Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I grip Raven One’s controls with sweaty palms as dawn’s glow fades behind me, replaced by the ominous silhouette of Death’s Tail.

The canyons twist into a tight bottleneck, jagged rock spires clawing at the sky. Every nerve in me is on high alert. My HUD flickers with sensor readouts streaming data about suspicious heat signatures or possible ambush hideaways.

The world around me clangs and rumbles, from the heavy transports behind me following Durand’s caravan route to the subtle whir of Raven One’s motors. Over the open comm, I hear Durand ordering his bodyguards to stay frosty. They do a decent job of sounding tough, but tension threads their voices.

Tabitha’s voice loops through my helmet. “If I had to rate this place on a tourist website, I’d give it negative stars. Seriously, a canyon choke point named Death’s Tail? You’d expect them to serve pina coladas, at least.”

I release a snort that only half hides my nerves. “Guess a cutthroat ambush pass doesn’t come with a complimentary drink.”

“It should. Screw up the opponents’ reaction times for a few credits? It would be genius.”

I scan the HUD clutter. The canyon walls are steep, almost vertical, and my sensors detect the faint shimmer of metal behind the crags, likely salvage from old fights. More haunting, I spot the twisted remains of vehicles lodged in a rocky alcove. A rusty truck, half a dozen collapsed speeders, and the burnt frames of at least two small mechs.

The bodies are probably still in them. Possibly nothing but bones at this point, though I’d hate to crack them open and find out you could still smell them.

My gut churns. Someone else came through here and didn’t make it out. My readouts confirm residual ballistic scarring, which means a big fight happened recently.

Yup, they would definitely be ripe.

The caravan behind me draws closer, engines echoing oddly in the canyon’s confined acoustics. Durand’s voice crackles across the comm. “Talon, keeping an eye out up there?”

I flick a comm toggle. “All clear so far.” Tension bleeds into my tone because my sensors say we are not alone. There’s a jolt in my chest as I pick up an enormous mass signature ahead. Something big, heavy, and definitely not one of ours.

“David,” Tabitha warns. “I’m intercepting scanning pulses from up the pass. Could be a large mech using an improvised radar sweep. You might want to be ready to dodge.”

My throat feels dry. “Acknowledged.” Mentally, I square my shoulders. My heart hammers with an electric mix of adrenaline and dread.

We round a bend, hugging the edge of the canyon where the rock juts out in a precarious shelf. Suddenly, my sensors flare white-hot. The silhouette of an immense war machine lumbers into view, stepping out from behind a massive boulder.

Its haphazard paint job displays crude silhouettes stenciled across its chest plating, tiny shapes that look disturbingly like kill tallies. Vehicles, mechs, even clusters of humans. Probably forty or more. My stomach lurches to see so many, some scrawled over in red paint. Proof that this monster has racked up a serious body count.

“Holy hell,” I mutter tightly.

Durand’s voice pulses through the comm, harsh with alarm. “Talon! We don’t have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with that brute.”

He’s right. This thing is monstrous, easily twice Raven One’s height and three times as wide. Probably stands sixteen to eighteen feet tall. Chain guns bristle off its broad shoulders, lined with ballistic plating thick enough to shrug off small ordnance. The right arm is a rotating cannon array, and the left is fitted with a blocky missile launcher. Ugly but lethal.

I swallow, scanning the readouts on my HUD. Tabitha’s voice is steady, but I sense her tension. “Yep, that’s an oversized can of doom. If I had eyelids, I’d be shutting them right now.”

Durand’s bodyguards scramble to form a perimeter, the roar of truck engines echoing in the canyon. However, we all know a small band of foot soldiers can’t stand up to that thing’s chain guns. Durand cracks in again. “We’re calling for backup, but nobody’ll get here in time.”

Of course. So, it’s us or no one. A tremor of fear curls under my ribs, but I push it aside. “Tabitha. Any bright ideas?”

She replies calmly. “I’ve got geometry mapped. Aim for the left thigh actuator. That ballistic plating is thick, but the actuator seam looks like a structural weak point. One precise railgun shot might cripple the limb. Then, we pick it apart.”

I flex my fingers around the controls. “I love it when you talk math,” I respond, trying to keep my voice light. “Brace me.”

“Heh, don’t get yourself turned into red paste first,” she quips. “We got this, Talon. Lock in and fuck him up.”

“Could be a girl,” I mention before deciding which way to run.

“She’d paint it pink to fuck with her enemies about how many she’d killed.”

