10-01-2015, 10:17 PM
“Alright,” the deputy said calmly, patting his mount on the neck, “once more into the fray.” The camel grunted loudly and kicked at the ground, sand tossing up. He drew his rifle and flipped it over, pulling bullets from his bandoleer and pushing them through the gate on the side. When it was full, he nodded to himself, pulled his hat down, and kicked the beast’s flanks.
Riding into the swirling chaos, a cloud of dust and grit washed over him, and visibility became scarce. Shadows lurched at the periphery of his vision, the echo of gunfire and screams seeming somehow distant as he drove himself further into the madness of the battle.
A bald-headed maniac sprinted in front of the lawbringer, a burning Molotov Cocktail in her hand and a wild grin on her face. She wound up to throw the bottle when Sinestro quickly fired, the glass exploding and a burst of fire and gasoline quickly consumed her. She screamed in a panic as the deputy continued to ride onward, his eyes locked on the titanic ape that rose above the battlefield.
The monstrous, cybernetic ape stomped around furiously, firing massive blasts of energy from its fanged maw. Explosions erupted as the beast’s blasts ignited one of their vehicles, and most of the oncoming assault had completely changed their path to avoid the creature. Still it raged on, scooping up one of the fighters, ripping them in half and hurling their still-screaming torso at one of their comrades. The legs were disdainfully spiked into the ground as the monster lifted one of its gigantic feet and brought it down on top of the wrecked buggy it had so recently destroyed.
Whatever the hell it was, it was pointed in the right direction and Sinestro wasn’t going to get in its way. Instead, he redirected himself towards the routed forces, hoping to head them off and possibly create a solid line of defense.
The camel cut through the streets of the town, the wild panic of the population was apparent as people ran from their homes in terror. Some popped off un-aimed shots at the invaders as they fled, but even the militia of the city seemed wildly underprepared and unwilling to fight.
Sneering in frustration and disgust, the deputy lifted his rifle to his cheek and began firing at the ghouls that had taken the avenue, guiding the camel with his knees. They fell quickly and a torrent of unarmed civilians rushed away from the scene, shepherded by the few who actually carried weapons. Sinestro tilted his weapon up and held out shouted out, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Some of the confused people turned back, though everyone ignored him until he fired into a nearby street lamp. “I said, where are you going?!” he barked, his mustache curling as his features distorted in anger.
“We’re leading these people to safety!” one of the women said, brandishing her six shooter over her head with a steam-powered prosthetic arm. “We can’t just stay in the streets like this, its madness out here!”
“The best chance these people have is if we rally an effective defense,” the red-skinned man said calmly. “We need every gun we can get on the western side of town, along the rooftops and setting up barricades! We need choke points. If we don’t stop them from getting in, they’ll overwhelm us and pick every single one of you off, one by one.”
The woman stopped, glancing back and forth nervously. “Where the hell is Roland?” she demanded, as if it was an excuse to ignore Sinestro’s words.
“I don’t know, and right now it doesn’t matter.” His eyes became dower, and his face fell into a scowl. “It’s far too late to run, now. Rally everyone you can or I can promise you that you will die here, along with everyone you know.”
“And just who the hell are you to be bossing us around like that?” a man shouted from the center of the group, waving his arms around. “It’s not safe out here!”
Sinestro overturned the fabric of his poncho, revealing the golden star that was pinned on his chest. “I’m the law, stranger, and not one to be questioned much more that you already have.” He gestured with the butt of his rifle, reeled his camel and turned towards the oncoming wave of attackers. “Now get moving before I get shooting.”
Reluctantly, a few of the denizens steeled themselves and followed after him, clutching their feeble weapons tightly. Moving through the streets, Sinestro shouted commands at those few who would dare to bear arms, rallying scarce few more that were willing to stop running away and mount a defense. They scurried up to the tops of the buildings, taking cover in their height as they began to fire. A few others began were convinced to throw the contents of the local shops and houses into makeshift barricades, the haphazardly stack chairs and tables more capable of slowing a vehicle rather than stopping it.
