The Track of the Pocket Miner
Page 9
Ride of the Valkyries
Barjhel Gip is one aggrivated Eli sumbitch right about now. "First its da Fabio's pilotin'. Then an uppity plant decides me be a nice light snack. "Guessed wrong didntcha you green blooded pecan! Then the track takes off before me can do anyfing. I tells ya its just one of those days."
"Well dis is a fine mess! If
yez knows whats good fer ya, save a brewski fer Barjhel Stinkin'
poncy-arsed humie thinks he can mess wif me!" The red haze
of the beserker rage clouds Barjhel's sight as the damned track
roars off into the dust cloud. He grinds his teeth and spits out
a particularly horrible Eli curse, for which, thankfully there is
no translation. His temples are throbbing in time to the
"Ride of the Valkyries" which is playing full bast
through his headset. He fires his jetpack and soars high over the
dust cloud. The track has left the wood and is accelerating
rapidly over the open grasslands between the woods.
"TAKE THIS YOU TERRIE SUMBITCH! EAT HOT DEATH!" -ZOT-ZAP- ZOT! "GET SOME! GET SOME!" He screams as he swoops like a crazed Dik-dik bird, his pistols blazing. The ugly snout of the track's machine gun swivels around and spits fire. Jinking and jogging, "Crack, crack, crack" the sound of heavy cone rifle bullets snapping past, he flies like an angel. He is a god! Crack, another bullet zips past. They can't touch him. Crack, crack. He feels only the slightest of resistance as he slips through the screen and lands lightly on top of the careening vehicle. He fires both pistols full auto at the weapons turret. The track's screen flares.
But the combat maddened Eli has forgotten one thing. The track's Waldos extend to their full length and come slipping over the sides. Barjhel is dancing to stay upright on top of the jolting Wombat. He sees the right side Waldo in time to dodge. The robot arm's horrible claw snaps inches from Barjhel's face. But the left side claw has fastened firmly on his leg. In a terrible moment of clarity, the Eli realizes that, if the claws don't tear him in half, the machine gun will cut him in half.
Tuibb Nrdle fires his jet pack and under the cover the dust raised by the terry bucket head and his damned disintigrator, soars up and after the track which seems to be chasing poor Zuvebee like a maddened hornbeast. He flies as far as he can and lands in H-4. Tuibb can see Barjhel dancing the dance of death on top of the rushing track. He aims his blast rifle at the track. He must fire quickly, for the track has turned and is pouring disintigrator fire into the woods. Barjhel's pistols have flared off the track's screen, It is up to Tuibb now.
"Danger, danger," his smart weapon sight is telling him, "One of our guys is in the cone of fire."
"Shaddup an' quityer bitchin'!" Tuibb mumbles as he draws down on the bouncing track. "I refuse to be responsible!" the tinny voice of the weapon's computer sulks.
"Ain't no body responsible." Tuibb presses the firing stud. "Least of all me!"
"Kapoot!" The blast rifle burps up a flaming ball of plasma that impacts the track right on the rear ramp. The blazing plasma burns into the track's armor but fails to penetrate.
The damn old terry track is not about to take that kind of kick in the pants. The Grenade Launcher swivels around and blasts out two rounds. The first smacks Tuibb right in the chest and knocks him flat before bouncing off and exploding. Shrapnel tears into the ground just behind the Eli showering him with earth and rock, and bits of metal. The second round was a high miss and flew over to explode far behind. Tuibb awoke to surprise when he awoke to find himself still alive. Once again the good Eli armor had saved him.
"Great Xrit, vhere my armor
has safed me, my weapon has failed me. Brave Barjhel needs help
Ve must swarm da beast. Teamvork. If there be gods ov space, dey
be ELI! Honebead be dere." 
Zuvebee, half crawling and half running dashes into H-2 and takes cover in the thickest clump of vegetation he can find. It looks like the track has lost him in the ground clutter. It is only then he realizes he is not alone. Something else is sharing the clump of jungle with him. Something big and stripped.
Wutbip is staring into the pit where the track had stood. He can see a ladder going down into the darkness. "Zapp" the concussion from a near miss by a heavy cone rifle bullet smacks him off balance and he falls into the pit. He only falls a few feet before his jet belt automatically rights him and lowers him to the floor of the pit. Three tunnels intersect here. One to each point of the compass except for the South. The West tunnel is well lit by cold light tubes. The others are dark.
After searching for the Green Beret theme song, and not finding it, Fabio just pulls out a random music cube and inserts it into the player. A song that Fabio has never heard blasts thru the speakers. Something about the YMCA, whatever that is, comes thru the internal and external speakers. Fabio yanks out the cube and reads the title "Disco Tunes for the Disco Nightmare". Fabio promply throws the cube against the bulkhead and gets to more important matters.
Fabio yells, "Please fasten your sear belts. The emergency exits are to your left and right. The barf bags are located under your seats"
(Find out more about the Disco Nightmare) (Read the stats for the Eli warriors) (See the map for the game.)
For questions concerning this webgame contact John McEwan at john@tin-soldier.com
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