured out of the forest around them. Kate and Leon nodded t each other and joined the fray.

The two Racs that guarded the entrance were easily dispatched. However, the cargo doors of the base opened and the two downed guards were replaced by fully-armored Racs that streamed out of the compound. Racs looked remarkably like Earthling salamanders on two legs. Their black skin was splotched with orange and covered in a thin film. For armor they only wore a black breastplate for they were fast enough to dodge most shots. Their weapons consisted a basic energy blaster and their own claws and talons.

Kate fired several shots at one Rac, which all missed, and was answered by the blasts of that Rac and one confused mercenary. Likewise, both groups exchanged blaster shots and soon the air was filled with them. Kate rolled behind a Rac earthmover for cover as she tried to figure out what was going on. It’s a trap, she thought, That’s the only answer. The Racs were too organized for dealing with the mercenaries. The two on guard were just bait, at the cost of their own lives, for the mercenaries so they would come out all at once.

As she pondered this, a triumphant screech sounded above her. She barely moved out of the way as a blaster shot hit the ground where she was. As she stood up, the Rac jumped off the earthmover and tackled Kate back to the ground. She wrestled with it for what seemed more than a few seconds; more than once a slick hand slapped against her visor leaving claw marks.

Finally, Kate managed to plant both her feet against the Rac’s breastplate and launched it over her. Before the creature had time to regain itself, Kate shot it in the throat. She watched as the creature clawed at the air, then died. Although Racs were one of the worst races in the stars, she never felt good about killing one. The Rac’s lifeless, orange eyes stared at her, accusing her of murdering kin.

She wrenched her eyes from the gruesome sight. Thinking about the past wouldn’t help her now. She dove out from behind the earthmover and fired at a group of Racs attacking one of the Gauntlets. She managed to wound one in the arm but now had six Racs after her.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice yell, “Duck!” Kate immediately crouched as did the Racs. Then a red-colored grenade hit the mud between her and the creatures. Oh crap, Kate thought and started running. The incendiary grenade exploded into a huge flame and engulfed the Racs, then was put out just as quickly by the rain. “Sorry about that,” Leon said as he ran up to Kate, “I didn’t mean for you to duck.”

Kate had leaped to the ground when the grenade exploded went off and was now covered in mud. “You dumbass!” she screeched, “what the hell-” Kate was stopped as a red light flashed out of the corners of her eye. Then the mud near the two exploded and splattered them with more slop. Together they hid behind some twisted metal the battle had produced.

“The laser cannon turrets are manned,” observed Leon. He then turned to Kate, “I think you were right about the trap part.” She gave him a smug look and was about to make a sarcastic remark when she received a transmission through her helmet’s radio.

“Kate?! Kate! Please say something!” Ana’s voice said. Though she was a computer, her voice had a tense edge to it.

“Ana, I’m here. What’s wrong?” Kate replied. Ana never contacted her unless something really bad happens.

“Kate, some heavy Rac battleships appeared in this sector a few minutes ago. They’ve destroyed many of the mercenaries’ ships. I’m one of the few that have survived but not for long.”


“Damn. Look, Ana, get out of here. I won’t risk you.”

“But, how will you get off Iris?!”

“I’ll worry about that. Get out of this sector, this system if you have to. I’ll be fine, you know how good I am.”

“Yeah,” Ana agreed but didn’t sound convinced. The radio clicked, indicating that the A.I. had cut the link.

“Hey,” Leon interrupted, “What was that about?”

“We’re cut off,” the salvager calmly said. She was deep in though, trying to think of which, if any, options were left to them.

“Come again?”

“We’re cut off. The Racs have attacked the ships stationed in orbit above this planet,” she stated. A heavy sigh escaped from Leon. Kate suddenly stood up, jarring Leon. “I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? I thought you said the ships in orbit were attacked.”

“Not the planet. This battle’s a lost cause.”

Now it was Leon’s turn to stand up, “You can’t leave! What about all the others here?!”

“I don’t owe them anything, let alone my life!” Kate snapped back. She gave the bounty hunter a stern look then bounded into the forest. Leon turned back to the battle arena. Bodies littered the soggy ground. Some Rac but more than half were mercenaries. He admired those who were still fighting. The survivors were making a valiant stand, but losing. A few turned to retreat only to be gunned down by the hoard of Racs. A short blast signaled that a Gauntlet had launched it’s rockets and soon enough he saw one fly over him and into the trees. One of the surviving Republic soldiers ran past him to escape the battle and was soon lost among the sea of trees. Kate’s right, he figured, This battle is over. With that, the lone bounty hunter went into the tropical forest, determined to live a while longer.


OoC: I'm not too good at battle scenes so whoever reads this, I hope you liked it.

Not good? That was stupendous! My battle scenes are:

John slashed Jack. Jack punched John.
"Ow." said John.
"Sorry. Lunch?" asked Jack.
"Sure." John said as they ran for food.

Yours actually had action. I could get into it. I haven't seen any grammar mistakes that a simple re-read can't fix. They are mainly typos.

By the way, that last line in Ch. 1 reminds of Full Metal Alchemist. (Specifics, if wanted, are to be requested.) Also, I post in a lot of stories because I read them... I'm off.