Death to a Mortis

Chapter1

The clapping of handgun fire could be heard from several yards away in the city of Kaldia, where many free-lancers made there homes. Unlike Luna City the streets weren't crowded at every hour of the day. Glen walked down the street to the Black Cavern Bar & Grill where he would be meeting up with his old friend Eric Guztave for a nice friendly lunch, and would later discuss the matter of Imperial troops constantly coming into town to arrest people without permission. Glen was a tall dark haired man with light orange eyes, and he had no problem with meeting up with Bauhaus troopers. By the time Glen got to the cafe he realized that Eric was already there.

"Hey Eric you're getting faster than I am," said Glen as he took of his coat, and sat down.
"Ether that or you're getting slower," replied Eric with a smile. Glen had known Eric for six years now, so he trusted Eric enough even when Eric had a MP-103 on him. Eric leaned back in his chair while the waitress brought the two men their drinks. Before Glen went free-lance he was a Capitol Sunset Striker, and had meet Eric during an alliance between Capitol & Bauhaus.
Glen looked at Eric and said, "Look Eric I don't want you to think that I can con Capitol into another alliance with Bauhaus so don't bother asking. The people of the city just want someone to do something about this Imperial problem."
"Why don't you try to get Capitol to stop them?"
"I already did. They said that they can't help right now because of the battles on Jupiter's moons.
"Glen had never been this serious around Eric in the whole six years that they had known each other.
"Well look I�ll try my best to get Bauhaus to help, but I can't be sure if they will our not."
"Hey thanks Eric." Glen turned his head towards the window only to see a man run by with around 24 bullets chasing him.
"Looks like lunch will be cut short Eric. We got Imperial problems again," said Glen as he grabbed his coat, and ran out the door.

Eric ran next to him loading a clip into his SMG while Glen pulled out his Bolter, and got ready to fire. At that very moment a single Imperial troop noticed them, and soon warned his comrades just as barrage of bullets hit him from Eric's SMG. Glen had started to fire too lobbing out 34. Caliber rounds from his Bolter. Now more concerned with the two armed, and firing men behind them the Imperial unit spread out to hide better.

"Glen! Head for cover!" yelled Eric as he jumped behind a small stone wall, but still continued to fire at the Imperials who were now returning fire. Glen hid behind a corner just barley avoiding the rounds coming from the Invader Assault Rifles just ahead of him. Loading another clip into his Bolter Glen looked over at Eric who was continuing to fire his MP-103 at the Imperials in front of them.
"Eric we can't hold them off forever, and we don't want any civilian casualties!" Glen had to yell over the gunfire in order for Eric to hear him.

Chapter 2

As more bullets came flying at the two men Glen realized that the Imperial Trencher squad ahead of them was more concerned with killing Eric than him. Eric knelt down to load another clip into his SMG, and Glen noticed that he was low on clips. With bullets coming at them the two men could not get any closer to the Imperials, but they both knew that they had to.

"Eric! We can't keep this up for much longer you know!" Glen yelled trying to get Eric to hear him over the gun shots.
"I know that! But we need more men in order to do that!"

"Well then call in the nearest squad! Don't worry about anything else because I�ll be covering you!" Glen wasn't completely sure that his plan would work, but it was worth a try. He swung his Bolter around the corner, and sprayed out bullets in the general direction of the Imperial troops hoping to hit one of them. Lucky for Glen his bullets hit three solders wounding one, and killing the other two. Glen seemed to be very stunned when all fire from the Imperials stopped, and he knew that they hadn't killed them all. Felling it somewhat safe he looked around the corner to see all the men killed, and then he saw a man pulling what appeared to be a sword from a troop's back. The man wore the armor of a Mortificator, but without the helmet. When he turned around Glen saw his face, and right away he recognized him.

"Avery? Avery is that you?"
"Yes Glen it's me." The man's name was Avery Mortis, and he was a famed man around these parts.
"Uh? Wait one second here. You know this guy Glen?" asked Eric confused as ever.
"Ya. This guy is one of my real close friends from the Brotherhood. His name is..."
"Avery Mortis." replied Avery interrupting Glen.
"Hey Avery. You want to get some lunch?" Glen was still hungry from the fact that he didn't get to eat yet.
"Yes. I would be delighted, but first I must change out of my armor."
"Sure we'll wait for you here," said Eric.

