Star Force: Evacuation (SF50) by Aer-ki Jyr Page B

hitting another
madcat and melting/exploding the missile boxes off it. The mech fell,
apparently already having its shields down, and buried its nose into the
ground, then suddenly all the anti-air weapons on the Skarron Type-1 lit up as
a mass dropped out of the air and impacted the ground with a large boom that
rocked Kali’s mech slightly. Before the dust cleared
a giant Voku mech/suit stood up and walked towards the super dragon and punched
it down into the ground with a massive fist.
    Then, prompting a laugh of joy from Kali, it picked
the entire super dragon up and spun it around its body, building momentum
before releasing it sideways…and throwing it into the side of its twin, sending
both crashing in a tumble.
    “Yes!” she yelled in a satisfactory manner as she
looked for another target of her own, finding plenty and settling on a spider
that was now targeting the Voku. “Kick their ass bro. I’ve got your back.”

 
 
    8

 
 
    August 29, 2537
    Hachtat System
    Eliossa

 
    One of the Elarioni, whose name was impossible for
Humans to pronounce, swam along with her sisters in a long, river-like flow of
bodies through the ocean towards the shore, escorted by their aquatics warships
to make sure that neither the Nestafar nor Skarrons interfered with the
evacuation process and attacked the defenseless civilians. Shri, which is what
she would eventually be called once they arrived in the ADZ, could sense her
sisters all around her, but not just in the line she was traveling with. There
were others nearby, all converging on the same area where the Human transports
were waiting on shore.
    The Elarioni had a limited telepathic ability, not
enough to speak to one another or read minds, but they could feel each other
out and read basic emotions, such as when one of them was in danger the others
would know or when they were excited or happy. Right now Shri was swimming in a
sea of anxiety, kicking her tail rhythmically to maintain a decent pace and
having her hair swaying in the chop from the others ahead of her. She carried
only a small satchel with her, having been told all other supplies would be
provided on the transports and that space was at a premium.
    They were going to have to endure some very close
living quarters in order to get everyone offworld, but that was a small price
to pay for their freedom. Already the Skarrons had attacked two underwater
settlements…futilely, but their intentions were clear. Not only were they going
to rid the planet of Nestafar, but they were not going to tolerate any other
presence here. Their aquatic weaponry was limited to infantry troops with spike
guns, but she and the others knew/suspected that the Skarrons hadn’t come here
equipped for aquatic warfare, for they didn’t discover the Elarioni
civilization until after they’d arrived…meaning that if they were willing to
start engaging them with what little they had available, then that probably
meant their true aquatic forces were on the way.
    That was a fight they were willing to make in the
water, but they’d never be able to remove them from the surface. And if the
Alliance’s reports were accurate, the Skarrons would keep sending more and more
troops from their massive empire until they eventually succeeded. Shri and the
others had to flee before they could be enveloped in a no-win scenario that
would gradually grind down their population and resources until they were wiped
out of existence.
    The fact that there was fighting going on now up above
was cause enough for anxiety, but Shri and the others weren’t very keen on the
idea of traveling on an alien ship…especially considering those aliens were air
breathers. That said, it was a way off the planet and they were going to take
it, trusting their leadership’s guidance despite their misgivings and
abandoning their homes for the evacuation lines, some of which stretched thousands
of miles.
    Those long lines were being facilitated by aquatic
ships