Infiltrators by Toby Neighbors

Author:Toby Neighbors [Neighbors, Toby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781952260254
Publisher: Mythic Adventure Publishing
Published: 2021-04-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The backpack made a good rest for the Gnashii. I pivoted slightly as I fired my first burst at the Orrkasi. The barrage lasted just under two seconds and used half the battery power in the sniper rifle. I couldn’t see the lasers that shot out across the plain in the bright sunlight, but I saw the result. My barrage of laser fire had cut across one group and felled eight of the big aliens.

I turned slightly and took aim at the second group. The Orcs were beginning to react, but I had just enough time to fire again. Another short sweep at full auto drained the battery but killed six more Orcs. A few were wounded from each group too, and they wailed in misery as they tried to retreat. I felt a grim satisfaction in having landed a good first blow. Many fights were decided by the first punch. I had made the most of the element of surprise, but my other advantage was the lack of cover on the plain. I was tucked safely into the side of the butte, as if the large rock formation were an ancient castle and the Orcs were in the deadly clearing known as “no man’s land.” It was the killing ground, and I didn’t waste time reloading the rifle.

My hands did the work without any conscious thought; while one hand flicked the release tab that popped the battery out of the pistol grip, the other snatched a fresh battery and rammed it into the empty slot. My eyes never left the Orcs that were running for cover. There were a few boulders, but the Orcs were so big that only a few could hide behind the rocks. The scrub bushes would offer them no refuge from my sniper fire. I pulled the charging lever on the side of the gun and flicked the fire indicator from full to semi-auto. The Orcs were three kilometers away, but in the digital scope they looked like big, easy targets. I moved the crosshairs to the back of a fleeting trooper and gently pulled the trigger. The Orc fell; that was fifteen dead and half that many wounded. I had cut their fighting force by one quarter in my first engagement. But I wasn’t finished.

Most of the Orcs were running away back toward the ships, but they weren’t fast on their feet. I shot another runner and then winged a third, who fell but kept crawling. I turned my attention to a group of rocks where several Orcs were trying to avoid my deadly fire. Two were safe behind the rocks, while the others were sticking out and not moving. I took my time, lining up each shot. Most weren’t kill shots, but I didn’t need to kill them all. Wounding the Orcs was just as effective. In a close fight, the troopers were savage and would continue fighting even when we wounded them. That was why I liked to carry an old-fashioned shotgun and slug-throwing revolver.

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