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A New Assignment: Crusade on Creylous Five

By Elen Galad

The raw smell of burning slag made Jason cringe. He quickened his pace and pulled slightly ahead of the crawler. I swear, these Murdock's couldn't be any slower, he thought to himself. He turned around and walked backwards for a moment to check the convoy's progress. Four Murdock sled crawlers loaded with tones of food and medical supplies rumbled their way slowly down the ruined street. Evalon Rangers flanked each crawler on ether side, the thudding of their boots and clatter of their gear drowned out by the growl of the crawlers' engines. The Ranger squads walked slowly, kept their rifles close, their heads up, alert, observant. Jason gave a small smile. The Evalon were good. Not the best, but they were good, well trained soldiers who knew what they were doing. The rebellion on Freidor had come to a swift and decisive end once the radicals had saved up enough sparks to procure the Evalon's services. The local regime's militia were thugs, bullies with guns, not soldiers. They and the dictatorship where finally swept away after three decades of torturing, extorting, and fighting the planet's populace. The wars had left much of the small planet's urban centers decimated, and it was down the main street of one of those destroyed cities the convoy now paraded.

He hated it. City streets where a tactical nightmare. Buildings where snipers could lurk, demo teams could wait with explosives, and the convoy was funneled in a straight line down the middle of the street. Fish in a barrel. There were only two things that made him accept such a risk. One: it was the fastest route to there destination, the city of Tellurium. The supplies where needed urgently, and the crawlers had a limited fuel range. He didn't need to waste time taking them the long way and having to wait for them to refuel along the way. Reason two was his ace in the hole. It rolled along slowly, parallel to the convoy down an adjacent ally way. Even the Rangers where unaware of her presence. He'd had her running her baffles the entire journey. Had her stay well off and out of sight. They didn't know it, but she had been monitoring their progress, clearing obstacle ahead of them, and appraising Jason of any signs of suspicious movement she might detect with her advanced sensory equipment. Matter of fact, time for an update,he thought. He keyed the ear-piece of his short wave.

"Miolnjir, this is Thor , you read?" he said. A smooth sing-song voice answered on the other end. It held the tell-tale oscillation of computerized tone and note correction.

"Loud and clear, big daddy." she answered

"How do things look on your end?"

" All clear on the sat-scan, heat scan is cold, microwave scan says negative. Sonar is out though. The buildings cause too much resonance."

"Understood. Keep an eye on my back alright?"

"Oh, trust me, I am." she answered teasingly.

"Alright, alright knock it of. Geese, we're on duty." he said

"Sorry, I know what you meant." she said

Jason switched off the radio and shook his head. He gave a small chuckle as he checked his weapon. He wondered what lonely lab shut-in had been assigned to program his partner's A.I. He noticed the driver of the lead crawler motion him over. He quickened pace and came up alongside the machine's offset cab.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I know you told us to maintain radio silence inside the city, but I just got a clip from Ben in the back. He says his gages are giving him some odd read outs." the driver said

"Is it serious?" Jason asked.

"No, nuthin major. He just thought you should know. To be safe."

Jason looked back towards the rear of the convoy.

"Alright. I'm gonna check on him. Keep it moving. We do not stop. Especially not in the buildings." he told the driver

"You got it."

Jason turned and walked toward the trailing crawler. He slung his rifle over his shoulder as he approached the vehicle. The driver, Ben, leaned out the side of the cab as he drew closer.

"She's giving me some weird flickers from the gage cluster. It must be some electro-magnetic interference." he said.

Jason jumped up onto the crawler. He pulled out his PDA and tapped the touch screen. He thumbed through the icons and selected the EM scan. A horizontal beam flashed from the device's lens as it scanned a 3-D image of the crawler. A tiny anomaly registered on the screen from beneath the crawler's cargo deck. He stowed the device and swung his rifle onto his back by it's strap as he knelt and opened the vehicle's service hatch. He looked down between the switch panels and fuse boxes. He spotted a small,circular device wedged between the machinery. He grabbed it and pulled it out.

"Crap!" he yelled. He keyed his radio.

"Every body look alive! First and Third squads, start sweeping the buildings! Second and Fourth squads, form up on the crawlers! All drivers, full throttle, do you here me!? Get these clunkers moving!"

The sound of engines roaring filled Jason's ears as the drivers gunned their vehicles. The Rangers fell into their positions and boarded the crawlers as they accelerated up the street. The first and third squads began tearing through the buildings, sweeping for hostiles. Jason squeezed the device in his hand. His grip crushed it like a soda can. He heard his ear-piece ping with an in-coming signal as he jumped off the crawler's deck.

"Whoa, what the heck!? Thor this is Miolnijr. My microwave scan just lit-up like a buster-call. What is going on?" her voice rang in his head.

