Quenin Tran

I fly on my bike over the warzone, firing into the mob of black-on-black clad Earth humans. Once soldiers run out of ammunition, they rush forward, drawing other weapons, like the wickedly sharp combat knives all Zhahurans receive when they join the fighting force and engage in hand-to-hand combat. I swoop low over the fighting and search for my squad, but I can't tell one squad from another. I shoot into the crowds, Earth humans falling with each shot. I swerve as soldiers fire up at me, and shoot back. Three of the shots hit my bike and it spins out of control, flinging me from the seat. A few feet away from where I'm laying my bike crashes to the ground, burning. I get up and draw my gun. Some cuts and scrapes, but nothing serious. Two Earth humans fire at me. I roll to the side and come up on one knee and shoot one in the chest. He collapses into the mud, and blood from his bullet runs from the scrape on my shoulder. The second Earth human's bullet misses and I fire at his head. The energy bolt leaves a black, charred, and bloody hole in his head.

A hand grabs my shoulder and I whirl around, gun raising and smacking into the head of the person behind me.

"Ow!" Ahji Lotz, one of my squadmates, stumbles to the side, a hand on his head.

I wince. "Sorry, Ahji." he just shrugs.

"Come with me," he says. "We're going through the trees and circling around behind them." he pauses to fire over my shoulder at an Earth human. I don't flinch. If I did, I would already be dead.

Ahji and I dash across the battlefield, shooting any Earth humans that get in our way and jumping over bodies and piles of wreckage. More of my squadmates join us as we move to the trees, no one really noticing in the chaos of the battle. Once we reach to cover of the trees we move into a tight formation, stepping quietly, guns training at the area surrounding us, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. We meet up with Tahun Acosta, the commander of my squad, and the rest of the squad and merge together, moving through the trees. There are about twenty of us total. We are small compared to some of the other squads, but small is better for sneaking around.

Tahun signals for us to spread out, so the squad fans out and disappears into the trees. I can hear the muted noises of the battle through the trees, and see the clouds of smoke from the fires and explosions that rises above the treetops. I hear a twig snap and turn to the sound, raising my gun. Nothing. Wait- something flashes in the corner of my eye, but nothing more. Then there are echoing bangs and screams to my right. I see a body fall to the ground, and an Earth human step forward. I raise my gun and fire. He turns toward the noise just as my blast hits him in the chest. The Earth human's gun falls from his hand with a faint thump.

And chaos breaks loose.

Energy blasts and bullets alike fire through the clearing in front of me and bodies fall to the ground. I run forward to help, firing at the first black-on-black uniform I see. The clearing is thick with people, dead and alive. I join the fray, firing my gun, slashing with my knife, and crushing limbs. Two hands grab my shoulders and drag me from the thick of the fighting. I slam the handle of my knife into the fingers gripping my right shoulder and fight free of the other. I raise my knife, preparing to strike, but Tahun and Ahji, who is clutching his fingers, hold up their hands. I wince. That's the second time I've done that to Ahji today.

"We need reinforcements," Tahun tells me. "You're one of our fastest. Find any who aren't to badly injured and can get here fast." I nod and take off into the trees, not questioning Tahun's orders.

One of the Earth humans tries to shoot me as I bolt through the trees, but Ahji fires at him and he falls to the ground. I burst through the treeline, sprinting as fast as I can, and into the chaos of the battle, looking for Kaedin. I shoot my gun and slash with my knife at any enemies I pass, not bothering to see if they fall. As I run, I see Kaedin off to my right and run towards him. Two of the Earth humans are running at him, but he shoots one, whirls around to avoid the second one's shot, and fires, sending the second one onto the ground with their partner.

"Kaedin!" I shout. He turns to look at me, and I leap over a pile of smoking metal. When I reach him, I sheath my knife and grab his arm, talking as I go, and dragging him along with me. "We were in the trees," I say, panting. "Going to… circle around. Attack from behind. The Earth humans, some were there. They surprised us… we need backup." I shoot an Earth human running at us from the side.

"You're not making much sense," Kaedin says.

I glare at him out of the corner of my eye. "In the trees," I say. "We were surprised by Earth humans. Lots of guns and dead people and blood. Need help. Was that easier for your immensely dense brain to comprehend?"

"Glad to know you haven't lost your sass yet," he mutters.

I roll my eyes and run off, grabbing more people as we near the trees. I lead Kaedin and the other to the battle site. All I hear is one lone bang! as get closer. When we reach the clearing, I freeze. One Earth human stands with her gun pressed against the back of one of the squad member's head. Bodies litter the clearing, and blood soaks the grass, blue and red respectively. Two more of our squad members are alive. Tahun and Ahji. The Earth humans probably signaled them out as leaders and saved them for last so they could watch their squad members die and know there was nothing they could do about it. I freeze at the sight of the last person to die before Tahun and Ahji. Kneeled in the grass and soaked with red and blue blood, his hands behind his back is Omar Tran. My older brother.

I try to rush forward, try to help him, to save him, but Kaedin holds me back. The Earth human clicks a bullet into the chamber of her gun and fires. Omar crumples to the ground, the light leaving his eyes.

Kaedin covers my mouth with one of his hands to cover my scream. I wrench free from his grasp and charge the Earth human that killed my brother. I don't use the gun. I draw my knife. I want to be close when I see the life leave my brother's murderer's eyes. She hears me coming and tries to shoot me, but I slash my knife across the hand that holds the gun and it falls into the dirt. I stab my knife into her back and she falls to the ground. I pull the knife out again and charge the next Earth human. Behind me, the rest of my gathered force charges forward, but I barely notice. My surroundings blur together. All I know is the enemy in front of me and my weapons.

Once all of the Earth humans in the clearing are dead, we return to the main battlefield. On the way there, I descend into a sort of killing calm. I stop feeling. When we rejoin the field covered in blood and fire, no one who faces me is left alive.