<boring stuff>
The following story is copyrighted material and all rights belong solely to the author. Any reproduction or republication of any or all of this publication without the explicit and expressed written consent from the author is strictly forbidden.
</boring stuff>
Chapter 19 - Control
The roar of vehicles and yelling echoed in the cave. The Elite and Spartan walked slowly back to the battle, each ready to steady the other.
“So, what was so important that you had to go stir up a nest of Hunters?” the Spartan asked.
“The key”, the Elite replied. “All will be explained soon, Spartan. Now we must finish our campaign against the renegades.” After a few more steps, the Elite said, “I am glad you survived, Spartan. When you collapsed, I thought you had fallen.”
“Was I out long?”
“Long enough”, the Elite said, wiping purple blood from the side of his chest armor.
As the two walked toward the light at the bottom of the cave, the Spartan thought he heard the slight noise of gravel from behind him. Knowing that it was just the echo of the hogs flying past just ahead, the Spartan absentmindedly turned to look at the Elite.
Grabbing the Elite on his left, the Spartan threw him forward several meters as the Elite yelled in surprise. Landing on the ground, the Elite turned to the Spartan as he slid and grabbed his Energy Sword. The Elite had suspected treachery from the Shy-Gheer-Maag, all along. He fleetingly thought of himself a fool for thinking this one could have the honor of the Spartan that the Arbiter had befriended.
The thought was cut short by a penetrating sound from behind. It shook through the cave causing rock and dust to drop all around. It was the deep explosive sound of a Gravity Hammer.
The Spartan had jumped forward to get away from the attack but the edge of the blast still hit him. Flying past the Elite, the Spartan bounced off the ceiling of the cave and down toward the raging battle outside. Landing on his stomach, the Spartan struggled to lift himself up as the alarms wailed again. Every fiber of his body was vibrating, as if the ground was quaking under him. He fell back to the ground as his body jerked in a brief spasm. Trying again, the Spartan looked to his left to see the Elite standing facing a large Brute with very ornate red headgear.
“So, you are the Chieftain that has enslaved these to fight your war”, the Elite yelled.
“They are mine to do with as I wish, Elite. You and all that oppose me will join my ranks and do my bidding”, the Chieftain demanded.
The Spartan now able to make it to one knee, felt a tickle of blood dripping in his nose and without thinking started to shake his head. Reminded that he had already been shaken enough by the intense pain in his head, he stopped and swallowed hard. This immediately gave him the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
Slowly standing, the Spartan saw the Elite and Chieftain circling around one another on the right side of the cave. He stumbled back and almost fell but regained his composure. Out of ammo and weapons, the Spartan contemplated his choices and looked around.
The Elite glanced toward the Spartan as he came into view. “We will not be your slaves today. You will need more than your hammer to take us.”
The Chieftain laughed heartily as he circled to face the Spartan. “You are not worthy of my attention. You are a minor annoyance that can be dispatched easily.”
The Chieftain stepped backward and up the cave opposite the Spartan. Turning to look over his right shoulder, the Chieftain said, “Collar them and they are yours to control.”
Coming around the turn of the cave was a Brute wearing light blue-green armor with a matching helmet in his left hand and a Spiker in the right. As the Brute reached up to put on the helmet, the Spartan noticed that he had a fresh scar from the top left part of his face to the bottom right, reaching across his nose between his eyes. As he put on the helmet, the Brute said, “I found my weapon, Elite.”
The Spartan looked at the Elite and realized that he and the Brute had met before. Looking back up the cave to his would-be enslavers, he thought of the meaning of the scar on the Brute’s face.
The Chieftain turned around and began to ascend the cave walking past the Brute on his left. As they were about to pass, the Chieftain switched the weapon to his right hand away from his servant.
Still dizzy and shaking from the Gravity Hammer, the Spartan said, “Yeah, you can control your own slaves. Start with us and get plenty more outside. With us collared, the others will be easy to capture. Then you can command your own. Commanding your own gives you a position in the tribe.” The Brute glanced at his Chieftain just as he was about to pass. “Unless, of course, there is any reason that you can’t have a position in his tribe”, the Spartan continued.
The Elite looked over his left shoulder at the Spartan and nodded. Turning back, he tensed his legs. The Chieftain looked carefully at the Brute. His right hand tensed on the staff of the Gravity Hammer.
At once, the Brute shoved his right hand with the Spiker toward the Chieftain as his master reached to the armor on his right wrist. Clicking a button, the Chieftain’s face turned from a smile to horror as he realized that the Brute was no longer wearing his collar.
Panicking, the Chieftain tried to raise his weapon against the Brute. The Gravity Hammer having much greater mass did not move as fast as the Spiker, especially having attempted to move the weapon so late. Caught by surprise the Chieftain tried to block the Spiker with his arm but only was able to deflect it slightly. The blades of the Spiker stabbed the Chieftain in the left side of his neck as the Brute pulled the trigger.
The Chieftain dropped the hammer and grabbed his throat as both the Elite and the Spartan rushed forward. The Chieftain’s eyes bulged in their sockets as his head leaned back, almost facing the top of the cave. He tried to say something but the spikes sticking through his throat blocked his speech. Red blood ran through his sharp teeth and down his chin. His eyes rolled up into his head as he fell toward the Brute, grabbing at him with one hand. As their faces met, the Chieftain weakly spat blood in the Brute’s face and slowly collapsed. The Brute allowed the Chieftain’s last movements without flinching or stepping out of his way and let him fall, unaided.
The Elite arrived at the scene first and jumped between the Brute and the Gravity Hammer. The Spartan came an instant later and the two surrounded the Brute. Looking up to the Elite, the Brute said, “The Chieftain no longer controls the slaves.”
