Follow the Hunters
Corik followed the hunters out the shed door and into the fray of carnage, Jethra close beside him. The man at the front seemed to be headed for the large dome shaped structure in the distance. It was the hunter’s barracks. He had been there many times merely to admire the assortment of weaponry for sale, though he never had the money to buy anything.
Around the barracks and above were more armored troops and starships than he had ever seen in his life. All their attention seemed focused on infiltrating that building, as laser fire could be seen pelting against its outer doors. Corik didn’t care how strong the barracks was, he didn’t think heading toward the enemy could be a good idea.
Ships flew overhead, strafing any buildings and structures they could find. The barracks was a ways away, about a 1/3 mile across the open sand from where they were presently. The ships would take notice of their group, he knew. Seven men huddled in a group in the middle of the desert wouldn’t be hard to spot from the air. Sure enough, two fighters began to close on them from the horizon line above the barracks.
They came lightning fast, they must have been some sort of lightly armored speed ship, hardly better for anything than hit and run tactics. However, that was all they needed for the group of them, for the hunters couldn’t hit the ships if they tried, not with the velocity the fighters had.
Corik made a desperate attempt to escape the repeated blaster fire pelting the ground around them. After three passes Corik was out of breath. He glanced around to see most of the other hunters dead or dying on the ground behind him. Jethra was among them. Corik had not the strength nor the heart to make it another ½ mile to the barracks. He fell to the ground, perhaps hoping the fighters would think him dead.
They passed without a shot, and Corik was beginning to think he could make it after all. Just then he saw a much larger fighter begin to descend upon him and the heap of corpses. It must be a bomber he thought. As it came overhead, the hatch of the ship opened to release a large blue ball of fusion energy. He was right…