"We've got a major problem, Hammer. Hey! Cover those windows! Anything moves it fries! I found a pip module in one of the crawlers. It must have been jamming your scanner. Watch the rear flank! We don't need them putting a rocket up our rear! Give me numbers Hammer, fits about to hit the shan! Dangit! How did they get their hands on tech like this!?"

He switched the safety off on his rifle. He ran to the nearest building and swept the barrel through the front window. He closed his eyes and tapped his temple. When his eyes opened, his normal vision was replaced by thermal imaging. His ear-piece pinged again.

"OK. I've got six squads. Three sweepers in each. The rest are staying close together. Upper floors, a block ahead of the column."

Jason swept his line of sight across the upper floors of the buildings ahead. He spotted the enemies moving into position in the windows. The heat signatures were substantial.

"OK I see 'em," he said. " Squads, move up! Sweep the buildings ahead! The fourth floors! Both sides of the street! Hammer, anything else?"

"I'm picking up traces of tungsten. Jay they've got rail-guns!" she exclaimed.

"Crap! Crap crap crap!"

Jason took off toward the closest building with a squad in it. He tensed his legs and jumped at the building's wall. The leap propelled him up to the second story where he grabbed the ledge with his free hand. He looked up to see the first group setting up to fire. He quickly climbed up the outside of the building till he was just below their fourth floor window. He swung his rifle to his back and unclipped a photon grenade from his belt. He pressed himself to the building and pulled the pin. He cooked it for two seconds and then tossed it through the window above him. He sprinted along the side of the building as the wall behind him erupted in a deafening fireball. The blast rocked the brick and mortar beneath his boots. Heat washed across his back as he swing around the corner and smashed through another window. He closed his eyes and switched his vision to cardiac resonance mode. Small pockets of sonic read out registered in his vision as it tracked the guerrillas' racing heartbeats. He spotted the sweepers where the blast had thrown them to the floor. He trained his rifle on his targets and fired. The staccato thunder boomed in the narrow hallway as he fired in three controlled bursts. Bullets smashed through sheet-rock, tore through wood and plaster, and found their marks, ripping through flesh and bone. He reloaded and dashed into the room to his left. He leaped through the window and tucked and rolled as he hit the ground four stories below. He came to his feet at a sprint. He looked up to see First squad engage the second fire team in the opposite building. Third squad had another team pinned down in a separate office building as well. The crawlers were thundering their way up the street as fast as their overloaded engines would let them. Each one grumbled and belched black smoke from it's exhaust pipe. Jason could see the other three fire teams making their way to their positions.

There was no way he could call his other squads off the crawlers to deal with the problem. He double timed it to pull ahead of the column. He unclipped his last two grenades tossed the pins. He jumped and spun in the air. As he came around he let the party poppers fly. The grenades went off midair in front of the windows on ether side of the street. The twin concussions blew two fire teams back into the buildings they were in. Jason set his sights on the third without hesitation. He took another massive leap in to a third story window. He looked up to see the team above him in the next room. He threw himself at the wall next to him and smashed through into the adjacent room. He pulled out a hemi-charge and set it for three seconds. He leaped up and punched his arm through into the room above. He taped the button on the charge and released it as he dropped to the floor. The shaped charge detonated, its blast directed strait down. The ceiling collapsed from the force sending the entire squad down into the room with him. He rose in a cloud of dust and debris and cut loose with his rifle. He spun, firing his weapon into the bodies that registered in his sonar. When he stopped there were no more heartbeats in the room. His radio pinged.

"Sir, this is Third squad. Three teams eliminated and we have the forth now. Wait.. oh no! Across the street! They've got that gun set up!"

Jason switched to his normal vision mode and looked out the window. He could see the muzzle of the rail gun sticking out.

"Darn it!" he yelled and cued his mike. " Hammer you're up! Cover those crawlers! All drivers break it hard! Now!"

The convoy came to an abrupt stop. One good thing about being so heavy. The crawlers stopped on a dime, and not a moment too soon. As the team leveled the gun at the lead tractor, the building ahead of it exploded and a huge black tank roared into the street. It ground to a halt in front of the convoy as the rail-gun's discharge split the air with a loud crack. The tungsten slug struck the tank center mass and bounced of it's armored track skirt. The molten slug blew up inches off the tank's surface, sending a fireball wafting across it's hull. Jason covered his eyes from the bright flash. When the smoke cleared, the tank sat with it's reactive shield shimmering. The shield dropped as a 25mm Gatling mini-turret swung around and aimed at the window from where the shot had been fired. Thundering gunfire echoed up and down the street as coke-bottle sized bullets smashed the side of the building to pieces. The turret came to rest with a low whirring sound. The wall of the building was a swiss-cheese mass of rubble and fist sized holes. Jason put his hands on his hips and chuckled.

