Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Honor Against Invid ❯ A Quest mired in Wreckage ( Chapter 3 )

Kharn's shots bounced harmlessly off the Invid Scout's armor, but he achieved his desired effect. The Scout, perturbed by the fire, turned to see what was firing at it, delaying the smoldering fire that would have incinerated young Josen. But the other Scout, having seen Kharn's charge, lunged to strike at him with its' pincer arm. Kharn ran swiftly, dodging to his right, and with all his agility, he leaped forward, knocking Josen out of the way as behind him, the ground trembled as the Scout's arm gouged a deep hole in its' attempt to kill Kharn.

Kharn sheltered Josen as debris fell down on them. For a moment, Kharn felt pride for his son. The young boy wasn't whimpering or crying in the face of death. On the contrary, Josen's eyes were fixed clearly and deadly upon the two members of the Zentraedi's most hated enemy. There is Zentraedi blood in him after all, Kharn thought, pleased with this revelation.

Suddenly, a loud explosion occurred directly behind father and son. Kharn turned to see the first Scout in flames as another missile roared toward it, impacting it violently on its' midsection. Then another missile, then a third flew at the enflamed and enraged Invid Scout. But the intense detonations blew the Invid Scout back against its' partner, forcing the pair into a wrecked cruiser where the first Scout exploded in a fireball.

Kharn looked to see Stromer standing near an overturned Guardian-mode Alpha, a depleted rocket launcher in his hands. Jace fell forward, wincing in obvious pain as he dropped the rocket launcher. Scooping up Josen, Kharn ran over to Jace.

Wheezing hard, Jace barely had enough breath to utter, "I saw...I saw..." He pointed at the Invid.

Kharn laid Josen down in front of Jace. He said forcefully, "Take him. Get yourselves to safety. I'll handle the other one."

From the burning wreckage emerged the other Armored Scout, its' red sensor eye ablaze with fury.

"Go!" Kharn yelled as he scrambled back up, unleashing a quick volley of shots at the Scout from his Gallant H-90.

"C'mon kid," Jace said, grabbing hold of Josen. Josen witnessed the furious anger and fierceness of his father as Jace lead him back to their camp.

Kharn kept up the fire, but the Scout wasted little time. Glowing tips arose from its' cannons. As annihilation discs flew, Kharn veered off at full speed down a side-alley created by twisted wrecks of robotech mecha. Burning hulks and gouged pieces of mecha vaporized under the Invid's fire. But Kharn kept running, twisting and dodging his way through the maze of charred machinery.

Engaging its' thrusters, the Invid Scout barreled its' way through the maze, completely shattering a brittle Beta fighter. Sensing movement, the Scout fired blindly ahead and down the twisted lane. Kharn, feeling the approaching heat from the ever-closing annihilation discs, mustered a little more speed. Just ahead, blocking his path, was a green-colored severed head of an Alpha. With burnt mecha exploding into pieces behind him, Kharn jumped atop the Alpha's head. He leaped as the annihilation discs reached him, destroying the Alpha's head from underneath him. The explosive force sent him hurtling forward, but years of training saved him as he barely managed to tuck and roll upon landing on the hardned ground.

His eyes ablaze, his heart pounding with the rhythms of life, Kharn felt more alive now than ever. The Imperative filled his alien veins and battle called to him. His senses were alert as he quickly took in his surroundings. He had landed in a rough circular clearing, but he could hear the whinning of the Scout's thrusters as it tore its' way through the wreckage, searching for him.

Kharn quickly sought the cover provided by a severed Battloid thruster foot that was partly forced into the ground. He slid underneath the V-shaped awning of the giant robot foot just as the Invid Scout burst through into the clearing, sending debris flying outward. The Scout paced cautiously around the clearing, its' red sensor eye taking in every detail.

Kharn waited patiently, but eagerness filled his soul. The Scout walked the length of the the clearing, but Kharn was waiting for the right moment. Then it came. The Scout paused, swiveling around. Taking careful aim, Kharn tensed up as he saw his target: the red sensor eye. Sweat beaded on him as he waited for the Invid to stop swiveling. Finally, he saw an opening and took his shot. But the volley deflected just to the side of the sensor eye. The Scout, stunned by the abrupt fire, was also temporarily blinded. Cursing beneath his breath, Kharn quickly slid out the other end of the thruster foot as the Invid regained its' senses and vaporized the mecha foot with annihilation discs.