“You have a point. Probably a him.” I grit my teeth and spin Raven One sideways, letting the thrusters boost me into a loping stride. The giant mech roars, and a chain gun spool clanks ominously. Then, it opens fire. Rounds ping off the canyon walls in a storm of shrapnel. My cockpit rattles, and dust cascades from overhead ledges.

Vanguard paints a predicted bullet arc across my visor, and I shift Raven One behind a jagged outcrop, letting half the chain-gun volley chew into stone.

“Sonofabitch!” I sputter. “Is all that internal space dedicated to ordnance?”

The enemy mech stomps forward, shaking the canyon floor. Over comms, I hear some of Durand’s men shouting curses, a few yelling orders to find cover. Meanwhile, the hulk is locked onto me, apparently deciding the eight-foot mech is the real threat.

Not sure I’m happy being considered dangerous enough to be respected. I have noodle arms , I want to tell him.

“Don’t let it get a bead on you,” Tabitha hisses. “They have full auto. Keep moving.”

I dash to the left, thrusters whining. The next volley from the mech’s chain guns grazes the place where I just stood, rock shards exploding in all directions. I fight the impulse to freeze up, letting muscle memory and Vanguard’s prompts take over. One step, two steps, I close the gap, shifting from cover to cover. Shell casings from the giant mech clink to the ground like hail.

My heart’s pounding so hard I can hear it. “Tabi, line me up.” I toggle the railgun from standby to active. The charge indicator climbs. As soon as it hits the safe zone, I need to shoot.

She hums. “Wait for it. We want a clear shot of that actuator. If you slam plating, we’ll only piss it off.”

“Like he isn’t already?” I ask her.

The giant mech stomps sideways, evidently trying to track me. Its missile launcher swivels and I see the flicker of a targeting laser across the canyon. My breath catches. The entire caravan is in that laser’s path. No way.

I slam the controls, boosting Raven One over a fallen rock spire. My thrusters push me into midair. The missile pods open, and a pair of rockets flares to life, streaking toward me. “Damn it,” I whisper.

Tabitha’s voice rattles in my ear. “Dive now!”

I kill forward thrusters mid-leap, letting Raven One stall. The rockets zip overhead. One slams into the canyon ledge behind me in a deafening boom, raining down chunks of stone. I land in a crouch, the mech’s knees absorbing the impact. A wave of dust engulfs me.

After a split second’s pause, the chain guns spool again. I scramble along the canyon floor, ignoring my churning stomach. The rails on the giant’s shoulders spin up, launching another stream of bullets. My armor warning pings. A few shells slam Raven One’s plating, glancing hits that jolt me in the cockpit. The readouts flicker, but we hold up.

There’s my chance. The actuator seam is visible. The big lug has turned enough to partially expose the left thigh. Tabitha’s geometry overlay checks off in green. “That’s it,” she murmurs. “Squeeze the trigger.”

“On it.” My gaze locks on the targeting reticle. Time seems to slow as I press down. The railgun whines, an electric hiss that resonates through Raven One’s frame, then unleashes a tungsten slug. Recoil slams my cockpit as a bright streak lances from the barrel, slicing across the enemy’s plating.

The shot hits dead-on, exactly where Tabitha predicted, with a spectacular shower of sparks. A tortured groan of metal rings out as the mech tries to pivot on its compromised leg. The joint grinds in protest.

Then, the sweet, sweet sound of metal across a rock face. Horrible to listen to unless it means the mech is going down.

I laugh fiercely, adrenaline spiking. “Yes!” But the giant mech doesn’t immediately fall. “Fuck!”

Battle really gets your blood pumping.

It limps, pivoting on the wounded leg. The ballistic plating near the hips looks slagged, but the pilot’s forcing it to keep fighting. The canyon floor trembles under its stomping.

Tabitha’s voice is jubilant. “Great shot, but we need more. Let me see if—hold on, it’s shifting weight. Watch for a counter!”

The giant tries to realign the missile launcher. I roll left and spot a massive boulder near the mech’s foot. The pilot steps awkwardly on it, struggling for balance, actuator seized up. The war machine stumbles and teeters. Then, in a teeth-rattling slam, it collapses backward in a cloud of dust and rock fragments.

“Hell yeah,” I mutter. My breathing grows ragged as I watch the monstrous thing sprawl, chain guns whirring uselessly. Another tremor shakes the ground when its torso slams the canyon floor. I keep Raven One’s railgun aimed at the downed mech, uncertain if it’s still capable of firing.

