Devils Own ( A Steam Punk and Mystic Tale ) 2.7

2.7

Irina crouched onto her knees while leveling the rifle. She was down to her last clip but the fighting was still on. The local residents numbering hundreds came out and fought for the Guild as their own homes were invaded. More dirigible carriers arrived with their loads of troopers. The troopers rappel down from the rope harness, while the defenders fired upon them. The carriers were also dropping explosives from the hull onto the alleys and the defenders positions. Then came the flight sections; riders on the winged bikes, but these were larger and had machine gun mounted on the front of the bike. They numbered about five per squad and there were three squads coming in different directions. They came swooping and laid the fire on the defenders.

“Incoming fire!” Irina gave the warning, but it was needless. The winged bikes squad flew in formation, with two bikes in a row while the last bike hovered above for observation. The machines guns tore into the defenders and ripped everything in its path.  Irina braced herself and looked up to the sky. She aimed her rifle, waiting for the correct timing before she pulled the trigger. The shot went up and hit the rider in the right elbow. It caused the rider to lose control on the bike. The bike collided with the rear rider. Both bikes collided and fell like a stone. They do not explode on impact, but shattered into pieces. The other riders have soared up to avoid the same fate, and were soon out of range of her rifle. She ran towards the next best position to target the other riders, but the troopers on the ground had double folded and were pushing the defenders back.

Then the unexpected happened, with the troopers withdrawing to the rear with flankers covering their retreat. Even the winged riders had disappeared. Irina cringed at the sight. She had learned of such withdrawals mean the invaders would bring in the heavy artilleries. That soon arrived.

It was a huge mechanized contraption; a huge locomotive with mechanized tracks. The locomotive measured fifty feet across on four tracks pulling the five carriages with five cannons mounted on it. On the sides of the carriages were mounted machine guns. The contraption was nicknamed the Juggernaut. It left nothing standing in its route; while the twenty machine guns blew everything living creatures in its path with the cannons leveling the structures or heavily defended positions.

“Juggernaut!’ The warning went out but the wrath of the juggernaut was deadly. The cannons were focusing on the buildings where the defenders were holding their position. The buildings were leveled with the survivors crawling out. Then it was when the machine guns opened up on them, which wiped them of any thoughts of continuing their fights.  The ones which were wounded or near death would soon get rolled over by the tracks.

“Evacuate now!’ Irina shouted out to the defenders. The warning was heeded and started the evacuation. Irina mustered any of the ones who could lead and got them to organize the evacuation.

Then she saw the oncoming war-machine approaching her position. It was firing its guns including the cannon but it was towards the locomotive. It was aiming at the locomotive engine and driver compartment. It was reinforced but the plates were weaker and constant pounding caused it to be rupture; a defective part of the contraption. The shots punctured into the steam engine, causing it to release its water contents. While the water levels were lowered, the engine started to get heated with each pull of its carriage. The contraption slowed to a halt, but its cannons were firing with the machine guns. The war-machine used the rubbles to hide itself from the bombardment. It got hit twice but the shots did only body damage. The war-machine then got its position on the front of the contraption and avoided the cannons. It concentrated all its fire on the steam engine and blew it up.

The war-machine came to a halt when its right tracks fell off but the cannon was still firing. It tore past the engine into the driver compartment and into the carriage. By then Irina had reached the war-machine and ran for the rear hatch. She found it opened; its lock was blasted open. She crawled in and saw the war-machine was manned by her father and some of the recruits.

“Hi, Irina. We captured this on the street and drove over here to fire at the Juggernaut.” Master Galeb smiled. He was the gunner of the cannons while a recruit was loading it. The interior of the war-machine was steamy and the air smelled of oil and cordite. She crawled over and saw the recruit trying to move the war-machine. The other two recruits manning the sponson guns were still firing.

“We are done for, Master.” The loader shook his head. They had cleared the stacks of projectiles.

“Leave then. I will join you soon.” Master Galeb told the recruits but he was not moving himself. Irina then saw his father had more wounds on his body. She ran to him but he held her back.

“Irina, leave with them. I am already dead.” Master Galeb held out his right hand which was covered in blood. He was shot when they captured the war-machine. “Seek Kassius and find Ark. You need to do it to avoid the death of many. The Princes would stop you.”

“Father, you can leave with me.” Irina pleaded but the older man refused again. He then reached into his tunic and withdrew the horn.

“Blow it at dawn at the Gates of the Angels.” Master Galeb told her. “It would show you the trail to the Ark. Now leave. Find Senior Thaddeus. He will know.”

The older man moved his body to reveal the extent of the wounds, and the waist belt of explosives.

“I will be fine.” Master Galeb told her. “Take the ones you could and hold up at the warehouse by the dock.”

Father Galeb then pushed Irina back. She knew that her father final wishes and left the war-machine. Irina did not turn to look when she heard the explosion. She had figured it out was her father’ last act. She was directing the younger recruits into the alleys that will take them to safety. There was not much they could do, but retreat. The Guild base was destroyed but the members of the Guild will rebuild a new one.