Kharn zigzaged through the wasted battlefield until he realized that this certain section looked familiar to him. Sure enough, up ahead was Jace's old Alpha fighter, its' blue nose still plunged into the ground. Kharn smiled a wicked smile.

Wasting no time, Kharn leaped into the cockpit. From his cursorary examination of the fighter when he first found Jace, Kharn knew that some of the Alpha's weapon systems were still operational. Though changing modes was completely out of the question, Kharn smiled when a certain system's lights flared to life. Up ahead, the Invid Scout came into view. It walked at a fast pace towards Kharn's position.

"Come on, come on. A little closer demon. That's it," Kharn said slyly as the Scout drew closer.

Guessing at the range, Kharn flipped up the toggle switch on the Alpha's stick and pushed the button. Behind him, the blue missile pods atop the Alpha's fusalage opened. Kharn yelled out his war cry as a flurry of missiles launched, streaking towards the suprised Scout. It didn't have a chance.

Mutilple explosions rocked across the Scout's body until it vanished in a firey ball of death. Kharn looked on, a grim but satisfied look upon his face.

"We have to leave soon," Kharn said, stalking back into the cargo pod.

Jace was reclined against a bulkhead wall, a pained expression on his face. "Well, glad to see you too. Glad you're alive," he said sarcastically.

Kharn glared at Jace, but said nothing as he laid his Gallant down and sat down on metal pallet.

"Oh, in case you are wondering, your boy's alright too," Jace added as a sour footnote.

Kharn looked wistfully at the slumped form of his son, Josen. The boy lay on the far side of the hold on another pallet, his chest moving in a rhythm indicative of sleep. Kharn said, "I am proud. He carried himself like a true Zentraedi out there."

"You mean, instead of doing the reasonable thing like finding cover or running, he stood there, ready for death," Jace inquired.

"You wouldn't understand Stromer. Battle is a way of life for a Zentraedi. The only true life."

Leaning forward, though it strained his chest, Jace said, "Well, I hate to disillusion you, but while you were fulfilling your lust for combat, Josen was in here crying. I don't blame him." Jace held a sympathetic look. "He's just a kid. He could have died out there today."

"Thank you for your assistance," Kharn said, making it sound like a perfunctory statement.

Jace merely nodded. Kharn continued, "But I'm sure Josen will outgrow such weaknesses."

"Human weaknesses, you mean," Jace intoned.

Kharn stared at Jace for a few moments, his eyes holding little emotion. Finally, he said, "I cannot fault him for his upbringing. But I can try to make him understand his other heritage, a heritage that, despite some people's views, he should feel no shame over."

With that said, Kharn leaned forward to start the campfire, his face and jaw clenched tight. Jace saw that it would be fruitless to argue the point anymore. So, he asked, "How soon do you want to leave? I do feel better today. That poultice of yours did work. I can probably travel within the day or two."

Kharn stirred the slumbering flames. "Thanks to those Scouts, the Regis probably knows of our presence here though I doubt she knows specifically who we are. Like she would care anyway. But Josen and I are leaving within the next day or so. Where you go is up to you."

It took a few minuted for Kharn's words to sink in. He said, "Hey, I know I may have been a little presumptous, but my base is gone. My unit is gone. Where else am I gonna to go?"

The fire grew under Kharn's guidance. "Don't mistake my words Stromer. I am indebted to you for the service you rendered for my son. But we are on a quest, you see."

A curious look crossed Jace's face. "What kind of quest?"

"Tell me, where is the nearest Invid hive?"

The subtle but powerful tone of Kharn's question raised the cackles on the back of Jace's neck. He asked, "Why do you want to know?"

Kharn leaned back, the campfire ablaze. The light carved harsh tones on Kharn's scarred and weathered face, making him appear as some ancient demon from the depths of the earth come to life. He said calmly but with firm intention, "Our quest is one of vengeance. Of vengeance and death."