Durand erupts over comms, his tone layered with shock and relief. “Talon, good God, man. You actually felled that monster. Are we clear?”

I keep my eyes on the mech. “Stand by.” The giant is down but not necessarily out. “Tabitha, talk to me.”

She exhales a theatrical sigh. “Actuator is shot, main servo drive is probably wrecked. If the pilot’s smart, they’ll bail. If they’re not, they might try to take potshots from the ground.”

The chain guns are spooling, but they’re jammed at a weird angle. The ballistic plating near the cockpit is half twisted, revealing a glimpse of the internal structure. My breath hitches. “We can’t leave them to follow us,” I announce flatly. “If we turn our backs, they’ll salvage or come after us eventually. Or worse, call in buddies.”

I flick over to the short-range open frequency. “You in that mech, stand down,” I bark, though I suspect they won’t. The only response is a sputter of static and the whine of motors. The big machine tries to raise an arm, maybe to realign its chain gun.

“Nope.” I grit my teeth.

Tabitha’s voice is oddly subdued. “Do it. You know you have to.”

I manage a shallow nod, swallowing a surge of regret. Then, I squeeze the trigger, sending a tungsten slug through the cockpit plating. The shot rips through the metal with a reverberating clang . The chain gun sputters and falls silent. My sensors pick up a flicker of sparks from inside.

The pilot is done.

An aching hush falls over the canyon. My HUD reads no further movement from the fallen giant. I grit my teeth and push away the guilt. We gave them a chance. They made their choice. A bead of sweat trickles down my temple.

“You got them,” Tabitha whispers. “No more pursuit.”

I release a ragged exhale. “Durand, the big mech’s neutralized.”

An eruption of cheers from Durand’s entourage drifts over comms. They’re relieved, obviously. On my sensors, the caravan’s main transport shifts forward, resuming its route now that the path is clear. Durand’s voice is calm again, though slightly breathless. “Talon, I can’t believe it. That monster’s killed dozens. We’re moving on.”

Despite the sense of victory, something in my chest twists. People died at that pilot’s hands, but maybe they believed they were unstoppable like we do. Either way, I can’t let the caravan be next. I can’t let them reassemble the war machine and track us down.

I spot an external missile rack half-lodged near the mech’s left shoulder. A chunk of plating blocks part of it. If I leave it, someone might salvage the munitions. Tech like that can come back to bite us. “Tabi, I’m going to secure a few pieces, make sure this thing stays down.”

She hums. “Be quick. Durand’s guys are rolling onward.”

I wipe sweat from my brow and approach the fallen mech, stepping carefully to avoid the hazard of unstable plating. Raven One’s servo arms whir as I pry off a half-intact panel, snagging a few small, intact circuit boards. They look advanced enough that Sparks might appreciate them. Maybe we can glean some data or integrate them into future thruster upgrades.

Next, I spot the partially intact missile launcher. Even from the outside, I see the warheads are cracked and stacked precariously. Danger waiting to happen.

I pop Raven One’s storage compartment and fish out a small explosive charge, an improvised bomb with a timed fuse.

Tabitha warns, “Set it for short. We do not need that big a blast.”

She’s right. The huge missiles could blow this canyon sky-high if triggered incorrectly.

I clamber up the war machine’s shoulder and brace Raven One’s left foot while hooking the bomb onto the external missile rack. My motions are brisk, my hands trembling from the lingering adrenaline. “Timer set,” I remark. “Three seconds after I press detonate. Let’s bounce.”

The second I release the magnet clasp, I back off, thrusters flaring to get me off that hulking corpse. Stone dust swirls around me as I do a half-twist before slamming to the ground on the canyon floor, lunging into a bounding sprint. “Detonating,” I warn on the main channel, flipping the switch on my wrist console.

The timer beeps a countdown. Three, two, one, then a dull roar explodes behind me. The shock wave spatters the canyon walls with more dust and metal shards. The giant mech’s torso erupts in a violent fireball. Rocks tumble from the sides of the pass, and the ground rumbles under Raven One’s feet.

I hiss in fear that the entire pass might collapse. Fortunately, only a scattering of loose debris rains down, the canyon mostly stable. I press forward, bounding away from the wreck in a swirl of dust.

