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    © 2001 Andrew Dormeier
Artemus took a bite from the strange, red piece of fruit he was holding and pointed to the slab of meat on the hook in front of him. "It seems this food is safe, can I get 150 kilos freeze-packed?"
"Yes sir!" exclaimed the surprised merchant. This order was larger than any he had gotten in the past two months. As the tan-skinned merchant began to contact his warehouse to place the order, Artemus took in his surroundings. This open-air market was quaint, reminiscent of home. However, its tarps and canopies hid advanced technology. The man with whom he had just been doing business with was now working on a holoscreen in the back of his store. It seemed as if today would be a peaceful day indeed. Artemus looked towards the sky to see the late-afternoon clouds drifting by. He frowned, and looked towards the eastern horizon again. There was a dark cloud covering up the eastern sky and rapidly moving to envelop all that could be seen. A low rumble could be heard. Artemus dropped the fruit he was carrying and turned to speak to the merchant, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll be back later for the food if I can." "What if you don't?" asked the confused shopkeeper. "You'll still get paid," Artemus said while tossing a small bag of local coinage towards the native in haste. As he turned to walk west he brought his wristpad up to his mouth and began to speak into it. "Falinor, we've got a problem. I think a Denten task force is here and coming after me. I estimate three, four minutes max before they arrive if I'm correct. I must assume the worst, and I can't get back to the drop ship in time". "I read you, sir," sputtered the image on the gauntlet. "Do you want me to commence planetary bombardment near your location?" "No, don't! I repeat, do not bombard the planet! They are only after me and we can't hurt the natives. I'll lure them away from this city as best as I can. I need you to bring the Gallant Force in close enough for me to get on board". "I'll be there in ten minutes, sir. And Sol, watch yourself". "As always, Falinor. End communication". Artemus broke into a full sprint west out of town. His cloak flapped behind him as he fled through an ally. Soon the buildings began to thin, gradually giving way to the sparse woods that surrounded the city. In less than two minutes he stood on a green hilltop outside of the city, attempting to catch his breath. He took the time to remind himself to stop slacking off on his exercise. The sky was almost three-fourths covered with the massive thundercloud now. That's when he caught site of them. An army of darkness, blurred into one huge mass, was rounding the northern edge of the city. Once again, Artemus turned west and ran in hopes of making it to the flat plains that began less than a mile away. As he reached the extensive farmland of the plains Artemus thought he heard low thunder. It took him another second to realize it was the army, less than a mile behind him hot on his tail. When they finally came into view from the northeast, Artemus turned around and from the holsters on his hips drew his two high-energy plasma pistols. |
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