All the while, attackers trickled in, flurries of frantic gunfire popping off from the nervously stalwart line of defenders. It wasn’t until a droid marched forward, its copper plating glinting in the sun and cruel yellow eyes glowing, that anything had made it past the hastily assembled defensive force.
“We got an HK!” one of the men shouted from the rooftops, moments before a bright red beam of blaster fire penetrated his chest and he fell to the ground, striking with a plume of dirt.
Terror once again ran through the ranks, several of the small force simply turning to run while the others abandoned their attack on the upcoming force and chose to focus their fire on the robot. The machine walked almost proudly through the road, blasting with amazing accuracy through the stucco and wooden rooftops, not wasting a second shot before he moved to the next target.
“Maintain your sectors of fire!” Sinestro shouted, again forced to shoulder his weapon. His call went unheeded, and another of the militia tumbled from their perch. Growling in frustration, the Deputy dismounted his camel, leaving it behind one of the buildings, and crept to the edge of his cover. Peeking around the corner, he spied the HK assassin droid a moment before it spotted him, and was able to duck back as another sizzling bolt of energy tore through the wooden frame.
“Mocking: you can’t hide forever,” the robot stated with a flat monotone that could only belong to a machine.
The lawman looked around frantically for a moment before laying his eyes on a barrel beside the old gun shop and grinned. “Don’t have to,” he muttered to himself, tipped over the cask and rolled it up to the edge of the building. He steadied the drum with his boot while he cocked his rifle, pushed up his hat, and readied himself.
With a deep breath, he kicked out the barrel, giving it a half-second lead before rounded the building with his rifle aimed high. The droid tracked the tottering object for a split second before it snapped back to Sinestro, too late to dodge the bullet that sank itself into the machine’s head. Sputtering a stream of sparks, the robot’s arms flailed around wildly, the blaster in its hand firing with every jerk and pull of its failing circuitry. It stamped forward, whatever semblance of its programming that remained commanding the thing without purpose as it went through its cybernetic death-throes.
“No,” Sinestro muttered as it wandered towards the barrel, the blaster still sporadically firing. “No, no!” he shouted, sprinting into the street, dodging an errant beam. He leapt through the air, tackling the malfunctioning HK droid to the ground, trying desperately to control its arm while it continued to issue shot after shot.
The deputy finally managed to wrest control over the machine’s wrist, but a moment too late. A beam struck the wooden barrel, and the super-heated plasma ignited the keg of gunpowder which erupted with a thunderous blast.
A wave of force washed over Sinestro, ripping him from the ground and carrying him across the dusty streets, terminating his flight with a harsh landing beyond the edge of town. He rolled to a stop, his ears ringing and face burned by the explosion, groaning as he gathered his senses.
He was not given long to recover as the rumble of an engine snapped his attention to the massive grill of a truck plowing towards him. Pushing himself with his arms and legs, he tossed himself from the vehicle’s path, though only by a few inches. Grunting, he rolled to his feet and pushed his dirty and bruised fingers into his mouth, whistling as hard as he could.
His camel rushed out from the relative safety of the town, bursting from the smoke and fire that the gunpowder had left behind. Reaching a hand out, Sinestro snatched the animal’s barding on the shoulder, swinging himself up into his saddle as the creature ran. A hail of bullets fell from the oncoming army of bandits, a few sinking into the animal’s haunches. It whined loudly but continued its sprint without faltering.
Rounding the truck, Sinestro’s eyes went wide when he recognized it. The craft continued onward into the city, easily smashing through the barricade the militia had constructed, swerving to a stop in an intersection. The truck was large, almost the size of a semi, its harsh angles and boxy appearance instantly recognizable. The aggressive steel-bumper, the external fuel reserve, the long, bordered flatbed (which now sported a mounted weapon of some kind), and even the olive drab paint were all identifying markers for the M809, and he knew that only one person could be inside.