"Dang" he said "That was epic."

"Did I get them?" she asked.

"Yes. I think you did" he laughed. Suddenly, something hit him from behind with the force of a truck at full speed. He went crashing through the wall and down to the street where they hit with bone-shattering force. He groaned as he puled himself to his feet. Looking over he saw what hit him rising from the dirt. A tall man with sandy hair in Imperial fatigues stood up strait and stretched his neck. Jason looked in his eyes and saw the cross-hair patterns in his irises. The blood the man spat out was a cherry jelly color of red, more like tranny-fluid.

"Android" Jason sighed. "Freakin android. Should have known. I didn't listen to my gut. I cut corners. And now I'm payin for it. Teach me to take the easy rout."

The tank's mini-turret trained on the android.

"Shall I blow him away?" she asked.

"No. No he'll just take off and be gone. Gona have to do this the old fashioned way. I'm gonna deal with him now, not later when he comes back with more of his buddies."

With that Jason got to his feet and stretched. He looked down at his feet. He'd landed on his rifle, crushing it. It lay in pieces in the crater he had made. Darn Roland-Carlyle. Cheap piece of crap. he thought. And to top it all off, his side arm was missing. As if responding to his thought, the android lifted the large pistol to where Jason could see it. The android took the gun in both hands and twisted. He dropped the mangled gun and leveled his gaze at Jason. Jason wiped blood from his chin and sighed. He unclipped his brandolier and ammo belt and let them fall to the ground. The android pulled out a long combat knife and started to walk toward Jason. Jason cracked his knuckles and stood his ground. The Android was within striking distance now. He stopped and took a fighting stance, his eyes locked with Jason's.

The android stepped in with lightning speed and swung his blade in a wide ark. Jason stepped back as the blade came within inches of his mid-riff. He closed the gap, trapping the android's arm and shoulder. He landed a savage left cross and followed with a quick right jab. He slammed his knee into the android's stomach. They separated. The android didn't even grunt. Jason shook his hand mockingly.

"Whew. Thats a thick scull you've got. Princeton. Model Three. Man, you are a dinosaur. They don't build 'em like you anymore." he taunted.

Without a word the android closed the gap again. Jason trapped his knife hand and smashed the wrist against his knee. The blade clanged to the ground and Jason kicked it away. The android caught him across the chin with a backhand and slammed him in the ribs with a sweeping side kick. Jason caught the leg as the wind was knocked out of him. He smashed a few jabs into the android's face. Then, he swung him over his head and slammed him into the ground. Jason pounced onto the android and drove his head into the pavement. The concrete shattered under the blow. Jason laid into the attack, pounding away, using his leverage to add force to the blows. Suddenly the android's fist shot up into Jason's face. He grabbed Jason's shirt and used his legs to launch Jason through the air. He hit the side of a building, crumbling the brick and mortar, and crashed head first to the ground. He scrambled to his feet just in time to catch the android's fist and throw him against the building. Jason lunged forward with a brutal punch. The android rolled away and Jason's punch demolished the wall where his head had been. The android took a stance and gave Jason a look that resembled surprise. Jason straightened up and raised his hand to his face. Shiny metal flashed for a brief moment before the skin closed over his knuckles. He gave a small laugh. He clenched his fist with a metallic clinking sound.

The Rangers watched as the two met again and again in a furry of fists and feet. They watched in shock as a young man they believed to be human matched the unnatural strength and speed of an android. They decimated each other with blows that would shatter bone. Concrete, metal and stone were demolished by the force of their battle. Nether would give an inch. The fight dragged on, back and forth across the street. Suddenly, to their dismay, the android started to overwhelm Jason. Jason grunted as kicks and punches rocked his body. The android swept Jason's legs and he crashed to the ground. They watched, helpless as the android found his knife and stood over Jason to deliver the final blow. Then, the captain of First squad snapped out of his stupor and brought up his gun. He fired, hitting the android across the chest and knocking the knife from his hand. The machine looked at his hand in disbelief. Suddenly Jason erupted with a rising hammer blow to the android's head. He slammed the machine with repeated punches. Finally, he grabbed the android and lifted him over his head. He brought the android down, driving his knee into his spine. The android's back shattered with a meaty crunch. Jason rolled the android off his knee and stood up. He was breathing slightly heavy. He looked down at the android's crumpled, twitching body. Their eyes met for a moment. The android coughed up fluid, the blank, distant look still in his eyes. Jason raised his foot.

"Sorry Mr. Out-mode," he said " Consider this your official decommission."

He drove his foot down onto the android's head, crushing it. The Rangers all cringed as Jason twisted his foot for good measure, relishing the wet crunckleing sound.

