Death Healer
by: Unbelieverx
*** WARNING ***
The following story may contain language and/or violent content that some readers may find disturbing. Please use your own judgment and proceed with caution.
She screamed.
Gods, but the pain was unbearable. Such a small piece of shrapnel to the gut, and there was for all her training, for all the technology, nothing that she could do. She knew she was as good as dead, her body just hadn’t figured it out yet.
Told you you were going to die a voice in her head sneered, oh sod off she replied. But the voice was right. Bugger that, she wasn’t dead yet, there had to be something she could do. She took a deep breath, and gagged. Gods but the place reeked of death, the sickly sweet smell of her charred arm, the stench of stale piss and the choking fumes of destroyed machinery. Forcing herself to take another deep breath, she opened her eyes.
The cockpit of the dropship was nothing more then a tin can of twisted metal she was trapped in, the windows shattered, the electronics fried, her leg pinned down – not that that mattered mind seeing as she wouldn’t be able to move without spilling her guts. And there in the corner, rocking back and forth in shock was that whimpering fool of a recruit that had gotten her dead. The moron wasn’t even wounded and all he was doing was whimpering away in a puddle of his own piss.
The pride of the AFS indeed. Bah, the AFS, what a frelling joke. Nothing more then a bunch of soon to be extinct species playing at being heroes. She hated the AFS, but where else was there to go? Bloody Eloths, their past, their war, and her life. They could all burn in hell for all she cared.
She reached out for the radio and winced in pain, there was something stuck in her chest. Ripping off her tunic, bearing her breasts, she looked at what other injuries she had. Oh fan-frelling-tastic, her dog tags had embedded themselves in her right breast, nothing too serious, but they had to come out. There was no way she was going to have some twit fondle her dead breasts. They’d have to, they’d need to ID her body. No, the ID tags had to come out. Taking a firm grip of her breast, she yanked the tags out.
KYA SHIEL
J23L7K-TERRAN
LEVEL 4 BIOTECH
AFS
Ignoring the blood trickling out of her new wound, Kya again reached for the radio. It was busted beyond repair. What was she thinking? It had been busted last time she checked, not like some Eloth fairy would have come by to fix it.
There was nothing to it but wait to die.
********
The patrol had gone without incident and was almost over, Kya and her squad was nearing the LZ, they’d soon be off this Gods forsaken planet. The three new recruits her squad was baby-sitting were still jumpy, no one it seemed had bothered to inform them that this was a safe area, the Bane never came here. She debated putting them out of their anguish, and decided against. Why bother? New recruits rarely lived out the week, maybe if they survived she’d get to know them, maybe. But until then there was absolutely no reasons to get all friendly like.
She glanced at one of the recruits and grinned, maybe there was a reason. This one had possibly one of the finest butts she had seen in a long while, she’d definitely have to bunk with him before he went and got himself dead, maybe tonight. Sparing another glance at his rear end she made up her mind, yes, definitely tonight.
Her delicious thoughts were interrupted as Max, her squads ranger came jogging up the road towards Falcon, her CO. He looked relaxed, good, that meant no trouble. Kya spun on her heel as a familiar hum started droning behind her. The dropship, and for once the damned thing was on time. Looks like they’d be home in time for breakfast.
Frell.
Behind the dropship, screaming down towards the ground was a stalker. Gods, it was going to hit between them and the LZ. There was going to be a fight after all.
Frell frell frell frell frell frell frell frell frell frell.
Spinning back to her squad she yelled “Oi boys! We got incoming!” The entire squad looked her way, spotted the danger and sprang into action. Within moments the squad had fanned out, waiting for the stalker to impact. Kya spared a glance at the dropship, it too had spotted the danger and was veering off. She wasn’t worried, she knew the pilot. Skycapp was a major prick and all round waste of space. But his over-inflated ego also meant that he never would leave a crew behind, no matter how messy things got. No, he’d stay at a distance till the skirmish was over, then pick them up.
Frell, cute butt guy hadn’t moved, he was just standing there in shock, a puddle of urine forming around his feet. Pity, looks like she wouldn’t would get to bunk him after all. Ignoring him, she turned her attention back towards the Stalker, it was about to crash down.
Kya dropped to a knee as the shockwave from its impact caused her to lose balance. Falcon let lose a rocket. The guy was brilliant, he always timed it so the rocket would impact just as the stalkers doors opened and its passengers came pouring out.