I skid around a bend and spot Durand’s lead transport a few hundred meters ahead, waiting with the rest of the caravan. They’ve slowed to confirm I’m still in one piece. My breathing is raspy from that wild dash, but I manage a grin. We did it, and no reinforcements in sight. At least for now. The thickening smoke and settling dust will make pursuit nearly impossible.

Tabitha’s voice warms with approval. “Smooth move. So much for that killer machine. Kinda wish you’d prepped a banner that said ‘Don’t mess with Talon,’ but hey, maybe next time.”

I stifle a ragged laugh, covering the last distance to the caravan. One of Durand’s guards raises a hand in greeting, relief clear on his soot-streaked face. Durand himself stands by the hatch of the main transport, one foot perched on the bumper, a clear sign of exasperation or shaky adrenaline. The moment I stop Raven One by the convoy, Durand yells, “You all right, kid?”

“Still alive.” My voice crackles over the external amplifier. “We’d better keep moving. That explosion might attract other vultures.”

He nods, jabbing a thumb at the canyon exit. “Let’s get out of this damned corridor.” His dismissive tone is absent now, his words brimming with half-swallowed awe. I sense new respect in him. Only a day ago, he seemed unimpressed by my smaller rig. Now, after we took down a giant, he’s reconsidering every assumption he made about me.

We push deeper along Death’s Tail. The canyon narrows further, but with the massive war mech destroyed, no more catastrophes lurk beyond the next bend. At least, none that show up on my sensor sweeps.

My nerves remain on edge, though. Tabitha’s, too. Occasionally, she pings me with a note about scanning for potential leftover mines or hidden turrets. The readouts remain clear, save for the drifting smoke. Evidence of our fight or maybe of the ones fought here before.

A half-hour later, the canyon yawns into a wide stretch of dunes tinted red by the rising sun. Durand’s caravan fans out, freed from the claustrophobic rock walls. Cheers ripple through his ranks, an impromptu celebration. I release a tension I didn’t realize I still held, letting my shoulders sag against the cockpit seat. My heart rate decelerates. We made it.

Durand hails me via the comm. “Talon, well done. I’m adding a hazard pay bonus. Not sure you can spend it if you’re dead, but I’d prefer you alive to spend it at my bars.”

“Appreciate it.” I grin and chuckle. “Remember, giant-wrangling fees are extra.”

Tabitha snickers in my headset. “Damn straight.”

We press on. With Death’s Tail behind us, the route to Durand’s trade station should be smoother. The tension remains, a leftover coil of adrenaline and the knowledge that the path might never be truly safe. For now, the biggest threat is behind us, a monstrous mech that boasted more kills than the total number of enemies I’ve faced. A mech we left in scorched pieces on the canyon floor, courtesy of one well-placed railgun shot and a last-ditch bomb.

Raven One’s servo motors hum, adjusting to the sand. My HUD updates. System stable, minor superficial damage from bullet impacts, but everything holds together. My gaze flickers to the side panel, where I stashed the scavenged circuit boards from the giant’s remains. Sparks might find a goldmine there. Maybe she’ll crack open new ideas for Raven One’s next evolution.

“Hey,” Tabitha interrupts. “You good? Vitals show you’re kind of riding a spike-and-crash wave.”

I release a long breath, letting the desert air fill my lungs as I open my visor after the hiss of the seal, even if it tastes like ash. I’m alive. We’re safe. “Yeah, Tabi. I’ll manage,” I whisper, not wanting Durand’s men to overhear. “This one was pretty bad, but we pulled through.”

She hums sympathetically. “You did great. Let’s hope the rest of this caravan job is less apocalyptic.”

I close my eyes for half a second, adrenaline receding into a shaky calm. Then, I refocus on the horizon. “Amen to that.”

The desert stretches ahead, and I can almost see the flicker of Durand’s station in the far distance. Soon, we’ll unload the cargo, get paid big, and hopefully move on without more bloodshed. Yet the memory of that towering war mech covered in kill tallies will stick with me. Another sign that the galaxy doesn’t show mercy to the unprepared.

In a sense, I guess that’s why I built Raven One. To prove we can fight bigger monsters. With Tabitha’s unwavering loyalty and a willingness to risk everything, even planting bombs on a downed mech, maybe we can handle whatever waits next. My lips quirk in a tired smile as I lead the caravan safely through the desert dunes. One giant mech down, uncountable threats to go, but at least for this mission, we live to fight another day.

Tabitha’s final note is a playful whisper. “We rock, David.”

I nod. “Yeah, Tabi. We do.”

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