Sweat prickled around the edges of Kyles eyes. The heat inside his suit of armour was oppressive, like a humid summer day that reached down his throat trying to strangle the recycled air from his lungs. Behind Kyles head the twin micro fusion generators that powered his armour emitted a hum that would have been deafening if not for the custom headset he wore. His back tingled with an itch he had wanted to scratch for over an hour but could reach in the tiny compartment he sat in. In front of his eyes flickered thin holographic projection screens giving Kyle a real time overhead view of the battlefield as well as a solid view of what was ahead, and with the flick of his hand, what was behind him.
His armour was a wonder of engineering that was centuries more advanced then anything else on the planet. Both arms had fully articulating hands that were capable of twisting solid steel bars like they were wet noodles. Coaxial machine lasers and flamethrowers were mounted above the hands. Fed by twin lines leading from the reactors they were Kyles primary offensive weapons. Turning the suits head Kyle muttered to himself about the limited forward view caused by the bulky shoulder mounted rocket pods. Deadly weapons in their own right but against the enemy he was fighting they were all but useless. Created from modified blue prints found in the data banks of a crashed alien space craft there should have been nothing on earth capable of fighting it.
Over the radio the voices of Kyles unit crackled, many of them in a panic. Half had been wiped out already and the others were making a desperate fighting retreat to the rally point. With the loss of their commanding officer unit cohesion had been shot. Tail twitching Kyle activated his com unit.
Otters, listen up! We need to form a fire line by the Shell fuelling station. Buttercup, use your mobile kinetic barrier emitters to guard the left flank. Flora, Mosswood, well lay down a suppressive fire along the road. Hopefully that will give Peaches and Salmon time to disengage from the enemy.
Under the four ton feet of his armour the road trembled. Tongue licking his nose Kyle hoped he was doing the right thing. He looked at the unit assessment again and winced as one of the lights from Duke Wildwaves squad wink out. At almost the same time there was a flash and large explosion that sent a squat three-story building tumbling down in a pillar of smoke and debris.
Rest in peace brave Otter, you did your duty, Kyle said to himself running his fingers over the triggers for his weapons.
Forest Knight, on your right! Buttercup screamed the warning almost too late.
Feet grinding into the road Kyle swung his bulk unit pressing all the triggers for his weapons at once. Mini-guns screeching a high pitched whine spat a stream of dark ruby fire into the bakery across the street. He barely had time to recognize the black and white figure that had been wiping out their unit since the fight had started.
A huge bulky man by most peoples standards he was still vastly shorter then the ten foot tall armour Kyle hid inside. That didnt stop him from putting a shoulder to the armour and in a deft move lifting it over his head. Cursing Kyle did the only thing he could; he launched all of his rockets.
Shrieking from their tubes they had barely flown before impacting on the ground around the man that had picked Kyle up. Even through the protective layers of his armour Kyle felt the jarring impacts as the rockets detonated. The world spun and then it plunged into darkness as for the first time the twin reactors went silent. Bereft of power the armour slammed to the ground making Kyles teeth rattle.
Son of a
Kyle muttered to himself as he reached for the manual pump handle to re-spin the reactors up. As fast as he could he pumped the handle cursing to himself for being caught off guard. Out his suit explosions pierced the air for several moments that were followed by a chilling silence. The reactors whined for a half second then sputtered out completely spent. Roaring with frustration Kyle redoubled his efforts pumping the handle with twice the vigour.
After several minutes pumping and silence he gave up burying his face in his paws. He knew he should have been thankful that the reactors hadnt lost containment and exploded like so many others had. Kyle was going to have to kill the fool who designed the reactors without a safety mechanism to prevent an uncontained explosion. If he ever got back to the colony.
Come on Kyle, youre the Forest Knight. You can make it! He said to himself, but in the cramped cockpit and silent void the words sounded hollow.
Reaching beneath his seat Kyle lifted the release for his escape hatch. It sputtered for a moment, mangled gears protesting, then slowly ground open. Light splashed into Kyles face and he had to shield his eyes to prevent himself from being blinded. In the distance he heard the deep rumble of an explosion. To his relief they sounded like rockets from the pitch and tone.
Standing on the smouldering body of his armour Kyle looked around at the devastation the short battle had created. Where only a short while before had been a street bustling with people was now a series of scared building and rubble. Cars had been overturned and others burnt by weapons fire sprayed from the weapons used by the self described Otter Horde. There were very few human bodies. Kyle and all the other pilots had received strike orders to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Given the losses they had received once the human heroes had arrived Kyle wondered if they shouldnt had just gone with their weapons free instead of having to carefully plan their shots to avoid accidentally hitting innocents.