Disorientated by the explosion, the half dozen or so thrax didn’t stand a chance. Clustered in doorway, her squad cut them down in seconds. And not too soon, the stalker was now fully deployed, standing over twenty meters high and slowly pivoting to face them. These buggers were a pain to take down.
Frell, it was turning to it’s right and Kya was holding the right flank, she’d be it’s first target.
Tapping Max on the shoulder to signal she was peeling off, Kya sprinted down behind the line of fire her squad had deployed into. Amazing, cute butt guy was still just standing there. As she arrived at the far left of the line, Falcon opened fire and the rest of the unit followed suit. Within seconds Max sprinted behind her and took up position five meters to her left. It was a tried a true tactic, the Stalker for all its firepower was extremely slow at acquiring targets. The squad would peel off one by one as they became its next target. The result was an entire squad leapfrogging each other as they circle strafed the Stalker. It was only a matter of time and ammo now.
Kya spun around as she heard a scream, it was cute butt guy. He was on the ground clutching the stump of his shoulder where his arm used to be. He was calling for help, he was calling for a medic. Kya knew she could save him, but she’d have to move now, he’d have bled out by the time the fight was over. And helping him meant putting herself in harms way. Kya knew being a good medic wasn’t about keeping people alive, it was about knowing who to let die so the squad could survive the encounter. Screw cute butt guy.
She felt a tap on her shoulder, it was her squaddie Blue signaling he was peeling off, she was now once again on the right flank and would soon be the Stalkers next target. Just as Kya got ready to peel off, the stalker stopped firing, swayed and came crashing down to the ground. The skirmish was over and the squad was cheering. She spared a glance towards cute butt guy, he wasn’t moving. Pity.
Kya’s headset crackled to life, it was Skycapp.
“Um folks, we got a slight problem here.”
She glanced up at the dropship, it was coming in hard and fast, behind it a dozen Bane predators. Frell frell frell. She was bamsmack in the middle of a Bane vanguard.
“All right people, listen up!” Falcon yelled, “that dropship is going to be on the ground for no more then five seconds, form up and get ready for evac!”
Kya started sprinting towards where Skycapps was putting down, moron, he was coming in too fast, he was going to crash, frell frell frell Murphy and his idiotic laws. His mother should have bashed his head in and saved people from that what can go wrong will go wrong BS.
The dropship tried slowing down before landing, but it was too late, the damned thing hit the ground way to hard, pounding threw trees and rock, sending up a massive dust cloud. Her radio cracked to life again, it was Falcon.
“Kya, check the pilot! We’ll hold off the buggers!”
“Uh sir, that’s a dozen predators, so at least a couple hundred bane.”
“Not to worry, doubt more then fifty or so will stop to deal with us.”
“Oh fine, no reason to hurry then.”
“Just nab a newbie and go check the pilot, everyone else, defensive ring around the dropship!”
Kya, newbie in tow, sprinted towards the cockpit. With any luck, Skycapp wouldn’t even be hurt. She was just about to vault into the cockpit when she spotted a thrax soldier. Where the hell did that bugger come from? Dropping to a knee, she took aim and squeezed off three rounds, two to the chest, and one to the head. A rocket screamed by her head and slammed into the bane, vaporizing it into a red mist.
“Though you could use some help.” Falcon’s voice said over her radio.
“Moron.”
Kya vaulted into the cockpit, Frell. Skycapp had a massive gash to the head, and a shard of glass was lodged in his left eye. She felt for a pulse, it was faint, and irregular, but it was there. She got on the radio with Falcon.
“Sir, we got a problem, Skycapp went and decided to make himself all pretty like.”
“Can you do anything?”
“I can wake him, but the shock will most like kill him.”
“Just keep him alive so he can fly.”
“You’re a real genius sir.”
You’re going to die today a voice in her head sang. Rack off, I’m not. She replied. Oh, and why is that? the voice asked. Because I’m not ready she screamed back. Like the universe gives a flying [censored] the voice sneered.
Gunfire erupted outside, the bane were attacking. Kya grabbed at the newbie recruit and pointed towards to windshield.
“Cover me, if its ugly, shoot it.”
The newbie visibly nervous nodded. Kya turned her attention back to Skycapp, time to wake the idiot flyboy up. She reached into her kit and pulled out a needle of pure adrenaline. Tearing away his body armor, she slammed the needle into his heart. The results were instantaneous. Skycapp jolted forward and started trashing about. The idiot was going to kill himself. Grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her she yelled
“Oi horseface! Calm down now!”
Skycapp stared at her in horror, his mouth bobbing open and closed. He looked like some ugly fish gasping for air.