Chapter 3

Glen was glad to see the Mortificator again, and he smiled as Avery and Eric talked. He knew that it just didn't seem right that only one squad of men were in the city today, but he wasn't an Imperial so he didn't know what they might be up to.

"Well Avery it's been along time, so me and you have some catching up to do." said Glen still smiling.
"That we do my friend, for it has been along time hasn't it?"
"Yes Avery...it has."

***********

A lone man walked through the halls of the massive Bauhaus base, and he was heading to the main conference room of the building. Konrad von Juntz stood tall compared to the many computer workers at the base, and he towered over the 64th Dragoons as they walked down the hall to the hanger. Juntz had worked with them many times, and respected their bravery. As Juntz walked into the meeting room he noticed three familiar faces, and they soon noticed him.

"Ah Kapitan! I'm glad you could make it." said Johan Emigholtz exited to see Juntz after two-three months.
"Ya, good to see you to Johan." He looked at the other two sitting to the left of Johan.
"Max, Valerie good to see you two as well."
"Good to see you too Konrad" Replied Steiner. Juntz took a seat at the table next to Johan, and waited for the other men around the table to take there seats.
"So it seems that everyone is here, and on time I may add." said the voice of Gutren Renado.
"As you all know the problem with the Imperials is overwhelming, and we must take action ASAP."
"Well I�ll hate myself for this in the morning sir, but I would like to take the 64th Dragoons out on this mission with me if they aren�t on any current missions at the time." said Juntz.
"I see that you have apparently become very close to them, but no squads will be going on this mission." said Gutren.
The four warriors looked around at each other in confusion, and finally Steiner stood up to speak, "Sir that's got to be the craziest thing you've ever said!"

"Yes that it is, and it would be a real damn shame if you couldn't go because you made the wrong mistake to disobey orders. So Major I recommended that you sit down, and let me finish what I was saying." Steiner leaned back in his chair as Gutren began to speak again, "It will be you four, and Eric Guztave. I do believe that you know him very well Major Duval. He has an ex-capital special forces troop, and a mortificator with him. You will be transported to the city they are in tomorrow at noon." Gutren then got up, and walked out to indicate that the meeting was over.

"Hey Valerie!" yelled Max running down the hall to catch up to her.
"What did he mean by "you know him very well" anyway?" asked Max.
"Don't bother asking Steiner because it's a long story."
"Well hey we got until tomorrow afternoon, so why don't we have some dinner over this." Valerie looked at Steiner, and smiled.
"Sure why the hell not."

Chapter 4

Max sat at the table across from Duval eating his dinner, and as he thought of why Valerie was so quiet. He also thought of why Eric was working with a freelancer better yet a Mortificator, and why they couldn�t take any squads with them. It seemed like they wanted the four solders to go on a stealth mission of some sort, but he couldn't do anything about his orders.

************

Glen sat on his couch in his little apartment in the cleaner area of the city while he waited for Avery to come out of the kitchen with some food, and he smiled as Avery walked out of the kitchen with some good looking food.

"You know Avery. You didn't have to make dinner." Glen looked his friend in the eyes, and continued to smile. He cleared off all of his junk that was on the table, and put his plate down in front of him.
"I see that you moved to a new part of the city Glen." said Avery as he sat down next to Glen. Glen ran a hand through his long thick brown hair, and he picked up the phone to call Eric. As he picked it up he suddenly stopped, and put the phone back on the charger.
"What's wrong Glen?" asked the mortificator.
"Uh? Oh nothing's wrong. I just figured that I should call Eric tomorrow instead of now. I mean it is 10:00 pm you know." he replied.

Avery looked over at the clock mounted on the wall to his right recognizing that it was late, and he did note that Eric was probably at a meeting if he wasn't home sleeping. Glen took another spoonful of soup to his mouth as he started to lean back while watching his TV.