The remains of his unit surrounded Kyle. Buttercups Guardian Class armour trailed thick streams of acrid smoke from the sockets where its arms had been pulled out. From inside the suit the flickering light of a fire could be seen. Kyle prayed she had ejected, but knew it wasnt likely. Only a blackened crater remained where Mosswood had been standing. Kyle swore wiping the sweat from his brow. Mosswood had been a good soldier, just barely old enough to join the Horde. There was no sign of what had happened to Flora.
Tears were coming to fast into Kyles eyes and for the first time since being given the gift of heightened intelligence he did not fight them.
What did we do to deserve this? he shouted at the uncaring clouds.
It had been the humans who had instigated the war, sneaking into the Otters home and killing dozens of pups and the mothers that had tried to protect them. All because the Otters had made a home of the sunken alien ship. The humans wanted the advanced technology and did everything they could to steal it. In retaliation and as a last desperate act the Mother, the artificial intelligence that operated the ship, had granted all her knowledge and intelligence to a single Otter. The Queen they called her now. She had spread her gift to the rest of the colony and those others that lived nearby to create a secrete kingdom. Her sole purpose was to regain the technology that had been stolen.
But the cost had become too high. Dazed Kyle wandered over to Buttercups armour.
He had intended to give her a clam, the Otter equivalent of proposing marriage. Kyle leaned against the foot his small body racked with open sobs. In his mind he had let himself imagine the two of them growing old, watching their pups play and scamper across the rocky beaches or swim among the reeds. Gone now, stolen away by a random instant of chance. She shouldnt have been there. If only she had stayed behind to guard the colony from any further intrusions.
Behind him Kyle heard the sounds of boots on gravel and in the distance the wail of ambulances. Reaching for the service revolver strapped around his waste Kyle turned.
You! he gasped.
It was a human woman that stood over him. A sadness had filled her ice blue eyes and bits of dirt and pavement were stuck in her platinum blonde hair. Like the other human she wore a tight fitting costume, blue and white with a splash of red across her chest. She kneeled down in front of Kyle so the two of them were close to eye level.
What are you doing here? Kyle sputtered taking a step backwards, his revolver shaking in his paws. M.I. placed you in England.
You can talk? the woman said scrunching her brows together and reaching for Kyle like she was going to pick him up.
Of course I can talk! Kyle barked indignantly skipping backwards to stay out of the womans reach. She stopped tilting her head to one side. Honestly, you sapiens think youre the sole purveyors of speech. Its insulting.
Kyle recognized the woman as Tundara. In the reports and threat assesments given she had been rated the highest, higher then the man who had wiped out Kyles entire unit.
Why did you do this? she asked sitting back to watch the Otter with a keen gaze.
Because you attacked us! Kyle spat still stepping back. Maybe if he could get a little more distance between himself and her hed be able to make a run for the water front. It was a faint hope. Shed easily be able to catch up to him.
Confusion crossed the womans face and Kyle regretted his quick tongue. He had been taught not to reveal anything to the enemy and in the first few seconds he had already said too much.
Oh no, youre not going to trick me, not again. Kyle quickly said backing up farther so he pressed his back against the hot side of Buttercups mangled armour. No, I still have my honour and my duty.
What are you going on about, the woman asked even more confused.
You want me to tell you all about us. Where we live and our plans. Well, I wont, I wont. Panic was griping Kyle, the ancestral instincts to run away from the humans almost overwhelming all of his sensibilities. He looked over his shoulder to Buttercups armour trying to remind himself what was at stake and to stand firm.
Come with me. Maybe we can find someone to look after you and take you home. Or
She was babbling, just saying meaningless words. Kyle wondered if she was just trying to by time, or was there a grain of sincerity. In the end he realised it didnt matter.
We were going to be joined, Kyle muttered pressing the side of his head against the armour. An Otter should die with honour. Kyle quoted. It was one of the first lines he had been taught. He wondered if his was still intact. His unit was dead because of him. They had lost the battle. No, his honour was no more then shreds. The grief, the complete sense off loss tugged at Kyles heart.
I am sorry, Buttercup, Kyle said.
Placing the gun to his head Kyle pulled the trigger.
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Heya guys, and thanks for reading! This story just came to me last night after playing my MM; The Otter Queen (Bots/FF). The idea really started after a session of PvP in Sirens a few weeks back but it never really gained traction until today.
The other characters were Orca from my other stories and Tundara, my main. Hope it was an enjoyable read.
=^_^=