Riding into the swirling chaos, a cloud of dust and grit washed over him, and visibility became scarce. Shadows lurched at the periphery of his vision, the echo of gunfire and screams seeming somehow distant as he drove himself further into the madness of the battle.
A bald-headed maniac sprinted in front of the lawbringer, a burning Molotov Cocktail in her hand and a wild grin on her face. She wound up to throw the bottle when Sinestro quickly fired, the glass exploding and a burst of fire and gasoline quickly consumed her. She screamed in a panic as the deputy continued to ride onward, his eyes locked on the titanic ape that rose above the battlefield.
The monstrous, cybernetic ape stomped around furiously, firing massive blasts of energy from its fanged maw. Explosions erupted as the beast’s blasts ignited one of their vehicles, and most of the oncoming assault had completely changed their path to avoid the creature. Still it raged on, scooping up one of the fighters, ripping them in half and hurling their still-screaming torso at one of their comrades. The legs were disdainfully spiked into the ground as the monster lifted one of its gigantic feet and brought it down on top of the wrecked buggy it had so recently destroyed.
Whatever the hell it was, it was pointed in the right direction and Sinestro wasn’t going to get in its way. Instead, he redirected himself towards the routed forces, hoping to head them off and possibly create a solid line of defense.
The camel cut through the streets of the town, the wild panic of the population was apparent as people ran from their homes in terror. Some popped off un-aimed shots at the invaders as they fled, but even the militia of the city seemed wildly underprepared and unwilling to fight.
Sneering in frustration and disgust, the deputy lifted his rifle to his cheek and began firing at the ghouls that had taken the avenue, guiding the camel with his knees. They fell quickly and a torrent of unarmed civilians rushed away from the scene, shepherded by the few who actually carried weapons. Sinestro tilted his weapon up and held out shouted out, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Some of the confused people turned back, though everyone ignored him until he fired into a nearby street lamp. “I said, where are you going?!” he barked, his mustache curling as his features distorted in anger.
“We’re leading these people to safety!” one of the women said, brandishing her six shooter over her head with a steam-powered prosthetic arm. “We can’t just stay in the streets like this, its madness out here!”
“The best chance these people have is if we rally an effective defense,” the red-skinned man said calmly. “We need every gun we can get on the western side of town, along the rooftops and setting up barricades! We need choke points. If we don’t stop them from getting in, they’ll overwhelm us and pick every single one of you off, one by one.”
The woman stopped, glancing back and forth nervously. “Where the hell is Roland?” she demanded, as if it was an excuse to ignore Sinestro’s words.
“I don’t know, and right now it doesn’t matter.” His eyes became dower, and his face fell into a scowl. “It’s far too late to run, now. Rally everyone you can or I can promise you that you will die here, along with everyone you know.”
“And just who the hell are you to be bossing us around like that?” a man shouted from the center of the group, waving his arms around. “It’s not safe out here!”
Sinestro overturned the fabric of his poncho, revealing the golden star that was pinned on his chest. “I’m the law, stranger, and not one to be questioned much more that you already have.” He gestured with the butt of his rifle, reeled his camel and turned towards the oncoming wave of attackers. “Now get moving before I get shooting.”
Reluctantly, a few of the denizens steeled themselves and followed after him, clutching their feeble weapons tightly. Moving through the streets, Sinestro shouted commands at those few who would dare to bear arms, rallying scarce few more that were willing to stop running away and mount a defense. They scurried up to the tops of the buildings, taking cover in their height as they began to fire. A few others began were convinced to throw the contents of the local shops and houses into makeshift barricades, the haphazardly stack chairs and tables more capable of slowing a vehicle rather than stopping it.
