Koban: The Mark of Koban by Stephen W Bennett

Author:Stephen W Bennett [Bennett, Stephen W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stephen W Bennett
Published: 2013-02-11T22:00:00+00:00

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Trudok, the second highest status sub-leader on the raid, found he was now the highest ranked surviving leader of all Dorbo clan’s raiders on this cursed and cold human nest. The clan’s raid leader, Blutor, and his K’Tal had both died defending the clanship, which humans lured into landing at the center of a trap. They had lost the ship, but not the battle. By fighting to keep one hatch free of plasma fire, Blutor had managed to save more than half of the warriors caught in the killing zone. He deserved to die for his poor decision to land where he did, but he had preserved his honor.

Because Krall sub-leaders lead from the front, the other high-status warriors were among the first to step into the intensely hot plasma beams the humans directed at the ship, and die.

Seeing what was happening, observing that novices without experience were fearlessly ready to brave the beams in their armor, Trudok took charge. He had ordered them to hold back and exit from the only hatch not under fire. They had assumed that speed would take them through the beams intact. It was true, but not safe.

Personal armor could endure the seconds needed to clear the beams, but the residual star heat would pass through the overheated armor to the body inside in another few seconds, roasting the warrior alive. Inexperienced novices thought merely making it clear of the beams, as they observed hands of warriors do, was all that was required. Experience told Trudok that many of those warriors that passed through fast enough would die unless they immediately discarded their damaged armor when clear. That placed them at a disadvantage when faced with human plasma rifles, and they would likely suffer debilitating burns in most cases. Krall interclan battles sometimes escalated to plasma cannon use.

He had preserved the bulk of the raid’s force, but the novices had quickly spread out looking for individual combat opportunities. A beam from one of the four plasma cannons would lance out when a warrior stayed exposed too long, or selected a shelter that wasn’t heavy enough. He commanded four octets to seek out the batteries from behind, and destroy them.

The reports he was gathering from leaders of other octets told him that they had found few humans in the main part of the nest. Where had they gone?

Nearly forty burn-injured warriors had survived exposure to the plasma beams, and now without armor, they had sought safer cover. They were among the first to enter the maze of corridors inside the rock walls that hemmed this cluster of human nests so tightly. They encountered many humans there but discovered them armed with projectile weapons. The injured warriors no longer had their heat damaged plasma rifles, lost with their armor.

Each warrior that abandoned their suits had two pistols, kept in armpit holsters inside the armor. However, replacement ammunition and rifles were no longer available to them with the explosion of the clanship. Pistols, knives, speed, and agility were of limited use on massed humans with automatic weapons.

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