A mass of wires and sparking panels confirmed my suspicions that this vehicle was a drone.
The other craft was flying a good distance away from the one I’d commandeered, so I couldn’t leap onto it. A ball of plasma struck the hull a few inches from where I was hanging on. Skald had spotted me and had started taking shots. He was still too far away to be effective, but he’d get more accurate if he drew nearer. I growled, sliced a big portion of the ripped-away hull free, and threw it at his craft like a frisbee. The lucky bastard dodged it but accidently sent himself out of control. He crashed into several nearby trees.
I turned my attention back to the two big craft and decided to put my education to the test. I sheathed Ebon, dropped to my knees, and quickly tried to make sense of the alien circuitry of the computer. Some of the pieces seemed familiar, and with a bit of experimentation, I learned the basics of the rest. I knew enough to save the town. What I didn’t know was if I’d have enough time.
The unmanned hovercraft effortlessly took me over the road and back toward the edges of Madomar. Skald was out of action, at least for the moment. My priority was the flame-throwing hovercraft.
I pulled a wire free, stripped its insulation with my teeth, and tried to ignore the electrifying sensation that shot through my tooth into my right eye and out my right foot. I figured I’d just been electrocuted, but I hardly felt anything except a slight tingle. I ripped out another wire and touched the two together. The craft I was riding made a hard right turn. When I removed the wires from each other, it returned to its course, closer to its twin, but not close enough.
I performed the touch and release sequence several more times, and each time, the two craft grew closer together. The screams and shouts from the ground drew my attention away from my efforts. Several buildings were on fire, but instead of fighting the blazes, the townsfolk had left their stalls and homes, and they were now watching me in awe.
“Grab some buckets!” I yelled down to them at the top of my lungs. “Fill them with water! Form a chain! Pass it along and douse the fire! Save your town!”
They turned their heads up to me and hid behind nearby structures, some of them actually holding each other for mutual support.
Yaltu appeared from her hiding place in the mass of terrified lifeforms and began issuing orders. Skrew helped by kicking folks in the ass until a burly humanoid kicked him back. The bearded human sent Skrew hurtling out of sight, then started directing his fellow locals into a rapid line. Yaltu gestured, and a pack of the townspeople raced to their piles of wares.
The people caught on to Yaltu’s intention and formed a bucket brigade to extinguish the buildings already on fire. When a few of them broke from the formation to try to wet buildings that hadn’t yet caught fire, Yaltu scolded them and dragged them back into line.
A few more turns of my craft, and I was close enough to the other to perform a leap. I drew Ebon, drove it through the center of the computer, felt it drop from under me, and gave the blade a twist before I launched myself at the other craft. The jump was long, but I’d aimed it perfectly.
I felt like a bird soaring between the two armored vehicles. The breeze was cool on my face and dried the sweat from my arms. But when I got close enough, the heat the craft reflected from the ground bathed me in a sweltering cone. I felt perspiration immediately start to pour from my skin, but I wasn’t burned.
Almost immune to fire. That was good to know. I whispered a thanks to the Lakunae as I went to work.
Without a human pilot, the craft had no way of knowing when or how it should take evasive measures. It either hadn’t noticed me, hadn’t recognized me as a threat, or wasn’t sure what to do about it. I cut the computer completely free, gripped it in my spare hand, and rode the silent craft as it descended. When it got close to the ground, I jumped and landed a second before the craft slammed into the ground and exploded in a cloud of metal and fire.
I held the heavy computer in my hand and waited as I watched the treeline, trying to be patient. Skald was the typical bully. He’d use whatever weapons and tactics he could to control as many people as possible. He’d also be stupid and see if he could hold on to the power he’d acquired.
I knew exactly what he’d do next, so I waited.
The townsfolk were making progress against the fires. I could help them, but that would leave my back turned to an enemy who hadn’t left the field yet. The people needed the experience, anyway. They needed to see what they could accomplish when they worked together. Regardless of their species, each of them had a role to play in their mutual defense.
Then I saw it. Skald brought his severely damaged but still flying hovercraft above the treeline. Though I couldn’t see his face, I imagined him screaming at the scene and pounding his little furry fists against his control board. I decided to end his tantrum by throwing the computer at him.
He saw the arcing hunk of metal a moment before it hit him.