All the while, attackers trickled in, flurries of frantic gunfire popping off from the nervously stalwart line of defenders. It wasn’t until a droid marched forward, its copper plating glinting in the sun and cruel yellow eyes glowing, that anything had made it past the hastily assembled defensive force.
“We got an HK!” one of the men shouted from the rooftops, moments before a bright red beam of blaster fire penetrated his chest and he fell to the ground, striking with a plume of dirt.
Terror once again ran through the ranks, several of the small force simply turning to run while the others abandoned their attack on the upcoming force and chose to focus their fire on the robot. The machine walked almost proudly through the road, blasting with amazing accuracy through the stucco and wooden rooftops, not wasting a second shot before he moved to the next target.
“Maintain your sectors of fire!” Sinestro shouted, again forced to shoulder his weapon. His call went unheeded, and another of the militia tumbled from their perch. Growling in frustration, the Deputy dismounted his camel, leaving it behind one of the buildings, and crept to the edge of his cover. Peeking around the corner, he spied the HK assassin droid a moment before it spotted him, and was able to duck back as another sizzling bolt of energy tore through the wooden frame.
“Mocking: you can’t hide forever,” the robot stated with a flat monotone that could only belong to a machine.
The lawman looked around frantically for a moment before laying his eyes on a barrel beside the old gun shop and grinned. “Don’t have to,” he muttered to himself, tipped over the cask and rolled it up to the edge of the building. He steadied the drum with his boot while he cocked his rifle, pushed up his hat, and readied himself.
With a deep breath, he kicked out the barrel, giving it a half-second lead before rounded the building with his rifle aimed high. The droid tracked the tottering object for a split second before it snapped back to Sinestro, too late to dodge the bullet that sank itself into the machine’s head. Sputtering a stream of sparks, the robot’s arms flailed around wildly, the blaster in its hand firing with every jerk and pull of its failing circuitry. It stamped forward, whatever semblance of its programming that remained commanding the thing without purpose as it went through its cybernetic death-throes.
“No,” Sinestro muttered as it wandered towards the barrel, the blaster still sporadically firing. “No, no!” he shouted, sprinting into the street, dodging an errant beam. He leapt through the air, tackling the malfunctioning HK droid to the ground, trying desperately to control its arm while it continued to issue shot after shot.
The deputy finally managed to wrest control over the machine’s wrist, but a moment too late. A beam struck the wooden barrel, and the super-heated plasma ignited the keg of gunpowder which erupted with a thunderous blast.
A wave of force washed over Sinestro, ripping him from the ground and carrying him across the dusty streets, terminating his flight with a harsh landing beyond the edge of town. He rolled to a stop, his ears ringing and face burned by the explosion, groaning as he gathered his senses.
He was not given long to recover as the rumble of an engine snapped his attention to the massive grill of a truck plowing towards him. Pushing himself with his arms and legs, he tossed himself from the vehicle’s path, though only by a few inches. Grunting, he rolled to his feet and pushed his dirty and bruised fingers into his mouth, whistling as hard as he could.
His camel rushed out from the relative safety of the town, bursting from the smoke and fire that the gunpowder had left behind. Reaching a hand out, Sinestro snatched the animal’s barding on the shoulder, swinging himself up into his saddle as the creature ran. A hail of bullets fell from the oncoming army of bandits, a few sinking into the animal’s haunches. It whined loudly but continued its sprint without faltering.
Rounding the truck, Sinestro’s eyes went wide when he recognized it. The craft continued onward into the city, easily smashing through the barricade the militia had constructed, swerving to a stop in an intersection. The truck was large, almost the size of a semi, its harsh angles and boxy appearance instantly recognizable. The aggressive steel-bumper, the external fuel reserve, the long, bordered flatbed (which now sported a mounted weapon of some kind), and even the olive drab paint were all identifying markers for the M809, and he knew that only one person could be inside.
![[Image: sig2.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/KrimTheUnsettler/sig2.jpg)