"Or they don't see us as the bigger threat." Finn reasoned. “Maybe once they are finished with the Sri’thaens they will attack us.”
"Let's assume they're here to help and give them some backup." Zahra hefted her plasma rifle and headed out to assist their new allies. "If they fire on us, we will return fire, but until then they are considered friendly. Pass the word along."
Logan nodded and sprinted off. As the fastest runner, she'd been using him to spread information and help with intelligence gathering against the Sri’thaen threat since none of their radios appeared to be working anymore.
She and her men began firing at the Sri'thaens with a second wind. With a potential ally, they had hope once more. Shooting their enemy became a challenge as the wind blew the wrong way, hiding the Sri’thaens in a blanket of dark smoke, and taking away their advantage at times.
After a few moments and some successful Sri’thaen kills from their new allies, Zahra felt hope truly blossom in her chest. They might just survive this long enough for a rescue team to arrive and take them off this planet. And maybe after this all finished they could see if the new aliens had any interest in an alliance. Earth could use any and all alliances right now. The Sri’thaens were widdling away at their defenses.
Glancing off to one side, Zahra's eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest. A Sri’thaen soldier had somehow managed to sneak around them. He crept up on one of the black aliens, the Sri’thaen’s eyes focused solely on the black alien before him. Seemingly unaware of the imminent danger creeping closer and closer, the black alien continued to intently study the battlefield, shooting his long plasma spear when an opportunity presented itself.
If there was ever a moment to solidify their alliance, it would be this exact moment. She couldn’t miss this opportunity, even if it might cost her life. This war was bigger than a single person’s life at this point.
Kicking her butt into gear, Zahra sprinted across the barren ground and leaped over a metal fragment that was once a part of her ship. Then she slid towards the alien on her butt, her suit allowing her to glide over the loose dirt. Raising her plasma rifle to her shoulder, she let out a shot, hitting the Sri’thaen dead center in the chest.
The Sri’thaen went down in a gurgle of blood as his hands came up to clutch at his chest where the plasma shot had seared straight through bone and flesh. By the time he hit the ground, he was dead.
The black alien spun around aiming his glowing spear thing at her. But it wasn't some primitive wood spear. No, it'd been created from some black metal and the tip of the spearglowed with an inner blue energy. A close combat weapon that could also fire plasma shots?
Fascinating. If only he didn't currently have it pointed at her. She nearly went cross eyed as she stared at the threatening tip that sizzled with energy.
Rising to her feet, Zahra held out her hands, allowing the plasma rifle to hang from her shoulder from a strap. Then she pointed to the Sri’thaen’s body. "He would have killed you."
The black alien's glowing blue eyes glanced at the body splayed out on the ground. The hole in the Sri’thaen’s chest still burned, little whiffs of smoke rising from the plasma shot.
Damn. Being this close to the black alien brought home their size difference, making it more apparent and intimidating. He could probably reach out and crush her skull with one hand. Maybe a couple feet taller than her as well. The minimal clothing he wore gave her an even better look at him. Leathery black skin stretched taut over his muscled frame. She knew several alien species believed in wearing minimal armor. Which meant he probably came from a species that was harder to kill.
Impressive. Imposing. Just two words she could think of to describe him.
When Zahra heard plasma shots zipping through the air from behind her, she spun around and sprinted back over to her men. Now and then, she'd duck behind debris, using it as shelter as she worked her way back. Now that she'd shown one of the unknown aliens she was willing to assist, she hoped he'd return the gesture once they finished off the Sri’thaens.
Although assisted by their new allies, the battle took several more grueling hours, and they lost many more good men and women. The air around them was chock full with smoke and the scent of blood. By the end, she only had a handful of her crew left. Each member seemed defeated, some slumped over debris as they seemed to right themselves. Each death weighedheavily on her, unfortunately they’d had no option but to finish the battle as they’d had nowhere else to retreat.
Zahra looked over her crew as they clumped together around one of the burning fires. Covered in grime, most of her men looked ready for a vacation, their faces etched in exhaustion. She felt the same. As wariness set in, she placed her plasma rifle on the ground and sat, tossing an arm over a knee. Finn had been one of the lives lost, and although she felt every single one of the deaths, this one in particular hit her harder. Maybe because she'd been ever so slightly closer to him after they'd crashed. Relied on him as a second in command.
Logan had made it through all the fighting though. She glanced over at him, his head resting in his hands. He looked defeated just like the rest of them. He was the youngest of them and the newest member to the crew. He hadn’t even seen a fire fight yet. She’d need to write to the general and try to get Logan an office job for a bit, make sure he coped with all the death healthily. Or as well as one could.
"Commander.”
Zahra looked over her shoulder at a soldier she didn't know the name of.
He pointed over to one side of their wreckage. His eyes full of awe and hesitation. It was the very same look that’d filled their eyes when they saw the black aliens.
Glancing over her shoulder, Zahra spotted a couple of the black aliens standing nearby, having approached her peoples’ position.
She guessed as the highest-ranking officer it was her job to walk over there and see what their intentions were. And hope she didn’t get blasted or stabbed by one of their plasma spears.
"Stay here.” Zahra told her people as she shoved herself to her feet. “I'll go to speak with them."
"One of us should go with you.” Logan insisted as he rose to his feet.
"No." Zahra held out her hand.
"At least take a weapon with you."
"No." Zahra shook her head. "I don't want to look threatening. Besides, if they wanted to kill all of us, I'm under no delusion we'd win. There's just a few of us left and many more of them. We all saw how well they fought."
Logan sucked in a breath, and then let it out slowly. "Suppose you're right. But be safe up there, and we'll be watching." He promised.