“Listen to me you stupid tit, you crashed, we’re under fire and we need you to fly us out of here, now!”
Amazingly, Skycapp managed to regain control of himself and started going over the machines controls. She might just have to reward him and give him what he’s always wanted. Hell, he’s as ugly as a horse, maybe other parts of him would also resemble the animal, and it might even be enjoyable.
Kya got on the radio “Sir, we’re good to go here!”
“All right, we’re coming in”
On the edge of her vision Kya spotted a thrax creeping up grenade in hand, frell, the newbie was looking the other way. Yanking her pistol out of her belt, she took aim and killed the bugger. It was too late, the grenade was already in the air arching towards the cockpit. Frell, she took aim at the grenade and fired, missed. Frell frell frell. Told you so came a voice in her head. Ignoring it, she took aim again and fired, and missed again. Fan-frelling-tastic. The grenade exploded in mid air sending shrapnel flying every which where. It was just a matter of luck now whether she got hit or not.
She screamed, the pain was excruciating. The armor she was wearing stopped most the smaller pieces of shrapnel, but it was useless against the larger ones. Kya glanced down, frell, it was a gut wound, and she’d need to get help fast. As if on cue the intercom came to life, it was Falcon.
“We’re in, lets go!”
Skycapp didn’t need to be told twice and within seconds they were airborn. Speeding away as fast as they could go. Safe, finally.
An explosion rocked the dropship.
“Predators!” Skycapp screamed. “That was a direct hit to the left engine, we’re going to go down!”
Smoke was filling into the cockpit and the whole damned vessel was vibrating violently.
“There has to be a way to keep us in the air!” Kya yelled back.
“We’re too heavy, nothing!”
“Drop the troop transport pod!”
“Are you insane, your squads in there!”
“And I’m not going to crash just to die with them, drop the frelling pod!”
“Sod off you crazy whore, I can land us!”
Kya didn’t have a choice, she would die if they landed, she needed medical attention and sooner rather then later. Screw this, she wasn’t going to die because of some pilots idiot leave no one behind mentality. Slamming her elbow in Skycapps face, she shoved the glass gutting out of his eye into his skull. He was dead in an instant. The newbie was looking at her in horror. No going back now. Reaching for her side arm, she shot out the side window. Ignoring the pain, Kya heaved Skycapp’s body threw the window. The way clear, she shifted herself into the pilot’s chair.
They dropship was spinning out of control, the ground was coming up way too fast.
“The frell is going on up there!” Falcons voice yelled over the radio.
Ignoring the radio, she reached towards the lever that controlled the drop mechanism and yanked on it. A jolt wracked threw the cockpit as the passenger module detached itself. The cockpit was filled with screams coming over the radio. Falcon, Max, Blu, her entire squad was plummeting to the ground. With luck, some might survive the crash, though she doubted it. Too late for regrets now, she needed to level of the dropship and get to a base for medical attention.
Frell frell frell, the damned thing was supposed to level off, the blasted ship wasn’t responding. Kya yanked on the stick as hard as she could, there was no response. Cursing she activated the automated mayday beacon; nothing. You are so screwed came a voice in her head. Sod the frell off she snapped back at it, not here, not now, not today. Yeah, good luck with the whole cheating fate thing the voice chuckled.
The ground was coming up fast, there was nothing left to do but it back and wait. Sit back, stick your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye the voice in her head laughed.
The newbie next to her yelled
“We’re going to crash!”
“Yeah, no [censored] Sherlock.”
Kya braced herself for impact.
***********
She screamed.
Her body had lost too much blood, she was going into shock.
It was just a matter of minutes now.
She looked back at the sniveling idiot that had gotten them all dead. If only he had covered his position, if only he had killed that grenade throwing alien. Yes, this slobberdonkey was responsible for her squad’s death. He was still there, curled up in a ball, still sobbing. Yet unharmed, alive and sure to be eventually rescued.
Screw that. He didn’t deserve to live through this.
She pulled out her side arm, cocked it, and pointed it at his head.
Why not? There would be no consequences for this.
“Hey, dipshit.”
He didn’t respond.
Ignoring the pain she kicked him in the ribs.
“HEY! DIPSHIT!”
He looked up, saw the gun and wet himself.
Gods, how many times can this moron piss himself before being empty.
His eyes wide, he started begging for his life.
Oh sweet mercy this was satisfying.
Funny, she had never felt such satisfaction killing the bane.
She pulled the trigger.
Sleep tight came a voice in her head.
