Harrick returned his attention to the matter at hand. Tunk was happily taking the lead hopping from rock to rock waving his three guns in all directions. If the Dirtling they were hunting had a gun with real ammunition he would be concerned but he just sighed as he noticed his assistant follow along the dancing hunter. Suddenly he heard a bullet shot and then a quick scream from Tunk as he ran back towards Harrick.
“I’ve been shot!” Tunk screamed, waving a bloody trunk in the air and running past Harrick towards the trailing hunters.
The assistant was ahead firing his gun at a tall outcropping of rocks. Harrick ran and dived next to his assistant behind cover as the assistant aimed with his rifle at a rocky outcropping about two hundred yards away, “The shot came from up there. Since the first shot and my return fire I haven’t seen any activity. Didn’t you say they used empty shells before?”
“It looks like he has real bullets now,” answered Harrick. Before he could continue he felt a tapping on his shoulder.
“Is it our turn now?” asked Slythe, holding his laser rifle at the ready with Kanessa crouched behind him brandishing her pistols and her parasol put away. Jedd was back with Tunk, calming the lad and applying the first aid supplies to Tunk’s damaged trunk.
Harrick considered. These people were here to hunt and although there was a real risk now, the danger was only a projectile rifle from one Dirtling.
“There is a Dirtling in the rocks up there armed with a projectile rifle,” Harrick explained, pointing at the last known place they had spotted the fire coming from, and considered the two hunters, “My assistant will go with Kanessa while you and I follow up with our rifles, covering the rocks for danger. Is that acceptable?”
Kanessa grinned with a ferocious set of sharp teeth, flourishing her pistols and aiming them ahead. The assistant took position beside her and waited for instructions.
Slythe calmly leaned against a rock and pointed his rifle towards the spot Harrick had pointed at and waited. Harrick was satisfied and nodded to his assistant.
The assistant and Kanessa moved forward carefully, quickly moving from cover to cover as they slowly made their way up among the loose rocks and boulders. Soon they were just below the crest where the fire had come from and the assistant motioned to Kanessa, “My Lady, let me go first with you following immediately after me. Remember, the Dirtling may have moved so we must be ready for anything.”
Kanessa smiled scarily and prepared to leap forward.
“Now!” said the assistant as they both leaped onto the crest and aimed downward.
No one was there. The spot was empty.
“He moved,” said the assistant as he turned towards Harrick and Slythe below.
“All clear,” he called as a bullet went straight through his chest and out the other side. The assistant fell face down, sliding amongst the rocks, landing in a heap far below.
Kanessa shrieked and dropped behind rocks as Slythe fired where he was pointing which was just above Kanessa and the assistant, luckily missing Kanessa by a hair’s breadth.
Harrick instantly tracked the shot back to a different spot further along the rocky outcropping and fired.
“Damn!” he shouted as he pointed the new target to Slythe, “Up there!”
Slythe obediently fired at the new spot, destroying the rocks and cover splendidly.
****
Father Pacioli was lying amongst the small rocks and occasional twigs that made up the pretty poor cover he and his friends were hiding behind as the aliens fired their lasers, keeping them all pinned down. There was no way they could get up as that would mean instant death. Rather than make a futile attempt at firing at the aliens, his volunteers decided that hugging the dirt was the safest course of action. What he needed was a diversion so they could all move the few yards forward into the rocks at the base of the hill. From cover they would be able to start firing at the aliens and making some headway. But what could be a diversion here in the middle of nowhere?
He jumped as he heard a loud fizzing sound beside him. John was holding his hand over a beer can exploding with froth trying to smother the noise. Father looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“What?” asked John, chagrined
In response to the continuing enquiring stare John continued, ‘Well, I had me beer in my spare ammo pouch and figured as this was taking forever I would have a small sip.” John paused, and held the can towards Father, “Want some?”
Father shrugged and took a sip and handed the can of beer back, “A bit flat,” he said, “Now pay attention.”
He jumped again when his mobile phone buzzed.
Curious, Father Pacioli looked at the display and not recognising the number answered with a puzzled, “Hello?”
“Is this Father Damian Pacioli?” the speaker asked.
“I’m a bit busy right now,” answered Father Pacioli, “Can you call back later?”
“This is Bob Carter from Channel Nine News, Father,” explained the caller quickly, “We are investigating the claims of alien attacks and destroyed trains. The fellas at the train said you were the one to talk to.”
Father Pacioli looked at the phone and sighed, “I am not ready to talk right now to a reporter in the comfort of their air conditioned offices. Call me back if we all survive.” He pressed the disconnect button.