@

Admiral Delmore plopped the file down onto his desk and stared out of the window in his office aboard the carrier Mercedes. He watched as clouds swirled above the brownish green surface of Freidor. He took a draw on his cigar and blew a cloud of bluish smoke. It made him think of the way the same blueish smoke rolled out of a gun barrel. He turned in his chair and looked at the young scientist sitting across the desk from him. He tapped the cigar's ashes into the crystal ashtray, and picked up the file again. He leafed through the dossier and looked up at the scientist.

"This is the guy we're looking for? The one we've heard so much about?" he asked. He removed one of the pages from the file and held it up. He ran a hand through his graying crew cut.

"Indeed," the doctor answered, "He is in fact the one." The doctor opened his own copy of the file.

"Project War Hammer. A top secret weapon's development program initiated by the Federal Earth Defense Commission. The purpose of which was to design and develop a perfect combat unit. One that could be self funded, self operated and totally effective against any and every threat that might find it's way past Earth's orbital defense network. Also one that could be deployed anywhere on any planet to perform clandestine operations and preemptive CT actions in the name of the FEDC. The project never saw completion. Only the cavalier unit saw production and deployment. The rest of the project was scraped so the funding could be used to quell the second lunar uprising on Titan, where the War Hammer unit got it's first taste of combat."

He lifted the same sheet the admiral was looking at. On it was a picture of a tall, tanned young man of about twenty. He had sharp, luminescent blue eyes and his black hair was cropped close in a choppy sort of crew cut. He had broad, defined shoulders, a heavy chest and a thick neck. Even in the photo, his sleek, muscular frame exuded raw physical power.

"Jason Nashville. Born sixty three years ago on Lunas, Earth's only moon, to Edward and Diana Nashville. An uneventful childhood, despite his father's substantiation military stature. Relocated earth-side at the age of 18 to attend Westpoint Military Academy. Graduated top of his class with honors in battlefield management and infantry leadership. Has a PHD in Human Physiology and Psychology. Knows the human body and mind inside and out. Has honors in advanced Sniper and Guerrilla Tactics, Ground Based Unit Management, Air Support Strategy, as well as Zero-G Infantry and Zero-G Naval tactics. He’s an expert in gun-play, sword and knife combat, hand-to-hand, and mental assault strategy. An expert with just about every gun ever made, all types of armor and transport vehicles. A master repairman and mechanic. And to top it off, extensive cybernetic enhancements to his musculature, bone structure, and nervous system.”

“And this tank of his, this ‘War-hammer’.”

The doctor pulled another leaf form his file and perused it.

“The W-435 Main Armored Infantry Unit, or War-hammer. Sixty tons of iridium plated armor, high-torque electric drive motors, an auxiliary Gatling cannon mini-turret, and a high-velocity magnetic acceleration cannon main turret that fires lightly irradiated iridium rounds. It holds six rounds in it’s ready magazine which it feeds from a main magazine that holds another thirty rounds. The auto loader takes about three and a half seconds to chamber a round, and about forty seconds to refill the ready magazine when it empties. It fires each round with a muzzle velocity of over six hundred feet per second. The iridium round exits as a molten sledge, capable of leveling a small house with a single shot. The vehicle is capable of a top speed of eighty miles an hour. This is only possible thanks to it’s four high-torque electric drive motors which put out about twelve-hundred foot pounds of torque a piece. But what makes this vehicle unique is it’s adaptive on board AI system. Connected to her driver, Jason, at all times, she is able to offer support, on-the-fly updates in the heat of battle, and she can drive and fight the vehicle without the need for Jason to be at the helm. She’s fully active, she learns and adapts new tactical data at all times and she is bolstered with some seriously advanced security and encryption protocols. She’s one of a kind. And before you ask, a female disposition was chosen as the most compatible with Jason’s personality profile. From the reports we’ve gotten, the two are best of friends; virtually inseparable, and linked by a electro-mental synapse. One cannot function with out input from the other.”

The admiral took a moment to process it all. He replaced the leaves in the folder and looked out the window again, taking a long draw on his cigar. He blew a cloud of smoke and turned to the scientist again.

“And he says he’ll come for one-point-five mill?” he asked.

“Yes,” the doctor answered, “That was the lowest price he would agree upon.”

Delmore took one more look at the file on his desk. He rose form his chair and paced to the window where he stood looking out. He stared out into the endless blackness just beyond the edge of Freidor. His cigar smoldered in his hand. Finally, he turned to the scientist and spoke with resigned authority.

“Very well. We will pay him what he wants. Bring him aboard and see that he is properly debriefed. I want him on Creylous Five before it’s next winter cycle, understood?”

The doctor gathered his things and gave a slight bow.

“Yes sir , admiral.”

With that he left Delmore standing and staring off into the void.