The phone rang again and it was the same number. He answered and said, “I’m busy…”
“Father! Don’t hang up!” said Bob Carter, “We’re on the way via the Channel Nine News Chopper with camera crew to get the full story. Did aliens really attack the train?”
This was different. Father Pacioli pondered a moment and replied, “Bob. This is probably the biggest story you have had in your career. Do you want to just report it or be part of it?”
Father felt a little guilty. Wasn’t he supposed to lead others NOT into temptation, yet here he was piling the temptation on in mile high drifts? Ah well, he would discuss the matter later with Father Greg back at the presbytery.
After a short pause, Bob responded, “Sure Father! What did you have in mind?”
Once the negotiations were complete, including promising an exclusive story with Bob and Channel Nine, Father detailed the plan to his fellow volunteers.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He looked back and saw the speck in the sky gradually grow and materialise into the Channel Nine News Chopper travelling low on the ground and moving fast. It would not go directly over Father and the volunteers, it was moving rapidly across to the left along the outside of the hill. Once anyone tracking the chopper was looking away from them, the lead volunteer started to crawl forwards. There was no laser shot so he hopped up and ran and in seconds landed with a thump behind one of the rocks at the base of the hill.
“Go!” said Father Pacioli as they all quickly hopped up and ran low to the ground and dived amongst the rocks with some laser fire finally coming their way once they had all reached cover.
Father’s phone rang again, “Bob! That worked great. Get out of here!”
“Father, we’re just moving in for some better footage. We captured you guys running forward really well and can see there are two pairs of aliens facing you. Hang on, one is pulling up a larger weapon. Bloody Hell Dave! Pull out! Pull Out!”
There was a flash of light from the hill as the PEC fired and scraped along the side of the chopper, shearing off the propellors in an instant. The chopper plummeted to the ground quickly and rolled several times until stopping in a cloud of dust and debris.
“Bob!” yelled Father Pacioli in to his phone, “Bob!”
There was no response other than a groan of stressed metal and settling broken bits from the speaker of the still connected mobile phone. Then he heard a soft moan, “Father. You owe me a bloody great exclusive after this.”
Father Pacioli grinned, “Stay there. Now it’s our turn. If I survive you’ll get your exclusive.”
Father looked up and gave the thumbs up sign to his volunteers who had been looking at him with worried expressions, “They’re OK. Battered but OK. Now let’s get this show on the road.”
Father pointed to his four flanking volunteers and motioned to them to start firing at the known positions. Then the four with him and himself began to slowly crawl forward.
“I got one!” shouted one of the men as an alien roared in pain.
An instant later a flurry of laser fire hit the man’s position and he fell to the ground clutching his shoulder and dropping his melted gun. His companion quickly attended to him and stemmed any bleeding.
Father Pacioli and his men noticed the position where two of the aliens had fired was just ahead of them and he yelled, “Get ‘em!”
The four men charged over the rocks snarling and yelling and came face to face with the two rat like aliens who were also yelling and snarling. The forces collided and after a few moments all participants pulled away and got back in cover. Father Pacioli tended to the four men and asked, “What happened? As I got to your position you were all coming back my way.”
“We had ‘em and we had ‘em good,” said one, “And then suddenly more aliens arrived so we backed off.”
Father looked at his fellow volunteers and noticed the various wounds and flushed faces and realised it was time to take stock. He cautiously peered over the top of their position and caught a glimpse of the four aliens moving away.
“They’re retreating. Let’s take stock and re-organise. You’ve done well.”
Father Pacioli wondered how experienced soldiers would have handled the situation. Considering the challenge, he was willing to wait. He hoped that Ahmed and Zoran were okay.
****
“We’re pulling back to your position!” yelled the Scout Leader into his communicator. The Dirtlings had sneaked up on his other team and fought them hand to hand. He had arrived with his team mate to give assistance when he noticed the Dirtling in the back robe coming in and called for a strategic retreat. He had been on many hunts before and it was normally a very simple affair. Go down, shoot at the targets, go home. But here was different! The targets fought back, even when outgunned. The scouts had laser guns, and very large laser cannons, but they still had to cope with mad targets who didn’t understand the proper attitudes.
“Form a new defensive position,” instructed Harrick, looking at his countdown timer, “We won’t be long.”
“Tunk! Jedd! Come here now!” he yelled to the hunters below him. Tunk held his injured trunk in one hand and dolefully held one of his pistols in the other while Jedd rolled slowly forward, holding his machine gun at the ready.
“Slythe. You continue to cover the last known position of the Dirtling. You know he will have moved so scan either side too,” Harrick said and pointed at the two approaching hunters, “You two also cover the hill top. I am going to support Kanessa.”
Harrick made his way quickly up to where he last saw Kanessa and called out before he broached the crest, “Kanessa! Are you hurt?”
“No!” said a proud Kanessa, “Where is your assistant?”
Harrick looked down at his assistant’s broken body and replied, “He’s busy. I’m coming to you.”
He stepped over the crest and joined Kanessa who was crouching behind some rocks.
“Stay behind me,” he instructed as he moved forward. It was all fun and games until the targets tarted shooting back. Now he had to sort this out.
He moved adroitly from rock to rock, moving towards the last known position and trying to work out where the Dirtling had moved to this time. As they were on an outcropping it was difficult for the Dirtling to go too far as there was a steep cliff face on the rear edge and open space over the other side.
Movement!
Harrick stopped and lined his rifle waiting for the movement to become visible again.
Harrick fired as the Dirtling leaped between two rocks and blasted one of the rocks to small pieces. Suddenly a hail of bullets from Jedd’s machine gun ricocheted amongst his position and laser bolts blasted rocks randomly around him and the Dirtling. The firing stopped and it was silent.
“Did we get him?” called out a voice from below.
Harrick didn’t reply as he figured that would just encourage them.
“I don’t know,” answered another voice as Harrick suddenly fell to the ground with his hands over his head as he knew what was going to happen next, “Try again.”
Another hail of bullets from Jedd’s machine gun flew in all directions, pinging off rocks near and far. In the ensuing silence he heard Tunk say, “Yeah. That should’ve done it.”
Harrick looked up cautiously and he saw a rock fly from the position he had seen the Dirtling leap to. “He’s throwing a rock to distract the hunters,” thought Harrick, “They won’t fall for that.”
Harrick realised he was incorrect as another burst of random machine gun fire filled the air and laser bolts from both the rifle and pistols below joined in the fun. There was even some laser bolts from behind him as he noticed Kanessa had joined him.
“What are we firing at?” asked Kanessa.
“The Dirtling is over there,” began Harrick, pointing at the rocky spot ahead and before he could explain his plan, Kanessa changed her aim and fired at the rocks with a shrug and a nod of appreciation to Harrick for the helpful advice.
As Harrick looked disdainfully at the happy hunter firing all her guns at some rocks, he heard a rifle shot from behind those rocks. Turning quickly he saw a rifle barrel stick out from the rocks and fire again at the hunters below. He fired his laser rifle and hit the Dirtling’s weapon which was dropped with a strange yell of pain.
He could hear the hunters below running away and one cry of muffled tears while he moved quickly forward with Kanessa close behind him. He jumped around the rock and levelled his rifle at the Dirtling crouching on the ground, cradling his injured hand which had been burned from the blast of his laser fire on the Dirtling’s rifle.
The Dirtling looked at Harrick and raised his hands in the air, his eyes wide with fear.
Harrick paused, puzzled. Why would he be raising his hands in the universal sign of agreement?
Kanessa burst past him and fired her laser pistol directly at the Dirtling.
Click!
Kanessa stopped and looked at her weapon curiously. Harrick decided not to tell her the gun was out of power and needed a simple replacement of the energy clip while he looked back at the Dirtling.
As their eyes met his communicator buzzed, “Are you ready for beaming up?”
“In a moment,” answered Harrick as he raised his rifle and aimed at the Dirtling’s head with a look as if to say, “It’s just business.”
The Dirtling’s expression suddenly changed from fear to wonder and a big smile as the communicator responded, “Glad to be of service,” and then Harrick, the hunters, the scout team and the tagged dead camel and rabbit all disappeared in a fizzle of energy.
Harrick quickly released the trigger as he rematerialised back onto the ship.
“Another hunt complete.,” thought Harrick, looking around him at the relieved hunters and scouts, next to the burnt and shrivelled trophies, “All hunters are safe with only minor injuries, trophies have been attained, plenty of excitement all round. Overall a good result.”
Then he noticed the crumpled body of his assistant.
Now he would have to train another assistant. This was beginning to be a worrying trend.
****
Ahmed looked into the eyes of the alien rat thing as the laser rifle was pointed directly at his head.
“I’m gone,” said Ahmed, as he prayed what he thought were his last prayers. Then he swore he saw a person all dressed in white right behind the alien, giving Ahmed a huge smile and a thumbs up sign. Ahmed smiled back and suddenly the aliens disappeared in a fizzle of energy and he was alone on top of the outcropping.
“No-one’s going to believe this,” he said to himself as he slowly stood up and looked across the barren landscape noting the destroyed train in the distance and a crashed helicopter further along.
“Then again,” he added, “They might.”
